Vantage Deluxe World Travel - WARNING

[Roadlamp]

I just tried to find the "complaints page" and didn't find it.  Perhaps Vantage has removed it.😨

[Roadlamp]

2 hours ago, Stayce's_Mom said:

I just returned from Greece and Dalmatia on the Ocean Odyssey which replaced the sail through the Greek Islands trip that I booked (and paid up front for) in 2019. I truly believe that Vantage will be in bankruptcy or out of business by the end of the year. They have cancelled so many trips post Covid and continue to do so yet I continually receive bright and shiny catalogs, brochures and emails. Our trip was a nail biter right up to the last moment. Our air was unpaid, we had no cabin assignments and Vantage was cancelling trips all around us. Right now I am just feeling lucky that I will no longer be waiting 90 minutes on hold, I will not be lied to up down and sideways by each and every Vantage employee and I can put this horrible experience behind me. DO NOT BOOK VANTAGE DELUXE WORLD TRAVEL. 

 

I totally understand your frustration.  We have a trip booked and paid for slated for August of this year.  How was your experience on this trip?  Thanks for sharing.

[Host Jazzbeau]

19 minutes ago, Roadlamp said:

I just tried to find the "complaints page" and didn't find it.  Perhaps Vantage has removed it.😨

It's there, and I don't believe that Vantage has any control over it.

 

[PS – I also checked with my bosses, and it is ok to refer to that group here because it isn't a roll-call type group that is trying to harvest users from Cruise Critic and weaken our Roll Calls.  This one is a grey area because it isn't clearly a personal FB page or an official company FB page, but the decision was to allow the above post to stand.]

 

[PPS – I hope this thread will continue here, as a service to warn others and to share ideas to cope with the disruptions and the refund process.  The other being a closed group means it does not get the visibility this thread has.  Good luck to all involved.]

[Roadlamp]

It appears that Vantage has been cancelling river cruises and land vacations.  Does this seem accurate to anyone else?  Has anyone had their cruise on Ocean Odyssey or Ocean Explorer cancelled?  

[MOssyLedge]

It has been reported on the more extensive Facebook thread website that the leasing company is going to try to take back the Ocean Odyssey while it is in Rome - which it currently is.  That is for lack of paying its leasing fees.   That all seems plausible.   That will be the end of Vantage.  

One of the thread organizers on FB tis putting together a ZOOM meeting for 8PM Eastern time, I believe on Monday for Vantage travelers. 

Businesses f ail all the time, but the  manner in which this owner is doing it should land him in jail if some AG or the DOJ gets unveiled. 

[MOssyLedge]

I forgot to mention that this thread has 21 followers and the Facebook Group has more than 400 followers. 

[goatee350]

42 minutes ago, MOssyLedge said:

I forgot to mention that this thread has 21 followers and the Facebook Group has more than 400 followers. 

I’m following both.

 

[Roadlamp]

2 hours ago, goatee350 said:

I’m following both.

 

I just joined FB.  I am trying to figure out how to get in this group.  I know nothing about Facebook.  Can someone help me join this group?  The message I get when I search for the page is that the information is not available.  If I can't get access, perhaps someone can send me the zoom link for Monday's meeting.  Many thanks

[Billybob79]

Type Vantage Deluxe World Travel Complaints in the search book to find the hundreds of posts.

[Billybob79]

Does anyone know how to join the Zoom meeting scheduled for next Monday -- ironically the day we were supposed to leave for our Best of Africa tour.

[Roadlamp]

I keep getting this message on FB.  I must be doing something wrong on FB.  Is the group closed?

 

This content isn't available right now

When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.

[MOssyLedge]

I don't have a FB account but my wife does and she reads everything to me.  At the moment she  won't be home until about 5PM, New York time. As soon as I know anything about the ZOOM meeting, I will post it here.   Hopefully it is simple a URL that I can copy and paste.

