September 27, 2025 • 32 mins
Ever dreamed of sipping rum at a Pirates of the Caribbean bar, exploring Key West's hidden beaches, or watching the sunset from an overwater bungalow in Tahiti without breaking the bank? This episode delivers practical advice for making dream destinations affordable without sacrificing experiences.
We start with exciting news about Disney World's Magic Kingdom opening the Beacon Barrel, a meticulously themed Pirates of the Caribbean bar that immerses visitors in the world of the iconic ride and films. With options for both adults and children, it's a perfect addition to Adventureland for families and Disney enthusiasts alike.
For beach lovers seeking Florida sunshine, we tackle a common challenge: finding beachfront accommodations in Key West. While many visitors are surprised by the limited beachfront options, we recommend three stellar properties - Margaritaville Beach House (near Smathers Beach), The Reach Key West (within walking distance to Duval Street), and Hawks Cay Resort on Duck Key (featuring a beautiful lagoon). The spectacular drive down the Overseas Highway from Miami to Key West remains one of America's most breathtaking road trips.
Luxury-seekers dreaming of Tahiti will appreciate our budget-friendly alternatives to Bora Bora's $1,500+ nightly rates. Moorea offers virtually identical experiences at $700 less per night, while staying on the main island of Tahiti can save another $300-450 nightly. We also reveal the insider trick of splitting your stay between garden bungalows and just a few nights in an overwater bungalow.
Cruise enthusiasts will be thrilled about Viking's new intimate Nile River cruise ship. With just 82 guests and extraordinary service, these journeys include land tours to the pyramids and Sphinx before embarking upriver. Currently offering free airfare and $25 deposits on select sailings, these 12-day adventures start at $7,000 per person - an exceptional value for this bucket-list experience.
We also spotlight Explora Journeys, MSC's luxury cruise brand that feels more like sailing on a private yacht. Their smaller ships access ports that larger vessels can't reach, with remarkable itineraries through the Adriatic Sea and even up the Amazon River.
Ready to turn these travel dreams into reality? Take advantage of our exclusive offers: $200 off per person for custom Tahiti vacations and up to $550 off Florida Keys packages when paid in full at booking. Contact Blue Planet Vacations today and start planning your next unforgettable adventure!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Patrick Wiscombe (00:00):
It is the weekend, it is time to talk
travel.
Welcome to the Inside TravelTalk podcast and radio show
Coming up.
On today's show we will betalking about a brand new
Pirates of the Caribbean barcoming to Disney World's Magic
Kingdom, traveling down theFlorida Keys Key West especially
traveling to Tahiti, cruisingthe Nile River and, like we do
(00:21):
each and every week, we will beanswering your travel-related
questions.
Let's start the show.
The Inside Travel Talk podcastradio show presented by
BluePlanetVacations.
com, contains travel deals,promotions and offers that are
time-sensitive.
All offers and information wereaccurate when the show aired.
Travel deals and offers changeconstantly and are
(00:42):
capacity-controlled and subjectto change without notice.
Show Voice (00:50):
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 (01:32):
Welcome to the Inside Travel Talk podcast, a
radio show.
Hello there, I am PatrickWisdom, alongside Mark Faldmo.
The entire purpose of thisradio show and podcast is to
help you book and plan your nextvacation is to help you book
and plan your next vacation andif you have no idea where to go,
we are going to give you ideasof where you may want to
consider going on vacation next.
And we are presented byblueplanetvacations.
(01:53):
com.
And a sincere thank you fortaking the time to stop and
listen.
We don't have a business, wedon't have a radio show and
podcast without you Coming up.
On this week's show we'll betalking about the brand new
Pirates of the Caribbean bar.
Coming to Disney World's MagicKingdom.
Traveling up and down theFlorida Keys Key West is my
(02:16):
personal favorite, I think Markwould agree with me on that one.
Traveling to Tahiti, cruisingthe Nile River one of the things
that I want to do, and as we doeach and every week, we want to
answer your travel relatedquestions.
So if you want to get yourspecific question answered while
(02:36):
we're on the air or even offthe air, 801-649-3700 is the
studio and the text number801-649-3700.
And you can get all of ourcontact information on
blueplanetvacationscom.
Hello, mark, I haven't eventalked to you all week.
Mark Faldmo (02:57):
Yep, it's been a while.
So I'm actually in Nashvilleright now doing the show just
here with a group that westarted in Memphis and ended in
Nashville, saw all the musichistory sites and some of the
sites here in Nashville ofpresidential sites as well.
Patrick Wiscombe (03:13):
Let's get right to the travel news
headlines.
Southwest is joining major UScarriers launching their free
Wi-Fi for their members.
Mark Faldmo (03:23):
launching their free Wi-Fi for their members.
Effective on October 24th,southwest will begin offering
free Wi-Fi for all of theirRapid Awards members.
This will put them in line withDelta, united and American, who
offer it, and then that leavesonly Alaska Airlines.
Domestically that does notoffer free Wi-Fi, although
Alaska has said they will startoffering that sometime next year
(03:47):
.
They hope, we hope.
Patrick Wiscombe (03:49):
Royal Lahaina Resort and Bungalows has
unveiled their Oceanfront Spa.
I love Lahaina, I love Maui.
What are the details about thisnew Oceanfront Spa?
Mark Faldmo (04:01):
Royal Lahaina is one of my favorite hotels there
on Maui and on the Kaanapalibeach.
A few months ago we talkedabout they had just completed a
multi-million dollar renovation,but the last part of that was
opening up their oceanfront spa.
Looking at this picture, I'mpretty sure the lobby of the spa
(04:21):
is where their main restaurantused to be, so it's a very good
location for a spa.
Look out to that beautifulKaunapali Beach, which is by far
the best beach in Maui, whenthis hotel is located.
It's just a great place tovacation.
It really bumps up this hotel,especially with the renovation
that was just completed.
(04:41):
It's always been a three, threeand a half star hotel.
It's now a solid four starhotel, but everything inside of
it is new.
Patrick Wiscombe (04:49):
There is a new Pirates of the Caribbean themed
bar opening at Disney World'sMagic Kingdom.
I would imagine that rum isconsumed or will be consumed at
that bar.
Mark Faldmo (05:00):
The name of it is the Beacon Barrel and it
actually did open about twoweeks ago.
It's located in Adventureland,right next to the Pirates of the
Caribbean ride.
Like Disney does so well, thisbar immerses you in both the
movies and the ride Pirates ofthe Caribbean.
There's a lot of Easter eggsthroughout the bar and it also
(05:22):
is a family bar.
They have drinks for adults andfor children.
Patrick Wiscombe (05:26):
We received a text a little bit earlier this
week from Mary who wants to goto the Florida Keys, and again,
let me just give out the studioand text number because we want
to answer your travel relatedquestions, whether we're on the
air or if you have questionsafter the show airs or after the
podcast 801-649-3700,.
801-649-3700.
(05:49):
Mary says she wants to go tothe Florida Keys.
I love Key West, awesome.
One of my favorite places Yepand wants to stay at a
beachfront resort somewhere inthe Florida Keys.
What do you recommend?
Mark Faldmo (06:01):
Mark, just kind of a quick overview for those that
have not been to Key West.
It's a great destination, butthere are not a lot of hotels on
the beach there.
Patrick Wiscombe (06:11):
No, that surprised me.
