Show Open And How To Listen

Todd Carlson 0:15

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 InsightTraveltalk.com. Here's Patrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo.

Welcome And What We Cover

Patrick Wiscombe 0:49

It is the weekend, which means it is time to talk travel. Welcome to the Inside Travel Talk Podcast and radio show. Hello there. I am Patrick Wiscombe. Mark Faldmo will be here in the studio here in just about 30 seconds. The entire purpose of this show is to help you plan and book your next vacation. And if you have no idea where to go, Mark and I will be giving you some ideas of maybe where you should consider going on your next vacation. And this show is presented by Blue PlanetVacations.com. And I just want to say thank you for taking the time to stop and listen. As I mentioned at the very start of the show, we're talking about virgin voyages, Mediterranean cruises, Puerto Vallarta. But before we get to those specific topics, let me bring in my co-host and friend Mark Faldmo. I don't like this trend that we're on that I just don't even talk to you during the week, like the last three weeks, and then uh we jump in the studio together and we have to quickly catch up and plan the show. Yeah.

Mark Faldmo 2:02

Yeah, have to get back to talking more regularly.

Patrick Wiscombe 2:05

Absolutely.

Mark Faldmo 2:06

Been busy though.

Patrick Wiscombe 2:07

It has been busy. We're in wave season right now.

Mark Faldmo 2:10

Traditionally in the travel world, wave season is January, February, and March. And we can sell up to sometimes a little bit more of 50% of all of our total sales happen in those three months. So it's a busy time in the travel world.

Florida Records Santorini Shakes Airline Rules

Patrick Wiscombe 2:24

Let's get to the travel news headlines and then we'll get to Virgin Voyages. I saw a news story that Florida has set an all-time tourism record. Now, you and I were there last year. I get it. Florida is awesome.

Mark Faldmo 2:38

Yeah, it is. Florida has lots of advantages. They have the theme parks, they have the top two busiest cruise ports, plus, they also have the sixth busiest cruise port. Air rivals in Florida in 2024 were up 3.1%. Room night sold in Florida were up 1.6%. So that's over their biggest years ever. It's one of my favorite places to go. We've talked about this before, but I love Miami area going out to the Everglades. Going out to some of those places that aren't as, I guess, touristy as some of the places in Florida. Interestingly enough, the cities that saw the most growth were Tallahassee, Panama City, and Pensacola. Really? So it wasn't what we'd think of Miami, Orlando, Tampa area. It was these kind of secondary cities that saw the largest growth.

Patrick Wiscombe 3:30

It's just awesome down there.

Mark Faldmo 3:32

It is.

Patrick Wiscombe 3:33

Although you do have to get used to the humidity, or at least Patrick does.

Mark Faldmo 3:36

It's yeah, no, Mark, Mark does too. Mark doesn't like humidity.

Patrick Wiscombe 3:40

So I'm a desert rat. I saw some of the pictures coming out of Santorini, Greece. The earthquake that happened. And it's leaving, or it has left at least the pictures that I saw, Santorini just deserted. There's some destruction for sure.

Mark Faldmo 3:55

Santorini is probably one of the most popular, or at least on everyone's bucket list, when they think of Greece. It's upon a hill, an island that this has the whitewash buildings with blue dome-topped buildings. It is just the picturesque Greek isle when you think of that. But they have over the past three to four weeks been suffering from a series of earthquakes, which actually this past week caused the first cruise ship of the year, which was the Viking Star from Viking Cruises, to cancel its port. And they also they also canceled, I believe, two other cruises to Santorini. But one thing that makes Santorini beautiful is its location. If you look at Santorini on a map from above, it's kind of a half moon island with other little islands that complete and make a full circle. Santorini is actually a caldera, it's the top of a volcano. So what you're seeing on Santorini is the top of an inactive volcano. But that's what makes it such a scenic island.

Patrick Wiscombe 4:59

I hope they can recover quickly.

unknown 5:01

Yeah.

Patrick Wiscombe 5:11

Airlines are calling for scrapping the passenger compensation proposal.

Mark Faldmo 5:17

Last year we talked about the new rule that went into effect where if a flight was canceled due to an airline issue, so not weather, the passenger either could take the rescheduling that the airline offered, or the airline had to refund them in with, I believe, at seven days, so they can get a full refund. A few months ago, there was a new proposed rule where on top of that, for domestic delays, the airline would have to pay two to three hundred dollars per passenger on top of refunding them. Oh, really? And so that's what the airlines are asking the new administration to scrap. As a passenger, I think that sounds great. If my flight is delayed, they pay $200 just for a flight delay. Sure. What that's gonna do is raise the cost of air travel for everyone because they'll have to build that cost into the tickets.

Patrick Wiscombe 6:14

Yeah, they will.

Mark Faldmo 6:15

I kind of agree with the airlines here that that shouldn't be an additional step. I think a full refund or taking what the airline can offer for a reschedule is fair compensation. The one thing I don't want is airlines to start increasing their fares to start covering all of these government regulations that are being proposed or going into effect.

Virgin Voyages Lingo And Food

Patrick Wiscombe 6:37

Always in the first segment of the show is the destination of the week. And this week we're gonna take a deep dive into virgin voyages. Where do you want to start here?

Mark Faldmo 6:47

We've talked about virgin voyages a few times, but I thought it'd be nice to occasionally do some segments where we kind of take a deep dive into some of the lesser-known cruise lines, hotels, destinations. And so this week I just want to start with how different they are. They have whole new lingo. They've crafted lingo. If you notice, it's virgin voyages. So they use the term voyage instead of cruise. You're not a passenger on virgin voyages, you're a sailor. Kind of their theme is rebellious luxe, which is luxury yet cheeky vibe. Vitamin C is a termed, so vitamin C is S E A, um, which is their wellness program. They don't have a buffet on board, they call it the galley. It's almost like food trucks. I think by far it is the best concept I've seen at sea for that kind of traditional buffet area. They really cater to those with food allergies or special food needs. My wife, she's allergic to just about everything, food-wise, but in that galley, that's the first cruise she's ever been able to go to that buffet area and have almost a full selection of food she can eat. They cater to it. One of the big things is she's allergic to dairy. Desserts are always hard. She had five or six different dairy-free choices of desserts. So they really do cater to that.

Patrick Wiscombe 8:18

Let's talk about Virgin Voyages being an adult-only cruise. So this is the anti-Disney cruise, basically.

Mark Faldmo 8:40

It is. It's the perfect getaway for couples.

Patrick Wiscombe 8:44

I know that we've already talked about the food just a little bit, but I do know that they have some interesting culinary offers. What are they?

Mark Faldmo 8:52

They have 20 dining experiences on board. They don't have a main dining room, as you would think on a cruise ship. Most cruise lines have a main dining room, and you go either first or second dining or you go anytime dining. But they have five or six main restaurants, and you eat at a different restaurant every night. One night you might go to Korean barbecue. The next night you might go to a steakhouse. They have a vegan-themed restaurant, which by the way, I did order a cauliflower steak there at their vegan restaurant. Ooh. It was one of the best things I've eaten. I'd say it's in one of my top 10 meals I've ever had was their cauliflower steak. It actually wasn't a sliced cauliflower steak, it was a whole thing of cauliflower. But it was very good. So I'll have a head of cauliflower, please. Yeah, that's something that's different and unique is you don't really eat at the same restaurant every night. Basically, they're like specialty restaurants on other cruise lines, and you rotate through these restaurants.

Patrick Wiscombe 9:57

What about entertainment on virgin voyages?

Mark Faldmo 10:01

It kind of breaks the traditional mold compared to other cruise lines. They really try and offer

Entertainment Wellness And What’s Included

Mark Faldmo 10:06

a little bit more immersive experiences from thought-provoking shows to interactive shows. They are a little bit more edgy, but some of the shows you kind of have to watch, they might have some language in them, but generally overall, very good entertainment.

Patrick Wiscombe 10:23

When you say the entertainment is more inclusive, you're not talking about people watching a show. They're including the audience in the show.

Mark Faldmo 10:34

That's correct. Okay. Yeah. So so they really try and immerse the audience into the show that's going on.

Patrick Wiscombe 10:41

While we're talking about vitamin C, S E A, let's talk about some of the wellness amenities.

Mark Faldmo 10:47

Yep. So again, that's their wellness program board. They do it differently than a lot of cruise lines, like yoga programs, their detox programs, they have personalized fitness on board. Wellness is probably one of their main building blocks of their brand. They do have a traditional spa, but it goes well beyond the traditional spa.

Patrick Wiscombe 11:10

For the fare that you pay when you get on virgin voyages, is all of this stuff just included? What about Wi-Fi drinks? Are they extra charges?

Mark Faldmo 11:19

So your fare includes Wi-Fi, tips and gratuities, all dining options, beverages, which is complimentary, soda, water, and uh various other drink options, all of the fitness center classes, and all of the entertainment. So there's nothing more on board other than short excursions, really, that you would need to pay. They do offer some upgraded experiences that you can buy, but it's different than most cruise lines, especially in the beverages where you have included soda, the ship.

Patrick Wiscombe 11:49

Okay, so unlike other cruise lines, Virgin Voyages just includes all of that rather than getting nickel and dimed for each one of those things.

