Villa Vie Residences’ highly anticipated residential around-the-world cruise has been delayed yet again from its original May target date, it told waiting customers on Monday.
The company also said it can no longer afford to pay for its would-be residents’ accommodations near the ship, which has remained stuck in Belfast, Northern Ireland, for almost four months.
Villa Vie Odyssey has been readying to embark on a never-ending vacation that would circumnavigate the world every 3 ½ years, stopping at 147 countries and 425 destinations along the way — all while providing travelers with the comforts of a traditional cruise.
Dual occupancy cabins start at $120,000, with an additional monthly fee of $1,750 per person.
The highly anticipated vessel was initially scheduled to set sail in May following the company’s acquisition of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ more than 30-year-old Braemar vessel, now renamed Villa Vie Odyssey. However, issues like the aging ship’s rudder stocks and certifications have since delayed its departure.
Mikael Petterson, the founder and CEO of Villa Vie, told Business Insider in an email in early September that his “best guess” is that Odyssey would set sail on September 9 or 10, noting that it was still a “moving target if it’s either of those days.”
But come September 9, instead of embarking on their around-the-world journey, buyers were notified of yet another delay.
The residential ship recently completed its highly anticipated sea trials, a milestone “test drive” for cruise liners. However, in the memo to customers, Petterson told would-be residents that the vessel was still awaiting its Passenger Ship Safety Certificate, which is necessary to set sail.
“We are truly at the end of the tunnel and can finally see the light,” he said.
Since May, more than 100 Villa Vie buyers have stayed in the UK in anticipation of the ship’s departure. Residents can spend their days on Odyssey but aren’t allowed to stay overnight. In the interim, the company had provided shuttles to and from the ship, food, drinks, excursions, and lodging — or a daily per diem for those who “choose to do their own thing.”
That is, until Monday. In the memo, Villa Vie has asked its residents to pay for their own accommodations for the next seven days “or so” until the floating condominium receives full certification.
Since the initial delay, Petterson told BI that Villa Vie had paid almost $2 million for its buyers’ hotels. “I wouldn’t say it’s crushing, but it does compound the stress of still not having launched and still not making revenue,” he said.
For some would-be tenants, like Angela and Stephen Theriac, this announcement means they’ll have to leave the UK, where they’ve been since Odyssey’s initial departure date in May, to return to the US.
“Seven days is a lot in Belfast,” the couple said in a video posted to their YouTube channel, MidLife Cruising. “The prices are a minimum of $200 a night. It’s cheaper for us to fly back to the US.”
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