The hotels that we did see inKey West there were no beach
like Sunset Square, and just alittle bit to the north, if I've
got my directions right.
There was nothing there, but itwas a beautiful property.
Mark Faldmo (06:23):
Let's take the Florida Keys.
There are three hotels thatcome to mind.
First hotel is called theMargaritaville Beach House.
Now, this one is not on thebeach, but it's across the
street from the beach.
The reason why I included thisone in there is because it is
across the street from SmathersBeach, which is by far the best
(06:44):
beach in all of Key West.
This hotel also is not indowntown, so where that really
good beach is is not close toDeval Street and a lot of the
places that people want to be.
Key West is the perfect placefor a Margaritaville kind of
that Jimmy Buffett lifestyle,and so I included this hotel,
just because it kind of fits theKey West feeling and it's a
(07:05):
three and a, because it kind offits the Key West feeling and
it's a three and a half starhotel.
Now the next hotel I'd recommend.
It's called the Reach Key Westand it's part of the Hilton
Curio collection.
This one does have a smallbeach, so you can go out, lay on
the beach and have beach chairsand do all of that.
It also has a very nice pool,but what I like about this is
(07:26):
it's within walking distance.
Now, it's a longer walk, butwithin about a 10 minute walk of
Duval Street, which is whereall the shops and restaurants
and everything is kind of whereyou want to be in Key West.
Key Lime Pie, key Lime Pie.
Go to the Key Lime store andget a Key Lime Pie if you like
it.
Ship some home to your house.
(07:47):
That's what I do.
Patrick Wiscombe (07:48):
Yes, you do.
Mark Faldmo (07:50):
Yep.
And then the last hotel thatI'd recommend.
Now this one is on Duck Key,which is about halfway between
Miami and Key West, and it'scalled Hawks Cay Resort.
This hotel I've stayed at a fewtimes.
Hawks Cay Resort this hotelI've stayed at a few times.
It has a really nice pool.
What I like about it is it doeshave a lagoon, so there's a
(08:13):
beach and it's a fully circularlagoon with water in it and
beach all around, so it'sperfect if you want to
paddleboard.
They also have a marina nearby,so they are on the water.
It is a very nice resort.
That one, I would also say, isa four-star, maybe
four-and-a-half-star resort.
The one thing I like about theFlorida Keys is that drive down
there, oh yeah, so on Hawks CayResort you don't get that full
(08:35):
drive, I would say to any ofthese, but I probably would go
all the way to Key West justbecause going on that overwater
highway is fascinating it is aspectacular ride, for what about
three, three and a half hours?
It's about 110 miles, I believe.
So depending on traffic, itusually is about three hours.
Patrick Wiscombe (08:57):
And you and I stopped at the Waffle House.
That's mandatory.
I don't remember which key thatwas on, but it was very tasty.
Mark Faldmo (09:03):
That was on Key Largo, so that was the very
first of the Key West there yeahthe drive to the Keys.
Awesome People make fun of mefor liking the Waffle House, but
I love it, no.
Patrick Wiscombe (09:14):
Waffle House is good.
Yeah, that was the first timethat I had been there.
Mark Faldmo (09:21):
I love the pecan waffle.
Patrick Wiscombe (09:22):
Mary, I'm sure that you might have some
additional follow-up questions.
Just call Mark in the office.
Same phone number 801-649-3700,801-649-3700.
And we also received a textearlier this week from Dave who
wants to go to Bora Bora.
But anywhere in Tahiti willwork.
He says it seems very expensive.
(09:44):
Bora, but anywhere in Tahitiwill work, he says it seems very
expensive.
Are there other areas in Tahitithat you would recommend, mark,
that are less expensive thanBora Bora?
Bora Bora can be very expensive.
Mark Faldmo (09:53):
Hotel rooms can easily start at $1,200 to $1,500
a night and go up from therefor the very basic rooms.
If you want an over the waterbungalow, those can start at two
or $3,000 and up, depending onthe hotel.
So to answer Dave's question,yes, there are other places you
can go.
(10:14):
The first place I'd recommendis Morea.
Personally, I like Morea betterthan Bora Bora and it's easier
to get to as well From the mainisland of Tahiti.
It's a 30-minute ferry ride toget over to Morea and it's also
much more affordable.
So just comparing apples toapples, for November I looked at
(10:36):
the Westin Bora Bora.
That one started at $1,600 pernight compared to the Hilton
Lagoon Resort and Spa on Morea,which started at $900 a night.
So your $700 a night differencebetween Bora Bora and.
Morea.
If you wanted to save even alittle bit more, you could just
(10:59):
go, stay on the main island, sothe island of Tahiti, the city
is Papeete, and you can stillhave a great vacation.
In fact, since Morea is justacross the bay, on a ferry you
could go over and spend part ofyour time in Morea, part of your
time on Tahiti, or just takeday trips to Morea from Tahiti.
Oh yeah, but you know.
Coming back to the hotels there, so again keeping the same
(11:23):
quality of hotel, theIntercontinental Papeete starts
at $600 a night, so that shavesoff another $300.
Or the Hilton Hotel Tahitistarts at $450 a night.
All of these were kind of thatfour and a half five star hotel.
So all the same quality.
Yeah, these are good hotels.
(11:44):
Yeah, Just where you want tostay.
Another thing everyone wants tostay in an overwater bungalow
in.
Tahiti so you don't have to stayin the overwater bungalow the
whole time.
You could get a garden braygarden bungalow and then spend
two or three nights in theoverwater bungalow and get that
(12:04):
experience and it'll save yousome money.
How many times have you beenthere?
I've been to Tahiti well,including cruise stops five
times.
Patrick Wiscombe (12:13):
Did you stay in an overwater bungalow when
you stayed there?
Mark Faldmo (12:18):
I did.
I've stayed both ways.
I've most of the time in thegarden bungalows just to save
money.
But the last time I went thereand stayed in a hotel, I was at
the Sofitel on Morea in anoverwater bungalow for five
nights Wonderful.
Patrick Wiscombe (12:35):
Oh yeah, I bet it was yeah While we're talking
about Tahiti, why do you likeTahiti?
Mark Faldmo (12:42):
I like Tahiti because it's not crowded.
So if you look at the visitornumbers for Tahiti, Tahiti gets
about 300,000 visitors per year.
If you compare that to Hawaii,they get 10 million visitors per
year.
So every 15 days about Hawaiiis bringing in what Tahiti gets
(13:05):
in one year.
So you know, like Morea,there's probably only four
hotels there.
Bora Bora there's six or sevenhotels there, it just doesn't
get crowded there.
So thatora there's six or sevenhotels there, it just doesn't
get crowded there.
So that's what I like aboutTahiti.
Patrick Wiscombe (13:19):
Let's talk about the deal specifically for
Tahiti that you have for Dave,and let's also talk about the
deal for Mary, if she wants togo to the Florida Keys, how we
can help her in terms of price.
Mark Faldmo (13:32):
For Dave.
Right now, Blue PlanetVacations, we're offering a $200
per person, so $400 per couple,off of a custom built vacation
to French Polynesia.
So this would be to any island,the Tuamotus, Marquesas, French
Polynesia, any of those.
Those custom built vacationsare air hotel and then you can
(13:52):
customize tours that you wantand transfers.
So it is a really good offer tohelp save some additional money
for those that want to go toTahiti.
Patrick Wiscombe (14:01):
Okay, so 200 a person.
So even if a family was going,that would still be applicable,
correct?
Okay, let's talk about how wecan save Mary and her trip to
the Florida Keys.
Mark Faldmo (14:13):
So what we have for domestic travel to the Florida
Keys it's the same promotionwe've been talking about and
it's book your vacation and payin full at the time of booking.
You can save up to $550 perpackage and that's tiered based
on the overall cost.
It's basically a percentage offthe trip up to $550.
It's basically a percentage offthe trip up to $550.
Patrick Wiscombe (14:35):
David, Mary, you are going to absolutely love
your vacation and, of course,mark can help you with getting
everything in place.
Call him in his office.
I'm going to give you adifferent phone number this go
around this one's toll free888-718-7717.
888-718-7717 888-718-7717.
(14:59):
Take advantage of the $550 offfor domestic travel and, of
course, $200 a person if youwant to go to Tahiti.
When we come back, it is timefor the infamous Just Cruising
segment, where it's only aboutthe cruise news and it's only
about cruise deals.
And this week we'll be talkingabout Viking Cruises getting
(15:20):
into the river cruise business,going up and down the Nile River
.
And, of course, we've got thecruise deal of the week with
Explorer Journeys.
That's an MSC brand Beautiful,beautiful ship.
We'll give you the details whenwe come back.
Thank you so much for allowingus to be part of your weekend
alongside Mark Faldmo.
My name is Patrick Wiscombe.
Stick around.
We'll be back in about 60seconds.
Show Voice (15:43):
Taking you to destinations around the world.
The Inside Travel Talk podcastand radio show is presented by
BluePlanetVacations.
com, America's best traveladvisors.
Call or text the show now801-649-3700, 801-649-3700.
Thanks for listening.
(16:04):
We'll be right back.
Ad Voice (16:10):
This segment of Inside Travel Talk is sponsored by El
Dorado Spa Resorts.
Escape to Cancun's Riviera Mayawith authentic all-inclusive
luxury at an El Dorado SpaResort.
To book your romantic beachgetaway, contact Blue Planet
Vacations at 888-718-7717 orblueplanetvacations.
com.
Show Voice (16:38):
Now back to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and
radio show presented by BluePlanet Vacations dot com,
America's best travel advisors.
Call or text the show right now801-649-3700.
801-649-3700.
801-649-3700.
(16:58):
And check out the podcast atInsideTravelTalk.
com.
Here's Patrick Wiscombe andMark Faldmo.
Patrick Wiscombe (17:28):
Thank you so much for allowing us to be part
of your weekend.
My name is Patrick Wiscombe.
Alongside Mark Faldmo, this isthe infamous Just Cruising
segment, and may I welcome allaboard.
Ahoy, mateys, ahoy.
Thank you for listening to theInside Travel Talk podcast, a
(17:53):
radio show each and everyweekend right here, on whatever
radio station you're listeningto around the country.
We're always on at 11 am localtime.
But if you can't listen to uslive each and every weekend,
Saturday and Sunday at 11 am,you can pick up the podcast at
InsideTravelTalk.
com.
We've got links to all of themajor podcast platforms on
(18:17):
InsideTravelTalk.
com and if you don't want tosubscribe to the podcast, you
can just stream the show righton the website Same web address,
insidetraveltalk.
com Coming up in this segment.
It's only about the cruise newsand it's only about the cruise
deals.
Mark, let's get right to thecruise news headlines here.
(18:37):
I saw this story that Viking isthis Viking River Cruises I
guess it would be Is launching anew ship that's going to go up
and down the Nile River.
I would want to do that,wouldn't you?
Mark Faldmo (18:48):
I would.
Yeah, this is something that ison my bucket list.
They have a few ships that aredoing it, so they're just
launching a brand new shipcalled the Viking Amun.
These ships look like theywould be fabulous to cruise on.
They're small 82 guests, 48crew.
What is that?
Basically, two to one.
Two to one.
You know we've talked about notdoing on-air radio math.
(19:12):
That's what 130 people roughlyon board, including the crew.
So it's a small ship that goesup the Nile River.
It was built specifically tocruise the Nile River.
It does follow kind of the sametenants that Viking chooses on
their river cruise ship, so it'skind of that Scandinavian style
(19:34):
of architecture.
The best part about this is theoffer that Viking currently has
.
This is for almost all rivercruises, but to Egypt.
This is amazing.
So on select sailings, they'reoffering free airfare and
reduced deposits of $25 perperson.
Patrick Wiscombe (19:51):
Oh whoa, hold on.
So that is extraordinarilycheap for a deposit.
I've never heard of a $25 perperson.
Oh whoa, hold on.
So that is extraordinarilycheap for a deposit.
Mark Faldmo (19:56):
I've never heard of a $25 deposit yeah, it's a $25
deposit and free airfare.
Wow.
Now the free airfare is in Juneof 2026 for the Nile River, and
then the cruise fares start atabout $7,000 a person.
So that's pretty good.
The other months, you knowJanuary, February, are the prime
(20:19):
time to go.
They're not offering freeairfare, but they are offering
airfare starting at $999 aperson, which is extraordinary.
You're easily in probably$1,500 to $2,000 if you were
just to buy the airfare.
Patrick Wiscombe (20:33):
So that's a pretty good discount.
Yep, I think that would be sucha unique way to see Egypt.
Just go up and down the Nileand you're still going to see
all the major attractions.
Yeah.
Mark Faldmo (20:44):
So these river cruises, they actually start
with a little land tour in Cairoand so you go see the pyramids,
the Sphinx, the Egyptian Museum, you know all of that in that
area, and then you go do theNile River cruise and back.
So you do get kind of the bestof both worlds there.
The one thing I didn't mentionon that cruise, that it was a 12
(21:06):
day trip, almost two weeks,starting at $7,000 a person,
including your airfare.
Patrick Wiscombe (21:13):
That's amazing .
The new cruise ship that'sgoing to be in Asia from Disney
is delayed.
How long is it?
Mark Faldmo (21:22):
delayed.
The ship's name is the DisneyAdventure.
It was supposed to launchmid-December of this year, so
just a few months.
But it is delayed three monthsuntil March 10th.
So that means all cruises arecanceled between December 15th
and March 12th.
You know that's kind of abummer if you're booked on any
(21:43):
of those cruises, but Disney isoffering pretty good
compensation.
If you're booked on theoriginal December maiden voyage,
you'll automatically berebooked to the March.
Plus you'll get a 50% refund.
Patrick Wiscombe (21:57):
Okay, that's pretty generous.
Obviously you're going to bedisappointed, but if you can
rebook it, get 50% off.
That's extraordinary.
That's very strange for Disneyto miss a deadline like that it
is.
I don't think I've ever heardthat one.
Mark Faldmo (22:12):
Yeah, it's rare that it happens, but they want
everything to be right.
It's probably better to delayit and kind of take that heat
from delaying it.
Patrick Wiscombe (22:21):
Yeah.
Mark Faldmo (22:22):
Than have people get on and have a bad experience
.
Patrick Wiscombe (22:25):
Disney has lost its magic.
You can just see the headlineif all of the attractions aren't
ready to go?
Yeah, you and I have talkedabout Galveston, Texas.
There is a port in Galvestonthat MSC is going out of.
Carnival is going out of there.
I don't remember who the othertwo cruise providers were there,
but Carnival, Norwegian andPrincess.
(22:47):
Okay, carnival says thatthey're going to add two more
ships to Galveston in 2027.
Do we know the ships?
Mark Faldmo (22:55):
I can tell you the four ships that will be there in
2027.
Right off the top of my head.
I don't know the ones that arecurrently there, but it'll be
the Carnival Horizon, carnivalSpirit, the Carnival Breeze and
the Carnival Jubilee.
Between those four ships,they'll be sailing a combination
of three, four, five, six,seven and eight night cruises.
(23:15):
So you can have your choice ofa short cruise or a longer
cruise.
Long cruise Long cruise, longcruise yep, we've talked about
Galveston in the past.
It is really becoming a majorcruise port.
They're building a new terminalthere.
They have cruises in thewintertime going out just about
every day of the week betweenall the cruise lines that go
(23:37):
there.
And for us on the West Coast,houston, which is the closest
major airport to Galveston, isfairly easy and inexpensive to
get to a lot of times whencomparing that to Fort
Lauderdale or Miami.
Patrick Wiscombe (23:51):
Fort Lauderdale could be a little
spendy.
It can.
Yeah, Do you have any deals forthe Galveston port?
Mark Faldmo (23:57):
I do, and so you know we were talking about
Carnival, but I'm going toswitch this to Princess, and
this year, so January.
So this is January of 2026.
On Princess Cruise Lines theyhave a January 11th sailing
Leaves from Galveston goes toCottrell, Costa Maya and Roatan.
Inside cabins start at 474dollars per person, but where
(24:22):
this gets good is balcony cabinsstart at 599 per person.
You could actually get a suiteif we keep going up.
Suites start at 749 a person.
(24:51):
That is so cheap for suites.
Well, and balconies too, man.
But I predict it's going to be15 degrees on January 11th and
you'll wish you were on thiscruise from Galveston going to
Cozumel, Costa Maya and Roatan.
Patrick Wiscombe (25:04):
I always dress for the destination.
So whether it's 15 degrees herein Salt Lake and it's 75, 85 at
the destination, I'm wearingshorts to the airport.
That's how I am too.
You snuck a cruise deal of theweek in there with the Princess
stuff.
Ad Voice (25:20):
That's not even the cruise deal of the week, nope.
Patrick Wiscombe (25:23):
Okay, let's get to the cruise deal of the
week, which is Explorer Journeys.
Now, if you're not familiarwith Explorer Journeys, this is
a cruise ship brand, a luxurycruise ship brand from MSC
Cruises.
What details do you have forlisteners?
First of all, a little bit ofnews.
Mark Faldmo (25:41):
Their fifth ship comes out in 2027.
And with that fifth ship theycan pretty much cover the world
now.
So they are now featuring forthe first time an Asia cruise
for Explorer Journeys.
The brand was launched in 2021.
That's a brand of the MSCCruise Group and their goal was
(26:03):
to kind of redefine high-endocean cruising.
They want it to feel more likea boutique hotel or a private
yacht than a traditional cruiseship.
Patrick Wiscombe (26:12):
And they've done that Just visually.
They've done that, yeah, and infact, if you, look at their
ships.
Mark Faldmo (26:15):
They've done that, yeah, and in fact if you look at
their ships, they almost kindof look like some of those mega
yachts, just a supersizedversion of those mega yachts
that you see out there.
So they're smaller ships, theyhold less than a thousand
passengers, which means they canexplore some of those smaller,
(26:35):
less visited ports.
They also try and make thecruise as all-inclusive as they
can.
It includes things like yourgratuities, your Wi-Fi, wellness
facilities.
Many of the dining options areincluded.
I think they do have somereally upscale like a steakhouse
that's additional, but theyreally try and incorporate
(26:57):
everything they can into thatvoyage fare.
Patrick Wiscombe (27:00):
How many are out?
Is it Explorer 1, 2, is 3?
Mark Faldmo (27:04):
out.
I believe 1, 2, and 3 are out.
4 comes out shortly and thenagain 2027, Explorer 5 will come
out.
Patrick Wiscombe (27:13):
Check out YouTube.
Just do a search for Explorer.
You'll see what we're talkingabout.
They're beautiful ships.
You won't be disappointed.
If this is the cruise deal ofthe week, what is the offer for
Explora Journeys?
Mark Faldmo (27:24):
So for Explora Journey they have an early
booking discount, so this wouldbe for anything in 2027 and
beyond they have a 5% discount.
Since it is a luxury cruiseline, 5% can save you quite a
bit of money on one of thesecruises.
I've kind of went through theiritineraries and I picked two
that are pretty unique.
(27:45):
One is I would love to dobecause of its ports, and then
the other one is a very uniqueport.
The first one is it's a journeyto the Adriatic, which is a
cruise that goes between Venice,Italy, and Athens, Greece.
First of all, I love theAdriatic.
So it goes to Rovinj in Croatia, goes to Dubrovnik, which is on
(28:08):
most people's bucket list, thenit goes to Brindisi, which is
in the hill of the boot of Italy, so a place not a lot of people
go to or visit, and then myfavorite port goes to Kotor in.
Montenegro.
Yeah, you love that.
That is probably my favoriteplace to go in all of Europe.
I love Kotor.
(28:28):
And then it cruises down andgoes to Milos in the Greek Isles
you know that is a small portthat the big ships would not go
to.
And then it ends in Athens OnExplora.
So it's a seven-night,eight-day journey.
So May dates of 2026 start at$4,500 per person.
If you compare this, thelead-in cabin on an Explorer
(28:51):
ship is like a suite on otherships, so price-wise that's very
comparable if you were to get asuite on one of the big ships.
And then the next itinerarythis is one.
Every time I see an itinerarylike this, I want to do it.
It's a 12-night, 13-day cruiseand it goes from San Juan,
(29:12):
Puerto Rico.
Patrick Wiscombe (29:13):
Which is a great, great place.
San Juan has always been one ofthose okay if we get there.
But when Nikki and I got therein April, we were like, oh hey,
this is great here.
Mark Faldmo (29:25):
It is, yeah, I really like San Juan.
And then from San Juan it goesto St Bart's, which is another
place that the big cruise shipswouldn't go.
They're in the EasternCaribbean.
It goes down to Martinique,Barbados, trinidad and Tobago,
and then this is where I thinkthe itinerary gets exciting Goes
down and sails up the AmazonRiver to Manaus and has a couple
(29:49):
of stops in the Amazon River.
I just think that is so unique.
Oh yeah, and that one again, 12nights.
It starts at $9,000 per person,so starting to get up there a
little bit pricey.
But again, for the productyou're getting and the 12 nights
, and that's probably comparableto any suite in a big cruise
(30:12):
ship and you're probably gettinga better experience on Explorer
than if you get a suite on abig cruise ship.
Patrick Wiscombe (30:18):
That's the difference right there.
Yes, it is more expensive.
Explora Journeys or Explora theships it's a completely
different experience.
It's a luxury brand.
Mark Faldmo (30:28):
It is.
Patrick Wiscombe (30:29):
That is the cruise deal of the week.
Take advantage of everythingwe've talked about.
Call Mark in his office.
Get the conversation started.
No obligation office.
