Villa Vie - masters of the bait and switch technique, alas. How many promises or commitments have been made to the residents either in writing, on their website or privately, that have been changed or reneged upon... from sail dates to on board amenities and experiences, to ports of call, to fee reimbursement and even basics like water (hot or cold), and almost basics like TV's, WiFi, air conditioning, food availability and hours, etc, etc,etc.
Well then we wouldn't be cruising would we? This is a company providing an opportunity for people to live their dream...is it any wonder they are so emotionally loyal to the company? We're all in this together. I can't wait to live on a cruise ship and there isn't another one for me...and it's the same for many of us. We are supportive and encouraging of the owners because we love this as a lifestyle. I know that some people are leaving for all different kinds of reasons, and I'm pretty sure they will be coming back. That's the beauty of the flexibility with the different options.
I would Sue this company for my money back & leave that junk ship. The ship will eventually go bankrupt because it keeps breaking down. Wake up guys, the company will run out of money !! Allegedly. 😢😢😢
I am sorry to hear about the situation with the water system. If there was enough money within this venture, all these things could be fixed. These problems are going to continue and only get worse because the management did not price the cabins and the fees at a level that leaves enough money in the budget to maintain the ship and provide the services that they advertised. Well, everybody likes the lower monthly fee. Go ask the people at the Surfside condo in Miami how they feel about lower condo fees.
My luggage was returned ONLY AFTER I retained an attorney and the attorney requested my luggage be returned to decrease the "damages" being sued for in my pending lawsuit. Payments made were not returned. Update in a few weeks as far as status of lawsuit which is in progress.
@@JennyatSea I hope the other lady is also getting her things back? I remember she said she had 6 months of medication (!) and about 9 boxes of stuff. I'm glad you have had a modicum of progress.
@@RetiredZGrt it looks as though she's worked out an arrangement to get back on the ship possibly next month, will also update if that actually comes to fruition
You just know these people are under gagging order or threats, because by now you would've had at least some people saying things like "this is just sh!t, I'm taking them to court"
@@HappyCalmFree must be a very different group of people I’m used to then, because if I’ve paid that amount of money to be rewarded with problem after problem where months later there are still basic issues like fresh water, hot water and being reimbursed expenses from Belfast, I would not be having a “lovely time”
@@HappyCalmFree what about Jenny's experience for being more candid about her initial experiences dealing with the delays, etc... she gets kicked out and has to start legal action just to get her own possessions back. If you were on board after that, would you say anything negative????
This actually reminds me of the story of Barney Clark and the artificial heart in the early 80s. Unfortunately, Barney Clark died because the artificial heart wasn’t ready for prime time, but he was in very poor condition and probably would’ve died anyhow how do you not been willing to experiment with the artificial heart.Well, I think this ship is like that artificial heart it’s just not quite ready and the next time somebody tries vent like this, they’ll get it right. But the difference is with the artificial heart. There were many technical and medical conditions that had to be met in this case when they try again, they’ll just charge more money and then it will work.
Here's some good news. The Passenger Ship Safety Certificate has now been issued in Full as of yesterday. It had been issued as Short and was expiring 12/24/24 and now will expire 2025-09-24. The other 5 Short certificates continue to expire 12/10 and 12/25.
@@georgettenorth2776 the PSSC has more to do with structural fire protection, fire safety systems and fire control plans, lifeboats, line-throwing appliance and radio installations used in life-saving, navigational equipment, ship has lights, means of making sound signals and distress signals and structural integrity
Is the footage you used of the tap water, stock footage, or is it from the ship itself, sent in? My guess is its stock footage. You're also showing old photos of the ship in drydock, which is why the chairs are covered and the pool is in construction, and not any of the new photos available showing the ship in a much more favorable light.
They’re not stupid, some of them are trying to turn their UA-cam channels into a revenue stream to make up for their losses and the others just said I’m taking a chance. They know where this is headed and they know why the problems that they’re having or there they just have put their faith in the organization and I wish them luck.
