March 1, 2025 • 51 mins
If you're ready to dive into the world of travel like never before, this episode is a must-listen! Join Patrick and Mark on the Inside Travel Talk podcast as they unveil hidden travel gems, including the stunning destination of Fiji, which has captured the hearts of over a million visitors this past year alone. Whether you're a seasoned traveler or planning your first getaway, we share fresh destinations that will pique your interest and broaden your travel horizons.
From the beautiful beaches of Fiji to the less-visited wonders of Europe, we discuss travel trends that show a growing fascination for discovering places off the beaten path. This episode is packed with insights on why destinations like Slovenia are surging in popularity, appealing to adventurous travelers seeking new cultural experiences.
Additionally, we equip you with essential travel tips for spring break and important safety advisories to ensure a worry-free holiday. Our discussion also covers repositioning cruises, which offer incredible value and unique itineraries that are often overlooked. Discover how these cruises might be your ticket to unforgettable journeys at an unmatched price!
Listen in as we emphasize the importance of travel for enhancing well-being, exploring fascinating new places, and creating lifelong memories with friends and loved ones. Tune in, and let’s break free from the routine to embrace the adventure that awaits in every corner of the globe. Join us for travel insights, tips, and the kind of inspiration that will compel you to book your next adventure today!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Patrick Wiscombe (00:00):
It is the weekend, which means it's time
to talk travel.
Welcome to the Inside TravelTalk podcast and radio show
Coming up.
On today's show, we will betalking about Fiji.
In fact, that will be in thefirst segment repositioning
cruises.
If you want the most bang foryour buck, that's the way to go,
and it wouldn't be a show if wedidn't talk about Disneyland's
(00:21):
season of the force, and we'vealso got a warning for spring
break travelers.
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
(00:43):
controlled and subject to changewithout notice.
Show 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.
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 (01:25):
It is time to talk travel.
Welcome to the weekend andwelcome to the Inside Travel
Talk podcast and radio show.
Hello there, my name is PatrickWiska.
Mark Faldmo will be here in thestudio here in just a moment
and if you are brand new to theshow, or you are a listener
every single weekend, and if youare brand new to the show, or
(01:45):
you are a listener every singleweekend, either on the radio
around the country or part ofthe podcast, the entire purpose
of this show is to help you planand book your next vacation and
if you don't know where to go,we're going to give you ideas of
where you may want to considernext.
And we are presented byBluePplanetvacations.
com.
(02:05):
And thank you truly, thank you,for taking the time to stop and
listen.
Let me bring in my co-host andfriend, mark Faldmo.
I haven't talked to you againall week.
Mark Faldmo (02:16):
How was the week Week's been good, good.
Patrick Wiscombe (02:19):
I'm just looking forward to talking
travel.
We've got a jam-packed show.
I think the headline for thisone was the Disneyland season of
the Force.
The Force is strong withDisneyland.
Mark Faldmo (02:30):
Man, they can market, they can really market
and it looks like an interestingevent that they're doing.
Patrick Wiscombe (02:35):
We'll get to that here in just a second.
But let's start off with thetravel news headlines, and I
think this is good news.
Travelers are branching out.
That's the headline.
Europe is going to have anotherbusy summer.
Mark Faldmo (02:48):
Europe has been really strong the last few years
.
Your traditional places likeLondon, Paris, Rome are always
going to be strong, but a recentstudy which looks at air travel
bookings, hotel bookings, hasfound that travelers are
starting to branch out to someof the less known and less
visited destinations.
That's kind of one focus ofthis show is to really help
(03:11):
people branch out in some ofthose lesser known destinations.
Patrick Wiscombe (03:15):
What are some of the lesser known destinations
that our listeners shouldconsider?
Mark Faldmo (03:20):
In Europe.
The country of Slovenia has hada 473% spike in bookings.
For that small country, that'sa pretty significant increase in
the number of travelers.
A few weeks ago we actually didSlovenia, I think, was the
destination of the week.
It is a country that's north ofCroatia, in the very north part
(03:41):
of the Adriatic Sea.
It has beaches, mountains, Inthe very north part of the
Adriatic Sea.
It has beaches, mountains.
