Villa Vie Residences

[UKCruiseJeff]

FWIW

 

A short video stream appeared on YT for a short while and has now been removed.  It seemed to be of a party in a ballroom’ish and a person I took to be Mikael with what might have been a bottle in his hand and was saying (I believe) that the sea trials were a success and the words “next week” I believe were sort of discernible.  

 

It might have been removed because it was difficult to understand, but appears to be a celebration.

 

Take what I say with a pinch of salt for the time being.  

 

I’m sure they’ll be some clarity soon. 

 

Jeff

[Travel_Around_The_World]

4 minutes ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

FWIW

 

A short video stream appeared on YT for a short while and has now been removed.  It seemed to be of a party in a ballroom’ish and a person I took to be Mikael with what might have been a bottle in his hand and was saying (I believe) that the sea trials were a success and the words “next week” I believe were sort of discernible.  

 

It might have been removed because it was difficult to understand, but appears to be a celebration.

 

Take what I say with a pinch of salt for the time being.  

 

I’m sure they’ll be some clarity soon. 

 

Jeff

Mike and a bottle in his hand? Sounds about right. 🤣

[UKCruiseJeff]

14 minutes ago, Travel_Around_The_World said:

Mike and a bottle in his hand? Sounds about right. 🤣

 

Sorry I meant FB!

 

It was difficult to see as it was a small screen and he was distant, but I think the bottle was unopened and he was about to present to someone?  Anyway ….

 

There was a dozen or so posts below it saying basically “great news” before it was all removed.  

 

Jeff

 

 

Edited September 20 by UKCruiseJeff

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, Travel_Around_The_World said:

In all those years only time I saw tow lines when there was a problem - front tug pulls and  back tug was used to slow or reverse.

Those tugs are what is known as "tractor tugs", which have either azipod type propulsion or cycloidal propulsion that makes them far more maneuverable than older tugs, allowing the tugs to maneuver the ship using long lines, keeping the tug and the ship from damaging each other while working alongside.

[sandiego1]

Despite the naysayers, the ship has passed the sea tests. They expect to set sail this week. 

[Travel_Around_The_World]

On 9/19/2024 at 1:59 PM, MacMadame said:

Part II of Jenny's interview is up:

 

An interesting thing she said is that after a short time at a nice hotel, VVR stopped paying for and booking their hotels directly and some residents were given a per diem amount to be reimbursed later but others continued to get their hotels paid for. If I were in the former group, I'd be pretty pissed that other people were getting their hotel paid for when I wasn't.

 

She also said that a ton of residents were planning to embark in Miami for insurance reasons. But I don't see any port in Florida on the detailed itinerary until the end of the cruise. Was this a port that was canceled due to the delays?

She is well spoken and makes sense and it does no put VVR in a good light. Definitely lawsuit stuff.

Here are all parts....

Part1:

Part 4:

 

[UKCruiseJeff]

9 hours ago, sandiego1 said:

Despite the naysayers, the ship has passed the sea tests. They expect to set sail this week. 

 

It seems to me that there is a sub-set breed of naysayers that might agree that they can see this project starting and sailing but also see that all the promises are very unlikely to be delivered.  A sort of halfwaynaysayer.   I’m one of those.  🤔

 

Jeff

[rebeccalouiseagain]

On 9/19/2024 at 1:59 PM, MacMadame said:

Part II of Jenny's interview is up:

 

An interesting thing she said is that after a short time at a nice hotel, VVR stopped paying for and booking their hotels directly and some residents were given a per diem amount to be reimbursed later but others continued to get their hotels paid for. If I were in the former group, I'd be pretty pissed that other people were getting their hotel paid for when I wasn't.

 

She also said that a ton of residents were planning to embark in Miami for insurance reasons. But I don't see any port in Florida on the detailed itinerary until the end of the cruise. Was this a port that was canceled due to the delays?

Mike, VVR, decided not to buy the FMC Bond required for visiting US ports.  The majority of passengers are Americans and one of Jenny's complaints was that Miami was cut from the itinerary.  I'm sure other passengers were going to visit family and friends in the US.  Had this cruise gone to pass in May- they would have looked forward to seeing family or visiting doctors in the US in the fall.  North America is also on the itinerary but if VVR doesn't get that FMC bond- no US states will be on the itinerary including Alaska. That's false advertising.

[Papadog]

1 hour ago, rebeccalouiseagain said:

Mike, VVR, decided not to buy the FMC Bond required for visiting US ports.  The majority of passengers are Americans and one of Jenny's complaints was that Miami was cut from the itinerary.  I'm sure other passengers were going to visit family and friends in the US.  Had this cruise gone to pass in May- they would have looked forward to seeing family or visiting doctors in the US in the fall.  North America is also on the itinerary but if VVR doesn't get that FMC bond- no US states will be on the itinerary including Alaska. That's false advertising.

