THE VACATION NERD WITH PATRICK WISCOMBE — EPISODE 176
Speaker-Labeled Transcript
TODD CARLSON: Welcome back inside the Inside Travel Talk Podcast and Radio Show. Coming up in the next 30 minutes, we will be talking about MSC’s new World America ship—beautiful ship. Disney Cruise Line is setting sail to Alaska, and, of course, we’ve got the cruise deal of the week. This time, we’re headed to Vietnam and Cambodia.
Let’s get back to the show.
The Inside Travel Talk Podcast and Radio Show, presented by BluePlanetVacations.com, contains travel deals, promotions and offers that may be time-sensitive. All offers and information were accurate when the show aired. Travel deals and offers change constantly, are capacity-controlled and are subject to change without notice.
TODD CARLSON: You’re listening to the Inside Travel Talk Podcast and Radio Show, presented by BluePlanetVacations.com, America’s Best Travel Advisors. Call or text the show now: 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700. And check out the podcast at InsideTravelTalk.com. Here’s Patrick and Mark.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: All aboard. You are listening to the Inside Travel Talk Podcast and Radio Show. Alongside Mark Faldmo, my name is Patrick Wiscombe. Thank you so much for allowing both of us to be part of your weekend.
Coming up in this particular segment of the show—always in segment three—we’ve got the infamous Just Cruising segment. This week, we are going to Vietnam and Cambodia, and we’ve got a good deal. If you’ve always wanted to visit that part of the world, stay tuned. That’s coming up here in this segment.
We will also be talking with Laura Okonowski with MSC Cruises.
Mark, did you watch the big game? We can’t say it for trademark purposes. Did you watch the big game last Sunday, six days ago?
MARK FALDMO: I did.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: Yep. Had a good little party, ate some good food and watched kind of a boring football game.
Before we get to Laura, let’s do the cruise news headlines. I saw this story that Disney Cruise Line is sending a second ship to Alaska. I think this is a brilliant move on their part because Alaska is so popular.
MARK FALDMO: It is. The Disney Wonder has been doing Alaska for a few years, and now they’re sending the Disney Magic to double their presence.
They do round-trip voyages, and they hit the typical ports: Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan. Most sailings will visit Dawes Glacier, and then the Magic’s itineraries will feature a stop in Icy Strait Point.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: With the second ship going to Alaska—meaning Disney—is it on sale yet? What’s the plan there?
MARK FALDMO: Yes and no. Right now, it’s in an early-booking period for Disney’s Castaway Club members, and that will go through Monday.
On Tuesday, Disney is releasing its summer 2026 sailings. These Alaska cruises, along with their summer schedule to Europe, will all be on sale to the general public.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: Can you book that?
MARK FALDMO: I can, if you’re a Castaway Club member. As long as you have your number, I can book that.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: I want to get your opinion. What did you think about MSC Cruises’ commercial?
MARK FALDMO: I loved the commercial. Being a marketer, I thought it was brilliant.
One of the problems that MSC has had is that it’s a very European brand, and some Americans just don’t get that when they sail on MSC. They built this ship, MSC World America, purpose-built to sail in the U.S. market.
How they did that commercial with Orlando Bloom and Drew Barrymore was perfect. They had Orlando Bloom playing the European—kind of like the “tomato, tomahto” type of thing. They were showing how they’re keeping their European heritage while still catering to the American market.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: Let’s bring in one of my favorite people, MSC Cruises’ Laura Okonowski. Hi there.
LAURA OKONOWSKI: Hi.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: Let’s talk about the big-game commercial and MSC World America. That ship is beautiful.
LAURA OKONOWSKI: Stunning. Yes, MSC World America is really, I think, going to be a game changer in terms of vacation experiences.
Given the commercial, we are now launching a campaign, and it is really echoing European style and American comforts. When you think about it, if you’ve ever been to Europe—have you?
PATRICK WISCOMBE: I never have, no. Mark has quite a bit.
MARK FALDMO: I’ve been several times.
LAURA OKONOWSKI: Okay. There is a feeling of tradition. There’s a feeling of Renaissance. There’s a feeling of just refinement, I think, when you visit Europe.
When you come aboard the ships that MSC Cruises offers in its fleet, you feel that as soon as you walk aboard. When we now look to the launch of this beautiful, brand-new ship in April, World America is going to be decked out in European styling and have all the comforts that we Americans are accustomed to.
There are restaurants galore: 19 restaurants, 18 bars and lounges throughout, and a full Family Aventura district, which is going to have gaming areas.
Oh, and the best part—oh my gosh, I can’t wait to do this—you can go up to Deck 11 and take an interior slide that comes down to the promenade area. It’s 250 feet long.
