vantage travel customer reviews

Vantage Deluxe World Travel

Vantage deluxe world travel reviews ( 80 ).

Outrageous Refund Practices We traveled on Vantage cruises several times and had good travel experiences. Recently we had our first experience with cancelling a Vantage cruise and trying to get a refund from Vantage. We cancelled our cruise more than 120 before the departure date of the cruise, thereby entitling us to a full refund, minus a small cancellation fee. That was December 30, 2021. It is now February 16, 2022 -- seven weeks later. We have not received our refund, nor has Vantage been willing to provide any estimate of when we might expect to receive it. A search of online reviews of Vantage (TripAdvisor, Yelp, BBB, etc.) shows that providing refunds to customers is a very low priority for Vantage. Many customers have been waiting for months for their refunds; some have been waiting for more than a year. It is interesting to me that Vantage is able to TAKE our money in minutes when we schedule a cruise (via echeck, from our bank account, sometimes while we are still on the phone scheduling the cruise), but Vantage is not able to REFUND our money even after weeks or months. In the meantime, Vantage has interest-free use of our money. In our case, Vantage has $48,932 of OUR money. They have had some of it since 2019! While other companies have adjusted their business plans to deal with the new realities of the worldwide COVID situation, Vantage simply continues to use the worldwide COVID situation as its excuse for dragging its feet on generating refunds. I don't understand (yet) why the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office won't go after this company -- many, many people have been harmed by Vantage -- but I'm working on it. I'm also working with my attorney. In the meantime, I would appreciate any assistance you can provide in helping me to recover my money from Vantage Deluxe World Travel. By the way, I would never again recommend this company to anyone else.

We regret Ms [redacted] is not pleased with our cancelation policies and procedures The passenger would have been subject to 65% of the value of the journey as cancelation fees as stated in our Tour Participation Agreement's schedule of cancelation fees In fact, it is out of goodwill that we are waiving the cancelation fees for herOur accounting team has processes to be followed, and all refunds from Vantage will be processed accordingly within days back in the method of payment

Better Business Bureau: I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does satisfy my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # [redacted] I understand that by choosing to accept the business response that my complaint will be closed as resolved Regards, [redacted]

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # [redacted] While Vantage stated that they will be reimbursing me for the entire amount ($2398), they made a small deposit to my account of $on April without any explanation of their action? The complaint remains open Regards, [redacted]

It is possible that the procedure was not followed properly in order to remove you from the system, or it could have been a system glitch We apologize for the inconvenience

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # [redacted] Please add your rejection comments below Business stated that my refund was returned to my checking account on 11/23/ When I checked my bank account activity and balance today, 11/26/2016, it is clear that the money I paid for the cruise was NOT returned on 11/23/ Furthermore, there are no pending transactions on my account from Vantage In addition, it is preposterous that Vantage would recommend that their customers not book airline tickets that carry penalties to arrive to a cruise departure Practically every airline charges a fee for changes or cancellations How am I supposed to get to the cruise? Do they expect me to swim over to Europe? It did not take this company days to receive my funds when I booked this cruise I think it is absurd that I have to wait days to get my money back for promised product and services that this company failed to deliver to me I am very disappointed Regards, [redacted]

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2017/03/31) */ [redacted] ordered a [redacted] truck cap on 05/21/WedTruck caps are special order with a$ [redacted] depositOn every invoice it states that special orders are non-refundableWe contacted [redacted] on the following dates: will try for sat21/11/ in moncton working till Sept Will be back in town to have it installed after that- [redacted] 05/09/ [redacted] CALLED 21/08/- [redacted] 13/6/ [redacted] cancelled his order and we advised him that his deposit was non-refundableThe customer did not pay the full amount of the truck cap he ordered

Thank you for bringing Ms [redacted] 's complaint to our attention We certainly apologize for any inconvenience our mailings may have caused Her name has been permanently removed from our mailing list We are sorry if her previous request to be removed was not successful She should see any advertising materials completely cease within the next 6-weeks