It's very rich in culturalhistory, as a lot of those kind
of Central European countriesare.
So that's the country that'sseen the largest increase, but
other countries Croatia I don'tknow why they're counting this
as a lesser known destination,because it's been big for years
(04:02):
but then Malta that we talkedabout last year, Turkey, the
Czech Republic and Hungary, andalso the country of Montenegro,
have all seen double digitgrowth this year in the number
of bookings.
Patrick Wiscombe (04:14):
So what I'm hearing you say is, because we
feature it on the show, you canexpect double to quadruple
bookings.
That is how much power we have.
Mark Faldmo (04:23):
Yeah, another region is Scandinavia.
Iceland, Denmark, Finland,Iceland, Norway have all seen
about a 200% increase inbookings, so some of those
lesser known and then the regionof Scandinavia has seen a large
increase, which is good.
That means it's kind ofspreading the travelers out
(04:44):
among Europe.
The last probably two years,maybe three years if you went to
Italy in the summer, it wasjust back-to-back people.
So this is spreading thosepeople out to some of the lesser
known destinations, which Ithink is good for travel in
general and people should branchout.
Well, we've always wanted tovisit London, Paris, Rome.
Some of these other places arefascinating to visit.
Patrick Wiscombe (05:07):
A little bit closer to home, I saw that the
US Embassy in Mexico is issuinga warning for spring break
travelers.
What is the warning?
Mark Faldmo (05:17):
This is a standard warning that kind of comes out
this time of year.
They actually have not changedthe travel warning to Mexico.
It still stays the same whichis level two exercise level two
exercise increased caution.
But this time of year a lot ofpeople for spring break are
going to Mexico and they justwant to remind people to be
(05:40):
smart in their travel, remainvigilant, especially in some of
the downtown and more congestedareas.
Crime like pickpockets androbberies can happen in these
places, and so just be vigilant.
They're not saying don't travelthere.
It's just a reminder, as youshould anywhere in the world, to
be vigilant to yoursurroundings and protect
(06:01):
yourself from some of the crimethat can happen all over the
world.
Patrick Wiscombe (06:05):
I should have tied this into the Europe story
If you have a criminal record.
Uk's new electronic travelauthorization system is denying
some travelers.
Mark Faldmo (06:15):
Yeah, and this is interesting because before
criminal backgrounds were notchecked, but now the ETA, that
new electronic travelauthorization, is flagging some
people and asking, eitherdenying them entry or asking
them to go to the secondary step, which is applying for a visa.
We often run into this issuewith people trying to go to
(06:39):
Canada, particularly Alaskacruises.
Canada is very strict.
Three Alaska cruises Canada isvery strict.
If you've had a DUI or any typeof offense, it can be hard to
get into Canada, and so it'salways good to check the country
you're going to if you have hadsome type of conviction.
This ETA says it's beenflagging people with things that
(06:59):
are several years old if that'ssomething that applies to you
so you don't want to book awhole vacation and then not be
able to travel.
Patrick Wiscombe (07:08):
This feels like it's fairly new.
Normally, if you just got apassport, you just travel, you
just take off.
But now countries are puttingthis electronic travel
authorization system in placeand kind of screening people.
Mark Faldmo (07:20):
They are, yeah, and this electronic travel
authorization for the UK is onlywhat?
About two months old now fromwhen it started.
I think it was January 8th whenit started.
This is just an extra layer ofscreening before most countries
do have restrictions on who canget a passport, and so they've
just said if you have a passportfrom your country, you're okay
(07:42):
to come in.
But now they are screening thata little bit more strictly.
And then also, if you're goingon an Alaska cruise or into
Canada, I've seen this situationcome up the most, and that's
been for years, I think as longas I've been in travel.
That's been an issue fortraveling to Canada.
Now it is popping up more andmore in other destinations.
Patrick Wiscombe (08:03):
That is a perfect segue into our
destination of the week, whichis Fiji, and it has had a
record-breaking year for tourismlast year, 2024.
So the reason we're going hereis Mark received an email a
little bit earlier this weekfrom Joe.
Joe is planning a friend'sgetaway and wants to know the
(08:23):
best time to visit Fiji.
That's his question, and it'salso our destination of the week
.
