A viral cruise confrontation highlights the risks of paying a travel companion directly for shared bookings.
MSC World America: The most American cruise ship yet
MSC World America, the newest ship from MSC Cruises, features 19 dining venues, 18 bars and lounges and many more.
- A woman alleges a man she planned a cruise with took her money and removed her from the reservation.
- The man claims he removed her after she disputed the payments she sent him via Venmo.
- Both parties have accused each other of fraud and are considering legal action.
Vanessa Phillips had been looking forward to a weeklong cruise all summer.
She’d been planning the trip with an acquaintance – even coordinating outfits – but on the day of the sailing, she said Armonte Wilson took her name off their reservation and stopped answering his phone.
Wilson didn’t expect her to buy another ticket last-minute and confront him onboard the MSC Seascape.
Video of the recent confrontation has gone viral, and both parties are now accusing each other of fraud.
Phillips shared her experience with USA TODAY.
USA TODAY also reached out to Wilson, who has not responded but spoken publicly on Facebook and TikTok.
MSC has declined to comment.
How it started
Phillips told USA TODAY she first met Wilson on a previous MSC cruise last December. She said they connected over their faith and stayed loosely in touch over Instagram.
“As the summer came around, I’d seen a flyer from him saying that he was looking for cruise buddies, and it was very colorful. It said LGBTQ-friendly. It kind of already had a breakdown of the prices and things to expect, some of the things that he was looking (for) in a cruise partner, etc.” she said. “I am a part of the LGBTQ community as well, and so I was telling him, you know, ‘If we’re going to share a cabin, I’m totally comfortable with you. Are you comfortable with me?’ And so, he was like, ‘Yeah, no problem.’”
Phillips said it sounded like he already had the trip planned out for late August, so once they agreed to sail together, she’d just have to pay her portion, which added up to roughly $1,000 for her base fare, a drink package, specialty dining, Wi-Fi access and excursions.
“I wouldn’t say that there was the initial like rush to pay … but I wanted him to know that I was serious about traveling with him because I did enjoy cruising,” she said. “And so we talked, I sent him an original payment of $100 June 27th.”
She said she paid him another $100 a few days later, then $600 in early August and $198 in mid-August, all by Venmo. She also shared all the personal information required for the reservation, including her passport number. Phillips showed USA TODAY a screenshot of the reservation, showing Wilson listed as the primary guest and her listed as the second guest in their cabin, with the balance paid in full.
All the while, they messaged back and forth about the trip.
“He texts me August 12th … ‘Hey, we’re less than 20 days away. Are you excited?’” she recalled. “I’m like, ‘I really need this vacay.’ And he’s like, ‘No, I really need it.’”
He said
Wilson confirmed the payments in a TikTok LIVE he shared to Facebook on Sept. 8.
However, he added that days before the cruise, Venmo emailed him notifying him that his account was being suspended because Phillips had disputed the transactions.
“You may be asking if she disputed it, why was she still coming?” he asked his livestream audience. “Honestly, I can’t answer that question for her. All I can think about in my mind is because she wanted to free cruise out of me, trying to dispute it.”
Nonetheless, he said he continued making plans with Phillips.
“I didn’t really want anyone to confront her about the situation,” he said. “I honestly initially believed that we could discuss everything and resolve the situation once we were actually on a boat.”
When the day of the cruise arrived, however, he said, “I just didn’t feel comfortable with cruising with somebody who deliberately disputed a charge right before you cruise, said nothing about it.”
He said he decided at the port to remove her from the reservation.
“I needed to protect myself and try to recover as much money as possible as I could,” he said, noting in a separate Facebook post that the refundable portion for the reservation was limited to applicable taxes and fees.
Theresa Scalzitti, chief operating officer of South Florida-based Cruise Planners, which was not involved with the booking, explained, “Every cruise line has its own policies around name changes, cancellations, and who can make changes to a reservation.” The same goes for refunds.
She said
Phillips told USA TODAY she did not dispute her payment transactions prior to their sail date and only did so after Wilson disappeared on her.