Thank you for bringing to our attention the concerns of Mr [redacted] and Mrs [redacted] The matter has been brought to our management's attention where we confirmed that the passengers did cancel within hours All of the cancellation fees will, hence, be waived and the passengers will be receiving a full refund for the monies on their reservationsAll refunds from Vantage will be processed within days The pricing of our journeys is as advertised in US dollars based on double occupancy The promotion out of which the passengers booked is actually [redacted] (an email promotion) that does not notate a "for 1" promotion We do use the "for 1" promotion and as such specify the price the trip was being sold at which has a strike-thru line across it and the new price which is reduced by half is printed right below the old price in bold letters With regards to the funds that were processed at the time of booking, the passengers did authorize this to be processed from their checking account They called to cancel the next day at which point we cannot stop a transaction that has already been processed from our end The reservation would have had to be flagged to be cancelled, and then be processed by a member of our cancellations team After the decision is made on the refunds due to the passenger, they would only then be due for a refund which is processed within days as per our terms and conditions We cannot reverse a bank transaction that occurred the day before The time frame that the reservations agent gives is to alert the passengers in case they need to make a transfer into their account to have enough funds for the transaction as it my vary depending on the day of the week and the relationship between our respective banksWe thank the passengers for their patience while the matter was resolved and apologize for any misunderstanding on their cancellation time frame

We regret to hear that Mr& Mrs [redacted] experienced any difficulties with their post trip survey We have already spoken to the passengers to resolve this issue The survey has been reopened to them to resubmit their responses We are glad that the passengers enjoyed their journey and the services from their tour director, [redacted] We hope to welcome the passengers back on another Memorable Journey with Vantage

We thank you for brining to our attention Mrs [redacted] 's concerns regarding her parents' journey which was overbooked Firstly, we sincerely apologize that the overbooking call was not done earlier Our operations team is doing their best to adhere to the standard timeline regarding overbookings The passengers have been fully refunded for the journey in the amount of $20,back to their checking account Furthermore, we have been in communication with the passengers to apologize for this unfortunate incident While overbooking is the industry standard, their sentiments are certainly understandable We are sorry for their disappointment as well as the inconvenience the overbooking may have causedAs a gesture of goodwill, hence, we have offered the passengers a complimentary cabin on a future French Waterways journey departing in August or September We will continue to work with the passengers to confirm a date on which we can accommodate them We hope that this gesture will assuage the passengers' concerns and trust we will be able to welcome them on a truly Memorable Journey with Vantage very soon

I found the [redacted] card reimbursement for the charges I did not notice the charges had been refunded on Feb 28, because I was not expecting to see a refund from [redacted] , I was expecting a refund from Vantage Vantage refunded part of my excursion payment because of some date changes last year and they sent it directly to my checking, so that is that I was expecting to see in this case alsoHad that been communicated to me last February I think this complaint could have been avoided I am glad the issue was resolved Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does satisfy my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # [redacted] I understand that by choosing to accept the business response that my complaint will be closed as resolved Regards, [redacted]

Thank you for bringing Mr& Mrs***'s concerns to our attention We regret that their itinerary was affected by low water on the river as well as a cargo vessel that was stranded on the Danube During this unforeseen circumstance which was out of Vantage's control, we did our best to accommodate our passengers in deluxe hotels The passenger did already sign a release form These are not hotels that were contracted out earlier as this was an emergency situation Of course, there are multiple websites that rate hotels Vantage uses the industry standard to rate the hotels we choose We have to, hence, respectfully decline the passengers' request for any compensation for this matter?

With respect to the number of passengers who may travel on the trip, the trip documentation for this trip clearly and expressly provided that “While we advertise small group travel of to travelers, we reserve the right to occasionally exceed that amount.” We believe that this reservation of rights is ultimately important to cost factors that benefit all customers

Thank you for bringing to our attention the concerns of Mr& Mrs*** We are sorry for the passengers’ disappointment due the overbookingCorrect, it is indeed our policy; however, as [redacted] had described, a computer glitch can also be involved As noted by the passenger, overbooking is done by Vantage as is the industry standardWe do this because historically, some people cancel their tour after they book with us Overbooking is done in the best interest of our customers and Vantage With the revenue produced by filling spots on our tours that would otherwise go empty, we maintain exceptional value on our toursThe passenger notes that other passengers in his cabin category paid a lower price for their cabins There are numerous promotions Vantage has at any given time which a passenger may take advantage of when booking their journey We do not guarantee anywhere that any two passengers will be paying the same exact price for cabins in the same category This will depend on the discounts offered in the respective promotions being used As such, we cannot refund the passenger because other passengers may have paid a lower price for their cabins The passengers were refunded for the price difference of the cabin as well as offered an additional discount of $per person Also, they were offered the chance to move their departure to a different date so that they could stay in the same cabin category We regret the passengers were not pleased with these options Furthermore, we have offered the passengers an additional future travel credit as a goodwill gesture for the inconvenience We will increase the future travel credit offered to $per person The passengers' frustrations are understandable We hope they will accept the credits in the spirit they were intended and allow us a chance to arrange their future travel plans

