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A residential world cruise has not yet set sail more than three months after its planned departure.
Villa Vie Residences’ first three-and-a-half year cruise was scheduled to begin in May, but its Villa Vie Odyssey ship remains in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
“Coming into Belfast from Edinburgh on our own power we were confident that our beautiful Odyssey would fly through class surveys,” CEO Mikael Petterson said in an emailed statement. “We have since then been quite humbled by the scale of what it takes to reactivate a 30-year-old vessel from a four-year layup. After the lapse of all certifications of class we are now considered (a) new ship where all machinery and equipment must work as if new.”
The ship last sailed as MS Braemar for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines before undergoing renovations after Villa Vie purchased it last year.
“Despite having to do major works such as the rudder stocks, major steel work and engine overhauls, we have persevered and are now in the last stages of departure,” Petterson added. The ship is expected to launch next week, visiting cities including Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Lisbon, Portugal before crossing the Atlantic Ocean to cruise the Caribbean.
The vessel will miss most of its Northern Europe segment but will add it to its 2027 schedule.
Passenger Starr Davis left behind her life in Hollywood, Florida to join the 147-country trip, selling her car and putting her house on the market. “I am down to four suitcases and a couple of 50-gallon storage bins of everything I own,” she told USA TODAY.
Cruising the world has been a long-held dream for Davis, 56. She retired shortly before the ship was originally due to leave from Southampton, England on May 15. That was pushed back to May 30 from Belfast, the first of several delays.
Passengers are now able to board the ship in the mornings around 8:30 but must disembark by about 9:30 p.m, according to Davis. Villa Vie has provided lodging, as well as provisions like food and activities on the ship like trivia.
Starting prices to purchase cabins are currently listed at $119,999, according to Villa Vie’s website. Davis chose a pay-as-you-go option but declined to share specifics about what she’d spent on the cruise.
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“We are extremely grateful for our residents who have stood by our side through the tough times,” Petterson said. “We have worked with our residents to provide hotels, cruises, shore excursions, trips to Tenerife, Liverpool and are welcoming them for onboard visits where they can get their rooms ready and connect with crew and fellow residents.”
Davis has taken the changes in stride. She used the extra time in May to visit New York City and see Broadway shows, and has since traveled around Europe and North Africa. “Initially I was going to wait for the ship, but it turns out I want to see the world,” she said.
She’s had no shortage of adventures in that time, riding a hot air balloon in Marrakech, Morocco and rappelling down the side of a football stadium in Liverpool.
The delays come after a three-year world cruise from Life at Sea Cruises was canceled late last year following investor withdrawal and struggles to acquire its desired ship. But Davis remains optimistic that Villa Vie’s ship will set sail soon.
“I truly believe this is going to happen,” she said. “I truly believe we’re being treated fairly.”
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
