Welcome And Live From Miami

Todd Carlson 0:16

This is the Inside Travel Talk Podcast and Radio Show presented by BluePlanetVacations.com. America's best travel advisors. Call or text the show right now. 801-649-3700. 801-649-30700. And now, here are your hosts, Patrick Whiskb and Mark Falcolo.

Patrick Wiscombe 0:46

We are broadcasting live from Miami, Florida, and one of our favorite people on this entire planet is Laura Okanowski with MST Cruises, and she's getting off the MST World America along with Mark. And I am getting on. You and I are just switching positions. How is the inaugural sailing?

SPEAKER_00 1:05

Oh my goodness. Well, I am grinning from ear to ear.

Patrick Wiscombe 1:09

Yes, you are.

SPEAKER_00 1:10

I don't think I'm gonna stop smiling for probably about a week and a half. So I snapped up a whole bunch of pictures on my phone, met so many wonderful people on this experience, and it was just fantastic. It really is a gorgeous ship and such a highlight to finally be on World America. Do you agree, Mark? Did you have an amazing time too?

Mark Faldmo 1:33

I do. It was a great experience. You know, as we've talked about in the past, my favorite part was MSC Ocean Reserve, the private island key. Yeah, I loved it.

SPEAKER_00 1:43

Looks like you had your sunblock on, which is good. So yes. I tend to burn, so I uh I didn't get too much sun.

Patrick Wiscombe 1:52

We're broadcasting from near the terminal. MSC World America, the ship is in the distance. It is an enormous ship. It is a beautiful ship. We're all pumped up, and we want to share this with listeners right now.

MSC Experience Levels Explained

Patrick Wiscombe 2:05

So we wanted to talk about the experience levels, and they are the four. Let's go over Bella, Fantastica, Aria, and I think it was Yacht Club. Is that correct, Laura?

SPEAKER_00 2:18

That's correct. Yes. Okay. Now, what's unique about MSC cruises is we have categories that run alongside our accommodation types to further explain what that accommodation experience will be all about. So to break it all down for everybody, if you ever are being advised on a Bella experience, that experience will mean that you will be in an inside stateroom, an outside stateroom, potentially a balcony stateroom. But there isn't a lot of flexibility in your selection on a deck map. In describing this further, you know, a bella experience is typically a guarantee. Patrick, you may not know. Of course, Mark knows this, but a guarantee is, of course, your stateroom on board. But you may not get your assignment of your stateroom with a guarantee situation until maybe a week or two weeks before you're set to travel. So for some people, they don't mind the spontaneity of not knowing, right? Like we could be anywhere on the ship. You know, they like that thrill. But for other seasoned cruisers, they really prefer to have part in the planning in saying specifically, do they want port side? Do they want starboard side? What deck do they want to be on? Do they like to be on a higher deck? Do they want to be on a lower deck? So with the Bella experience, you do not have that choice and convenience. And in fact, if you need to make any changes to the booking reservation, there will be a change fee involved. So while it might be a great rate, you have to realize that you could be anywhere on the ship in a guarantee situation. You're guaranteed to travel. Absolutely. We'll still guarantee to give you your three meals a day plus, plus, plus. You'll be privy to all the entertainment on board, all the fun things that take place. You'll have access to the gym and all the sports facilities, all the children's programs are included in this. You'll have options for drink packages and things like that. But there just is that guarantee that I like for people to realize.

Patrick Wiscombe 4:30

So that's the Bella experience. And then what is the service level above Bella?

SPEAKER_00 4:36

Now we ratchet up

Bella Vs Fantastica Tradeoffs

SPEAKER_00 4:37

to Fantastica. And Fantastica, I think, is a better opportunity for first-time cruisers with MSC who want a little bit more choice, convenience, and flexibility. So number one, you get the opportunity to choose your stateroom and the location. So whatever you decide with Mark, and if you go with deck 10 and you are midship, you will get your exact stateroom number, and that's where you will be located for your cruise. You also get some extra booking flexibility in this, and you get one free cruise change. So let's say you have an unexpected wedding in the family that is going to be taking place when you planned six months ago for your World America cruise. Call up Mark and you say, Oh my gosh, my sister's cousin's brother is getting married. I have to be at the wedding. We have to cancel our cruise. Mark will say, No, no, no, we're not going to cancel it. We're going to just move you to a different date because that experience, you're allowed one free cruise change. So again, more convenience with this, right? You also get your chance to request your preferred dining seating if you want the earlier or the later. You also get some extra privileges, such as breakfast in your stateroom for free delivery, no delivery charges on that. More choice, more flexibility. And I think personally the better experience between Fantastica and Bella.