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # [redacted] I'm not sure how long this can go on because I all receive is one lame excuse after another from a company that's supposed to care about it's customers but can't even muster a good explanation as to why they were months late responding to our concerns That includes numerous emails, with to the head of customer service who promised to get back to us within a couple of days when conversing on the phone and hard copy letters sent to the corporate office and to the CEO himself That essentially says all there is to say: Vantage really blew it and has no plausible explanation/excuse for their actions Their numbers as to who left the ship and when are wildly inaccurate as is their claim to the availability of seats on the early morning flights I know because I personally checked with the airlines, both the day before when I was begging to be put on one of those flights and again at the airport later the next day after those flights had taken off Instead of playing this back and forth game with Vantage where they offer weak excuses and inaccurate reportsI feel my best recourse at this point in time is to let others know what happened so they can make informed decisions as to whether or not they ever wish to travel with Vantage As a member of [redacted] to name a few, I will write to all of these organizations and inform them of the events that occurred I'll be sure not only to let them know what happened but Vantage's terrible communication skills, total lack of customer concern and the willingness to show preferential treatment to some passengers over others I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt and asked them to show just cause for their actions but they haven't and, obviously, can't I thank the Revdex.com for trying to intercede and I'm sorry I had to involve you at all but, as you can see, I wasn't ever going to get anything out of Vantage without your assistance Regards, [redacted]

We regret that Mrs. [redacted] was not pleased with our response. We apologize for any miscommunication or misunderstanding. The process by which Mrs. [redacted] can use the voucher towards a trip has been previously explained. Again, unless the journey is one departing within 90 days, she does not have to pay in full at the time of booking, and then send in the voucher to be reimbursed. The passenger can feel free to browse our journeys on the website, and call us to book her trip and make use of her voucher. We look forward to welcoming Mrs. [redacted] on one of our Memorable Journeys.

Thank you for bringing to our attention the concerns of Mrs***. We apologize a response was not sent to her promptly as we certainly want to make sure to follow up and address our passengers’ concerns. Heavy storms affected this cruise causing a delayed arrival into port. The original disembarkation time was changed accordingly due to the weather. Our flights department, hence, managed to rebook all passengers to fly out the following afternoon keeping in mind the working hours of the port authorities in order to clear customs. Only two passengers were booked on an early morning flight due to availability. In order for these passengers to make their early morning flight, it was essential that they disembark the ship and stay overnight at a hotel. All other passengers were put on one motor coach transfer the following day to catch their flights in the afternoon. We apologize for any inconvenience that the passengers experienced. Vantage did its best to accommodate passengers in the face of the delayed ship arrival into Toronto at a great expense to us. No further flight changes were possible at the time the passengers requestedFurthermore, we agree that itinerary changes need to be communicated effectively so that the correct expectations are put forth for the passengers. Our marketing team does its best to notify passengers accordingly via their online My Portfolio account. There are circumstances which require an itinerary to be changed on site which we note in our terms and conditionsWe hope the above clarifies Mrs***’s concerns. Despite this hiccup at the end of their journey, we trust they enjoyed their cruise experience and look forward to welcoming them back on another Vantage journey soon

We are refunding this customer for the hotel roomThis will be resolved immediately

Thank you for bringing to our attention Ms***'s concernsWe regret that the journey she was interested in could not be offered to her at the $price. As we state in our literature, however, "prices and inventory are subject to change. Please refer to our website for the most up-to-date inventory and prices." Furthermore, we are sorry that her inquiry was not responded to earlier via email. We trust the above clarification is helpful and recommend Mrs*** refer to our website for the most up to date prices on our journeys. We hope to welcome her on a truly Memorable Journey soon?

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Address: 90 Canal Street, Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114-2018

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Vantage Travel is bankrupt. But what about its owner? Two lawsuits say he should reimburse customers who lost millions.

W ith the sale of its remaining assets in bankruptcy court last month, Vantage Travel went out of business, bringing to an ignominious end one of Boston’s oldest and most successful international travel companies.

