Its a drastic change in the sale dates. Thats 11% of the passengers. The Vessel Sanitation Reports issued by the CDC only reflect a fraction of the illnesses on board. We continue navigating this crisis with the health, safety, and security of our travelers and partners around the globe always in mind. Vantage Travels delayed Ocean Explorer vessel. And there is record interest in cruising again after a long, pandemic-induced drought. European officials will be reviewing a countrys status every two weeks; as such, we are closely monitoring the situation and will notify travelers if circumstances change. However, it is also important to be aware of the potential risks and to make sure you are adequately protected in case Vantage Travel does run into financial trouble. I apologize for the inconvenience. He paid Vantage $18,536. Same thing goes for spa treatments, most shore excursions, and alcoholic beverages. The high seas can be dangerous, and not just in the movies. Thank you again for your ongoing loyalty to Vantage. Finally, on Aug. 14 -- five months after promising it -- Vantage fully refunded your $12,959. In the end, there may be no correct answer for everyone. If you choose to make any of these purchases, make sure you do it on land and only after carefully considering it. I cannot imagine that it is a 5 star, but a very nice boat nonetheless. That was a big clue. The impact to our 2021 travelers is small if you are one of these travelers, we are currently in the process of reaching out to you. Youre dealing directly with the cruise line, so the company cant blame an intermediary for anything that goes wrong. Anyone get a refund from Vantage Travel for cancelled trip. Your stateroom is a place to sleep. Dont let that happen to you. The final evening aboard we were told that Vantage would get back to us within two days after the trip, and that their response would factor in whether we purchased trip insurance from them. I am **-executor on my Aunt ********************* estate. A porter will deliver it to your room. Your travel agent can recommend a hotel that includes parking for your personal vehicle, ground transportation to the cruise terminal, or both. Cruise lines dont have to report every outbreak to the CDC, only the significant ones. (Some pricier cruise lines, such as Silversea, offer all-inclusive cruises, but they are the exception.). We are either rebooking travelers on another trip or providing a refund. Since mid-March, she said, O.A.T. : the realization that issuing refunds en masse would bleed the company dry. For example, for gastrointestinal illnesses, the outbreak must affect 2 percent or more of the passengers or crew to meet the reporting threshold. I sailed with Vantage on their "Heart of Germany" excursion during Christmas week of 2017. COVID and norovirus outbreaks are common on cruise ships. It is an industrial canal with about a million locks to travers and NO scenery, except an occasional field or industrial site. A competent agent will make sure the cruise matches your personality type. The fact that the company continues to cancel er, postpone cruises may mean theyre having trouble ramping up again, but of course I dont know for sure. Whether youre embarking on an expedition cruise, a small ship ocean cruise, a river cruise, or a land adventure, well ensure you enjoy the journey of a lifetime. Vantage warned the tour director to be very careful about want he told the guests as his standing with Vantage could be affected. I tried to reach Vantage and by that I mean I sent emails to the C.E.O., to three customer service email addresses on its website and to all its social media accounts, including direct messages to two C-suite executives via LinkedIn. And cruise lines dont like to do that. The company notified me of the cancellation and offered either a credit for rebooking or a full refund that would have included airfare. Sexual assaults have been a problem on cruise ships since before the Love Boat. Always arrive the day before your cruise. Throughout this crisis, weve remained encouraged by the resiliency of our travelers many of whom are so eager to explore the world again that they have already started reserving their favorite journeys in 2021 and beyond. Therefore we must spend money in order to get the creditunbelievable! Using Avanti Travel Insurance - any good? We publish the names, numbers and emails of the top cruise executives on this site. Want a welcome drink? All rights reserved. But then the cruise lines canceled their rebooked cruises. Too much debt. Thank you for being part of the Vantage family. Need for financial independence. As avid travelers, many of us are used to expecting the unexpected just one of the reasons why exploring the world is so thrilling and rewarding. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world. No. Youll also connect with other readers who want to make the world a better place. However, if something goes wrong, expect the worst. Did we mention it's free? You can always email us at customercare@vantagetravel.com or give us a call at 1-888-982-6824 please note that we anticipate a high call volume while we work with impacted travelers. Turns out that this was their last trip of the season, and the boat was on its way to docking for the rest of the winter. One customer said: I used to book all my trips through Vantage Travel because I trusted them to provide quality service. Washington requires On March 16, I asked for a refund. 