Why was a round-the-world cruise ship stuck in Belfast for three months?

A round-the-world cruise ship is finally due to set sail from Belfast following months of delays.

Villa Vie’s Odyssey cruise ship was scheduled to leave on May 30 for the first leg of a three-and-a-half-year journey.

But its departure was delayed until sometime this week, with passengers enjoying their unexpected forced stay in Northern Ireland.

People who have been living on the ship for the past few months took to social media to express their excitement at finally being able to set off.

The Odyssey was delayed by three months. / Credit: AP

Angela Theriac, posted a celebratory picture on Instagram saying: “We PASSED sea trials!!!! One step closer to setting sail!!! Woo hoo!!”

What went wrong and why did it take so long to set sail?

The Odyssey cruise ship was originally called Crown Dynasty and had operated under several cruise companies.

It was first launched in 1993.

She was rebranded as the Braemar while being operated by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines from 2001-2020.

She was taken out of operation during the pandemic and never returned to service under Fred. Olsen before she was sold in 2023 to Villa Vie Residences.

Villa Vie renamed the boat Villa Vie Odyssey with the plan for her to be the flagship of their planned three-and-a-half-year cruise.

The ship was then retrofitted for its long journey as the business began finding passengers, with a departure date set for May 30.

But as the date edged closer the ship routinely failed to be certified to sail.

If this sounds familiar another company with a similar plan and organised by some of the same people failed to depart last November after numerous delays, including not even having a ship to sail on.

CEO Mikael Petterson told CNN the ship had been ready to sail on July 30, with the issue being blamed on a longer-than-expected certification process.

Reports suggested the ship had issues with its rudders and gearbox.

Passengers have been staying on the boat while they wait for departure. / Credit: AP

But the ship finally undertook sea trials (monitored test drives) earlier this month and has been passed to sail.

One of the issues derived from Fred. Olsen retiring the ship before they sold it, meaning all previous certifications had expired so Villa Vie had to get them all approved again.

Petterson also told CNN the previous owners had not handed over all of the documentation of previous repairs meaning the certifiers asked for any repair that was not properly documented to be done again, even if it worked.

While stuck in Northern Ireland some of the passengers decided to stay in their unexpected home while others used the opportunity to travel the UK and Europe.

Where is the cruise going?

If all goes to plan the Odyssey will visit all seven continents, with more than 425 stops planned.

Port stays will stretch from two to seven days, differing from the usual fleeting stays normal cruises plan.

Destinations include most of the world’s major ports from Singapore to Rio de Janeiro.

The journey will be broken up into 17 different ‘segments’ covering different areas of the globe from the Mediterranean, to the Indian Ocean and Madagascar, to Australia.

It has a capacity of 924, across 485 cabins, and its relatively small size means that it is capable of docking at smaller ports that most modern giant cruise liners can not.

For those who want to spend more than three and a half years at sea, Villa Vie plans to head straight into another trip once their first one ends, keeping the cycles going for as long as they can.

“It’s really less of a cruise, it’s a lifestyle – a home with ever changing backyards,” Peterson told CNN.