Cruise ship passengers stuck in port forced to disembark every night

In December, the company announced it had purchased a ship from Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. The more than 30-year-old vessel was originally scheduled to set sail in May.

But mechanical problems, including issues with the ship’s aging rudder stocks and recertification, have left Odyssey stuck in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Sebastian Stokkendal, marketing manager at Villa Vie, told the Associated Press news agency that the company was “impressed by the scale of what it takes to bring a 30-year-old vessel back into service after being out of service for four years.”

The ship is now moored at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, best known as the building site of the ill-fated ocean liner Titanic.

The need for repairs means the The Odyssey passengers are also stuck in Belfast.

Residents can spend their days on the ship, but are not yet allowed to stay overnight. Mikael Petterson, the founder and CEO of Villa Vie, told BI in August that the company provides future residents with shuttles to and from the ship, food, drinks and lodging — or a daily stipend for those who “choose to do their own thing.”

Potential passengers Lanette Canen and Johan Bodin told BI that Villa Vie also sent them on several excursions, including a trip to the Canary Islands and a cruise to the Norwegian fjords.

In the meantime, they say the food on Odyssey has been good — especially the barbecue. They’ve also enjoyed the onboard amenities, including the spa, live band and open bar.

“We understand that there are some hiccups,” Bodin told BI. “They’re kind of flattering us to keep us happy. They’re almost too service-oriented. I don’t need to be pampered all the time.”

Stokkendal told AP that Villa Vie expects to launch its vessel in the first week of September.

Representatives for Villa Vie Residences did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.