48% complained and were miserable for seven full days. By far the most common problem my advocates and I hear about is an onboard health emergency. So you couldnt review the quarantining protocols before making a booking decision and say, No, thats too much. The only way to avoid an unpleasant quarantine is to wait until the infection risk is low. When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints. 2023, International Association of Better Business Bureaus, Inc., separately incorporated Better Business Bureau organizations in the US, Canada and Mexico and BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust, Inc. All rights reserved. Because the porters dont always deliver the luggage to your room. If you are one of these travelers, youve likely already received an email from us about your 2020 journey. After a series of high-profile customer service incidents in 2012 and 2013, the cruise industry adopted a voluntary bill of rights for its passengers, to clearly communicate to them their rights regarding comfort and care in a number of important areas. They canceled my flight. Luxury Cruises - Experience Luxury Expedition Cruise Line Travel - Vantage Travel. After more than 12 months, there are new signs of hope. The insurance company blamed the delay in getting a refund on COVID. Just fill out our catalog request form. A few years ago, cruise lines began installing advanced roaming networks that allowed passengers to make phone calls from the ship. She never called back. Two weeks later, I received an email confirmation that the refund was in process. I have made numerous calls and three written requests since then. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. (Mr. Anolik has a detailed breakdown of other state-by-state travel laws on his firms website. Many of their phone agents are located in overseas call centers. In late December 2016, we were stranded in the middle of an expedition to Antarctica. The cruise line wont let them board the ship. Bad service. But, if the extraordinary number of reader complaints I have received more than a dozen and counting are any indication, they have been doing so anyway. And, as is the case for any crimes committed on ships, only a fraction get reported to the government. Some of our fellow travelers have vowed to never travel with Vantage again because of poor experiences on the trip or because of the terrible customer service that they have received. Gaming this out, I suppose that when next August comes around, you could use your insurance policy to cancel, get a credit and continue rolling it over until you eventually develop a health condition that would keep you from cruising and then receive your money back. Gloria, did you read the other thread? File a complaint with the Massachusetts Attorney General's office in addition to your dispute with AMEX. Most customers, like us, rebooked the same tour at a later date. But Im not even sure a doctors note right now would get you out of traveling in a year unless you had a condition that had no chance of improving. Ive heard of these kickbacks going as high as 14 percent. We look forward to traveling with you in 2021 and beyond. How does he get a Vantage refund? We continued to report it every day thereafter. And if I decided to go, whats the best way to book my vacation? But cruise passengers have a lot of questions as the industry transitions back to normal. Based on expectations set by Vantage, my husband and I expected the sea portion on board La Perla to be the most memorable high point of our trip and yet it turned out to be the exact opposite as Ive detailed in this review. I will ask many more questions this time. We are doing our best to ensure your safety while traveling with us, but we cant do it alone. Here are our top 11 causes of financial problems fully explained. Simply sign into your account. please contact our team at Elliott Advocacy through this form. Another category of complaints: People who assume they can cruise with just a birth certificate. If you have a problem on your cruise, youll want to say something immediately. In making this tough decision, we took into account the safety of our travelers and worldwide associates, the breadth of the pandemic, and ongoing international travel restrictions and the operational challenges stemming from them. WebNone of these lines have indicated they are in financial trouble, and some of them have suggested that they, too, can withstand a cruising shutdown lasting many more months. Is it just your server? You may be charged a fee to book airfare and make other arrangements, although there may not be a fee for booking the cruise itself (see next point). Rick Pedersen, Fulshear, Texas. There are a variety of ocean cruises, from budget to luxury. And they ferry passengers with special interests such as scuba diving or hiking. RELATED: Coronavirus: Credit card chargebacks an option for those refused refunds for canceled travel. Cruise ships since before the Love boat included airfare related: is vantage travel in financial trouble: credit card chargebacks an for! Again for your personal vehicle, ground transportation to the government, a., thats is vantage travel in financial trouble much numbers and emails of the top cruise executives on this site it alone cruise executives this... 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