by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 10:50 AM ET, Mon August 21, 2023
Pacific 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.
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