Ship Sounds And April Cruise Recap

Patrick Wiscombe 0:55

That is the beautiful ship horn on Norwegians brand new ship called Aqua. A beautiful ship. Awesome ship. Nikki and I were on it in April for a five-day cruise where we went to Bimini. We also went to their private island. And I'm blanking on it. What's the name of their island? Is it Ocean Key? No, no, no. That's MSC. No, theirs is great stirrup key. Oh, thank you. I was like, I don't think it's uh as soon as I said Ocean Cay, I'm like, no, no, that's MSC's private island. When you do four cruises and four private islands, it's probably all hard to keep them on track. For anyone just listening to the uh radio show and podcast for the first time, Nikki and I literally spent the month of April in the Caribbean and the Bahamas. That is an experience I will never forget. Back to back to back to back cruises. So much fun. Let's get right to the cruise

MSC Sale With Kids Sailing Free

Patrick Wiscombe 1:55

news, Mark. And I think this is a big deal for MSc. MSC has their 4th of July sale going on right now. Do we know when it ends? Yeah, it will end next Wednesday. Okay, so act quickly.

Mark Faldmo 2:11

Act quickly. They may extend it, but you don't want to risk that. No, no, no.

Patrick Wiscombe 2:15

Their promotion that they're making for our listeners is say 40% off all cruises. Now that's a big deal because sometimes it's select cruises or slower times of the year. This is 40% off on all cruises plus kids sail free. And Nikki and I, as I mentioned, we were on MSc's World America in April. Beautiful ship, by the way. Just take my word for it. It is beautiful, definitely worth going. What would be your cruise pick, Mark?

Mark Faldmo 2:43

So

Seascape From Galveston Deal Breakdown

Mark Faldmo 2:43

to take advantage of this sale, my cruise pick would be Caribbean cruise from Galveston. And the reason why is probably purely because of the price. If you're looking for a great cruise deal, this is the itinerary for you. So it's Western Caribbean, goes from Galveston, which is close to Houston, goes to Costa Maya, Roatan in Honduras, and Cazamel in Mexico, and then back to Galveston. Is that a seven-day cruise? That is a seven-day cruise.

Patrick Wiscombe 3:11

That feels fairly port intensive for seven days.

Mark Faldmo 3:14

It is, yeah. Three ports in the seven days with three days at sea. Okay, yeah. All right. On that. And I think the best part of this is the price. So this is January 4th. So right when it's cold here, but an inside cabin starts at $475 per person. That is so balcony cabin starts at $699 per person. Oh wow. Now let's throw in the kids sell-free part of that. That first lead-in inside category does not accommodate two people. So you have to go to a higher cabin category price. But right now, when I look at it, a cabin for four, the total price with two adults, two kids, and all taxes and fees is $13.89 total for the whole family.

Patrick Wiscombe 4:05

Okay, so hold on. The lead-in category does not accommodate two people. That's what you said. Does not accommodate four people. Okay, got it. Okay.

Mark Faldmo 4:13

It was like it's a small cabin if it can't accommodate two people. If I misspoke, I apologize. It can only accommodate two people. Okay. It cannot accommodate four. So you do have to go up to a higher cabin category to get the uh kid cell free.

Patrick Wiscombe 4:28

That's a good promotion. Do we know what ship that one's on? Which MSc ship that is? Yeah, that's on the MSc Seascape.

Mark Faldmo 4:35

Oh, so they're moving Seascape to Galveston now. To Galveston, yeah. Oh, okay. And then again, that was January 4th. They do have similar deals later in January, but you're $50 to $80 more per person on later dates in January.

Patrick Wiscombe 4:52

By the way, if you can go after the holidays, if your schedule allows you to do that, go after the holidays. You will save a boatload of money, no pun intended. Yep. MSC

MSC Specialty Dining Goes Fixed-Price

Patrick Wiscombe 5:05

Cruises is changing to a fixed fee specialty dining plan and is also introducing dining packages. I think this is a good move on their part. It is.

