| tripcentral.ca |
|
|
| Q. Who is www.tripcentral.ca? |
A. Tripcentral.ca is national Canadian website operated by Travel Superstore Inc., that also operates four physical travel agencies in the Hamilton, Burlington, and Dundas, Ontario, Canada. We have been in business since 1989, employing approximately 30 people, and annual sales of over $24 million. The agencies are licenced under the Ontario Travel Industry Act and registered with TICO - Travel Industry Council of Ontario (registration 4545158). We are also a member of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA), and IATA - International Airline Transportation Association.
|
| Q. How do I talk to a professional travel agent for help? |
|
A. During office hours (Monday-Friday 9am-9pm EST and Saturday 10am-5pm EST) please call our offices 416-848-0964 (Toronto), 905-570-9999 (Hamilton) or toll free at 800-665-4981. |
| Q. What are all the numbers? |
|
A. Each number represents the lowest applicable cruise only price (including port taxes) for the zone, region, or itinerary type during the applicable date range. For example, when you see "SUN" and a price of 445 in the month of January, it means that the lowest price SUN cruise in January is 445 including port taxes. As you choose other constraints, the price will change. For example, when you choose "ONE WEEK", the price may change to something like 690, and when you then choose OUTSIDE CABIN, the price may jump to 900. It is essentially the starting "from" price. |
| Q. What is a duration? |
|
A. The duration is the length of your cruise. Some cruise lines advertise the number of "days" of the cruise, and some indicate the number of nights. We show you a standardized number of nights, the most common way of measuring vacation duration. A one week cruise is typically 7 nights, or 8 days, if you count the embarkation day and disembarkation day as well. The reality is, you board in the afternoon of embarkation, and disembark early in the morning. There are many cruises that are less than a week, and many that are far longer than a week. Choosing one week will return durations of 6-8 nights. Cruises less than a week may look cheap, but remember that airfare is extra. |
| Q. What is a cabin category? |
|
A. Most ships have an average of 10 or so "categories"; a grouping of cabins based on location on the ship. We have broken these categories into three groups: least expensive (most often an inside cabin with no window), "best outside price" - meaning the lowest priced outside cabin, and "best balcony", meaning the least expensive balcony price. The "best outside" may often be at the extreme front or back of the ship, or have an obstructed view. To get pricing on a specific category or cabin type, mention it in the comments section of the request form. |
| Q. How are ship sizes defined? |
|
A. Almost all of the cruise ships shown on this site are "large", with the exception of sailing ships. Large has become a relative term, and it is difficult to draw the line as to what is large and what is small. We have determined that large ships characteristically are larger than 60,000 gross registered tonnes, however this description may differ depending upon the facilities of the ship. Choosing "small ship" will eliminate the mega-liners, for those looking for a more intimate experience. For those who want the facilities of the newest megaliners, choosing large ship, will remove all ships that less than 60,000 tonnes from being displayed. |
| Q. What is included in the prices displayed? |
|
A. All prices include accommodations on the selected ship and date for the duration of the cruise, all meals on board, entertainment on board, and port taxes. Airfare to the port of embarkation and return from disembarkation is not included, as it is dependent upon where you are flying from, dates, days of week, times, availability, and fares. Tipping is extra. For tipping guidelines, see our write up on About Cruises, which you can find on our home page. |
| Q. How do I get an airfare quote? |
|
A. Send in a request to one of our experienced cruise agents with your home city, and we'll find you the best airfare from a number of sources. If you are flexible with your dates of departure (willing to spend a few days pre or post of your cruise, let us know this in your additional comments section). |
| Q. Why are some options “greyed out”? |
|
A. If an option is "greyed out", there is nothing available for that choice. You can only make changes or choices if they are possible, so we avoid telling you "No Match Found". |
| Q. What's the best way to use this site? |
A. Click on the most important thing for you first. For example, if you can only travel during a given week, choose your week first. You do this by choosing a month, then a weekend. Once you choose the weekend, it will break the whole week out into specific days. Then choose the next most important criteria. Usually it is duration. If you want to travel for a week, choose "one week". If you have specific requirements of your cabin (outside or balcony) choose this first too, so that the prices you see reflect the cabin you want to sail in. Least expensive is almost always an inside cabin. It is also possible to show only ONE cruise line or ship in the summary by choosing from the drop down, but only do this if you would ONLY consider that line. After you have made your selections, the summary prices you see at the "starting from" prices, for months and itinerary zones. You can now start looking at itineraries by clicking the applicable zone (Sun, Alaska, Europe, or Exotic).
If you want to travel to a specific region or itinerary, it is important to choose this first, before making other selections such as duration, line, ship size etc. This is especially true for Exotic and European sailings, where the number of sailings is significantly less than in the Caribbean and Alaska. For example, in Northern Europe, there are only a handful of Norwegian Fjords sailings, so it is unwise to choose your month of departure, only to find there are no Norwegian Fjords cruises in that month. |
|
|
