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IT looked like the holiday from hell – but it quickly became the honeymoon of a lifetime.
When Gian and Angie Perroni found themselves stranded in Belfast due to a four-month delay of their luxury cruise, all they hoped for was to finally set sail.
But neither of them ever imagined they’d find their soulmate while waiting for the round-the-world cruise to start its epic adventure.
Gian, aged 63, proposed to Angie, 54, in September, just weeks after their first date. Naturally, the next step for them was planning a wedding aboard the magnificent Villa Vie Odyssey.
The couple told The Sun how their 300-guest ship-wide ceremony officiated by the captain was “way too much fun”.
After four months of repairs, the huge cruise finally set sail last October.
And Gian and Angie held their “magical” wedding – where the captain plunged into the pool with the bride and groom.
They shared heartwarming images of the ceremony which took place on board the ship between Costa Rica and Nicaragua in May.
Gian, who hails from Vancouver, Canada, shared: “Not only did the captain officiate our wedding, but he also joined us by diving into the pool, making it incredibly fun.”
Angie, from Colorado in the States, chimed in: “Very unexpected.”
Gian continued: “We enjoyed having professional dancers, and everyone had bubble guns and bubble wands. The captain even sounded the ship’s horn at the moment of our first kiss.
“It was all very romantic and just way too much fun.”
The couple, who celebrated with matching Celtic trinity knot tattoos, first held an intimate ceremony on April 30, followed by a larger ship-wide celebration two days later.
Angie said: “We had a lot of the ship help us out with the wedding, which I thought was very special.”
Angie noted that most of the wedding organizers, including photographers and decorators, were actually fellow residents onboard the ship.
Angie added: “Everyone on board was very much looking forward to it. And because, again, this is our community and not just a cruise, there was a very different support.”
Picture-perfect couple Gian and Angie are permanent residents on the Villa Vie Odyssey – a mega 600ft vessel which is set to visit almost every holiday hotspot Earth has to offer.
It boasts a jaw-dropping itinerary – including 425 destinations across 147 countries – around 75 per cent of all nations on Earth.
Cruise-goers on board the Odyssey are set to visit all their dream holiday destinations across the planet as part of the journey.
The huge vessel was previously marred by controversy when crew discovered problems with its rudders and gearbox – causing its launch to be postponed for four months.
The residential cruise sells cabins on a permanent basis – with personal rooms starting at $129,000 for 15 years.
Despite the eye-watering price tag, the only other residential cruise ship on the planet currently at sea, The World, offers its cheapest cabin for $2.5million.
Gian and Angie are permanent owners on the Odyssey – and have their cabins guaranteed for a decade-and-a-half.
Having set off just one year ago, they have already visited 36 countries.
Unlike traditional cruises, the ship docks at different ports for around five days each, so residents can properly explore rather than just dash between locations.
Globe-trotters Angie and Gian are currently not on board the ship and have returned home due to a family matter.
But they say their inboxes have been flooded by friends from their on board community who can’t wait for them to get back.
Describing day-to-day life on board the infamous vessel – it seems like the party never ends.
“We party hard… The only little space we have left in our cabin is a little liquor storage,” Angie said.
“You definitely have your party years on board, for sure.”
Gian, who works in online marketing, said: “We’ve created some very, very good friendships.
“There’s been one other wedding on board already, another wedding off the ship, and then a few that have gone the opposite direction as well…”
They also revealed the range of fellow crew members on board the ship.
Angie said: “Once you start chatting with people and getting their history, it’s pretty fascinating the different walks of life that are that are on board.”
Her husband said: “We’ve become friends with an ex-state Governor, we had an astronaut on board – one of the few people that’s been on the moon.”
Villa Vie Residences’ CEO Mikael Petterson previously revealed: “We have a very diverse community including a Nobel Peace Prize winner, a White House chief of staff, an astronaut and many scientists and doctors on board that share their knowledge and experiences.”
What happened to the Villa Vie Odyssey?
by Harvey Geh
THE Villa Vie Odyssey, a residential cruise ship offering a three-and-a-half-year world tour, was scheduled to set sail from Belfast in May 2024.
But a series of technical issues with the ship’s rudders and gearbox led to a four-month delay, keeping the vessel docked at the Harland & Wolff shipyard – where the Titanic was built.
During this time, passengers who had sold their homes and packed up all their belongings were stranded in Belfast.
The cruise company, Villa Vie Residences, provided accommodation for them in local hotels and serviced apartments – before eventually ending these funds and offering on board credit instead.
Gian Perroni and Angela Harsanyi made international headlines when they met and fell in love before getting engaged during the unexpected delay.
After numerous postponements, the ship finally set sail on the last day of September 2024 – but had to anchor in Belfast Lough overnight to complete last-minute paperwork and administrative checks before it could officially begin its voyage.
Villa Vie admitted the project faced significant challenges – with the unexpected repairs and logistical issues costing them millions of pounds.
The extended delays led to tensions among some residents, with one passenger kicked off the cruise for allegedly being “negative” on a WhatsApp group.
Despite its tumultuous and highly publicised four-month delay, the Odyssey finally embarked on its journey in October 2024.
In terms of the demographics, Gian estimates 80 per cent of all residents on board the ship are American, quipping: “I even married one.”
Despite this, he thinks life on board the Odyssey “feels very international”, as there are “a lot of different languages being spoken”.
“As we go to places like, for example, Japan, we’ve had people that have lived there, that have helped set up itineraries,” he said.
And even though they are said to be living their dream lives on board the mega-cruise – day-to-day life at sea isn’t always plain sailing.
“We collectively miss the ease of visiting family when we want or need to, especially the further away we are from home,” Gian admitted.
“But that is balanced by our ability to invite family to visit and cruise with us.”
They also listed one other surprising thing they never thought they’d miss before embarking on the years-long adventure.
Gian said: “It’s not easy to hit fast food restaurants whenever we want, but we’re likely healthier because of that.”
But the pros far outweigh the cons, the couple emphasised.
Angie said: “It’s just a whole another way to to live and see the world. I find it absolutely fascinating.”
Gian added: “We’ve been happily surprised at, for lack of better word, the stickiness – almost everybody that was with us in Belfast is still on the ship.”
Although Gian is a seasoned traveller, Angie said she had “never been out of the country” before she decided to step outside her comfort zone and board the Odyssey.
And she’s looking forward to ticking a few spots off her bucket list – with holiday hotspot Fiji being a “big one” for her.
The cruisegoer said of the journey: “It’s a lifestyle like I couldn’t envision when I started… it’s wonderful. And I would definitely recommend it to anybody especially young.”
The couple are set return to the “loveboat” in the coming weeks, most likely when the ship docks in South Korea.
