LONDON (AP) — A cruise ship taking passengers on a three-and-a-half-year journey around the world has finally set sail from Belfast port after four months stuck in the Northern Irish capital.
Passengers cheered, applauded and hugged the line’s chief as he confirmed they were ready to depart on Monday evening. The Odyssey left the dock and anchored in Belfast Lough overnight and will begin its journey on Tuesday.
The ship departed from Southampton in May and docked in Belfast for repairs. It spent months at the Harland & Wolff shipyard, where the doomed RMS Titanic was built more than a century ago, where work was carried out on the rudder and engine.
Meanwhile, the ship’s operator, Villa Vie Residence, paid living expenses for dozens of passengers, who were allowed on the ship during the day and provided with meals and entertainment, but could not stay overnight. Some went home, others stayed in hotels in Belfast or visited other parts of Europe.
Cyndi Grzybowski, 69, from Appling, Georgia, said she had always wanted to see the world and was excited about starting the trip, but had loved “every minute” in Belfast.
“We started as strangers in Southampton and Belfast and now we really are family,” she said. “Thank you all so much – really, Belfast has been such a beautiful place.”
A couple of would-be travelers got engaged while waiting for the cruise to start.
Gian Perroni from Vancouver, Canada, and Angie Harsanyi from Colorado met while walking to and from the ship during the layover in Belfast. They are now engaged and plan to be married by the captain aboard the ship in April.
“We found our soulmates,” Perroni said. He said the “stranded” months in Northern Ireland “taught us patience and perseverance – and how wonderful the people of Belfast have been.”
Odyssey from Villa Vie Residences is the latest venture into the storm-ravaged world of continuous cruising. It offers travelers the chance to buy a cabin and live at sea on a ship that sails around the world. During its maiden voyage, the ship will visit 425 ports in 147 countries on seven continents.
Marketing materials, aimed at adventurous retirees and restless digital nomads, tout “the incredible opportunity to own a home on a floating paradise,” complete with a gym, spa, entertainment facilities, an onboard hospital, a business center and a “culinary arts center ‘.
Cabins – billed as “villas” – start at $99,999, plus a monthly fee, for the operational life of the ship, a minimum of 15 years. Passengers can also sign up for parts of the journey that last weeks or months.
Villa Vie Residences CEO Mikael Petterson acknowledged feeling “a bit stressed” when he was given final permission to leave. And he gave Belfast a mixed review.
“Your summer is terrible,” he said, and “you can’t cook to save your life. But you know how to drink.”
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