Vantage Deluxe World Travel / Vantage Travel Service
reviews and complaints

I booked a cruise through Vantage Deluxe Travel in April 2022. The initial amount was $4,210.00. I was told they had a "cancel for any reason" policy with a full refund. The deposit was made by bank withdrawal. That should have been a red flag, but I missed it. I canceled the trip after their lack of response to e-mails reminded them to withdraw the remaining $23,000.00 from our checking account. Vantage also sold us trip insurance with Alliance. When I couldn't get through by phone or email, I put a stop payment on my checking account. Then I started looking at reviews online. There were many complaints similar to mine and none have been successful in getting a refund. Moreover, I contacted the State Attorney General of Massachusetts and California, filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, wrote two demand letters (return receipt requested-we got the receipts but no response), made numerous telephone calls to the business, and chatted online with a representative. Additionally, the Boston Mayor's Office also contacted the company. There has been no response from Vantage Deluxe World Travel.

Vantage cancelled our 19 day land/cruise European vacation scheduled for June 12-30, 2023 9 days prior to scheduled departure. We received an email informing us of the cancellation for “operational reasons” 9 days before we were to leave. We were instructed to send a return email informing Vantage whether we wanted a credit or refund for the cancellation and they would get back to us within 48 hours letting us know if our choice was approved. That was 2 weeks ago and we have heard NOTHING from them at all. We’ve sent follow up emails and tried to call with no success. We are owed $13, 615.00. We’ve found information online that Vantage has cancelled many of their other trips and people are all trying to get refunds with no success. Meanwhile, Vantage is still advertising trips for 2024. We’ve filed complaints with the MA and NY Attorney General’s Office and the Better Business Bureau.

We booked the cruise in September 2022. No issues at the time and flights were scheduled. On May 6th, 2023, I suddenly felt the urge to check our flights on KLM. The outgoing flight had been cancelled (return still there). KLM said they couldn't work with us, as we booked through Vantage. We began calling/emailing Vantage that day and continued constantly over the next week. One person answered the phone on Monday and said they would reschedule the flight, an effort taking just a few minutes. However, nothing further was received and we couldn't reach anyone. Their purported web outage was long over. Finally, late Thursday, one honest person responded to my husband, saying the ship was in drydock. We finally learned this last Friday that the cruise was cancelled, but one option was full repayment. We had also put a deposit on a 2024 Alaska cruise. We have sent letters to all people we have names for, including the CEO; nothing has resulted. I had had a great cruise with them last April with no issues. We thought they just had a front-office issue. Now, we think they are bankrupt.

Vantage cacelled our trip (scheduled and paid for June 2, 2022-cancelled August 15, 2022-trip leaving August 25 without sufficient notice and refuses to refund our money.

We are aware there are many many others in our shoes and feel the same way.

Vantage Deluxe Travel will continue to cheat until some regulatory agency steps in and makes them an honest company. Vantage makes a large part of their profits by refusing to pay legitimate claims.

Why should Vantage change their illegal business practices until they are forced to do so? Once they are forced to become an honest company, maybe they could sleep better at night.

My family, including 4 sisters and husbands, booked travel on Vantage Travel. Because of a death and then the covid we cancelled. Because I went to a travel advocate, I got my refund two years after my cancelation. No one else on the trip has received nor be given an explicit date of when they might get their refund. We also had no reason cancellation insurance with TripMate insurance sponsored by Vantage. Only result was a $500 return after a year and a half although they approved our claim but said the refund must come from Vantage. Be very careful committing to travel on Vantage. I will never travel with them again!

In January of 2021, my partner and I booked a 14 dayGreat Lakes Waterfront cruise for May 27, 2022, reservation #587385. On February 1, 2021, $7677 was withdrawn from my credit union account and paid to Vantage Cruise Lines. I later cancelled my booking on September 25, 2021, and my partner had a friend take my place. After several weeks and some difficulty communicating with Vantage, a Vantage agent said that $7677 would be returned to my account "in a few days." That didn't happen, and then I sent a certified letter (form 3811) to Henry Lewis, CEO, Vantage Deluxe World Travel, 90 Canal Street, Boston, MA, which was received on February 29, 2022 and signed by "Baker." There has been no response.

.With news of the continuing pandemic and slowness of vaccines, particularly in the area to which the Silk Road Tour would be travelling, I contacted Vantage World Travel to ask what options I might have as I did not feel comfortable travelling to Central Asia until that part of the world was fully safe. I had looked through all the other travel options on their website in terms of potentially safe regions and affordability. I sent an email February 5th in this regard asking various questions about options, etc. In this email I mentioned that I had seen one possibility for July 2021 (Majestic Rivers) that had a decent solo price (listed on the website in the $3699), but that I had several questions about it. Hannah, the agent, wrote back on February 9th answering some of my questions, but then stated she had moved my booking to this new trip on her own accord. I wrote back that I still wanted answers to my other questions and then I would decide. Next thing I know I am receiving a new invoice for what she booked and at a price of $5399! That was not the price shown on the website at the time I inquired about the trip. Now Hannah is telling me I must pay that price as it was the price of my original tour booking, even though my original December 2019 was not that price and this booking would be a completely different tour. Furthermore, I never specifically asked her to make that new booking; she just did it.
Additional attempts to get a refund have been with all kinds of excuses. I even filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau with no result as Vantage never fully addressed their "bait and switch" pricing. In the end I've only received a $200 refund and a $300 voucher for future travel. I refused the voucher as I would never travel with this company again. My original payment was for $1099.

COVID cancelled trip
Full cash refund promised
Many calls no details on when the 14000 would arrive
Guess what it still has not been returned over one year later

In September, 2019, we booked and paid $12, 515 in total, including travel insurance, for a 2020 April river cruise with Vantage Deluxe World Travel. Customer #3003933, Reservation #576700. Vantage canceled our cruise in March 2020 and assured us that we would be refunded the total amount.

As of today, February 2, 2021, we have not received our refund nor have we received an answer as to when we would be receiving it. This despite repeated letters, phone calls, and emails to Vantage.

Instead we receive boilerplate responses stating they cannot tell us when we will receive our refund.

I have repeatedly requested information as to what criteria Vantage uses to determine who gets a refund and when, to no avail. We are aware through various consumer complaint sites that customers who booked and paid for their trips well after September, 2019 for trips well after April 2020, have received their refunds.

We are tired of the runaround and lack of response from Vantage. We feel this qualifies as criminal activity on the part of Vantage Travel.

Sal & Lois DeTraglial

On 6/23/2019 we booked a tour (reservation #574291) departing 5/31/2020 and paid the full purchase price which included a cancellation at anytime for any reason travel insurance policy through Vantage. During Sept/Oct 2019 Ms. Chambers suffered breast cancer and on 4/9/2020 we cancelled the tour and ask for a full refund. To date (11/17/2020) Vantage has failed to pay the refund. We have contacted Vantage numerous times and all they will say is "they are working on it". Given the length of time that has passed, I believe that Vantage has no intention of paying the refund.

We booked a trip with amazon that included a river cruise down the amazon out of peru, and then a trip to machu piccu with a couple other small excursions as well. When they cancelled the complete trip we were told that we would receive a refund in 3-4 months as this was march 2020 and the pandemic was ramping up.

I have now been told on two different occasions that it woudl be 4-6 months and then at 7 months I was told that no one had the authority to give me a date of any kind, not even management.

I am not someone who just has money laying around, the over $12, 000 I am owed and paid not via cc but cash from my checking account to get the additional discount, is needed.

I have tried everything I can think of, and never gotten nasty or threatened legal action, but am just not sure what to do now. Any help is welcome.