So let's talk Fiji for a second, and you and I should be down
there sometime between now andthe end of the year.
Mark Faldmo (08:34):
Yeah, we're hoping to get a trip down there.
We've been invited by FijiTourism to do the podcast and
radio show from Fiji.
Tourism in Fiji has really gonewell in 2024.
For the first time ever theywelcomed over a million visitors
to the country Wow.
So that was just under amillion by air and about 100,000
(08:56):
by cruise ships.
So it is becoming more and moreof a popular destination.
Fiji Airways has increasedtheir flights.
They added a new route fromDallas, a new route from Seattle
, so we have actually lots ofways we can get there from the
US to Fiji.
Getting to Joe's question, Ithink Fiji is a great
(09:18):
destination for a friend'sgetaway, for a couple's getaway,
for any type of getaway.
I think a few weeks ago wereally highlighted Fiji.
But Joe's question was when isthe best time to travel to Fiji?
So May through October isFiji's dry season.
That would be the best time togo when you have the most
sunshine, temperatures a littlebit cooler, lower humidity,
(09:43):
which.
Patrick Wiscombe (09:43):
I'm a fan of.
Mark Faldmo (09:44):
It's still humid, but it is lower humidity.
The actual peak season is Julythrough September.
This is when you kind of get amix of Americans traveling for
summer vacation and Australiaand New Zealand people traveling
for their winter breaks.
The off-peak season is May,June and October.
(10:08):
November through April is thewet season, so if you travel
November through April you'llsee probably a little bit of
rain on your vacation.
Now when I've traveled, I'vealways gone in January to Fiji
and it's always been amazingweather, but technically
November through April is thewet season in Fiji.
Patrick Wiscombe (10:30):
What deals do we have this week for going to?
Mark Faldmo (10:33):
Fiji.
So Fiji Airways from LosAngeles or San Francisco has a
$799 per person airfare.
That's round trip.
One thing going to Fiji fromhere is you lose a day crossing
the international date line.
So if you go, a seven nightpackage would actually be five
(10:55):
nights hotel, with how thatworks out.
So you go Wednesday toWednesday but it'd be five
nights hotel.
And these fares just this pastweek have been extended into
2026.
So that is for travel nowthrough the 31st of July and
then August 1st through the 28thof February of 2026.
(11:16):
It's pretty much any time whenyou can get that 799 airfare.
Now that obviously is based onavailability and certain other
things, but I did just a quicklook for a May departure date.
So you can get airfare from LosAngeles and five nights hotel
at a four-star hotel starting at$1,299 per person.
Patrick Wiscombe (11:38):
Wow, they're serious about getting people
over there.
Mark Faldmo (11:41):
They are.
Yeah, in years past a goodprice to Fiji was $1,600,
$1,700,.
Destinations I'd love to visit,and that is mainly because of
(12:08):
the people.
They're so friendly.
It's a wonderful destination tovisit.
On top of the good beaches andall the fun things you can do,
they do have the MamanukaIslands.
You can stay at a little50-room resort on your own
little island there and just siton the beach, enjoy the water
sports.
It's a wonderful destination.
Patrick Wiscombe (12:29):
I'm just excited to go, and I'm sure Joe
is now too.
Yes, and really, if you stopand think about it I'm not
saying that prices that we'retalking are chump change when it
comes to travel it's one ofthose things that you just have
to kind of accept, but then youwill have a lifetime of memories
just thinking about what youdid.
It's not necessarily about theprice.
(12:52):
It's about the common bondingexperience of going with friends
, family, whoever you want to gowith.
Just go.
Quit thinking about it, just doit.
Call Mark in his office.
It sounds like I was scolding.
Sorry, I wasn't scolding anyone.
Call Mark in his office duringthe break to get the
conversation started.
888-718-7717.
(13:15):
888-718-7717.
Mark will also post this onblueplanetvacations.
com.
Mark will also post this onblueplanetvacations.
com.
And when we come back, we've gotLegend of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean's new ship ison sale.
If you've always wanted to gocruising or you want to get on a
new ship, which Patrick will bedoing, and Nikki, you can now
(13:38):
purchase those cruises startingnow.
That is next.
Those cruises starting now.