Aurea Comfort And Spa Access

Patrick Wiscombe 6:07

Okay, let's talk about Aria, Laura.

SPEAKER_00 6:09

Yeah. So the Aria experience, of course, you get to choose your stateroom location. You are allowed that one free cruise change if it's necessary and needed. But this aria experience now gets into more comfort. We offer suites and balconies in these types of opportunities throughout the ship, which are the best locations. And with this comes more food and drink benefits as well. So you get free time dining, my choice dining in a dedicated restaurant where only Aria guests will dine. Now the thermal suite area aboard MSC cruise ships just boasts of some wonderful chambers on board, such as the lavender room, the snow room. You have a hot sauna, a dry sauna. I mean, it really is a wonderful respite to have access to this. And on other cruise lines, you know, I personally have indulged and it can cost sometimes up to $250 per person for a seven-day cruise to have access to such amenities that are in the spa area. Now, the thermal suites are for the adults only. So no kiddos are allowed there. So again, it is a real nice respite, a really great way to unwind at the end of the day. That's my favorite tip, actually, is after dinner. Sometimes my husband and I will go to the show, sometimes not. We prefer to go to the thermal suite in the evening.

Patrick Wiscombe 7:34

What is your favorite thing in the spa? Do you like the hot, cold showers, the sun, or do you just do it all?

SPEAKER_00 7:39

You guys might not know this about me, Patrick and Mark, but I'm originally from Canada. So I don't mind cold every in a while. So I do love the exhilaration that I get from the snow room. And just to be in there, you know, cold plunging is such a big thing nowadays. People even have their own cold plunges in their backyard. But with me living in Arizona year-round, to go in the snowroom chamber and make a snowball and sit there for, you know, two, three minutes, I just I really enjoy that.

Patrick Wiscombe 8:08

It's exhilarating when you walk in there. It really is Canada in here.

Yacht Club Perks And Butler Life

Patrick Wiscombe 8:12

Last experience after Aria is the yacht club.

SPEAKER_00 8:18

I think we've saved the best for last, of course, here. Now, the yacht club is our pinnacle experience. It is a ship within a ship experience. So, what I think is still great about this is you have the big ship amenities, right? You have water slides, you have multiple venues for dining, you have multiple venues for entertainment, you have all these kids programs that are complementary, all these spaces and places throughout the ship that you can still navigate to as being a yacht club guest. But the best part is you have your special place where you can retreat to alongside all the other yacht club guests, which on any given ship of ours, we'll have usually two to two to three hundred suites. But on World America, I did the math and there's close to 500. But you never feel like you're amongst all of those other people because everyone's milling around, you know, the ship all at different hours doing their own thing. But yacht club does have its own club lounge where you can maybe sit to piano at night. Also, one of the best things is check-in, which is separate embarkation and disembarkation for yacht club guests. So the butler will come greet you, meet you, assist you with your hand luggage, bring you on board the ship. And it's just a very seamless type of entry into the world of yacht club. The butler service is 24 hours. And oftentimes people will say, But Laura, what am I gonna have a butler do for me? Well, the butler can escort you to the shows in the evening, they can help with short excursion decisions, they can maybe speak to the chef and ask for a certain menu item that you are creating. You know, they really take care of your personalization. They customize things for you at Yacht Club. It really is just a wonderful experience to behold. Not only do we have a private restaurant there, but we have at Yacht Club our own pool. You have your own solarium sitting area, own sun deck. And the best part of all, too, is that Yacht Club Fair for this experience, it comes with your Wi-Fi package already wrapped in, as well as all of your beverages: wine, spirits, champagne, soda, energy drinks. You know, I have a 12-year-old son, and he was ordering virgin pina coladas at the yacht club lounge bar, and he was, you know, living his best young life.

