By Kiera Howard 
You sell your house, pack your entire life into boxes, and drop £75,000 on a cabin for a three-year world cruise. Four months later, Villa Vie Odyssey passengers are finally leaving Belfast while you’re banned from boarding because you complained in a WhatsApp group.
That’s exactly what happened to Bonny Kelter, a 66-year-old retiree whose dream retirement became a nightmare when the ship spent 127 days stuck in Northern Ireland.
The Dream Sold vs Reality Delivered
Villa Vie Residences promised a revolutionary concept: own a floating home that circumnavigates the globe every three and a half years. About 200 passengers bought in, paying between £79,000 and £713,000 for cabins.
They sold houses. Rehomed pets. Changed their entire lives.
Expected departure: 30 May 2024. Actual departure: 3 October 2024.
What Went Wrong in Belfast
Technical Nightmare
The Villa Vie Odyssey arrived at Harland & Wolff shipyard on 28 April 2024. The 31-year-old vessel had sat idle for four years during COVID. Problems surfaced immediately:
- Rudder stocks completely failed (needed 4,000-pound custom replacements from Denmark)
- Gearbox malfunctioned
- Hull deteriorated from exposure
- Failed multiple certification inspections
CEO Mikael Pettersson later admitted being “humbled by the scale of what it takes to reactivate a 30-year-old vessel from a four-year layup.”
The Belfast Experience
Passengers developed a strange routine. During the day, they could board to eat and use facilities. At night, they returned to hotels. Villa Vie burned through £1.6 million ($2 million) on accommodations before telling passengers to pay their own way.
Some made the best of it. One group tried visiting every Belfast pub. Others explored Europe. Holly Hennessey, travelling with her cat, moved hotels five times.
When Paradise Turned Toxic
The WhatsApp Wars
Two distinct camps emerged during the delay: the relentlessly positive and those who dared complain.
Camp Love: Angela Harsanyi and Gian Perroni met commuting between hotels and ship. They fell in love, got engaged by the River Lagan, married at sea. Wedding aisle inscription: “From Belfast to Forever.”
Camp Outcast: Bonny Kelter (paid £75,000) and Jenny Phenix (sold everything) voiced frustrations in a private WhatsApp group. Villa Vie terminated their contracts.
COO Kathy Villalba cited “continuous complaints and negativity” impacting “morale and well-being of other passengers.” CEO Pettersson claimed they “outright threatened with media unless they get what they want.”
Kelter’s possessions, including medicines and jewellery, remained onboard as she flew home.
Financial Fallout
- Passenger cabin prices: £79,000 to £713,000
- Villa Vie’s accommodation costs: £1.6 million
- Budget overrun: £10 million
- Days stranded: 127
The Escape That Wasn’t
30 September 2024: Ship finally leaves dock. Passengers celebrate.
Then it anchors in Belfast Lough for three days. Reason: “paperwork.”
CEO Pettersson’s Belfast review: “Your summer is horrible. You can’t cook to save your lives. But you do know how to drink.”
3 October 2024: Villa Vie Odyssey finally sails for France.
Life After Belfast
The ship immediately faced new problems. Toilets stopped flushing. No hot water. One passenger described waking to “the faint smell of s*** marinating in a hundred unflushed bowls.”
Major itinerary changes followed. Falklands cancelled. Amazon stops scrapped. CEO Pettersson replaced in November 2024.
But here’s the twist: Bonny Kelter negotiated her way back onboard. She joined the ship in Panama on 17 December 2024, just in time for Christmas.
As of March 2025, Villa Vie Odyssey sails with 249 residents and seven cats onboard. Currently in Brazil, heading for the Amazon.
The Real Lesson
When you’re asking people to invest their life savings, every detail matters. The Belfast saga proved that old ships, poor communication, and punishing critics creates a perfect storm of disaster.
For those considering floating retirement homes, remember: traditional properties like Greek luxury villas don’t require custom rudder stocks from Denmark.
The Villa Vie story continues. Some passengers live their dream, posting from tropical ports. Others learned the hard way that speaking up gets you kicked off.
Four months in Belfast taught everyone involved that when cruise companies sell dreams, they better be ready to deliver. Because when passengers finally prepare to leave port after months of delays, patience has already sailed.
Sources: Business Insider, Yahoo News, Cruise Hive, Cruise Industry News