There are just so many fun, family-centered things to do, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing the ship in person.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: What has the response been to World America, the new vessel?
LAURA OKONOWSKI: People are eager to get aboard. People have been making bookings for several months, and we are seeing a surge of interest now on our MSC Cruises website.
In talking with the travel advisors I work with, they are getting inquiry after inquiry regarding this. People were watching the big game on Sunday, and they sure did see MSC Cruises’ commercial come to life.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: The main theme of the commercial was Europeans going on holiday and Americans going on vacation. I want to zero in on that part of the ad.
LAURA OKONOWSKI: Yes, Patrick, you got it. The campaign really is called “Let’s Holiday.”
Here in America, people go on vacation, but Europeans go on holiday. While a vacation is a break from life, a holiday is more of a celebration of it.
At MSC Cruises, we holiday, and we want to set that stage for guests when they come aboard and when they see our ships. They are very stylish. There’s a certain panache about them, and there’s really that sophistication that is the essence of the vessels as you walk throughout.
Yet, they have all those wonderful American comforts. We, as Americans, associate a lot of comfort and emotion with food. We want certain foods when we travel, don’t we? We might want a burger and fries, a burger on the go or pizza at midnight. We have all these customary things that Americans love.
But I think we can maybe take a page out of the European playbook and linger a little bit longer. Maybe sip sangria by the pool. Maybe have that two-hour, five-course dinner—not every night, but maybe once in a while.
That’s really, I think, what was coming across in that wonderful commercial the other day.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: You’ve seen a ton of traffic on MSC Cruises. You’ve had travel advisors calling you about MSC World America. Let’s get people on the ship now.
What promotions do you have for World America and MSC Cruises in general? Let’s start with World America.
LAURA OKONOWSKI: For World America, the voyages will begin in April of this year. If you are looking to book that special holiday—be it a family reunion, maybe a graduation party or maybe a summer family-fun getaway—now is the time to lock in those best prices.
We are very competitive in the marketplace with the launch of the ship, and the onboard amenities will not disappoint. You can give Blue Planet Vacations a call and talk to Mark and his team there, or reach out to them in other ways.
Beyond World America, there are some amazing things happening as well in Galveston, Texas, starting in November of 2025.
We’re about to celebrate a holiday on Monday, the 17th of February, that holiday being Presidents Day. Of course, MSC has a very special promotion in conjunction with the coming holiday.
Beginning on the 14th of February through Monday the 17th, we will be offering up to 40% off several cruises, including World America leaving from Miami with wonderful Western and Eastern Caribbean itineraries.
We’re also offering Galveston opportunities leaving from that area in November of 2025. The Galveston departures will be on MSC Seascape, and a beautiful terminal is being built right now for the departure and home-porting of that particular ship.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: Wait, is Seascape moving from Miami over to Galveston now?
LAURA OKONOWSKI: It is.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: Oh, that’s a change.
LAURA OKONOWSKI: Yes. It will be home-ported right there in Galveston to do a seven-night voyage visiting Costa Maya, Mexico; Roatán, Honduras; and Cozumel, Mexico, with some sea days sprinkled in. It’s a great opportunity there.
I’m not afraid to say it. I’m going to mention it. My colleagues at MSC Cruises have done the math, and I’m just going to put it out there: Our voyages with MSC leaving from Galveston are literally 30% lower in cruise-fare cost versus some of our competitors.
A big competitor starts with a C. Do you have an idea who that might be?
MARK FALDMO: Patrick, I know.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: Carnival.
LAURA OKONOWSKI: Yes. Our voyages are 30% lower.
Why are we doing this? Someone asked me the other day, “What’s wrong with the voyage? Why is it 30% lower?” We just really need to get our name on the map for Galveston.
MSC Cruises is coming to town, and we want people to know it.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: I am genuinely surprised by how aggressively priced you are compared with competitors to get into the market. I think about the way MSC first came onto the scene in America—
LAURA OKONOWSKI: We had been known as a challenger—a challenger cruise line in the U.S.—because we were really challenging the way of cruising, the barriers to cruising and the way we position our cruises.
Now I really have to say, and I’m proud to say, that we are right alongside all these big brands that have been in existence for a very long time. MSC is gaining a lot of momentum and a lot of interest, and it feels really great.
I’ve personally been on the ships, and we do an amazing job with service, food and entertainment.
Oh, and one of my favorite things about World America: I grew up in the era of Dirty Dancing. I remember when I was 13 years old, and that was a big deal because I think it was PG-13, so you had to be 13. I’m dating myself with that. You’re probably going to look up the year it launched.
One of our entertainment venues is going to feature Dirty Dancing Live, so we are so excited about that.