That is next when the InsideTravel Talk podcast and radio
show continues.
Alongside my good friend MarkFaldmo, my name is Patrick
Wiscombe.
Thank you so much for listening.
We will be right back.
Show Voice (13:57):
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.
Ad Voice (14:27):
We'll be right back.
This segment of Inside TravelTalk is sponsored by Star
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Show Voice (15:01):
Now back to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and
radio show presented byBluePlanetVacations.
com, America's best traveladvisors.
Call or text the show right now801-649-3700, 801-649-3700.
And check out the podcast atInsideTravelTalk.
com.
(15:22):
Here's Patrick Wiscombe andMark Faldmo.
Patrick Wiscombe (15:31):
Welcome back inside of the Inside Travel Talk
podcast and radio show.
My name is Patrick Wiscombe,alongside Mark Faldmo, and this
show is presented byblueplanetvacations.
com, and all we do is talk abouttravel.
We love to travel and we wantto share that passion of getting
(15:52):
out and exploring the worldwith our listeners.
So if you have questions,travel related questions text
the show right now.
We want to answer yourquestions.
Text the show right now.
We want to answer yourquestions.
801-649-3700.
801-649-3700.
We don't care if you feel likeit's a silly question or if it's
(16:16):
an overwhelming question.
We just want to help you getout and explore the world.
Here's the studio and the textnumber, again 801-649-3700.
And coming up in this segmentof the show, this is always the
(16:36):
hot travel deal of the week andwe are talking about season of
the force at Disneyland.
The force is strong withDisneyland it is.
But let's start with the travelnews headlines.
Last month actually you knowwhat?
I forget that it's march nowtwo months ago, technically
January 2025 there was a fivepercent sales increase January
2024.
Mark Faldmo (16:56):
compared to January of 2025, there was a five
percent sales increase of airtickets.
There were 9.3 billion billionof air tickets sold in the month
of January.
Wow, so there's a lot of peopletraveling out there.
Yeah, that actually marked theseventh straight month of year
over year gains for air ticketsales.
(17:18):
The one thing that was goodthat came out of this report is
the average ticket price wasactually down about 1% month
over month.
So the average ticket price andthis includes everything this
is domestic, international, thisis everywhere but the average
ticket price was $557.
Patrick Wiscombe (17:37):
It's amazing that air travel is as cheap as
it is.
Mark Faldmo (17:41):
It is.
And if you look at that $557mark, that includes all tickets,
domestic and international.
So that's lumping in flying toEurope, flying to Asia, flying
to the South Pacific.
That's just the average ofevery airline ticket purchase in
the United States.
Patrick Wiscombe (17:59):
actually, it really is a miracle that we can
just so casually just hey, I'mgoing to go to the airport, I'm
going to fly to Florida orwherever you're flying to, and
just get there within reallyjust a matter of hours.
Mark Faldmo (18:12):
I love waking up in my bed but then being in Hawaii
in about six hours, seven hours, yeah exactly.
I'm okay with that.
It's nice to be able to havethat luxury of travel and to
actually have it be soaffordable.
Patrick Wiscombe (18:26):
Speaking of air travel, let's go from Salt
Lake City, which is where we arebroadcasting, from Salt Lake,
to Universal Orlando, or justOrlando in this case.
Universal Orlando will holdnighttime events at Volcano Bay
Water Park.
Mark Faldmo (18:41):
All of these theme parks have these little kind of
special events, and so this iscalled Volcano Bay Nights, where
they're opening up the waterpark at night.
It's a limited capacity event,it's $99 per person, and it will
be open April 12th, April 26th,may 3rd, may 10th and May 17th
(19:02):
for these special ticketed nightevents, and so they're going to
have some of their attractionsopen.
They're going to have specialmeet and greets with DreamWorks
characters like Shrek, Fiona,donkey Donkey.
It's one of the special thingsthat you can do in some of these
theme parks.
Universal, more and more, iskind of becoming my go-to park.
(19:25):
My wife and I are going toMiami here in a few months to go
on the inaugural cruise.
My God, let's just take anexcursion up to Epic Universe.
Patrick Wiscombe (19:34):
Let's head to the West Coast.
Now let's talk aboutDisneyland's Season of the Force
.
What is that?
Mark Faldmo (19:40):
Season of the Force is a special time in Disneyland
where they do some specialthings related to Star Wars.
They have a new show calledShadows of Memory, a Skywalker
saga, which debuts March 28th.
Which debuts March 28th, theyhave a new experience called
Fire of the Rising Moons, whichis a nighttime experience that
(20:07):
showcases a Disneyland fireworkdisplay from a special place in
Galaxy's Edge with a specialmusical accompaniment which
they're bringing in a lot of theJohn Williams, the Star Wars
theme songs into that, into thefireworks.
They are also converting SpaceMountain into Hyper Space
Mountain, which they have a rideoverlay, and so it will be Star
Wars themed through May 11th.
(20:28):
And then they also have someadditional merchandising.
One thing I'm looking for theyhave a Wookiee cookie and then a
few other food and drink thingsthat you can get that are Star
Wars themed.
A Wookiee cookie A Wookieecookie Sounds good.
That sounds hairy.
Yes.
Patrick Wiscombe (20:48):
Still think one of the best lines from the
show is get this walking carpetout of my way.
Mark Faldmo (20:52):
Yes, what are the dates on it?
So that will run March 28ththrough May 11th.
Okay, so a good six week run,basically Six week run, yeah.
So if you're a Star Wars fan,that's a good time to go and,
price wise and crowd wise,that's also a great time to go
to Disneyland and they'reprobably doing this promotion
(21:15):
because that's a slower time andthey're doing it to get people
into the park.
Patrick Wiscombe (21:19):
See, this is what I love about America right
here Innovation.
Get people in the doors, keepinnovating and you'll stay
relevant.
So that naturally leads intothe hot travel deal of the week,
which is just Disneyland.
What are the promotions that wehave for listeners this week?
Mark Faldmo (21:35):
They have save up to 20% on select rooms at
Disneyland Resort hotels.
So these are stays Sundaythrough Thursday night.
So Friday and Saturday are aregular price, but Sunday
through Thursday nights are upto 20% off for travel March 23rd
to May 15th.
So this falls right along inline with the season of the
(21:56):
force there.
How it breaks down is it's save20% at Disney's Grand
Californian Hotel, save 15% atDisneyland Hotel or save 20% at
the villas at Disneyland Hotel.
Patrick Wiscombe (22:11):
The one that's right in downtown Disney is
called.
Mark Faldmo (22:15):
There's the Disneyland Hotel, which is the
main one Right.
Patrick Wiscombe (22:18):
And that's on the west end, and then grand
California which is the closestto the park?
Okay, Grand California, that'sthe one I was thinking of, and
then there was.
Mark Faldmo (22:29):
It's called Pixar place now it was paradise pier,
so Pixar palace.
It celebrates the Pixar filmsand Pixar Animation Studios.
Patrick Wiscombe (22:40):
That's a great hotel.
The rooms are huge there.
Yeah, it is, and so areDisneyland Hotel really.
Mark Faldmo (22:46):
Yeah, and the thing I like about all three of those
is they're within walkingdistance.
Grand Californian actually haspark access on one side of the
hotel.
I've always liked theDisneyland Hotel.
Since I was a young child westayed there and I was just so
fascinated with walking out ofthe hotel, getting on the
(23:07):
monorail station and being inDisneyland.
That was one memory from myearly childhood that I can
remember.
That was obviously before thedowntown Disney.
Patrick Wiscombe (23:21):
I can remember that was obviously before the
downtown Disney Right.
So the promotion is 20% off ofselect hotels on select days.
Mark Faldmo (23:27):
On select days yeah , for travel March 23rd to May
15th, and you can do that right,you can book that stuff.
Patrick Wiscombe (23:34):
I can book that.
Yeah, the reason I'm askingthat question is Disney's kind
of particular who they work with.
So that's why I was asking youcan do that.
Mark Faldmo (23:43):
Yeah, yeah, I can do that with full packages with
park passes, park hopper passesand some additional add-ons as
well.
Can you just sell tickets?
I can, yeah, I can just selltickets if people want to buy
just park tickets from me.
Patrick Wiscombe (24:00):
I have the ability to do.
That Can't really ever go wrongwith Disney and especially
Disneyland.
Book a flight or just drivedown there.
The drive down there is kind offun too.
But to book the vacation toDisneyland, call Mark in his
office during the break just toget the conversation started.
Call Mark in his office duringthe break just to get the
conversation started888-718-7717, 888-718-7717.
(24:25):
And he will also post this onblueplanetvacations.
com when we come back.
It is time for the JustCruising segment, the infamous
just cruising segment.
Legend of the Seas, the newship from Royal Caribbean is now
on sale and we're also going tobe talking about repositioning
(24:47):
cruises.
Just to give you a quick headsup if you want to know how to
get the most for your money on acruise, repositioning cruises
is how to do it.
That is next with the InsideTravel Talk podcast.
The radio show continues.
Alongside Mark Faldmo, my nameis Patrick Wiscombe.
Thank you so much for listening.
We will be back after the break.
Show Voice (25:08):
You're listening to the Inside Travel Talk podcast
and radio show with PatrickWiscombe and Mark Faldmo,
Presented by BluePlanetVacations.
com America's best traveladvisors.
Call or text the show now801-649-3700.
That's 801-649-3700.
And check out the podcast atInsideTravelTalk.
(25:30):
com.
We'll be right back.
Ad Voice (25:41):
This segment of Inside Travel Talk is sponsored by El
Dorado Spa Resorts.
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Vacations at 888-718-7717 orblueplanetvacations.
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Patrick Wiscombe (26:00):
You are listening to the Inside Travel
Talk podcast and radio showComing up.
In the remaining 28 minutes ofthe show we will be talking
about Legend of the Seas, thenew ship from Royal Caribbean.
Princess Cruises has announcedtheir cruise tours adventures
for 2026, and we received acouple of texts during the break
about repositioning cruises.
(26:21):
Let's get back to 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 subject to changewithout notice.
Show Voice (26:50):
This is the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio
show presented byBluePlanetVacations.
com, America's best traveladvisors.
Call or text the show right now801-649-3700, 801-649-3700.
And now here are your hostsPatrick Wiscombe and Mark.
Patrick Wiscombe (27:22):
Faltmoe, all aboard for segment number three
of the Inside Travel Talkpodcast and radio show.
This is the world famous, theinfamous Just Cruising segment,
where it's only about cruisingand it's only about the cruise
news of the week.
And there's quite a bit goingon this week, so let's get to
(27:44):
the cruise news headlines.
Probably none bigger than thenew ship from Royal Caribbean
called Legend of the Seas, andit is now on sale, which is good
news, because it's always theleast expensive time to book a
cruise.
Mark Faldmo (28:00):
What do we know about this new ship?
They are sailing late summerinto the fall.
They'll be in the Mediterranean, then they'll move the ship to
the Caribbean.
So the very first passengersailing is August 2nd of 2026.
So this is not this comingsummer, but next summer.
It has a pretty good itinerarysailing round trip.
Barcelona goes to Palma deMallorca, goes to La Spezia,
(28:25):
which is in Italy that would bea port close to Florence and
Pisa Then it goes to Rome,Naples and back to Barcelona.
That's a good itinerary, thatis.
That is kind of a classicWestern Mediterranean itinerary,
but it has great ports.
One thing about this is it haspretty good prices for a new
(28:46):
ship.
Now I'm only going to talkabout the balcony cabins,
because the inside cabins areonly about $100, $150 less.
So there are lower prices thanthis, but a balcony cabin starts
at $22.75 per person, which,when looking at these new ships
that Royal Caribbean puts out,that's about $300 to $400 lower
(29:07):
than their typical seven-daycruises.
And I think the reason why isbecause we're just at the very
beginning stages of that.
I bet in two months or so, asthat ship starts getting more
press and starts selling, it isgoing to go up to those
traditional prices.
So now is the best time to bookthat.
Patrick Wiscombe (29:27):
I have a booking question that I'm sure
that someone is thinking rightnow.
Do I need to pay per person allof it right now, or is this
more of a reserve your spot witha what?
How much down $500 deposit, oris it even less?
Mark Faldmo (29:41):
than that.
