Register | Forgot Password? | Customer Service

 

The beauty of online communities is that we all benefit from sharing our experience, curiosity and knowledge. It’s called the “wisdom of crowds,” and it means that we all get to make more informed decisions about the things we want to buy and what we should pay for it – in this case, cruise vacations.   

That’s the objective of Tripharbor. We want to provide a way for online shoppers to get independent information about cruise lines, ships and destinations. We want a way for them to share experiences and ask questions. We want to improve their chances of finding the best cruise experience at the best possible price. And we want to do it through our community by letting them do the talking!

That’s why I’m delighted that Tripharbor has just appointed four “Cruise Directors” to help me provide knowledgeable insights and opinions on our community forums and boards. They’ll join me in serving as a resource that visitors to Tripharbor can use to get informed views and answers to their questions on cruising and cruising related topics.

The four newly-appointed Cruise Directors are Jackie Condie, Winston Kassim, John Wolbert and John Smith. They were chosen as Cruise Directors because of their cruising experience and port knowledge, and their activity level in posting comments on the community forums. Together, we have sailed on more than 20 different cruise lines including Carnival, Cunard, Celebrity, Crystal, Holland America, NCL, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Regent, Silversea, Seabourn, Star Clipper, and Windstar, and have visited more than 100 destinations. 

Jackie lives in New Jersey and loves cruising so much that her family is threatening to hold an “intervention.” I hope they stage it on a Royal Caribbean ship in Alaska and invite us! 

John W. lives in Florida and loves driving to the pier. He’s spent so much time in the Caribbean that they may name an island after him. Uhhhh…I think they already have – it’s called St. John’s, USVI!!

Winston lives in Ontario and loves seeing the world through a porthole. His last cruise was to the Baltic, but he’s thinking of doing a Panama Canal or South American voyage next if he can talk his wife into it. I’m betting he’ll succeed!   

John Smith lives in Ontario but hails from London, England. In between sailing the Greek Islands, he spends a great deal of time in Bermuda, the Bahamas and Europe, and has journeyed as far as South Africa. He’s the guy you want on your Trivial Pursuit team when the final question involves famous destinations! 

I know Jackie, Winston and the two Johns will be a great resource for our community. And I hope you will look for their comments and advice as you go about planning your next vacation at sea.

 

With students getting ready to return to school for another term of study and exams, it seems like the perfect time to run our first Cruise Maven Trivia Quiz. After all, do you know a better way to make friends and influence people than dazzling them with an uninterrupted flow of fascinating cruise trivia? I mean, isn’t everyone just dying to know the names of all the old characters from the original “Love Boat” television series?

I knew you would agree, so I put together a short quiz that’s designed to determine your current Cruise Intellect Quotient (CIQ) and see if you qualify for the coveted title of “Cruise Maven.” Just answer the questions below, give yourself one point for each correct answer, and compare your total score to our CIQ rankings. You can find the answers and rankings at the bottom of this post, but no cheating! Once you reach the status of Cruise Maven, feel free to add this honorific to your business card next to less important professional designations such as doctor, lawyer, life coach, accountant, etc.

Here we go:

1. What was the name of the character who was the original Cruise Director on the “Love Boat?”

2. What does the acronym “POSH” stand for?

 

3. What is the name of the largest cruise ship in service today?
A. Freedom of the Seas
B. Queen Mary 2
C. Residensea
D. Carnival Splendor

4. Which famous cruise ship will be retired from active service in November and moved to Dubai to become a hotel? 

5. Which of the following cannot be found on a cruise ship?
A. Ice skating rink
B. Rock climbing wall
C. Miniature 9-hole golf course
D. Skate boarding course
E. Surf simulator

6. What is the name of the port town in the Mediterranean that services the city of Rome?
A. Linguini
B. San Pellegrino
C. Civitavecchia
D. Portofino

7. What was the name of the character who was the bartender on TV’s Love Boat?

8. What does the acronym SOLAS stand for?

9. What is the suffix that the names of all Holland America cruise ships end with?

10. What is the name of the new Celebrity Cruise Line ship that is scheduled to begin service in November?

11. What is the small vessel called that ferries passengers from ship to shore?

12. What is the famous dessert called that is traditionally served at the Captain’s farewell dinner and is named after one of the 50 states?

13. What name did Carnival Cruise Lines give the first ship it put into service in 1972?

14. What was the name of the purser on TV’s Love Boat?

15. Name one of two great ocean-going cruise ships originally built for Norwegian America Line that had the suffix “fjord” and now sail under the names of the Saga Rose and Saga Ruby?

Rules: Your rankings are final. If you disagree with yourself, call your doctor or the Commodore Dave Customer Help Department. The help department operates on the same principle as your local government help line: it is closed Monday to Friday, as well as on weekends.

Score Yourself: 0-3 points, Cruise Wannabe; 4-7 points, Cruise Newbie; 8-11 points, Cruise Savvy; 12-15 points, Cruise Maven.

Answers: (1)-Julie McCoy; (2)-Port Out, Starboard Home; (3)-Freedom of the Seas; (4)-QE2; (5)-Skate boarding course; (6)-Civitavecchia; (7)-Issac; (8)-Safety Of Life At Sea; (9)-dam; (10)-Celebrity Solstice; (11)-Tender; (12)-Baked Alaska; (13)-Mardi Gras; (14)-Gopher; (15)-Sagafjord or Vistafjord.

I’m always searching for ridiculously low fares so that I can justify taking another cruise. The logic goes something like this: “Hey, that’s a terrific price — we could never travel to those places as cheaply by land.” Or: “Wow, we couldn’t even live that cheaply at home.”

However, what I’ve discovered over the years is that while there are lots of great values on cruises, the most spectacular pricing deals at sea are usually found on repositioning cruises.

So what’s a repositioning cruise?

“Repo” cruises occur when a cruise line has to move ships from one part of the world to another at the end or beginning of a season. For example, when ships have to relocate from the Caribbean to Europe in the spring (and vice-versa in the fall), from Alaska to the Caribbean in the fall (and vice-versa in the spring), etc. Occasionally, they also occur when a ship does a one-time itinerary to relocate a ship to a new region – for example, when ships too large to transit the Panama Canal have to sail around the horn of South America to get from one ocean to another. Or when they sail from Alaska to Japan to begin an Asian itinerary.

The reason these types of “repo” cruises are such great values is that they offer fewer ports of call than mainstream cruises, the weather is sometimes a bit less pleasant than in peak season, and they usually involve transits across large bodies of water like the Atlantic and Pacific oceans that can sometimes have rougher seas. As a result, the fares aboard these repo cruises are way cheaper, and represent some of the lowest per diem costs in the industry.

How low can they go?

Well, just last week I came across a trans-Atlantic cruise from Spain to Texas departing in November that had fares starting at just US$649 per person (double occupancy) for a 15-day voyage, or an incredible $43.26 per day (without taxes and fees). And I found many other trans-Atlantic cruises that ranged in price from $56 to $86 per diem per person (without taxes and fees). Just the sort of cheap rates I need to convince my wife that it’s time for another cruise!

Of course, there are reasons these repo cruises are so well priced. Take, for example, the trans-Atlantic voyages that sail each spring and fall. Firstly, these cruises are usually at sea for the entire voyage, or at best, include a few ports of call at the beginning or end of the cruise. That can mean 4 to 6 days at sea without a port of call. Secondly, the weather at that time of year on the Atlantic may not be at its best. So if you suffer from motion sickness or don’t like to be inside a ship for an entire week, it may not be your cup of tea.

However, if you enjoy exploring a ship, dining out three times a day, catching a lecture, curling up with a book, and attending an evening show, then repo cruises are for you. And if you compare the best trans-Atlantic cruise fares to the costs of flying across the Atlantic, it can actually save you money to cruise one way and fly back the other. This is especially true if you compare the cost of a cruise to the price of a business class ticket with an airline. After all, you get far more for your money on the cruise ship, and it’s a much more pleasant experience than travelling by air.

So now that I’ve piqued your interest in a repo cruise, you might be wondering how you can find out what’s available and how to get the best deals.

Well, that’s the easy part. Just call your travel agent (you can reach one of our agents toll-free at 1-877-810-8747), or if your agency has one, subscribe to their newsletter (you can subscribe to our newsletter by sending an email to “guestservices@tripharbour.ca” or at “guestservices@tripharbor.com”). In fact, this week’s Tripharbor newsletter is all about repositioning cruises, and it lists a number of great deals. Check it out!