Please can you add the vlogs in the description? I've seen several of them but would like to enjoy the latest that you mentioned. Every time I see this ship I think of the ships I worked on in the 1980's/'90's they weren't all good then. This is not a luxurious ship, it makes me think of backpacker travel, and camping on water. They had budget ships then too. My concerns are - The many ways that the owners can change terms and conditions on board at any time, eg change facilities, control all the passengers. We have seen how they can evict people that raise concerns, or issues, or make complaints. We've seen how they can stop people boarding, or leaving the ship in various locations. We've seen how they can hold on to passengers belongings (all of them). If the current passengers are not careful this can become a floating and deteriorating prison. They may be sailing now but they are travelling to all the cheaper locations. Going to B and C rated cruise destinations that others don't visit. Most cruise itineraries are booked years in advance and the bigger the cruise line, the better the prices, the better the places. This is one small ship picking up what's left. It will be interesting top watch all this unfold. Good luck to all onboard.
And another thing, ALL the ships I worked on years ago, were scrapped...years ago. Not one of them is still floating, still working. Even the luxurious ones. This has a maximum shelf life of 15 years. Maximum. That's if everything is working and loads of money is thrown at it for maintenance, port fees, crew salaries, etc etc. This is a floating Money Pit. A black hole of ships expenses, both for the owners and residents.
@Velvetfarmer she was actually scheduled to be scrapped by the previous owners Fred Olsen Line; she was too costly to operate at a profit and pasted her viable life span
@ most of the lines I worked on, made their money via ships excursions, bars and restaurants via alcohol consumption, onboard shopping, casinos, and the spa, oh, and the ability to massage the cabin prices during high demand travel periods. If they are all inclusive for food and alcohol that's one revenue stream gone. If they are constant tenants (with additional monthly fees) I can't see the passengers using the casino every day, nor doing much onboard holiday shopping. Most of them have been catching buses into town, not doing booked excursions. I've heard from other channels that the spa onboard is really expensive. I can't see how they can continue with all the increasing costs associated. It makes no logical business sense to me. The ships in the past even bought their bulk fuel years in advance, hedging their bets against fuel prices. I can't see how this ship can compete. Also I heard that they have 120 or so passengers on board. The ship has a capacity for 920. Operating Costs will not go down. If the ship ever gets to full capacity that's when the biggest problems will appear. It's only a matter of time.
@@Velvetfarmer I would also think the mind set of a "vacation cruiser" is different from that of a "resident cruiser" when it comes to spending for extras like spa experiences, casinos, alcohol, etc. Perhaps for some, going to the casino every day during a 7 day cruise is one thing.... if you do that on your 3 1/2 year world tour round one, you might have a bit of a problem!!!
Well….As was stated the Villa Vie is a work in progress…. One of those massive brand new Cruise ships developed issues and had to return to port and a few future planned cruises had to be cancelled until they could work out the issues…Older ship, new ship…bugs have to be worked out. In the meantime the residents appear to be having a great time… the Villa Vie residents are a hardy lot with massive support, enthusiasm & commitment for their adventure….so here’s hoping it all works out for them…
These are not issues of a new ship that have to be worked out. These are issues of not having enough money in the budget to fix major problems as they come up this is completely different than growing pains.
It seems to me that it’s a wonderful opportunity and the cheapest way to travel the world. My husband has a 42 foot sailboat that has been on a few long journeys and it cost about the same to travel as a cabin on The Villa Vie. Only no cook, no housekeeping, no sleep, hours of boredom interspersed with sheer terror and something critical and extremely expensive breaking every few days. People have circled the globe on boats less than 30 feet. I’ll take a cabin on the Villa View any day!
Judging from the vloggers videos from onboard the ship there are not a lot of folks on the ship. The dining rooms, bars and sitting areas are empty. How is Villa Vie gonna stay afloat? Pun intended. They have to be bleeding cash.
I can’t imagine anybody actually wanting to buy into this ship after hearing about concerns with water and the smell of sewage in the rooms. Therefore, it will continue to bleed passengers and not get new ones.
@@BeanieBabyTrader But Villa Vie's website doesn't mention such things.... and they are still listing their culinary kitchen as just one example of the wonderful experience you will have on board....
"ready by end of 2026" ... haha, since whatever they've said is happening next week rarely happens, that's very unlikely to happen 🙂 and what a kick in the teeth for the people who were expecting it to be available from day one 🤬
@@farab4391 I don’t think there’s any significance to 2026. It’s just the fact that it’s far enough in the future that they believe it’ll either be enough money in the venture which I think is extremely unlikely or it will have failed by then.