But the battle continues for the thousands of Vantage customers who are still owed large refunds for trips the company postponed or canceled.

Attorneys general in New York and Pennsylvania have set their sights on Vantage’s founder and longtime owner Hank Lewis, suing him personally in an effort to recoup some of the $108 million owed to customers whose trips never happened.

And while the corporation he founded is bankrupt, a check of court records through last week showed no filing by Lewis for personal bankruptcy.

New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a suit on Sep. 13 against Lewis personally, and Vantage as a corporation.

“By virtue of the conduct alleged … [Lewis and Vantage] have engaged in repeated and persistent fraudulent conduct,” the suit says.

In June, Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry filed a similar suit that accuses Lewis personally (and Vantage corporately) of engaging in unlawful “deceptive and unfair business practices.”

Yet, the Massachusetts attorney general has not filed suit against Lewis or Vantage. Instead, the AG’s office chose to go after Vantage while it was still in business. But that approach has resulted in just about a dozen settlements for Mass. residents for less than $200,000.

Since 2020, the Massachusetts attorney general’s office has received more than 1,500 complaints about Vantage, including 134 from Massachusetts residents. Thirty of those in-state complaints were resolved without the attorney general’s help, and of the remaining 104 complaints, the attorney general’s office helped mediate 13 for a total of $162,000 in refunds, or about $12,500 each.

The attorney general’s office also successfully mediated on behalf of 72 out-of-state residents for a total or almost $1.2 million, or about $16,500 each.

A spokesperson for Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said the office opted to pressure Vantage to make refunds while it was still in business, rather than sue the company, as a strategy most likely to produce quick results. Campbell’s predecessor as attorney general, now-Governor Maura Healey, oversaw the issue through the end of 2022.

Almost 80 complaints are still pending at the attorney general’s office. But since Vantage filed for voluntary bankruptcy on June 29, Campbell’s office has been blocked from mediating those complaints due to bankruptcy rules and the company’s recent sale to an Australian travel company.

But Campbell’s office supports the efforts of the New York and Pennsylvania attorneys general and is in regular contact with them, according to her office.

Last month, under the supervision of the bankruptcy court, Vantage sold its customer list and the Vantage name to Pacific Travel Partners, a subsidiary of the Australia-based Aurora Expeditions, for $2 million.

But the bankruptcy case is not closed. A committee representing creditors, including the thousands of customers who are owed refunds, is investigating whether assets controlled by other Lewis-owned companies should be subject to distribution to creditors.

The New York and Pennsylvania lawsuits against Vantage as a corporation are stayed for now under bankruptcy rules. And even if the stay were to be lifted, the company has few, if any, remaining assets to satisfy any eventual court judgment against it, bankruptcy court filings show.

But it’s a different story for Lewis.

“The bankruptcy of a company may protect it from lawsuits, but it doesn’t protect the owner from being sued personally,” said Francis C. Morrissey, a bankruptcy lawyer and Boston University adjunct law professor.

“If the owner of a company personally has money, he’s got exposure,” he said.

Founded by Lewis 40 years ago, Vantage operated expensive river and ocean cruises and land tours around the world, with a customer base of predominantly travelers 60 and older. He was Vantage’s president, treasurer, secretary, chairman, sole director, CEO, and CFO, according to the recently filed suits.

Multiple emails seeking comment on behalf of Lewis were sent to Lewis’s bankruptcy attorneys, who are listed in filings by the New York attorney general’s office with its lawsuit, but were not answered. An email to Lewis at his former Vantage address “could not be delivered,” and there was no response to emails to other Vantage executives seeking comment on Lewis’s behalf.

The New York suit alleges that for more than three years, Vantage, with Lewis at the helm, repeatedly canceled scheduled trips, but instead of acknowledging them as cancellations, called them “postponement.”

The suit says calling them postponements opened the door for Vantage to refuse refunds while instead offering future travel credits, which the suit says violated the company’s own agreement with customers to provide “prompt refunds” for a canceled trip.

The suit cites the example of a 92-year-old woman who paid Vantage more than $20,000 in advance for a cruise scheduled for August 2022.

“Vantage canceled the trip, claiming that it had merely been ‘postponed’ until a year later,” the suit says, noting that the customer by then would have been one month shy of her 94th birthday.

