To say that there have been many twists and turns in the tale of the three-and-a-half-year cruise is something of an understatement.
Villa Vie Odyssey initially set off from Belfast, Northern Ireland on Monday night after a delay of around four months, but didn鈥檛 get very far. After travelling just a few kilometres into the Belfast Lough waterway, it halted, apparently due outstanding
Several more departure deadlines came and went, leaving passengers and those watching on shore increasingly uncertain about what was actually happening.
However, the ship, formerly the Braemar operated by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, is now on the move.
As of 11 a.m. GMT (7 a.m. ET) Friday, Odyssey was well on its way to Brest, France, according to marine tracking website Vesselfinder.
Villa Vie CEO Mike Petterson told CNN on Friday that the ship would remain in France for one day, before heading to Bilbao, Spain.
The news will no doubt come as a relief to passengers, many of whom have paid tens of thousands of dollars and, in some cases, given up their homes, in order to embark on the delayed cruise.
On Thursday, Holly Hennessey, who is cruising with her cat, told CNN that she and fellow passengers had recently enjoyed 鈥渁 tiny christening ceremony鈥� on board the ship and were excited to have finally been 鈥済iven permission to go.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely not what we were expecting, and it鈥檚 been frustrating at times, but we know we鈥檙e about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime,鈥� U.S. passenger Angela Theriac, who鈥檚 travelling with her husband, told CNN last month.
Petterson previously indicated that the delayed departure was due to a longer than usual certification process.
While the ship was built in 1993, it has been held to the standards of a new vessel, said Petterson.
CNN鈥檚 Julia Buckley and Marnie Hunter contributed to this report.
