Florida woman who sold everything for a $300,000 world cruise gets banned over her WhatsApp messages

Very few people have the courage to put everything on the line to fulfill their lifelong dreams, but even that doesn't guarantee that everything will go as they had planned. A Florida woman who sold all her possessions to pay more than $300,000 for a cruise has lost everything after getting barred from getting on board.

Jenny Phenix, a divorced mother of two had been living out of a suitcase before heading to the three-year-long maiden voyage of the Villa Vie Odyssey. However, after multiple delays, she raised several complaints in a WhatsApp group. But instead of addressing her concerns, the cruise liner cancelled her contract for creating a "negative and toxic" environment.

Lifelong Drea Shattered

Last year, Phenix, who was planning her retirement, signed up with a residential cruise start-up called Life At Sea. Unfortunately, the company went belly up and she had to pay $30,000 out of pocket. Thus, when she heard about Villa Vie Odyssey she couldn’t wait to get on board, as she shared with the Daily Mail. 

The Villa Vie Odyssey was set to travel to 425 destinations, including 100 tropical islands, and promised passengers gourmet dining, spa facilities, excursions, and onboard entertainment.

She was particularly attracted to the Villa Vie Residences pitched to middle-class retirees like her. There were many residency options and Jenny chose the pay-as-you-go option, which offered short-term rentals for 35-120 days on different segments of the trip.

This was the one she could afford as she was planning to be away for at least one voyage and possibly the rest of her life. Thus, she sold off all her possessions, liquidated her businesses, and signed a contract. 

"The only thing I could afford was one of the smallest inside cabins, but I figured that it was really only somewhere to sleep and shower because I could roam the rest of the ship and go on all these amazing excursions," Jenny told the Daily Mail. However, her dreams were soon shattered. 

Booted Out For Spreading Negativity

Phenix flew to Southampton all set to get on the cruise, but as she waited to hop on for her dream trip, she was frustrated by a series of delays. She then got angry and started venting about it to fellow passengers in a WhatsApp group. She even shared speculation that the ship would no longer be docking in Miami.

She further wrote that the ship might continue to be renovated and she may be forced to use a temporary cabin as her cabin would be used by the crew. Eventually, the owners of Villa Vie Residences, which operates the ship, saw her messages and canceled her contract, citing dozens of complaints from fellow passengers.

According to The Telegraph, the CEO of the company, Kathy Villalba told Phenix that they had received formal complaints regarding her continuous complaints and negativity. The company claimed that her behavior "significantly impacted" the morale of other passengers. 

"Given the overwhelming feedback, we must cancel your contract permanently to uphold the well-being and satisfaction of our community," Villalba said.

Naturally, Phenix was left stunned as she didn't realize that her private chats would be leaked. Speaking to the Daily Mail, she claimed that 15 fellow passengers came out in support of her signing a letter to keep her on board, but that didn't work. Hence, Phenix had to book another cruise to get back to Miami. 

Conflicting Reports

Speaking to The Mirror, CEO Petterson shared that there were many "inaccurate reports" regarding the incident. He added that Phenix didn't just complain but created a "hostile and toxic environment" for other residents.

According to him, the cancellation of her contract came after the company received dozens of complaints and the decision was voted on by the residents who upheld the suspension.