Tumiso Ntsoane A-Squad models, dressed by Gert Johan Coetzee. Mgcini Tshwaku BELFAST - A luxury round-the-world cruise ship beset with technical delays and docked in rainy Belfast since May is finally set to depart, prompting mixed emotions among its passengers. "Belfast has been a good place to wait," Randy Cassingham told AFP, sitting in a rented apartment alongside his wife Kit and scrolling on a laptop through photographs of their unexpected temporary home.
"But we sure didn't expect to wait here for four months, so we're really looking forward to leaving," said the 65-year-old writer from the US state of Colorado. The Odyssey cruise ship, owned by US-based firm Villa Vie Residences, was scheduled to set sail from Belfast on May 30 on a three-and-a-half year cruise. But outfitting, certification processes and engine repairs all took much longer than expected.
The delay had an unexpected benefit for two of the passengers. Initially strangers, they fell in loved while walking around Belfast with other stranded passengers and are now engaged to be married at sea. After passing sea trials this month, the Odyssey is finally due to leave "within seven days", its agents, Hamilton Shipping Port Services, told AFP on Wednesday.
They did not specify an exact date. Passengers are able to either buy or rent long-term cabins on the so-called "residential" cruise ship, with the promise of unlimited voyages around the globe. The floating town, which can accommodate around 600 passengers.