@@BeanieBabyTrader They do have 12 days of dry dock scheduled in Singapore in October 2026. Maybe they are saying (but probably not actually planning) to do it then. It will be miraculous if they are still sailing in 2026, but miracles do happen occasionally. Of course 12 days of dry dock is very unrealistic for this 34 year old ship at that point which would have gone thousands of additional nautical miles. People should make other plans and take other trips because it won't happen in 12 days and the budget will be overspent on repairs and the culinary center will be dropped again. Their renovation timeline set for the May 2024 launch was 3 weeks also completely impossible for the 31 year old uncertified ship at that point. They learned nothing from their first experience and have maintained the 12 days for the next dry dock even knowing all the problems the ship had and has. Initially they were planning on replacing the corroded rudder stocks in Singapore in 12 days, but the DNV made them do it in Belfast and it took 2 months not 12 days.
The audacity of this company is astounding. If you can provide receipts, they should be coughing up. The reason these people needed to spend any extended period of time in Belfast was because of them, so the least they can do is pay their Belfast expenses. And if they have limits, they should've communicated that very clearly before people started spending money in Belfast.
They were given $200 per day per person is my understanding. I can understand not giving the passengers more than that- regardless of the receipts. You do have to have something in writing from VVR stating the terms of the per diems. If this was all done verbally- a lot harder to fight.
I'm curious why so many got off in Dakar. I guess it was the last affordable airport to fly home to if you don't want to do the crossing. Given the spotty hot water, poor AC, the lack of amenities, and questionable water for bathing- don't blame them for getting off the ship. I think half the passengers have homes in the US and perhaps just decided that it's time to go home. Time to get off the ship and let VVR get their act together. It's coming up on Thanksgiving and Christmas and I suspect people are terribly home sick by now.
The astounding lack of any meaningful experiences in port, aside from aimless wandering and stopping at bars to load up on booze and then wander back to the ship, is in no way similar to most passenger experiences on reputable cruises. There are people who provide information on board about the ports and offer excursions to key sites. None of that exists on this bogus enterprise.
Think of this more like a city bus in any major location. Traveling and moving passengers along a route. They make short unscheduled stops along the way. As long as one isn’t too particular on when/where it stops & not too picky about food things are fine.
Oh - you don't need any of that. After all, Villa Vie is still marketing their ship and shore experience as: Villa Vie Odyssey offers an intimate, new cruise lifestyle, and the ability to reach parts of the world that larger ships cannot access - often docking in the heart of destinations. The ship’s flatter hull enables her to navigate inland waterways and rivers too.
If you look into it, excursions are offered to passengers. Also it is very easy to organise your own excursion at any port around the world. So there are many options not just wandering around aimlessly and drinking booze (though that seems a fine way to spend time in my opinion).
@@andrewlong1231 unfortunately that is incorrect. Excursions were SUPPOSED to be offered. VV outsourced to a 3rd party. Midlife said very shortly after launch that there were no excursions because "they were in transition " and the prior company was too expensive though I see the link to that company is still on their website. Just like the nonexistent culinary center is still on their list of amenities. The residents didn't think they were going to have to research, plan and arrange all their own activities. Here's what can happen when a cruise ship isn't providing them with vetted options (in addition to the fact that if a cruise ship excursion is delayed, the ship will wait for them. If your own excursion is delayed, you will be charged $1000 every 15 minutes of delay according to the contract): -One Founder called her Casablanca tour guide "sketchy " -Another resident said who went on a tour said " the first stop was the Hassan mosque. After leaving the mosque with the tour guide this happened: We were supposed to go back to the mini-van driver, but had no idea where he was or where we were supposed to meet him. So there was no visit to the medina, no fake Rick's Cafe Americain, no other planned activities. I split a cab with a couple of other Villa Vie refugees, and returned to the ship" -Then there was the group who went walking to the market in Dakar on their own but were so hassled by people trying to sell to them or offering to be their "guide" and who wouldn't stop that they gave up and returned to the ship. If the ship had offered walking tours as one would expect and as they were told would be offered, the sanctioned tour guides would have insulated them from most of that.
Perhaps these videos have been "curated" to create a more positive spin (perhaps to aid marketing efforts) rather than to providing realistic or factual information.
