So far, I’ve been sharing some thoughts around cruises and cruising, but I wanted to give a little behind the scenes tour (like the very cool galley tours some ships offer, but maybe less interesting ;)) of what’s happening with us.

First off, our team is growing. In addition to having people working on site development, we have others dedicated to Guest Sales and Service (and we are hiring), a newly added Community Commodore (more about that in the future) as well as others writing text, dealing with data, handling finance, accounting, HR and all the other things a business needs. So while so far it’s been me speaking here, in fact I am not alone. I am very fortunate to be joined by people who, regardless of their area of expertise, are cruise and travel veterans. Folks who really understand the challenges and share a passion for cruising and for helping Guests make the right decision - be that with a site that’s thoughtfully designed and always to be improved upon, or offline Guest Sales and Service that’s staffed by cruise pros. I am really fortunate to be able to work with such a strong group of folks.

Secondly, we are busy! We have been doing a lot to get ready to introduce our service to the world. The site development team has been burning the candle at both ends, and we have been playing with an “Alpha” - in other words, the first sort-of real version of the site - for a few weeks now. It’s pretty neat to see it starting to come together. We have also been hiring, training and getting things ready in the Guest Sales and Service area. That team has been doing role-plays, working out phone setup and response times, practicing with our customer technology tools, developing Frequently Asked Question responses and a lot more. The rest of us have been trying to keep multiple balls in the air, working on marketing, various plans, financial this and that, liaising with outside providers and a whole host of other things - including moving into a new location.

I could go on. But, suffice to say that we are “all ahead full” getting ready to bring our service to you. We’ve thought about and built a lot of things already, but we know there are things we’ve either forgotten or just can’t get done quite yet. But as I tell the team here, it’s a marathon and not a sprint and we are only in the very early stages of creating something that gets better and better from-here-on-out, and always be centered around what you, the current or future cruise traveler, needs.

We really hope you will like it.

For me, one of the best things about a cruise is the ports of call you get to visit. I guess that’s because I’m a traveler, first and foremost. Now, I love the on-board experience of a cruise, being at sea, the activities, entertainment, lazing by the pool and so forth. But for me, it’s the pleasure of arriving in a new place every couple of days and getting a taste of life there that I enjoy the most. Which leads to the eternal question: if I am only going to have a day - or less - in a place, how best to make the most of that time? Well, in my view, there is simply no surefire “best way” every time.

Case in point: When we took our three family generations on a 14 day Panama Canal cruise aboard Celebrity’s Summit a year ago, we kept changing port activities to get the process just right and just never really nailed it. In Aruba, I arranged on my own to rent a minivan for the day and we went off to the beach and exploring independently. That worked out great - Avis had a shady location right at the pier, we didn’t have far to walk, we reserved it all online, brought our own booster seats for the kids (Parents: sorry, you still can’t avoid the “gear”) and it was a great day at our own pace.

Conversely, in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, I had independently investigated and arranged for a van and driver for the day. This turned out to be way more complicated than it should have been. It started with a very long walk with the kids and seniors in tow (the pier in Puntarenas is one of the longest I have ever seen, jutting straight out from the town), it was very hot, the plans with the driver got messed up, and to top it off I had to go back to the cabin to get the booster seats for the kids because they didn’t have them - even though they said they would. And to put salt in the wound, those who had chosen excursions organized by the cruiseline had their transportation come right out to the gangway.

So we think “lesson learned” and pay handsomely to join a ship-organized excursion in Huatulco, just to keep it simple - in that desperate search for that happy medium. We get to Huatulco and - guess what - we have to walk forever, the air conditioning on the bus doesn’t work and it has to be 120F/50c in there. Everyone is complaining, and rightly so. It’s so hot that our little one essentially passes out and is sound asleep the whole time. They ultimately do scare up another bus and move us on to it, but in a small port there are only so many options and we were well past halfway through the tour by that time. And yes, having booked via the ship did give us the option to speak with them about it, but what good does that do when your time in port is only so long and what you really want is what you had planned?

