Editor-DN
Belfast, United Kingdom:
A luxury round-the-world cruise ship plagued by technical delays and docked in rainy Belfast since May finally departed the Northern Irish capital late Monday, prompting celebration among its passengers.
“We’re going to have the same time tonight, we’re going to party like there’s no tomorrow,” beaming passenger Joe Martino told AFP before boarding the plane.
The Odyssey residential cruise ship pulled out of Belfast harbor at 2240 GMT as passengers cheered on board.
But even Monday’s departure was hit by another technical hiccup.
Dozens of passengers were left waiting past their scheduled boarding time at Belfast’s cruise terminal as the last piece of required paperwork was filed.
After Mike Patterson, head of the US firm Villa Y Residences, which owns the Odyssey, finally announced the green light for passengers to exit the ship, there were shouts of joy and hugs.
“The thrill of getting on that plane, when it takes off, is the feeling of a lifetime,” said Martino, 61, an actor from Chicago who has spent the past four months waiting in Belfast.
Passenger Holly Hennessy, holding her cat named “Captain”, cheered: “I’ve been in Belfast for four months and two days, but hey, who’s counting!”
‘Everything went wrong’
The Odyssey was due to depart the Northern Irish capital on May 30 on a three-and-a-half-year cruise.
But the equipment, certification process and engine repairs all took longer than expected.
“Everything that could go wrong, went wrong,” Martino said.
The ship was repaired due to engine failure in the dry dock at Harland & Wolff in Belfast, the famous shipyard where the doomed Titanic was built more than a hundred years ago.
That month saw further delays as the shipbuilder went into financial administration.
Passengers can buy or rent long-term cabins on so-called “residential” cruise ships with the promise of unlimited travel around the world.
During long waits, passengers could spend all day on the ship but were not allowed to sleep there, so nights were spent in hotels or rented apartments.
Some decided to explore Northern Ireland, while others took the opportunity to sail in Europe or join other voyages while the Odyssey remained stranded.
They then arrived back in Belfast in recent days for the expected departure, which will see the ship first to Brest, then Bilbao, the Azores, and across the Atlantic to the Caribbean.
The floating city, which can accommodate up to 600 passengers, is scheduled to visit all seven continents with more than 425 stops at 147 locations.
The port stay will be between two to seven days.
(Other than the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