@@gailprowant9346 As I have observed in earlier comments, it also depends on your frame of reference. If you view this purely as an adventurer might, and use remote Nicaragua as your reference point (as Mid Life cruisers did about the luxury of at least having bottled water), then you may find this to be a great time, and enjoying the few amenities provided on the ship (limited food availability so you hoard food in between slotted meal times, sitting by the empty pool deck, dreaming of the golf simulator that has not yet appeared, and now that culinary kitchen experience in another 2 years, those last minute cancelled ports where you had booked your non-refundable excursion since there is no land excursion support provided on board, etc). Or, you may use as your reference point luxury cruising, as marketed by Villa Vie, and find the experience and offerings being marketed, even today on their website, as falling far short of "luxury" or even premier, while you are locked into a contract that appears to have no escape clause or refund option.
@@angelanelson2619 me too I’m just being sarcastic. The problem is is when you take a regular cruise line you know everything is taken care of completely and unequivocally and on this SS cluster F you have to worry about things that you would’ve never thought about on a real cruise.
@@HappyCalmFree The residents can only show the positive side (good food, visiting ports) because if they say anything about the negative they would be ostracized by the other residents, the company could renew on their shipboard credit or kick them off like the other 2 senior ladies, and VV is in significant financial difficulties and the company and current residents desperately need to sell more cabins or their own cruise experience could be damaged or ended. The vloggers are shamelessly lying to their viewers and diligently covering up problems and deleting negative information, it's unethical. Do they also have good food and are they glad/relieved to be sailing? Yes.
Jeff, it seems lately that you are reporting more negativity regarding the Villa Vie Odyssey versus the positive. There are other major cruise companies having more negative things happening including cancelling cruises at the last minute for repairs or booking the entire ship and cancelling cruises. Please report these issues too. I’m afraid that the continual negative reporting about the Villa Vie is creating more negativity as reflected in the comments.
sometimes the facts are negative.... how would you go about explaining, for example, that the culinary kitchen, still being marketed but not yet available despite what you were promised, until 2026, as a positive?
These latest ports are horrible. Wandering around filthy stalls and food markets. How is that a meaningful or pleasant experience? You are not experiencing a culture by having a merchant hawk their wares at you. You are just a tourist experiencing nothing.
The ports are the ports no matter how you get there the main issue is do you have water on the ship that’s taking you between the ports. And does the ship smell like sewage.
The passengers with the vlogs aren’t researching the history and significance of each city they stop at. There are fascinating things to see everywhere but they have to be searched out and you need to get out of the port. I would hire. Driver first thing and head to the cultural and original part of town or an interesting geological site.
Very happy for Jenny ❤
Villa Vie - masters of the bait and switch technique, alas. How many promises or commitments have been made to the residents either in writing, on their website or privately, that have been changed or reneged upon... from sail dates to on board amenities and experiences, to ports of call, to fee reimbursement and even basics like water (hot or cold), and almost basics like TV's, WiFi, air conditioning, food availability and hours, etc, etc,etc.
Give them another 3 months before the boat becomes condemned
Moral of story is . Don’t sail with obscure companies
Especially with a CEO who left the failed 'Life at Sea' venture. Which had the same business model as Villa Vie!!
Well then we wouldn't be cruising would we? This is a company providing an opportunity for people to live their dream...is it any wonder they are so emotionally loyal to the company? We're all in this together. I can't wait to live on a cruise ship and there isn't another one for me...and it's the same for many of us. We are supportive and encouraging of the owners because we love this as a lifestyle. I know that some people are leaving for all different kinds of reasons, and I'm pretty sure they will be coming back. That's the beauty of the flexibility with the different options.
I would Sue this company for my money back & leave that junk ship. The ship will eventually go bankrupt because it keeps breaking down. Wake up guys, the company will run out of money !! Allegedly. 😢😢😢
I am sorry to hear about the situation with the water system. If there was enough money within this venture, all these things could be fixed. These problems are going to continue and only get worse because the management did not price the cabins and the fees at a level that leaves enough money in the budget to maintain the ship and provide the services that they advertised. Well, everybody likes the lower monthly fee. Go ask the people at the Surfside condo in Miami how they feel about lower condo fees.
Good news for Jenny. She is lucky one .
My luggage was returned ONLY AFTER I retained an attorney and the attorney requested my luggage be returned to decrease the "damages" being sued for in my pending lawsuit. Payments made were not returned. Update in a few weeks as far as status of lawsuit which is in progress.
