I so look forward to your posts! Love that you are willing to share "the other side of the coin". Grateful to get a full, 360 degree, 3 dimensional view of life on the Odyssey, especially from such a gifted writer!
Thanks so much for keeping us in the loop, Joe. Ever since VVR strong armed BRT to shut him up, we’ve wondered how everything was actually going. It is really unfortunate that you all have been cheated out of visiting places that were specifically listed on the itinerary…. and I do mean cheated. I can’t believe VVR did not know well in advance that the ship was not going to any of those destinations. There is no way my wife and I could stand being in a cabin in summer with little to no AC… wow. We would be demanding some kind of refund on the monthly fee. At least the good news is by June there won’t be anyone left in the US Department of Public Health to deny permission for entry!
Well, if all went smoothly it would likely be just another travelogue. After all, what drives every great story?... Conflict. You hit the motherlode! Since I was headed toward a career in journalism myself and then took a sharp left, I appreciate your effort to properly document your "situation!" At some point, to complete the story there may need to be some resolution but, really, that's a probably few hundred more pages across the sea. Thanks for the entertainment!
Well, not completely sure... Re "Those other ships on Cruisemapper, it turns out, were expedition ships, smaller than Odyssey and designed to handle rougher conditions. Equipped with Zodiacs instead of tenders, they could go where we could not. "
Maybe.
One of the ships that were in Port Stanley the day you should have been was MSC Magnifica. It holds 3000 passengers, 3 times the size of Odyssey, ie not "an expedition ship smaller than Odyssey ". I tried to see if they have zodiacs for 3000 passengers but the deck plans and fotos only show tenders. So MAYBE...
The other ship that went on one of the days you should have been there was World Explorer which is an expedition ship for 200 passengers and its deck plan does show a zodiac loading area.
But, hey, the VVO Powers That Be would never lie to you. They never have, right? 🤔😶
I've been trying to look up the MSC Magnifica to see if it has zodiacs. There's not much specific, but there are two suggestive bits of information: first, the Magnifica does not normally cruise to the Falklands. Like the Odyssey, it's on a world tour. Normally, it stays confined to the Caribbean, Mediterranean, or Northern Europe. So I would not expect zodiacs to be part of the usual equipment for this ship.
Second of all, their listings for the Port Stanley shore excursions have a routine notice that it may be necessary to use tenders to disembark at this port. Could they be putting in boilerplate language, when they'll really be using zodiacs? Possibly. But tenders were what was mentioned.
So I don't know for sure, but that shop is looking pretty similar to the Odyssey except rather a lot bigger (over 3,000 passengers and 900 crew).
“Fuck that. I’m just getting started. I’m gonna burn this motherfucker down.”
- now THAT sounds like a Nile Rodgers disco track I need to hear!
As for the lack of lettuce, I hear your pain Joe - I don’t know how you keep your shit together. Empirical evidence suggests that salad, or rather lack of salad, is the second biggest trigger for brawls in British pubs. If VVR can’t even manage to order enough butterhead lettuce, then what’s the chances of sorting out the Galapagos, Antarctica, the Falklands, or the Amazon.
Still, in a few weeks you can get back on the overproof Caribbean Rum - kerosene in a pretty bottle. Two bottles of that and you’ll see pink dolphins everywhere you look.
Out of curiosity, was one of those problems that Kathy "acknowledged and promised to do better" about perhaps the tendency of Villa Vie management to freak the hell out and threaten anybody -- on or off the ship -- who ever dares to question anything they do? They've given you crap at least twice now, first with Fong threatening to throw you off the ship and then with this menacing summons to the Captain to make sure you would report the Official Party Line on why they couldn't get to the Falklands. They've kicked two people off the ship (one temporarily), and they have sent lawyers to shut down the one remaining factually objective YouTuber on the subject.
So as long as they're in a mood to take responsibility for stuff, perhaps they could consider taking responsibility for this war on journalism, and change their ways? I've seen samizdat publishers who got less grief from the Soviet government than any honest reporter has been getting from Villa Vie... and no matter how desperately they try, it does NOT inspire confidence in the company.
Maybe I'm seeing the censorship thing as more comparatively important than it is, since it's the one which affects me and the rest of us who aren't on board. If I were there, I'm sure that I would regard the plumbing problems and the cancelled ports of call as much more significant than Villa Vie's threats against anyone who reports anything except the official pravda. However, I couldn't help noticing that it was the one frequently discussed problem you *didn't* mention her taking responsibility for, or promising to improve.