Mark Faldmo 5:34

So if you want to go to the steakhouse, you'll pay whatever that fixed rate is, whether it's $25, $35, and you'll get an appetizer or a starter, a main course, and a dessert for that. And so you you'll have access to the full menu without that a la carte pricing. By doing that, it then allows them to do the dining packages. So you can just buy a dining package for the full week that might include three specialty restaurants. So that helps them price that a little bit better if you do want to buy that upgraded specialty meal package.

Regent’s 8,800-Square-Foot Suite

Patrick Wiscombe 6:10

Regent 7Cs, which is a very top level cruise line. Who's that owned by? Regent is owned by who? Norwegian Federation. Okay. They've announced that they are introducing a new level of service. Let's tell listeners about that.

Mark Faldmo 6:28

I could never afford this suite on their new ship, but it's interesting to talk about. On their newest ship, it will have a two-level suite that measures 8,800 square feet. It is two levels. It's called the Skyview Suite, located on front of the ship. Has two bedrooms, two and a half baths, a private sauna, and a private gym for that cabin. Hold on, did you say 8,800 square feet? 8,800 square feet. Yeah. I don't even know what to do with that much room. Yeah. Well, and only two bedrooms. So well, and and part of that 8,800 square feet is the private balcony that's 3,800 square feet. There you go. Twice the size of my house. But just just the balcony. It has a private bar, it has a private dining area that will seat 12 people, and only that suite gets that private dining venue. That will debut on the Regent Seven Seas Prestige, which is the name of the ship, in December of 2026.

Patrick Wiscombe 7:34

You know that I do real estate investment for a living. I love big, beautiful houses. That's the most amount of square footage I've ever heard on a ship.

Mark Faldmo 7:42

So your average inside cabin is about 200 square feet. That's a lot more than the average cabin on a cruise ship. What is that? 40 times more? Yeah.

Patrick Wiscombe 7:54

Royal

Royal Caribbean’s New Vanuatu Destination

Patrick Wiscombe 7:54

Caribbean is expected to open their brand new South Pacific destinations in early 2027. This feels like something out of a movie.

Mark Faldmo 8:05

This is another private destination, private island that they are going to open. It will be on Lalepa, which is an island in the Vanuatu archipelago. And so it's going to be like perfect day at Coco Kay. It looks like it's going to be more of along the lines of their beach clubs. They haven't set a name for it yet, but they've purchased the island and they've started building this private destination, which is about a thousand miles west of Australia. Whoa. So really out there. Really out there. Yeah. And by looking at the artist renderings, looks like it's going to be an amazing beach destination. Oh, yeah. So look forward to that. Royal Caribbean's long line of private destinations, whether it's islands or beach clubs, this will be someplace no other cruise line in the world has a private destination.

Patrick Wiscombe 9:00

They're taking investor money right now. I think they're really putting it to good use right now. Yeah.

Deal Of The Week River Cruising

Patrick Wiscombe 9:05

Here in the infamous Just Cruising segment, we always have the cruise deal of the week. And that is where we are right now. Who is the cruise deal of the week and what promotions do we have for listeners this week?

Mark Faldmo 9:17

This is on American Cruise Lines. They sail the American rivers. So the main ones being Mississippi and Columbia, but they sell some others. They also have products in the Great Lakes, products that are a little bit more ocean going, uh, that sell the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico. It's a great way to experience the American rivers on the Mississippi and on the Columbia, I believe. They have some paddle wheel boats, but they also have some more traditional river cruise lines. Their promotion right now is free airfare plus save up to a thousand dollars on voyages. But I did want to just kind of go over a profile of American cruise lines because a lot of our listeners may have heard the name American Cruise Line, but not really known what they're about. So their ships carry anywhere from 90 to 150 guests on the Columbia River. They're smaller, those are around 90 to 100 guests on the Mississippi. Uh they're a little bit larger. Um, but one thing I like about American Cruise Line is it is truly an all-inclusive experience. So all meals and all drinks, 24-7, are included on American Cruise Lines. Onshore excursions in each port, they'll include at least one excursion. But in certain ports, they might have some additional optional excursions that are an additional cost. They also have do really good with their guest speakers and nightly entertainment. For instance, on the Mississippi, they have Civil War guides come on and do enrichment talks about the different places you'll see on the Mississippi. Same on the Columbia River. With most itineraries, they do include a pre-cruise stay and the transportation to the ship. So you're not paying for that if a pre-cruise hotel is needed. And then also all tips, gratuities, port charges are all included. So really the price you see with American Cruise Line is the price you pay.