Get the conversation started,no obligation 888-718-7717.
888-718-7717.
And you can also see much ofthis information right on
(30:49):
blueplanetvacations.
com.
You can listen to thisaward-dominated show again
tomorrow morning, Sunday, at 11am.
Award-nominated show againtomorrow morning, Sunday, at 11
am, on the very radio stationthat you're listening to right
this very second.
And you can stream, download andsubscribe to the podcast at
insidetraveltalk.
com.
We're on all of the majorpodcast platforms.
(31:12):
If you're not a podcaster, youdon't want to subscribe.
You can just listen to the showright on the website,
insidetraveltalk.
com.
Our job is done.
Now it's your turn to get outand explore the world while you
can, because you never know whatcurveball's life is going to
throw at you.
As we say each and every week,live your life deliberately,
(31:36):
live your life intentionally.
And a sincere thank you fortaking the time to stop and
listen.
We don't have a show withoutyou.
We don't have a businesswithout you.
Thank you so much for listening.
Have a great week.
Show Voice (31:49):
We'll talk to you next time.
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.
(32:10):
That's 888-718-7717.
Thanks for listening.
Have a great week.
It is the weekend, it is time to talk
travel.
Welcome to the Inside TravelTalk podcast and radio show
Coming up.
On today's show we will betalking about a brand new
Pirates of the Caribbean barcoming to Disney World's Magic
Kingdom, traveling down theFlorida Keys Key West especially
traveling to Tahiti, cruisingthe Nile River and, like we do
(00:21):
each and every week, we will beanswering your travel-related
questions.
Let's start the show.
The Inside Travel Talk podcastradio show presented by
BluePlanetVacations.
com, contains travel deals,promotions and offers that are
time-sensitive.
All offers and information wereaccurate when the show aired.
Travel deals and offers changeconstantly and are
(00:42):
capacity-controlled and subjectto change without notice.
Show Voice (00:50):
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 (01:32):
Welcome to the Inside Travel Talk podcast, a
radio show.
Hello there, I am PatrickWisdom, alongside Mark Faldmo.
The entire purpose of thisradio show and podcast is to
help you book and plan your nextvacation is to help you book
and plan your next vacation andif you have no idea where to go,
we are going to give you ideasof where you may want to
consider going on vacation next.
And we are presented byblueplanetvacations.
(01:53):
com.
And a sincere thank you fortaking the time to stop and
listen.
We don't have a business, wedon't have a radio show and
podcast without you Coming up.
On this week's show we'll betalking about the brand new
Pirates of the Caribbean bar.
Coming to Disney World's MagicKingdom.
Traveling up and down theFlorida Keys Key West is my
(02:16):
personal favorite, I think Markwould agree with me on that one.
Traveling to Tahiti, cruisingthe Nile River one of the things
that I want to do, and as we doeach and every week, we want to
answer your travel relatedquestions.
So if you want to get yourspecific question answered while
(02:36):
we're on the air or even offthe air, 801-649-3700 is the
studio and the text number801-649-3700.
And you can get all of ourcontact information on
blueplanetvacationscom.
Hello, mark, I haven't eventalked to you all week.
Mark Faldmo (02:57):
Yep, it's been a while.
So I'm actually in Nashvilleright now doing the show just
here with a group that westarted in Memphis and ended in
Nashville, saw all the musichistory sites and some of the
sites here in Nashville ofpresidential sites as well.
Patrick Wiscombe (03:13):
Let's get right to the travel news
headlines.
Southwest is joining major UScarriers launching their free
Wi-Fi for their members.
Mark Faldmo (03:23):
launching their free Wi-Fi for their members.
Effective on October 24th,southwest will begin offering
free Wi-Fi for all of theirRapid Awards members.
This will put them in line withDelta, united and American, who
offer it, and then that leavesonly Alaska Airlines.
Domestically that does notoffer free Wi-Fi, although
Alaska has said they will startoffering that sometime next year
(03:47):
.
They hope, we hope.
Patrick Wiscombe (03:49):
Royal Lahaina Resort and Bungalows has
unveiled their Oceanfront Spa.
I love Lahaina, I love Maui.
What are the details about thisnew Oceanfront Spa?
Mark Faldmo (04:01):
Royal Lahaina is one of my favorite hotels there
on Maui and on the Kaanapalibeach.
A few months ago we talkedabout they had just completed a
multi-million dollar renovation,but the last part of that was
opening up their oceanfront spa.
Looking at this picture, I'mpretty sure the lobby of the spa
(04:21):
is where their main restaurantused to be, so it's a very good
location for a spa.
Look out to that beautifulKaunapali Beach, which is by far
the best beach in Maui, whenthis hotel is located.
It's just a great place tovacation.
It really bumps up this hotel,especially with the renovation
that was just completed.
(04:41):
It's always been a three, threeand a half star hotel.
It's now a solid four starhotel, but everything inside of
it is new.
Patrick Wiscombe (04:49):
There is a new Pirates of the Caribbean themed
bar opening at Disney World'sMagic Kingdom.
I would imagine that rum isconsumed or will be consumed at
that bar.
Mark Faldmo (05:00):
The name of it is the Beacon Barrel and it
actually did open about twoweeks ago.
It's located in Adventureland,right next to the Pirates of the
Caribbean ride.
Like Disney does so well, thisbar immerses you in both the
movies and the ride Pirates ofthe Caribbean.
There's a lot of Easter eggsthroughout the bar and it also
(05:22):
is a family bar.
They have drinks for adults andfor children.
Patrick Wiscombe (05:26):
We received a text a little bit earlier this
week from Mary who wants to goto the Florida Keys, and again,
let me just give out the studioand text number because we want
to answer your travel relatedquestions, whether we're on the
air or if you have questionsafter the show airs or after the
podcast 801-649-3700,.
801-649-3700.
(05:49):
Mary says she wants to go tothe Florida Keys.
I love Key West, awesome.
One of my favorite places Yepand wants to stay at a
beachfront resort somewhere inthe Florida Keys.
What do you recommend?
Mark Faldmo (06:01):
Mark, just kind of a quick overview for those that
have not been to Key West.
It's a great destination, butthere are not a lot of hotels on
the beach there.
Patrick Wiscombe (06:11):
No, that surprised me.
The hotels that we did see inKey West there were no beach
like Sunset Square, and just alittle bit to the north, if I've
got my directions right.
There was nothing there, but itwas a beautiful property.
Mark Faldmo (06:23):
Let's take the Florida Keys.
There are three hotels thatcome to mind.
First hotel is called theMargaritaville Beach House.
Now, this one is not on thebeach, but it's across the
street from the beach.
The reason why I included thisone in there is because it is
across the street from SmathersBeach, which is by far the best
(06:44):
beach in all of Key West.
This hotel also is not indowntown, so where that really
good beach is is not close toDeval Street and a lot of the
places that people want to be.
Key West is the perfect placefor a Margaritaville kind of
that Jimmy Buffett lifestyle,and so I included this hotel,
just because it kind of fits theKey West feeling and it's a
(07:05):
three and a, because it kind offits the Key West feeling and
it's a three and a half starhotel.
Now the next hotel I'd recommend.
It's called the Reach Key Westand it's part of the Hilton
Curio collection.
This one does have a smallbeach, so you can go out, lay on
the beach and have beach chairsand do all of that.