Mark Faldmo 11:58

That's correct. Okay. Yeah. So and one thing, if you look at Virgin Voyages fares, they're very competitive to other cruise lines. Even with all of those additions, it doesn't add that much more when you compare it to other cruise line itineraries.

Patrick Wiscombe 12:12

Oh, see, that might be very appealing to a lot of listeners then.

Mark Faldmo 12:16

Yes. I think all of those inclusions, plus the adults only, is perfect.

Patrick Wiscombe 12:22

Well, that's gonna do it for the deep dive into Virgin Voyages. What about current Virgin Voyages promotions, Mark?

Mark Faldmo 12:30

Right now, if you book by February 28th, Virgin Voyages current promotion is 80%

Virgin Voyages Promo And How To Book

Mark Faldmo 12:35

off the second guest, free drinks up to $300. That is for their premier alcohol and mixed drinks. So as we said earlier, you do get sodas and certain other drinks that are included. But if you want kind of that top shelf upscale experience, they will pay up to $300. And then if you pay in full, you get an additional 10% off your cruise when you pay in full.

Patrick Wiscombe 13:00

Okay, so that means as soon as you book it, you just pay for the whole thing. You don't, I'll just call it a layaway plan.

Mark Faldmo 13:06

Correct. Okay, so just pay for the whole thing and get an extra get an extra 10% off.

Patrick Wiscombe 13:13

How many times have you sailed with Virgin Voyages, Mark? I've been on Virgin Voyages one time. And it was a good experience for you.

Mark Faldmo 13:22

It was very good. Okay. I I I would go again and again.

Patrick Wiscombe 13:25

Call Mark in his office if you are interested in sailing with Virgin Voyages. Call him in his office during the break. 888-718-7717-888-718-7717. And he will also post this on BluePlanetvacations.com. When we come back, it is the hot travel deal of the week. And this week we're headed to Puerto Vallarta. So if that is on your bucket list or someplace that you want to return to, we've got a $300 savings that you'll want to cash in on. That is next when the Inside Travel Talk Podcast and radio show continues. Alongside Mark Faldmo, my name is Patrick Wiscombe. Thank you so much for allowing us to be part of your weekend. We'll be right back.

Todd Carlson 14:19

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 PlanetVacations.com. Call or text the show right now. 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700. We'll be right back.com. America's best travel advisors. Call or text the show now. 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700. And check out the podcast at InsightTravelTalk.com. Here's Patrick and Mark.

Patrick Wiscombe 15:24

Welcome back inside of the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show. We hope you are having an absolutely

Hawaii Tests All-Inclusive Venice Adds Tax

Patrick Wiscombe 15:33

terrific weekend. And thank you for allowing us to be part of your weekend by allowing us to be inside of your ears and hopefully entertain you and give you ideas of where to go on vacation next. Coming up in this segment of the show, always segment two of the show, we have the hot travel deal of the week. And this week we're going to Mexico, Puerto Vallarta specifically. But before we do, let's get to the travel news headlines. I thought this was kind of interesting, Mark, how Hawaii is considering, if I've got this right, an all-inclusive vacation option on the big island.

Mark Faldmo 16:17

I get lots of calls that say they want to go to Hawaii and state an all-inclusive resort. And there really aren't any full all-inclusive resorts like you would think of in Mexico. Yeah. Um, I I think there's one that tried it a few years ago. It didn't go well. But the Hilton Waikaloa village on the big island is offering an all-inclusive promotion. What this includes is when you book this room rate. So it's one of the room rates you can book. You can get just a regular room, or you can book the all-inclusive promotion. So it includes daily breakfast at their buffet, and then it includes dinner at one of their restaurants. They have three restaurants that you can eat at, or you can upgrade to their Lulau. It includes drinks at mealtime. It also includes one hour of the Lagoon Beach toy rental. So you can run a kayak, stand-up paddleboard, water tricycle, or paddle boat.

Patrick Wiscombe 17:18

Have you ever done a a uh tricycle?

Mark Faldmo 17:20

I have.

Patrick Wiscombe 17:22

Me too. It's harder than it looks.

Mark Faldmo 17:24

Also, one thing that this offers that I think is a good perk is it includes daily self-parking, which is fifty dollars a day if you pay for it. So it's a a really good offer. Again, it is gonna be more expensive than just buying the regular room rate. But if you do want everything included and it to work like an all-inclusive in Mexico, this is a good option.

Patrick Wiscombe 17:47

Where is Hilton Waikaloa? I know it's the big island. Is that Hilo or is that Kona?

Mark Faldmo 17:51

It's in Kona. That's what you would fly into. So it's about 20 minutes from the airport. I love the big island.

Patrick Wiscombe 17:58

I saw that Venice and their day tripping tourist tax has been extended through 2025.