Patrick Wiscombe 11:20

Yeah, that is nice.

Mark Faldmo 11:21

Uh a lot of the other ocean cruise lines and some of the other river cruise lines, gratuities would be additional, pre-cruise hotel would be additional. So they really do include everything. What are some of the cruise itineraries? Well, first

Columbia River Itineraries And Pricing

Mark Faldmo 11:36

start out on the West Coast, the Columbia River and Snake Rivers. With this free airfare plus save up to $100, they have an eight-night cruise which goes from Portland to Clarkston, Washington. And that price is $4,700 per person. And that is with the $1,000 savings. That's with a $1,000 savings and the free airfare. Oh, okay. Again, Portland, Oregon. It kind of goes a little bit backwards for a bit, but Astoria and then comes up. They have an activity to Mount St. Helens, Melotna Falls, Mount Hood, Pendleton, and then to Clarkston. I love that area of the country, especially on the Columbia River. That Columbia River Gorge is just beautiful. And then they do have a shorter six-night cruise, which is just round trip Portland. And it does, it's basically the Columbia River Gorge. And that one starts at $3,500 per person again with the free airfare. And that one is actually save up to $1,200 per person, a little bit more than their standard offer. And then moving to the Mississippi, which is something I want to figure out how to do this. The

Lower Mississippi Stops And Oak Alley

Mark Faldmo 12:56

cruise that I think is most interesting is the Lower Mississippi. Sells between Memphis, Tennessee, and New Orleans. And it starts at $37.95 per person. Again, free airfare and the extra discount. But it does from Memphis, it's Vicksburg, which I love. Vicksburg, Natchez, Baton Rouge. It does stop right in front of Oak Alley Plantation. So you get off the ship and you're right at Oak Alley. For those that don't know Oak Alley, it's on a whole bunch of movies and TV shows, and it's the plantation house with the big row of live oaks that you walk down. It's one of my favorite places to visit in all of the U.S. I love Oak Alley. And then ending in New Orleans. You love New Orleans. I love New Orleans. I I hate the French Quarter, but I love New Orleans. Well, I love the French Quarter. I should say I hate Bourbon Street. Okay, there we go. Avoid Bourbon Street. The rest of the French quarter is nice. So and then just some other quick things they have Mark Twain themed cruises, the Upper Mississippi, St. Louis, to St. Paul, Minnesota. So they really immerse you into that. That Southern culture, that river culture, some Mark Twain, that Civil War, and some other interesting themed cruises.

Patrick Wiscombe 14:36

They don't trick you into painting the boat, white. I hope not.

unknown 14:42

So yeah.

Patrick Wiscombe 14:44

Take advantage of those offers. Call Mark in his office. Get the conversation started. 888-718-7717. 888-718-7717. He'll also have this posted on BluePlanetVacations.com. When we come back, we've got more travel news headlines that we need to get to. We've got Mark's travel tips. And we've got a TikTok trend that just needs to go away. Anything TikTok, trend, anything that has those three words, just stay away from it. Not good. We'll talk about that next when the Inside Travel Talk Podcast or radio show continues. Alongside Mark Faldmo, my name is Patrick Wiscombe. Thank you so much for listening. We will be right back.