Patrick Wiscombe 10:48

I could just see him doing that.

SPEAKER_00 10:52

Yeah, so it was just a wonderful experience to behold. And I really encourage your listeners to take a look at what MSc has to offer in the overall experiences. When you break things down with Mark and he does a side-by-side comparison, maybe versus brand XYZ on another cruise line. I have to tell you, and Mark can attest, nine out of 9.999 times, MSE prices will always come out better. Yeah. We we are just a great value proposition right now. Really want to encourage people to come out and visit World America here at the brand new terminal.

Patrick Wiscombe 11:31

I'm jumping on the ship after the broadcast. And where are you headed to, Laura?

SPEAKER_00 11:52

Well, sadly, I have to leave. It was hard to say goodbye this morning, but have to leave and go back to Arizona. So I'll be boarding a flight here out of Miami International Airport in a little bit.

Patrick Wiscombe 12:04

I am very fortunate that I get to jump on the ship. Mark just got off. We're swapping spots. I'm so excited to go on this ship. If you are interested in booking an MST cruise. Regardless of the ship, call Mark at his office. 888-718-7717. 888-718-7717. And we'll also post the cruise specials on Blue PlanetVacations.com. When we come back, we've got Mark's travel tips. Thank you so much for allowing us to be part of your weekend. We'll be right back.

Todd Carlson 12:46

Explore your world. You're listening to the Inside Travel Talk Podcast and Radio Show with Patrick Whiskey and Mark Faldmo. Call or text the show now. 801-649-3700. That's 801-649-3700. And check out the podcast at InsightTraveltalk.com. We'll be right back. This is the Inside Travel Talk Podcast and Radio Show with Patrick Whiskb and Mark Faldmo. Presented by Blue Planet Vacations.com. America's Best Travel Advisors. Call the show right now. 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700. And now, your hosts, Patrick Whiskom and Mark Faldmo.

Patrick Wiscombe 13:56

Broadcasting Live from Miami, Florida, right now. You are listening to the Inside Travel Talk Podcast and Radio

Miami Swap And Baseball Plans

Patrick Wiscombe 14:06

Show alongside Mark Faldmo. My name is Patrick Wiscomb. And in case you are just joining the show, Nikki and I are down in Miami. We just got off Holland America's Rotterdam ship. And we are actually meeting Mark in Miami as he is getting off the MSc World America, and we are just trading spots. I am getting on the World America, and Mark is going to baseball games tonight.

Mark Faldmo 14:38

Yep. In about two hours, I'll be at the Marlins Nationals game tonight.

Patrick Wiscombe 14:42

That is literally the same two teams that we saw last year at a about this time. About this time, yep. By the way, Marlin's Stadium, what do they call that? Is that what's the name of the field there? Lone Depot Park. Oh, that's right. Okay. If you've never been to Miami and you've always wanted to catch a baseball game, Lone Depot Park is small, but it's a beautiful park. Wouldn't you agree?

Mark Faldmo 15:05

It is. Yeah. I'm excited to get there. It's affordable for baseball. Yeah. And I I guess those tickets are on demand, so the tickets prices raise and lower based on the demand. I'm going to the Yankees Dodgers game in LA in a few weeks.

Patrick Wiscombe 15:23

Uh-huh.

Mark Faldmo 15:23

And for what I paid for those tickets in the upper deck nosebleed section, about three times what I paid to be on about the 12th row at the Marlins game.

Patrick Wiscombe 15:33

So isn't that the cruise that you're getting on Royal Caribbean? I'm not joining you for that one.

Mark Faldmo 15:39

Yeah, it's the uh Royal Caribbean ovation of the seas. They're having a little uh preview cruise when that ship starts sailing to Mexico from Los Angeles.

Patrick Wiscombe 15:47

Coming up in this segment of the show, we've got two topics that we want to share with listeners. We received a call or a text from Jessica. And let me just give out the text number. You can call or text this number and ask your travel-related

If Airfare Drops After You Book

Patrick Wiscombe 16:02

question. The studio number is 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700. That's how Jessica got a hold of us. And she is asking, I booked a flight, but the price right now seems a little high. If the price drops, can I get a lower price? And I think the answer is yes, but I think it's a very, very tight window.

Mark Faldmo 16:27

It is a very tight window within 24 hours. Oh, so it is really tight. Yeah. Once you go past 24 hours, the ticket is non-refundable with a few exceptions. If you did buy a ticket that says it's refundable, then it's refundable. Right. Most people don't do that. But you know, I've noticed especially like Delta Airlines, when I go to buy a ticket, it says, Do you want to buy the economy regular fare or the economy refundable fare?

Patrick Wiscombe 16:56

Yeah, and the refundable fare is usually at least $100. At least that I've seen a hundred dollars more.

Mark Faldmo 17:02

Yep, a hundred dollars more. Or it's also refundable if you purchase travel protection. Yes. Most travel protection is cancel for a covered reason. I did notice that Delta, however, does have kind of a two-tiered system. One is for covered reasons and one is cancel for any reason.

Patrick Wiscombe 17:23

Right.

Mark Faldmo 17:23

But then that takes the ticket up to about the same cost as if you purchase the refundable fare. What I found most people do, if you travel a lot, people will purchase the ticket because they know they need to go. And then if the fare goes down, they'll just re-book the lower fare. And most airlines right now do not have any change fees. Yeah, I noticed that recently too. So that means you can just book the ticket at the lower price, and then you'll have a credit for a future flight. Got it. That's what most people do. I've used that trick several times because I know I'm going to be traveling in the future. The one caveat with that is those tickets are only good for 12 months from the original date of purchase. So if you purchased it six months ago, you really only have six months to use that credit. It's not based on the date of travel, which some people think. It's for most airlines, it's the date of original purchase. Yeah. Okay. So you do have to watch that. Yes.

Patrick Wiscombe 18:26

That was a long-winded answer for if the price drops on an airline ticket, can you get a lower price? The answer is yes, within 24 hours, or you have a refundable ticket. Did I summarize that pretty quick? Yeah. Okay. All right.

Mark Faldmo 18:42

I I would add to that, or you just use what you had for a future ticket and buy the lower price ticket.

Patrick Wiscombe 18:48

Yes. Okay.

Mark Faldmo 18:49

That's the fun thing about travel, and that's probably why you should use a travel advisor. I was just going to say different ways to do things to sort through things like this.

Patrick Wiscombe 19:00

Call Mark in his office. 888-718-7717. 888-718-7717. In the time that we have remaining in this segment, Mark, let's talk about the things that all travelers should do before getting on a cruise. And

Ten Cruise Prep Steps That Work

Patrick Wiscombe 19:17

we have what about 10 things? Yeah, 10 or so things that we can go through this list. All right. So let's do the 10 things to do before getting on your cruise, starting with number one.

Mark Faldmo 19:29

Number one is check in online. This really saves you time at the pier. In fact, some cruise lines require people to check in online. This way, if you do that, they have all of your documents, they have your photo ID that's used to board the ship. They really have everything there. And some cruise lines, if you do this, you basically say I'm here, they check you off a list, they give you your key card, and you can go get on the ship. It really cuts down on the time spent checking in for the cruise. I've often said cruises are great. There's two really bad things about a cruise. One is departure day and one is the day you return. Because it it can be just lines and lines of people. Checking in online really helps cut down your time to get on board the ship. Things to do before getting on your cruise. Number two. Number two is check your identification documents. This should be done before you even start booking the cruise, but also when you're about to get on the cruise, make sure that you have your passport. I always recommend traveling with a passport on a cruise. In some cases, you can get on with your birth certificate and driver's license. Make sure your driver's license is not expired. I now this doesn't relate to a cruise, but I've actually in my lifetime showed up twice to rent a car with an expired driver's license.

Patrick Wiscombe 20:53

Oh, I'm literally checking my license right now. In fact, I've got to remind my sister-in-law and her son to check that.

