Divorcee who sold everything for three-year 'dream world cruise' kicked off ship after private WhatsApp messages leak
18 September 2024, 09:40 | Updated: 18 September 2024, 20:05
A woman who sold her worldly possessions to embark on a three-year "dream world cruise" has been kicked off the ship after her private WhatsApp messages were leaked.
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Jenny Phenix, 68, from Florida, was booted off the round-the-world trip after it was claimed her chat messages affected "community morale".
The divorced mother-of-two's plans to embark on the £265,000 voyage across Europe, Asia and the Americas, have been scuppered after being given the boot - despite ongoing delays, altered routes and changing itineraries.
Major delays had already left the trip in jeopardy, with Ms Phenix pinning her hopes on the new residential ship scheme after another round-the-world cruise company – Life At Sea – filed for bankruptcy in July, owing her $30,000 (£23,000).
The new trip she purchased aboard the recently renamed Villa Vie Odyssey, is due to visit 425 destinations in 147 countries.
“During the past year and a half I have liquidated businesses and possessions, eagerly awaiting my new life cruising the world," the mother-of-two told The Telegraph.
However, following Ms Phenix's messages, she was contacted weeks before the ship was due to sail over comments that had "significantly impacted the morale" of fellow passengers.
"The frustration among the residents grew after every delay," Ms Phenix said following the delays.
"I tended to be one of the most outspoken in asking important questions," she revealed in an interview with The Telegraph.
"Many of the residents thanked me privately for speaking up for the entire group."
This week, Villa Vie Residences informed those hoping to board the vessel, which is still due to depart, that it would no longer pay the $500,000 (£382,000) monthly cost of covering hotel bills.
It labelled the expense “unsustainable”.
After the WhatsApp messages emerged, it's reported the company's Chief Operating Officer, Kathy Villalba, told Ms Phenix: "We have received over a dozen formal complaints from residents regarding your continuous complaints and negativity.
"This behaviour has significantly impacted the morale and well-being of other passengers.
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"Given the overwhelming feedback, we must cancel your contract permanently to uphold the well-being and satisfaction of our community," she wrote.
The response is said to have stunned Ms Phenix, who was planning to use the boat's stop off in Miami to collect the rest of her possessions.
However, in another blow months after booking, it was revealed the ship would no longer be docking in the Miami port -a popular stop among cruise-goers.
"I was never rude or disrespectful and I never participated in personal attacks," Ms Phenix insisted of the WhatsApp messages.
"These were private conversations - I posted nothing on social media platforms."
She added that she was not the only one upset as the maiden voyage kept getting pushed back.
Holly Hennessy, 67, also from Florida, who is travelling with her cat Captain had previously told the new outlet of issues with the cruise.
"It hasn't felt like summer. It has been winter as far as I'm concerned. I'm used to the Florida sunshine.
"I had to go out and buy vitamin D tablets," she previously told the Telegraph.
The mother was forced to join the tail leg of another world cruise – Royal Caribbean’s nine-month voyage on Serenade of the Seas - in a bid to return home to Florida.
She said: “I cannot even begin to explain the emotional devastation and the physical toll this has taken on me. It was weeks before I could talk about the situation and could even explain it to my children.
"It is still very hard for me to discuss, as I had the same dream everyone else on that ship does, and they took that from me seemingly without a thought.
“I will have to stay with my daughter until I figure out a whole new plan for my life.”
In a statement, Mike Petterson, the chief executive of Villa Vie Residences, said “Ms Phenix broke multiple terms and conditions and signed a non-disclosure agreement. The founding residents voted and agreed to uphold her suspension and we plan on respecting that decision. We have nothing else to comment on the ongoing dispute.
It comes as Life at Sea Cruises' three-year cruise, described as a “journey of a lifetime", was cancelled last November - just weeks before it was due to depart.
Like Ms Phenix, many passengers had sold their homes ahead of the voyage, with the ship due to depart Istanbul on November 30 after the company reportedly failed to buy a ship.
An earlier version of this story referred to Ms Phenix’s cruise being purchased from Fred Olsen cruises. This is not the case. We apologise for the error.
