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New management of bankrupt Vantage Travel to reimburse customers who had trips canceled 100% in travel credits

Jilted customers will receive full credit on future trips.

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Jilted customers of Vantage Travel , the luxury cruise line that went bankrupt in June and canceled trips worth thousands of dollars, will receive 100% reimbursement to put toward future travel thanks to new buyer Pacific Travel.

According to details of an agreement outlined in federal bankruptcy court Wednesday, customers will have until Nov. 30, 2028, to book travel with the new company, and caps will be imposed for how much value can be applied to individual services.

A cruise ship is seen off Port Douglas in Cairns, Australia, in 2012. (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images, File / Getty Images)

Oceangoing travel credits will be capped at 50% of the trip's cost, while credits toward river cruises and land travel, like safaris, will be capped at 20%. Credits can be applied toward either a deposit or later payment but cannot be used toward airfare, according to the agreement.

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Credits are also transferrable to friends or family and be spread across multiple trips .

The embattled Boston-based company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in June. (Vantage Cruise Lines / Fox News)

The news comes after Boston, Massachusetts-based Vantage Travel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy June 29, had agreed to be acquired by United Travel Pte. Ltd., an affiliate of Nordic Hamburg and Heritage Expeditions. Last week, however, Pacific Travel of Aurora Expeditions in Australia, placed a $2 million bid to assume Vantage's assets, WFXT Boston 25 reported .

In the bankruptcy filing, Vantage admitted that customers lost $108 million for trips they had paid for, but never got to take.

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"Vantage has sought customary relief from the court to preserve the status quo pending completion of the sale," the company wrote in a statement. "Vantage has sought approval to complete the sale promptly, subject to any higher and better offers that may be submitted through the court-supervised sale process."

Vantage Travel has been under fire for months after hundreds of consumers complained about a lack of refunds for canceled or postponed trips. (iStock / iStock)

Boston 25 reported that the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office said it received more than 1,120 consumer complaints against Vantage since Jan. 1, 2020. 

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The customers complained that they did not receive any refund after their luxury cruise was unexpectedly canceled.

Vantage Travel did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

A final ruling on the purchase will take place Monday.

Another small cruise line is bankrupt in wake of pandemic struggles

Make that 12 cruise brands that have shut down since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Boston-based Vantage Deluxe World Travel, a small cruise company that mostly catered to seniors, filed for bankruptcy Thursday after laying off nearly all of its 70 shoreside employees and stopping all its sailings.

As of Thursday, the company retained just five employees, according to the bankruptcy filing.

For more cruise news, guides and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

In a motion submitted as part of the bankruptcy filing, which was reviewed by TPG, the 40-year-old company blamed a sharp drop in revenue after COVID-19 began for its downfall.

As part of its bankruptcy filing, the company said revenue plunged from $132 million in 2019 to just over $10 million in 2020 — a decline of more than 92% — even as it continued to pay for employee costs and other expenses. The differential between revenue and costs resulted in a $29 million loss in 2020 alone.

"While revenue rebounded somewhat in subsequent years, it remained well below ... pre-pandemic levels, resulting in continuing losses despite [our] attempts to down-size operations and reduce costs," the company said in the filing.

All major cruise lines around the world paused sailings for many months at the start of the pandemic and only slowly returned to normal operations , resulting in enormous quarterly losses that only recently have begun to moderate. The brands that have stayed in business have been forced to take on massive amounts of debt to survive .

Vantage is just the latest in a string of 12 mostly small cruise operators around the world to shut down operations since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Other cruise brands that have shut down over the past four years, almost all citing the financial effects of the pandemic, include luxury line Crystal Cruises and its two Asia-based sister brands, Dream Cruises and Star Cruises; Japan-based Venus Cruises; India-based Jalesh Cruises; Swedish-based Birka Cruises; U.S.-based small-ship specialist Blount Small Ship Adventures; and U.K.-based Cruise & Maritime Voyages.

