Two-Year Anniversary And Welcome

Todd Carlson 0:16

Helping you plan your next vacation. This is the Inside Travel Talk Podcast and Radio Show. Presented by Blue Planet Vacations.com. America's best travel advisors. Call us now. 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700. And check out the podcast at Inside TravelTalk.com. Here's Patrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo.

Patrick Wiscombe 0:54

What a joyous occasion it is to be on the air, celebrating two years of bringing this radio show and podcast to our listeners here in the state of Utah and around the world. Happy birthday to this show, Mark. Been doing this for two years. Yeah, it's pretty incredible. This is the award-nominated and frequently duplicated Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show. Hello there. I am Patrick Wiscombe. He is Mark Faldmo. And if you are brand new to the show, our job is to help you plan and book your next vacation or give you ideas of where you may want to go on vacation next. And we are presented by BluePlanetVacations.com. If you're new to the show, thank you for subscribing. If you've been with us for the entire two years, thank you so much for allowing us to be part of your weekend each and every Saturday and Sunday. Just incredible that it's been a couple years. This week we're going to help you save up to $550 when you vacation in Fiji. And Mark, we have the story that Celebrity River Cruises, a brand new, not a new cruise company, but they're new to the River Cruise business, that they filled their entire new ship in six minutes.

Travel Headlines And Airline Shakeups

Patrick Wiscombe 2:08

We'll give you the details about the ship, but let's first get to the travel news headlines. American Airlines is going to launch their first Miami to Bimini route. That's a short flight.

Mark Faldmo 2:20

That is. So we've talked about Bimini on the show a few times. I love the Beach Club. Yeah. Awesome. It'll launch February 14th. It'll fly Monday, Wednesdays, and Saturdays from Miami, and it will be American Airlines shortest international route and their shortest route overall. It's 64 miles. They do have another route, and I can't believe they even fly this between Chicago and Milwaukee, which is 66 miles. But this route to Bimini makes sense because it is overwater. There is a ferry that people can take from Miami. This will make it quicker and easier to get to Bimini and those beautiful beaches.

Patrick Wiscombe 2:59

United takes aim at Spirit with increases and additions on 18 routes, which by the way, I don't know if you saw that news story a little bit earlier. Was it this week? Maybe it was late last week. That Spirit is pulling out of Salt Lake City officially. I think it was October 2nd, if memory serves.

Mark Faldmo 3:16

Yeah, they are pulling out, I think eight, maybe 12 cities they're pulling out of. So their strategy is shrink to survive. They do vow to continue operating, but they're going to look at the routes very strategically and less profitable routes they are going to cancel.

Patrick Wiscombe 3:32

Just for competition purposes, we hope that they make it truly.

Mark Faldmo 3:35

Yes. This story United has announced going into those places that Spirit has left. They're making increases on 16 different routes beginning in January. So they're really putting that pressure on Spirit. Oh, yeah. Not only in cities they already serve, but cities they're pulling out of.

Patrick Wiscombe 3:56

Frontier Airlines says that they're no longer used jet bridges. So, first of all, if people don't know what a jet bridge is, let's explain that and let's explain why they're no longer going to use them.

Mark Faldmo 4:07

The jet bridge is what you walk on to the airplane in the olden days. And if you're flying Frontier, you now walk out across the tarmac area and board the plane by stairs rather than the jet bridge. Really? Frontier says jet bridges raise the cost and weaken efficiency. Loading this way, and they're able to put stairs at the front and back of the airplane and load from two different parts of the airplane. They've been doing this in Denver for quite a while. They said it's a good success, but I don't know if you're in a blizzard in Denver, if you're gonna like boarding the plane that way, but they're gonna roll this out to more airports. You in fact in Denver, they built a whole new terminal just so they could load their planes this way, and they're gonna roll it out to more airports over the next year. In a place like Denver, I they've been doing it for almost two years now. So I guess it works and people don't complain about it. But I've been in some pretty

Fiji Deal And How To Save

Mark Faldmo 5:03

nasty blizzards in at the Denver airport. That's interesting.

