A woman that sold all of her belongings to go on a three-year long cruise says she was left distraught after being told she was banned before it began.
The American woman liquidated her businesses and possessions prior to the Villa Vie Odyssey's maiden voyage, forking out an eye-watering £250,000 to take part in the 425-destination cruise of a lifetime.
Jenny Phenix, 68, is a divorced mother-of-two and put everything on the line for the travelling experience, though after some private text messages got leaked from a WhatsApp group, she claims to have been banned from stepping onboard.
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The voyage has been facing delays as of late, as the cruise line originally announced it would be setting sail in May 2024, moving it back to July, and now finally sticking to September this year.
Problems were found during a dry dock at the Harland & Wolff shipbuilding yard in Belfast, where the doomed Titanic was built, and because the vessel was idle for four years during the COVID pandemic, its certifications expired, leaving Villa Vie to start from scratch.
CEO Mike Petterson revealed to CNN that previous work on the ship that was recommended in the past needed to be carried out, while documentation on past repairs was also never provided.
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The delay to proceedings means that several passengers have been stranded in Belfast, with Phenix being one of them.
She took to a WhatsApp group to voice her frustrations at the situation, as the ship would no longer be docking in Miami, which is where she planned to pick up the rest of her belongings for the duration of the cruise.
Not only that, but due to ongoing refurbishment work that is due to continue on the ship even after it departs Belfast, she would have to use a temporary cabin as the one she paid for would be used by the crew.
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She claims her messages were later shared with the owners of Villa Vie Residences, who operate the ship, and resulted in them cancelling her trip, citing 'behaviour impacting community morale.'
Chief Operating Officer Kathy Villalba informed her: "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.
"Given the overwhelming feedback, we must cancel your contract permanently to uphold the well-being and satisfaction of our community," Villalba said, according to the Telegraph.
Stunned by the news, Phenix explained: "I was never rude or disrespectful and I never participated in personal attacks,
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"These were private conversations - I posted nothing on social media platforms," she insisted.
Phenix - who has been partly refunded for the trip - paid an initial deposit on the worldwide voyage, planning to decide onboard if she wanted to cough up between £90,000 and £250,000 for a cabin or join the 'Endless Horizon program', which lets passengers enjoy unlimited cruises for the rest of their lives.
The trip would involve 425 destinations in 147 countries, with Phenix explaining: "We had been notified of one short delay, but nothing seemed critical and, of course, travel plans and hotel reservations had been made months in advance."
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Having recently enjoyed the last leg of Royal Caribbean's four-month voyage on Serenade of the Seas, she has been left crestfallen over her ban from the upcoming voyage with Villa Vie.
"I cannot even begin to explain the emotional devastation and the physical toll this has taken on me.
"It was weeks before I cold 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," Phenix said.
However, Villa Vie Residences Chief Executive Mike Petterson insisted that 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," he said.
"We have nothing else to comment on the ongoing dispute."
Of the delays, he added: "As for the accommodations, we have paid more than $2 million for people’s living expenses for four months.
"We have hundreds of residents spread out throughout Europe and are asking people to book their own hotel rooms until we launch next week. Their costs will be compensated with onboard credit of up to $200 a day.”
CEO Mike Petterson provided this statement to LADbible: “There are so many inaccurate reports about Jenny Phenix when in fact she herself cancelled all while being on a trip in the Canary Islands fully paid for by VVR.
"She didn't just complain in the chats but created a very hostile and toxic environment amongst residents. After receiving dozens of complaints and multiple cancellations directly related to the mayhem she created, we decided to suspend her contract entirely. This was subsequently voted on by the residents who overwhelmingly decided to uphold her suspension."
Topics: Travel, Holiday, WhatsApp, Business, Cruise Ship, News
Joshua Nair