There’s also a nod to the musical group Queen, where there’s going to be a tribute to them with a lot of songs and costuming. We are doing a lot of fun, amazing things coming up here on our ships.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: No one puts Laura Okonowski in a corner, baby.
LAURA OKONOWSKI: You got it, Patrick.
MSC may have been a little unknown in the past, but we are definitely known now. In prior podcasts with you, I’ve shared that MSC doesn’t necessarily stand for Mediterranean Shipping Company. It should stand for “More Ships Coming.”
I just pulled another one, and I think it should stand for “More Surprises Coming,” because we all want more surprises on the way with MSC.
Let’s get holidaying together, shall we?
PATRICK WISCOMBE: Are you going on the inaugural sailing?
LAURA OKONOWSKI: I am. I haven’t seen my booking yet, but I’ve been told that I should be packing a bag for that inauguration. Yes, out of Miami on April 9th.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: Next segment, I promise we will get to it. We are headed to Vietnam and Cambodia on the Mekong River in 2025 because space is still available. I promise we’ll get to it next segment.
If you’re interested in booking any MSC cruise, call Mark in his office: 888-718-7717. 888-718-7717. Or visit BluePlanetVacations.com.
When we come back, not only do we have the cruise deal of the week, but we’ve also got Mark’s travel tips and Margaritaville at Sea Paradise. That particular ship is going under some much-needed refurbishment.
We’ll talk about that next when the Inside Travel Talk Podcast and Radio Show continues. Alongside Mark Faldmo, my name is Patrick Wiscombe. Thank you—truly, thank you—for making this part of your weekend. We’ll be right back.
TODD CARLSON: They’ve literally traveled millions of miles to answer your travel-related questions. Yeah, they really have. You’re listening to the Inside Travel Talk Podcast and Radio Show, presented by BluePlanetVacations.com, America’s Best Travel Advisors. Patrick and Mark will be back after these messages.
TODD CARLSON: Inside Travel Talk is brought to you by AmaWaterways. 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 BluePlanetVacations.com.
TODD CARLSON: 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 BluePlanetVacations.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: Welcome back inside the Inside Travel Talk Podcast and Radio Show. My name is Patrick Wiscombe, alongside Mark Faldmo.
We are so grateful that you are listening to this show. Without you, we don’t have a radio show, we don’t have a podcast and we don’t have a business. Thank you so much.
We are really starting to make some traction—not only connecting with customers, but we’re also getting a lot of traction with our listeners. Thank you again.
The number of downloads that we get each and every single week, the number of people who listen to us on the radio network—honestly, we couldn’t do it without you. Thank you so much for allowing us into your ears.
As we come back from break, let’s get to the travel news headlines.
Mark and I were on this particular ship, Margaritaville at Sea Paradise. What was it, about 10 months ago?
MARK FALDMO: Yeah, it was April of 2024.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: April of 2024. They just announced what appears to be a refurbishment.
MARK FALDMO: Yeah, this is a major refurbishment, which the ship needs. It’s an older ship, so it has to go through these refurbishments a lot more often than most ships.
It was originally built in 1991 for Costa Cruises. There aren’t very many—at least of the ships we’re familiar with sailing—that are older than about 2000. Most of them are newer.
As we noticed, it had lots of areas where it probably needed some refurbishment. They’re going to completely redo the dining and beverage experience, add new entertainment, and make some changes to the cruise terminal there in Palm Beach to make the boarding process a little bit simpler.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: That was an issue.
MARK FALDMO: Hopefully Patrick doesn’t have to wait in line for two hours while Mark goes and gets the car.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: That was bad.
“Hey, anyone here have Global Entry?” Mark raises his hand. “Front of the line.”
Okay, I’ll see you in two hours.
MARK FALDMO: That was pretty rough.
This ship is probably not a ship that a lot of people listening would go on. It mainly does two-night cruises to Grand Bahama Island, but it has started doing three- and four-day cruises as well, where it also adds Nassau.
It mainly does short cruises. Its main target audience is basically the Florida market, but they do get some people from elsewhere.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: If I had two or three days to burn, I might do that. I like to be out on the ocean, and it’s a fairly affordable product.
MARK FALDMO: It is very affordable.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: Did you say they’re redoing the food?
MARK FALDMO: Just the dining room. They’re not redoing the quality of the food, but they’re redoing how the dining room looks.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: Okay, because I was going to say, the main dining room food was excellent—at least when we were there. It was really, really good.
MARK FALDMO: It was really good.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: The buffet—they could probably tweak that.
MARK FALDMO: They do need to improve that one, for sure. The dining room was good, and the Burger in Paradise was good.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: Oh my goodness. How many burgers did I have?