Booked for 2 people on the Arabian Adventures tour, plus the post trip excursion to Jordan, including first class air. Total involved: $38135.00. Vantage canceled the trip on July 28th and will not refund my money. All they offer is to keep the cash and make me take a trip in 2021 or 2022. Trips I have no interest in and will not take. I booked a certain destination within a certain date range that fit the requirements of my traveling companion and myself. I will not travel just to burn up money on something I have no interest in or is not convenient. The company is non-responsive, has employees reading off a prepared script denying requests to escalate complaints. Vantage's own Terms and Conditions clearly state that if Vantage cancels a trip they are responsible for issuing a prompt refund to the affected participants. According to the Massachusetts Attorney General's office they are in direct violation of consumer law.

We have been customers of Vantage Travel for ten years and taken 10 trips with them and have been very satisfied till now. On Feb. 25, 2020 we booked a trip to Egypt for Sept. 17 of 2020 and paid the full amount of $23, 209.00. On March 12, 2020 we cancelled the trip and asked for the refund of $22, 609.00 (they charge us $600.00 cancellation fees). We have called several times with no results, we also email them including emails to Mr. H. Lewis and customers relations, Ms. M Garcia; we didn't received a reply. We believe that after more than 3 months of waiting for a refund this Is not acceptable. We are not getting any replies after calling and emailing them several times.

I staied there not to long ago with my family, we come an stay there about 5 time out of the month. We checked in around 2:00pm, the girl at the front desk, she said her name was Sharon, was very rude and un professional she was blabbering on negative talk about another employee she worked which I find very unprofessional when you work somewere it's supposed to be a team an nobody should talk bout about the next person. she should keep her comments to her self, she was very ugly. I later called and asked for towels which I never got until after she left I told her Idont have any coffee in my room but have a coffee maker she said she would bring some an still never did I called several times and everytime i called she said to give her a min in a rude an ugly way an would hang up. i even walked up there a few times an all she was doing was sitting down in the chair an she was asleep so I left an didnt bother her sleeping behind the desk. she is very lazy not attentive at all to anyone staying at the hotel an obvious don't really care to much about job or she would be doing it likeshesupposed to and not sleeping, I had the person in the next room to me see if Maybe they could call an get sum towels an she did thesame thing never moved I didn't get towels or coffee until around 5 when the Girl on the next shift came and brought them to us An was very attentive on what we needed thank u Jessica u were great an I appreciate all ur help that day.

We booked a river cruise on Vantage departing Prague, Check Republic to Berlin, Germany. After checking with Vantage two days prior to our departure we were told everything was a "go". When we got to our hotel in Prague we were informed that the cruise will be more of a bus tour than a cruise since the Elbe River was low. The company knew about this, at least 3-4 weeks prior to our departure, since we found out later they had to cancel several other Elbe cruises prior to ours. If we had been informed of this problem before getting to Prague, we would have cancelled our trip for medical reasons.
After speaking with the Vantage representative, Al Dore we were told they were sorry but would do nothing about the fact that we had a 8 day bus tour and a 4 day river cruise.
We believe they should financially compensate us for missing 4 days of river cruising, especially sine we paid $13, 188.0 for a river cruise, not a bus tour.

Booked the Danube River cruise July/August 2015. Prior to our cruise their were water level issues on the river. A barge ran aground half way through our cruise and we were given a choice; continue on via a bus tour or fly home with a partial refund. The river was blocked to boat traffic. Vantage company reps told us that we would stay in 5-star hotels and the vacation experience would be similar, however, we had less than 24-hours to make the choice. Bottom line Vantage totally misled us on the 5-star hotel experience. Not only were the accommodations not close to 5-star; but, the food and wine was less than satisfactory. We had no recourse, and furthermore, Vantage has been totally unresponsive to correcting this via a partial refund. How Vantage gets a AAA rating from the BBB is beyond me, other than they must have a tight relationship with the BBB in Boston. ABSOLUTELY AND POSITIVELY would explore all options before booking with Vantage. We spent $15, 000 with these people and have no intentions of ever sailing with them again.

My friends and I booked the trip through Vantage Deluxe Travel. We wanted to visit Cuba and booked some special trip, however, the trip was cancelled, because the company didn’t communicate with us a lot. After cancellation, these guys appeared and asked to pay $600 in order to renew the booking. We didn’t want to and would be happy if the company would leave us alone and stop their phone calls.