Patrick Wiscombe 5:08

Yeah. Let's get to the travel deal of the week. And this week we're going to Fiji. We are gonna help you save up to $550 when you vacation in Fiji. What are the details, Mark?

Mark Faldmo 5:24

Fiji Airways, we've talked about this on occasion. They have some really good lead-in fares to Fiji. It's like $749 from Los Angeles. So how much $749 round trip. So I've looked for complete vacation packages. So this is airfare from Los Angeles. We can help with your flights from wherever you're coming from, Salt Lake or wherever, to Los Angeles, middle of November, so before Thanksgiving. Four-star adults-only hotel, $1,099 per person. And then if we go up where I stayed in May, the Sheraton Fiji Golf and Spa Resort, $13.49 per person. That is amazing. It is. And then I've got a few other on the Blue Planet Vacations.com website on the Fiji deal. You can look at a few of the other deals. Now with that airfare, these are kind of preset packages. Sure. We can help you with some more customized packages and go out to islands on the Mamanuku Islands, which those island stays are wonderful. There's lots of different ways you can do Fiji. You can take one of these preset vacation packages where you're in one hotel on the main island, or you can split your time between the main island and some of the outer islands. I love that. Because you you're you're on a hotel that's maybe anywhere between 20 and 40 rooms, and it's the only thing on the island. You have the whole beaches to yourself, or there's actually some cruises that also go around the island that you can do. Take advantage of this Fiji Airways special. Oh, yeah. Which they've had. It's fluctuated between 749 and 799. It's a longer flight, but that makes it comparable to Hawaii. So if you've been to Hawaii a lot, go to a different tropical paradise. And you love Fiji. You've said that for years. The people are so nice. It's not a highly visited destination. There are lots of hotels there, but you still kind of feel that island vibe that you don't get in some of the other destinations.

Patrick Wiscombe 7:29

Call Mark at the break. And we're going to take a break right now. Just get the conversation started. There's no obligation. 888-718-7717. 888-718-7717. And you can also get the contact information on the website, blueplanetvacations.com. When we come back, it is time, it is time, it is time for the infamous just cruising segment where it's only about the cruise news headlines and it's only about cruise deals. This week we're talking Alaska, and we've got some significant savings. So stick around, if you would please, to help us celebrate being on the air for two years. Thank you so much for allowing us to be part of your weekend. We will be back in about 60 seconds.

Todd Carlson 8:27

If you have travel questions, they have the answers. You're listening to the Inside Travel Talk Podcast and Radio Show with Patrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo, presented by Blue Planet Vacations.com. Call or text the show right now. 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700. We'll be right back.

Just Cruising Segment Kicks Off

Patrick Wiscombe 10:08

Thank you for allowing us to be part of your weekend for the last two years. Whether you listen to us live on the radio here in Salt Lake City or around the country, you can hear the show every Saturday morning, every Sunday morning at 11 a.m. on whatever radio station you're listening to. But if you're unable to catch us live, you can subscribe to the podcast by going to insidetraveltalk.com. We have links to all of the podcast platforms. Or if you are not a podcaster, you can just stream the show live at inside travel talk.com. This is the infamous just cruising segment, this segment that has helped us become popular worldwide. But

Celebrity River Cruises Sellout Story

Patrick Wiscombe 10:52

before we get to the cruise deals of the week, let's get to the cruise news headlines. Madonna has a song called Four Minutes. We are just going to change that to six minutes. Six minutes to save the world. Celebrity, they sold out their first ever River Cruise ship. They sold it out in six minutes. But in the process, they have now since selling out the ship, which people didn't know where they were going to go. They didn't know what ship they were going to be on. They sold it out in six minutes. Now they've revealed the look and the name of their first ever River Cruise ship. Mark has the details.

