'Belfast is great… But we’re glad to be leaving': Cruise ship passengers stranded for months finally set to depart
30 September 2024, 10:48
Cruise ship passengers who have been stranded in Belfast for four months are hoping to finally set sail today.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
The Villa Vie Residences’ Odyssey, which docked in Belfast on May 30 to be outfitted, before being held up for repairs, is finally due to set sail, to the delight of stranded passengers.
A total of 125 passengers are due to leave the city on board the ship this evening on a round-the-world trip, in which they will sail on international waters for the next three years.
One passenger told a local news outlet: “We’re getting ready to sail off and we’ve got to say goodbye to Belfast.”
Another said: “Belfast is a great city, we loved it but we’re glad to be leaving tomorrow.
“My whole life I wanted to see the world.”
A third said: “I went to Tenerife for a week and I did not have fun at all. I didn’t like it. I could not wait to get back ‘home’ to Belfast.”
Another couple said it was ‘disheartening’ that things were not sorted sooner with the ship.
Monica, and her husband John said the five-month delay to the start of the cruise was a disappointment.
"It's disheartening that things weren't fixed faster," he said.
"However, the communication with the management has been efficient.”
