After 4 months of delays, a residential cruise ship has finally set sail on a 3-year around-the-world voyage

Luxury cruise passengers who have been marooned in Belfast for four months are hoping to hit the seas this week.

After a dramatic four-month delay, Villa Vie’s residential cruise ship has finally set sail on its around-the-world voyage.

The company’s aptly named Odyssey has promised its residents a cruise set to stop at 425 destinations in 147 countries in its first go around the world. Travelers are set to see Europe, Asia, Australia, North and South America, and Africa — all while living on a floating condominium outfitted with the comforts of a traditional cruise.

Villa Vie’s more-than-30-year-old ship had remained stuck in Belfast, Northern Ireland, amid mechanical and certification issues — until now. The ship has left port and is now in the Irish Sea. It is not yet clear where it will sail after Belfast.

Representatives for Villa Vie did not immediately respond to a request for comment from B-17.

Villa Vie Odyssey joins The World’s more-than-20-year-old vessel as one of the few to embark on the ambitious voyage of circumnavigating the globe, marking a breakthrough in the infamously tumultuous residential cruise industry.

Over the last few years, startups promising floating condominiums have been plagued by delays and financial concerns.

In November 2023, Life at Sea Cruises canceled its three-year around-the-world voyage just two weeks before its scheduled departure after failing to secure enough funding to purchase a ship. In July, the company filed for bankruptcy.

Never-ending cruise startup Storylines said it’s building its own luxury residential ship. However, its launch has been delayed until 2027, and former employees, consultants, and investors told B-17 in 2023 that they’d started to doubt the vessel would ever be built.