Wow........... That must mean Hawaii also. 

[Travel_Around_The_World]

According to the port schedule a new "planned" departure date is Sept 27. 



And one more Jenny interview...
 

 

 

Edited Sunday at 05:34 PM by Travel_Around_The_World

[rebeccalouiseagain]

2 hours ago, Papadog said:

Wow........... That must mean Hawaii also. 

Yes- they have it still on the itinerary but it's not possible without the FMC Bond.  It's required if you plan to visit any US port.  The bonds are insurance policies and are required for any passenger vessels traveling to and from US ports.  The crew were not given applications for US or Canadian Visas either.  I read this months ago.  Mike had no intention of doing the US and Canadian ports, which is clearly bait and switch.  It's frankly inexcusable.  He plans to be in the Caribbean until December- so there was no valid reason to eliminate the US ports, or Greenland and Iceland for that matter.  Especially since he's been telling everyone for months that it's "next week".  He is still telling people September 27th, which is totally unrealistic.

Edited Sunday at 06:21 PM by rebeccalouiseagain

[chengkp75]

6 minutes ago, rebeccalouiseagain said:

Yes- they have it still on the itinerary but it's not possible without the FMC Bond.  It's required if you plan to visit any US port.  The bonds are insurance policies and are required for any passenger vessels traveling to and from US ports.

Actually, the FMC (Federal Maritime Commission) surety bond, is required for NVOCC (non-vessel owning common carriers), which is a shipping company that does not own the ships they operate.  I don't know if VVR is structured to have the Odyssey owned by another entity, than the operating company, so I don't know if the surety bond is required, but at any rate it is only required in the amount of $150,000.

 

Now, the FMC also requires a PVO (passenger vessel operator) to have a "Performance Certificate" which requires a performance bond to repay customers if the cruise does not happen, and a "Casualty Certificate", which requires a bond to pay customers for death or injury to a passenger, but these are only for cruises that embark passengers in the US.  This does not preclude a ship without this Performance Certificate from calling at US ports, just from embarking new passengers in US ports.

[VL1]

I thought I read that many passengers were thinking about embarking in Miami.  Sounds like that is not possible.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

41 minutes ago, VL1 said:

I thought I read that many passengers were thinking about embarking in Miami.  Sounds like that is not possible.

That's probably why he didn't get the FMC bond.  To cut out the whole of Canada and the US and not have the crew get visas for those places- tells me he knew months ago that he wasn't going to Canada or the US- maybe because passengers were planning to get on "embark" in those ports. 

[Travel_Around_The_World]

4 hours ago, rebeccalouiseagain said:

That's probably why he didn't get the FMC bond.  To cut out the whole of Canada and the US and not have the crew get visas for those places- tells me he knew months ago that he wasn't going to Canada or the US- maybe because passengers were planning to get on "embark" in those ports. 

Especially since Miami was originally one of the early ports beginning the Caribbean segment. 

And technically Miami would also have been kinda the companies home port since VVR is run out of a rented home in Pembroke Pines. 🤣

 

 

Edited Monday at 12:47 AM by Travel_Around_The_World

[rebeccalouiseagain]

It's interesting- the Villa Vie Residences FB page is now private.  You have to join LOL.  They want to keep any naysayers away.

[gkbiiii]

20 hours ago, rebeccalouiseagain said:

Yes- they have it still on the itinerary but it's not possible without the FMC Bond.  It's required if you plan to visit any US port.  The bonds are insurance policies and are required for any passenger vessels traveling to and from US ports.  The crew were not given applications for US or Canadian Visas either.  I read this months ago.  Mike had no intention of doing the US and Canadian ports, which is clearly bait and switch.  It's frankly inexcusable.  He plans to be in the Caribbean until December- so there was no valid reason to eliminate the US ports, or Greenland and Iceland for that matter.  Especially since he's been telling everyone for months that it's "next week".  He is still telling people September 27th, which is totally unrealistic.

Maybe Odyssey, can be next to Scientology's Freewinds in Aruba or Curacao?  I have pics of her, spooky old ship with odd people aboard.  

[Travel_Around_The_World]

Jenny's list. I have to say I probably would been super pissed as well and probably would have canceled and sued.
 

 

[rebeccalouiseagain]

2 hours ago, Travel_Around_The_World said:

Jenny's list. I have to say I probably would been super pissed as well and probably would have canceled and sued.
 

