She boarded the ship looking for answers — and, she says, her money.
A Louisiana woman claims her dream Caribbean cruise turned into a costly ordeal after she was allegedly cheated out of nearly $1,100, prompting her to buy another ticket and confront the man she accuses face-to-face aboard the very same vessel.
Vanessa Phillips had planned to travel on the MSC Seascape for a Western Caribbean sailing out of Galveston, Texas, from Aug. 30 through Sept. 6. She said she was supposed to take the trip with Armonte Domious Wilson, an acquaintance she met during a cruise in December 2025.
According to Phillips, Wilson asked her to send $1,100 to reserve her place on the luxury cruise ship. But as the departure date approached, she alleged, he stopped responding — and she later discovered that he had paid $524 for the cruise while leaving her off the booking entirely.
Determined to confront him, Phillips bought her own separate cruise ticket, saying she boarded with the goal of getting Wilson to admit what happened.
“You thought I wasn’t going to get on here? You took my $1,100. You thought I wasn’t going to make it? Where my money at?” Phillips can be heard telling Wilson in a Facebook video posted Sept. 5.
The confrontation unfolded after Wilson was found sitting in a jacuzzi on the ship. At first, he allegedly told Phillips he had her money, but when she pressed him on whether he had it with him, he answered that he did not.
“It’s OK for you to take my $1,100 and you on a cruise … Where’s my money?” Phillips continued during the heated exchange.
Wilson then denied taking her money and said he had not removed her from the reservation. He called security as Phillips followed him away from the jacuzzi.
In a message accompanying the video on Facebook, Phillips explained Wilson had been looking for someone to sail with when she reached out to him about the trip.
“I reached out to [him] and we made plans, plans that included a FAKE itinerary, FAKE AGENT BOOKING NUMBERS, INVOICES and payments sent totaling near $1100,” she wrote.
MSC Seascape’s seven-day Western Caribbean cruise package takes travelers from Texas to Mexico and Honduras before returning to the Lone Star State.
Travel packages aboard the vessel, which was awarded Forbes’ “Best Cruise for Families Overall,” next year start at $524 per person — half of what Phillips claimed she paid Wilson for her trip.
Wilson later denied trying to scam Phillips, saying he removed her from the booking after learning she had allegedly disputed Venmo payments she sent him.
“Please consider the facts and documentation provided rather than relying solely on portions of the live conversation,” Wilson wrote on Instagram Tuesday.
“Regarding the money that was sent, the transactions have been disputed through Venmo. I understand that Venmo may ultimately rule in her favor because I was unable to respond within the required timeframe.”
“At this point, I am waiting to see how that process is resolved,” he added.