@@JennyatSeaplease keep us posted, Jenny. Continued 🙏 that all goes well for you!
@@JennyatSea I hope the other lady is also getting her things back? I remember she said she had 6 months of medication (!) and about 9 boxes of stuff. I'm glad you have had a modicum of progress.
@@RetiredZGrt it looks as though she's worked out an arrangement to get back on the ship possibly next month, will also update if that actually comes to fruition
You just know these people are under gagging order or threats, because by now you would've had at least some people saying things like "this is just sh!t, I'm taking them to court"
I can tell you that is not the case. I am in all the residents' groups...they are having a lovely time.
If you request a refund you have to sign a non-disclosure. If passengers have gotten refunds they are forbidden to discuss VVR.
@@HappyCalmFree must be a very different group of people I’m used to then, because if I’ve paid that amount of money to be rewarded with problem after problem where months later there are still basic issues like fresh water, hot water and being reimbursed expenses from Belfast, I would not be having a “lovely time”
@@HappyCalmFree what about Jenny's experience for being more candid about her initial experiences dealing with the delays, etc... she gets kicked out and has to start legal action just to get her own possessions back. If you were on board after that, would you say anything negative????
@@HappyCalmFreeare you actually on the ship or just talking to them online???
What I understood prior to them leaving was that their expenses would be refunded via onboard credits.
Nope
This actually reminds me of the story of Barney Clark and the artificial heart in the early 80s. Unfortunately, Barney Clark died because the artificial heart wasn’t ready for prime time, but he was in very poor condition and probably would’ve died anyhow how do you not been willing to experiment with the artificial heart.Well, I think this ship is like that artificial heart it’s just not quite ready and the next time somebody tries vent like this, they’ll get it right. But the difference is with the artificial heart. There were many technical and medical conditions that had to be met in this case when they try again, they’ll just charge more money and then it will work.
Here's some good news. The Passenger Ship Safety Certificate has now been issued in Full as of yesterday. It had been issued as Short and was expiring 12/24/24 and now will expire 2025-09-24. The other 5 Short certificates continue to expire 12/10 and 12/25.
How safe is it for poluted water to come out of the bathroom faucets? Payola.
@@georgettenorth2776 the PSSC has more to do with
structural fire protection, fire safety systems and fire control plans, lifeboats, line-throwing appliance and radio installations used in life-saving, navigational equipment, ship has lights, means of making sound signals and distress signals and structural integrity
Is the footage you used of the tap water, stock footage, or is it from the ship itself, sent in? My guess is its stock footage.
You're also showing old photos of the ship in drydock, which is why the chairs are covered and the pool is in construction, and not any of the new photos available showing the ship in a much more favorable light.
Good luck finding a “favorable light”.
I would not want to cross the Atlantic in that ship. To each their own, but I too would be meeting them in Caribbean.
I don’t feel sorry for these people at all. We can all see the outcome, why can’t they.
They’re not stupid, some of them are trying to turn their UA-cam channels into a revenue stream to make up for their losses and the others just said I’m taking a chance. They know where this is headed and they know why the problems that they’re having or there they just have put their faith in the organization and I wish them luck.
Please can you add the vlogs in the description? I've seen several of them but would like to enjoy the latest that you mentioned. Every time I see this ship I think of the ships I worked on in the 1980's/'90's they weren't all good then. This is not a luxurious ship, it makes me think of backpacker travel, and camping on water. They had budget ships then too. My concerns are - The many ways that the owners can change terms and conditions on board at any time, eg change facilities, control all the passengers. We have seen how they can evict people that raise concerns, or issues, or make complaints. We've seen how they can stop people boarding, or leaving the ship in various locations. We've seen how they can hold on to passengers belongings (all of them). If the current passengers are not careful this can become a floating and deteriorating prison. They may be sailing now but they are travelling to all the cheaper locations. Going to B and C rated cruise destinations that others don't visit. Most cruise itineraries are booked years in advance and the bigger the cruise line, the better the prices, the better the places. This is one small ship picking up what's left. It will be interesting top watch all this unfold. Good luck to all onboard.
So true! Well said! Every word you wrote.
And another thing, ALL the ships I worked on years ago, were scrapped...years ago. Not one of them is still floating, still working. Even the luxurious ones. This has a maximum shelf life of 15 years. Maximum. That's if everything is working and loads of money is thrown at it for maintenance, port fees, crew salaries, etc etc. This is a floating Money Pit. A black hole of ships expenses, both for the owners and residents.
