From Belfast to the Bahamas – The Cruise, the Chat and the Catch

On a clear October day, a few miles off the coast of Ireland, a bottle of champagne burst as a cruise liner finally began to move.

The 125 passengers on the Odyssey of Residences Villa Vie were jubilant.

But their journey lasted four months.

The boat, which is scheduled to depart on a three-and-a-half-year world tour, has been in Belfast harbor since May.

It’s a story of dashed hopes, delays, repairs and paperwork and relentless positivity from the ship’s passengers.

How did the story of the “doomed cruiser” unfold?

The delay

For three months the boat and its passengers went unnoticed until a couple attended a popular comedy night in Belfast.

Hearing American accents in the crowd, the comedian started grilling the guests and got the whole “stuck in Belfast” story.

Like any saga, it went viral on Tiktok and was picked up by a BBC journalist.

It appeared that some of the passengers had packed up their homes and lives, ready to take up residence on the ship.

Instead, the view from the cabins, in which they were not allowed to sleep, was of Belfast Lough, Northern Ireland.

It sounds frustrating, but passenger Holly Hennessy and her Siamese cat, Captain, took things in stride.

She and Captain won the hearts of the people of Belfast and beyond.

“A ship that must wait? It’s nothing’

The Florida native told the BBC that it was the devastating loss of her only son, Brent, that determined her to stay positive.

“I learned that how you choose to see things makes all the difference in the world,” she explained.

“Rather than focusing on the loss, I chose to focus on the incredible gift I had for 21 years.

“A ship that must wait? It’s nothing.

Brent, a “gifted young man,” died days after a car accident in 2002.

“He suffered very minor injuries, but was given strong painkillers. Two days later he was gone,” she told the BBC.

Living at sea helps him feel closer to his son.

“Planning a new life after the death of your only child must be a deliberate thing.

“We were a water family. Part of the reason I love being on the water so much is because that’s where I feel Brent. Our fondest memories concern boats. Brent died in 2002 and his father, Roger, in 2019.

“The freedom to live on a boat comes at a high price”

For Holly, the crew becomes like family on extended voyages.

She also hopes that Brent’s girlfriend at the time of his death will join her for part of the trip.

“We are still very close,” she said.

Time heals, she says, but the loss is exponential.

“It’s Nevers.

“Never married, never had grandchildren, never had a career and family flourish. My freedom to live on a ship comes at a very high price; nothing keeps me in the United States.

“But I also think I shouldn’t waste this freedom.”

Not your average cruise?

The ship Holly and the captain call home is 31 years old.

The Villa Vie Residences company purchased it from Fred Olsen Cruise Lines in 2023.

In 2024, she had arrived at Queen’s Island in Belfast to be fitted out in April before her cruise.

The voyage date was postponed when problems arose with her rudders and gearbox.

The company’s CEO, Mikael Petterson, said getting the ship out of layup “proved to be a little more difficult than expected.”

In fact, the unexpected stopover in Belfast cost the company millions of pounds.

Cabin Fees

What do you do when you have 125 residents and you don’t know where to go?

Residents were given the option to purchase their cabin rather than paying a daily rate for their room as in a traditional hotel.

The cost of purchasing a cabin can range from $99,999 to $899,000.

This allows them to stay on board beyond the initial three-year tour of the Odyssey of Villa Vie Residences.

Randy and Kit Cassingham were a couple who put all their eggs in one basket.

They sold their home in the Colorado mountains and all their belongings to become residents of the ship – but in Belfast – they were part-time residents.

Passengers could spend time on the ship during the day while waiting for a departure date, but had to disembark in the evening to stay in hotels.

Their cabin costs six figures and will be their home for the life of the Odyssey ship.

The people of Belfast

Melody and John Hennessee of Palm Beach, Florida, took advantage of their time in Belfast to build the ship’s largest suite.

Before their departure, the two men joined a group of passengers saying a final goodbye to Belfast.

“The people of Belfast are amazing – so kind and generous. Thank you Belfast,” Melody said.

However, they said they were excited by the news of the ship’s departure and “ready to take it.”

Although not quite a “love boat” scenario, two former strangers, Angela Harsanyi and Gian Perroni, fell in love while docked in Belfast.

They are about to get married when the ship sets sail.

Ms. Harsanyi, 53 and originally from Colorado, said she and Mr. Perroni, a 62-year-old Canadian, first met at the start of their lockdown.

“We discovered we had so much in common and loved being in each other’s company, so much so that we really couldn’t imagine a life without each other,” Ms Harsanyi told SkyNews.

The couple also got matching Celtic trinity knot tattoos.

Have a good trip ?

The ship had to pass some final inspections this week before it could sail Monday evening.

There was excitement when it was announced that the ship would finally sail.

Passengers boarded the cruise ship in the evening, ready to begin their adventure. Some of them had joy and even tears.

It left the port just after 11:30 p.m., a little later than its scheduled departure time of 11:00 p.m.

Mr Petterson said the delay was due to red tape.

After months of media coverage, the ship quietly left port.

But it wasn’t over.

The ship anchored off the County Down coast overnight and was due to return to sea on Tuesday.

On Wednesday afternoon, as the ship remained anchored just outside Bangor, BBC Ireland correspondent Chris Page came out to say a final goodbye.

Within shouting distance of the bridge, CEO Mikael Petterson said they would leave “any minute.”

Every minute now turned into the next day.

Will non-believers be believers?

But any naysayers at this point would be proven wrong on Thursday afternoon.

In fact, the CEO’s words to BBC News NI less than a week ago, that “there will always be haters but non-believers will be believers as we navigate the next few days”, were revealed as semi-prophetic. .

Residents recorded videos, expressing joy, as the ship glided past, eager to set sail.

The Odyssey is expected to arrive in Brest, France, on Saturday at 6:30 a.m.

For Holly and Captain, this is just the next step in a great adventure and she has spoken the words that have been four months in the making.

“We’re really cruising – it’s finally happening.”