May 20, 2024
Villa Vie Odyssey Details
Villa Vie Residences
ship's name is the Odyssey. We were originally due to leave out of Southampton, England on May 15th, but that has now shift back to May 30th out of Belfast, Ireland since the ship ahead of us in the drydock, the Margaritaville, is running late by two weeks, due to torrential rains and their elaborate paint scheme.
The VVR Odyssey,
which was previously called the Braemar by Joseph Olsen Cruises (and originally built for Cunard), had sailed for approximately 15 years in the Caribbean, Europe and Greek Isles. The ship has been sitting dormant for over 3 years in Scotland, since Covid shut down the entire cruise industry. Therefore, the ship needs to be gently woken up: testing & powering her 4 engines; put through the paces for all inspections of sea worthiness and then sail from Scotland to Belfast, for its dry dock overhaul. The renovations include replacing all the weather worn outside decking, a major overhaul to the pool deck, repainting and rebranding the exterior of the ship, minor upgrades to all the cabins and creating the new business and culinary centers. Then VVR has to load all the provisions and crew and get the Odyssey ship shape! Pun intended.
Amenities on the ship include: three restaurants, eight bars and four lounges, a heated salt water pool with two Jacuzzis, a spa and fitness center, a well-stocked library, game and craft rooms, culinary center, convenience store, bikes, scuba program with equipment and certificate, golf simulator and a golf around the world program & club storage, a newly added pickleball court, shuffleboard, an observation deck with firepits and star gazing equipment, a business center w/ sound proof rooms if you need for privacy / recording / music etc. Any activity / hobby a passenger has a penchant for they have been encouraged to start up and give VVR a list of equipment needed and they will supply. Residents are offering to lead yoga, tai chi, mahjongg and poker games and other interest. There is also a a chiropractor and massage therapist are also packing their specialty equipment and language experts willing to give lessons and help.
We have a resident only APP that we have all been conversing on since we signed up for the trip. The APP works great for keeping us current on everything going on at VVR, with regards to the ship and their vendors, and gives us passengers a way to get to know each other before we set sail. Once we are underway, they will use the APP to communicate all kinds of ship news. We will book our excursions and services through the APP and get all notifications on arrivals and departures, port / country news etc. Each of us also has a unique profile page where you can introduce yourself and passions to all. Through the App I was able to meet up with four other passengers in Puerto Vallarta, when I was there in January, as they noted they were too. They are the first residents I have met in person. Two of them are just down the hall from me, on deck 6.
Today we went to see the coastal Naidiri Village that has recently won the Top Prize in global restoration, for their ocean reef project. The reef restoration was borne out of necessity to solve their dwindling food/ main protein source for the village, of fish. It was started by 2 of the villages rugby players and today is run by the local teenagers (mostly boys) in the village. It was great seeing how empowered and proud they were of their amazing efforts.
The port agent offered several trips to areas around Lautoka . We chose the trip to Serenity Island Resort which included van and boat transfers and lunch. It was a really nice day enjoying the sun, reef, pool, turtles and amenities!
I organized a group tour for a fun day experience. We had a great day despite the rain that decided to join in. We started with a 45 minute van ride out through the city, into the countryside. Then we got in long boats and went up river to a waterfall, some swam or cheered on the guides to cliff dive. Then back in the boats to visit Sabata Village where 50 family members live as a community existing totally off the land, along the river. Next was a quick boat ride to our BBQ lunch spot. After lunch we got to tube down the river, through light rapids, for just about an hour. We ganged our tubes together with the guide - we had a chain of 14 in my group and the guides totally blew us away singing hymns for a good chunk of the journey. It was truly moving in that place with the rain drizzling and all of us linked together. Loved it!