Hundreds of passengers scheduled to board Villa Vie Residences’ new ship, Odyssey, for a 1,300-day cruise on Thursday must wait a little bit longer.
Odyssey’s departure from Belfast, Ireland, which was initially set for May 30, has been delayed for repairs. The 31-year-old cruise vessel has encountered issues with its waste water tank, leading the company to reschedule the departure to June 4.
| CEO Mikael Petterson said the 4-day delay will allow them to perform necessary repairs. “During our final DNV inspections yesterday, we identified issues with the steelwork in one of our grey water tanks. To address this, we will need to extend our stay in dry dock by an additional four days. This extension ensures that we meet and exceed all DNV and MCA safety standards,” he explained. |
“The safety of our guests is our top priority, and we are committed to ensuring everything is in perfect order before we set sail,” Petterson added.
When it does sail, the residential cruise ship will sail from Belfast, the dry dock location.
Odyssey, formerly Fred. Olsen Cruises’ Braemar, the ship has sailed for several cruise lines, including Cunard and Norwegian Cruise Line, before being purchased by Villa Vie earlier this year. Fred. Olsen Cruises put the vessel up for sale in 2022.
Rescheduling the inaugural cruise
This isn’t the first time that the ambitious itinerary has been postponed. The first sailing date was announced on May 15 but was pushed back to May 30.
After securing financing in early May, Villa Vie Residences announced that it was delaying its 3.5-year itinerary to make way for an extensive refurbishment, which was expected to be finished by May 21.
Reassuring Nervous Passengers
The postponements have understandably made passengers nervous. After all, the extraordinarily long sailing and cancellations are similar to Life at Sea Cruises, a three-year voyage that recently left people homeless and financially strapped when the company failed to acquire the MV Lara (now Celestyal Discovery). However, many of the same people are jumping on this voyage.
| A section in the cruise terms and conditions should give guests peace of mind: “VVR may change the itinerary at any time without notice and or delay the inaugural sail date. If the inaugural sail date is delayed by more than 15 days, then VVR will refund the full Fare that has been paid.” |
The cruise line has allowed passengers to see the ship in the dry dock to reassure them. With more than 80% of cabins sold, Villa Vie Residences says it has learned from other cruise lines that have gone before and failed.
Once it’s ready to leave, the Odyssey will visit more than 425 ports in 147 countries for 3.5 years. Fares range from $299,999 to $499,999.
