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15

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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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11 Comments so far

  1. Pema Hegan on January 18, 2008 4:47 pm

    Congratulations on anouncing TripHarbor Stuart. The cruise industry sounds like it’s ready for a shake up. Best of luck!

  2. Sulemaan Ahmed on January 19, 2008 8:58 am

    Congrats on launching Tripharbour.ca Stuart. I have no doubt this will be very successful.

  3. Frank Evans on January 20, 2008 8:12 am

    I saw Stuart MacDonald on a recent CBC program Trendsetters I think. I was interested in the new site because we have cruised extensively in the Caribbean and Mediterranean. I am interested in discussing the possibility of joining TripHarbour as an experienced cruiser and lending my sales experience to assist in building the business. Beyond my cruising experiences I am a frequent visitor to Hong Kong, China, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Costa Rica and Nicaragua are trying to find way to attract new visitors and are both very interesting places to visit. Both Countries offer the Caribbean and Pacific coasts.
    If your company is interested in meeting with me please call at my office 905 458 4730.

  4. John Philip Green on January 20, 2008 8:51 am

    Love the name and logo Stuart!

  5. Keith McArthur on January 21, 2008 1:10 pm

    Congrats Stuart! I’m a big fan of cruises, and I look forward to the launch of the site.

    Keith

  6. Ryan Anderson on January 22, 2008 8:13 am

    Congratulations on the launch, Stuart. I’m looking forward to seeing the service - hopefully it will help me deal with this case of full-blown wanderlust.

  7. Stuart on January 22, 2008 8:41 pm

    Thanks for the good wishes. We really appreciate them. Keep them coming.

  8. Donna Papacosta on January 23, 2008 7:49 am

    Congratulations, Stuart. Looks like an exciting venture.

    As someone who hopes to take her first cruise this year, I’d be curious to know about the demographics on certain cruise lines. Will I be sailing with 20-somethings or geriatrics or a mixture?

  9. Sameer Vasta on January 23, 2008 8:47 am

    Definitely looking forward to seeing what comes next. Never been a cruiser myself, but I’d like to explore…

  10. Erik Blachford on January 23, 2008 11:08 pm

    Looking forward to the launch, Stuart! Great to see this coming together. Very nice look to the project so far …

  11. Stuart on January 24, 2008 7:58 pm

    Donna: There’s a cruise that’s right for everyone. It’s finding it that’s tough. That’s what we’re working on. Stay tuned.

    Erik: Thanks. High praise indeed.