@Velvetfarmer she was actually scheduled to be scrapped by the previous owners Fred Olsen Line; she was too costly to operate at a profit and pasted her viable life span
@ most of the lines I worked on, made their money via ships excursions, bars and restaurants via alcohol consumption, onboard shopping, casinos, and the spa, oh, and the ability to massage the cabin prices during high demand travel periods. If they are all inclusive for food and alcohol that's one revenue stream gone. If they are constant tenants (with additional monthly fees) I can't see the passengers using the casino every day, nor doing much onboard holiday shopping. Most of them have been catching buses into town, not doing booked excursions. I've heard from other channels that the spa onboard is really expensive. I can't see how they can continue with all the increasing costs associated. It makes no logical business sense to me.
The ships in the past even bought their bulk fuel years in advance, hedging their bets against fuel prices. I can't see how this ship can compete.
Also I heard that they have 120 or so passengers on board. The ship has a capacity for 920. Operating Costs will not go down. If the ship ever gets to full capacity that's when the biggest problems will appear. It's only a matter of time.
@@Velvetfarmer I would also think the mind set of a "vacation cruiser" is different from that of a "resident cruiser" when it comes to spending for extras like spa experiences, casinos, alcohol, etc. Perhaps for some, going to the casino every day during a 7 day cruise is one thing.... if you do that on your 3 1/2 year world tour round one, you might have a bit of a problem!!!
Well….As was stated the Villa Vie is a work in progress…. One of those massive brand new Cruise ships developed issues and had to return to port and a few future planned cruises had to be cancelled until they could work out the issues…Older ship, new ship…bugs have to be worked out. In the meantime the residents appear to be having a great time… the Villa Vie residents are a hardy lot with massive support, enthusiasm & commitment for their adventure….so here’s hoping it all works out for them…
When that happens the passengers are compensated very well, full refund and usually big credit toward a future sailing if not a free cruise.
These are not issues of a new ship that have to be worked out. These are issues of not having enough money in the budget to fix major problems as they come up this is completely different than growing pains.
You are correct, Doreen. It's a pleasant change to see someone wishing the best for others. It's a very strange world we live in these days.
It seems to me that it’s a wonderful opportunity and the cheapest way to travel the world. My husband has a 42 foot sailboat that has been on a few long journeys and it cost about the same to travel as a cabin on The Villa Vie. Only no cook, no housekeeping, no sleep, hours of boredom interspersed with sheer terror and something critical and extremely expensive breaking every few days. People have circled the globe on boats less than 30 feet. I’ll take a cabin on the Villa View any day!
Judging from the vloggers videos from onboard the ship there are not a lot of folks on the ship. The dining rooms, bars and sitting areas are empty. How is Villa Vie gonna stay afloat? Pun intended. They have to be bleeding cash.
I can’t imagine anybody actually wanting to buy into this ship after hearing about concerns with water and the smell of sewage in the rooms. Therefore, it will continue to bleed passengers and not get new ones.
@@BeanieBabyTrader But Villa Vie's website doesn't mention such things.... and they are still listing their culinary kitchen as just one example of the wonderful experience you will have on board....
They are selling prepayment plans. Idiots are paying $300-500k up front
"ready by end of 2026" ... haha, since whatever they've said is happening next week rarely happens, that's very unlikely to happen 🙂 and what a kick in the teeth for the people who were expecting it to be available from day one 🤬
I don’t believe the ship will be sailing in 2026 so they don’t have to worry about it
@ exactly what they’re hoping for as well. I wonder if there’s a significance to the date, like they know they can pull out before then
@ exactly what they’re hoping for as well. I wonder if there’s a significance to the date, like they know they can pull out before then
@@farab4391 I don’t think there’s any significance to 2026. It’s just the fact that it’s far enough in the future that they believe it’ll either be enough money in the venture which I think is extremely unlikely or it will have failed by then.
