Residential cruise ship returning to Belfast a few hours after departure

• Villa Vie Odyssey finally launched on Monday night after four months of delays.
• However, it returned to port less than 24 hours later.
• Some paperwork still needs to be completed before the three-year trip around the world begins.

A cruise ship that finally left port after months of delays had to return after less than 24 hours.

The Villa Vie Odyssey, where passengers paid more than $100,000 for a three-year trip around the world, was due to depart in May.

However, mechanical and certification issues with the 30-year-old ship delayed her departure from Belfast, Northern Ireland, for four months.

The residential cruise ship finally set sail around 11:30 p.m. local time (6:30 p.m. ET) on Monday — only to remain anchored off the coast.

The BBC reported that it will return to Belfast Harbor around 1:30 p.m. (8:30 a.m. ET) on Tuesday. At that moment, however, the ship appeared to be still anchored.

According to the Belfast Harbor website, the Odyssey is scheduled to depart again at 11:00 PM (6:00 PM ET).

Passengers told the BBC they were told the residential cruise ship had to return to port to complete some final paperwork.

It marks another hiccup in the tumultuous story that has seen everything from passengers complaining to a couple getting engaged after meeting on board.

A spokesperson for Villa Vie did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider.