April 12, 2025 • 53 mins
Discover the extraordinary difference between traditional Alaska cruising and the immersive wilderness experience offered by UnCruise Adventures. In our conversation with Dan Blanchard, CEO of UnCruise, we explore how their small ships allow guests to wake up alongside glaciers, spending nearly 48 hours in Glacier Bay compared to the brief 3-6 hour visits typical of larger cruise lines.
Blanchard, whose passion for authentic experiences stems from sailing the Pacific with his family, created UnCruise to share his favorite wild places with travelers seeking deeper connection. "We're the only company that puts people ashore in Glacier Bay in the wilderness areas and actually lets them go hike up mountains and on top of glaciers," he explains. Their US-flagged vessels and American crews (many Alaskan locals) provide authentic insights you won't find elsewhere.
Switching gears, we dive into MSC Cruises' stunning new World America with Laura Okunowski, who breaks down their four experience levels - from the value-focused Bella to the premium Yacht Club "ship within a ship" experience. Mark, fresh off a three-day sailing, shares his enthusiasm for this spectacular vessel now offering incredible value with Eastern Caribbean cruises starting at just $742 per person.
We wrap up with essential cruise preparation tips that can dramatically improve your vacation experience. From online check-in strategies to the importance of researching ports before arrival, these insider recommendations will help you maximize enjoyment and minimize stress on your next cruise adventure.
Whether you're drawn to wilderness immersion or luxurious big-ship experiences, today's episode offers valuable insights for every type of cruise traveler. Ready to experience Alaska's magnificent silence or MSC's innovative new ship? Contact Blue Planet Vacations to start planning your perfect cruise getaway.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Patrick Wiscombe (00:00):
It is time for the Inside Travel Talk podcast
and radio show Coming up.
On today's show, we will betalking about a very unique way
to cruise to Alaska and when Isay unique, that's no
exaggeration An interview withMSC's Laura Okonowski, because
Mark spent the last three dayson MSC's brand spanking new
(00:23):
World America, and we're goingto give you some detailed cruise
tips.
Let's start the show.
The Inside Travel Talk podcastand radio show presented by
BluePlanetVacations.
com contains travel deals,promotions and offers that may
be time-sensitive.
All offers and information wereaccurate when the show aired.
Travel deals and offers changeconstantly and are
capacity-controlled and subjectto change without notice.
Ad Voice (00:51):
Explore your world.
It's the Inside Travel Talkpodcast and radio show presented
by BluePlanetVacations.
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Call or text the show now801-649-3700.
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And check out the podcast atInsideTravelTalk.
com.
And now here are your hosts,Patrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo
(01:15):
.
Patrick Wiscombe (01:23):
It is time for the Inside Travel Talk podcast
and radio show.
Mark and I are broadcastingfrom the great state of Florida.
Nikki and I are just gettingback from sailing on Holland
America's Rotterdam and we aremeeting Mark right here in Miami
as he is just gotten off MSC'sWorld America.
(01:48):
You've been on the cruise shipfor what?
Three days already.
Yeah, for three days yeah justgetting off and actually getting
ready to head over to abaseball game later today.
Oh see, that's the one thingthat you and I did last year.
We saw the Miami Marlins Stillkind of weird to call them the
Miami Marlins they're stillFlorida to me and the Nationals
(02:08):
and you're going to go see thesame two teams this year, but
minus Patrick, minus Patrick butI will have Heather.
Yeah, minus me, that's a betterpickup, that's an upgrade.
Yes, we're doing the radio showfrom Miami, then I'm jumping on
MSC's World America and then weare off for an entire week.
One thing that we wanted to dothis week, as we're broadcasting
(02:29):
from Miami, is we had the verygood fortune of talking with a
gentleman by the name of DanBlanchard, the CEO of UnCruise
and there's a reason why they'venamed the company that If you
want to experience Alaska in acompletely different way,
instead of going on the massivecruise ships, you're going to be
(02:50):
very pleasantly surprisedspending a couple days in
Glacier Bay.
Dan Blanchard (02:54):
On many of our routes we enter right over the
line at midnight and you wake upat the glacier and then we play
all day.
We anchor out, we wake up atanother glacier and play all day
and then leave after dark andcross the line at midnight.
So you're actually unlike thelarge ships which are generally
in the bay for, you know,anywhere from three to six hours
(03:17):
.
You know we're in for 47 hoursand 50 minutes, which is pretty
cool.
Patrick Wiscombe (03:23):
What's the favorite thing that you do in
Glacier Bay?
Dan Blanchard (03:25):
For me personally , I love to get out and hike.
We're the only companyovernight company of any kind
that puts people ashore inGlacier Bay in the wilderness
areas and actually lets them gohike up mountains, and we lead
hikes on top of glaciers, upmountains.
There's one of my favoriteplaces called Gloomy Knob that I
love to go to because we see alot of brown bear and goats at
(03:46):
that location, but a lot ofpeople.
You know, if you're not a hiker, you might want to go kayaking
and if you're, you know, maybenot in the greatest of shape or
just want to, you know, relax.
You can hop in a skiff and geta skiff tour all throughout the
bay.
It's really a pretty dramaticexperience, more like if you
were on my sailboat with me thanon a cruise ship.
Patrick Wiscombe (04:09):
How did you get into doing UnCruise?
Dan Blanchard (04:12):
Well, I was in the small ship industry as a
captain for many years in my 20sand 30s and we started UnCruise
Adventures after I left acompany called Cruise West as
their vice president ofoperations in 1996.
And we started UnCruise Well,what back then was called
American Safari, which becameUnCruise Adventures.
(04:32):
And you know, with the wholeidea, I just taken three years
off and sailed around thePacific on my 40-foot sailboat
with my eight and 10-year-oldkid and my wife and we came back
to my old job and we were justbored stiff, quite frankly.
And how do you have anexperience like that and then go
back to doing port to port?
(04:53):
So we really wanted toexperience Alaska in the same
way.
We experienced our Pacific tripwith guests rather than just a
private boat.
So that was the whole impetusbehind UnCruise was to if you
were coming on my sailboat, Iwould take you to all my
favorite places and we wouldplay, and so that really is the
impetus behind the brand.
Patrick Wiscombe (05:14):
What was the thinking?
Hey, let's grab the wife, let'sgrab the kids, let's just take
off.
Dan Blanchard (05:18):
When I was young, probably in sixth grade, I read
a book called Dove, which wasabout a 15-year-old who sailed
around the world by himself forsix years Robin Lee Graham and
so I was convinced when I was insixth grade that I would leave
before I was 15 and beat hisrecord.
Well, I think I was 35 orsomething like that when we
(05:40):
loved to go sailing, so it was alittle off-timey, but we did
get out there.
Patrick Wiscombe (05:44):
Tell me about the route that you were on.
Dan Blanchard (05:47):
We essentially circumnavigated the Pacific
through Ayrson, but you know myfavorite, Palmyra Atoll, about
800 miles south-southwest ofHawaii.
I would rate the Lao group inFiji as off the hook, the
Solomon Islands.
Off the hook, I mean, theSolomon Islands were like going
to a culture that was, you know,a hundred years behind the
(06:07):
times.
At that time they had no phoneservice, no generators, you know
, they were just living no carsin the outer islands.
So it was really.
It felt like you know I wassailing back in 1896, not 1996.
Patrick Wiscombe (06:24):
Let's talk about UnCruise now.
What kind of a project did yousay you were doing?
Dan Blanchard (06:28):
So we have eight vessels and every so many years
the vessels have to kind of gothrough a rehab.
In this case it means, you know, a lot of steel work,
rebuilding cabins, putting allnew windows in this kind of
thing.
So it's this boat's turn andshe hasn't operated the last two
years.
We pulled her out of serviceduring the pandemic and so we're
(06:51):
bringing her back.
Obviously, sales have returnedup until recently have been
really booming.
For this coming season, thewhole idea is we have higher
demand than we did during thepandemic years, which kind of
stretched out a bit for us andmany travel companies.
Patrick Wiscombe (07:08):
What's your favorite itinerary when doing
UnCruise, and do you stillcaptain the ships or do you just
turn that over to?
Dan Blanchard (07:14):
different captains.
I haven't Occasionally.
The captains are kind enough togive me the stick now and then
and let me take the boat in orout of the dock, which I still
love, but no, I don't captain ona regular.
In in or out of the dock, whichI still love, but no, I don't
captain on a regular.
In fact I don't captain at all.
It's been probably 10 years atleast In Alaska.
You know our route that goes tothe Aleutian Islands and Prince
William Sound.
Those are relatively new, are.
I mean hardly any trafficwhatsoever.
(07:37):
Our Southeast routes, which areclassic, you know those are
anywhere from seven to 14 daysand it, you know those are
anywhere from seven to 14 daysand it you know, the difference
between us and like what you didon the bliss, is you're
spending all of that time inAlaska.
You're not spending a day and ahalf each direction getting to
and from start burning three outof seven days, uh, just getting
to and from Alaska.
So that, you know, is the realadvantage of a small us business
(08:01):
like ours, with flagships.
Patrick Wiscombe (08:03):
Why is everything flagged everywhere
else instead of America?
Aren't you flagged here?
Dan Blanchard (08:09):
Yeah, we're US flagged, which means that our
vessels are built in the UnitedStates, maintained in the United
States and crewed by UScitizens, and in Alaska that
means a lot of Alaskans on board.
So what you have with the largerships is it's the cost of
building in the United States isquite high.
So the larger ships for many,many years now have been
(08:32):
building foreign and therefore,you know, have foreign crews.
So they visit the country forsure, and but there's great cost
advantage to building overseas.
So what they do is they havewhat are called flags of
convenience.
So you'll see that, and thatgenerally means the flag states
that don't have heavy taxes orfees, don't have requirements on
(08:53):
how you have retirement andsocial security and medical for
your staff.
So you find a lot of flags,like a lot of cruise ships are
flagged in the Bahamas or Panama, and that's to basically
because there's almost noregulation on the way they
manage crew.
They still have regulations forsafety that are quite high, but
not necessarily the higherlevel requirements that any
(09:17):
American would want if they wereworking on board a ship.
Patrick Wiscombe (09:22):
UnCruise Take me on a seven-day journey.
Do we take off from Washington,or we go from Alaska, or yes,
one or all.
Dan Blanchard (09:31):
So the vast majority of our trips leave from
Alaska.
So you know an example my homeis in Juneau, it's where our
office is at, and you fly intoJuneau, we pick you up at the
plane If you're staying a fewextra days, we take you to our
hotel and then we get you to theboat on departure day and the
same thing on the return.
(09:53):
And so you know, from the timeyou touch down to the time you
depart, you're actually in thestate of Alaska, and that's true
at Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka,Seward, where we depart, Dutch
Harbor, all these places.
What you gain from that isefficiency of time.
Obviously the trips are notport-centric like the large
cruise ships.
So our whole thing, theadventure part, is that we have
(10:17):
all levels of adventure, fromclimbing a mountain, if you want
to, with our hard-charginggroup, to beach, beach strolls,
to snorkeling in Alaska, whichwas pretty novel, whoa whoa.
Yeah.
We don't get too many peoplethat sign up for that one.
So like an 80 passenger shipyou might get 15 or 20% that
would sign up for snorkeling inAlaska, but it is amazingly
(10:41):
beautiful.
I mean, it's not like thetropics at all.
Ad Voice (10:44):
No.
Dan Blanchard (10:44):
It doesn't mean that it amazingly beautiful.
I mean it's not like thetropics at all.
No, it doesn't mean that itisn't alive.
Patrick Wiscombe (10:47):
You mentioned feeling alive.
When I was in Alaska I feltalive.
It was quiet, it was beautiful,it was mountains, it was rivers
, ocean.
When we pulled into, where wasit?
Skagway docking, right next tothe mountain, just kind of
freaked me out going.
Wait, it's 30 feet that way andwe've got a mountain.
(11:09):
I don't know why.
That just blew my mind.
Dan Blanchard (11:12):
That's a very unique situation in Skagway, for
sure.
Patrick Wiscombe (11:15):
Yeah.
Dan Blanchard (11:16):
And they've even had, you know, times when they
couldn't pull ships in therebecause of unstable rock and
this kind of thing.
But yeah, they've got that allresolved.
But anyway, the point being isthat you're right To be in
nature like that that's justuninterrupted by human touch.
I mean, you can go hundreds andhundreds of miles without
seeing any kind of civilizationand you might see another boat.
(11:38):
That's about it.
And the further north you go,the more that increases.
It's one thing to be inSoutheast or my home's at.
It's another thing altogetherto be up in Prince William Sound
or, even more so, in WesternAlaska or out in the Aleutian
chain, where we call it kind ofthe Wild West.
Out there there's just nobodythere.
Patrick Wiscombe (11:54):
There's something about having the
comforts of home.
I'll just say a ship, in thiscase on cruise or a ship, but
especially in your case.
I didn't know that the worldcould be that quiet in Alaska.
Dan Blanchard (12:07):
It was unbelievable.
Patrick Wiscombe (12:08):
It was so peaceful that it was magical.
Dan Blanchard (12:12):
Just imagine that if you were to amp that up and
take a small boat ashore, take ashort hike up to the top of a
glacier, maybe walk on top ofthe glacier, and one of the
things we do on every one of ourevents that happens and when I
say events, whether it'skayaking, paddle boarding,
strolling on the beach, taking askiff tour or hike is each
(12:34):
particular event has a period ofthree to five minutes where we
just ask everybody to find acomfortable spot.
You can stand, you can sitwhatever.
Find a comfortable spot, youcan stand, you can sit whatever.
But just, we're just going tobe silent.
And it is amazing when you takea silent place and become
silent ourselves.
And then, here you know, youcan be on a glacier and all you
(12:55):
hear is cracking of the glacier,which you never would never
would hear if, if you weretalking.
Patrick Wiscombe (13:01):
When we were in Glacier Bay and I thought
gunshots were going off it was.
I turned to my wife, Nicki, andI said is there a gun range
here?
Not knowing that it was the icehitting the water, or at least
that's what I thought it wasyeah Well, yeah, you get a big
calving, you can get thosegunshots, you know.
Dan Blanchard (13:20):
Obviously, sometimes the icebergs
themselves will even calve andit can be amazing.
And occasionally, you know,even when you're standing on top
of a glacier you'll get a loudone.
But generally they're quieter.
But they're all like miniearthquakes in a way.
Patrick Wiscombe (13:37):
I sound like I'm just weirding out on you.
If you can't tell, I'm a littlebit excited about what you do,
because I just didn't even knowit existed until just recently.
Let's get back to the seven-dayand then let's transition to
the 14-day.
You start off in Alaska orWashington For time efficiency
purposes.
In Alaska, what's a typicalseven-day?
Dan Blanchard (13:58):
Well, a typical seven-day is you board the
vessel, let's just say you boardSaturday.
We board vessels on Friday,saturday and Sunday primarily,
although other days of the weekare available depending on the
trip.
But you board the vessel atabout 5.
We go through our safety drill,then we have dinner and get
underway, usually just before orjust after dinner and then,
(14:18):
depending on the time of year,sometimes you have daylight
until almost midnight, like ifyou're in May or June.
It's just a lot of light, right, even early July.
But we get underway and ourwhole deal is to find really
special places in the wildernessand we will stop by villages
for cultural purposes, but forthe most part we're out in
(14:41):
Alaska herself, in untouchedAlaska, and that's why we go to
Glacier Bay and that's why we goto Misty Fjords National
Monument or many of the nationalmonuments and parks throughout
Alaska, and the idea is that weimmerse ourselves in nature and
then the next morning, aftercocktail hour and dinner's over
(15:02):
and the evening presentation.
Like the first night, thepresentation is hey, this is our
route for the next seven nights, eight days, and this is what
our plan is.
But with UnCruise we're notreally on a schedule, so we call
it the plan to deviate from.
And so we have a plan or thewhales, or sea lions or whatever
(15:22):
we see, salmon sharks areprevalent in one area.
We hear about it.
We'll move the boat over thereand change the plans.
So there's no two trips thatare ever the same.
We're not running on a railroadtrack.
It's also seasonal changes.
So, for instance, there arecertain parts of the season that
are better for bears, there arecertain parts of the season
that are better for whales, andwe try to take advantage of that
(15:45):
.
And if it's late season or very, very early season and Northern
Lights is a thing you know wewant to be in a position where
we're going to have our bestsightings in Northern Lights at
midnight or two in the morning,and we don't want to be near a
town, for instance.
So it's really geared to, youknow, moving with Mother nature.
We all know that she doesn'twork on our clock, so we have to
(16:05):
adapt to her.
But then it's, you know.
We pull into a cove, let's say,early in the morning, we anchor
up just before breakfast andsometimes we get skiff tours out
for birders really early,because that's the best time for
birds before breakfast.
Then they come back.
We have breakfast together andthen the day starts, and
(16:27):
sometimes the all-day kayakgroup leaves first and the
all-day hikers, and then it'sfollowed, you know, 15 minutes
later by those going for beachstrolls and snorkeling and all
the stuff they do, and so thatgoes on kind of in two shifts,
morning and afternoon.
And then the good thing is, weall get back on the boat around
(16:47):
six and we have a happy hourwhich is full of storytelling
about what people saw, like, ohmy God, I was going to my kayak
and a whale came up 20 feet fromme.
Patrick Wiscombe (16:58):
So that really does happen.
Dan Blanchard (17:00):
Oh yeah, it actually happens, and even more
prevalent than whales coming upare really the opportunity to
see bears.
You know we're not, we try notto see bears from land.
We want to see bears from thekayak or the skiffs.
And as you're kayaking along,you're very quiet and so we
maybe kayak 20, 30 feet from theshore and you go around a
(17:22):
corner and there's a, there's asow with a couple of cubs and
you see it very up.
You know very close and uh, butvery safe as well where have
you been?
I was out of my sailboat toolong, I guess yeah I guess you
were we're actually gosh.
We're going to be 30 years oldnext year wow, congratulations,
(17:42):
congratulations.
That must mean, I'm what 34?
.
Patrick Wiscombe (17:50):
You started sailing at one.
Dan Blanchard (17:52):
Yeah, I started young, very young.
Patrick Wiscombe (17:55):
What a privilege to talk to you.
Truly one of the good guys.
But on cruise adventures, Ican't even imagine.
Well, no, I can't because we'llbe doing it soon.
Mark Faldmo (18:06):
Yeah, I think that is one of the most unique ways
to travel to Alaska.
What they do, their programsare amazing and you know
especially where they overnightspend two full days in Glacier
Bay.
That's just as unique as itgets.
Patrick Wiscombe (18:20):
Most large cruise ships.
So when we were on NCL's Blissand you've been in there dozens
of times, you really are onlythere for about I don't know
four hours, six hours.
I think that's generous.
I wanted to be there as about Idon't know.
Four hours, six hours, I thinkthat's generous.
I wanted to be there as long asI could.
And UnCruise Adventures ourthanks to Dan Blanchard, just a
genuinely good guy and you canhear the passion in his voice.
(18:45):
Check him out.
UnCruise Adventures they'refeatured on blueplanetvacations.
com.
If you love nature and you wantto experience Alaska completely
differently, you're gonna getthat experience perfectly.
We'll take a break here when wecome back.
We've got the hot travel dealof the week.
We're talking about MSC's WorldWorld America alternating
(19:10):
between the Eastern and WesternCaribbean.
That is next when the InsideTravel Talk podcast or radio
show continues alongside my goodfriend Mark Faldmo my name is
Patrick Wiscombe.
We will be right back.
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Here's Patrick.
Patrick Wiscombe (20:44):
Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo.
Welcome back inside of theInside Travel Talk podcast and
radio show.
Hello there, I hope you arehaving a terrific weekend.
Coming up in this segment ofthe show, we will be talking
about the hot travel deal of theweek and we are going to combo
(21:13):
the cruise deal of the week, orthe infamous just cruising
segment, with the hot traveldeal of the week Because, coming
up in the next segment, we havean interview with MSC's Laura
Okonowski.
We were just together on MSC'sWorld America.
I was able to see her.
Mark's are for the last threedays, but I was able to see her
getting off the ship.
We said hello, got together fora few minutes, then we will be
getting on the ship.
Just because we're a littleshort on time, let's get into
(21:36):
the cruise deal of the week,which is, I'm going to assume,
MSc's World America.
Mark Faldmo (21:41):
Yeah, it is.
So.
You know, most cruise lineshave alternate eastern and
western Caribbean, so seven dayseastern, seven days western.
You can do back-to-backs onother cruise lines, but MSC
actually sells them as one14-day itinerary.
So right now I'm just going togive the price on a seven-day
Eastern Caribbean cruise, butyou also can combine this and
(22:03):
make a 14-day cruise.
These are October dates,looking particularly October
11th, and this is actually theitinerary that you're going to
do, Patrick.
You're beginning this itinerarytoday.
Oh yeah, so it leaves fromMiami, goes to Private Island,
Ocean Key, San Juan, Puerto Ricoand Puerto Plata in the
(22:23):
Dominican Republic.
The prices for a new cruiseship it just continues to amaze
me what they charge compared tothe other cruise lines when they
launch a new ship.
So October 11th, this itineraryand inside cabin starts at $742
per person.
Wow, a balcony cabin starts at$1,072.
That is all the taxes and fees,everything.
(22:45):
That's the out-the-door pricefor the seven-day cruise.
Patrick Wiscombe (22:49):
That is an extraordinary dollar amount on
the low side, especially for abrand new ship.
If you've ever wanted to gocruising, it is one of the best
deals available period.
Mark Faldmo (23:00):
I'll just move on to another deal that's even
better.
Now, this is not on the WorldAmerica, this is on the MSC
Seascape, which leaves fromGalveston, so the Houston area
of Texas.
A seven-day Western Caribbeancruise Cozumel, costa Maya and
Roatan One of your favoriteports, one of my favorite ports.
This is January of next year,January of 2026.
(23:23):
So, right when it's snowy andcold where we're at, an inside
cabin starts at $444 per person.
A balcony cabin starts at 444dollars per person.
A balcony cabin starts at 674dollars per person what ship is
that on?
this is on the msc seascape okay.
Patrick Wiscombe (23:40):
so my friend, my kid, was just on that ship,
literally about two weeks ago,and he loves MSC, absolutely
huge fan, loved Seascape.
Mark Faldmo (23:49):
Even at this, the suites are about $1,200.
Patrick Wiscombe (23:53):
That's it.
Mark Faldmo (23:55):
Yeah, so really good rates on this Galveston
departure for next winter.
Patrick Wiscombe (24:01):
Okay, so we're talking about MSC Yacht Club,
right?
Mark Faldmo (24:04):
Those aren't the Yacht Club.
Those are the suites, one belowYacht Club.
Patrick Wiscombe (24:08):
Okay, those suites are nice too.
How much is the Yacht Club?
Did you pull?
Mark Faldmo (24:12):
that up, I did.
The Yacht Club starts at $2889per person.
Patrick Wiscombe (24:17):
That's good too.
Yacht Club Wow.
Mark Faldmo (24:20):
Yacht Club is a keyed access exclusive area of
the ship and actually in ournext segment, Laura is going to
talk a little bit more aboutwhat Yacht Club is.
We're going to talk a littlebit more about what Yacht Club
is.
Patrick Wiscombe (24:29):
We're going to take an early break here.
Those are phenomenal offers.
Take advantage of that.
Call Mark during the break.
Just get the conversationstarted.
No obligation 888-718-7717.
888-718-7717.
(24:49):
Mark will also post this onBluePlanetVacations.
com.
888-7717.
Mark will also post this onblueplanetvacations.
com.
When we come back, we'llcontinue the infamous Just
Cruising segment with our friendLaura Okonowski with MSC
Cruises.
It's always good to catch upwith her.
That is next with the InsideTravel Talk podcast, a radio
(25:12):
show continues.
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set out on your own river cruisejourney.
Contact Blue Planet Vacationsat 888-718-7717 or
(25:59):
blueplanetvacations.
com.
This is the Inside Travel Talkpodcast and radio show presented
by blueplanetvacations.
com, America's best traveladvisors.
Call or text the show right now801-649-3700, 801-649-3700.
(26:22):
And now here are your hostsPatrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo
.
Patrick Wiscombe (26:35):
We are broadcasting live from Miami,
Florida and one of our favoritepeople on this entire planet is
Laura Okonowski, with MSCCruises, and she's getting off
the MSC World America along withMark and I am getting on.
You and I are just switchingpositions.
How was the inaugural sailing?
Laura Okonowski (26:55):
Oh my goodness.
Well, I am grinning from ear toear.
Patrick Wiscombe (26:58):
Yes, you are.
Laura Okonowski (26:59):
I don't think I'm going to stop smiling for
probably about a week and a half.
So I snapped up a whole bunchof pictures on my phone, met so
many wonderful people on thisexperience and it was just
fantastic.
It really is a gorgeous shipand such a highlight to finally
be on World America.
(27:20):
Do you agree, mark?
Did you have an amazing timetoo?
Mark Faldmo (27:23):
I do.
It was a great experience and,as we've talked about in the
past, my favorite part was MSCOcean Reserve, the private
island.
I loved it.
Laura Okonowski (27:33):
It looks like you had your sunblock on, which
is good.
Yes, I tend to burn, so Ididn't get too much sun.
Patrick Wiscombe (27:41):
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 wantto share this with listeners
right now.
So we wanted to talk about theexperience levels, and they are
the four.
Let's go over Bella, Fantastica, Aria and I think it was Yacht
(28:05):
Club.
Is that correct, Laura?
Laura Okonowski (28:07):
That's correct.
Yes, Okay.
Now, what's unique about MSCCruises is we have categories
that run alongside ouraccommodation types to further
explain what that accommodationexperience will be all about.
So to break it all down foreverybody, if you ever are being
(28:28):
advised on a Bella experience,that experience will mean that
you will be in an insidestateroom, an outside stateroom,
potentially a balcony stateroom, but there isn't a lot of
flexibility in your selection ona deck map.
In describing this further, youknow a Bella experience is
(28:50):
typically a guarantee.
Patrick, you may not know, ofcourse Mark knows this, but a
guarantee is, of course, yourstateroom on board.
But you may not get yourassignment of your stateroom
with a guarantee situation untilmaybe a week or two weeks
before you're set to travel.
So for some people they don'tmind the spontaneity of not
(29:13):
knowing right.
It could be anywhere on theship.
You know they like that thrill.
But for other seasoned cruisers, they really prefer to have
part in the planning in sayingspecifically 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 higherdeck?
Do they want starboard side?
What deck do they want to be on?
Do they like to be on a higherdeck?
Do they want to be on a lowerdeck?
So with the Bella experience,you do not have that choice and
(29:35):
convenience and, in fact, if youneed to make any changes to the
booking reservation, there willbe a change fee involved.
So while it might be a greatrate, you have to realize that
you could be anywhere on theship in a guarantee situation.
You're guaranteed to travelAbsolutely.
We'll still guarantee to giveyou your three meals a day, plus
(29:58):
, plus.
Plus, you'll be privy to allthe entertainment on board, all
the fun things that take place.
You'll have access to the gymand all the sports facilities.
All the children's programs areincluded in this.
You'll have options for drinkpackages and things like that,
but there just is that guaranteethat I like for people to
(30:20):
realize.
Patrick Wiscombe (30:21):
So that's the Bella experience.
And then what is the servicelevel above Bella?
Laura Okonowski (30:26):
Now we ratchet up to Fantastica, and Fantastica
, I think, is a betteropportunity for first-time
cruisers with MSC who want alittle bit more choice,
convenience and flexibility.
So, number one you get theopportunity to choose your
stateroom and the location.
So, whatever you decide withMark, and if you go with deck 10
(30:50):
and you are midship, you willget your exact stateroom number
and that's where you will belocated for your cruise.
You also get some extra bookingflexibility in this and you get
one free cruise change.
So let's say you have anunexpected wedding in the family
that is going to be takingplace.
(31:10):
When you planned six months agofor your World America cruise,
follow up mark and you say, ohmy 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'renot going to cancel it, we're
going to just move you to adifferent date because
experience, you're allowed onefree cruise change.
(31:31):
So again, more convenience.
With this right you also getyour chance to request your
preferred dining seating If youwant the earlier or the later.
You also get some extraprivileges, such as breakfast in
your stateroom for freedelivery.
No delivery charges on thatmore choice, more flexibility
(31:51):
and, I think personally, thebetter experience between
Fantastica and Bella.
Patrick Wiscombe (31:57):
Okay, let's talk about Aria Laura.
Laura Okonowski (31:59):
Yeah.
So the Aria experience.
Of course you get to chooseyour stateroom location.
You are allowed that one freecruise change if it's necessary
and needed.
But this Aria experience nowgets into more comfort.
We offer suites and balconiesin these types of opportunities
throughout the ship, which arethe best locations, and with
(32:22):
this comes more food and drinkbenefits as well.
So you get a free time diningmy choice dining in a dedicated
restaurant where only ARIAguests will dine.
Now the thermal suite areaaboard MSC cruise ships just
boasts of some wonderfulchambers on board, such as the
lavender room, the snow room.
(32:42):
You have a hot sauna, a drysauna.
I mean it really is a wonderfulrespite to have access to this.
And on other cruise lines youknow, I personally have indulged
and it can cost sometimes up to$250 per person for a seven-day
cruise to have access to suchamenities that are in the spa
(33:03):
area.
Now the thermal suites are forthe adults only, so no kiddos
are allowed there.
So again, it is a real nicerespite, a really great way to
unwind at the end of the day.
That's.
My favorite tip actually isafter dinner.
Sometimes my husband and I willgo to the show, sometimes not.
We prefer to go to the thermalsuite in the evening.
Patrick Wiscombe (33:24):
What is your favorite thing in the spa?
Do you like the hot, coldshowers, the sauna, or do you
just do it all?
Laura Okonowski (33:30):
You guys might not know this about me, Patrick
and Mark, but I'm originallyfrom Canada so I don't mind cold
every now and a while so I dolove the exhilaration that I get
from the snow room and just tobe in there.
You know, cold plunging is sucha big thing.
Nowadays People even have theirown cold plunges in their
backyard.
But with me living in Arizonayear round, to go in this room
(33:52):
chamber and make a snowball andsit there for, you know, two,
three minutes, I just, I reallyenjoy that.
Patrick Wiscombe (33:59):
It's exhilarating when you walk in
there.
It really is Canada in here.
Last experience after Aria isthe Yacht Club.
Laura Okonowski (34:08):
I think we've saved the best for last, of
course, here Now.
The Yacht Club is our pinnacleexperience.
It is a ship within a shipexperience.
So what I think is so greatabout this is you have the big
ship amenities right.
You have water slides, you havemultiple venues for dining, you
have multiple venues forentertainment.
(34:29):
You have all these kidsprograms that are complimentary.
You have multiple venues forentertainment.
You have all these kidsprograms that are complimentary,
all these spaces and placesthroughout the ship that you can
still navigate to as being aYacht Club guest.
But the best part is you haveyour special place where you can
retreat to alongside all theother Yacht Club guests, which
on any given ship of ours, we'llhave usually two to two to 300
(34:51):
suites, but on World America Idid the math and there's close
to 500.
But you never feel like you'reamongst all of those other
people because everyone'smilling around.
You know the ship all atdifferent hours doing their own
thing.
But Yacht Club does have itsown club lounge where you can
maybe sit to piano at night.
Lounge where you can maybe sitto piano at night.
(35:16):
Also, one of the best things ischeck-in, which is separate
embarkation and disembarkationfor Yacht Club guests.
So the butler will come, greetyou, meet you, assist you with
your hand luggage, bring you onboard the ship, and it's just a
very seamless type of entry intothe world of Yacht Club.
The butler service is 24 hoursand oftentimes people will say,
but Laura, what am I going tohave a butler do for me?
(35:36):
Well, the butler can escort youto the shows in the evening.
They can help with a shortexcursion decisions.
They can maybe speak to thechef and ask for a certain menu
item that you are craving.
They really take care of yourpersonalization.
They customize things for youat Yacht Club.
(35:57):
It really is just a wonderfulexperience to behold.
Not only do we have a privaterestaurant there, but we have,
at Yacht Club, our own pool.
You have your own solariumsitting area, own sun deck, and
the best part of all, too, isthat Yacht Club fare for this
experience.
It comes with your Wi-Fipackage already wrapped in, as
(36:21):
well as all of your beverageswine, spirits, champagne, soda,
energy drinks.
You know I have a 12 year oldson and he was ordering virgin
pina coladas at the Yacht ClubLounge bar and he was living his
best young life.
Patrick Wiscombe (36:40):
I can just see him doing that.
Laura Okonowski (36:43):
Yeah.
So it was just a wonderfulexperience to behold and I
really encourage your listenersto take a look at what MSC has
to offer in the overallexperiences.
When you break things down withMark and he does a side-by-side
comparison, maybe versus brandXYZ on another cruise line, I
(37:04):
have to tell you and Mark canattest nine out of 9.999 times
MSC prices will always come outbetter.
We are just a great valueproposition right now Really
want to encourage people to comeout and visit World America
here at the brand new terminal.
Patrick Wiscombe (37:23):
I'm jumping on the ship after the broadcast,
and where are you headed to,laura?
Laura Okonowski (37:28):
Well, sadly I have to leave.
It was hard to say goodbye thismorning, but I have to leave
and go back to Arizona, so I'llbe boarding a flight here out of
Miami International Airport ina little bit.
Patrick Wiscombe (37:40):
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 thisship.
If you are interested inbooking an MSC cruise,
regardless of the ship, callMark in his office, 888-718-7717
(38:03):
.
888-718-7717.
And we'll also post the cruisespecials on BluePlanetvacations.
com when we come back.
We've got Mark's travel tips.
Thank you so much for allowingus to be part of your weekend.
We'll be right back.
Ad Voice (38:22):
Explore your world.
You're listening to the InsideTravel Talk podcast and radio
show with Patrick Wiscombe andMark Faldmo.
Call or text the show now801-649-3700.
That's 801-649-3700.
And check out the podcast atInsideTravelTalk.
com.
We'll be right back.
(38:48):
This segment of Inside TravelTalk is sponsored by Star
Clippers.
For over 30 years, starClippers has offered unique,
authentic tall ship sailingexperiences featuring creative
itineraries throughout theMediterranean Caribbean and
Central America.
To book your unique StarClipper sailing adventure,
contact Blue Planet Vacations at888-718-7717 or
(39:09):
blueplanetvacations.
com.
This is the Inside Travel Talkpodcast and radio show with
(39:29):
Patrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo, presented by
blueplanetVacations.
com America's best traveladvisors.
Call the show right now801-649-3700, 801-649-3700.
And now your hosts, PatrickWiscombe and Mark Faldmo.
Patrick Wiscombe (39:54):
Broadcasting live from Miami, Florida.
Right now you are listening tothe Inside Travel Talk podcast
and radio show.
Alongside Mark Faldmo, my nameis Patrick Wiscombe and, in case
you are just joining the show,Nicki and I are down in Miami.
(40:16):
We just got off HollandAmerica's Rotterdam ship and we
are actually meeting Mark inMiami as he is getting off the
MSC World America and we arejust trading spots.
I am getting on the WorldAmerica and Mark is going to
baseball games tonight.
Yep.
Mark Faldmo (40:37):
In about two hours I'll be at the Marlins Nationals
game tonight.
Patrick Wiscombe (40:41):
That is literally the same two teams
that we saw last year at aboutthis time, about this time, yep,
by the way, marlins Stadiumwhat do they call that?
Is that?
What's the name of the fieldthere?
Lone Depot Park?
Oh, that's right.
Okay, if you've never been toMiami and you've always wanted
to catch a baseball game, loneDepot Park is small, but it's a
(41:02):
beautiful park, wouldn't you?
Mark Faldmo (41:03):
agree, it is.
Yep, I'm excited to get there.
It's affordable for baseballyeah, and it's affordable for
baseball, yeah, and I guessthose tickets are on demand.
So the tickets prices raise andlower based on the demand.
I'm going to the YankeesDodgers game in LA in a few
weeks and for what I paid forthose tickets in the upper deck
(41:26):
nosebleed section, about threetimes what I paid to be on the
about the 12th row at theMarlins game.
Patrick Wiscombe (41:34):
Isn't that the cruise that you're getting on
Royal Caribbean?
I'm not joining you for thatone.
Mark Faldmo (41:38):
Yeah, it's the Royal Caribbean Ovation of the
Seas.
They're having a little previewcruise when that ship starts
sailing to Mexico from LosAngeles.
Patrick Wiscombe (41:47):
Coming up in this segment of the show.
We've got two topics that wewant to share with listeners.
We received a call or a textfrom Jessica and let me just
give out the text number.
You can call or text thisnumber and ask your
travel-related question.
The studio number is801-649-3700.
(42:07):
801-649-3700.
That's how Jessica got ahold ofus and she is asking I booked a
flight, but the price right nowseems a little high.
If the price drops, can I get alower price?
And I think the answer is yes,but I think it's a very, very
tight window.
Mark Faldmo (42:27):
It is a very tight window within 24 hours.
Patrick Wiscombe (42:30):
Oh, so it is really tight.
Mark Faldmo (42:32):
Yeah, once you go past 24 hours, the ticket is
non-refundable, with a fewexceptions.
If you did buy a ticket thatsays it's refundable, then it's
refundable.
Right, most people don't dothat, but you know, I've noticed
, especially like Delta Airlines, when I go to buy a ticket that
says do you want to buy theeconomy regular fare or the
(42:53):
economy refundable fare?
Patrick Wiscombe (42:55):
Yeah, and the refundable fare is usually at
least $100.
At least that I've seen $100more.
Mark Faldmo (43:01):
Yeah, $100 more, or it's also refundable if you
purchase travel protection.
Yes, most travel protection iscanceled for a covered reason.
I did notice that delta,however, does have kind of a
two-tiered system one is forcovered reasons and one is
cancel for any reason right butthen that takes the ticket up to
(43:24):
about the same cost as if youpurchase the refundable fare,
what I found most people do.
If you travel a lot, people willpurchase a ticket because they
know they need to go and then,if the fare goes down, they'll
just rebook the lower fare, andmost airlines right now do not
have any change fees.
Yeah, I noticed that recentlytoo.
(43:46):
So that means you can just bookthe ticket at the lower price
and then you'll have a creditfor a future flight.
Got it?
That's what most people do.
I've used that trick severaltimes because I know I'm going
to be traveling in the future.
The one caveat with that isthose tickets are only good for
12 months from the original dateof purchase.
(44:07):
So if you purchased it sixmonths ago, you really only have
six months to use that credit.
It's not based on the date oftravel, which some people think
it's.
For most airlines, it's thedate of original purchase.
Patrick Wiscombe (44:22):
Yeah, okay, so you do have to watch that.
Yes, that was a long windedanswer, for if the price drops
on an airline ticket, can youget a lower price?
The answer is yes within 24hours, or you have a refundable
ticket.
Did I summarize that prettyquick?
Mark Faldmo (44:39):
Yeah, okay, all right, I would add to that, or
you just use what you had for afuture ticket and buy the lower
price ticket.
Patrick Wiscombe (44:47):
Yes.
Mark Faldmo (44:48):
Okay, that's the fun thing about travel, and
that's probably why you shoulduse a travel advisor.
There's so many different waysto do things, to sort through
things like this.
Patrick Wiscombe (44:59):
Call Mark in his office, 888-718-7717,
888-718-7717.
In the time that we haveremaining in this segment, Mark,
let's talk about the thingsthat all travelers should do
before getting on a cruise, andwe have what about 10 things?
Yeah, 10, or?
Mark Faldmo (45:20):
so things that we can go through this list.
Patrick Wiscombe (45:23):
All right.
So let's do the 10 things to dobefore getting on your cruise,
starting with number one.
Mark Faldmo (45:28):
Number one is check in online.
This really saves you time atthe pier.
In fact, some cruise linesrequire people to check in
online this way.
If you do that, they have allof your documents.
They have your photo ID that'sused to board the ship.
They really have everythingthere and some cruise lines, if
you do this, you basically sayI'm here, they check you off a
(45:51):
list, they give you your keycard and you can go get on the
ship.
It really cuts down on the timespent checking in for the
cruise.
I've often said cruises aregreat.
There's two really bad thingsabout a cruise.
One is departure day and one isthe day you return, because it
can be just lines and lines ofpeople.
Checking in online really helpscut down your time to get on
(46:15):
board the ship.
Patrick Wiscombe (46:16):
Things to do before getting on your cruise
Number two.
Mark Faldmo (46:22):
Number two is check your identification documents.
This should be done before youeven start booking the cruise,
but also when you're about toget on the cruise.
Make sure that you have yourpassport.
I always recommend travelingwith a passport on a cruise.
In some cases, you can get onwith your birth certificate and
driver's license.
Make sure your driver's licenseis not expired.
(46:42):
Now, this doesn't relate to acruise, but I've actually in my
lifetime showed up twice to renta car with an expired driver's
license.
Patrick Wiscombe (46:52):
Oh, I'm literally checking my license
right now.
In fact, I've got to remind mysister-in-law and her son to
check that.
Mark Faldmo (47:02):
Always a good thing .
Patrick Wiscombe (47:03):
Reason number three things to do before
getting on your cruise.
Mark Faldmo (47:06):
The next thing is download the Cruise Lines app.
Some people initially werereticent to do this, but I
actually think if you go throughthe check-in process on the
cruise line app, it goes a lotsmoother.
Yeah, it does, and the app justhelps you through your vacation
Some cruise lines.
If you have other family andfriends on the app, you can
(47:28):
create friends group and you canjust chat with them.
That's how you can communicatewhile you're on board the ship.
A lot of cruise lines let youdo the dinner reservations.
They give you your dailyschedule.
Everything is done through theapp on some cruise lines.
So the cruise lines app makeseverything from checking in to
boarding and while you're on thecruise easier.
(47:49):
Number four is what?
Number four is to print outyour documents.
Oh, yeah, yeah yeah, absolutelydo that.
Some people say, well, I'vedone it on the app.
I have all of the informationon the app.
I always recommend printing outyour documents as well.
We were just talking aboutMSC's terminal.
That can handle up to 35,000people at one time.
That's 35,000 people in asmaller space.
(48:12):
Some internet providers have ahard time providing internet, so
your phone's data may not work.
In that circumstance, youshould always print out your
documents.
I've always said this as a tipfor airlines as well.
I use the app all the time, butI always print out, or have
them print out, a copy of myboarding pass.
I've had my phone die times andI've just sometimes been in
(48:35):
spotty data area where I can'tget my boarding pass up on my
phone, so it is always a goodidea to have a printed version
of everything.
Patrick Wiscombe (48:43):
Okay, what's the next thing we need to do?
Everyone needs to do beforegetting on a cruise Mark the
next thing is to research yourports in advance.
Mark Faldmo (48:51):
There's a lot of interesting ports out there, a
lot of interesting things to do.
Some people just show up anddon't know anything about the
ports, what to do, what theywant to see.
So just to make your experiencebetter, ports are one of the
great things about cruises.
That's what I like you can bein a different port every day
and get to see different people,different cultures, different
(49:12):
activities.
So just research your ports sothat you know what there is to
do in that port.
What's another thing everyoneneeds to do before getting on
their cruise?
The next thing to do is to signup for your tours in advance.
There are several ways you cando tours I've mentioned.
On the Blue Planet Vacationswebsite, we do have a short
excursion site where you canbook through a third party and
(49:35):
book tours depending on youritinerary.
The cruise line also offers thetours and excursions, and you
should book those in advancebecause when you wait to get on
board, a lot of the best timesand best things are already
taken and sold out.
Yeah, they do sell out quicklyand there are some companies,
like the provider on my site,offer several private tours.
(49:56):
So if you are interested in aprivate tour, there's only
limited guides.
So you should do those privatetours well in advance to make
sure if you want a private shoreexcursion, to book that in
advance.
Patrick Wiscombe (50:10):
You can see some of those excursion groups
on blueplanetvacations.
com, is it down?
Mark Faldmo (50:15):
at the bottom.
It is down at the bottom or inthe crew search box on
blueplanetvacations.
com, there's a little thing thatsays look for shore excursions.
Patrick Wiscombe (50:24):
We have two more things to do before getting
on any cruise.
Mark Faldmo (50:28):
Those are the next thing is sign up for onboard
activities in advance.
After you complete your onboardcheck-in, you can do specialty
dinners.
You can do spa treatments.
Don't wait to plan those typeof things while on board.
Patrick Wiscombe (50:42):
Last thing to do before getting on your cruise
is what Consider purchasingtravel insurance.
Mark Faldmo (50:48):
We always talk about this.
I've seen so many financialinvestments in travel saved by
purchasing travel insurance.
Patrick Wiscombe (50:57):
These are big commitments.
Multi-thousand dollarcommitments can be.
Mark Faldmo (51:02):
Yes, they can.
It's so important, I think, topurchase travel insurance or
travel protection to protectthat investment.
Patrick Wiscombe (51:10):
We could just record this segment and play it
every what three months, and itwill benefit somebody.
Well, that's it.
That's the end of the show,we're done.
It's time for you to go see abaseball game here in a couple
hours and it's time for Nikkiand I to go jump on the MSC's
World America, so excited to geton this brand new ship.
(51:33):
You can listen to this showagain tomorrow morning.
We're on every Saturday andSunday at 11 am here on this
radio station and, of course,around the country, and you can
also stream, download andsubscribe to the podcast at
InsideTravelTalk.
com.
(51:53):
We are on all of the majorpodcast platforms and if you
just want to stream the showwithout subscribing, you can go
to InsideTravelTalk.
com and just hit the play button.
Well, that's it, we're done.
It's now your turn to get outand explore the world while you
can, because you never know whatcurveball's life is going to
(52:15):
throw at you, and you knowexactly 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 nextweek.