 

When we joined the FB thread, she had to answer a bunch of questions to verify that she is truly not a Vantage person.  Nothing very personal, but a  bunch of questions, like - why do you want to join this group, where and when are you traveling, etc.

 

The last thing that she read to me this morning was a post that said that the crew was asked to pack their belongings and get off the ship.   The Athens to Barcelona trip was cancelled- and nothing more.

To me that probably means this is the end of the line.

[Roadlamp]

OMG. Thanks for the update. I will look for the ZOOM meeting link.  This is going to be quite messy, no doubt.  I'll start assembling my documentation for filing with my credit card and insurance.

 

 

[LynnS08]

I recommended for everyone to go onto their website under my portal and download your invoices while the site is still up and running.  Not sure why they can't be honest with people instead of making excuses.  

[Billybob79]

I copied the cancellation notice on the day I received it in My Portal and all the notices were gone from My Portal the next day, as was the invoice, which I had copied months ago.

On another note, when you go on the Vantage website to look for trips, there is nothing available until the Fall, all others are listed as "sold out" which simply means they have been cancelled. I am doubtful anyone will be on a Vantage tour or cruise ever again. 

Such a shame as Vantage provided the best value for the money for the 14 prior trips we have taken. 

[Roadlamp]

Yes.  I did that.  I also copied the information about the extension we booked.  Thanks.

[Rrehfe4969@aol.com]

I agree as we had been on 2 river cruises and an Africa safari and they were all superb and first class

richard rehfeldt 

[MOssyLedge]

My wife went thru all the Vantage posts on FB and this is the one about a Zoom meeting.   Unfortunately, the info isn't great because there is no date listed.  Apparently, the FB threads don't have a date on them so we don't know when this was originally posted.   We're trying to find out. 

[MOssyLedge]

Also, the Odyssey has left Rome and it's next stop is Gibraltar in 6 days. That seems like a strange place for SunStone ships or whomever to repossess the ship although there may be international laws that favor repossession over there. 

[MOssyLedge]

Go to the internet and search for Facebook.com and register as a Facebook member.  Then do a "find" for "Vantage Deluxe World Travel Complaints Page," click on JOIN, answer questions posed by the Administrator, and the Administrator will get back to you (took less than an hour for me) saying you are now a member of the group.  It is a private group and only members can read and respond to what's there.

 

Generally, the latest entries are at the top.  Today there are 435 members.  A week ago it was only 300.

 

I hope that everyone realizes that Vantage is now officially out of business and we are all really  SOL. Hopefully we can  band together on the ZOOM meeting  and chip in for a  good attorney.  Individually we can do nothing. 

[Roadlamp]

I must be the worst FB member in the world. I just joined a few days ago.   I have typed in Vantage Deluxe World Travel Complaints Page" numerous times and I cannot find the page.  It doesn't appear, so I cannot ask to join the group.  My daughter got right in there, but not me!

 

If anyone gets the ZOOM meeting link, please post it here.

[MOssyLedge]

We have not as yet confirmation from Charles Moskowitz with a date, time and URL link.   Maybe it will happen. You have a daughter that could get you in and I have a wife that is FB member.  I dropped out of FB about 7 years ago due to their criminal activities. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

23 minutes ago, MOssyLedge said:

We have not as yet confirmation from Charles Moskowitz with a date, time and URL link.   Maybe it will happen. You have a daughter that could get you in and I have a wife that is FB member.  I dropped out of FB about 7 years ago due to their criminal activities. 

The way to deal with FB, knowing that they plan to steal your personal data, is to set up an account with only fake personal data...

[Roadlamp]

I think my daughter got it straightened out.  Thanks!

 

[Billybob79]

Does anyone know whether any land or cruise trips are currently going off as scheduled? It appears that all land tours are listed as "sold out" until the Fall, which means they have been cancelled. The Ocean Odyssey is on its way to Gibralter, almost certainly w/o passengers and the Ocean Explorer is currently in Reykajik, Iceland. It will be until at least until September until we know if Vantage survives as a shadow of itself.