So what’s the point of sharing these war stories? Well,  like it or not, when you travel this sort of stuff is reality. It’s easy to read brochures or do online research and just expect that there’s one right answer and it will always be perfect. But when you are travelling, that is rarely the case. The best idea is to make decisions based on what you think makes sense, and make the most of it as it happens.

The fact is that, despite the hiccups along the way, every port visit was tremendous and I would go back to each and every one of them (even those I have already been to several times). We had some amazing experiences, such as the girls releasing sea turtles at a rescue center south of Acapulco and seeing a flock of Costa Rican scarlett macaws near Jaco Beach. And we have family memories to last a lifetime.

One of the questions that came in when I was asking for suggestions was around safety. Without a doubt, how to ensure that your cruise is safe and worry-free is one of the most important issues cruisers and folks thinking about a cruise vacation ask about. What can you do to make your voyage as safe and care-free as it can be? Here are 5 suggestions:

1. When the lifeboat drill happens, pay attention. I know that you likely want to just get on with enjoying your cruise, but when your ship’s lifeboat drill happens - they all have one, at the beginning of the cruise, as required by international regulations - be sure to listen to the announcements, find and put on your lifejacket and go where you are told to go. Your crew is trained extensively in safety related procedures - follow their lead. And remember, even though the likelihood of ever having to actually use that lifejacket is extremely remote, you’re much better off knowing what you should be doing in the event of an emergency.
2. Think of your cruise ship like a condo with a really tough doorman. All carry on luggage and every passenger is inspected, not just when you first embark, but every time you re-enter the vessel. This often includes x-ray screening like at an airport. Many cruiselines screen checked baggage too. As well, each person leaving or boarding a ship is verified using photo identification. The one downside is, like a really good nightclub or restaurant, this means that there are sometimes lines to get in - but the wait is well worth it.
3. On board, use common sense. Cruise ships are among the safest places in which you can vacation (in fact, per FBI statistics, cruise ships as a “place” are safer than virtually any other “place” in the country), but just because you’re on holiday doesn’t mean you should forget basic security. Lock your cabin door, use the deadbolt, keep your wallet, camera, documents etc. in your in-cabin safe or store valuables in a safety deposit box in the Purser’s Office.
4. Bring photocopies of your Passport and Birth Certificate with you, and keep them separate from the actual documents. In the unlikely event that your documents are lost or stolen, having these two things will make it much easier to get replacements. I always take photocopies of other documentation as well, such as my credit cards and flight confirmations and itineraries, which I pack separately.
5. Wash your hands. The easiest way to avoid “picking up a bug” while on a cruise (or in a hotel or convention center, for that matter) is by washing your hands frequently. When we travel, we keep a small squeeze tube of hand cleaner-plus-lotion with us, and use it all the time. We also bring a small package of disinfecting wipes to clean often-touched things like the cabin door handles and light switches, too.

It’s also worth remembering that the cruiselines themselves take safety and security very seriously. From often utilizing closed-circuit cameras, to on-board security staff who are frequently former law enforcement personnel, to modern vessels with the latest in safe design, to international rules and regulations designed with your well-being in mind, you should feel great about choosing to cruise. Tens of millions of your fellow cruise vacationers sure do.

I realized yesterday that it had been far too long since I had posted anything here (the challenges of a startup I suppose) and  asked folks (via twitter - I’d love to connect with you too, via www.twitter.com/stuartma) for ideas. I was really pleased to get many responses from folks with a whole host of suggestions. It was fantastic. I am planning to go through a bunch of them, but I thought I would start with a real tough one: managing the potential of end-of-cruise sticker shock.

