Stranded cruise ship remains in Belfast hours after leaving harbour

A cruise ship, which finally set sail on Monday after months of delays, remains in Belfast Lough on Tuesday afternoon.

Villa Vie Residences’ Odyssey was scheduled to leave the city in May, but five months after arriving, the ship is yet to leave Northern Ireland waters after being beset with delays.

The round-the-world cruise liner anchored off the coast overnight on Monday and was expected to set sail again on Tuesday.

But passengers have been told some final pieces of paperwork need to be completed.

Passengers who spent the night on board described the mood as positive, despite not hitting the high seas just yet.

Donna Martemucci told BBC News NI she is taking the delay as just “another day to explore a lovely city. All good.”

John Frim said he was a bit confused by the situation but was “happy to be home” and to have slept in his “own bed” on board the vessel for the first time.

The ship arrived at Queen’s Island in the Northern Ireland capital to be outfitted before it was scheduled to leave on 30 May for the first leg of its cruise.

But until 30 September, it was stuck in Belfast due to problems with its rudders and gearbox.

The vessel had some final inspections to pass this week before it was signed off to sail.

Passengers have been able to spend time on the ship during the day while waiting for a departure date, but had to disembark in the evenings to stay in hotels.

Some have sold their houses and plan to live on the ship.

Melody and John Hennessee, from Palm Beach in Florida, hope to stay on board for the rest of their lives.

They used their unexpected months in Belfast “to build the largest suite on the ship”, Ms Hennessee told BBC News NI.

“It has two bedrooms and two bathrooms and the time here has allowed us to complete the project.”

Cruise ship chief executive Mikael Peterson told BBC News NI the unexpected layover in Belfast has cost the company millions of pounds.

According to the Belfast Harbour website, the ship is scheduled to depart Belfast Lough at 23:00 on Tuesday.

The ship had faced 17 weeks of delay and was still in a Harland and Wolff repair yard long after the scheduled boarding time of 17:00 on Monday.

Some 125 passengers boarded the cruise liner at about 20:00 and it left the port just after 23:30.

There were shouts of “goodbye Belfast” and waving as they disappeared on to the Odyssey for their round-the-world cruise which, for many, will last for years.

Had it kept to its original departure date in May, the ship would be in the Bahamas by now.

Villa Vie Residences’ Odyssey is a residential, around-the-world cruise that was scheduled to depart from Belfast in May.

The company’s website states that the cost of buying a cabin can range from $99,999 to $899,000.

Passengers on the cruise were given the option of buying their cabin outright rather than paying a daily rate for their room like a traditional hotel.

It allows them to remain onboard beyond the Villa Vie Residences’ Odyssey’s initial three-year tour.

Residents on the cruise are encouraged to treat the ship like their home, with some opting to bring pets aboard for the journey.

Another passenger on board the ship, Mary Ann Demsar, said she was still “very excited” to be on the cruise and to “see the world”.

“It’s been tough getting here with all the delay but I’ve had the time of my life these last five months exploring Ireland and Europe and enjoying everything Belfast has to offer.”

Ms Demsar, who is Canadian, said the delays on Monday were “nerve-racking”.

“Not sure exactly what’s happening but we are going to be docking back in Belfast today and then leaving later on.

“There is some paperwork that still needs to be done.”

She said passengers enjoyed “a lovely dinner”, went to lounges and there was “some dancing” on board.

“It was nice to see workers with the sparklers celebrating the beginning of the voyage,” she added.

“It was very nice to see the lights of Belfast in the distance.”