Passengers Preparing for 3-Year Cruise Still Waiting to Depart
These travelers are living out their very own Gilligan’s Island storyline.
Passengers of the Villa Vie Residences’ Odyssey cruise ship were ready to set sail on a three and a half year voyage around the world in May, however due to issues with the ship, they have been living in Belfast, Northern Ireland, for the past three months.
The world cruise offered travelers a chance to buy a cabin—billed as a “villa”—and live at sea for the duration of the journey, visiting 425 ports in 147 countries on seven continents. The cabins started at $119,999, plus a fixed monthly fee, according to the cruise website. Passengers also had the opportunity to sign up for shorter journeys, lasting either a few months or a year.
However the ship, which was originally built in 1993 but went offline in 2020, has been having issues with its rudder and gearbox, which has caused the three month delay. The Odyssey is currently undergoing maintenance at Belfast’s Harland & Wolff shipyard, which is where the Titanic was built over a 100 years ago.