Now unless you are an avid cruiser, you may not realize that after you board them, cruise ships are - for the most part- cashless, but not free places, where each and every purchase is charged to your cabin account using a pass card that usually doubles as your cabin key and ship entry pass. That could be drinks, store purchases, wine at the restaurant, spa treatments, shore excursions: you name it. Every time you buy something, you sign for it and it gets added to your bill. Often, gratuities are added automatically as well. All this charging can lead to a bit of a shock at the end of the trip. So how do you avoid that? Here are 5 suggestions:

1. Go to the Purser’s office and ask about setting a limit on your purchases. They can often do this, and that way when you reach it, you know earlier than upon departure.
2. When you order wine in the restaurant, ask the Wine Steward to keep any remaining in the bottle for the next evening. They usually will, and then bring it back out to you the next day.
3. When lounging by the pool, enquire about any “drinks of the day” or other available specials. Often these are offered and might give you the chance to try something new - and get a deal too!
4. Consider paying your cabin charges with travelers checks at the Purser’s office, at least for some of it. You can typically make a payment anytime during the cruise. One time, when my Wife and I did particularly well at the Casino, we went straight to the Purser and put our winnings on our tab.
5. Consider taking advantage of spa services during port days. Many lines offer special pricing while the vessel is docked at a port of call, and coming back from half a day exploring to an expert massage on board can be a lovely thing - even moreso when it’s a deal.

Beyond these, you may wish to consider some luxury lines which include many on-board amenities, including drinks, in-room bars and even some shore excursions.

But the real thing to remember with cruising is that, despite on-board expenses, it is really tremendous value. A ship that’s right for you, new exotic ports, great dining, excellent entertainment, enriching lectures, superb kids facilities - most of it included. And being at sea under a blanket of stars? Well, that’s free.

Celebrity Cruises new, still-under-construction Solstice Class ships are going to feature something that I don’t think we’ve ever seen before.

A lawn. For “bocce and cocktails under the stars,” Celebrity says.

Is that cool or odd? I think cool, personally. What do you think?

Photos of Solstice under construction here and here.

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I asked my Wife to marry me on a cruise. It was 1992, we were in the harbour in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, in the USVIs. We had had a great week aboard Star Princess (the first one) and that last night, as the lights of the town twinkled and we set sail, the moment was perfect. We were young(er) and weren’t even sure that a cruise was right for us. Funny to think about now, given that we’ve taken many since including most recently all three generations of our family, through the Panama Canal aboard Celebrity’s Summit. So yes, we know: cruising is a great way to travel. But finding that perfect cruise? Not so much.

I’ve been involved in the travel and Internet world for some time now (I ran Marketing at Signature Vacations, a large Canadian vacation package company, thereafter started Expedia.ca in Toronto and finally ran Marketing for Expedia.com in Seattle until the company was sold) and I’ve long been puzzled why it seems to be so hard to find the right cruise online. I really noticed it when we were planning our Panama trip we did last April. The online resources were limited and didn’t feel right, it felt like I couldn’t get the whole story, and seemed that the cruise lines and agencies wanted me to do it their way - which to me, felt a lot like ancient history. Not to say that the offline agency we worked with was bad; it wasn’t. It just wasn’t what I wanted to do, and felt that I had no other choice, really. I kept thinking, why can’t I do things right now? Why can’t I interact with people who know about this stuff, either Cruising Pros or Fans? Why can’t I share what I am thinking about this? Why do I need to leave a message for someone? Aren’t we past all this pain?

Out of that, Tripharbor.com and Tripharbour.ca were born. We really, really want you to find the right cruise. We want you to get the support, knowledge and confidence that you deserve. We want you to be able to interact with Cruising Pros and Fans, to get insider tips, to be able to share your cruising passions and problems and, when the time is right, to book your perfect cruise. We know we won’t get it completely right, at least not right away, but that’s what we are setting out to do.

And while I’m thinking of it, what would you love to be able to do when it comes to finding the perfect cruise? Tell us here, as a comment, or via email to tellus (at) tripharbor (dot) com, or tellus (at) tripharbour (dot) ca.

We can’t wait to get started. Stay tuned, and thanks for dropping by.

Update: Great comments from Mathew Ingram, Mark Evans, Rob Hyndman and Tris Hussey at Maple Leaf 2.0.

- Stuart MacDonald (CEO and Founder)

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