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.
Just the other day a friend asked me if I got enough down time while living this lifestyle. My answer was "you have to make it !" In the beginning, it was go, go, go, every port. We had lots of FOMO ( fear of missing out ) and we tried to cram in as much as possible at every port. Sea days, were our only down time and there were never enough. It was a tad exhausting. Now two years into this life, I can say there are some ports that just don't call me and I opt to get other things done. Kuantan, Malaysia was one of the Ports. I never got off the ship, either day we were here. I intended to this morning, but we had storms with loud thunder late into the night and then was awoken by a crew alarm around 6:45am. My energy was low, there were shuttle issues, town was an hour ride away and there is alot of air pollution, ( due to neighboring Indonesia burning organic materials, in preparation for the upcoming monsoon season ). So I bagged my plans and continued working on my never ending TO DO LIST!
During our two years of sailing we have had several Shipmates come and go for a variety of reasons. Their health, has sadly been the reason for many departures. Cindy Harvey , would have loved to have lived out her days here on the Odyssey and even bought a second cabin and had an adjoining door added, to have a care provider, stay with her full time. However, Cindy's limited mobility, pain and confinement got to be too much - so she left us a few months ago. She went to an assisted living facility, on the coast of Oregon, to be near her family. Tragically she fell, was trying to recover, slipped into a coma and sadly passed away this week.
The Sanctuary of Truth Museum is the world's largest hand carved wooden castle, located on the coast of Pattaya, Chonburi Province, Thailand . Conceived in 1981 by Thai visionary Khun Lek Viriyaphun the structure is built entirely from 4 types of wood - Teak, Mai Daeng, Mai Takien & Mai Panchaat and put together using Thai nailless wood joinery - mainly dovetails, carrying poles and tongue & groove. We started the tour in the workshop where the artisan, mainly woman, were hard at work. Since conception, the Museum has been an active construction site, thus we all wore hardhats! The artisans continue handcarving sculptures and columns, daily and will most likely continue for years to come.