MARK FALDMO: It was a two-night cruise. You probably had 12.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: No, I didn’t.
MARK FALDMO: It was lunch and dinner.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: I didn’t have 12.
MARK FALDMO: I know.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: Okay, maybe six. Five or six.
Italy is proposing a new law to protect accommodations and restaurants from fake and paid-for online travel reviews. I’m curious about this story.
MARK FALDMO: They’re targeting online reviews because, far too often, many of the reviews are fake or paid for.
There are a lot of businesses that go out and pay for reviews. There are also some businesses that pay for bad reviews for their competitors.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: That’s pretty greasy to me.
MARK FALDMO: Yeah. Italy is trying to combat this.
One thing they are going to require for reviews displayed in Italy—for hotels and restaurants—is proof of stay or proof of using that service. You would provide a receipt or something before the review can actually be posted on the review site.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: There’s a pause, basically, for verification.
MARK FALDMO: Correct. I don’t know how they’re going to do that because I assume this is going to apply to Tripadvisor and all those sites—Airbnb and all those sites that have review services.
Looking at some of the reviews and comparing them with my experiences, a lot of times I’m like, “Is this a real review?” It’s always hard to say.
If Italy can get that down, I hope the industry just adopts it, because I think you should only be able to leave a review if you actually used the service.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: Agreed.
As we went to break, I promised that we would get to the cruise deal of the week, which is Vietnam and Cambodia—the Mekong River—in 2025, because space is still available.
What promotion do we have for listeners this week, Mark?
MARK FALDMO: The promotion is save up to $1,500 or get a two-for-one land package.
I’m looking at some of these prices, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen this Vietnam and Cambodia Mekong cruise this low.
This is on AmaWaterways.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: That’s your favorite of the river cruises.
MARK FALDMO: That is. That’s my favorite brand.
One thing I like about this is that we’ve talked about river cruising—you’re on a smaller ship, and there aren’t as many people. This ship on the Mekong is even smaller. It has 64 cabins, so 128 guests.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: Oh, wow.
MARK FALDMO: It is about a third smaller than even the European river-cruise ships.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: What ship is this from Ama?
MARK FALDMO: It’s called the AmaDara.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: Have you been on this ship?
MARK FALDMO: I have not. I’ve not been on this one. I do look forward to doing this one day.
One thing I really like about this is that you start or end in Ho Chi Minh City, depending on which direction you go. Then you go to Siem Reap and the Angkor Wat area. There is a land portion to this that’s really interesting.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: What’s the price?
MARK FALDMO: As we mentioned, there are still several dates in 2025 available for the Mekong River.
The very best price—I don’t think I’ve ever seen this river cruise this low—starts at $2,089 per person.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: Wow.
MARK FALDMO: Wow. That’s August 11th.
I can tell you why it’s that low: August 11th is a pretty hot and humid time to be there compared with other dates.
If you get later into October or November, the price is $1,200 to $1,400 higher than these other dates. August 11th or September 8th are both pretty good dates.
On both of those, you can either get $1,500 off per person or get the two-for-one land package.
I probably would do the land package and stay a little bit longer before the cruise because, logistically, the beginning and end of this cruise are a little bit challenging.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: It will give you time to adjust your body clock as well.
How far ahead of us are they time-wise right now, from here in Salt Lake?
MARK FALDMO: I believe they’re 14 hours ahead of us.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: Okay, that will mess with you.
MARK FALDMO: Yes.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: I think you’re right. Do the land portion. You’re going to save the money. You just pick and choose where you want to save the money. Have I got that right?
MARK FALDMO: That’s correct.
PATRICK WISCOMBE: That’s going to do it. Man, every week I say this: This hour goes by so fast.
Call Mark in his office if you want to book any of the vacations that we have talked about for the last hour. Call him and just get the conversation started. There’s no obligation.
It is an amazing time to be alive because all you have to do is pick a destination, get on a plane, get on a boat or get on a train—however you decide to get there. It’s amazing that we even have that option.
You can listen to this show again tomorrow morning, Sunday at 11 a.m., right here on this radio station. You can stream, download and subscribe to the podcast at InsideTravelTalk.com. We are on all the major podcast platforms, and you can just stream the show on InsideTravelTalk.com. Just press Play if you don’t want to subscribe.
We’ve done our job. It is now your turn to get out and explore the world. The reason I’m saying this is because you never know what curveballs life is going to throw at you.
Live your life deliberately. Live your life intentionally.
Thank you for listening. Have a great week. We’ll talk to you again next Saturday and Sunday.
TODD CARLSON: 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 BluePlanetVacations.com.
Book your adventure right now. Call 888-718-7717. That’s 888-718-7717.
Thanks for listening. Have a great week.
