Jan

24

We’re Hiring!

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Jan

15

Welcome

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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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