MV Villa Vie Odyssey
ex Braemar, Crown Dynasty, Norwegian Dynasty, Crown Majesty, Crown Dynasty
© John Sharpe
Steel twin screw motor vessel built in 1993 by Union Naval de Levante, Valencia, Spain (Yard No 198) for Commodore Cruise Line, Panama.
Technical Data
- Original Cost: $100 million
- Length on deck: 163.81m (537.4 ft)(overall), 195.92m/139.83m (between perpendiculars)
- Breadth of hull: 22.522m (73.8 ft)(extreme)
- Draught: 5.415m (17.7 ft)(maximum)
- Tonnage: 19,089 gross, 24,344/8,103 deadweight
- Engines: Four 8-cylinder Wartsila- Echevarria diesels
- Propulsion/Propellers: diesel 13,200kW/2
- Speed: 15.5 knots (18.5 knots max)
- Capacity: 820 passengers (1993), 750 (2001)
- Passenger decks: 7
- Crew: 320
- Call Sign: 3FJX3, C6SY7
- IMO Number: 9000699
- MMSI Number: 311541000
- Official Number: 8000647
- Registry: Panama City/Panama 🇵🇦, Nassau/Bahamas 🇧🇸
- Sister Ship: Crown Jewel (197)
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Current AIS Location
History
March 21st 1991: Keel laid.
January 31st 1992: Launched as CROWN DYNASTY.
June 25th 1993: Delivered Commodore Cruise Line, Panama and chartered to Cunard.
July 3rd 1993: Arrived at Southampton.
March 1997: Chartered to Majesty Cruise Line and renamed CROWN MAJESTY.
1997: Sold to Norwegian Cruise Line, Panama and renamed NORWEGIAN DYNASTY.
October 1999: Sold to Commodore Cruise Line, Panama and reverted to the name CROWN DYNASTY then being engaged on cruising for Crown Cruise of Panama (Commodore).
February 2000: As a result of Commodore Cruises going bankrupt 2000 she was sold.
May 11th 2001: To Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, Panama and renamed BRAEMAR.
© Fred Olsen Cruise Lines
June 20th 2001 – July 22nd 2001: Rebuilt at Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (adding new cabins and passenger facilities)
2001: Recorded owner; Nayeli Shipping S.A.
August 11th 2001: Made her maiden, Dover based, cruise.
© Nigel Thornton (both)
2001: Recorded owner; Capital Bank Leasing 6 Ltd.
May 2003: Home port, Nassau.
Interior
© Nigel Thornton (all)
2006: Registered owner; Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines. Registered manager; Fred. Olsen Marine Services
December 2007: Work began to lengthen her by 31.2m at Schichau Seebeck Shipyard GmbH in Bremerhaven.
April 5th 2008: Towed from Bremerhaven to Hamburg.
May 10th 2008 – June 24th 2008: Anticipated schedule of work at Blohm + Voss Repair, GmbH.
May 13th 2008: Entered the Elbe 17 Dock at Blohm + Voss Repair for lengthening and other conversion work.
© Jens Boldt (all)
May 3rd 2009: Inaugural arrival at Dover since rebuild.
© Nigel Thornton (all)
July 12th to August 15th 2012: Acted as an accommodation ship at Tilbury for the Olympic Games
© John Jones (both)
© Netty
December 11th 2015:
“Following a recent refurbishment at the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ Boudicca has been given a new colour scheme and livery.
Boudicca is the first ship in the fleet to be given the new colours. The previously white hull is now a dark grey, topped with a red line above.
Nathan Philpot, Sales & Marketing Director, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said:
“The painting of the hulls is a positive statement and represents the on-going changes to position Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ fleet within the premium market. A grey hull harks back to Fred. Olsen’s heritage, to when the first Black Watch and Black Prince were launched in the 1930s; these were two of the most luxurious ships afloat at the time. The use of the ‘Cartier’ red line is a visual reminder to all our guests and crew of what we refer to internally as our ‘Red Carpet’ service.”
Balmoral has also began her transformation, with Black Watch and Braemar being painted in due course.”
© Nigel Scutt (Dover 18/03/2016)(Dover Strait Shipping / Fotoflite )
© Tim Becker
March 13th 2020: Denied entry to the Bahamas owing to Coronavirus outbreak. She was also denied entry to other ports and eventually was allowed to dis-embark passengers in Kingston, Jamaica. She then sailed for Europe.
April 2020: Arrived in the Firth of Forth for extended lay-up (Coronavirus Pandemic) before sailing to Rosyth where lay-up continued.
© Brian Donovan
January 12th 2022:
“Fred. Olsen Pushes Restart Dates of 2 Ships; Braemar Now 2023.”
“Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines today announced that the Braemer won’t operate again until 2023, pushing its restart date by a year.”
“The good news is that we will still be returning to Scotland for departures this year, with Balmoral to operate between Newcastle – where she was originally due to be based – and Rosyth, where she will take over some of Braemar’s itineraries in the summer months.”
“Please be assured that Braemar very much remains a part of our family, and we are already working on some exciting new itineraries for her return in 2023.”
August 2022: Remains laid up in Rosyth.
November 2022: Put up for sale.
December 13th 2023: It was announced that Villa Vie Residences bought the ship, renaming it the VILLA VIE ODYSSEY, scheduled to begin the three-and-a-half-year world cruise on 15th May 2024 from Southampton.
The planned trip:
Northern Europe May 15, 2024 to August 9, 2024 – 87 days
Greenland + Arctic Waters August 10, 2024 to September 25, 2024 – 47 days
Caribbean September 26, 2024 to December 17, 2024 – 83 days
South America December 18, 2024 to April 23, 2025 – 127 days
North America April 24, 2025 to August 6, 2025 – 105 days
Japan + Philippines 08/07/2025 to 11/09/2025 – 95 days
South Pacific November 10, 2024 to February 25, 2026 – 103 days
Australia + Bali 02/21/2026 to 04/30/2026 – 69 days
Northern Asia May 1, 2026 to July 31, 2026 – 92 days
Southern Asia August 1, 2026 to October 28, 2026 – 89 days
India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia 11/10/2026 to 12/30/2026 – 51 days
Middle East + Indian Ocean 12/31/2026 to 02/08/2027 – 40 days
Indian Ocean + Madagascar 02/09/2027 to 04/16/2027 – 67 days
Africa April 17, 2027 to June 23, 2027 68 days
Southern Europe, Mediterranean June 24, 2027 to November 1, 2027 – 131 days
February 13th 2024: Remains in Rosyth but, an announcement made that a contract had been signed for complete refit/refurbishment at H & W, Belfast, to commence March 2024.
All information is believed to be correct and no responsibility is accepted for any errors or omissions. All items included in this article are subject to © copyright. We would like to take this opportunity of thanking: Tim Becker, Jens Boldt, Brian Donovan, John Jones, Shona Michell (Fred Olsen Lines), Netty, Nigel Scutt (Dover Strait Shipping/ Fotoflite ) and John Sharpe for their assistance in producing this feature.
Article © Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)
