Cruise ship stranded off Belfast departs after months of delays, passengers say

A US cruise ship bound for a round-the-world trip has departed off the coast of Belfast for the second time this week following months of delays, passengers have said.

Villa Vie Residences' Odyssey set sail on Thursday afternoon and Sky News understands it is heading to Scotland to refuel.

Passengers were pictured celebrating at one of the bars on board the ship.

One of those was Holly Hennessy from Florida, who said: "Hallelujah! All of us are beyond words, delighted, and the celebration is already under way."

Filming herself on deck she added: "It is my beautiful home-ship-home. And I am waiting for the horn to blow."

Live tracking by website MarineTraffic also confirmed the ship was on the move. The status of the Odyssey on the website was: "Underway, using engine."

The ship was originally set to leave Belfast in May but its departure was delayed as it needed repairs, forcing many guests into an unscheduled stay in Northern Ireland.

The US liner sailed out of Belfast Harbour just after 11pm on Monday night but shortly afterwards it was told it had to anchor off the coast of Northern Ireland as it still had to complete administrative paperwork.

The stranded passengers have not been staying on the ship during the delay and have instead stayed in hotels and short-term rental properties in Belfast.

Rooms can be rented on the vessel for between 35 to 120 days, or cabins can be purchased for between £90,000 and £260,000.

Those who buy a villa own the space for however long the ship operates, with a minimum guarantee of 15 years.

Many of the passengers thanked Belfast for hosting them for many months, praising the people and the many pubs the city has to offer.

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Two of those were Gian Perroni and Angela Harsanyi who boarded the ship as complete strangers but are now engaged, having started dating while stranded in Belfast.

Speaking to The UK Tonight with Sarah-Jane Mee on Wednesday, Mr Perroni said "we love this place" but added that he was "looking forward" to setting sail.

The ship is expected to eventually travel to Brest in France before making several stop-offs while en route to the Bahamas.

(c) Sky News 2024: Cruise ship stranded off Belfast departs after months of delays, passengers say