A Florida woman who sold everything for a $350,000 dream cruise around the world says she was banned from boarding the ship after her private WhatsApp messages were leaked.
Jenny Phenix, 68, a divorced mother of two, liquidated her businesses and possessions and has been living out of a suitcase in preparation for Villa Vie Odyssey’s three-year maiden voyage. he told the Telegraph.
But amid the continued delays, Phenix expressed frustration to fellow passengers in a WhatsApp group that the ship will no longer dock in Miami, where she planned to pick up her remaining belongings for the remainder of the cruise.
He also expressed concern that refurbishment work on the massive ship could continue even after it leaves Belfast, Ireland, and that he would have to use a temporary cabin because the one he had booked was still being used by the crew.
Those messages were apparently shared with the owners of Villa Vie Residences, which operates the boat, and he was told that his contract for the trip had been cancelled for “behavior that impacts community morale.”
Jenny Phenix, 68, says she was banned from Villa Vie Odyssey after her WhatsApp messages were leaked
Director of Operations Kathy Villalba told the outlet: “We have received over a dozen formal complaints from residents regarding their constant complaints and negativity. This behavior has significantly affected the morale and well-being of other passengers.
“Given the overwhelming amount of feedback received, we must permanently terminate your contract in order to protect the well-being and satisfaction of our community,” Villalba wrote, according to the Telegraph.
Phenix said she was stunned by the warning.
“I was never rude or disrespectful and I never engaged in personal attacks,” she insisted. “These were private conversations, I didn’t post anything on social media.”
She added that she was not the only one upset that the maiden voyage kept getting delayed.
“Frustration among residents increased with each delay,” Phenix said. “I used to be one of the most outspoken in asking important questions.”
“Many of the residents thanked me privately for speaking on behalf of the entire group.”
He paid an initial deposit for the round-the-world trip and had planned to decide once on board whether to buy a cabin or join the company’s Endless Horizon program, which allows passengers to sail for the rest of their lives.
Phenix had put all its plans into the three-year cruise ship after another residential boat project, Florida-based Life at Sea, filed for bankruptcy and owed it $30,000.
He waited for Villa Vie to buy Fred Olsen’s former boat, Braemar, before signing.
Phenix then paid an initial deposit for the round-the-world trip and had planned to decide once on board whether to spend between $120,000 and more than $350,000 on a cabin or join the company’s Endless Horizon program, which allows passengers to cruise for the rest of their lives starting at $300,000.
It then flew to Southampton, England, in May for a journey to 425 destinations in 147 countries.
“We had been notified of a short delay, but nothing seemed critical and of course travel plans and hotel reservations had been made months in advance,” Phenix said.
But the cruise line then announced it would move the ship’s departure to Belfast on May 30, and further problems were discovered during a dry dock at the Harland & Wolff shipyard, famous for building the doomed Titanic ship.
The ship has been docked in Belfast, Ireland, for months while undergoing multiple repairs.
Because the ship was idle for four years during the pandemic, its certifications expired and instead of being able to simply renew them, Villa Vie had to start from scratch.
CEO Mike Petterson He explained to CNN Problems arose when DNV, the company carrying out the certification, requested documentation on previous repairs to the ship, which Fred Olsen failed to provide.
He said other works had been recommended in the past but never completed, including the replacement of a bearing without which DNV does not allow Villa Vie to sail, even though the ship has been recertified several times since the recommendation was first made in 2003.
And since Villa Vie has no documentation of an engine repair carried out in 2007, a new repair had to be carried out and documented.
Amid these repairs, anxious passengers were stranded in Belfast, while Phenix recently returned to its home state after joining the final leg of another world cruise: Royal Caribbean’s four-month voyage on Serenade of the Seas.
Phenix said she couldn’t understand why she was kicked off the ship.
He said his deposit for the Odyssey has been partially refunded, but he is still struggling to understand what happened.
“I can’t even begin to explain the emotional devastation and physical toll this has taken on me,” Phenix said. “It was weeks before I could speak coldly about the situation and even explain it to my children.
‘I still find it very difficult to talk about it, as I had the same dream as everyone else on that ship, and it was taken away from me, seemingly without a thought.
“I’ll have to stay with my daughter until I find a completely new plan for my life,” she added.
But Petterson said Phenix “breached multiple terms and conditions and signed a confidentiality agreement.”
“The founding residents voted and agreed to uphold their suspension and we intend to respect that decision,” he said. “We have nothing further to comment on the ongoing dispute.”
It is now scheduled to set sail next week after successfully completing two sea trials.
The remaining residents are scheduled to set sail next week after the Odyssey completed sea trials, which Petterson said went well.
“Everything was fine. We passed all the tests,” he told CNN.
He said the company had been given “a couple of tips” about “adjustments” that needed to be made, including in staff training, but those issues would not prevent the ship from being certified and leaving.
“Any outstanding issues will be resolved over the weekend,” Petterson said, noting that the final stage is obtaining clearance from the Coast Guard, which he expects to happen in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the company announced it would stop paying residents’ $500,000 monthly hotel bills, saying the expense was becoming “unsustainable” after spending more than $2 million in four months.
Residents will then be compensated with an onboard credit of up to $200 per day, Petterson said.