It also has a very nice pool,but what I like about this is
(07:26):
it's within walking distance.
Now, it's a longer walk, butwithin about a 10 minute walk of
Duval Street, which is whereall the shops and restaurants
and everything is kind of whereyou want to be in Key West.
Key Lime Pie, key Lime Pie.
Go to the Key Lime store andget a Key Lime Pie if you like
it.
Ship some home to your house.
(07:47):
That's what I do.
Patrick Wiscombe (07:48):
Yes, you do.
Mark Faldmo (07:50):
Yep.
And then the last hotel thatI'd recommend.
Now this one is on Duck Key,which is about halfway between
Miami and Key West, and it'scalled Hawks Cay Resort.
This hotel I've stayed at a fewtimes.
Hawks Cay Resort this hotelI've stayed at a few times.
It has a really nice pool.
What I like about it is it doeshave a lagoon, so there's a
(08:13):
beach and it's a fully circularlagoon with water in it and
beach all around, so it'sperfect if you want to
paddleboard.
They also have a marina nearby,so they are on the water.
It is a very nice resort.
That one, I would also say, isa four-star, maybe
four-and-a-half-star resort.
The one thing I like about theFlorida Keys is that drive down
there, oh yeah, so on Hawks CayResort you don't get that full
(08:35):
drive, I would say to any ofthese, but I probably would go
all the way to Key West justbecause going on that overwater
highway is fascinating it is aspectacular ride, for what about
three, three and a half hours?
It's about 110 miles, I believe.
So depending on traffic, itusually is about three hours.
Patrick Wiscombe (08:57):
And you and I stopped at the Waffle House.
That's mandatory.
I don't remember which key thatwas on, but it was very tasty.
Mark Faldmo (09:03):
That was on Key Largo, so that was the very
first of the Key West there yeahthe drive to the Keys.
Awesome People make fun of mefor liking the Waffle House, but
I love it, no.
Patrick Wiscombe (09:14):
Waffle House is good.
Yeah, that was the first timethat I had been there.
Mark Faldmo (09:21):
I love the pecan waffle.
Patrick Wiscombe (09:22):
Mary, I'm sure that you might have some
additional follow-up questions.
Just call Mark in the office.
Same phone number 801-649-3700,801-649-3700.
And we also received a textearlier this week from Dave who
wants to go to Bora Bora.
But anywhere in Tahiti willwork.
He says it seems very expensive.
(09:44):
Bora, but anywhere in Tahitiwill work, he says it seems very
expensive.
Are there other areas in Tahitithat you would recommend, mark,
that are less expensive thanBora Bora?
Bora Bora can be very expensive.
Mark Faldmo (09:53):
Hotel rooms can easily start at $1,200 to $1,500
a night and go up from therefor the very basic rooms.
If you want an over the waterbungalow, those can start at two
or $3,000 and up, depending onthe hotel.
So to answer Dave's question,yes, there are other places you
can go.
(10:14):
The first place I'd recommendis Morea.
Personally, I like Morea betterthan Bora Bora and it's easier
to get to as well From the mainisland of Tahiti.
It's a 30-minute ferry ride toget over to Morea and it's also
much more affordable.
So just comparing apples toapples, for November I looked at
(10:36):
the Westin Bora Bora.
That one started at $1,600 pernight compared to the Hilton
Lagoon Resort and Spa on Morea,which started at $900 a night.
So your $700 a night differencebetween Bora Bora and.
Morea.
If you wanted to save even alittle bit more, you could just
(10:59):
go, stay on the main island, sothe island of Tahiti, the city
is Papeete, and you can stillhave a great vacation.
In fact, since Morea is justacross the bay, on a ferry you
could go over and spend part ofyour time in Morea, part of your
time on Tahiti, or just takeday trips to Morea from Tahiti.
Oh yeah, but you know.
Coming back to the hotels there, so again keeping the same
(11:23):
quality of hotel, theIntercontinental Papeete starts
at $600 a night, so that shavesoff another $300.
Or the Hilton Hotel Tahitistarts at $450 a night.
All of these were kind of thatfour and a half five star hotel.
So all the same quality.
Yeah, these are good hotels.
(11:44):
Yeah, Just where you want tostay.
Another thing everyone wants tostay in an overwater bungalow
in.
Tahiti so you don't have to stayin the overwater bungalow the
whole time.
You could get a garden braygarden bungalow and then spend
two or three nights in theoverwater bungalow and get that
(12:04):
experience and it'll save yousome money.
How many times have you beenthere?
I've been to Tahiti well,including cruise stops five
times.
Patrick Wiscombe (12:13):
Did you stay in an overwater bungalow when
you stayed there?
Mark Faldmo (12:18):
I did.
I've stayed both ways.
I've most of the time in thegarden bungalows just to save
money.
But the last time I went thereand stayed in a hotel, I was at
the Sofitel on Morea in anoverwater bungalow for five
nights Wonderful.
Patrick Wiscombe (12:35):
Oh yeah, I bet it was yeah While we're talking
about Tahiti, why do you likeTahiti?
Mark Faldmo (12:42):
I like Tahiti because it's not crowded.
So if you look at the visitornumbers for Tahiti, Tahiti gets
about 300,000 visitors per year.
If you compare that to Hawaii,they get 10 million visitors per
year.
So every 15 days about Hawaiiis bringing in what Tahiti gets
(13:05):
in one year.
So you know, like Morea,there's probably only four
hotels there.
Bora Bora there's six or sevenhotels there, it just doesn't
get crowded there.
So thatora there's six or sevenhotels there, it just doesn't
get crowded there.
So that's what I like aboutTahiti.
Patrick Wiscombe (13:19):
Let's talk about the deal specifically for
Tahiti that you have for Dave,and let's also talk about the
deal for Mary, if she wants togo to the Florida Keys, how we
can help her in terms of price.
Mark Faldmo (13:32):
For Dave.
Right now, Blue PlanetVacations, we're offering a $200
per person, so $400 per couple,off of a custom built vacation
to French Polynesia.
So this would be to any island,the Tuamotus, Marquesas, French
Polynesia, any of those.
Those custom built vacationsare air hotel and then you can
(13:52):
customize tours that you wantand transfers.
So it is a really good offer tohelp save some additional money
for those that want to go toTahiti.
Patrick Wiscombe (14:01):
Okay, so 200 a person.
So even if a family was going,that would still be applicable,
correct?
Okay, let's talk about how wecan save Mary and her trip to
the Florida Keys.
Mark Faldmo (14:13):
So what we have for domestic travel to the Florida
Keys it's the same promotionwe've been talking about and
it's book your vacation and payin full at the time of booking.
You can save up to $550 perpackage and that's tiered based
on the overall cost.
It's basically a percentage offthe trip up to $550.
It's basically a percentage offthe trip up to $550.
Patrick Wiscombe (14:35):
David, Mary, you are going to absolutely love
your vacation and, of course,mark can help you with getting
everything in place.
Call him in his office.
I'm going to give you adifferent phone number this go
around this one's toll free888-718-7717.
888-718-7717 888-718-7717.
(14:59):
Take advantage of the $550 offfor domestic travel and, of
course, $200 a person if youwant to go to Tahiti.
When we come back, it is timefor the infamous Just Cruising
segment, where it's only aboutthe cruise news and it's only
about cruise deals.