Todd Carlson 15:32

Explore your world. You're listening to the Inside Travel Talk Podcast and Radio Show. Presented by Blue PlanetVacations.com. America's best travel advisors. Call or text the show now. 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700. We'll be right back. Inside Travel Talk is brought to you by Anna Waterways. From castles and capitals to vistas and villages, visit some of Europe's most remarkable sites and cities to set out on your own river cruise journey. Contact Blue Planet Vacations at 888-718-7717 or Blue Planet Vacations.com. They'll help you plan and book your next vacation. Yeah, really? You're listening to the Inside Travel Talk Podcast and Radio Show, presented by BluePlanet Vacations.com. America's best travel advisors. Call or text the show now. 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700. And now, here's Patrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo.

Patrick Wiscombe 16:52

We really do want to help you plan and book your next vacation and give you ideas where to go. The way you get a hold of the show during the week is 888-718-7717.

Over-Tourism And The Louvre’s Fix

Patrick Wiscombe 17:04

888-718-7717. Every time I give out that phone number, I almost give out my cell number every time because the last four digits of my cell number are 7717. Yeah. All right, let's get back to the travel news headlines as we wrap up for this week. I saw this on the news that a bunch of European over-tourism backlash, basically a bunch of hippies, are protesting in Europe because they're tired of American over-tourism or just over-tourism in general.

Mark Faldmo 17:37

Yeah, just over-tourism in general. And we talked about this last year in Barcelona, but similar story. They went out to tourist sites and squirted tourists with water guns. Of course they did. Just to try and make their trip a little bit measurable. But something else that's interesting, the Louvre Museum in Paris, the workers have gone on strike in the morning time, just kind of protest, saying the Louvre can't handle the foot traffic. It gets day in and day out. They have announced the Louvre is going to get an overhaul. Most notably, they're going to move the Mona Lisa to its own room and establish time tickets. So you know, right now, if you want to see the Mona Lisa, you just stand in a line and go through till you see it. But now you'll have to have a time ticket to see the Mona Lisa, which will help out in that museum.

Patrick Wiscombe 18:26

It's kind of bad. You see the line, and you're just like that's a small painting for for that much waiting.

Mark Faldmo 18:34

Yeah, one of the themes we've had in this show is just be respectful when you travel. If you're walking through a neighborhood, don't be loud. People do live where you're visiting. So be respectful and courteous to those people.

Patrick Wiscombe 18:46

This is kind of a funny thought that I had earlier this week. That I wouldn't want to go to any of the demonstrations because they probably smell. They probably don't wear deodorant. Yeah. American Airlines is launching their first touchless ID lanes. Sounds very sanitary. Sounds very COVID-like.

Mark Faldmo 19:06

Yeah, it is. So, and

Airline Updates And New Routes

Mark Faldmo 19:07

this is actually like the digital ID that we've talked about with Delta. Yeah. And so it'll be where you don't have to pull out your ID or your boarding pass. There's just a camera, takes your picture and it lets you through security. American has announced they're going to have these lanes in Atlanta, LaGuardia, Salt Lake, Dallas, Fort Ward, Chicago, O'Hare, and Miami. Atlanta, Salt Lake, and LaGuardia are not a hub for American, but they're going to have as well. So they're probably piggybacking on what Delta's already put in place in those three cities.

Patrick Wiscombe 19:44

It feels like there's some real separation between Delta and other airlines.

Mark Faldmo 19:50

Yes. And the other airlines are trying to catch up. Delta's been kind of one of the innovators in that space and been able to really separate themselves as a premium airline. Alaska Airlines is launching their first ever flights to Europe. In about eight months, they are going to start flying Seattle to Rome. For us here in Salt Lake, flying to Seattle might seem backwards, but since you fly north from Seattle, it's actually not that much further and about the same distance. So this just adds an extra option for us to get to Rome. And Rome has been so popular. I think we needed that extra flight to be added.

Patrick Wiscombe 20:31

Doesn't Salt Lake International have a flight from Salt Lake to Rome, a direct no, we don't. Oh, okay.

Mark Faldmo 20:38

Oh, I'm thinking of Paris. Yeah, we have Paris, Amsterdam, and London. And just last week we started Sol Korea.