Mark Faldmo 18:05

It is, yep. So it's extended through 2025 and they've doubled the price. So it's now 10 euros. It was five euros, it's now 10 euros. Anyone going into Venice for the day will have to pay this day tripper tourist tax. If you are staying at a hotel, you do not have to pay it.

Patrick Wiscombe 18:25

And you like staying in Venice instead of trekking into Venice.

Mark Faldmo 18:30

Correct. If I were visiting Venice, I would stay on the island. There's nothing like Venice in the evening.

Patrick Wiscombe 18:36

Let's get to the hot travel deal of the week, which is Puerto Vallarta in Mexico. Let's first talk about the areas of Puerto Vallarta

Where To Stay In Puerto Vallarta

Patrick Wiscombe 18:45

that you like to stay, and then we'll get to the actual deal.

Mark Faldmo 18:48

Every destination has its unique zones or areas of the city to stay. And so when traveling to Puerto Vallarta, there are several that you can choose from. In Puerto Villarta, the main area where people stay is the hotel zone. The hotel zone is kind of best for convenience, and it's where all of the all-inclusive resorts are. It's kind of right in between the airport and the downtown zone. And then the the downtown zone is where I like to stay just because I like going to the Malachon. I like everything there is to do in the downtown zone. I would say for first-time visitors, the downtown zone is probably the best place to stay.

Patrick Wiscombe 19:30

So stay out of the hotel in this case. The hotel.

Mark Faldmo 19:38

That's right next to the airports where all the cruise ships come into. But there are some pretty nice, all-inclusive resorts there. And this is where a lot of the resorts for families are based. The next zone is the zona romantica, so the romantic zone, which I don't necessarily like to stay there, but I like to go visit there because it's probably the most traditional. You'll get there and just feel like you're in that colonial Mexico. Probably my next favorite place to stay is the I would call it the South Beach area. This is the area that's kind of on the other side of downtown, but it has the best beaches. It has hotels like in the Hyativa that we've talked about, that is just kind of on its own little bay, its own little secluded beach. And so this is the area that has the best beaches in Porta Valleta.

Patrick Wiscombe 20:33

So let's get to the actual hot travel deal of the week. What are the promotions that we have for listeners this week?

Mark Faldmo 20:39

So right now, book by February 27th,

Puerto Vallarta Deal Pricing And Deadlines

Mark Faldmo 20:41

and you can save up to $300 for trips to Mexico, Porto Vallta in particular, here that we're talking about. And this includes Five Nights Hotel, round trip airfare from Salt Lake City, and this also includes round trip transfers from the airport to the hotel. Lately, I've kind of only been looking at four-star and above hotels because those prices have been so good. The Crystal Porto Vallta starts at 1,089 for Airfare Five Nights Hotel from Salt Lake City and the transfers between the airport and hotel. And then if we bump up to a five-star hotel, there's a few that we'll go over here, but the Ibero Star Selection, Playamita, starts at $13.29 per person. Now, this is an area that we did not talk about. It's about an hour kind of north of the airport. So it's a ways away from the airport, but it's kind of in the the newer, it's kind of an upscale area for vacations in the Portoberta area. And then the Villa Premier Boutique Hotel, five-star boutique. There's 72 rooms, so it's small, located in the downtown area. It's the closest hotel to the Molacon, which I really like. It starts at 1739 per person. And this date, I can't remember if we mentioned that or not, it's May 7th, but we can also look at other dates on that.

Patrick Wiscombe 22:03

What was the first one where he had to book by the what did you say February 27th?

Mark Faldmo 22:07

Correct. Yeah. Book by February 27th to get the up to $300 off.

Patrick Wiscombe 22:12

How many times have you actually physically been in Puerto Vallarta?

Mark Faldmo 22:17

So including times when I've stopped on the cruise, probably 30 or 35.

Patrick Wiscombe 22:23

I was expecting you to say like, I don't know, five.

Mark Faldmo 22:31

Yeah, quite a bit. I love Puerto Vallarta.

Patrick Wiscombe 22:33

Yeah, you do. Take advantage of those offers. Call Mark in his office during the break. Just get the conversation started. There's no obligation. 888-718-7717-888-718-7717. Or you can also go to Blue PlanetVacations.com. When we come back after the break, it is time for the infamous Just Cruising segment. And this week we're going to the

Booking Options And Mediterranean Tease

Patrick Wiscombe 23:04

Mediterranean. Stick around if you've always wanted to go to that part of the world. That's what we're talking about next. And we've got some awesome deals for listeners this week. Thank you so much for listening. We will be right back.

Todd Carlson 23:23

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 Blue PlanetVacations.com. America's best travel advisors. Patrick and Mark will be back after these messages.