Passengers on £680,000 cruise must leave ship every night and stay in a hotel

Passengers on an around-the-world cruise ship voyage setting some people back a whopping £680,000 have been left having to leave the ship every single night and stay in a hotel.

The bizarre turn of events has impacted hundreds of people who have booked to stay on the Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship, which takes passengers around the world on a three and a half year trip of the planet.

Not a new ship by any means, the vessel is over 30 years old but still going strong. Just not as strong as it would like, given the recent turn of events.

You see, the global trip was actually meant to take to the open seas earlier this year, with a May departure time on the cards.

Places such as Japan and Mexico would have been visited on the holiday, which all in all, would have traversed seven continents and 147 countries.

The problem is that the departure never happened, with the journey on ice and passengers left waiting due to significant issues with the ship.

Mechanical problems have left Villa Vie Odyssey rooted in Belfast - in the very same shipyard Titanic was built - until it can be fixed.

And while passengers can enjoy the ship for all it is worth during the day, they have been told they must leave the vessel every single evening.

A total of 200 paying customers are currently being put up in city hotels by Villa Vie Residences, with the firm also paying for their living expenses.

One passenger, Holly Hennessey, told the BBC: "We can spend all day aboard the ship, and they provide shuttle buses to get on and off.

"We can have all of our meals and they even have movies and trivia entertainment, almost like cruising except we're at the dock."

Fellow passengers Lanette Canen and Johan Bodin have documented their journey on their YouTube channel, where the revealed they still have to pay a $3,500 (£2,650) a month fee for their cabin.

According to Sebastian Stokkendal, a marketing manager for Villa Vie Residences, issues with the rudder shafts, steel work, and engine should be fixed soon.

In an email to the Associated Press, he said: "We expect a very anticipated successful launch next week where we will head to Bremerhaven, Amsterdam, Lisbon, then across the Atlantic for our Caribbean segment."

The cruise liner was meant to take passengers to 147 countries, 425 destinations, 7 continents, and 100 islands during the 3.5 year journey.

Those paying to be on board for the entire journey have to pay a staggering £680,000.

Tom Earnshaw