“Vantage told this consumer that she could not get a refund because the trip was not canceled,” the suit says.

When the customer protested she couldn’t wait another year for the trip, Vantage offered her an earlier one.

“But then five weeks before that departure, Vantage again supposedly ‘postponed’ that trip” for more than a year, the suit says.

Vantage offered the woman a credit for future travel “but refused to provide a refund,” the suit says.

In another example, the New York suit cites a couple who wanted to cancel due to a recently diagnosed medical condition. But when they called to demand a refund of $18,000, a Vantage representative told them the company didn’t have to provide a cash refund under a new government policy meant to protect struggling travel companies, allowing them to instead offer a voucher for future travel, the suit says.

There was no such government policy, the suit says.

The New York suit says Lewis had “knowledge of and participated in the deceptive practices … and is therefore liable for” them.

“In emails to consumers who cancelled their trips due to Covid-19, Lewis repeatedly mentioned a ‘risk-free cancellation policy’ for future trips and offered credits or other incentives for consumers to book new trips, which Lewis knew or should have known could not be fulfilled,” the suit says.

In almost every communication, Lewis mentioned the high volume of calls to Vantage’s customer service line and often added that this was “resulting in unusually long wait times,” the suit says.

Despite Lewis’s awareness that consumers could not promptly reach customer service to discuss “postponed” trips, this problem was not rectified, the suit says.

The New York suit seeks an unspecified amount in “restitution and damages” for aggrieved consumers. It doesn’t say how many New Yorkers are owed refunds, but makes reference to 31 customers listed in a “representative sample” provided by Vantage under subpoena.

The Pennsylvania suit seeks “restitution to all customers who have suffered losses” without a specific number. When the suit was filed, the attorney general’s office asked anyone who may be a victim to contact that office.

The Pennsylvania attorney general, in her lawsuit, says Lewis and Vantage promised “‘risk-free’ travel, but in reality, [they] misapply their [contractual] terms and conditions by taking large sums of consumers’ monies and then fail to provide meaningful relief for consumers when they cannot travel.”

“Vantage took advantage of older Pennsylvanians by continuing to hold their refunds hostage,” Henry said in announcing the suit.

“If Pennsylvania consumers pay for goods or services and get nothing in return, our office will fight for those victims,” she said.

Welcome to Consumer Rescue

Fiascos and Fixes

Vantage Travel assets sold to Pacific Travel Partners. What will customers get?

Michelle Couch-Friedman

Consumer reporter and ombudsman

August 20, 2023

The remnants of Vantage Deluxe World Travel have been sold to Pacific Travel Partners, a subsidiary of Aurora Expeditions, for $2 million. 

Pacific Travel Partners will operate the new company as Vantage Explorations .

This outcome has surprised many following the Vantage Travel bankruptcy proceedings since late June, as competing bidder United Travel was widely expected to emerge as the winner. 

And there were more surprises when the purchase agreement details were revealed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on August 9. For Vantage customers, who are collectively owed $108 million, the offer from Pacific Travel Partners is considerably better than the initial sale proposal from United Travel.  

Now that the assets of Vantage Travel have been sold to Pacific Travel Partners, here’s what customers should know. 

What Pacific Travel Partners and Aurora Expeditions will offer Vantage Travel customers

As part of the sale agreement, Pacific Travel Partners will provide Vantage Travel customers with future travel credits equal to 100 percent of the value of the refund owed to them at the time of the bankruptcy. As with the original sale proposal, there are redemption guidelines and limitations:

• The credits can be redeemed with either Aurora Expeditions or Pacific Travel.
• Travelers may pay for up to 50 percent of the cost of a new ocean trip with their credits.
• Travelers may use their credits to pay for up to 20 percent of river or land tours. (Note: As of Feb. 27, 2024, river tours — operated by Viva Cruises — are available for booking through V antage Explorations .) 
• Travel credits can be shared with friends and family but can’t be sold. 
• Customers can apply their credits to as many trips as they like until they are gone (at the percentages given above) until November 2028.

What to know about traveling with Aurora Expeditions or Pacific Travel

• All passengers must be medically approved for travel.
• Each customer must independently research and purchase their own travel insurance.
• Tour payments will be placed in an escrow account until the day of departure. 
• Except for contact information, all personal details (credit card, banking, passport numbers) will be deleted ten days after the customer’s trip.  

