Cruise ship passengers stranded in Belfast have finally set sail for a round-the-world trip after months marooned in Northern Ireland.
The Villa Vie Odyssey was meant to embark on a three-and-a-half-year cruise on 30 May but engine problems forced the vessel – and its passengers – to stay in Belfast.
After a four-month delay, the ship at last set sail on Monday night at around 11.35pm. It is spending its first night at sea just a short distance from the dock, in Belfast Lough, before continuing its journey on Tuesday.
John Hennessee and wife Melody Thor Hennessee, from Palm Beach, Florida, embraced the delay and shortly before setting sail, they told Sky News there was plenty about Belfast they’d miss.
“The people are amazing,” Mrs Hennessee said. “They’re so kind and generous. It’s just amazing. We’ve made a lot of new friends, it’s been fun.”
She continued: “We’ve done pretty much every tourist thing Belfast has to offer. We just about frequent every restaurant you have in Belfast.
“We now love Guinness, that’s a big thing. We have one every day.”
“American Guinness isn’t quite like it is over here,” her husband added.
The passengers clutched souvenirs – including one model of the Titanic – as they gathered to board the Villa Vie Odyssey on Monday evening.
Andy Garrison, 75, built the replica ship over three or four days after arriving in Belfast for what should have been a three-day stay before setting sail in August.
Asked if he was worried it could be a bad omen, he replied: “No, I’m not. As a matter of fact I’m going to put this on the wall of my room.”
Mr and Mrs Hennessee made the most of their time stranded on UK shores by also visiting Tenerife and Paris, as well as enjoying a shorter voyage on a Norwegian ship.
While they were “ecstatic” to finally receive a departure date, Mrs Hennessee added: “But this [delay] allowed us to finish the renovations on our cabin. Now we can cruise in style, it’s ready.”
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The luxury ship offers rental cabins from 35 to 120 days – or entire villas can be purchased for £90,000 to £260,000.
People who buy a villa own the space for however long the ship operates, with a minimum guarantee of 15 years.
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The stranded passengers have been unable to stay onboard during the four-month delay and have instead stayed in hotels and short-term rental properties in Belfast.
Two of the ship’s passengers have had a particularly memorable time, going from being strangers to getting engaged while stranded.
