Delayed Cruise Ship Finally on the Move Again After ‘Paperwork’ Glitch
The Villa Vie Odyssey cruise vessel has departed from Belfast Lough, where it had been moored near Bangor, Northern Ireland, and is currently en route to France. The ship, which set sail from Belfast on Monday night after a delay of approximately four months, stopped initially due to incomplete final documentation. Multiple scheduled departures came and went, resulting in increasing confusion for both passengers and onlookers along the shore about the true status of the voyage.
However, the ship is making headway. As of 7:00 a.m. ET on Friday, the Odyssey was making good progress towards Brest, France, as reported by the marine tracking service Vesselfinder. Mike Petterson, CEO of Villa Vie, informed CNN on Friday that the vessel is expected to stay in France for one day before continuing on to Bilbao, Spain.
This news is likely to bring comfort to the passengers, many of whom have invested tens of thousands of dollars and, in some instances, relinquished their homes to partake in the long-awaited cruise. On Thursday, Holly Hennessey, traveling with her cat, shared with CNN that she and other passengers had recently participated in a small christening ceremony aboard the ship and were thrilled to have finally received permission to set sail.
“It’s certainly not what we anticipated, and it has been frustrating at times, but we understand we are about to begin the adventure of a lifetime,” expressed US passenger Angela Theriac, who is traveling with her husband, in a conversation with CNN last month. Petterson had previously mentioned that the extended delay was a result of an unusually lengthy certification process. Although the ship was constructed in 1999, it had to meet the standards applicable to new vessels, according to Petterson.