I hope that was just an oversight. I'm either your part or Kathy's.
Because this post was already way too long, I left out a lot of stuff. I honestly haven't felt threatened or censored. There are certainly folks on board who would like to see me gone, but they''re not in a position to actually make it happen. I think Kathy and I have reached an understanding. She wishes I'd be less critical. I wish she'd be less defensive. And lately she has been. I wanted to give her credit for that.
Wow, please share the brand of blue agave you are drinking as it is mellowing you the f#*k out. Less defensive of late? Certainly not more professional as one would expect of a CEO.
“Seriously,” Kathy Villalba, Villa Vie’s CEO, responded at one point, “What are you trying to prove?” That doesn't sound less defensive. And it fits in with how other residents have described of Mike and Kathy belittling people for asking questions and with the surprising behavior of VV executives and Founders on how they attack people on their own FaceBook page who ask questions. With less than 300 people onboard a ship with capacity for 900, you'd think they would practice a little diplomacy (and maybe suck up a little) rather than showing their hostile behavior in public.
The behaviors sound the same and so do the problems- pools, jacuzzi, A/C, plumbing, uncountable skipped ports. Those were the issues 5 months ago (and before launch as well). I heard a podcast recently that gave a quote "Just because you used to hit her 12 times per month and now you only hit her twice per month, that's not progress. That's abuse."
We're all glad you are back. And if you left out a lot because the post was long - here's a suggestion - just make another post quickly!
Joe, it does you credit that you're tough enough, blasé enough, or just plain ornery enough not to feel threatened by what they have done. However, from the descriptions you've given in your own words, what they have done to you on at least those two occasions were clearly deliberate attempts to intimidate. Just because it hasn't worked doesn't mean they get any credit for not trying. They did try.
I'm very grateful that you're not intimidated anyway, because it keeps our only source of honest news about life on the Odyssey open! But that's to your credit. It's certainly not to theirs.
I was so interested in this for myself, but I thank God there are honest reporters. Some people can live with that chaos and that's fine, but I am not one of those people. And it's false advertisement that things are smooth sailing. If they were honest upfront, that things would be a work in progress, perhaps people wouldn't be so angry with them?
Thank you for the continued inside feel of what is actually happening. I appreciate your honesty in the face of the public positivity that is everywhere else in the media, it does get exhausting. As always love how you write, with a wry sense of humour at the absurdness of it all.
Best line and so appropriate... "Kidding. The hot tubs still aren’t working." I'm so sorry you're all being treated this poorly. They took your money and then half-assed the whole thing. I couldn't cope with the constant let downs and "misinformation" (lies). I'm happy to hear they are actually blaming themselves for once, but like you said...words mean nothing. Good luck! I know you'll make the best of it. Me? I could not. I loathe deceit.
hahahahahahahhahahahahaha! The BEST ever!!! loved the photos, cartoons, Marx and Dumond reference. Fabulous! Travel is adventure and never easy if you ask me. Cheers!
Thanks for the entertaining update Joe. I am sorry to hear you are still being subjected to mean girls. My God could you imagine behaving like that as a mature (if not elderly) adult. Ignore the silly buggers and continue to enjoy your travels around the world. Just think of all the dimmer party conversation topics you will have. Take care.
Mosey on over to Cruise Critic. The thread on VVR which was closed has been reopened. One dude is asking for input from residents on Villa Vie as he wants to hear their side of the story about how wonderful things are. You, as a resident, could tell a very compelling tale.
From what I'm reading on BRT, Joe tried. Here's a recent post from BRT:
When the new CC forum was first started by the moderators yesterday, the second post was by Joe Rhodes asking them to reopen the shuttered forum. He mentioned that he was a resident on the VV and that the forum was a valuable aid in providing unvarnished discussion of the ship. His post was quickly deleted and replaced by another one in which a moderator stated that any criticism of the moderating process would not be tolerated.
I so look forward to your posts! Love that you are willing to share "the other side of the coin". Grateful to get a full, 360 degree, 3 dimensional view of life on the Odyssey, especially from such a gifted writer!