Mark Faldmo 11:26

Last week we were supposed to talk about that. They've opened up those deposits and about 40 minutes before we went on air. I got word that it sold out in six minutes. So people were putting down a $500 deposit, not knowing the name of the ship, not knowing the itinerary. They could just choose if it was on the Danube or the Rhine. Since then, they've announced some information about the ships, including their names, which are the Celebrity Compass and the Celebrity Seeker. They will be modeled after the same design as the Celebrity Edge class ocean ships.

Patrick Wiscombe 12:15

Love that idea. Those edge class ships are beautiful.

Mark Faldmo 12:19

Yeah, and they will have kind of a first on river cruise. They'll have a cantilever dining pod where you can eat in a dining pod and be raised up so you can get a 360-degree view of wherever you're cruising.

Patrick Wiscombe 12:32

I like it.

Mark Faldmo 12:36

And they've announced they're gonna have 33 seven-night sailings on the Rhine and the Danube. State rooms will all have a king bed with balcony, complimentary mini bar, destination-inspired amenities. Um and they say they'll have the most in-room amenities and features when compared to other river cruise lines. Everyone will pick up their game to match this. Oh, yeah. And if you're in a suite, you'll have an on-demand butler, and you'll also have access to an exclusive dining room and room service.

Patrick Wiscombe 13:07

I've never had a butler, but I've always wanted to be buttled.

Mark Faldmo 13:11

Yes.

Patrick Wiscombe 13:12

That just sounds awesome. Uh Ferguson, uh, you know, go get this, please.

Mark Faldmo 13:16

I've had one a few times and never known how to use some or what to do. It just feels weird to ask someone to do that. When you could go do it yourself. So yeah.

Patrick Wiscombe 13:28

Carnival Cruise Line goes beyond soft drinks with zero-proof

New Cruise Perks And New Fees

Patrick Wiscombe 13:33

drink package. So, you know, I'm a huge Dyke Coke fan, but all I get when I'm on vacation are virgin pina coladas. I just love them. This sounds like something up my alley.

Mark Faldmo 13:44

They have their package, which is called the bottomless bubbles, which is the full complete drink package of everything. Bottomless what? Bubbles. Oh, bubbles. Bubbles, yeah. And then they've had their soft drink package. So now that they kind of have an in-between one, which is their Cheers Zero Proof package, which is more than soft drinks. You can get alcohol-free cocktails, mixed drinks, among many other options. So there's kind of that in-between package, you know me. I I'll just go drink the virgin pina colada all day long on that. Yeah, I would too. Throw in a strawberry daiquiri on occasion there.

Patrick Wiscombe 14:24

But that sounds delightful. Royal Caribbean is going to charge guests a fee for specialty dining. That part is not new. However, if you no show, you're still gonna get charged.

Mark Faldmo 14:39

And an additional fee, an extra fee. So if you don't show, there will be a fee on top of what you already paid, which is not refundable. They've announced that fee at their higher-end restaurants. So the Supper Club, Royal Railway, the Tepanyaki, and Chef's Table is $50 per person for those. Oh, per person. At some of their regular restaurants, it's 50% of the base cost of the reservation. And in other venues, it's $25 per person. So kind of varies by restaurant, but they are going to do a no-show fee.

Patrick Wiscombe 15:11

We want you to be part of the show. So if you have travel related questions, even if it's just trip specific, vacation specific, you can get in touch with us during the week and while we're on the air. 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700 is how you get in touch with us so we can answer your travel specific question. This text question came from one of our listeners. Last four digits are one three eight two. Uh

Alaska Cruise Tours Listener Question

Patrick Wiscombe 15:40

we don't have a name on this, right, Mark?

Mark Faldmo 15:42

We don't. Just just the last four digits of that number.