And this week we'll be talkingabout Viking Cruises getting
(15:20):
into the river cruise business,going up and down the Nile River
.
And, of course, we've got thecruise deal of the week with
Explorer Journeys.
That's an MSC brand Beautiful,beautiful ship.
We'll give you the details whenwe come back.
Thank you so much for allowingus to be part of your weekend
alongside Mark Faldmo.
My name is Patrick Wiscombe.
Stick around.
We'll be back in about 60seconds.
Show Voice (15:43):
Taking you to destinations around the world.
The Inside Travel Talk podcastand radio show is presented by
BluePlanetVacations.
com, America's best traveladvisors.
Call or text the show now801-649-3700, 801-649-3700.
Thanks for listening.
(16:04):
We'll be right back.
Ad Voice (16:10):
This segment of Inside Travel Talk is sponsored by El
Dorado Spa Resorts.
Escape to Cancun's Riviera Mayawith authentic all-inclusive
luxury at an El Dorado SpaResort.
To book your romantic beachgetaway, contact Blue Planet
Vacations at 888-718-7717 orblueplanetvacations.
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Show Voice (16:38):
Now back to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and
radio show presented by BluePlanet Vacations dot com,
America's best travel advisors.
Call or text the show right now801-649-3700.
801-649-3700.
801-649-3700.
(16:58):
And check out the podcast atInsideTravelTalk.
com.
Here's Patrick Wiscombe andMark Faldmo.
Patrick Wiscombe (17:28):
Thank you so much for allowing us to be part
of your weekend.
My name is Patrick Wiscombe.
Alongside Mark Faldmo, this isthe infamous Just Cruising
segment, and may I welcome allaboard.
Ahoy, mateys, ahoy.
Thank you for listening to theInside Travel Talk podcast, a
(17:53):
radio show each and everyweekend right here, on whatever
radio station you're listeningto around the country.
We're always on at 11 am localtime.
But if you can't listen to uslive each and every weekend,
Saturday and Sunday at 11 am,you can pick up the podcast at
InsideTravelTalk.
com.
We've got links to all of themajor podcast platforms on
(18:17):
InsideTravelTalk.
com and if you don't want tosubscribe to the podcast, you
can just stream the show righton the website Same web address,
insidetraveltalk.
com Coming up in this segment.
It's only about the cruise newsand it's only about the cruise
deals.
Mark, let's get right to thecruise news headlines here.
(18:37):
I saw this story that Viking isthis Viking River Cruises I
guess it would be Is launching anew ship that's going to go up
and down the Nile River.
I would want to do that,wouldn't you?
Mark Faldmo (18:48):
I would.
Yeah, this is something that ison my bucket list.
They have a few ships that aredoing it, so they're just
launching a brand new shipcalled the Viking Amun.
These ships look like theywould be fabulous to cruise on.
They're small 82 guests, 48crew.
What is that?
Basically, two to one.
Two to one.
You know we've talked about notdoing on-air radio math.
(19:12):
That's what 130 people roughlyon board, including the crew.
So it's a small ship that goesup the Nile River.
It was built specifically tocruise the Nile River.
It does follow kind of the sametenants that Viking chooses on
their river cruise ship, so it'skind of that Scandinavian style
(19:34):
of architecture.
The best part about this is theoffer that Viking currently has
.
This is for almost all rivercruises, but to Egypt.
This is amazing.
So on select sailings, they'reoffering free airfare and
reduced deposits of $25 perperson.
Patrick Wiscombe (19:51):
Oh whoa, hold on.
So that is extraordinarilycheap for a deposit.
I've never heard of a $25 perperson.
Oh whoa, hold on.
So that is extraordinarilycheap for a deposit.
Mark Faldmo (19:56):
I've never heard of a $25 deposit yeah, it's a $25
deposit and free airfare.
Wow.
Now the free airfare is in Juneof 2026 for the Nile River, and
then the cruise fares start atabout $7,000 a person.
So that's pretty good.
The other months, you knowJanuary, February, are the prime
(20:19):
time to go.
They're not offering freeairfare, but they are offering
airfare starting at $999 aperson, which is extraordinary.
You're easily in probably$1,500 to $2,000 if you were
just to buy the airfare.
Patrick Wiscombe (20:33):
So that's a pretty good discount.
Yep, I think that would be sucha unique way to see Egypt.
Just go up and down the Nileand you're still going to see
all the major attractions.
Yeah.
Mark Faldmo (20:44):
So these river cruises, they actually start
with a little land tour in Cairoand so you go see the pyramids,
the Sphinx, the Egyptian Museum, you know all of that in that
area, and then you go do theNile River cruise and back.
So you do get kind of the bestof both worlds there.
The one thing I didn't mentionon that cruise, that it was a 12
(21:06):
day trip, almost two weeks,starting at $7,000 a person,
including your airfare.
Patrick Wiscombe (21:13):
That's amazing .
The new cruise ship that'sgoing to be in Asia from Disney
is delayed.
How long is it?
Mark Faldmo (21:22):
delayed.
The ship's name is the DisneyAdventure.
It was supposed to launchmid-December of this year, so
just a few months.
But it is delayed three monthsuntil March 10th.
So that means all cruises arecanceled between December 15th
and March 12th.
You know that's kind of abummer if you're booked on any
(21:43):
of those cruises, but Disney isoffering pretty good
compensation.
If you're booked on theoriginal December maiden voyage,
you'll automatically berebooked to the March.
Plus you'll get a 50% refund.
Patrick Wiscombe (21:57):
Okay, that's pretty generous.
Obviously you're going to bedisappointed, but if you can
rebook it, get 50% off.
That's extraordinary.
That's very strange for Disneyto miss a deadline like that it
is.
I don't think I've ever heardthat one.
Mark Faldmo (22:12):
Yeah, it's rare that it happens, but they want
everything to be right.
It's probably better to delayit and kind of take that heat
from delaying it.
Patrick Wiscombe (22:21):
Yeah.
Mark Faldmo (22:22):
Than have people get on and have a bad experience
.
Patrick Wiscombe (22:25):
Disney has lost its magic.
You can just see the headlineif all of the attractions aren't
ready to go?
Yeah, you and I have talkedabout Galveston, Texas.
There is a port in Galvestonthat MSC is going out of.
Carnival is going out of there.
I don't remember who the othertwo cruise providers were there,
but Carnival, Norwegian andPrincess.
(22:47):
Okay, carnival says thatthey're going to add two more
ships to Galveston in 2027.
Do we know the ships?
Mark Faldmo (22:55):
I can tell you the four ships that will be there in
2027.
Right off the top of my head.
I don't know the ones that arecurrently there, but it'll be
the Carnival Horizon, carnivalSpirit, the Carnival Breeze and
the Carnival Jubilee.
Between those four ships,they'll be sailing a combination
of three, four, five, six,seven and eight night cruises.
(23:15):
So you can have your choice ofa short cruise or a longer
cruise.
Long cruise Long cruise, longcruise yep, we've talked about
Galveston in the past.
It is really becoming a majorcruise port.
They're building a new terminalthere.
They have cruises in thewintertime going out just about
every day of the week betweenall the cruise lines that go
(23:37):
there.
And for us on the West Coast,houston, which is the closest
major airport to Galveston, isfairly easy and inexpensive to
get to a lot of times whencomparing that to Fort
Lauderdale or Miami.
Patrick Wiscombe (23:51):
Fort Lauderdale could be a little
spendy.
It can.
Yeah, Do you have any deals forthe Galveston port?
Mark Faldmo (23:57):
I do, and so you know we were talking about
Carnival, but I'm going toswitch this to Princess, and
this year, so January.
So this is January of 2026.
On Princess Cruise Lines theyhave a January 11th sailing
Leaves from Galveston goes toCottrell, Costa Maya and Roatan.
Inside cabins start at 474dollars per person, but where
(24:22):
this gets good is balcony cabinsstart at 599 per person.
You could actually get a suiteif we keep going up.
Suites start at 749 a person.
(24:51):
That is so cheap for suites.
Well, and balconies too, man.
But I predict it's going to be15 degrees on January 11th and
you'll wish you were on thiscruise from Galveston going to
Cozumel, Costa Maya and Roatan.
Patrick Wiscombe (25:04):
I always dress for the destination.
So whether it's 15 degrees herein Salt Lake and it's 75, 85 at
the destination, I'm wearingshorts to the airport.
That's how I am too.
You snuck a cruise deal of theweek in there with the Princess
stuff.
Ad Voice (25:20):
That's not even the cruise deal of the week, nope.
Patrick Wiscombe (25:23):
Okay, let's get to the cruise deal of the
week, which is Explorer Journeys.
Now, if you're not familiarwith Explorer Journeys, this is
a cruise ship brand, a luxurycruise ship brand from MSC
Cruises.
What details do you have forlisteners?
First of all, a little bit ofnews.
Mark Faldmo (25:41):
Their fifth ship comes out in 2027.
And with that fifth ship theycan pretty much cover the world
now.
So they are now featuring forthe first time an Asia cruise
for Explorer Journeys.
The brand was launched in 2021.
That's a brand of the MSCCruise Group and their goal was
(26:03):
to kind of redefine high-endocean cruising.
They want it to feel more likea boutique hotel or a private
yacht than a traditional cruiseship.
Patrick Wiscombe (26:12):
And they've done that Just visually.
They've done that, yeah, and infact, if you, look at their
ships.
Mark Faldmo (26:15):
They've done that, yeah, and in fact if you look at
their ships, they almost kindof look like some of those mega
yachts, just a supersizedversion of those mega yachts
that you see out there.
So they're smaller ships, theyhold less than a thousand
passengers, which means they canexplore some of those smaller,
(26:35):
less visited ports.
They also try and make thecruise as all-inclusive as they
can.
It includes things like yourgratuities, your Wi-Fi, wellness
facilities.
Many of the dining options areincluded.
I think they do have somereally upscale like a steakhouse
that's additional, but theyreally try and incorporate
(26:57):
everything they can into thatvoyage fare.
Patrick Wiscombe (27:00):
How many are out?
Is it Explorer 1, 2, is 3?
Mark Faldmo (27:04):
out.
I believe 1, 2, and 3 are out.
4 comes out shortly and thenagain 2027, Explorer 5 will come
out.
Patrick Wiscombe (27:13):
Check out YouTube.
Just do a search for Explorer.
You'll see what we're talkingabout.
They're beautiful ships.
You won't be disappointed.
If this is the cruise deal ofthe week, what is the offer for
Explora Journeys?
Mark Faldmo (27:24):
So for Explora Journey they have an early
booking discount, so this wouldbe for anything in 2027 and
beyond they have a 5% discount.
Since it is a luxury cruiseline, 5% can save you quite a
bit of money on one of thesecruises.
I've kind of went through theiritineraries and I picked two
that are pretty unique.
(27:45):
One is I would love to dobecause of its ports, and then
the other one is a very uniqueport.
The first one is it's a journeyto the Adriatic, which is a
cruise that goes between Venice,Italy, and Athens, Greece.
First of all, I love theAdriatic.
So it goes to Rovinj in Croatia, goes to Dubrovnik, which is on
(28:08):
most people's bucket list, thenit goes to Brindisi, which is
in the hill of the boot of Italy, so a place not a lot of people
go to or visit, and then myfavorite port goes to Kotor in.
Montenegro.
Yeah, you love that.
That is probably my favoriteplace to go in all of Europe.
I love Kotor.
(28:28):
And then it cruises down andgoes to Milos in the Greek Isles
you know that is a small portthat the big ships would not go
to.
And then it ends in Athens OnExplora.
So it's a seven-night,eight-day journey.
So May dates of 2026 start at$4,500 per person.
If you compare this, thelead-in cabin on an Explorer
(28:51):
ship is like a suite on otherships, so price-wise that's very
comparable if you were to get asuite on one of the big ships.
And then the next itinerarythis is one.
Every time I see an itinerarylike this, I want to do it.
It's a 12-night, 13-day cruiseand it goes from San Juan,
(29:12):
Puerto Rico.
Patrick Wiscombe (29:13):
Which is a great, great place.
San Juan has always been one ofthose okay if we get there.
But when Nikki and I got therein April, we were like, oh hey,
this is great here.
Mark Faldmo (29:25):
It is, yeah, I really like San Juan.
And then from San Juan it goesto St Bart's, which is another
place that the big cruise shipswouldn't go.
They're in the EasternCaribbean.
It goes down to Martinique,Barbados, trinidad and Tobago,
and then this is where I thinkthe itinerary gets exciting Goes
down and sails up the AmazonRiver to Manaus and has a couple
(29:49):
of stops in the Amazon River.
I just think that is so unique.
Oh yeah, and that one again, 12nights.
It starts at $9,000 per person,so starting to get up there a
little bit pricey.
But again, for the productyou're getting and the 12 nights
, and that's probably comparableto any suite in a big cruise
(30:12):
ship and you're probably gettinga better experience on Explorer
than if you get a suite on abig cruise ship.
Patrick Wiscombe (30:18):
That's the difference right there.
Yes, it is more expensive.
Explora Journeys or Explora theships it's a completely
different experience.
It's a luxury brand.
Mark Faldmo (30:28):
It is.
Patrick Wiscombe (30:29):
That is the cruise deal of the week.
Take advantage of everythingwe've talked about.
Call Mark in his office.
Get the conversation started.
No obligation office.
Get the conversation started,no obligation 888-718-7717.
888-718-7717.
And you can also see much ofthis information right on
(30:49):
blueplanetvacations.
com.
You can listen to thisaward-dominated show again
tomorrow morning, Sunday, at 11am.
Award-nominated show againtomorrow morning, Sunday, at 11
am, on the very radio stationthat you're listening to right
this very second.
And you can stream, download andsubscribe to the podcast at
insidetraveltalk.
com.
We're on all of the majorpodcast platforms.
(31:12):
If you're not a podcaster, youdon't want to subscribe.
You can just listen to the showright on the website,
insidetraveltalk.
com.
Our job is done.
Now it's your turn to get outand explore the world while you
can, because you never know whatcurveball's life is going to
throw at you.
As we say each and every week,live your life deliberately,
(31:36):
live your life intentionally.
And a sincere thank you fortaking the time to stop and
listen.
We don't have a show withoutyou.
We don't have a businesswithout you.
Thank you so much for listening.
Have a great week.
Show Voice (31:49):
We'll talk to you next time.
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.
(32:10):
That's 888-718-7717.
Thanks for listening.
Have a great week.
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