Thanks so much for keeping us in the loop, Joe. Ever since VVR strong armed BRT to shut him up, we’ve wondered how everything was actually going. It is really unfortunate that you all have been cheated out of visiting places that were specifically listed on the itinerary…. and I do mean cheated. I can’t believe VVR did not know well in advance that the ship was not going to any of those destinations. There is no way my wife and I could stand being in a cabin in summer with little to no AC… wow. We would be demanding some kind of refund on the monthly fee. At least the good news is by June there won’t be anyone left in the US Department of Public Health to deny permission for entry!
Well, if all went smoothly it would likely be just another travelogue. After all, what drives every great story?... Conflict. You hit the motherlode! Since I was headed toward a career in journalism myself and then took a sharp left, I appreciate your effort to properly document your "situation!" At some point, to complete the story there may need to be some resolution but, really, that's a probably few hundred more pages across the sea. Thanks for the entertainment!
I'm looking forward to the Netflix series. Who will play you? I'm thinking John Cusack
Gary Oldman would be a good one, too.
YES. I love Oldman
Well, not completely sure... Re "Those other ships on Cruisemapper, it turns out, were expedition ships, smaller than Odyssey and designed to handle rougher conditions. Equipped with Zodiacs instead of tenders, they could go where we could not. "
Maybe.
One of the ships that were in Port Stanley the day you should have been was MSC Magnifica. It holds 3000 passengers, 3 times the size of Odyssey, ie not "an expedition ship smaller than Odyssey ". I tried to see if they have zodiacs for 3000 passengers but the deck plans and fotos only show tenders. So MAYBE...
The other ship that went on one of the days you should have been there was World Explorer which is an expedition ship for 200 passengers and its deck plan does show a zodiac loading area.
But, hey, the VVO Powers That Be would never lie to you. They never have, right? 🤔😶
I've been trying to look up the MSC Magnifica to see if it has zodiacs. There's not much specific, but there are two suggestive bits of information: first, the Magnifica does not normally cruise to the Falklands. Like the Odyssey, it's on a world tour. Normally, it stays confined to the Caribbean, Mediterranean, or Northern Europe. So I would not expect zodiacs to be part of the usual equipment for this ship.
Second of all, their listings for the Port Stanley shore excursions have a routine notice that it may be necessary to use tenders to disembark at this port. Could they be putting in boilerplate language, when they'll really be using zodiacs? Possibly. But tenders were what was mentioned.
So I don't know for sure, but that shop is looking pretty similar to the Odyssey except rather a lot bigger (over 3,000 passengers and 900 crew).
I am currently onboard MSC Magnifica, we weren’t one of the ships that managed to dock, we also missed the Falklands due to bad weather
“Fuck that. I’m just getting started. I’m gonna burn this motherfucker down.”
- now THAT sounds like a Nile Rodgers disco track I need to hear!
As for the lack of lettuce, I hear your pain Joe - I don’t know how you keep your shit together. Empirical evidence suggests that salad, or rather lack of salad, is the second biggest trigger for brawls in British pubs. If VVR can’t even manage to order enough butterhead lettuce, then what’s the chances of sorting out the Galapagos, Antarctica, the Falklands, or the Amazon.
Still, in a few weeks you can get back on the overproof Caribbean Rum - kerosene in a pretty bottle. Two bottles of that and you’ll see pink dolphins everywhere you look.
Pecker up chap, onwards and upwards.
Lest anyone think Joe is being uncharitable, plumbing “problems” is a generous and kind way to word it. 😜
Out of curiosity, was one of those problems that Kathy "acknowledged and promised to do better" about perhaps the tendency of Villa Vie management to freak the hell out and threaten anybody -- on or off the ship -- who ever dares to question anything they do? They've given you crap at least twice now, first with Fong threatening to throw you off the ship and then with this menacing summons to the Captain to make sure you would report the Official Party Line on why they couldn't get to the Falklands. They've kicked two people off the ship (one temporarily), and they have sent lawyers to shut down the one remaining factually objective YouTuber on the subject.
So as long as they're in a mood to take responsibility for stuff, perhaps they could consider taking responsibility for this war on journalism, and change their ways? I've seen samizdat publishers who got less grief from the Soviet government than any honest reporter has been getting from Villa Vie... and no matter how desperately they try, it does NOT inspire confidence in the company.
Maybe I'm seeing the censorship thing as more comparatively important than it is, since it's the one which affects me and the rest of us who aren't on board. If I were there, I'm sure that I would regard the plumbing problems and the cancelled ports of call as much more significant than Villa Vie's threats against anyone who reports anything except the official pravda. However, I couldn't help noticing that it was the one frequently discussed problem you *didn't* mention her taking responsibility for, or promising to improve.
