The trip around the world with the cruise ship Villa Vie Odyssey does not start in May as planned. Hundreds of passengers have been stranded in Belfast for months. Many have now given up hope.
The cruise with the Villa Vie Odyssey, which was supposed to go around the world, apparently doesn’t have a good star. The ship has been lying idle in Belfast harbor since the end of May. Hundreds of passengers are stranded. Loud “Euronews“Many of them sold their homes and belongings to live on board permanently.
Cruise passengers have already stayed in seven hotels in Belfast
The 30-year-old ship repeatedly failed certifications. Extensive improvements are now needed. All passengers had to leave the ship and be accommodated in hotels. G. Grady says: “We stayed in six or seven hotels here in Belfast.”
Passengers’ patience is being strained as Villa Vie Residences repeatedly made last-minute departure announcements that were then postponed. Her husband J. Grady adds: “We’ve been here so long that the taxi drivers and waiters know us by name.”
The couple understands the problems because the Odyssey is a thirty-year-old ship. “These were unforeseen things that took time because they are not easy to solve, especially when this cruise ship is supposed to travel around the world for three and a half years,” says J.
Some travelers have sold their homes
Operators have stopped covering all passengers’ costs. “Euronews” explains that this further aggravates the situation, especially since some passengers have no other accommodation because they sold their homes. This is also reported by the “star“.
Due to the ongoing uncertainty and the concerns of their children, the Gradys are returning to the United States for the time being. “Our children are worried about us,” says G.. Despite the setbacks, they remain optimistic and hope to be able to continue the cruise at a later date.
Cruise passengers are “abandoned like dogs”
A retired couple from Thuringia, on the other hand, experienced a nightmare on a Caribbean cruise when they were left behind by their cruise ship in the middle of the Dominican Republic. Roswitha D. (71) and her husband Norbert (73) had to leave the ship after Roswitha fell ill with Corona and had to go to the on-board hospital.
Despite subsequent recovery and expensive treatment at a local hospital ($2,500), they were no longer allowed on board. Roswitha reported that her husband was not allowed to stay overnight in the hospital and that they were told that an overnight stay in a hotel or a self-organized return flight were not possible with Corona – statements that later turned out to be false.
After a few days they finally managed to fly home. Roswitha describes the experience as traumatic and compared it to abandoning dogs. A lawyer confirmed that it is permissible to prohibit those suffering from corona from continuing their journey, but care services must be guaranteed.
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