Mark Faldmo 21:02

Always a good thing. Reason number three, things to do before getting on your cruise. The next thing is download the cruise lines app. Some people initially were reticent to do this, but I actually think if you go through the check-in process on the cruise line app, it goes a lot smoother. Yeah, it does. And the app just helps you through your vacation. Some cruise lines, if you have other family and friends on the app, you can create friends group and you can just chat with them. That's how you can communicate while you're on board the ship. A lot of cruise lines let you do the dinner reservations, they give you your daily schedule. Everything is done through the app on some cruise lines. So the cruise lines app makes everything from checking in to boarding and while you're on the cruise easier. Number four is what? Number four is to print out your documents. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely do that. Some people say, well, I've done it on the app. I have all of the information on the app. I always recommend printing out your documents as well. We were just talking about MSC's terminal that can handle up to 35,000 people at one time. That's 35,000 people in a smaller space. Some internet providers have a hard time providing internet. So your phone's data may not work in that circumstance. You should always print out your documents. I've always said this as a tip for airlines as well. I use the app all the time, but I always Print out or have them print out a copy of my boarding pass. I've had my phone die times, and I've just sometimes been in spotty data area where I can't get my boarding pass up on my phone. So it is always a good idea to have a printed version of everything.

Patrick Wiscombe 22:43

Okay. What's the next thing we need to do? Everyone needs to do before getting on a cruise, Mark.

Mark Faldmo 22:48

The next thing is to research your ports in advance. There's a lot of interesting ports out there, a lot of interesting things to do. Some people just show up and don't know anything about the ports, what to do, what they want to see. So just to make your experience better, ports are one of the great things about cruises. That's what I like. You can be in a different port every day and get to see different people, different cultures, different activities. So just research your ports so that you know what there is to do in that port. What's another thing everyone needs to do before getting on their cruise? The next thing to do is to sign up for your tours in advance. There are several ways you can do tours. I've mentioned on the Blue Planet Vacations website, we do have a short excursion site where you can book through a third party and book tours depending on your itinerary. The cruise line also offers the tours and excursions, and you should book those in advance because when you wait to get on board, a lot of the best times and best things are already taken and sold out. Yeah, they do sell out quickly. And there are some companies like the provider on my site, offer several private tours. So if you are interested in a private tour, there's only limited guides. So you should do those private tours well in advance to make sure if you want a private shore excursion to book that in advance.

Patrick Wiscombe 24:10

You can see some of those excursion groups on blueplanetvacations.com. Is it down at the bottom?

Mark Faldmo 24:16

It is down at the bottom or in the cruise search box on blue planetvacations.com. There's a little thing that says look for shore excursions.

Patrick Wiscombe 24:24

We have two more things to do before getting on any cruise.

Mark Faldmo 24:28

Those are the next thing is sign up for onboard activities in advance. After you complete your onboard check-in, you can do specialty dinners, you can do spa treatments. Don't wait to plan those type of things while on board. Last thing to do before getting on your cruise is what? Consider purchasing travel insurance. We always talk about this. I've seen so many financial investments in travel saved by purchasing travel insurance.

Patrick Wiscombe 24:57

These are big commitments. Multi-thousand dollar commitments. It can be.

Mark Faldmo 25:03

Yes, they can. It's so important, I think, to purchase travel insurance or travel protection to protect that investment.

Patrick Wiscombe 25:11

We could just record this segment and play it every what? Three months, and it will benefit somebody. Yeah. Well, that's it. That's the end of the show. We're done. It's time for you to go see a baseball game here in a couple hours, and it's time for Nikki

Final Reminders And Sign Off

Patrick Wiscombe 25:27

and I to go jump on the MSc's World America. So excited to get on this brand new ship. You can listen to this show again tomorrow morning. We're on every Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. here on this radio station and of course around the country. And you can also stream, download, and subscribe to the podcast at insightraveltalk.com. We are on all of the major podcast platforms. And if you just want to stream the show without subscribing, you can go to insetraveltalk.com and just hit the play button. Well, that's it. We're done. It's now 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. And you know exactly what I'm talking about. Live your life deliberately, live your life intentionally. Thank you so much for listening. We will talk to you again next week.

Todd Carlson 26:31

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 Whiskey 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.