But no matter where you get your information from, repo cruises are worth looking into. And while they may not the best itinerary for novice sailors, trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific voyages can be a tremendous experience for veteran cruisers who are willing to live with their limitations.

The 2nd Commodore Dave Booster Rally was held in Madeira Beach, Florida on August 4 as dolphins, egrets and pelicans played outside. Despite his affection for cruising the corridors of power, Governor Charlie Crist could not attend as he was home waiting for a call from John McCain. Vinny Lecavalier, the superstar hockey player who recently signed an $85 million contract extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning, was also a “no-show”. Apparently he was out shopping for his own cruise line.

The rally in Mad Beach was hosted by John and Linda, who moved to Florida from Virginia nearly 20 years ago and now run a home décor and furnishing store called “Sign of the Dolphin.” They are avid cruisers, and John is a newly appointed “Cruise Director” of the Tripharbor community, which means he is an active and valued contributor to the site.

After reading my blog about the Commodore Dave rally in Ottawa, John invited me to attend a similar function in this pretty beach community on the west coast of Florida. “We’ll do it with a Florida flair,” he promised, “on the waterfront with shrimp and chardonnay!”

The rally was attended by 16 people, most of whom are avid cruisers. That shouldn’t surprise anyone as Florida has the busiest cruise ship ports in the world, and more Floridians walk up the gangplank every year than any other state or province. The locals also love to plan group trips and take cruises for special occasions like anniversaries and weddings, which is even easier to organize when you can avoid airports and just drive to the port of embarkation.

That’s exactly what one of the couples at the rally told me they are planning to do this winter. Doc and Hazel’s daughter is getting married this year and the families of both the bride and groom are going to celebrate with a cruise. They’ve booked 15 cabins for a 5-day Caribbean cruise that will generate a lot of fun and a lifetime of wonderful memories.

In order to test the cruising knowledge of our rally participants, we held a short trivia quiz half way through the evening and gave out prizes, compliments of Tripharbor, for the best scores. The quiz consisted of 12 questions, some harder than others, such as “What is the name of the largest cruise ship in the world?” and “What is the suffix that the names of all Holland America ships end with?” (The answers to these and other questions will appear in a future blog.)

Doc and Frank tied for first place with a score of 8 points. Kathy, Denise and Hazel tied for second place with 7 points. And Marina, with assistance from her husband Tony, took third place with 6 points. Hazel dropped back to third after a tie-breaker question – “What was the name of the character who was the Captain of the Love Boat on TV?”

As for the remainder of the evening, we continued to sip champagne and chardonnay, graze on shrimp, cheese and smoked salmon pinwheels, and enjoy the wonderful company of our hosts and their fabulous friends. But before the night concluded, someone raised the inevitable question that comes from talking about cruising with good friends: “Why don’t we all go on a cruise together?”

Thanks to all the chardonnay, I don’t remember exactly what happened next. But somehow I think I’m on the hook to organize a Panama Canal cruise for 16 people!

It’s wonderful to see cruise lines building bigger and better ships that come with everything from ice skating rinks and public parks, to mini-golf courses and rock climbing walls. And let’s not forget the spectacular shopping promenades that are enclosed in beautiful atriums.

But the one thing the cruising industry seems to have overlooked is the single cruiser.

There are thousands of people who travel alone because they are single or occasionally take separate vacations from their spouse. Most are avid travelers and well suited to cruising because a ship is a great place to meet people and it’s a safer environment that many land-based locations.

And yet, most cruise lines don’t seem to be building new ships with any single cabins. And they are charging their solo sailors a hefty supplement just to walk up the gangplank.

For example, in the entire Holland America fleet of 14 vessels, only one ship has single cabins – the Prinsendam. And there are only three single cabins on the Prinsendam: two outside and one inside.

Furthermore, many lines are charging a premium for single cruisers to book a standard-sized cabin that borders on punitive. For example, single supplements with Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity run between 180 to 200 per cent. And Princess advertises single supplements of between 150 to 200 per cent. That means single sailors can end up paying twice as much as the per person fare for a couple occupying the same stateroom.

To be fair to the cruise lines, the cost of operating a ship is based on putting at least two people in every cabin, and generating on-board revenue from them. One person usually doesn’t spend as much as two people, and the cost of running the ship does not decrease much because it has fewer people on it. In addition, most land-based resorts operate the same way – their rooms are based on double occupancy because it doesn’t cost any less to have just one person in it.

So the issue isn’t that single travelers shouldn’t pay a premium to take a cruise, but rather how much of a premium is fair. And, what should cruise lines be doing to help reduce the financial burden on solo cruisers.

A number of cruise lines offer “guaranteed share” programs, where they find single travelers of the same sex to share a cabin. If the line can’t find a suitable person to share, the single cruiser gets the whole cabin without paying a premium.

Some cruise lines still have ships with a handful of single cabins on them – they are priced at a premium, but cost far less than the normal single supplement charge. And a number of lines have set single supplement fees at more reasonable levels.

For example, at Holland America and Star Clipper, supplements start at 150 per cent of the per person, double occupancy fare (e.g. $1,500 if the per person fare is $1,000). With Crystal, it begins at 125 per cent. And on Regent, it starts at just 110 per cent. The one caveat is that cruise lines with reasonable supplements for singles usually have a limited number of cabins available at these rates. In addition, the percent of supplement will vary depending on the cruise selected.

The bottom line is that while single cruisers still have to pay a premium to sail alone, some cruise lines are making a bigger effort than others to get their business. That’s a smart way to build loyalty with single travelers, some of whom may return one day with a companion, a spouse or even the kids!

A recent story in the New York Times questioned the legitimacy of art auctions at sea. The story referenced Luis Maldonado, a businessman from California who sailed on a Mediterranean cruise in 2006 and bought two “museum quality” Picasso prints appraised at more than $35,000 each and three Salvador Dali prints valued at $35,000 for the set. When he returned home and had the artworks independently appraised, he found that they were worth far less than what he had paid.

So what’s the deal with art auctions at sea?

For the uninitiated, most cruise ships invite passengers to attend art auctions, which are usually held on sea days. The auctions are run by reputable art galleries who pay the cruise line to sell art aboard their ships (Princess Cruises is one of the few that runs its own art auctions). The auctions can be good fun and passengers have the opportunity to learn about art and discover new artists. Champagne is usually served at the auction, and the event is considered to be just one more of the many onboard activities that passengers can choose from for entertainment.

The issue that has arisen is whether the “appraised value” of each piece of art put up for auction on cruise ships is actually a legitimate value, or whether it’s an artificial value created to encourage bidding at the auction. In addition, some passengers have claimed that onboard sales agent have used deceptive selling practices and pressure tactics to sell high-end items. Given the limited supply of certain pieces of art, the fragmented market for resale, and the motives of different appraisers, it’s difficult to conclude that every piece put up for sale at sea is over rated and over priced.

But Mr. Maldonado appears to have paid more for the pieces he bought during his cruise than he would have paid on land. According to the New York Times, Mr. Maldonado paid $24,265 for a 1964 numbered “Clown” print by Picasso that Sotheby’s had sold for just $6,150 in 2004. And our reluctant art lover is not alone: residents in Florida and California have filed class action suits against one of the galleries running auctions at sea for misrepresenting the value of its artwork. (The class actions suits have not yet been certified, and even if they eventually are, they may not be successful.)

I’ve participated in several art auctions at sea aboard Crystal and Regent cruise lines, and I’ve purchased six numbered prints. I’m happy with my artwork – numbered and signed prints by Fanch Ledan, Linda Lekinff, Emile Bellet and Itzchak Tarkay – and I was delighted to discover these artists and their work while at sea. Their prints are now proudly displayed in our home.

The difference for us is that we bought economical pieces of art that cost us between $100 to $250 per print. And we bought them because we liked them, rather than as a great investment that would make us money.

The lesson here is that cruise ships are not the best place to buy expensive pieces of art at auction, especially if you have limited knowledge of how to value art work. First of all, you have little or no chance to comparison shop; second, most sales are final; third, you are probably too relaxed to ask the right questions; and fourth, if it was as valuable as the vendor claims, someone more knowledgeable than you would have bought it a long time ago.

So if you are looking to make a good investment, my advice is to put your money somewhere else other than art auctions at sea. And if you do find some art aboard a ship that is irresistible, don’t bid more than you are happy to pay regardless of what the auctioneer may say it’s worth.

 

During our Mediterranean cruise in June, we visited “Ollie’s Last Pub” in Valetta, Malta where British actor Oliver Reed died during the filming of the Academy award winning movie, “The Gladiator.”

The quaint, tiny pub is a light-hearted shrine to the hard-living actor (see my blog of June 10 called “Arm wrestling with the ghost of Ollie Reed in Malta”), and it’s filled with photos and memorabilia related to his life.

After enjoying a couple of pints of good English draft beer, we bought a souvenir tee-shirt for our friend Nigel, who is actually a first cousin of the late actor and bares a slight resemblance to him. Nigel also shares some of Ollie’s better qualities including his love of life, people, good times, and the occasional bender. However, Nigel swears that Ollie’s penchant for disrobing in public in not a family gene he inherited.

Gail and I recently presented the tee-shirt to Nigel aboard his sloop while sailing in Lake Ontario. The front of the tee-shirt has a caricature of Ollie and a sailor arm wrestling at the bar, and the back features one of the actor’s many outrageous quotes. It looked perfect on Nigel, who is quite an “Ollie-esque” character around the yacht club where he moors his boat. In fact, the local bar stocks his own private brand of scotch and runs a tab for him.   

However, to date there have been no reports of Nigel arm wrestling at the bar. Perhaps that’s a habit best left to his late cousin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    I recently cancelled a Panama Canal cruise I had booked for January of 2009. I still want to go on a cruise through the Big Ditch, but I’ve had several friends ask if they could come along, so I decided to reschedule to a date that worked for everyone.

But when I advised the travel agency that I had booked the cruise with (I had booked this cruise before Tripharbour.ca/Tripharbor.com was launched in May of this year), I was told I would have to pay a $50 cancellation fee. “What?” I told them. “You’ve made money from my bookings in the past, and this is the first time I have ever cancelled a reservation. Why should I be charged a cancellation fee?”

“Well,” they told me, “we incur administrative expenses in booking your cruise, and we want to discourage people from randomly booking cruises without any serious intention to proceed with the booking.”

Needless to say, I was insulted. After all, I did all the research to find my cruise, I checked out all the prices, and I decided what level of cabin we wanted and when we would depart; all the travel agency did was take my reservation over the phone and make the booking—a five-minute task. So why do they deserve a $50 cancellation fee? Where’s the value?

In my view, they don’t deserve it.

Firstly, I put down a $903.88 deposit in January of this year, and the cruise line has had the benefit of my money until July – that’s seven months use of my money interest free. Secondly, I’ve made money for the travel agency in the past and this was the first time I have ever cancelled. So, in my book, the travel agency is still well ahead in the profit column.

To make matters worse, the travel agency charged my $50 cancellation fee to me in U.S. dollars through my VISA card. So the cancellation fee actually cost me $51.39 CDN. In addition, while the cruise line refunded my full deposit amount without any extra fees, I ended up getting only $880 back due to the differing exchange rates charged in buying and selling Canadian and US currency. So I’m out approximately $71.39 just for reserving a cruise and cancelling well within the cruise line’s allowable policy.

With this kind of customer service, it’s easy to understand why the majority of people in North America are now booking travel directly online as opposed to through travel agents. In fact, more than 60 per cent of leisure travel in the U.S. and 40 per cent in Canada is now booked online. And it’s expected this trend will continue as online booking sites become more consumer friendly and helpful.

These statistics and future trend are not surprising. Online sites like Tripharbour.ca and Tripharbor.com provide huge inventories of cruise sailings for travel consumers to look at and choose from – in Tripharbour/Tripharbor’s case, more than 10,000 cruises per week. In addition, they provide a community forum so that people can exchange information and share views about individual ships, ports of calls, food at sea, shore excursions, and more. And there are no cancellation fees outside of the cruise line’s policy.

So when it comes time to re-book my Panama Canal cruise, it won’t be with my old travel agency. Frankly, I’m tired of being taken for granted.

keep looking »