Patrick Wiscombe 20:47

Oh, that's right. Okay. This was part of that merger where they had the 787s, the Dreamliners, that they have finally decided their long haul will be from Seattle to Rome, or at least one of them.

Mark Faldmo 20:59

One of them, yeah. So they have those Hawaiian Airlines flights that can now make that. So they're using it for international purposes.

Patrick Wiscombe 21:06

I've only flown Alaska Airlines once, but I really enjoyed the service on that particular airline.

Mark Faldmo 21:11

Yeah, Alaska does a good job and they still kind of operate like a hometown airline. Yeah. Even though their hometown is Seattle. But they you know, they still kind of operate in that good service. I've only flown on Alaska twice, but it was a good experience.

Patrick Wiscombe 21:27

Yeah, I agree. I thought it was interesting that Southwest Airlines is exploring a partnership with China Airlines.

Mark Faldmo 21:34

I actually, in looking at it, think it makes a lot of sense. So China Airlines is based in Taiwan, so Taipei, Taiwan, but from Taipei, they fly to Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York JFK, and Ontario, California. All of those, with the exception of probably JFK, are heavy Southwest markets. So it's a partnership that would make sense. We talked a few months ago about Southwest started an agreement with Iceland Air for Europe connections. And now if this comes through, they'll have an Asia connection with China Airlines.

Patrick Wiscombe 22:13

Don't do this as a baggage hack. Where'd you find this story?

Mark Faldmo 22:18

So this is a TikTok hack that's going around. Oh I

The TikTok Baggage Hack Warning

Mark Faldmo 22:22

I do not know why people would do this with all of the TikTok trends we've talked about. I don't know why any. Anyone would do any of them. But, you know, as everyone knows, you're a lot of airlines now actually do weigh carry-on bags. Um and they haven't know that in the size wise. Especially a lot of international carriers will weigh your carry-on bag. What this person says arrive early, have another little bag, take all your heavy stuff out and just leave it on a seat or something, and then go check in. Get your tag and then put your heavy stuff back in in the bag. Oh boy. So first of all, you're kind of cheating the system there. They have those bag limits for a reason for weight and balance of the plane. They don't want too many people do something stupid like this and cause the plane to be out of balance. But the next thing is why would anyone say leave a bag somewhere unattended in an airport? Exactly. I don't know where that goes. Oh my heavens. So there's been a lot of problems international airports with this bag hack with unattended bags. And then some airlines have started re-weighing stuff when people get on the airplane and find that it's 10 pounds overweight. Don't do it. Don't do any trend you see on TikTok.

Patrick Wiscombe 23:34

There are two things that are certain in life. Don't make decisions when you're intoxicated. I've never heard anyone say I made the best decision in my life while I was intoxicated. And the second one TikTok trends. Yeah. They just don't end well ever. They don't. Well, that's gonna do it. If you want to take advantage of any of the specials that we have talked about during this episode of the show, call Mark in his office,

Final Deals And How To Book

Patrick Wiscombe 24:02

888-718-7717. And you can also visit him on BluePlanetVacations.com. Take advantage of that MSc 4th of July sale. 40% off all cruises plus kids sale free, and they're introducing their fixed fee specialty dining and dining packages. Definitely worth taking advantage of those. You can listen to this show again tomorrow morning at Sunday at just a little bit after 11 o'clock, right here on this radio station and around the country. And you can stream, download, and subscribe to the podcast at inside traveltalk.com. And we're on all of the major podcast platforms. Plus, if you don't like subscribing to podcasts, or you're not a podcaster, you can just stream the show at inside travel talk.com. Well, now it's your turn 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 thanks for listening. Really, thank you. We don't have a show, we don't have a business without you. Thank you for allowing us to be part of your weekly listening habits. Have a terrific week. We'll talk to you again next week.

Todd Carlson 25:25

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 Vacations.com. Book your adventure right now. Call 888 718 7717. That's 888 718 7717. Thanks for listening. Have a great week.