Villa Vie's is not the first extended cruise plan that's run into problems. Another company, Life at Sea Cruises, had scheduled a three year round-the-world cruise - the first of its kind to be relatively affordable - for departure in 2023. That voyage was postponed again and again, before being canceled definitively in November.

The luxury cruise ship Villa Vie Odyssey finally left Belfast Harbour but had to return - months after it became stranded in Northern Ireland due to unexpected repair works