I hope that was just an oversight. I'm either your part or Kathy's.
Because this post was already way too long, I left out a lot of stuff. I honestly haven't felt threatened or censored. There are certainly folks on board who would like to see me gone, but they''re not in a position to actually make it happen. I think Kathy and I have reached an understanding. She wishes I'd be less critical. I wish she'd be less defensive. And lately she has been. I wanted to give her credit for that.
Wow, please share the brand of blue agave you are drinking as it is mellowing you the f#*k out. Less defensive of late? Certainly not more professional as one would expect of a CEO.
“Seriously,” Kathy Villalba, Villa Vie’s CEO, responded at one point, “What are you trying to prove?” That doesn't sound less defensive. And it fits in with how other residents have described of Mike and Kathy belittling people for asking questions and with the surprising behavior of VV executives and Founders on how they attack people on their own FaceBook page who ask questions. With less than 300 people onboard a ship with capacity for 900, you'd think they would practice a little diplomacy (and maybe suck up a little) rather than showing their hostile behavior in public.
The behaviors sound the same and so do the problems- pools, jacuzzi, A/C, plumbing, uncountable skipped ports. Those were the issues 5 months ago (and before launch as well). I heard a podcast recently that gave a quote "Just because you used to hit her 12 times per month and now you only hit her twice per month, that's not progress. That's abuse."
We're all glad you are back. And if you left out a lot because the post was long - here's a suggestion - just make another post quickly!
There is more to come.
Joe, it does you credit that you're tough enough, blasé enough, or just plain ornery enough not to feel threatened by what they have done. However, from the descriptions you've given in your own words, what they have done to you on at least those two occasions were clearly deliberate attempts to intimidate. Just because it hasn't worked doesn't mean they get any credit for not trying. They did try.
I'm very grateful that you're not intimidated anyway, because it keeps our only source of honest news about life on the Odyssey open! But that's to your credit. It's certainly not to theirs.
I was so interested in this for myself, but I thank God there are honest reporters. Some people can live with that chaos and that's fine, but I am not one of those people. And it's false advertisement that things are smooth sailing. If they were honest upfront, that things would be a work in progress, perhaps people wouldn't be so angry with them?
Thank you for the continued inside feel of what is actually happening. I appreciate your honesty in the face of the public positivity that is everywhere else in the media, it does get exhausting. As always love how you write, with a wry sense of humour at the absurdness of it all.
Than you Sir for posting. Always enjoy your reads and thoughts ❤️
As the say Don’t LET THE BASTARDS WEAR YOU DOWN 🥂🍻🍺🍸🍷🍾
Best line and so appropriate... "Kidding. The hot tubs still aren’t working." I'm so sorry you're all being treated this poorly. They took your money and then half-assed the whole thing. I couldn't cope with the constant let downs and "misinformation" (lies). I'm happy to hear they are actually blaming themselves for once, but like you said...words mean nothing. Good luck! I know you'll make the best of it. Me? I could not. I loathe deceit.
hahahahahahahhahahahahaha! The BEST ever!!! loved the photos, cartoons, Marx and Dumond reference. Fabulous! Travel is adventure and never easy if you ask me. Cheers!
Thanks for the entertaining update Joe. I am sorry to hear you are still being subjected to mean girls. My God could you imagine behaving like that as a mature (if not elderly) adult. Ignore the silly buggers and continue to enjoy your travels around the world. Just think of all the dimmer party conversation topics you will have. Take care.
I was starting to worry about you. Glad for the update. Hoping things get better quickly.
Hello Joe,
Mosey on over to Cruise Critic. The thread on VVR which was closed has been reopened. One dude is asking for input from residents on Villa Vie as he wants to hear their side of the story about how wonderful things are. You, as a resident, could tell a very compelling tale.
Love your writing. Love tequila.
From what I'm reading on BRT, Joe tried. Here's a recent post from BRT:
When the new CC forum was first started by the moderators yesterday, the second post was by Joe Rhodes asking them to reopen the shuttered forum. He mentioned that he was a resident on the VV and that the forum was a valuable aid in providing unvarnished discussion of the ship. His post was quickly deleted and replaced by another one in which a moderator stated that any criticism of the moderating process would not be tolerated.
Bully mods at CruiseCritic just like on Odyssey.
Great report Joe, thanks.