 

Absolutely.  I think there are a lot more Jenny's out there- who are simply too afraid to talk because they are waiting on refunds.  Those refunds will never come- and then they will be talking too.

[UKCruiseJeff]

14 hours ago, rebeccalouiseagain said:

Absolutely.  I think there are a lot more Jenny's out there- who are simply too afraid to talk because they are waiting on refunds.  Those refunds will never come- and then they will be talking too.

 

She sounded well balanced and her questions made to VVR were what a prudent, sensible, and reasonable concerned customer is entitled to have clarified.  Her treatment coincides with an impression that current “cheerleaders” appear slightly “too” supportive and “optimistic” - and some were on the earlier enterprise. and considering the problems it is extraordinary there appears to be no mass public/media criticisms from existing concerned customers that you might expect. The assertion that they are remaining quiet because they are are scared of speaking out for fear of losing their “investment” feels right. 

 

It’s concerning. Too many promises seem to me to be unfulfillable and I hope that people are not disappointed. 

 

Jeff

 

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 05:40 PM by UKCruiseJeff

[MacMadame]

re: the cheerleaders

 

If I hear one more time "It's a startup. These things are to be expected," I will lose it. I have worked for *many* startups. They don't work like this.

 

Am I the only one who thinks "Theranos" every time someone from VVR including the customers talks about it? Promise something "too good to be true" according to people with expertise then deliver something much, much less than promised and late at that.

 

[UKCruiseJeff]

The monthly charge would seriously bug me. 

 

Ignoring the nonsense of having such a large monthly cabin-based differential for largely the same service provisions, ( I could be wrong but it seems to me that a couple in a large cabins spend around $1m more over the lifetime of the investment than a couple in the cheapest) I’d be concerned at the veracity and “good faith” of the guarantee not to increase the charge over the life span of the ship.  No one can predict inflation or future costs over the next 15 years or so including what will probably be substantial maintenance costs down the line.  Or does it imply the concealed option of an early scrapping?  The owners know that this is a serious issue for future years. So why conceal it behind a questionable promise and guarantee?

 

So what does the guarantee mean exactly? How safe is it to rely on it? Is it simply a “come on” made in bad faith to make the sales price seem attractive?  Does it mean that imbedded in the contract is the ability to “demand” an increase and if refused you lose your investment?  Is the company owners’ leverage that if the increases are refused the only option is that the owners then simply scrap the ship and prematurely declare bankruptcy and shrug and walk away with any cash balances leaving the owners with nothing or next to nothing? 

 

Does a future - in my view inevitable cashflow issue and subsequence bankruptcy - imply the selling of this ship to a VVR2 under the same management at  scrap knock down price and a loss to the cabin owners? “MV Phoenix”? I think this enterprise is currently the 3rd attempt for some of the current players?

 

Not closely thinking about this aspect and questioning the no-increase guarantee seems to me to be self-delusional and almost certainly going to end in tears. 

 

What will cabin owners do in say 5 years is if bankruptcy is declared and they have lost everything?

 

Jeff

 

Edited Tuesday at 07:35 PM by UKCruiseJeff

[chengkp75]

I just did a quick calculation, based on the deck plans (had to estimate how many of each type of cabin, because they're not real clear), and selling all the cabins, and collecting double occupancy monthly fees.  If VVR are planning on operating on just the monthly fees alone (and I assumed that the monthly fees by owners is more than the "pay as you go" payments), then they are looking at $81/passenger/day.  RCI, on one of their Vision class ships, like Grandeur, their oldest, spend $164/passenger/day.  That is a hurricane warning flag for me, and should have been looked at by anyone looking to invest in this operation.

 

Just saw the post above this, and my figures show that they can't operate on this budget today, let alone guaranteed time in the future.

[Port2PortX]

On 9/23/2024 at 7:09 AM, rebeccalouiseagain said:

It's interesting- the Villa Vie Residences FB page is now private.  You have to join LOL.  They want to keep any naysayers away.

Their Facebook Group is public when I just checked.

[Charry_]

On 9/22/2024 at 11:53 PM, rebeccalouiseagain said:

Mike, VVR, decided not to buy the FMC Bond required for visiting US ports.  The majority of passengers are Americans and one of Jenny's complaints was that Miami was cut from the itinerary.  I'm sure other passengers were going to visit family and friends in the US.  Had this cruise gone to pass in May- they would have looked forward to seeing family or visiting doctors in the US in the fall.  North America is also on the itinerary but if VVR doesn't get that FMC bond- no US states will be on the itinerary including Alaska. That's false advertising.

I notice the published itinerary shows Antarctica ( Deception Island and Coronation Island). I'm not sure the VV could meet the requirements of the Polar Code that came into effect in 2022. Any thoughts?