Villa Vie Residences

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Ville Vie Odyssey made it seem affordable to cruise for life.  They could rent out their cabins when they were't using them!  They could have family onboard for $33 a day per person!  Bring your cat!  We will have a pet spa (really just a portion of the top deck where you can bring your cat) The cabins were supposed to be really attractive (weren't) but the passengers overlooked that.  What?  No lap pool (oh who cares?) No golf simulator (Who needs that?) No culinary arts classroom (Gee, I was kind of looking forward to that but-oh well it's a fire hazard), No sailing on time (well- I can pay for hotels until the ship is ready- I'm sure VVR will reimburse me) Delays (this happens with "start ups") My 100k inside cabin isn't ready after over two months in dry dock (oh well- they've put in a nicer one while I wait to sleep on the ship.  It's so much nicer- I'll give them more money and pay much higher monthly fee to have one with a window). The carpet looks pretty shabby (they said the carpet will be the last thing to get replaced and I believe them!). There is no store onboard to buy toiletries and sundries (They say it will be ready in October). The crew are all wearing street clothes and not uniforms (oh- I guess they will be when we are ready to sail), The Captain left after two months (VVR said he missed his family in Dubrovnik but I found out he works for Disney Cruise line).  The CEO told us last week that the ship passed the sea trials (but now we aren't allowed on the ship anymore- maybe VVR is replacing the gross carpet and preparing for our bon voyage party!!!!) Yesterday, he emailed me that the company has spent too much money on our hotel stays- so we are on our own (CEO said 7 days at least until we sail- um... do you think I made a mistake? )

[Travel_Around_The_World]

1 hour ago, rebeccalouiseagain said:

Ville Vie Odyssey made it seem affordable to cruise for life.  They could rent out their cabins when they were't using them!  They could have family onboard for $33 a day per person!  Bring your cat!  We will have a pet spa (really just a portion of the top deck where you can bring your cat) The cabins were supposed to be really attractive (weren't) but the passengers overlooked that.  What?  No lap pool (oh who cares?) No golf simulator (Who needs that?) No culinary arts classroom (Gee, I was kind of looking forward to that but-oh well it's a fire hazard), No sailing on time (well- I can pay for hotels until the ship is ready- I'm sure VVR will reimburse me) Delays (this happens with "start ups") My 100k inside cabin isn't ready after over two months in dry dock (oh well- they've put in a nicer one while I wait to sleep on the ship.  It's so much nicer- I'll give them more money and pay much higher monthly fee to have one with a window). The carpet looks pretty shabby (they said the carpet will be the last thing to get replaced and I believe them!). There is no store onboard to buy toiletries and sundries (They say it will be ready in October). The crew are all wearing street clothes and not uniforms (oh- I guess they will be when we are ready to sail), The Captain left after two months (VVR said he missed his family in Dubrovnik but I found out he works for Disney Cruise line).  The CEO told us last week that the ship passed the sea trials (but now we aren't allowed on the ship anymore- maybe VVR is replacing the gross carpet and preparing for our bon voyage party!!!!) Yesterday, he emailed me that the company has spent too much money on our hotel stays- so we are on our own (CEO said 7 days at least until we sail- um... do you think I made a mistake? )

Yup, too many promises broken and too many lies.

 

I did not know that the Captain left. 🤣

 

 

 

 

Edited September 11 by Travel_Around_The_World

[Papadog]

http:// https://youtu.be/OwfwwSbmlh4

15 hours ago, couldbeswell said:

 

 

[Papadog]

https://youtu.be/OwfwwSbmlh4

[Papadog]

 What seems strange is there is a guard not letting any one on the ship.

[chengkp75]

17 minutes ago, Papadog said:

 What seems strange is there is a guard not letting any one on the ship.

Sounds to me like there is a bailiff's warrant on the ship for unpaid bills.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

The guy from backroads tourist (Jeff) said there is a lawsuit against Ville Vie and it's not from who you would expect.  I'm curious if there is a lawsuit from the shipyard or someone else and now their assets are frozen.  This is getting good....

[chengkp75]

Typically, unless property is used as collateral, it cannot be seized if the owner is being sued for unpaid bills.  Lawsuits against a person or corporation are known as "in personam" (against a person).  However, in the maritime industry, there are "in rem" (against an object), so the shipyard can sue the ship for not paying for repairs, and can then seize the ships in payment for the debt, much as was done by a collection of creditors to Crystal Cruises ships a couple years ago.  If a security guard is preventing the people from accessing the ship, this is the most likely scenario, an in rem seizure either by the shipyard, or a subcontractor, or materials supplier.

[Travel_Around_The_World]

And they hired a new accountant specialist. 😆

https://www.facebook.com/VillaVieResidences

[Travel_Around_The_World]

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

Sounds to me like there is a bailiff's warrant on the ship for unpaid bills.

Now the "residents" lost their own stuff as well? 🙄

Edited September 11 by Travel_Around_The_World

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Interesting

 

[Travel_Around_The_World]

And here is Johan from Sweden supporting his Swedish buddy Mike.
 

 

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Yeah- I wonder if they knew each other before all this or if they just both happen to be Swedish.

[MacMadame]

19 minutes ago, rebeccalouiseagain said:

Yeah- I wonder if they knew each other before all this or if they just both happen to be Swedish.

There are a lot of people in Sweden. 😉 

 

I think it's the sunk cost fallacy. They've put so much in that they want to believe that the ship will sail in a week. 🙈 🙉 🙊

 

Are you going to try to get your money back?