@@BeanieBabyTrader They do have 12 days of dry dock scheduled in Singapore in October 2026. Maybe they are saying (but probably not actually planning) to do it then. It will be miraculous if they are still sailing in 2026, but miracles do happen occasionally. Of course 12 days of dry dock is very unrealistic for this 34 year old ship at that point which would have gone thousands of additional nautical miles. People should make other plans and take other trips because it won't happen in 12 days and the budget will be overspent on repairs and the culinary center will be dropped again. Their renovation timeline set for the May 2024 launch was 3 weeks also completely impossible for the 31 year old uncertified ship at that point. They learned nothing from their first experience and have maintained the 12 days for the next dry dock even knowing all the problems the ship had and has. Initially they were planning on replacing the corroded rudder stocks in Singapore in 12 days, but the DNV made them do it in Belfast and it took 2 months not 12 days.
The audacity of this company is astounding. If you can provide receipts, they should be coughing up. The reason these people needed to spend any extended period of time in Belfast was because of them, so the least they can do is pay their Belfast expenses. And if they have limits, they should've communicated that very clearly before people started spending money in Belfast.
They are not refunding
They were given $200 per day per person is my understanding. I can understand not giving the passengers more than that- regardless of the receipts. You do have to have something in writing from VVR stating the terms of the per diems. If this was all done verbally- a lot harder to fight.
@@rebeccahowell6538 if this is the case, why are some people claiming more than others then?
I'm curious why so many got off in Dakar. I guess it was the last affordable airport to fly home to if you don't want to do the crossing. Given the spotty hot water, poor AC, the lack of amenities, and questionable water for bathing- don't blame them for getting off the ship. I think half the passengers have homes in the US and perhaps just decided that it's time to go home. Time to get off the ship and let VVR get their act together. It's coming up on Thanksgiving and Christmas and I suspect people are terribly home sick by now.
@ they are not honoring the $200
The astounding lack of any meaningful experiences in port, aside from aimless wandering and stopping at bars to load up on booze and then wander back to the ship, is in no way similar to most passenger experiences on reputable cruises. There are people who provide information on board about the ports and offer excursions to key sites. None of that exists on this bogus enterprise.
Think of this more like a city bus in any major location. Traveling and moving passengers along a route. They make short unscheduled stops along the way. As long as one isn’t too particular on when/where it stops & not too picky about food things are fine.
@ That idea would be a living hell for me.
Oh - you don't need any of that. After all, Villa Vie is still marketing their ship and shore experience as: Villa Vie Odyssey offers an intimate, new cruise lifestyle, and the ability to reach parts of the world that larger ships cannot access - often docking in the heart of destinations.
The ship’s flatter hull enables her to navigate inland waterways and rivers too.
If you look into it, excursions are offered to passengers. Also it is very easy to organise your own excursion at any port around the world. So there are many options not just wandering around aimlessly and drinking booze (though that seems a fine way to spend time in my opinion).
@@andrewlong1231 unfortunately that is incorrect. Excursions were SUPPOSED to be offered. VV outsourced to a 3rd party. Midlife said very shortly after launch that there were no excursions because "they were in transition " and the prior company was too expensive though I see the link to that company is still on their website. Just like the nonexistent culinary center is still on their list of amenities. The residents didn't think they were going to have to research, plan and arrange all their own activities.
Here's what can happen when a cruise ship isn't providing them with vetted options (in addition to the fact that if a cruise ship excursion is delayed, the ship will wait for them. If your own excursion is delayed, you will be charged $1000 every 15 minutes of delay according to the contract):
-One Founder called her Casablanca tour guide "sketchy "
-Another resident said who went on a tour said " the first stop was the Hassan mosque. After leaving the mosque with the tour guide this happened:
We were supposed to go back to the mini-van driver, but had no idea where he was or where we were supposed to meet him. So there was no visit to the medina, no fake Rick's Cafe Americain, no other planned activities. I split a cab with a couple of other Villa Vie refugees, and returned to the ship"
-Then there was the group who went walking to the market in Dakar on their own but were so hassled by people trying to sell to them or offering to be their "guide" and who wouldn't stop that they gave up and returned to the ship. If the ship had offered walking tours as one would expect and as they were told would be offered, the sanctioned tour guides would have insulated them from most of that.
Yikes.
I’m trying to follow Joe and I’m not sure of what the vlog is called… can you please put the link?
It's a substack newsletter not a vlog and now he's off the ship.
hmm why should it be an offer for their expenses instead of full payment. Always ready the fine print!!!
Get off now. Titanic bound
Watching videos of people on the ship. They sure seem to be having a great time and enjoying the ship.