Ad Voice (52:31):
That's it.
That's the end of the showYou've been listening to the
Inside Travel Talk podcast andradio show with Patrick Wiscombe
and Mark Faldmo, presented byBluePlanetVacations.
com.
Book your adventure right now.
Call 888-718-7717.
That's 888-718-7717.
(52:52):
Thanks for listening.
Have a great week.
Inside Travel Talk is brought toyou by Travelex Insurance
Services.
Their travel insurance planscan help protect you and your
vacation.
Travelex is known for theiraward-winning customer service
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(53:13):
Contact Blue Planet Vacationsat 888-718-7717 or
blueplanetvacations.
com for more information.
It is time for the Inside Travel Talk podcast
and radio show Coming up.
On today's show, we will betalking about a very unique way
to cruise to Alaska and when Isay unique, that's no
exaggeration An interview withMSC's Laura Okonowski, because
Mark spent the last three dayson MSC's brand spanking new
(00:23):
World America, and we're goingto give you some detailed cruise
tips.
Let's start the show.
The Inside Travel Talk podcastand radio show presented by
BluePlanetVacations.
com contains travel deals,promotions and offers that may
be time-sensitive.
All offers and information wereaccurate when the show aired.
Travel deals and offers changeconstantly and are
capacity-controlled and subjectto change without notice.
Ad Voice (00:51):
Explore your world.
It's the Inside Travel Talkpodcast and radio show presented
by BluePlanetVacations.
com.
Call or text the show now801-649-3700.
801-649-3700.
And check out the podcast atInsideTravelTalk.
com.
And now here are your hosts,Patrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo
(01:15):
.
Patrick Wiscombe (01:23):
It is time for the Inside Travel Talk podcast
and radio show.
Mark and I are broadcastingfrom the great state of Florida.
Nikki and I are just gettingback from sailing on Holland
America's Rotterdam and we aremeeting Mark right here in Miami
as he is just gotten off MSC'sWorld America.
(01:48):
You've been on the cruise shipfor what?
Three days already.
Yeah, for three days yeah justgetting off and actually getting
ready to head over to abaseball game later today.
Oh see, that's the one thingthat you and I did last year.
We saw the Miami Marlins Stillkind of weird to call them the
Miami Marlins they're stillFlorida to me and the Nationals
(02:08):
and you're going to go see thesame two teams this year, but
minus Patrick, minus Patrick butI will have Heather.
Yeah, minus me, that's a betterpickup, that's an upgrade.
Yes, we're doing the radio showfrom Miami, then I'm jumping on
MSC's World America and then weare off for an entire week.
One thing that we wanted to dothis week, as we're broadcasting
(02:29):
from Miami, is we had the verygood fortune of talking with a
gentleman by the name of DanBlanchard, the CEO of UnCruise
and there's a reason why they'venamed the company that If you
want to experience Alaska in acompletely different way,
instead of going on the massivecruise ships, you're going to be
(02:50):
very pleasantly surprisedspending a couple days in
Glacier Bay.
Dan Blanchard (02:54):
On many of our routes we enter right over the
line at midnight and you wake upat the glacier and then we play
all day.
We anchor out, we wake up atanother glacier and play all day
and then leave after dark andcross the line at midnight.
So you're actually unlike thelarge ships which are generally
in the bay for, you know,anywhere from three to six hours
(03:17):
.
You know we're in for 47 hoursand 50 minutes, which is pretty
cool.
Patrick Wiscombe (03:23):
What's the favorite thing that you do in
Glacier Bay?
Dan Blanchard (03:25):
For me personally , I love to get out and hike.
We're the only companyovernight company of any kind
that puts people ashore inGlacier Bay in the wilderness
areas and actually lets them gohike up mountains, and we lead
hikes on top of glaciers, upmountains.
There's one of my favoriteplaces called Gloomy Knob that I
love to go to because we see alot of brown bear and goats at
(03:46):
that location, but a lot ofpeople.
You know, if you're not a hiker, you might want to go kayaking
and if you're, you know, maybenot in the greatest of shape or
just want to, you know, relax.
You can hop in a skiff and geta skiff tour all throughout the
bay.
It's really a pretty dramaticexperience, more like if you
were on my sailboat with me thanon a cruise ship.
Patrick Wiscombe (04:09):
How did you get into doing UnCruise?
Dan Blanchard (04:12):
Well, I was in the small ship industry as a
captain for many years in my 20sand 30s and we started UnCruise
Adventures after I left acompany called Cruise West as
their vice president ofoperations in 1996.
And we started UnCruise Well,what back then was called
American Safari, which becameUnCruise Adventures.
(04:32):
And you know, with the wholeidea, I just taken three years
off and sailed around thePacific on my 40-foot sailboat
with my eight and 10-year-oldkid and my wife and we came back
to my old job and we were justbored stiff, quite frankly.
And how do you have anexperience like that and then go
back to doing port to port?
(04:53):
So we really wanted toexperience Alaska in the same
way.
We experienced our Pacific tripwith guests rather than just a
private boat.
So that was the whole impetusbehind UnCruise was to if you
were coming on my sailboat, Iwould take you to all my
favorite places and we wouldplay, and so that really is the
impetus behind the brand.
Patrick Wiscombe (05:14):
What was the thinking?
Hey, let's grab the wife, let'sgrab the kids, let's just take
off.
Dan Blanchard (05:18):
When I was young, probably in sixth grade, I read
a book called Dove, which wasabout a 15-year-old who sailed
around the world by himself forsix years Robin Lee Graham and
so I was convinced when I was insixth grade that I would leave
before I was 15 and beat hisrecord.
Well, I think I was 35 orsomething like that when we
(05:40):
loved to go sailing, so it was alittle off-timey, but we did
get out there.
Patrick Wiscombe (05:44):
Tell me about the route that you were on.
Dan Blanchard (05:47):
We essentially circumnavigated the Pacific
through Ayrson, but you know myfavorite, Palmyra Atoll, about
800 miles south-southwest ofHawaii.
I would rate the Lao group inFiji as off the hook, the
Solomon Islands.
Off the hook, I mean, theSolomon Islands were like going
to a culture that was, you know,a hundred years behind the
(06:07):
times.
At that time they had no phoneservice, no generators, you know
, they were just living no carsin the outer islands.
So it was really.
It felt like you know I wassailing back in 1896, not 1996.
Patrick Wiscombe (06:24):
Let's talk about UnCruise now.
What kind of a project did yousay you were doing?
Dan Blanchard (06:28):
So we have eight vessels and every so many years
the vessels have to kind of gothrough a rehab.
In this case it means, you know, a lot of steel work,
rebuilding cabins, putting allnew windows in this kind of
thing.
So it's this boat's turn andshe hasn't operated the last two
years.
We pulled her out of serviceduring the pandemic and so we're
(06:51):
bringing her back.
Obviously, sales have returnedup until recently have been
really booming.
For this coming season, thewhole idea is we have higher
demand than we did during thepandemic years, which kind of
stretched out a bit for us andmany travel companies.
Patrick Wiscombe (07:08):
What's your favorite itinerary when doing
UnCruise, and do you stillcaptain the ships or do you just
turn that over to?
Dan Blanchard (07:14):
different captains.
I haven't Occasionally.
The captains are kind enough togive me the stick now and then
and let me take the boat in orout of the dock, which I still
love, but no, I don't captain ona regular.
In in or out of the dock, whichI still love, but no, I don't
captain on a regular.
In fact I don't captain at all.
It's been probably 10 years atleast In Alaska.
You know our route that goes tothe Aleutian Islands and Prince
William Sound.
Those are relatively new, are.
I mean hardly any trafficwhatsoever.
(07:37):
Our Southeast routes, which areclassic, you know those are
anywhere from seven to 14 daysand it, you know those are
anywhere from seven to 14 daysand it you know, the difference
between us and like what you didon the bliss, is you're
spending all of that time inAlaska.
You're not spending a day and ahalf each direction getting to
and from start burning three outof seven days, uh, just getting
to and from Alaska.
So that, you know, is the realadvantage of a small us business
(08:01):
like ours, with flagships.
Patrick Wiscombe (08:03):
Why is everything flagged everywhere
else instead of America?
Aren't you flagged here?
Dan Blanchard (08:09):
Yeah, we're US flagged, which means that our
vessels are built in the UnitedStates, maintained in the United
States and crewed by UScitizens, and in Alaska that
means a lot of Alaskans on board.
So what you have with the largerships is it's the cost of
building in the United States isquite high.
So the larger ships for many,many years now have been
(08:32):
building foreign and therefore,you know, have foreign crews.
So they visit the country forsure, and but there's great cost
advantage to building overseas.
So what they do is they havewhat are called flags of
convenience.
So you'll see that, and thatgenerally means the flag states
that don't have heavy taxes orfees, don't have requirements on
(08:53):
how you have retirement andsocial security and medical for
your staff.
So you find a lot of flags,like a lot of cruise ships are
flagged in the Bahamas or Panama, and that's to basically
because there's almost noregulation on the way they
manage crew.
They still have regulations forsafety that are quite high, but
not necessarily the higherlevel requirements that any
(09:17):
American would want if they wereworking on board a ship.
Patrick Wiscombe (09:22):
UnCruise Take me on a seven-day journey.
Do we take off from Washington,or we go from Alaska, or yes,
one or all.
Dan Blanchard (09:31):
So the vast majority of our trips leave from
Alaska.
So you know an example my homeis in Juneau, it's where our
office is at, and you fly intoJuneau, we pick you up at the
plane If you're staying a fewextra days, we take you to our
hotel and then we get you to theboat on departure day and the
same thing on the return.
(09:53):
And so you know, from the timeyou touch down to the time you
depart, you're actually in thestate of Alaska, and that's true
at Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka,Seward, where we depart, Dutch
Harbor, all these places.
What you gain from that isefficiency of time.
Obviously the trips are notport-centric like the large
cruise ships.
So our whole thing, theadventure part, is that we have
(10:17):
all levels of adventure, fromclimbing a mountain, if you want
to, with our hard-charginggroup, to beach, beach strolls,
to snorkeling in Alaska, whichwas pretty novel, whoa whoa.
Yeah.
We don't get too many peoplethat sign up for that one.
So like an 80 passenger shipyou might get 15 or 20% that
would sign up for snorkeling inAlaska, but it is amazingly
(10:41):
beautiful.
I mean, it's not like thetropics at all.
Ad Voice (10:44):
No.
Dan Blanchard (10:44):
It doesn't mean that it amazingly beautiful.
I mean it's not like thetropics at all.
No, it doesn't mean that itisn't alive.
Patrick Wiscombe (10:47):
You mentioned feeling alive.
When I was in Alaska I feltalive.
It was quiet, it was beautiful,it was mountains, it was rivers
, ocean.
When we pulled into, where wasit?
Skagway docking, right next tothe mountain, just kind of
freaked me out going.
Wait, it's 30 feet that way andwe've got a mountain.
(11:09):
I don't know why.
That just blew my mind.
Dan Blanchard (11:12):
That's a very unique situation in Skagway, for
sure.
Patrick Wiscombe (11:15):
Yeah.
Dan Blanchard (11:16):
And they've even had, you know, times when they
couldn't pull ships in therebecause of unstable rock and
this kind of thing.
But yeah, they've got that allresolved.
But anyway, the point being isthat you're right To be in
nature like that that's justuninterrupted by human touch.
I mean, you can go hundreds andhundreds of miles without
seeing any kind of civilizationand you might see another boat.
(11:38):
That's about it.
And the further north you go,the more that increases.
It's one thing to be inSoutheast or my home's at.
