A residential cruise ship is still anchored off Belfast after finally being released from its 4-month purgatory
Liam McBurney/PA Images via Getty Images
- The Villa Vie Odyssey finally set sail on Monday night after four months of delays.
- However, it turned back less than 24 hours later.
- Some paperwork needs to be completed before its round-the-world voyage can finally begin, passengers said.
A residential cruise ship that finally set sail after months of delays remains anchored just off Belfast in Northern Ireland.
Villa Vie Odyssey has been promising its residents a never-ending voyage that would circumnavigate the world every 3 ½ years, stopping at 147 countries and 425 destinations along the way — all while providing the comforts of a traditional cruise.
Some buyers have paid upward of $469,000 for a cabin on the floating condominium.
The ship was initially scheduled to set sail in May. However, certification and mechanical issues with the more-than-30-year-old vessel continued to delay its departure from Belfast.
After four months of waiting, the residential cruise ship finally set off on Monday at about 11:30 p.m. local time — only to remain anchored near the coast.
BBC News reported that it was due back at Belfast Harbour early on Tuesday afternoon. However, the Odyssey was yet to return to port on Wednesday morning.
Passengers told the BBC that they were informed the never-ending cruise needed to return to port to complete some final pieces of paperwork.
It marks another hiccup in the tumultuous story that has seen everything from passengers kicked off for complaining, to a couple getting engaged after meeting on board.
A Villa Vie spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.