Related: Luxury line Crystal faces liquidation as cash runs out

Cruise & Maritime Voyages was the second-largest cruise brand in the U.K. before collapsing in July 2020 .

German-based FTI Cruises and Spain-based Pullmantur Cruises also ceased operations during the pandemic. Pullmantur, which was partly owned by Royal Caribbean Group, the parent company of Royal Caribbean , was the first cruise company to collapse during the pandemic , just three months after cruise ships stopped sailing in 2020.

Also shutting down in 2021 was Caribbean-focused Sail Windjammer , which operated a historic sailing vessel once owned by the American financier E. F. Hutton and his wife, Marjorie Merriweather Post.

That said, at least one of the brands — luxury line Crystal — is in the midst of making a comeback under new owners .

The high-end travel company A&K Travel Group bought Crystal's brand name and two biggest oceangoing ships, Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony, out of bankruptcy last year and plans to relaunch the brand next month.

A possible new owner

A similar fate is possible for Vantage. In its bankruptcy filing, the company asked for court permission to sell substantially all its assets, including its brand name and its passenger lists, to an affiliate of Heritage Expeditions and Nordic Hamburg for $1 million.

Heritage Expeditions is a small, New Zealand-based expedition cruise company. Nordic Hamburg is a ship management company.

Vantage told the court it hoped to complete the sale by Aug. 11 and suggested the transaction could allow Vantage sailings to restart under the new owners.

"Faced with a rapidly deteriorating financial situation, [Vantage] has determined to sell its assets in order to facilitate continued operations by a better-capitalized buyer able to manage its business without interruption," the company said in the filing.

Should the asset sale go through and cruises under the Vantage name restart, it wouldn't necessarily mean that current Vantage customers who have paid for future trips would get to experience them.

In the filing, the company suggested the new owners would extend at least partial credits to current customers who had paid for future cruises, but only if the customers booked a new voyage with the new owners.

The credits would be limited to 20% of the cost of the new trips.

Related: What happens if my cruise line goes bankrupt or shuts down?

In the filing, Vantage said that as of Thursday its customers had paid it approximately $80.3 million for future trips that had not taken place. In addition, it was facing $32 million in claims for refunds from customers and another $5.4 million in insurance claims from customers — the latter through a self-funded trip insurance program that it offered.

In other words, the company's customers are currently out about $118 million.

TPG in recent months has been deluged with frantic emails from many of these customers. Many said they had paid $10,000 or more for trips that hadn't taken place and feared they would never get their money back. The emails came both from customers who had trips canceled during the pandemic and never received a refund and customers with future bookings who heard the company was in trouble.

Vantage also owes money to a long list of business partners and vendors. They include SunStone Maritime Group, which owns two of the ships that Vantage used in its operations, the 134-passenger Ocean Odyssey and 134-passenger Ocean Explorer. The filing suggested that Vantage owed two entities of SunStone $3.6 million and $3.2 million, respectively, for the chartering of the two ships.

Vantage also owed a river cruise management company $2.2 million and a cruise fuel company $1.3 million.

Customers become unsecured creditors

In the filing, the company checked a box that read it had between 10,001 and 25,000 creditors. It also checked a box that read it would have no funds available for unsecured creditors after administrative expenses were paid.

Customers trying to get back money they have paid for trips that have not taken place are considered unsecured creditors.

Vantage said in the filing that it would classify customer deposits up to a maximum of $3,350 per person as well as some other obligations it owed to unsecured creditors (such as backpay to employees) as "priority claims" to be paid back during the bankruptcy process. But it acknowledged that there was little value left in the company to pay such claims.

"It is extremely unlikely that there will be assets available to pay even a fraction of these priority claims," the company said.

Vantage said that, as of Thursday, it had estimated assets of just $1 million to $10 million that were offset by liabilities of $100 million to $500 million.

The Chapter 11-type bankruptcy was filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Vantage was founded in 1983. At its height, it offered 65 different itineraries with 500 departures annually, according to the bankruptcy filing. It offered river and ocean cruises on ships it chartered from other companies such as SunStone as well as some land-based tours booked through separate companies.

The company was one of the smallest players in the North American cruise market. Its river cruise business, for instance, accounted for just 1% of the river cruises taken by North Americans, according to a competitor analysis done by river cruise giant Viking that was shared with TPG. Viking, which controls about half of the market for river cruises taken by North Americans, estimates that about 700,000 Americans take a river cruise each year.

That would put Vantage's river cruise customer base at around 7,000 people a year.

In its bankruptcy filing, Vantage said it had provided vacations to 500,000 people in total over its 40-year history — an average of about 12,500 a year.

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Pacific Travel Partners Acquires Assets from Bankrupt Vantage Deluxe World Travel

P acific Travel Partners, a subsidiary of Aurora Expeditions , acquired the assets from small cruise company Vantage Deluxe World Travel, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in late June due to financial pressures stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Pacific Travel Partners took on the obligations to unsecured creditors and clients who had paid for but not received their travel from the company before it ceased all operations, which led to a class-action lawsuit after travelers were left stranded. 

Travelers will receive a credit for future travel through Pacific Travel Partners, which can also be used to pay up to 50 percent of an Aurora Expedition voyage. Those impacted will be notified as quickly as possible. 

The company did not, however, acquire the business or agree to employ members of the management team. Pacific Travel Partners will also be trading under a new business name. 

Vantage Deluxe World Travel is a Boston-based company that owns assets to Heritage Expeditions and Nordic Hamburg. It’s one of nearly a dozen other small cruise brands that have been unable to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. According to previous reporting, others include Crystal Cruises, Venus Cruises, Jalesh Cruises, Birka Cruises, Blount Small Ship Adventures, Cruise & Maritime Voyages, Pullmantur Cruises and Sail Windjammer.

The company abruptly ceased all operations in early June prior to its filing for bankruptcy, leaving some travelers stranded at the airport. Others were left with canceled trips, but without refunds. Some of those impacted filed a class-action lawsuit to receive compensation for the trips they weren’t able to take. 

For the latest travel news, updates and deals, be sure to subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.

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Boston-based cruise company Vantage files for bankruptcy, agrees to sell to United Travel Pte. Ltd.

Vantage Deluxe World Travel, credit Vantage website

BOSTON — Luxury cruise company Vantage Deluxe World Travel is filing for bankruptcy and selling its operation, amid ongoing investigations, lawsuits, and hundreds of consumer complaints.

The company announced Thursday it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts and agreed to be acquired by United Travel Pte. Ltd., an affiliate of Nordic Hamburg and Heritage Expeditions.

“Vantage has sought customary relief from the court to preserve the status quo pending completion of the sale. Vantage has sought approval to complete the sale promptly, subject to any higher and better offers that may be submitted through the court-supervised sale process,” the company wrote in a statement.

Vantage laid off its employees June 20 , weeks after Consumer Rescue first reported the company quietly postponed all its cruises through Aug. 28. Consumer Rescue provided Boston 25 an email that shows Vantage was still contacting its customers about future trips as recently as June 26.

The Mass. Attorney General’s Office says it received 1,120 consumer complaints about Vantage since Jan. 1, 2020, including 478 complaints filed in 2023. 108 complaints came from Bay State residents. The AG’s Consumer Advocacy and Response Division said it had recovered more than $1.2 million for Vantage customers .

The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit against Vantage earlier this month, accusing the company of “deceptive and unfair business practices” and taking advantage of older residents “by continuing to hold their refunds hostage.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Boston-based vantage travel files for chapter 11 bankruptcy, agrees to sell to united travel pte. ltd..

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Vantage Travel, a Boston-based luxury cruise company that was the subject of hundreds of consumer complaints and at least one lawsuit , is filing for bankruptcy and selling its operation.

The company announced Thursday that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts and agreed to be acquired by United Travel Pte. Ltd., an affiliate of Nordic Hamburg and Heritage Expeditions.

"Vantage has sought customary relief from the court to preserve the status quo pending completion of the sale," the company wrote in a statement. "Vantage has sought approval to complete the sale promptly, subject to any higher and better offers that may be submitted through the court-supervised sale process."

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell's office recently said that it had received at least 818 complaints against Vantage since Jan. 1, 2020, including approximately 75 filed by customers who are Massachusetts residents. Of those complaints, officials said that approximately 181 of them were filed during 2023, including 21 from Massachusetts residents.

The AG's Consumer Advocacy and Response Division said it had recovered more than $1,230,000 for Vantage customers.

Vantage said on social media in April that it was hit by a ransomware attack but had posted no subsequent updates. At the same time, Vantage confirmed the cancellation of four trips to the Netherlands "due to the vessel's readiness," and two trips to Egypt.

Earlier this month , Boston-based attorneys and a client from California filed a class-action lawsuit against Vantage in federal court. They claimed that customers who suffered short-notice cancellations have sought refunds for canceled trips, but "all of them have been stonewalled and misled."

Prices of trips detailed in the lawsuit ranged from $18,099 to $34,634.

Vantage, which was founded in 1983 by Henry Lewis, is incorporated in Massachusetts. As of the 2021 annual report, the latest available, Lewis served as the company's president, treasurer, secretary, CEO, CFO and director. He was also the registered agent until this month, when paperwork was filed reassigning that role to general counsel Rossella Mercuri.

NewsCenter 5 has attempted to contact Mercuri several times with specific questions. She only responded once, however, with a statement that confirmed the company was working toward a sale.

Vantage made headlines in 2021 when it christened a new cruise ship, the Ocean Explorer , at Boston's Black Falcon Terminal. At the time, the luxury ship had planned trips to the British Isles, several South American ports and Antarctica. (Video below)

AG James sues travel company for failing to refund over 100 New York customers

New York Attorney General Letitia James is suing a travel company after they failed to refund cancelled tours for over 100 New York residents.

In a news release on Wednesday, James said she "received dozens of complaints" from New Yorkers against Vantage Deluxe World Travel Inc., a Boston-based travel agency that specializes in cruise vacations.

She said Vantage Travel and its owner, Henry R. Lewis, refused to refund "thousands of dollars" to New Yorkers from Westchester, Albany, New York City and Long Island for cancelled travel tours, including cancellations because of COVID-19.

The lawsuit accuses Lewis and his company of "engaging in deceptive business practices by failing to honor the company's policy to promptly refund customers who had their trips canceled or had to cancel for health reasons."

“When a trip is canceled and a refund is denied, it adds insult to injury,” James said. “My office will not let Vantage Travel get away with flouting the law and denying dozens of New Yorkers the refunds they deserve due to canceled trips. Companies that make promises to consumers must fulfill their end of the bargain or bear the consequences."

In June 2023, two lawsuits were filed against the company. According to WCVB 5, Boston's ABC News affiliate , Vantage Travel posted in April about a ransomware attack that it said "took down their call center, website, email and other internal systems." WCVB 5 said that an internal company email was sent to Vantage Travel employees informing them that all trips through Aug. 28 would be cancelled, but many customers were not informed or refunded.

After the attack, a California woman who paid $15,000 for a trip to Ireland on May 26 said she found that her airline tickets were cancelled "due to non-payment by Vantage," according to WCVB 5. They were re-issued but the trip was later postponed the day before departure. The woman sued the company in early June, saying she did not receive any refund money.

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell filed a similar lawsuit to James and was able to recover more than $1.23 million dollars for affected customers, according to WCVB 5. WCVB 5 reported that Campbell received over 800 complaints since Jan. 1, 2020. Massachusetts officials received 181 complaints just this year. Only 21 of them were from Massachusetts residents.

Vantage Travel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Massachusetts on June 29, according to Aurora Expeditions, a luxury cruise company in Sydney, Australia, who bought out the company. In an automated message on its hotline, the company said all Vantage Travel offices are currently closed.