She said there had been a few red flags leading up to the cruise, including mixed messages on payment and sailing dates, but she had no idea anything was wrong until Wilson stopped responding, a few hours before they were scheduled to board the ship in Galveston.
That’s when she called MSC directly and learned she was not listed on the reservation.
“At this point, I’ve been duped. I’m realizing all the terror. The pain, frustration is registering in my head,” she recalled. “And so, you know what? I asked (the agent), I said, ‘Well, you know what, ma’am, this might sound unorthodox, but do you guys got any more rooms available? Because I’ve taken off work. I’ve maxed my vacation hours, like I’m ready for the cruise. I’ve gotten my hair done and everything. I’m actually here.”
She said the cruise line’s resolution team was able to get her another room for about $550 and when the agent wished her a relaxing trip, Phillips replied: “’Yeah, I’m going to find my relaxation … But I’m going to see him on board and I’m going to get answers from him.’ That’s what I told her.’”
The confrontation
Video of the heated confrontation has gotten millions of views across social media.
In the video, Phillips approaches Wilson while he’s chatting with fellow passengers in what appears to be a hot tub on a deck.
Phillips: “You thought I wasn’t going to make it?”
Wilson: “I knew you was going to make it.”
Phillips: “So where my money at?”
Wilson: “I have it.”
Phillips: “You got it now?”
Wilson: “No.”
She later asks why he took her name off the reservation, to which he replied, “You didn’t do anything to me” but adds that he took her name off the reservation because she didn’t show up at their scheduled meet-up time. She then calls him a liar and asks for her money again before things get “ugly.”
Wilson asks if Phillips is going to put her hands on him, to which she insists no.
“I meant ugly financially. I meant ugly legally. I was already made up in my mind that I wasn’t going to touch him because I’m a professional,” she told USA TODAY. “I have a job. I’m in school. I don’t have time for that nonsense; I really don’t. But I was so upset at the fact that you thought you left me on land and here you are still lying and you’re trying to save face. I just couldn’t believe this.”
The video ends with Wilson walking away saying he’s going to call security and Phillips saying she’s coming along.
The aftermath
Phillips said she ended up filing reports with ship security, Galveston police, Metro DC police (where Phillips said he’s from, which his Facebook profile confirms) and the FBI since the incident involved money crossing state lines.
She noted Wilson did reach out to her by text while they were still on the ship, after the confrontation. She said he told her what Venmo said and he decided to remove her from the reservation last minute at the port, adding “If you want the money back, we can have a conversation, talk to Venmo, and make arrangements to get you the $600, $198, and the $200 back. If you do not want to communicate anymore and just don’t speak as well, that’s cool. But I’m not with drama or making a scene.”
She said she didn’t respond because security had advised her not to engage with him because he felt threatened, and they didn’t want matters to escalate further on board.
Wilson insists he didn’t scam anyone. “Now if you thought that this was a scam, why didn’t you call Expedia to verify on the 5th before you sent me more money on the 13th?” he asked in the TikTok Live shared Sept. 8.
“I may not have communicated everything perfectly, but that doesn’t mean I stole anyone’s money,” he added on Facebook on Sept. 9.
He and Phillips have continued to speak out on social media. Phillips is also considering taking legal action and working with her bank on possible reimbursement.
What to know
Venmo’s user agreement warns, “Once a transaction is complete, there is a danger that your money may not be refunded. Double-check that you’re sending money to the right person and that the transaction is legitimate before proceeding.”
Cruise Planners’ Scalzitti takes it one step further.
“Avoid paying another individual directly, especially someone you don’t know well,” she told USA TODAY. “Once your money changes hands through another person, it becomes much harder to track where those funds went and whether they were actually applied to your reservation.”
She advises paying travel providers or travel agencies directly. “And make sure you receive confirmation that your payment has been applied to your cruise booking.”
Suzanne Morrow, CEO of travel insurance comparison site InsureMyTrip, shared more tips for travelers:
- Only book through reputable sources
- Understand who controls the booking: Is it you? Is it another person?
- Verify reservations directly with businesses
- Use payment methods that have fraud protection
“I’m going to be booking my own confirmations and reservations from here on out,” Phillips told USA TODAY.