A luxury cruise ship has set off from a Belfast dock after unexpectedly spending four months in the city ahead of a three-year voyage.
Passengers cheered, applauded and hugged the liner’s chief when he confirmed on Monday night that they were ready for departure.
The residents of the Villa Vie Odyssey waved goodbye to the Northern Ireland city they had become so familiar with, bringing souvenirs and memories with them.
One man, who carried a self-assembled model of the Titanic on board on Monday, said he enjoyed Belfast but was ready for the rest of the cruise.
Another woman from Georgia said she had always wanted to see the world, but thanked Belfast for hosting them, calling it “a wonderful place”.
The luxury liner became stranded due to unexpected repair works in May, forcing passengers to become familiar with the sights Belfast and Northern Ireland has to offer.
One pair of would-be voyagers became engaged while waiting for the cruise to begin.
Gian Perroni, from Vancouver in Canada, and Angie Harsanyi, from Colorado in the US, got to know each other as they walked to and back from the ship in the past few months.
After a proposal under a supermoon, they said they have found their soulmates.
The passengers bade Belfast farewell with a bike tour ahead of their departure on Monday.
After last-minute paperwork delays, there were scenes of joy in the cruise terminal when it was confirmed that the ship was on its way to collect passengers.
The ship is expected to anchor in Belfast Lough overnight before beginning its voyage in earnest on Tuesday morning.
Andy Garrison, 75, who said he will be on board for at least three and a half years, said he arrived in Belfast for what he thought was three days in August and ended up there for six weeks.
He said he wanted something to do so he ordered a model of the Titanic which he built over three or four days.
Asked if he was worried it could be seen as a bad omen, he said: “No, I’m not. As a matter of fact I’m going to put this on the wall of my room.”
He said the passengers had been “resilient” in waiting for the repairs to be completed and described them as a “really nice group”.
“I like Belfast a lot actually, I would stay here and enjoy myself except I’m leaving on a ship,” he said.
“I am so happy to be sailing away, I’m ready to go. We stop briefly in Brest, France, and then we go to Spain, we go to Portugal, and we head across the ocean to go to the Bahamas, where we stay for a while in the Bahamas.”
Cyndi Grzybowski, 69, from Appling, Georgia, said she had always wanted to see the world and was excited for the voyage to begin.
“My better half passed away three years ago so this is giving me an opportunity to get off the farm, literally, and see the world, which is something that I have wanted to do,” she told reporters on Monday.
“My son has been so supportive of this because when this opportunity came up, I was really humming and hawing because I’ve been on the farm for 27 years, and he said, ‘Mom, the only thing I’ve heard you talk about is going to see the world’.
“We started out as strangers in Southampton and Belfast and now we truly are family. We had two amazing parties yesterday with the pedal bikes… and last night at Revolution de Cuba, we had a get-together with fantastic food.
“Thank you all so very much – truly, Belfast has been such a wonderful place. I have so enjoyed every minute here.”
The luxury cruise offers rentals from 35 to 120 days, or villas can be purchased ranging from £90,000 to £260,000.
Owning a villa on board guarantees the room for a minimum of 15 years, but the ownership stays valid for the entire operation of the ship.
Speaking to reporters at the cruise terminal, chief executive of Villa Vie Residences Mike Petterson said he was “a little stressed” as efforts were made to clear “a few last-minute things”.
“It’s administrative paperwork. We needed the right person to press the button, at the end of the day. It’s been done and we’re putting the vessel in motion right now.
“The harbour master has been in direct contact with the MD. We’ve been expecting this outcome for hours.”
He said departure was due just before midnight, when the terminal was due to close.
“The good news is that we have complete clearance and we will be out of here very, very, very soon.”
Asked how would he remember Belfast, he said “your summer is horrible” and “you can’t cook to save your lives, but you do know how to drink”.
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