"The company is not operating trips while the bankruptcy case is pending and has suspended all future departures," Aurora Expeditions said in the message.

Bankruptcy filings show Vantage owns creditors tens of millions of dollars.

Attorney General James said she received one complaint from a couple who had to cancel a fully paid trip after the husband was diagnosed with a heart condition, which prevented him from traveling. James said Vantage Travel offered a "risk-free cancellation policy," but refused to refund the couple thousands of dollars for their cancellation.

In order to avoid the terms of their policies, James said Vantage Travel would often consider full cancellations "postponements" and reschedule trips up to a year later or more.

"If a consumer did not want the rescheduled trip, Vantage Travel only offered a credit for a future trip instead of a refund for what in fact was a cancellation," James said in the news release.

Many of Vantage Travel's customers were seniors, according to the news release, and they often "paid $10,000 or more for the tour packages" but could not reach anyone at the company to ask for a refund.

James' lawsuit alleges that Lewis was aware that customers were not getting full refunds for trip cancellations but failed to address the issues. He told consumers that from July 2020 to February 2021, all trips would be "postponed due to pandemic" but did not follow up about rescheduling or options for refunds, according to court filings.

James said she will "seek full restitution for all impacted New Yorkers, civil penalties, and disgorgement."

The Office of the Attorney General encourages anyone else who was affected by Vantage Travel to file an online consumer complaint or call (800) 771-7755.

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Vantage appears in bankruptcy court, says it owes customers $80 million

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Luxury travel company Vantage Travel Services appeared in U.S. Bankruptcy Court Wednesday after admitting in court documents it owes customers $80 million for future trips.

The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week and announced it is under an agreement to sell its assets to United Travel Pte. Ltd., an affiliate of Nordic Hamburg and Heritage Expeditions. The deal still needs to be approved by a judge.

In court filings, Vantage attorneys said the company has no cash and terminated all but five of its employees on June 20. The company estimates it owes between 10,000 and 25,000 creditors and has liabilities between $100 million and $500 million, according to court documents.

“As was the case throughout the travel industry, COVID-19 had a substantial impact on the Debtor’s operations,” a Vantage attorney said in a motion filed on June 29.

Vantage has been under fire for months after hundreds of consumers complained about a lack of refunds for cancelled or postponed trips. The Mass. Attorney General’s Office said it has received at least 1,120 consumer complaints against Vantage since January 1, 2020.

“Right now, our office remains focused on resolving consumer complaints and securing refunds for affected customers,” an AG spokesperson said in an email last week.

Vantage said United Travel has agreed to provide a 20 percent credit on future travel for customers who booked trips with Vantage before May 11, 2023.

Michelle Couch-Friedman, founder of Consumer Rescue and moderator of a Vantage customer Facebook group with more than 1,400 members, wants to see more done for the thousands of Vantage travelers who lost money.

“I think it’s not a good deal for consumers at all,” consumer advocate Michelle Couch-Friedman said. “Of course, it’s better than nothing, but the customers I speak to? They have no interest in traveling with a new company.”

Vantage’s attorneys are asking the judge for a speedy process.

“The uncertainty surrounding the Debtor’s operations and the status of trips booked by its customers has resulted in a growing amount of negative publicity, which could, absent an accelerated sale process, cause further deterioration in the value of the Debtor’s brand name and other Intellectual Property,” Vantage said in a June 29 motion.

However, a U.S. Trustee accused Vantage of trying to ram the bankruptcy and sale through the courts.

“The Debtor filed its voluntary chapter 11 petition late last Thursday afternoon, just before the Fourth of July weekend, and sought a first day hearing immediately following the Federal holiday…The filing appears to have been orchestrated to limit notice and to prevent parties in interest from having an adequate opportunity to review the filings and raise objections at the first-day hearing,” U.S. Trustee William Harrington wrote in his objection filed July 5.

