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, sparking celebrations among its passengers.
“We’re going to have a lot of fun tonight, we’re going to party like there’s no tomorrow,” a smiling passenger Joe Martino told AFP before boarding.
The Odyssey residential cruise ship left Belfast port at 2240 GMT as passengers celebrated on board.
But Monday’s departure was also hit by another technical hitch.
Dozens of passengers were left waiting at the cruise terminal in Belfast well past the scheduled boarding time as the final piece of required paperwork was held up.
Mike Peterson, head of Villa V Residences, the US-based firm that owns the Odyssey, finally announced the green light to disembark the ship, after which passengers screamed with joy and hugged each other.
“The joy of getting on that plane when it takes off will be the feeling of a lifetime,” said Martino, a 61-year-old actor from Chicago who had 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 scheduled to depart from the Northern Irish capital on May 30 on a three-and-a-half year voyage.
But outfitting, certification processes 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 drydock of Harland & Wolff in Belfast, the famous shipyard where the doomed Titanic was built more than a hundred years ago.
There were further delays as the shipbuilder went into financial administration this month.
Passengers are able to purchase or rent long-term cabins on a so-called “residential” cruise ship, with the promise of unlimited trips around the world.
During long waits, passengers could spend the entire day on the ship but were not allowed to sleep there, so they spent the nights in hotels or rented apartments.
Some decided to explore Northern Ireland, while others took the opportunity to travel in Europe or join other cruises while the Odyssey remained stuck.
They then returned to Belfast in recent days for the expected departure, where the ship will head first to Brest, then to Bilbao, the Azores and across the Atlantic to the Caribbean.
The floating city, which can accommodate about 600 passengers, is scheduled to visit all seven continents with more than 425 stops in 147 destinations planned.
The stopover at the port will last between two to seven days.
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