Patrick Wiscombe 15:46

Okay, so one three eight two. Here we go. Questions about Princess Alaska cruise and land tours is the subject. They are looking at the 2027 schedule and want to do a northbound cruise from Vancouver, Canada with a land tour at the end. There seems to be lots of options for land tours to Princess Lodges. I would like to do both Denali and Mount McKinley Lodges. How many days do you recommend for the land option? And what are some tour options in Fairbanks, Alaska, and some in Anchorage? Is one better than the other and why? Man, there's a lot to cover there. So where do you want to start, Mark?

Mark Faldmo 16:26

First of all, let's just do an overview of what a cruise tour or a land and cruise tour is. These are very popular in Alaska, and they combine a seven-day north or southbound cruise with a three to ten day land tour in Alaska. This texture already said they want to do a northbound, but you can do the tour first and then the cruise, or you can do the cruise first and then the tour. Personally, I recommend doing the cruise first. Yeah, doing a northbound cruising, working your way into Alaska and finishing with the highlights like Denali, some of that spectacular stuff you see on the land tour. I think also the northbound cruises are typically not much, but a little bit less than the southbound cruises. Another thing to consider is do you want to travel by bus or rail for the land portion? Some of the cruise tours are all rail, some of the cruise tours are all bus, and some combine both bus and rail. By bus, you do get there a lot quicker and have more time in places. But the rail is amazing in Alaska. And Princess calls it direct to wilderness, where you walk off the cruise ship, just walk about 15 yards, get on the train, and they take you right up to Denali.

Patrick Wiscombe 17:46

Did you say direct wilderness?

Mark Faldmo 17:49

Direct to the wilderness is is the name of that service that they offer. So you go direct from the ship to the wilderness. Another thing to consider with Alaska Cruise Tours is do you want to be on your own? So more independent, or do you want it completely guided? Princess offers four main types of tours. One is on your own, which basically includes the transportation and lodging only. The on your own tours are typically by bus, but there are some that do have some combination of rail. These are ideal for people who want to be more independent, arrange their tours, arrange the things to do when you get there. I will say a lot of times, some of the things like the Denali, going into the Denali, you have to do it by park bus, which can sell out. So if you do on your own, you may not get to Denali. Um the next way is called Denali Explorer. So it includes usually multiple night stays in Denali, at least two and up to four, includes transportation, lodging, and offers a deeper immersion into Denali Park and includes that excursion into Denali Park. So it does include some tours, but offers some time for leisure to do your own thing. And then Princess offers, they call it off the beaten path, which goes to some of their more remote lodges. You still get the Denali because Denali is what everyone wants to do, but then it goes to some of their other lodges, and then they offer connoisseur, which is completely 100% escorted. It's like doing a bus tour. So you have a professional host and escort with you at full-time. It includes the most tours, most planned activities, and also includes most meals where the other types don't include a lot of meals. So there's less planning, kind of more comfort in that connoisseur type tour. They do have a few others that dive deeper into national parks and things like that, but those are their four main tours that they offer. Princess also owns and operates five of their own lodges in Alaska, which makes it nice because you're on a princess product the whole time of your vacation. The most famous one is the Princess Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge, which is just a mile from the entrance to Denali National Park. It's a prime home base to explore that area. The next most common one is the Mount McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge. It's about 40 miles from Denali National Park. But the one thing that this offers is if there are no clouds, I put that caveat in there. It offers the best views of Denali. They have a great room where you just sit there and it has Mount McKinley in its view. Oh wow. Amazing views of the park. Um, they have Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge, which is in the Kenai Peninsula. And then my favorite one is the Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge. It's over kind of by College Fjord, and it's the remote lodge. When I went there, I don't know if they've changed this. You can only get there by bus, and it was a dirt road by bus to get. So that's how remote it is. Not even paved roads going into that, at least when I did it. And that's been about 10 years ago. So this is where you'd really visit the wilderness in those last two lodges, the Copper River and the Kenai Princess Lodge. And then they also have a lodge in Fairbanks, which a lot of the cruise tours do end in Fairbanks.