Couch-Friedman said a hearing will be scheduled for later this summer so that Vantage customers can ask questions and voice their concerns.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter . | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

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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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13 thoughts on “Vantage Travel assets sold to Pacific Travel Partners. What will customers get?”

I don’t know how much of the loaf the customers are getting, but a non-zero percentage of the loaf is better than zero percent. Thank you, Michelle, for keeping us all updated.

It’s a very confusing case that is constantly changing for customers.

Nice clear article about what happened and the way forward. I am not a Vantage customer, but was taking a great interest in the proceedings. Thank you for your explanation.

A lot of people not directly involved in the Vantage bankruptcy have been interested … it is a very odd story.

Thank you for a clear and concise “reporting” of the events that have transpired as well as what we can all expect. This is clearly not what we would all prefer but it is far better than a total loss of our monies. Thanks so much for doing this!!!!

Thanks for the information, I had traveled with vantage a few times and really enjoyed my trips with them. But over the last year I had noticed extreme discounts and things that I thought how are they making money on that? Not realizing they were just getting money from people hoping to pay off other trips. I have also noticed recently many vantage Facebook pages showing up with people telling they could help them get their money back. Especially a lady named Marine she obviously has something going on!

It’s unfortunate if anyone implied to Vantage customers that a cash refund was a possibility at the end of the bankruptcy proceedings/ sale of the company. It became clear that there was no chance of cash refunds after Vantage revealed on June 29 it was 170 million dollars in debt with no assets. 🙁

It’s definitely a little confusing, but it is nice that the customers Vantage screwed will get *something* out of all of this, even if they have to shell out more money to take advantage of the credits. And at least they are quasi-transferable for folks who find themselves unable to travel.

I will say, from now on if I am doing a trip where I feel the need to insure against loss, I will be buying my insurance through a 3rd party.

Former customer / employee here. 1. I would say I enjoyed my time workin at Vantage and traveling with them. Too bad it all went south after Covid 2. As far as I know Vantage filed for Chapter 11 because they were restructuring and in process of selling to Nordic/ United travel. 3. Pacific/ Aurora has no presence in US, no tours her. They wouldn’t open an office or bring back Vantage staff. 4. Aurora trips are much more expensive than Vantage cruises, no river ship or cruises. Getting booked with them would be extremely difficult.

Can suppliers of services to Vantage, who are still owed money for services rendered prior to filing for bankruptcy expect to receive any payments?

Definitely not through this part of the bankruptcy proceedings. This only deals with the sale of the customer list (and some other items). The Vantage bankruptcy case is far from over. In fact, it will extend at least for the next 5 years since the sale agreement says the 5% of the sales from Pacific Travel for the next 5 years (excluding sales from previous Vantage customers using credits) will go back to the bankruptcy estate. So there will be no way to determine the amount of money left to distribute to the unsecured and secured creditors until that 5 year period is complete. So for now, the answer to your question is unfortunately “no” but that could change over the course of the proceedings.

How can I get a copy of the travel insurance policy I purchased from Vantage. I prepaid the entire trip including $899 for the travel insurance policy which I never received.

Hi Betty, What is it that you hoped to do with that policy at this point? Vantage is out of business and that policy was not a travel insurance policy — it was a self-insured hybrid travel protection. It is of no value to you… you should add the cost of the policy into your overall “Notice of Claim” Form 410 with the bankruptcy court. Here’s an explanation of the product you purchased from Vantage: https://consumerrescue.org/guides/buying-travel-insurance-from-tour-operator-mistake/

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Vantage Travel CEO blames ‘close confidant’ for big investment losses

Hank lewis is suing james goode, his accountant and investment adviser in the boston office of andersen tax, over more than $14m in personal losses.

This column is from Trendlines, my new business newsletter that covers the forces shaping the economy in Boston and beyond. If you’d like to receive it via e-mail on Mondays and Fridays, sign up here .

As if Hank Lewis didn’t have enough problems.

