Cruise ship couple who found love during months stranded in Belfast to marry

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Two strangers who met while their cruise experienced severe delays in embarking on its around-the-world journey say they will get married on the ship after a whirlwind romance while stranded in Belfast.

Many passengers who bought cruise cabins on Villa Vie Residences’ Odyssey, which plans to set sail on a three-and-a-half-year adventure around all seven continents, have been frustrated within the past four months while they have been stuck in Northern Ireland’s capital.

The vessel has remained in the city since 30 May due to last-minute repairs and tests that have significantly delayed the start of the voyage.

However, for two guests on the ship, the delays have led to an unexpected romance to bloom while the cruise has remained in the port.

Gian Perroni, 62, and Angela Harsanyi, 53, booked the years-long cruise separately, both looking for a sense of adventure, but what they did not expect to find was a future spouse on the residential cruise.

"We found that we had so much in common and enjoyed being in each other’s company, so much that we really couldn’t picture a life without each other," Ms Harsanyi told Sky News’ The UK Tonight with Sarah-Jane Mee.

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While repairs and sea trialw continued throughout the summer, passengers were allowed to use onboard facilities during the day, but in the evening, they were required to stay in hotels provided by the cruise company as the delays continued.

The couple said it was on these commutes back to their hotels in central Belfast at night that the pair developed a “deep friendship” that then “blossomed into a romance.”

"Once I became friends with him and spent a bit of time with him, especially over the last five weeks, I started to get an understanding of his morals, his values and his future beliefs,” Ms Harsanyi said.

Early on in their relationship, the couple started talking about getting married.

"It’s a first marriage for Angie – it’s not my first marriage, but I wanted to do it right,” Mr Perroni told the news programme, adding that they found a jeweller in the capital and picked out a ring together.

“I was planning on asking her on the ship, but we were out one night walking along the River Lagan – during the supermoon last week – the time just seemed right. So I popped the question,” Perroni said.

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The newly engaged couple plan to tie the knot aboard Odyssey in April between Panama and Costa Rica, where Mr Perroni has lived for the past six years.

Villa Vie’s founder and CEO, Mikael Petterson, said that hearing the couple had got engaged was “amazing news”.

“We heard about their engagement last week and plan [on] having a celebration onboard for them,” he told The Independent.

“It’s great to see the community building and relationships form. We still have a lot of singles onboard so I’d expect we’d lots more coupled form amongst residents who share a passion for travel.”

Petterson also gave an update on the long-awaited departure of the Odyssey, saying that they expect to launch this weekend, but the date is still fluid while they await final approval from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Odyssey, set to stop at more than 425 ports in 147 countries, is almost ready to depart from the Northern Ireland capital after reportedly passing sea trials.

Once the cruise leaves Belfast, guests will be able to use their cabins, which could be purchased outright for prices between $99,999 (£75,600) and $899,000 (£680,000).

For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast