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Vantage Deluxe World Travel Company Profile

River, Small Ship, and Land Journeys With Vantage Travel

Vantage Deluxe World Travel  is a group tour operator founded in 1983 by entrepreneur Henry Lewis. It is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The company is both a cruise and land tour operator that has served over a half-million senior travelers with deluxe land, river, and sea travel programs over the past 30+ years. One of the main goals of the company is to design itineraries that introduce travelers to local people where they live, work, and play and to use the very best regional guides available to educate travelers to the places they call home.

Vantage has been sailing the rivers of Europe with its own fleet since 1999. Currently, Vantage has over 60 different Memorable Journeys -- land tours or cruises visiting 80 countries on all seven continents.

The company has two primary divisions. Vantage Deluxe World Travel includes river cruises, European small ship cruises, and land tours. Vantage Adventures is comprised of small ship cruises and small group land journeys. 

Vantage's river cruises are its most popular programs. The company owns and operates its own ships on the Rhine, Main, Danube, Moselle, Seine, Saone, and Rhone rivers in Europe. It charters ships for the Elbe and Douro. Since 2011 in Asia, Vantage Deluxe World Travel has offered river cruises on privately chartered vessels on the Mekong, Irrawaddy, and Ganges rivers. 

In 2016, Vantage introduced its first luxury river vessel, the ms River Voyager. This European river ship joined the company's four deluxe river vessels. Vantage also began offering cruises in the United States, starting with a cruise on the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes.

Vantage Deluxe World Travel Ocean Cruise and River Ships:

Vantage Travel owns and operates five river vessels in Europe. These ships have a maximum of 176 guests. 

• ms  River Venture  (built in 2013) -- 134 guests
• ms  River Splendor  (built in 2013) -- 176 guests
• ms  River Discovery II  (built in 2012) -- 176 guests
• ms  River Navigator  (built in 2002, refurbished in 2013) -- 134 guests
• ms  River Voyager (built in 2016) -- 176 guests

I sailed on the ms River Voyager in March 2016 and loved the comfortable design of the river ship, its accommodations, and cuisine. 

The company charters the 78-guest ms Frederic Chopin on the Elbe River in Germany. The ms Douro Serenity joins the fleet as a charter ship in 2017.

Vantage charters these yachts and small cruise ships in Europe. I sailed on the yacht-sized Variety Voyager a few years ago and loved the ship and the fascinating ports of call. The company also charters small ships in the Mediterranean . 

Vantage charters these vessels in Asia, the South Pacific, and the Indian Ocean.

Vantage Deluxe World Travel Passenger Profile:

Most of Vantage Travel's guests are 55-80 years old, travel frequently, and are past passengers of the company. More than half of the guests are women, and about 40 percent are single. The company often offers "free single supplements", which makes their cruises and tours attractive to solo travelers.

Prior to 2015, Vantage only marketed its Memorable Journeys to mature, English-speaking travelers in the USA. Starting in 2015, the company formed strategic partnerships with established travel agencies in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia and began selling its tours and cruises to English-speaking travelers in those countries.

Vantage Deluxe World Travel Contact Information:

The company markets its cruises and tours using email and direct mail. Vantage buys directly from travel suppliers and sells directly to its customers. 

Reservations & General Information Toll-free: 1-888-514-1845 Monday - Friday: 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM ET Saturday, Sunday: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM ET 

Customer Service Toll-free: 1-888-982-6824 Monday - Friday: 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM ET Saturday, Sunday: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM ET Email Vantage Customer Service

President's Club Exclusively for travelers who have traveled three or more times with Vantage. Toll free: 1-800-833-0899 Monday - Friday 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM ET Saturday, Sunday 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM ET Corporate Headquarters Vantage Deluxe World Travel 90 Canal Street Boston, MA 02114-2031 Phone: 1-617-878-6000 Fax: 1-857-313-6400

Budapest is Vantage's river fleet headquarters and main European operations base, but the company has regional offices around the world.

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Vantage travel problems: $1.23m recovered for consumers from boston-based company, ag says.

Fate of troubled business remains unclear

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Consumer advocates working for Massachusetts' Attorney General have recovered more than $1.23 million for customers of Vantage Travel, a Boston-based luxury cruise company, officials said.

The troubled business is the subject of hundreds of consumer complaints and at least one recent lawsuit.

AG Andrea Campbell's office said that it has received at least 818 complaints against the company 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.

Campbell's office said it will provide consumer assistance to Massachusetts residents and is advising others to file in their respective states. The AG's Consumer Advocacy and Response Division has recovered more than $1,230,000 for Vantage customers, a spokesperson confirmed.

The company 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 cancelation 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 cancelations 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.

This month, however, Vantage and Lewis submitted a form to the Secretary of the Commonwealth, identifying general counsel Rossella Mercuri as the company's new registered agent.

Last week, Mercuri sent a statement by email to NewsCenter 5.

"At this time, Vantage Deluxe World Travel is engaged in sensitive negotiations for a sale of the company," Mercuri wrote in a statement. "Our primary goal is to obtain the best outcome for our customers. Confidentiality agreements governing our negotiations prevent us from disclosing additional information at this time."

Mercuri and Vantage have not responded to subsequent requests for comment, which have included numerous specific questions.

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)

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Home > Expeditions

Discover our expanded schedule featuring a diverse array of Expedition and Discovery voyages , Trekking adventures and the company of  special guests ready to unveil the wonders of polar regions and more. Selecting your preferred style of adventure with Vantage Explorations has never been easier.

With over three decades of expertise, our Expedition Teams have been imparting their knowledge about the world’s most remote and pristine destinations, spanning   Antarctica , the Arctic and beyond . We prioritize the experience over a fixed itinerary, allowing our purpose-built small ships , versatile Zodiacs and immersive activities to lead you into uncharted territories. If you seek to witness the extraordinary, you must venture to places you’ve never been before.

Expeditions remain inherently unpredictable, guided by nature’s whims – be it weather conditions, tides, or ice formations, all informed by our team’s extensive local wisdom. Each day, your Expedition Team crafts a bespoke plan, optimizing experiences for everyone on board. This flexibility yields unparalleled rewards, enabling us to pause for inspiring wildlife encounters, marvel at glacier calving spectacles, or extend stays in serene locations for moments of profound solitude.

We chase the sun, altering our course when a polar bear graces our sight, making impromptu landings on remote beaches to commune with penguin colonies or seizing the opportunity of clear skies to summit mountains for unbeatable photography experiences. Your dedicated Expedition Team remains your constant companion, enhancing your voyage with captivating presentations and insights into the remarkable places you explore.

Expedition cruising unites those with a thirst for knowledge, an adventurous spirit, and a yearning to embrace the natural world. We encourage you to seize every opportunity and nurture your inner adventurer. To enrich your experience in these wild and remote destinations, choose from a range of add-on activities, including sea kayaking , snorkelling and diving .

Expeditions in Antarctica

Wild antarctica.

Welcome to Vantage Explorations’ Wild Antarctica featuring the Weddell Sea expedition.  Famed for its enormous icebergs, year-round sea ice, fascinating fossils and the pivotal role it played in Shackleton’s Endurance expedition,...

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Subantarctic Discovery

Welcome to Vantage Explorations’ Subantarctic Discovery expedition.  Discover the primordial beauty of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Australian and New Zealand Subantarctic Islands on this in-depth exploration of a most rugged...

From USD $ 12,556.00 /pp

Spirit of Antarctica featuring the Chilean Fjords

Welcome to Vantage Explorations’ Spirit of Antarctica featuring the Chilean Fjords expedition.  As Antarctica laps up the last of the summer sun and the landscape bathes in dappled light, its inhabitants show no signs...

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Spirit of Antarctica

Welcome to Vantage Explorations’ Spirit of Antarctica expedition.  Embrace the spirit of polar exploration on this classic expedition to the coveted white continent. Sail across the famed Drake Passage to and...

From USD $ 14,955.75 /pp

South Georgia & Antarctic Odyssey

Welcome to our South Georgia & Antarctic Odyssey expedition.This voyage encompasses the best of the Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia. Discover historic Stanley in the Falklands~Malvinas and stand in awe...

From USD $ 23,836.00 /pp

Ross Sea Odyssey

Welcome to Vantage Explorations’ Ross Sea Odyssey expedition.Experience one of the most remote, historic sectors of the deep South in comfort on this exploratory expedition aboard the luxurious Douglas Mawson....

From USD $ 29,065.75 /pp

Mawson's Antarctica

Welcome to Vantage Explorations’ Mawson’s Antarctica expedition, sailing on the Douglas Mawson!Retrace the historic voyage of Sir Douglas Mawson’s Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE) and experience the grandeur of remote East...

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In Shackleton's Footsteps

Welcome to our In Shackleton’s Footsteps expedition.  Follow in the footsteps of ‘the Boss’ on this quintessential polar voyage, from the serene ice of the deep south to the subantarctic wildlife...

From USD $ 21,436.00 /pp

Falklands, South Georgia & Antarctic Peninsula

Welcome to Vantage Explorations’ Falklands, South Georgia & Antarctic Peninsula expedition. This epic voyage takes you on an incomparable journey, visiting enigmatic Subantarctic islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. Similar to the...

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Epic Antarctica: Crossing the 7th Continent

Welcome to Vantage Explorations’ Epic Antarctica: Crossing the 7th Continent expedition.  Calling all pioneers, history buffs and adventure lovers for an epic adventure across the southern seas. Follow in the footsteps...

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Deep Weddell following Nordenskjöld

Officially certified proof of vaccination and booster will be required ahead of travel and we will require that it be emailed to Aurora no later than 15 days prior to departure.

Aurora Expeditions does not require passengers to undergo tests for COVID-19 prior to embarkation or during the voyage. We do not conduct routine COVID-19 testing unless required by the relevant authorities. However, passengers who report symptoms of COVID-19 to the medical team during a voyage will be tested.

Coming soon...

Circle and Weddell

Antarctica complete.

Welcome to our Antarctica Complete expedition. Experience unparalleled adventure and discovery on your ultimate Antarctic voyage. If you want to see it all, this is the trip for you. Be transported...

From USD $ 29,915.75 /pp

Antarctica Active (All Inclusive Activities)

Welcome to Vantage Explorations’ Antarctica Active: All Inclusive Activities expedition. Paddling, camping, snowshoeing and snorkelling are included in the activity cost. Vantage Explorations is renowned for the variety and volume of...

From USD $ 16,995.75 /pp

Antarctic Peninsula: Fly the Drake

Welcome to Vantage Explorations’ Antarctic Peninsula: Fly the Drake expedition.  Separating the southern tip of the South American continent from the Antarctic Peninsula region is the Drake Passage, where the mighty...

From USD $ 22,010.75 /pp

Antarctic Peninsula in Depth

Welcome to Vantage Explorations’ Antarctic Peninsula In Depth expedition.  After months of relentless winter winds and scare sunlight, the Antarctic landscape and its inhabitant come to life when spring arrives. Embark...

Antarctic Explorer featuring the Chilean Fjords

Welcome to Vantage Explorations’ Antarctic Explorer featuring the Chilean Fjords Fly/Sail expedition.  Early Antarctic explorers returned from their voyages to the deep south with tales of a magnificent, ice-covered land teeming...

From USD $ 16,316.00 /pp

Expeditions in the Arctic & Beyond

Wild landscapes of west greenland.

Welcome to Vantage’s Wild Landscapes of West Greenland expedition.  Home to the northernmost capital in the world, Nuuk, the west coast of Greenland may be the most inhabited part of the...

From USD $ 18,876.00 /pp

Traversing the Northwest Passage

Svalbard odyssey.

Thank you for joining Vantage Explorations on our Svalbard Odyssey expedition.  Enjoy the best of Svalbard, a world of near-endless daylight, where polar bear sightings quicken your pulse, guillemot cries echo...

From USD $ 14,700.75 /pp

Svalbard in Depth

Southern greenland: on the trail of the vikings.

Experience the enormity of Greenland – the world’s largest island – where jagged peaks pierce azure skies, and countless glaciers snake their way towards the coast. Delight in hikes across...

From USD $ 15,676.00 /pp

Patagonia & Chilean Fjords

Welcome to Vantage’s Patagonia and Chilean Fjords expedition.  Sail the legendary Beagle Channel and marvel at the snow-covered peaks of rugged Patagonia. Zodiac-cruise through fjords flanked by glaciers and watch as...

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Northwest Passage

Welcome to Vantage’s Northwest Passage expedition. The labyrinthine channels of the legendary Northwest Passage have enchanted explorers and adventurers for centuries. Get a glimpse into the world that captivated early explorers...

From USD $ 20,396.00 /pp

Jewels of the Arctic

Welcome to Vantage’s Jewels of the Arctic expedition.Explore Svalbard, a world of near-endless daylight, where polar bear sightings quicken your pulse, walrus haul out on sea ice and guillemot cries...

From USD $ 17,250.75 /pp

Iceland, Jan Mayen, Svalbard

Greenland odyssey, arctic complete - svalbard, greenland & iceland, request a customised quote.

Vantage Travel owes more than $170 million, bankruptcy filings show

Vantage Travel, the Boston-based company now in bankruptcy court, owes a stunning $108 million to customers who paid in advance for trips that were later canceled or postponed, according to court filings .

Besides the $108 million it owes to customers, Vantage is $62 million in debt to vessel managers and other vendors and suppliers, for total liabilities of more than $170 million, the filings say.

Of the $108 million owed to customers, $80 million is for trips that have been indefinitely postponed, $23 million for trips that were canceled, and $5 million for approved travel insurance claims against the company, the filing says.

But Vantage, a Boston travel mainstay for 40 years, has only a tiny fraction of what it owes customers in cash — $4,207, the filings say.

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Bankruptcy proceedings are intended to allow creditors like the thousands of Vantage customers to get at least a portion of what is owed to them. But under the terms of a sale of Vantage’s remaining assets proposed by the company, its customers would apparently get no cash refunds.

Instead, they would be offered a maximum 20 percent credit toward future trips with the Singapore-based company that has agreed to pay $1 million for Vantage’s customer list, the company’s only remaining substantial asset.

In filings in US Bankruptcy Court in Boston, Greg DelGreco, Vantage’s chief operating officer, said the offer of a credit was the best Vantage could do for customers, and that otherwise they would “receive nothing for their claims against” the company.

Vantage “is confident” that the offer of future travel credits “provides the best treatment possible to its customers under [Vantage’s] difficult financial circumstances,” DelGreco wrote.

One of Vantage’s lawyers said in the filings that consumer claims for their deposits are usually considered a priority in bankruptcy proceedings, but that in Vantage’s case “it is extremely unlikely that there will be assets available to pay even a fraction” of consumer claims.

In its filings, Vantage is asking Judge Janet E. Bostwick to approve of the sale of Vantage’s remaining assets, which includes the agreement to provide credits for customers who are owed refunds estimated to average about $20,000.

But Ronald W. Dunbar Jr., a lawyer representing a group of customers, said his clients want their money back.

“They don’t want a 20 percent coupon for some possible trip many months or years in the future,” he said. “Many of the customers are seniors. They don’t want a promise. They want cash refunds so they can get on with their lives.”

Dunbar said the big question he wants answered in the bankruptcy proceeding is what did Vantage do with the tens of millions of dollars that customers paid to the company in advance for now canceled or postponed trips.

“Vantage got paid many millions of dollars for trips that never happened,” he said. “Where did all that money go?”

That question is apparently not answered in the hundreds of pages of documents filed in court, according to a filing by Eric K. Bradford, counsel to the Office of US Trustee, whose role is to enforce bankruptcy laws, according to an online description of a trustee’s responsibilities.

According to Bradford, Vantage’s filings “provide little information about [Vantage’s] … financial transactions” prior to its bankruptcy filing.

Rob Hert, who last year paid Vantage $30,000 for a now-postponed safari he planned to take with his 81-year-old mother, said customers “want a thorough financial audit, first and foremost.”

Hert is an organizer of a group of customers fighting for refunds. He called the offer of future credits “ridiculous.”

Under the proposal, customers who accepted the 20 percent credit would have to pay 80 percent of the cost of their trips, which, on top of what they already paid to Vantage, would be unaffordable to some, he said. Besides, customers are totally unfamiliar with the company that would operate those trips, United Travel Pte. Ltd., based in Singapore, he said.

Hert also said his group is very concerned about the voluminous personal data customers have provided to Vantage, including bank and credit card information.

“Is it going to be adequately protected?” he asked.

An e-mail seeking comment from DelGreco and other Vantage executives and lawyers went unanswered.

In bankruptcy cases, there are two basic types of creditors: secured and unsecured. Secured creditors are lenders who obtained collateral to secure their loans and who are paid first from remaining in assets in the event of a bankruptcy. Unsecured creditors — including Vantage customers — get paid only after all secured creditors get their money.

And the only secured creditors in Vantage’s case are the founder of the company, Hank Lewis, and a trust established by Lewis. Lewis and the trust loaned Vantage $35 million, beginning in 2021, the filings say.

Its “single most valuable asset,” according to Bradford, is a list of past and prospective customers, including contact information. There are more than 3.7 million names on that list.

On the day last week that Vantage announced it was filing for bankruptcy, it also disclosed it had reached an agreement in which United Travel would purchase the customer list for $1 million.

It has been a stunning downfall for Vantage, a once well-regarded high-end international travel company. Founded in 1983 by Lewis, it specialized in tours for relatively small groups; its most popular leased ships were outfitted for fewer than 180 passengers. On ocean and river cruises, and on land expeditions, Vantage emphasized cultural exploration for “discerning travelers,” according to its website. It also catered to women traveling solo.

As recently as 2019, Vantage offered customers a menu of 65 river and ocean cruises and land excursions around the world. It operated about 500 tours annually.

Vantage, based in offices on Canal Street, employed about 70 people to market and book travel packages with third-party operators and to arrange air transportation, travel insurance, hotel accommodations, and other details. As of June 20, Vantage had laid off all employees except DelGreco and four other top executives and postponed all trips for at least three months “in light of our impending transaction,” according to an internal company memo .

Vantage pointed to the COVID pandemic as a source of its troubles. “As was the case throughout the travel industry, COVID-19 had a substantial impact on [Vantage’s] operations,” DelGreco wrote, saying the company’s revenue plummeted from $130 million in 2019 to $10 million in 2020, the first year of the pandemic. (It received $4.3 million in federal payroll protection program grants, the filings say.)

As its finances worsened, Vantage used “cash reserves generated by pre-pandemic bookings to fund its working capital needs,” the filings say.

“[Vantage’s] finances have continued to decline, and its cash reserves have been exhausted,” the filings say. “As a result, [Vantage] has been postponing trips for the past several weeks, because of a lack of funds needed to operate those trips to conclusion.”

Dating back to at least 2021, Vantage customers have complained of getting the runaround when they demanded refunds. The Globe, for example, published a story in 2021 about two local couples who had been fighting for about 18 months for $46,000 owed to them by Vantage for a canceled safari to Africa. (After the Globe got involved on their behalf , Vantage refunded the couples’ money.)

Since 2020, more than 1,150 customers have filed consumer complaints against Vantage with the office of Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell. That office has mediated on behalf of about 85 Massachusetts residents, recovering more than $1.3 million in refunds. (The office accepts complaints from out-of-state consumers but urges them to contact their own state’s attorney general for assistance.)

In recent years, Vantage provided little information to customers about its precarious financial condition. But, in private, company executives for almost two years were working with an investment bank in search of a buyer or funding source, ultimately leading to the $1 million offer from United Travel, the court filings say.

Lawyers for Vantage have asked the bankruptcy court to quickly approve the sale of its assets to United Travel because a “growing amount of negative publicity” could threaten the deal with United Travel.

Got a problem? Send your consumer issue to [email protected] . Follow him @spmurphyboston .

Vantage Travel is back — or, at least, its name is

Vantage is sailing again, with new owners and a name that trades on its past glory while ignoring its inglorious ending.

Last year, troubled Vantage Travel abruptly went bankrupt amid punishing publicity that it failed to refund more than $100 million to customers who paid upfront for ocean and river cruises that never happened.

Thousands of bitter consumers deluged the attorneys general offices in Massachusetts and other states with complaints against the decades-old Boston-based company.

Vantage Travel was also pilloried on two newly created Facebook group pages as customers who lost as much as $50,000 vented their anger at the company and its founder and owner, Hank Lewis .

But now Vantage Explorations, a new company created out of the ashes of the bankrupt company, is embracing its Vantage Travel roots to sell tours around the world, while conspicuously ignoring the bankruptcy and the lost $100 million.

Already, Vantage Explorations, owned by a company based in Australia, is sailing guests on polar expeditions of Antarctica and has new cruises scheduled to Latin America and Scotland in the spring and to the Mediterranean next year.

In one recent email sent to prospective customers (as well as this Globe reporter), Vantage Explorations extols the virtues of Vantage Travel, a company that indisputably stiffed almost 10,000 customers, including many seniors.