Lewis is founder and chief executive of Vantage Deluxe World Travel, which this week blamed a ransomware attack for bringing down its website and disrupting communications with customers.

And as the company confirmed late Friday, it recently scrubbed six trips, citing either ship “readiness” or security concerns. With downed communications lines and no details forthcoming, many frustrated customers are worried that they won’t get back the thousands of dollars they paid upfront.

The operational snafus come as Lewis seeks to recoup a lot of money of his own: more than $14 million in losses on real estate investments that he claims were carelessly promoted by James Goode , his accountant in the Boston office of Andersen Tax who over the years also became a “close confidant” and his investment adviser.

To be clear, there’s nothing to suggest that Lewis’s personal investment losses, which occurred several years ago, have had any effect on Vantage. I e-mailed him on Thursday for comment but didn’t hear back.

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In a federal lawsuit filed last year in Boston, Lewis said that Goode committed professional malpractice and breached his fiduciary duty by steering Lewis into “ill-advised and unsuitable” deals in Connecticut and an “extremely risky” condo conversion project in Cambridge.

Lewis is also suing Stone Harbour Capital, a real estate investment firm — and also a Goode client — that managed the Connecticut investments. In a lawsuit in Connecticut Superior court, he alleges that Stone Harbour and its principals engaged in “orchestrated, tortious conduct to wrongfully misappropriate” the money he put into the deals .

An attorney for Goode, Ronald W. Dunbar Jr., said that Lewis’s claims were “completely without merit.”

Stone Capital’s Richard Aurilio, Gerard J. Kiley Jr., and Greg P. Shaughnessy “dispute Mr. Lewis’ baseless allegations,” said their lawyer, Richard Lewis (no relation to Hank Lewis). In a court filing last year, Stone Harbour countersued on counts including intentional and negligent misrepresentation and fraudulent inducement. Todd B. Gordon, who is representing Lewis in the case against Goode, declined to comment beyond the lawsuit.

Lewis’s primary beef with Goode and Stone Harbour focuses on a 2020 transaction in which his three previous investments with the firm, starting in 2014, were rolled into a single fund called Roadrunner.

According to the lawsuit, Goode told Lewis that Roadrunner would yield an annual return of 10 percent, eliminate paperwork, and simplify tax returns. As part of the deal, Lewis kicked in $6.5 million on top of the more than $10 million he had already invested.

“The consolidation of the three investments was contrary to Lewis’s best interests and investment objectives and was actually designed to benefit Stone Harbour and its principals,” which controlled Roadrunner even though Lewis had put in most of the money, the lawsuit said.

Specifically, the “real” purpose of Roadrunner was to free up money from one of the earlier investments to bolster another, a troubled project on which Stone Harbour’s principals had provided personal financial guarantees, according to the lawsuit.

Lewis’s lawsuits argue that Goode had a conflict of interest because he also worked for Stone Harbour. In court papers, Goode’s lawyers note that Lewis never said he was unaware of that relationship.

After the Roadrunner deal was wrapped up, Stone Capital made a “capital call” — a request for further investment that would be used for operating funds, debt refinancing, and obtaining a development loan, court documents show. Lewis’s share was set at $7.82 million and he had five days to deliver it.

Stone Harbour then notified Lewis that he had forfeited his stake in Roadrunner, according to the lawsuit, and included a check for $664,670 to settle up. Netting out that check and a $3 million return of equity Lewis received before the Roadrunner rollup, Lewis says he is out $12.8 million.

In the Boston lawsuit, Lewis also faults Goode for “reckless advice” in 2018 to make $1.86 million in loans to a developer who was converting three-family homes in Cambridge into condos.

”Goode knew or should have known that [the developer] was not capable” of completing the projects or repaying the loans, the lawsuit asserts, without explaining why Goode should have doubted the developer.

Lewis expects to take a $1.8 million hit on the loans.

Correction: An earlier version of this story gave an incorrect reason for the cancellation of one several trips recently halted by Vantage Travel.

Larry Edelman can be reached at [email protected] .