Perhaps these videos have been "curated" to create a more positive spin (perhaps to aid marketing efforts) rather than to providing realistic or factual information.
Or perhaps it’s the media curating problems!
@@gailprowant9346 As I have observed in earlier comments, it also depends on your frame of reference. If you view this purely as an adventurer might, and use remote Nicaragua as your reference point (as Mid Life cruisers did about the luxury of at least having bottled water), then you may find this to be a great time, and enjoying the few amenities provided on the ship (limited food availability so you hoard food in between slotted meal times, sitting by the empty pool deck, dreaming of the golf simulator that has not yet appeared, and now that culinary kitchen experience in another 2 years, those last minute cancelled ports where you had booked your non-refundable excursion since there is no land excursion support provided on board, etc). Or, you may use as your reference point luxury cruising, as marketed by Villa Vie, and find the experience and offerings being marketed, even today on their website, as falling far short of "luxury" or even premier, while you are locked into a contract that appears to have no escape clause or refund option.
@@sai123aeiwell said
@@sai123aei or perhaps the media curates a story.
This company is a disgrace and needs to be shut down immediately!!
I'm sure the residents don't want that. The sense of entitlement to tell others what to do in this thread is staggering.
Didn't they pass inspection for water filtering?
Ha ha. Payola.
Clean water is overrated you get so used to it. You just don’t think about it anymore.
@@BeanieBabyTrader yikes I'd be worried about bacteria contamination
@@angelanelson2619 me too I’m just being sarcastic. The problem is is when you take a regular cruise line you know everything is taken care of completely and unequivocally and on this SS cluster F you have to worry about things that you would’ve never thought about on a real cruise.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PRIVATE CHAT GROUP
You might want to look into the laws in the UK concerning private chats.
So now they are “negotiating” what they owed and promised people? Unreal!
Yes. One person sent it $12k and they said they will honor $4500
I am not sure i would set foot on a 30 year old ship plus it was dried docked for 4 years
Sad outcome, I feel for those affected.
Don''t feel sorry for the residents. They are having a wonderful time 😃
@@HappyCalmFreeYou say they. Are you on the ship with them or just fantacising???
@@HappyCalmFree The residents can only show the positive side (good food, visiting ports) because if they say anything about the negative they would be ostracized by the other residents, the company could renew on their shipboard credit or kick them off like the other 2 senior ladies, and VV is in significant financial difficulties and the company and current residents desperately need to sell more cabins or their own cruise experience could be damaged or ended. The vloggers are shamelessly lying to their viewers and diligently covering up problems and deleting negative information, it's unethical. Do they also have good food and are they glad/relieved to be sailing? Yes.
@@HappyCalmFree I stand corrected then.
@@georgettenorth2776 must be, very knowledgeable :)
Looking at that sink I would not go onboard the ship. Count me out. --------------------- gone
Stock footage not the ship
hahahahahaha waiting for the grin to get wider.
Jeff, it seems lately that you are reporting more negativity regarding the Villa Vie Odyssey versus the positive. There are other major cruise companies having more negative things happening including cancelling cruises at the last minute for repairs or booking the entire ship and cancelling cruises. Please report these issues too. I’m afraid that the continual negative reporting about the Villa Vie is creating more negativity as reflected in the comments.
sometimes the facts are negative.... how would you go about explaining, for example, that the culinary kitchen, still being marketed but not yet available despite what you were promised, until 2026, as a positive?
It’s about sharing facts. Great job in sharing the story!
We want villa vie news
The negative overwhelms the positive but if you want to sail on it, go right ahead. I am sure they will take your money.
@ exactly
These latest ports are horrible. Wandering around filthy stalls and food markets. How is that a meaningful or pleasant experience? You are not experiencing a culture by having a merchant hawk their wares at you. You are just a tourist experiencing nothing.
Guess you'd never visit Egypt, Kenya. Southeast Asia then.
The ports are the ports no matter how you get there the main issue is do you have water on the ship that’s taking you between the ports. And does the ship smell like sewage.
To use Trump's wording.. Morocco, Senegal, Cabo Verde. All "shithole" countries in my experience and view (but cheap to visit for the Odyssey).
The passengers with the vlogs aren’t researching the history and significance of each city they stop at. There are fascinating things to see everywhere but they have to be searched out and you need to get out of the port. I would hire. Driver first thing and head to the cultural and original part of town or an interesting geological site.