The email, festooned with an array of color photos of alluring tourist destinations, begins, “For nearly 40 years, Vantage Travel has curated extraordinary experiences, leading over half a million travelers on unforgettable river and small ocean ship cruises, small-group land adventures, and safaris across all seven continents.”

But nowhere in its five-paragraph email does Vantage Explorations mention that its predecessor company went bankrupt at the expense of customers.

The email makes only the most oblique reference, saying Vantage Travel’s “assets found a new home” in 2023 with Pacific Travel Partners, which operates Vantage Explorations and is owned by Australia-based Aurora Expeditions. The company spent $2 million at a bankruptcy auction for what amounted to Vantage’s only asset: its extensive list of customers. It also got the right to use its name.

“Today, we proudly operate as Vantage Explorations, continuing our legacy of delivering unparalleled journeys and exploration to passionate travelers like you,” the email reads.

“There was a lot of surprise that the new owners are using the Vantage brand at all, given how tarnished it is, let alone touting its 40-year history,” said Marnie Brown, who helps administer a Facebook group of unhappy former Vantage Travel customers. “All you have to do is make a quick search online to see about the bankruptcy.”

“I think that email will be off-putting to a lot of people,” said Michelle Couch-Friedman, a consumer advocate who is closely tracking the Vantage Travel saga.

“But I’m sure the idea is to court the customers on Vantage Travel’s contact list,” she said.

Asked about his company’s omission of references to the bankruptcy, Michael Heath, chief executive of Aurora, repeated the kind of praise for Vantage Travel that is contained in the company’s marketing email. “So far the reaction to Vantage Explorations has been very positive,” he added.

Andrew N. Smith, a marketing professor at Suffolk University’s Sawyer School of Business, said it’s understandable why Vantage Explorations would gloss over the Vantage Travel bankruptcy.

“I can understand its apprehension about mentioning bankruptcy,” he said. “From a marketing standpoint, there is no benefit of introducing this negative meaning into the equation. [Vantage Explorations] needs to communicate the change in corporate structure and then shift to a more customer-focused message about the romance of travel.”

Tobe Berkovitz, a veteran media consultant and professor emeritus at Boston University, said Aurora is pursuing a smart strategy, especially by blasting out emails to its voluminous customer list.

“It’s a great contact list of people who have actually traveled with Vantage Travel or have shown interest in them,” he said. “It’s gold.”

For those who lost money in the bankruptcy, the email may “stick in their craw,” Berkovitz said. “But if you’re not one of them, you may well be very interested in Vantage Explorations.”

The Vantage Travel bankruptcy case is ongoing, with a bankruptcy estate trustee searching for additional assets that may belong to the bankrupted company for possible distribution to creditors like the jilted customers.

Judge Janet E. Bostwick of US Bankruptcy Court in Boston approved the sale of Vantage Travel’s name and contact list to Aurora, along with a provision that gives Vantage Travel customers whose trips were canceled a limited number of credits toward traveling with Vantage Explorations. Customers can use credits to pay for up to one-half on ocean trips and up to 20 percent on river trips. The credits will expire after five years.

While there’s little expectation that Vantage Travel will provide any significant refunds to former customers, there may be some hope that Lewis, the company owner, will be held responsible.

The attorneys general in New York and Pennsylvania have sued him personally in an effort to recoup some of the millions owed to customers.

“By virtue of the conduct alleged … [Lewis and Vantage] have engaged in repeated and persistent fraudulent conduct,” according to the suit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Asked for an update, a spokesperson for the New York attorney general’s office said “Lewis has retained counsel and the litigation is ongoing.”

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

A spokesperson for that office said the suit is ongoing.

The office of Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell supports the efforts of the New York and Pennsylvania attorneys general and is in regular contact with them, according to a spokesperson.

Multiple emails seeking comment on behalf of Lewis were sent to Lewis’s bankruptcy attorneys, who were listed in filings in the New York 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.

Rob Hert, who last year paid Vantage Travel $30,000 for a now-canceled safari he planned to take with his 81-year-old mother, said he continues to closely follow the bankruptcy case and litigation against Lewis.

But he said he has no real problem with Vantage Explorations’ marketing campaign.

“It’s very crafty, not getting into the weeds about the bankruptcy,” he said. “But Vantage Explorations is not the enemy. They’re acting in their best business interest. I understand. What we want is justice from Vantage Travel and Hank Lewis.”

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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