By KBC Associate :max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2)/Angela-Harsanyi-Gian-Perroni-051425-1-8ec251282aeb4b8ea9ba7cd544f6ab9f.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "A Round-the-World Cruise Ship Was Stranded for 4 Months. Then 2 Strangers’ Lives Changed Forever")
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- Angela Harsanyi and Gian Perroni fell in love while their cruise ship was stranded in Ireland
- The pair met, became friends, started dating and got engaged — all within the four months it took to repair the ship
- “We’re on a perpetual honeymoon now, for real,” Harsanyi told the BBC
Two newlyweds found love while their cruise ship was stranded — and afterward embarked on an “incredible” built-in honeymoon.
Angela Harsanyi and Gian Perroni were set to sail away from Belfast on the same ship, the Villa Vie Odyssey, in May 2024 and embark on a three-year cruise around the world, per the BBC. When the ship’s rudder stocks malfunctioned, the pair were just two of hundreds stranded in the city for four months — but the mishap ushered them straight to married bliss.
Harsanyi and Perroni met in August 2024, during the four months required to repair the ship. They were able to commute into the city and work remotely at a hotel during the day, and the pair connected on the drives to and from shore. Their friendship quickly turned romantic, and Perroni proposed beside the River Lagan — all in the few months the ship was stranded in Belfast.
Liam Mcburney/PA Wire via ZUMA Press
“After we got engaged, he looked at me so sincerely and said, ‘you know honey, I’m going to take you on a world cruise for our honeymoon,'” Harsanyi told the outlet.
The ship was ready for its long voyage shortly thereafter, and thus the pair decided to tie the knot onboard the liner itself. Harsanyi and Perroni’s family members were able to fly into Costa Rica, where the ship was docked for the ceremony.
The fiancés held a small ceremony with their friends and family on board, with the ship’s captain officiating. Harsanyi walked down an aisle with “From Belfast to Forever” etched into it,
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The newlyweds then hosted a ship-wide reception the next day. The celebration saw some 300 guests — 100 of whom were stranded in Belfast with Harsanyi and Perroni — as well as breathtaking sunsets and dolphins swimming alongside the ship.
“It’s been magical, it’s beyond my wildest dreams,” Harsanyi said. “We’re on a perpetual honeymoon now, for real.”