It's another thing altogetherto be up in Prince William Sound
or, even more so, in WesternAlaska or out in the Aleutian
chain, where we call it kind ofthe Wild West.
Out there there's just nobodythere.
Patrick Wiscombe (11:54):
There's something about having the
comforts of home.
I'll just say a ship, in thiscase on cruise or a ship, but
especially in your case.
I didn't know that the worldcould be that quiet in Alaska.
Dan Blanchard (12:07):
It was unbelievable.
Patrick Wiscombe (12:08):
It was so peaceful that it was magical.
Dan Blanchard (12:12):
Just imagine that if you were to amp that up and
take a small boat ashore, take ashort hike up to the top of a
glacier, maybe walk on top ofthe glacier, and one of the
things we do on every one of ourevents that happens and when I
say events, whether it'skayaking, paddle boarding,
strolling on the beach, taking askiff tour or hike is each
(12:34):
particular event has a period ofthree to five minutes where we
just ask everybody to find acomfortable spot.
You can stand, you can sitwhatever.
Find a comfortable spot, youcan stand, you can sit whatever.
But just, we're just going tobe silent.
And it is amazing when you takea silent place and become
silent ourselves.
And then, here you know, youcan be on a glacier and all you
(12:55):
hear is cracking of the glacier,which you never would never
would hear if, if you weretalking.
Patrick Wiscombe (13:01):
When we were in Glacier Bay and I thought
gunshots were going off it was.
I turned to my wife, Nicki, andI said is there a gun range
here?
Not knowing that it was the icehitting the water, or at least
that's what I thought it wasyeah Well, yeah, you get a big
calving, you can get thosegunshots, you know.
Dan Blanchard (13:20):
Obviously, sometimes the icebergs
themselves will even calve andit can be amazing.
And occasionally, you know,even when you're standing on top
of a glacier you'll get a loudone.
But generally they're quieter.
But they're all like miniearthquakes in a way.
Patrick Wiscombe (13:37):
I sound like I'm just weirding out on you.
If you can't tell, I'm a littlebit excited about what you do,
because I just didn't even knowit existed until just recently.
Let's get back to the seven-dayand then let's transition to
the 14-day.
You start off in Alaska orWashington For time efficiency
purposes.
In Alaska, what's a typicalseven-day?
Dan Blanchard (13:58):
Well, a typical seven-day is you board the
vessel, let's just say you boardSaturday.
We board vessels on Friday,saturday and Sunday primarily,
although other days of the weekare available depending on the
trip.
But you board the vessel atabout 5.
We go through our safety drill,then we have dinner and get
underway, usually just before orjust after dinner and then,
(14:18):
depending on the time of year,sometimes you have daylight
until almost midnight, like ifyou're in May or June.
It's just a lot of light, right, even early July.
But we get underway and ourwhole deal is to find really
special places in the wildernessand we will stop by villages
for cultural purposes, but forthe most part we're out in
(14:41):
Alaska herself, in untouchedAlaska, and that's why we go to
Glacier Bay and that's why we goto Misty Fjords National
Monument or many of the nationalmonuments and parks throughout
Alaska, and the idea is that weimmerse ourselves in nature and
then the next morning, aftercocktail hour and dinner's over
(15:02):
and the evening presentation.
Like the first night, thepresentation is hey, this is our
route for the next seven nights, eight days, and this is what
our plan is.
But with UnCruise we're notreally on a schedule, so we call
it the plan to deviate from.
And so we have a plan or thewhales, or sea lions or whatever
(15:22):
we see, salmon sharks areprevalent in one area.
We hear about it.
We'll move the boat over thereand change the plans.
So there's no two trips thatare ever the same.
We're not running on a railroadtrack.
It's also seasonal changes.
So, for instance, there arecertain parts of the season that
are better for bears, there arecertain parts of the season
that are better for whales, andwe try to take advantage of that
(15:45):
.
And if it's late season or very, very early season and Northern
Lights is a thing you know wewant to be in a position where
we're going to have our bestsightings in Northern Lights at
midnight or two in the morning,and we don't want to be near a
town, for instance.
So it's really geared to, youknow, moving with Mother nature.
We all know that she doesn'twork on our clock, so we have to
(16:05):
adapt to her.
But then it's, you know.
We pull into a cove, let's say,early in the morning, we anchor
up just before breakfast andsometimes we get skiff tours out
for birders really early,because that's the best time for
birds before breakfast.
Then they come back.
We have breakfast together andthen the day starts, and
(16:27):
sometimes the all-day kayakgroup leaves first and the
all-day hikers, and then it'sfollowed, you know, 15 minutes
later by those going for beachstrolls and snorkeling and all
the stuff they do, and so thatgoes on kind of in two shifts,
morning and afternoon.
And then the good thing is, weall get back on the boat around
(16:47):
six and we have a happy hourwhich is full of storytelling
about what people saw, like, ohmy God, I was going to my kayak
and a whale came up 20 feet fromme.
Patrick Wiscombe (16:58):
So that really does happen.
Dan Blanchard (17:00):
Oh yeah, it actually happens, and even more
prevalent than whales coming upare really the opportunity to
see bears.
You know we're not, we try notto see bears from land.
We want to see bears from thekayak or the skiffs.
And as you're kayaking along,you're very quiet and so we
maybe kayak 20, 30 feet from theshore and you go around a
(17:22):
corner and there's a, there's asow with a couple of cubs and
you see it very up.
You know very close and uh, butvery safe as well where have
you been?
I was out of my sailboat toolong, I guess yeah I guess you
were we're actually gosh.
We're going to be 30 years oldnext year wow, congratulations,
(17:42):
congratulations.
That must mean, I'm what 34?
.
Patrick Wiscombe (17:50):
You started sailing at one.
Dan Blanchard (17:52):
Yeah, I started young, very young.
Patrick Wiscombe (17:55):
What a privilege to talk to you.
Truly one of the good guys.
But on cruise adventures, Ican't even imagine.
Well, no, I can't because we'llbe doing it soon.
Mark Faldmo (18:06):
Yeah, I think that is one of the most unique ways
to travel to Alaska.
What they do, their programsare amazing and you know
especially where they overnightspend two full days in Glacier
Bay.
That's just as unique as itgets.
Patrick Wiscombe (18:20):
Most large cruise ships.
So when we were on NCL's Blissand you've been in there dozens
of times, you really are onlythere for about I don't know
four hours, six hours.
I think that's generous.
I wanted to be there as about Idon't know.
Four hours, six hours, I thinkthat's generous.
I wanted to be there as long asI could.
And UnCruise Adventures ourthanks to Dan Blanchard, just a
genuinely good guy and you canhear the passion in his voice.
(18:45):
Check him out.
UnCruise Adventures they'refeatured on blueplanetvacations.
com.
If you love nature and you wantto experience Alaska completely
differently, you're gonna getthat experience perfectly.
We'll take a break here when wecome back.
We've got the hot travel dealof the week.
We're talking about MSC's WorldWorld America alternating
(19:10):
between the Eastern and WesternCaribbean.
That is next when the InsideTravel Talk podcast or radio
show continues alongside my goodfriend Mark Faldmo my name is
Patrick Wiscombe.
We will be right back.
Ad Voice (19:23):
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The Inside Travel Talk podcastand radio show is presented by
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Call or text the show now801-649-3700.
801-649-3700.
Thanks for listening.
(19:44):
We'll be right back.
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(20:39):
801-649-3700.
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Here's Patrick.
Patrick Wiscombe (20:44):
Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo.
Welcome back inside of theInside Travel Talk podcast and
radio show.
Hello there, I hope you arehaving a terrific weekend.
Coming up in this segment ofthe show, we will be talking
about the hot travel deal of theweek and we are going to combo
(21:13):
the cruise deal of the week, orthe infamous just cruising
segment, with the hot traveldeal of the week Because, coming
up in the next segment, we havean interview with MSC's Laura
Okonowski.
We were just together on MSC'sWorld America.
I was able to see her.
Mark's are for the last threedays, but I was able to see her
getting off the ship.
We said hello, got together fora few minutes, then we will be
getting on the ship.
Just because we're a littleshort on time, let's get into
(21:36):
the cruise deal of the week,which is, I'm going to assume,
MSc's World America.
Mark Faldmo (21:41):
Yeah, it is.
So.
You know, most cruise lineshave alternate eastern and
western Caribbean, so seven dayseastern, seven days western.
You can do back-to-backs onother cruise lines, but MSC
actually sells them as one14-day itinerary.
So right now I'm just going togive the price on a seven-day
Eastern Caribbean cruise, butyou also can combine this and
(22:03):
make a 14-day cruise.
These are October dates,looking particularly October
11th, and this is actually theitinerary that you're going to
do, Patrick.
You're beginning this itinerarytoday.
Oh yeah, so it leaves fromMiami, goes to Private Island,
Ocean Key, San Juan, Puerto Ricoand Puerto Plata in the
(22:23):
Dominican Republic.
The prices for a new cruiseship it just continues to amaze
me what they charge compared tothe other cruise lines when they
launch a new ship.
So October 11th, this itineraryand inside cabin starts at $742
per person.
Wow, a balcony cabin starts at$1,072.
That is all the taxes and fees,everything.
(22:45):
That's the out-the-door pricefor the seven-day cruise.
Patrick Wiscombe (22:49):
That is an extraordinary dollar amount on
the low side, especially for abrand new ship.
If you've ever wanted to gocruising, it is one of the best
deals available period.
Mark Faldmo (23:00):
I'll just move on to another deal that's even
better.
Now, this is not on the WorldAmerica, this is on the MSC
Seascape, which leaves fromGalveston, so the Houston area
of Texas.
A seven-day Western Caribbeancruise Cozumel, costa Maya and
Roatan One of your favoriteports, one of my favorite ports.
This is January of next year,January of 2026.
(23:23):
So, right when it's snowy andcold where we're at, an inside
cabin starts at $444 per person.
A balcony cabin starts at 444dollars per person.
A balcony cabin starts at 674dollars per person what ship is
that on?
this is on the msc seascape okay.
Patrick Wiscombe (23:40):
so my friend, my kid, was just on that ship,
literally about two weeks ago,and he loves MSC, absolutely
huge fan, loved Seascape.
Mark Faldmo (23:49):
Even at this, the suites are about $1,200.
Patrick Wiscombe (23:53):
That's it.
Mark Faldmo (23:55):
Yeah, so really good rates on this Galveston
departure for next winter.
Patrick Wiscombe (24:01):
Okay, so we're talking about MSC Yacht Club,
right?
Mark Faldmo (24:04):
Those aren't the Yacht Club.
Those are the suites, one belowYacht Club.
Patrick Wiscombe (24:08):
Okay, those suites are nice too.
How much is the Yacht Club?
Did you pull?
Mark Faldmo (24:12):
that up, I did.
The Yacht Club starts at $2889per person.
Patrick Wiscombe (24:17):
That's good too.
Yacht Club Wow.
Mark Faldmo (24:20):
Yacht Club is a keyed access exclusive area of
the ship and actually in ournext segment, Laura is going to
talk a little bit more aboutwhat Yacht Club is.
We're going to talk a littlebit more about what Yacht Club
is.
Patrick Wiscombe (24:29):
We're going to take an early break here.
Those are phenomenal offers.
Take advantage of that.
Call Mark during the break.
Just get the conversationstarted.
No obligation 888-718-7717.
888-718-7717.
(24:49):
Mark will also post this onBluePlanetVacations.
com.
888-7717.
Mark will also post this onblueplanetvacations.
com.
When we come back, we'llcontinue the infamous Just
Cruising segment with our friendLaura Okonowski with MSC
Cruises.
It's always good to catch upwith her.
