Odyssey was initially constructed in 1993 for
Crown Cruise Line, as
Crown Dynasty, but she was marketed as the "Cunard
Crown Dynasty" when
Cunard Line signed an agreement to manage marketing, sales, and reservations for Crown Cruise Line. The vessel sailed under this name until 1997, when she was transferred to
Majesty Cruise Line, which renamed her
Crown Majesty. This lasted until the end of 1997, when the vessel was transferred again, this time to
Norwegian Cruise Line, which renamed her
Norwegian Dynasty. The vessel returned to her original fleet and name in 1999, but was sold to
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines in 2001, where the vessel operated under the name
Braemar until 2020. In 2008, the vessel underwent a refit and was
stretched, receiving a new hull section that increased its tonnage to the current . The ship's passenger capacity was also increased to 977. On 9October 2019, while carrying her full capacity of 929passengers, she became the longest ship ever to cruise through the
Corinth Canal. On 8March 2020, government officials in
Cartagena, Colombia, announced that a recently disembarked passenger had tested positive for
COVID-19, and was accepted by a private local clinic for care. On 9March 2020, government officials in
Alberta,
Canada, announced that a recently disembarked passenger had tested positive for COVID-2019. A day later, Alberta officials confirmed a second infection of a passenger returning from
Braemar. On 13March, the ship was denied entry to
the Bahamas as a result of five passengers testing positive for the virus.
Sint Maarten also denied a request from the cruise ship to allow passengers to fly out. The infected passenger disembarked off the cruise in
Kingston, Jamaica, but it was unknown where they contracted the disease. In November 2022, the ship still had not returned to service; Fred Olsen cruises put the ship up for sale. In 2023, Villa Vie Residences bought the ship, renaming her
Villa Vie Odyssey, for their -year residential style cruise. The vessel was handed over to Villa Vie Residences in February 2024 with more than70% of cabins sold (340/485 approximately). She left
Leith docks where she was laid up and arrived at
Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast for refitting on 28April 2024. While in drydock, the ship's itinerary suffered several delays, as rudder, gearbox and other issues were discovered. Future residents waiting for a revised sailing date either remained in Belfast or toured Europe on trips subsidized by the company.
Villa Vie Odyssey was floated out of the dock on 24July and moved to the ship repair quay on 2August. She sailed out on the evening of 30September. However, due to a failure to complete what was described as "some final pieces of paperwork", she anchored just outside Belfast that night. She left the Belfast anchorage at approximately 16:30BST on 3October on her way to
Brest, France. As of February 2025, the ship had visited western Europe, northwest Africa, then transited the Atlantic Ocean, and the
Panama Canal before moving south to the
Strait of Magellan. Floating accommodation. London Olympics (7644847470).jpg|
Braemar with former sister ship in London, 2012 Braemar (ship, 1993) IMO 9000699; Split (N43°30', E16°26'); 2014-09-23, 15h18m28s.jpg|
Braemar in 2014; ship received an extensive renovation on behalf of
Fred. Olsen Cruise Line 9000699 Braemar 1993.jpg|
Braemar in 2019 with the new livery of Fred. Olsen Cruise Line, the penultimate livery for the ship before becoming
Villa Vie Odyssey ==See also==