Patrick Wiscombe 21:16

My word, there is no short of of options here.

Mark Faldmo 21:20

No, they there are probably 50 or 60 different tour options you can choose between lengths of stay and types and ha how they do that.

Patrick Wiscombe 21:31

The person texting us from 1382, this feels like you need to have a longer conversation with Mark.

Mark Faldmo 21:39

I mean, based on the criteria and questions that he asked, I have my recommendation of what he should do. You know, his first question was end in Fairbanks or End in Anchorage. I would choose end in Fairbanks. The tour that I would recommend, I would recommend an 11 or 12-day Denali Explorer tour that ends in Fairbanks. The one I recommend is tour IA5, is the number that Princess uses for that. It includes Mount McKinley Lodge, Denali Lodge, and Fairbanks. What you'll do is you do get that direct to Wilderness Service. So you'll walk off the ship, board a train up to Talkeetna, which is where you'll spend two nights at Mount McKinley Wilderness Lodge. And then after that, you'll take a bus to Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge, spend two nights there. And then it's it's a short drive from the Denali Princess Lodge up to Fairbanks. On that drive is when you'll do that paddle wheel ship on the river, but then you'll spend one night in Fairbanks and then come home. These cruise tours range anywhere from three to ten days. But I like the ones that include at least a portion of your activities and also a little bit more assistance as you're going as compared to those on your own ones. That's what I would recommend for our caller.

Patrick Wiscombe 22:55

Just before we wrap up, let's hurry and get to the cruise deal of the week, which is princess

Princess Alaska Deal And Deadlines

Patrick Wiscombe 22:59

cruises up to 40% off. And the third and fourth guests are free for 2026 and 2027. But you need to book pretty quick.

Mark Faldmo 23:10

Yep, you do. So it's booked by October 15th for that 40% off. And you know, this is good for sailings anywhere in the world, but we're talking about Alaska and Alaska cruise tours. So that that 42% off is off of the cruise portion of that tour. And also the third and fourth guest is only for the cruise portion. Um do the cruise tour. So uh, you know, just quickly, I look May dates for that tour IA5 that I uh recommended. So in 2026, the price starts at 2,099 per person. In 2027, it starts at $25.59 per person. That's for the inside cabins, and it jumps up about six or seven hundred dollars per person if you go to the balcony for that cruise tour.

Patrick Wiscombe 23:55

So about thirty two hundred on the on the balcony stuff.

Mark Faldmo 23:59

Correct. Okay. I think a cruise tour is the best way to see Alaska.

Patrick Wiscombe 24:03

You will never be disappointed if you go to Alaska. Never. There are two vacations that are absolute guaranteed hits: Alaska and Hawaii. And I'll even throw in Fiji.

Mark Faldmo 24:17

And Fiji since we talked about it.

Patrick Wiscombe 24:19

Yep. Take advantage of this particular offer.

Where To Listen And Final Sendoff

Patrick Wiscombe 24:24

888-718-7717. 888-718-7717. You can also see all of this on Blue Planet Vacations.com. You can listen to this award-nominated show again tomorrow morning, Sunday at 11 a.m. right here on the radio station that you're listening to around the country, but also right here in Salt Lake. And you can stream, download, and subscribe to the podcast at inside travel talk.com. We are on all of the major podcast platforms, and you can stream the show right on inside travel talk.com. Okay, it's your turn now to get out and explore the world while you can because you never know what curveballs life is going to throw at you. Live your life deliberately, live your life intentionally, and a sincere thank you for listening. We don't have a business, we don't have a show without you. Thank you so much for listening. We'll talk to you next weekend.

Todd Carlson 25:31

That's it. That's the end of the show. You've been listening to the Inside Travel Talk Podcast and Radio Show with Patrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo. Presented by Blue Planet Vacation.com. Book your adventure right now. Call 888-718-7717. That's 888-718-7717. Thanks for listening. Have a great week.