That is next with the InsideTravel Talk podcast, a radio
(25:12):
show continues.
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weekend.
We will be right back.
You're listening to the InsideTravel Talk podcast and radio
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And check out the podcast atinsidetraveltalk.
(25:34):
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We'll be right back.
Inside Travel Talk is brought toyou by Anna.
Waterways, from castles andcapitals to vistas and villages
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(25:59):
blueplanetvacations.
com.
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Call or text the show right now801-649-3700, 801-649-3700.
(26:22):
And now here are your hostsPatrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo
.
Patrick Wiscombe (26:35):
We are broadcasting live from Miami,
Florida and one of our favoritepeople on this entire planet is
Laura Okonowski, with MSCCruises, and she's getting off
the MSC World America along withMark and I am getting on.
You and I are just switchingpositions.
How was the inaugural sailing?
Laura Okonowski (26:55):
Oh my goodness.
Well, I am grinning from ear toear.
Patrick Wiscombe (26:58):
Yes, you are.
Laura Okonowski (26:59):
I don't think I'm going to stop smiling for
probably about a week and a half.
So I snapped up a whole bunchof pictures on my phone, met so
many wonderful people on thisexperience and it was just
fantastic.
It really is a gorgeous shipand such a highlight to finally
be on World America.
(27:20):
Do you agree, mark?
Did you have an amazing timetoo?
Mark Faldmo (27:23):
I do.
It was a great experience and,as we've talked about in the
past, my favorite part was MSCOcean Reserve, the private
island.
I loved it.
Laura Okonowski (27:33):
It looks like you had your sunblock on, which
is good.
Yes, I tend to burn, so Ididn't get too much sun.
Patrick Wiscombe (27:41):
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 wantto share this with listeners
right now.
So we wanted to talk about theexperience levels, and they are
the four.
Let's go over Bella, Fantastica, Aria and I think it was Yacht
(28:05):
Club.
Is that correct, Laura?
Laura Okonowski (28:07):
That's correct.
Yes, Okay.
Now, what's unique about MSCCruises is we have categories
that run alongside ouraccommodation types to further
explain what that accommodationexperience will be all about.
So to break it all down foreverybody, if you ever are being
(28:28):
advised on a Bella experience,that experience will mean that
you will be in an insidestateroom, an outside stateroom,
potentially a balcony stateroom, but there isn't a lot of
flexibility in your selection ona deck map.
In describing this further, youknow a Bella experience is
(28:50):
typically a guarantee.
Patrick, you may not know, ofcourse Mark knows this, but a
guarantee is, of course, yourstateroom on board.
But you may not get yourassignment of your stateroom
with a guarantee situation untilmaybe a week or two weeks
before you're set to travel.
So for some people they don'tmind the spontaneity of not
(29:13):
knowing right.
It could be anywhere on theship.
You know they like that thrill.
But for other seasoned cruisers, they really prefer to have
part in the planning in sayingspecifically 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 higherdeck?
Do they want starboard side?
What deck do they want to be on?
Do they like to be on a higherdeck?
Do they want to be on a lowerdeck?
So with the Bella experience,you do not have that choice and
(29:35):
convenience and, in fact, if youneed to make any changes to the
booking reservation, there willbe a change fee involved.
So while it might be a greatrate, you have to realize that
you could be anywhere on theship in a guarantee situation.
You're guaranteed to travelAbsolutely.
We'll still guarantee to giveyou your three meals a day, plus
(29:58):
, plus.
Plus, you'll be privy to allthe entertainment on board, all
the fun things that take place.
You'll have access to the gymand all the sports facilities.
All the children's programs areincluded in this.
You'll have options for drinkpackages and things like that,
but there just is that guaranteethat I like for people to
(30:20):
realize.
Patrick Wiscombe (30:21):
So that's the Bella experience.
And then what is the servicelevel above Bella?
Laura Okonowski (30:26):
Now we ratchet up to Fantastica, and Fantastica
, I think, is a betteropportunity for first-time
cruisers with MSC who want alittle bit more choice,
convenience and flexibility.
So, number one you get theopportunity to choose your
stateroom and the location.
So, whatever you decide withMark, and if you go with deck 10
(30:50):
and you are midship, you willget your exact stateroom number
and that's where you will belocated for your cruise.
You also get some extra bookingflexibility in this and you get
one free cruise change.
So let's say you have anunexpected wedding in the family
that is going to be takingplace.
(31:10):
When you planned six months agofor your World America cruise,
follow up mark and you say, ohmy 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'renot going to cancel it, we're
going to just move you to adifferent date because
experience, you're allowed onefree cruise change.
(31:31):
So again, more convenience.
With this right you also getyour chance to request your
preferred dining seating If youwant the earlier or the later.
You also get some extraprivileges, such as breakfast in
your stateroom for freedelivery.
No delivery charges on thatmore choice, more flexibility
(31:51):
and, I think personally, thebetter experience between
Fantastica and Bella.
Patrick Wiscombe (31:57):
Okay, let's talk about Aria Laura.
Laura Okonowski (31:59):
Yeah.
So the Aria experience.
Of course you get to chooseyour stateroom location.
You are allowed that one freecruise change if it's necessary
and needed.
But this Aria experience nowgets into more comfort.
We offer suites and balconiesin these types of opportunities
throughout the ship, which arethe best locations, and with
(32:22):
this comes more food and drinkbenefits as well.
So you get a free time diningmy choice dining in a dedicated
restaurant where only ARIAguests will dine.
Now the thermal suite areaaboard MSC cruise ships just
boasts of some wonderfulchambers on board, such as the
lavender room, the snow room.
(32:42):
You have a hot sauna, a drysauna.
I mean it really is a wonderfulrespite to have access to this.
And on other cruise lines youknow, I personally have indulged
and it can cost sometimes up to$250 per person for a seven-day
cruise to have access to suchamenities that are in the spa
(33:03):
area.
Now the thermal suites are forthe adults only, so no kiddos
are allowed there.
So again, it is a real nicerespite, a really great way to
unwind at the end of the day.
That's.
My favorite tip actually isafter dinner.
Sometimes my husband and I willgo to the show, sometimes not.
We prefer to go to the thermalsuite in the evening.
Patrick Wiscombe (33:24):
What is your favorite thing in the spa?
Do you like the hot, coldshowers, the sauna, or do you
just do it all?
Laura Okonowski (33:30):
You guys might not know this about me, Patrick
and Mark, but I'm originallyfrom Canada so I don't mind cold
every now and a while so I dolove the exhilaration that I get
from the snow room and just tobe in there.
You know, cold plunging is sucha big thing.
Nowadays People even have theirown cold plunges in their
backyard.
But with me living in Arizonayear round, to go in this room
(33:52):
chamber and make a snowball andsit there for, you know, two,
three minutes, I just, I reallyenjoy that.
Patrick Wiscombe (33:59):
It's exhilarating when you walk in
there.
It really is Canada in here.
Last experience after Aria isthe Yacht Club.
Laura Okonowski (34:08):
I think we've saved the best for last, of
course, here Now.
The Yacht Club is our pinnacleexperience.
It is a ship within a shipexperience.
So what I think is so greatabout this is you have the big
ship amenities right.
You have water slides, you havemultiple venues for dining, you
have multiple venues forentertainment.
(34:29):
You have all these kidsprograms that are complimentary.
You have multiple venues forentertainment.
You have all these kidsprograms that are complimentary,
all these spaces and placesthroughout the ship that you can
still navigate to as being aYacht Club guest.
But the best part is you haveyour special place where you can
retreat to alongside all theother Yacht Club guests, which
on any given ship of ours, we'llhave usually two to two to 300
(34:51):
suites, but on World America Idid the math and there's close
to 500.
But you never feel like you'reamongst all of those other
people because everyone'smilling around.
You know the ship all atdifferent hours doing their own
thing.
But Yacht Club does have itsown club lounge where you can
maybe sit to piano at night.
Lounge where you can maybe sitto piano at night.
(35:16):
Also, one of the best things ischeck-in, which is separate
embarkation and disembarkationfor Yacht Club guests.
So the butler will come, greetyou, meet you, assist you with
your hand luggage, bring you onboard the ship, and it's just a
very seamless type of entry intothe world of Yacht Club.
The butler service is 24 hoursand oftentimes people will say,
but Laura, what am I going tohave a butler do for me?
(35:36):
Well, the butler can escort youto the shows in the evening.
They can help with a shortexcursion decisions.
They can maybe speak to thechef and ask for a certain menu
item that you are craving.
They really take care of yourpersonalization.
They customize things for youat Yacht Club.
(35:57):
It really is just a wonderfulexperience to behold.
Not only do we have a privaterestaurant there, but we have,
at Yacht Club, our own pool.
You have your own solariumsitting area, own sun deck, and
the best part of all, too, isthat Yacht Club fare for this
experience.
It comes with your Wi-Fipackage already wrapped in, as
(36:21):
well as all of your beverageswine, spirits, champagne, soda,
energy drinks.
You know I have a 12 year oldson and he was ordering virgin
pina coladas at the Yacht ClubLounge bar and he was living his
best young life.
Patrick Wiscombe (36:40):
I can just see him doing that.
Laura Okonowski (36:43):
Yeah.
So it was just a wonderfulexperience to behold and I
really encourage your listenersto take a look at what MSC has
to offer in the overallexperiences.
When you break things down withMark and he does a side-by-side
comparison, maybe versus brandXYZ on another cruise line, I
(37:04):
have to tell you and Mark canattest nine out of 9.999 times
MSC prices will always come outbetter.
We are just a great valueproposition right now Really
want to encourage people to comeout and visit World America
here at the brand new terminal.
Patrick Wiscombe (37:23):
I'm jumping on the ship after the broadcast,
and where are you headed to,laura?
Laura Okonowski (37:28):
Well, sadly I have to leave.
It was hard to say goodbye thismorning, but I have to leave
and go back to Arizona, so I'llbe boarding a flight here out of
Miami International Airport ina little bit.
Patrick Wiscombe (37:40):
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 thisship.
If you are interested inbooking an MSC cruise,
regardless of the ship, callMark in his office, 888-718-7717
(38:03):
.
888-718-7717.
And we'll also post the cruisespecials on BluePlanetvacations.
com when we come back.
We've got Mark's travel tips.
Thank you so much for allowingus to be part of your weekend.
We'll be right back.
Ad Voice (38:22):
Explore your world.
You're listening to the InsideTravel Talk podcast and radio
show with Patrick Wiscombe andMark Faldmo.
Call or text the show now801-649-3700.
That's 801-649-3700.
And check out the podcast atInsideTravelTalk.
com.
We'll be right back.
(38:48):
This segment of Inside TravelTalk is sponsored by Star
Clippers.
For over 30 years, starClippers has offered unique,
authentic tall ship sailingexperiences featuring creative
itineraries throughout theMediterranean Caribbean and
Central America.
To book your unique StarClipper sailing adventure,
contact Blue Planet Vacations at888-718-7717 or
(39:09):
blueplanetvacations.
com.
This is the Inside Travel Talkpodcast and radio show with
(39:29):
Patrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo, presented by
blueplanetVacations.
com America's best traveladvisors.
Call the show right now801-649-3700, 801-649-3700.
And now your hosts, PatrickWiscombe and Mark Faldmo.
Patrick Wiscombe (39:54):
Broadcasting live from Miami, Florida.
Right now you are listening tothe Inside Travel Talk podcast
and radio show.
Alongside Mark Faldmo, my nameis Patrick Wiscombe and, in case
you are just joining the show,Nicki and I are down in Miami.
