Is the stranded ship ready to leave?

After a five-month mooring in Belfast, the Villa Vie Residences cruise ship is underway.

The ship, which arrived in Belfast will be fitted out on May 30 it was supposed to leave four months ago, but was held up because it needed repairs.

Passengers on the world tour were then dropped off in Belfast.

Chief executive of the company behind the ship, Mikael Petterson, said bringing the ship out of layup “proved more challenging than expected”.

The ship has a few final inspections to pass before it is signed for sailing.

“At the end of the day, things are not over,” Mr. Petterson said.

“And even if we cross our fingers that everything goes well, we don’t know.

“If something happens, we have to deal with it.”

An unexpected stopover in Belfast has cost the company millions.

“We’re around £22m so far,” he said.

“We planned for more than half of that. So we’re about £10m over budget.

“It’s not the end of the world, but, yeah, it’s definitely a bit unexpected.”

Mikael said he understood that some passengers felt frustrated by the delay.

“I understand completely. We hope to accomplish many of these things, and we are only a few days away from achieving this dream.

Petterson laughed off speculation on social media about the ship’s future.

“There will always be haters, but the unbelievers will become believers as we set sail in the next few days.”

The thought of winter in Belfast is sobering for even the most upbeat of Odyssey’s passengers.

Randy and Kit Cassingham sold their home in the mountains of Colorado, their car and all their belongings to become residents of the ship.

Those windowless cabins cost six figures. It will be the home for the life of the Odyssey ship.

“That’s great,” Kit said.

“She does all the cooking, cleaning and laundry. We can travel the world without the hassle of airports or trains or packing and unpacking.

But standing in Belfast Harbor and looking over at the ship was a wistful moment for Randy.

“It’s frustrating because you feel like you’ve been banned from your own home,” he said.

“We have paid the bills. We live there.

“But we can’t now, and all the documents and all the checks and preparations, we know, but we really want to go.”

Holly Hennessey, from Florida, was traveling with her six-year-old Siamese cat Captain.

Since he’s been in Belfast, he’s had to move six times, staying in hotels, apartments and Airbnbs.

He and the Captain were now staying at a well-known hotel downtown.

Having a cat with him has made the delay “a big challenge”.

“I have all the cat stuff and equipment I need to take with me,” she told BBC News NI.

“And it’s hard to find things quickly.

“If I had known it would be months, I would have booked a place in a farm, or a coastal town.”

After almost four months in Belfast, knowing her local shop by name and attending the local church, Holly was ready to move.

“I’ve been hoping for 114 days, we just have to wait.

“I wish for all of us that it is not too late.

“I hope the communication from the approving agencies will be better.

“We’ve been at the mercy of ourselves and we’re not comfortable letting other people take control of these things.”

Holly said the cruise company Villa Vie has been good at keeping passengers informed and updates passengers at least twice a week.

For Holly, however, she felt that the delay would have paid off.

“I did it because I wanted to live on a boat. I didn’t do it for the cruise as much as I did it for the lifestyle.

“I feel like I belong here,” he added, “but I won’t miss your weather”.