Vantage Travel customers have questions

Since the announcement of the sale of Vantage Travel to Pacific Travel/Aurora Expeditions, questions from customers have flooded the Consumer Rescue helpline and our 2,200-member strong Facebook group dedicated to Vantage customers. 

Here are the most frequently asked questions from Vantage Travel customers.

Who bought Vantage Travel?

Pacific Travel Partners, a subsidiary of Aurora Expeditions, bought the assets of Vantage Deluxe World Travel after a bankruptcy auction held on August 7 and 8, 2023. Judge Janet Bostwick approved this purchase in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Boston on Aug. 14, 2023.

Why can’t I find any information about Pacific Travel Partners?

Naturally, when it was announced that Pacific Travel had won the auction to buy the assets of Vantage Deluxe World Travel, customers started scrolling through the internet to learn about the new company. Confusion immediately ensued when many could find no internet footprint for Pacific Travel Partners. 

There’s a simple explanation.

Pacific Travel Partners is a brand new company created solely in anticipation of bidding and hopefully purchasing Vantage Travel through the bankruptcy court. It has no employees, crew, ships, or tours available – yet. 

But although Pacific Travel has no internet footprint or reputation to boast of, its parent Aurora Expeditions does . 

Having been in business since 1985, Aurora Expeditions, headquartered in Australia, is a well-respected adventure tour operator focusing heavily on The Arctic and Antarctic regions of the world. 

Will Vantage Travel executives work at Pacific Travel?

In a word: No. The leftover Vantage Travel executives will not be hired by Pacific Travel or Aurora Expeditions.

An earlier version of the bankruptcy proposal indicated that the new owner of Vantage Travel would be required to hire the four or five remaining executives of the company. That made many Vantage customers understandably angry.

But that was before Pacific Travel became the front-runner to buy what’s left of Vantage. 

In a conversation I had with the chairman of Aurora Expeditions this week, he made it clear that was no longer the case.

We have no relationship to the former owners or management of Vantage Travel business and do not intend to employ the former senior management going forward. Neville Buch, Chairman of Aurora Expeditions and Pacific Travel

This information was music to the ears of many Vantage customers, who could not imagine patronizing another company led by the very executives they blame for their lost cash and trips.  

What is Form 410 Proof of Claim?

All Vantage Travel customers who believe they are owed a refund should file Form 410, “Proof of Claim,” through the bankruptcy court via Stretto. By submitting the Form 410, you will ensure that you are on the list to receive travel credits from the new company.

At this time, it is possible to file Form 410 electronically through the link above. You can also confirm that you’ve successfully been added to the claims list by checking here (using just your last name) about 10-14 days after you’ve submitted the form.

* Dec. 1, 2023: The deadline for filing a Notice of Claim has passed.

How can I spend my travel credit?

It’s true that there are no tours available to book at Pacific Travel at this time. Until that company is up and running, Vantage customers are free to use their credits on a trip with Aurora Expeditions. 

Will any of my money go back to Vantage Travel if I spend my credits?

No. Although there is a clause in the sale agreement that says 5 percent of the sales booked through Pacific Travel Partners for the next five years will go back to the Vantage Travel bankruptcy estate, there is an important exclusion : Trips booked by Vantage Travel customers in which they use any of their credits.

Former Vantage Travel customers can rest assured that none of their cash spent with the new company will end up going back to the bankruptcy estate.

I’m elderly, and I can’t take an adventure trip with Aurora Expeditions. Now what?

We know that, on average, Vantage customers tend to be an older population. In fact, most of them are in their 70s and 80s.  That’s not exactly the prime target for a company that operates adventure travel to remote areas of the world.

In my conversation with Buch this week, he addressed the question of whether an older population could take an Aurora Expeditions tour: 

People do go on our tours and enjoy sightseeing and lectures, the main physical activity is getting in and out of zodiacs. We take healthy people comfortably into their late 70s early 80s but only when mobility becomes an issue does it become more difficult. Neville Buch, Chairman of Aurora Expeditions and Pacific Travel

But with that mobility concern in mind, Buch went on to explain that Aurora’s ultimate goal is to develop Pacific Travel into a tour operator that provides journeys more in line with the expectations of Vantage Travel’s customer base.  

Additionally, Aurora is expanding its own offerings in the coming months and years with “adventure-light” type tours, which may be more appealing to Vantage customers.  

How do I know for sure my upcoming Vantage trip is canceled?