(40:16):
We just got off HollandAmerica's Rotterdam ship and we
are actually meeting Mark inMiami as he is getting off the
MSC World America and we arejust trading spots.
I am getting on the WorldAmerica and Mark is going to
baseball games tonight.
Yep.
Mark Faldmo (40:37):
In about two hours I'll be at the Marlins Nationals
game tonight.
Patrick Wiscombe (40:41):
That is literally the same two teams
that we saw last year at aboutthis time, about this time, yep,
by the way, marlins Stadiumwhat do they call that?
Is that?
What's the name of the fieldthere?
Lone Depot Park?
Oh, that's right.
Okay, if you've never been toMiami and you've always wanted
to catch a baseball game, loneDepot Park is small, but it's a
(41:02):
beautiful park, wouldn't you?
Mark Faldmo (41:03):
agree, it is.
Yep, I'm excited to get there.
It's affordable for baseballyeah, and it's affordable for
baseball, yeah, and I guessthose tickets are on demand.
So the tickets prices raise andlower based on the demand.
I'm going to the YankeesDodgers game in LA in a few
weeks and for what I paid forthose tickets in the upper deck
(41:26):
nosebleed section, about threetimes what I paid to be on the
about the 12th row at theMarlins game.
Patrick Wiscombe (41:34):
Isn't that the cruise that you're getting on
Royal Caribbean?
I'm not joining you for thatone.
Mark Faldmo (41:38):
Yeah, it's the Royal Caribbean Ovation of the
Seas.
They're having a little previewcruise when that ship starts
sailing to Mexico from LosAngeles.
Patrick Wiscombe (41:47):
Coming up in this segment of the show.
We've got two topics that wewant to share with listeners.
We received a call or a textfrom Jessica and let me just
give out the text number.
You can call or text thisnumber and ask your
travel-related question.
The studio number is801-649-3700.
(42:07):
801-649-3700.
That's how Jessica got ahold ofus and she is asking I booked a
flight, but the price right nowseems a little high.
If the price drops, can I get alower price?
And I think the answer is yes,but I think it's a very, very
tight window.
Mark Faldmo (42:27):
It is a very tight window within 24 hours.
Patrick Wiscombe (42:30):
Oh, so it is really tight.
Mark Faldmo (42:32):
Yeah, once you go past 24 hours, the ticket is
non-refundable, with a fewexceptions.
If you did buy a ticket thatsays it's refundable, then it's
refundable.
Right, most people don't dothat, but you know, I've noticed
, especially like Delta Airlines, when I go to buy a ticket that
says do you want to buy theeconomy regular fare or the
(42:53):
economy refundable fare?
Patrick Wiscombe (42:55):
Yeah, and the refundable fare is usually at
least $100.
At least that I've seen $100more.
Mark Faldmo (43:01):
Yeah, $100 more, or it's also refundable if you
purchase travel protection.
Yes, most travel protection iscanceled for a covered reason.
I did notice that delta,however, does have kind of a
two-tiered system one is forcovered reasons and one is
cancel for any reason right butthen that takes the ticket up to
(43:24):
about the same cost as if youpurchase the refundable fare,
what I found most people do.
If you travel a lot, people willpurchase a ticket because they
know they need to go and then,if the fare goes down, they'll
just rebook the lower fare, andmost airlines right now do not
have any change fees.
Yeah, I noticed that recentlytoo.
(43:46):
So that means you can just bookthe ticket at the lower price
and then you'll have a creditfor a future flight.
Got it?
That's what most people do.
I've used that trick severaltimes because I know I'm going
to be traveling in the future.
The one caveat with that isthose tickets are only good for
12 months from the original dateof purchase.
(44:07):
So if you purchased it sixmonths ago, you really only have
six months to use that credit.
It's not based on the date oftravel, which some people think
it's.
For most airlines, it's thedate of original purchase.
Patrick Wiscombe (44:22):
Yeah, okay, so you do have to watch that.
Yes, that was a long windedanswer, for if the price drops
on an airline ticket, can youget a lower price?
The answer is yes within 24hours, or you have a refundable
ticket.
Did I summarize that prettyquick?
Mark Faldmo (44:39):
Yeah, okay, all right, I would add to that, or
you just use what you had for afuture ticket and buy the lower
price ticket.
Patrick Wiscombe (44:47):
Yes.
Mark Faldmo (44:48):
Okay, that's the fun thing about travel, and
that's probably why you shoulduse a travel advisor.
There's so many different waysto do things, to sort through
things like this.
Patrick Wiscombe (44:59):
Call Mark in his office, 888-718-7717,
888-718-7717.
In the time that we haveremaining in this segment, Mark,
let's talk about the thingsthat all travelers should do
before getting on a cruise, andwe have what about 10 things?
Yeah, 10, or?
Mark Faldmo (45:20):
so things that we can go through this list.
Patrick Wiscombe (45:23):
All right.
So let's do the 10 things to dobefore getting on your cruise,
starting with number one.
Mark Faldmo (45:28):
Number one is check in online.
This really saves you time atthe pier.
In fact, some cruise linesrequire people to check in
online this way.
If you do that, they have allof your documents.
They have your photo ID that'sused to board the ship.
They really have everythingthere and some cruise lines, if
you do this, you basically sayI'm here, they check you off a
(45:51):
list, they give you your keycard and you can go get on the
ship.
It really cuts down on the timespent checking in for the
cruise.
I've often said cruises aregreat.
There's two really bad thingsabout a cruise.
One is departure day and one isthe day you return, because it
can be just lines and lines ofpeople.
Checking in online really helpscut down your time to get on
(46:15):
board the ship.
Patrick Wiscombe (46:16):
Things to do before getting on your cruise
Number two.
Mark Faldmo (46:22):
Number two is check your identification documents.
This should be done before youeven start booking the cruise,
but also when you're about toget on the cruise.
Make sure that you have yourpassport.
I always recommend travelingwith a passport on a cruise.
In some cases, you can get onwith your birth certificate and
driver's license.
Make sure your driver's licenseis not expired.
(46:42):
Now, this doesn't relate to acruise, but I've actually in my
lifetime showed up twice to renta car with an expired driver's
license.
Patrick Wiscombe (46:52):
Oh, I'm literally checking my license
right now.
In fact, I've got to remind mysister-in-law and her son to
check that.
Mark Faldmo (47:02):
Always a good thing .
Patrick Wiscombe (47:03):
Reason number three things to do before
getting on your cruise.
Mark Faldmo (47:06):
The next thing is download the Cruise Lines app.
Some people initially werereticent to do this, but I
actually think if you go throughthe check-in process on the
cruise line app, it goes a lotsmoother.
Yeah, it does, and the app justhelps you through your vacation
Some cruise lines.
If you have other family andfriends on the app, you can
(47:28):
create friends group and you canjust chat with them.
That's how you can communicatewhile you're on board the ship.
A lot of cruise lines let youdo the dinner reservations.
They give you your dailyschedule.
Everything is done through theapp on some cruise lines.
So the cruise lines app makeseverything from checking in to
boarding and while you're on thecruise easier.
(47:49):
Number four is what?
Number four is to print outyour documents.
Oh, yeah, yeah yeah, absolutelydo that.
Some people say, well, I'vedone it on the app.
I have all of the informationon the app.
I always recommend printing outyour documents as well.
We were just talking aboutMSC's terminal.
That can handle up to 35,000people at one time.
That's 35,000 people in asmaller space.
(48:12):
Some internet providers have ahard time providing internet, so
your phone's data may not work.
In that circumstance, youshould always print out your
documents.
I've always said this as a tipfor airlines as well.
I use the app all the time, butI always print out, or have
them print out, a copy of myboarding pass.
I've had my phone die times andI've just sometimes been in
(48:35):
spotty data area where I can'tget my boarding pass up on my
phone, so it is always a goodidea to have a printed version
of everything.
Patrick Wiscombe (48:43):
Okay, what's the next thing we need to do?
Everyone needs to do beforegetting on a cruise Mark the
next thing is to research yourports in advance.
Mark Faldmo (48:51):
There's a lot of interesting ports out there, a
lot of interesting things to do.
Some people just show up anddon't know anything about the
ports, what to do, what theywant to see.
So just to make your experiencebetter, ports are one of the
great things about cruises.
That's what I like you can bein a different port every day
and get to see different people,different cultures, different
(49:12):
activities.
So just research your ports sothat you know what there is to
do in that port.
What's another thing everyoneneeds to do before getting on
their cruise?
The next thing to do is to signup for your tours in advance.
There are several ways you cando tours I've mentioned.
On the Blue Planet Vacationswebsite, we do have a short
excursion site where you canbook through a third party and
(49:35):
book tours depending on youritinerary.
The cruise line also offers thetours and excursions, and you
should book those in advancebecause when you wait to get on
board, a lot of the best timesand best things are already
taken and sold out.
Yeah, they do sell out quicklyand there are some companies,
like the provider on my site,offer several private tours.
(49:56):
So if you are interested in aprivate tour, there's only
limited guides.
So you should do those privatetours well in advance to make
sure if you want a private shoreexcursion, to book that in
advance.
Patrick Wiscombe (50:10):
You can see some of those excursion groups
on blueplanetvacations.
com, is it down?
Mark Faldmo (50:15):
at the bottom.
It is down at the bottom or inthe crew search box on
blueplanetvacations.
com, there's a little thing thatsays look for shore excursions.
Patrick Wiscombe (50:24):
We have two more things to do before getting
on any cruise.
Mark Faldmo (50:28):
Those are the next thing is sign up for onboard
activities in advance.
After you complete your onboardcheck-in, you can do specialty
dinners.
You can do spa treatments.
Don't wait to plan those typeof things while on board.
Patrick Wiscombe (50:42):
Last thing to do before getting on your cruise
is what Consider purchasingtravel insurance.
Mark Faldmo (50:48):
We always talk about this.
I've seen so many financialinvestments in travel saved by
purchasing travel insurance.
Patrick Wiscombe (50:57):
These are big commitments.
Multi-thousand dollarcommitments can be.
Mark Faldmo (51:02):
Yes, they can.
It's so important, I think, topurchase travel insurance or
travel protection to protectthat investment.
Patrick Wiscombe (51:10):
We could just record this segment and play it
every what three months, and itwill benefit somebody.
Well, that's it.
That's the end of the show,we're done.
It's time for you to go see abaseball game here in a couple
hours and it's time for Nikkiand I to go jump on the MSC's
World America, so excited to geton this brand new ship.
(51:33):
You can listen to this showagain tomorrow morning.
We're on every Saturday andSunday at 11 am here on this
radio station and, of course,around the country, and you can
also stream, download andsubscribe to the podcast at
InsideTravelTalk.
com.
(51:53):
We are on all of the majorpodcast platforms and if you
just want to stream the showwithout subscribing, you can go
to InsideTravelTalk.
com and just hit the play button.
Well, that's it, we're done.
It's now your turn to get outand explore the world while you
can, because you never know whatcurveball's life is going to
(52:15):
throw at you, and you knowexactly 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 nextweek.
Ad Voice (52:31):
That's it.
That's the end of the showYou've been listening to the
Inside Travel Talk podcast andradio show with Patrick Wiscombe
and Mark Faldmo, presented byBluePlanetVacations.
com.
Book your adventure right now.
Call 888-718-7717.
That's 888-718-7717.
(52:52):
Thanks for listening.
Have a great week.
Inside Travel Talk is brought toyou by Travelex Insurance
Services.
Their travel insurance planscan help protect you and your
vacation.
Travelex is known for theiraward-winning customer service
and high claims paid rate.
(53:13):
Contact Blue Planet Vacationsat 888-718-7717 or
blueplanetvacations.
com for more information.
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