[Travel_Around_The_World]

40 minutes ago, rebeccalouiseagain said:

Yeah- I wonder if they knew each other before all this or if they just both happen to be Swedish.

When this saga is over I will tell you how close I am to the main players. I have even pictures to prove it. 🤣

[Papadog]

24 minutes ago, Travel_Around_The_World said:

When this saga is over I will tell you how close I am to the main players. I have even pictures to prove it. 🤣

Please don't tease us.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

No fair!!! You need to tell us what's happening!

[LewiLewi]

I am disappointed that this “dream” has not come true for these many passengers’ who invested a lot of money and hope in this adventure. I still hope that somehow this may work out, but I doubt it.

However,the question remains for so many of us…….Why can’t this someday be a possibility, if not with this ship, then maybe with another. Is it not possible to create a successful sea residence in the future? If entrepreneurs thought it out logistically with the help of experts in all fields related to sea residences, could it not be possible to have a venture that would be successful? I would not need luxurious surroundings, nightly entertainment, gourmet meals. I would be thrilled to have a comfortable cabin, buffet dining and extended travel to the many ports around the world for three years at a time. Also the companionship of like minded travelers. I can only hope that this “dream” will someday become a reality.

 

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Not me- this whole exercise has taught me that buying on a ship would be the worst idea ever.  

[Travel_Around_The_World]

1 hour ago, rebeccalouiseagain said:

No fair!!! You need to tell us what's happening!

Oh, about Villa Vie I have no clue. I am going along just like everybody else.
But I do know the main players from before Villa Vie and before Life at Sea....many years before. I know them, their kids, some of their friends. Might give some insides on why things happen the way the happen. 

[chengkp75]

4 hours ago, Travel_Around_The_World said:

Now the "residents" lost their own stuff as well? 🙄

Not permanently, maybe just temporarily.

[Travel_Around_The_World]

and speaking of....
 

“While the road has had its challenges, every decision we’ve made is focused on the well-being and safety of our residents,” Petterson said.

“We have supported our residents with trips around Europe, and spent over $2,000,000 in hotel stays and trips to accommodate and entertain them while Odyssey has been getting ready for launch,” he told Cruise Industry News.

“Since residents are scattered throughout Europe in over 20 different hotels, we have decided to let residents plan their hotels and way back to the ship for launch,” he noted.

“These costs will be compensated with onboard credit of up to $200 per day. The hard work continues, and we are on track to welcome passengers onboard by the end of this week. We look forward to launching with pride and purpose, knowing we’re not just building a ship but a united community at sea together.”

Villa Vie CEO: ‘Hard Work Continues’ on Residential Cruise Start Up

Not sure  how we got from 500,000 to 2 Mill. But whatever...

More articles:

Residential Cruise Ship Frustrates Waiting Guests

 

‘Devastated’ passengers told to cover expenses after cruise ship delay

 

Villa Vie Odyssey Passengers Asked to Cover Expenses as Cruise Faces Further Delays After Disappointing Sea Trials

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Interesting. OK- Angela (midlife cruising) originally said 500K but I think she was so heartbroken reading the email that she didn't read it correctly.  Mike did say 500k per month, which is accurate.  Mike has spent some out of pocket money on tours for the residents and cruises on MSC and trips to Tenerife.  He did pay for those things.  Then the residents wanted to do their own thing in Europe so he offered per diems that would be paid back to the residents via lower monthly fees when they set sail (so IOU's)  So lets say 100 people were getting per diems this would add up fast over close to four months- it would be closer to 2 million.  Those per diems were not outlays though.  They will be credited back to the passengers (so essentially the passenger will not pay a month fee for three months once the ship sails).  We shall see how that works out- because it is a big "if" that the ship sails.  If the business goes belly up- they won't get the per diems paid and will be out whatever money they invested in the cruise.

[Travel_Around_The_World]

41 minutes ago, rebeccalouiseagain said:

Interesting. OK- Angela (midlife cruising) originally said 500K but I think she was so heartbroken reading the email that she didn't read it correctly.  Mike did say 500k per month, which is accurate.  Mike has spent some out of pocket money on tours for the residents and cruises on MSC and trips to Tenerife.  He did pay for those things.  Then the residents wanted to do their own thing in Europe so he offered per diems that would be paid back to the residents via lower monthly fees when they set sail (so IOU's)  So lets say 100 people were getting per diems this would add up fast over close to four months- it would be closer to 2 million.  Those per diems were not outlays though.  They will be credited back to the passengers (so essentially the passenger will not pay a month fee for three months once the ship sails).  We shall see how that works out- because it is a big "if" that the ship sails.  If the business goes belly up- they won't get the per diems paid and will be out whatever money they invested in the cruise.

Out of pocket? Not his own money. If he did he made a chunk of money from a bankrupt company and maybe soon another bankrupt company. Very generous for someone who didn't have a pot to pee in just a couple years ago. 

 

The problem I have is that all those monies paid and all these financial arrangements made for 4 Months and suddenly with less than a week to go "oh you are on your own for now". There is something very fishy going on. 

[Charry_]

Apart from the whole debacle surrounding the actual launch, let's pretend for a moment they actually do. Who on earth is going to buy cruise segments on this ship? It's old and tired and in no way could compete with other cruise offerings ( even some of the lower quality ones!). If this is going to be what they rely on to make the business model viable, I think they are going to be in a world of pain!  I wonder if the people who have bought these cabins actually saw a business plan and had it checked out independently? I can't look away!