Even though we are nearly two months into the bankruptcy proceedings, some customers are still not ready to accept that Vantage Travel is bankrupt and out of business . Nearly on a daily basis, a Vantage customer will email me and ask about an upcoming trip they hope might still operate.

Vantage has contributed to this confusion in a number of ways: 

• It filed for Chapter 11 (restructuring) instead of Chapter 7 (liquidation).
• Vantage did not send a notification of total cessation of operations to its entire customer list. 
• Its website has remained live, and customers can still sign in. The canceled tours they expected to take are still listed as active.
• In all correspondence Vantage has had with its customers, the company has refused to say these simple words: “All future Vantage Deluxe World Travel tours are canceled.” Instead, the company has consistently used the word “suspended.”

So, since Vantage won’t say it, I will. 

• All Vantage Deluxe World Travel trips are canceled. Forever.
• Vantage is out of business.
• That company will not be operating any future tours. 
• The assets of Vantage Deluxe World Travel, including the customer list, were sold to Pacific Travel Partners.
• Pacific Travel/ Aurora Expeditions can’t take over the Vantage Deluxe World Travel website because of the Personal Identifying Information (PII) contained inside, which is not part of the sale. It is expected that the current site will be taken down shortly after the closing this week. 

Note : Pacific Travel Partners will “trade as” Vantage Explorations . That means that the name Vantage will continue to live on but will not be the former company. 

How will I find out about my future travel credits?

The sale will officially be finalized this week. At that time, Pacific Travel will receive the Vantage Travel customer list and will soon send an introduction letter with a short survey to everyone on that list. 

Update: The new company, operating as Vantage Explorations now has a website and you can reach their customer service team at [email protected]

Can I still get future credits if I received a refund in some other way?

No, that’s what’s called double-dipping, and it isn’t legal. Vantage customers who received a refund via a travel insurance policy, a credit card chargeback, or an ACH reversal don’t qualify for future credits with Pacific Travel or Aurora Expeditions. 

Do I have to accept these credits? I want a refund instead

Surprisingly, this is a question I receive frequently from Vantage customers . I’m afraid it’s rooted in a misunderstanding about bankruptcy. 

Vantage Travel went bankrupt. The company is in debt to the tune of 170 million dollars. Unsecured creditors, like customers, are always last on the list for refunds in bankruptcy cases. And in this situation, there are no assets. Even the secured creditors will be walking away with virtually nothing. 

Of course, no Vantage Travel customer will be forced to accept or use the credits offered by Pacific Travel. But a better deal will not be in the cards. There will not be cash refunds for Vantage customers at the end of the bankruptcy proceedings.

Fact: The buyer of the assets of a bankrupt company is under no obligation to absorb the former company’s debt.

In this case, Pacific Travel Partners is offering customers a chance to receive something instead of nothing out of the Vantage bankruptcy. It’s ultimately up to the customer to decide whether or not to use those credits, but they’ll have five years to make that decision. And remember, if you’re a Vantage customer who will receive travel credits, you can also give them as gifts to friends and family if you decide you don’t want them.

Refusing the credits in anger might make you feel like you’re making a statement against Vantage, but it really doesn’t. I see no benefit from rejecting something that you may find valuable down the road after the sting of this bankruptcy dissipates — and after we learn more about the company Pacific Travel intends to evolve into.

Vantage Explorations contact information

* Note: If you are a former Vantage Deluxe World Travel customer who was owed a refund at the time of the company’s bankruptcy (or had a future trip planned) and have not been contacted by the new company Vantage Explorations, you can reach their team at [email protected] (Note: There is just one letter E in the center of the email address.

The bottom line

The last several months have been a long and unpleasant journey for Vantage Travel customers blindsided by this bankruptcy. 

Although Pacific Travel Partners’ purchase of the assets of Vantage Travel will not lead jilted customers to retrieve the 108 million dollars owed to them, it will hopefully give them closure. They now have the possibility of recouping their losses in the form of travel credits that can be spent on future adventures.

And that is likely the best outcome anyone can hope for in this terrible consumer catastrophe. ( Michelle Couch-Friedman , Consumer Rescue)

Dec. 31 update:

There was very good news for some victims of the Vantage Travel bankruptcy as we finsihed the year.

Jan. 21, 2024 update:

Why are so many Vantage Travel customers rejecting their credits?

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