They sometimes have depositspecials, but it's usually $250
per person to reserve.
So you pay your deposit andthen you don't have to pay the
final amount until a few monthsbefore sailing.
And then that ship does move tothe Caribbean, starting in
November, where it will do three, six or eight day cruises.
(30:03):
Now I chose an eight day cruiseand again just going to give
the balcony rate cabin, whichstarts at $2,364.
For a brand new ship, which youknow a lot of people when
they're comparing some of therates that we've talked about in
the past, a good balcony cabinprice usually is about $1,200 to
(30:23):
$1,500.
But these new big ships havesuch a big demand they're
probably worth that premium fora while.
Patrick Wiscombe (30:31):
Other cruise news of the week MSC Cruises is
welcoming guests at the newMiami and Barcelona cruise
terminals.
Now you and I will both be downthere in April to get on MSC
World America.
Is that going to be the newterminal?
Is that open?
Mark Faldmo (30:47):
Yeah, that'll be the new terminal.
It welcomed its first guestsearlier in February and the
Miami terminal has the capacityto handle up to 36,000 guests a
day and can board up to threeships at the time, and it can
accommodate up to three shipssimultaneously.
(31:07):
They will rent that space outto other cruise lines as well
their Barcelona facility, whichactually just took passengers
last week.
It really improves MSC'sfootprint around the world.
Barcelona is the busiestpassenger cruise port in Europe
and they've all been reallyinteresting, older, almost
(31:28):
run-down buildings.
I've sailed out of Barcelonaquite a bit, so this new cruise
port is going to be great forthose traveling on MSC and also
Explora Journeys, which is theirkind of high-end yacht market
that they sail out of inBarcelona.
Patrick Wiscombe (31:44):
By the way that Explora One the name of the
ship, beautiful ship, yes, Iknow that, Patrick and Nikki.
After kind of looking atExplora One, I was like dang
okay, need to go check that oneout.
Yes, yep, princess Cruises isexpanding its Alaska National
Parks Cruise Tours adventures in2026.
(32:07):
Anything that has Alaska andnational parks probably going to
be pretty amazing.
Mark Faldmo (32:19):
This year, for the first time, they announced a new
product, which was the AlaskaNational Park Cruise Tour, which
was a 15-night expedition.
Oh wow, that includes Voyage ofthe Glaciers, which is the
north or southbound cruise.
Then it also includes stays atthe four princess-owned
wilderness lodges.
Patrick Wiscombe (32:33):
Oh, we talked about that a few weeks ago, when
they announced that.
Mark Faldmo (32:36):
Yeah, it's been so successful that they are going
to extend that for 2025, 2026.
And they're adding many moresailings to do that.
These cruises are a great wayyou visit Glacier Bay, Denali,
Rangel, Kenai Fjords and KatmaiAll beautiful places, but I
(32:56):
think almost everywhere inAlaska is beautiful to visit.
Now there's this extra optionon Princess to really take a
deep dive into Alaska.
Princess, I think, does Alaskathe best.
They do it better than anyother cruise line.
With this, including longersailings from Los Angeles and
San Francisco that Princess hasadded, they are the best way to
(33:19):
see Alaska.
Patrick Wiscombe (33:21):
The one wish that I had personally is that
seven days in Alaska for me whenNikki and I went on Norwegian's
Bliss.
I wish that we had had anotherseven days.
I could have spent two weeks upthere easily.
Mark Faldmo (33:35):
Princess has their own train cars.
So does Holland America, butthey have their own domed cars.
You can get off the ship at theport, walk 50 yards over to the
train, get on your train carand then they take you up to
Denali.
These cruise tours are a greatway to see the interior of
Alaska.
I've done the interior ofAlaska off of a cruise tour
(33:59):
twice.
I would rather do that.
Add that extension onto thecruise and go see some of these
places like the Kenai Fjords andDenali.
Patrick Wiscombe (34:08):
We were talking about repositioning
cruises and Sherry had arepositioning cruise question.
She said I heard you mentionedrepositioning cruises a few
weeks ago.
Can you explain more what arepositioning cruise is, and do
you have any spring dates?
Let's start there.
What's a repositioning cruise?
A repositioning?
Mark Faldmo (34:29):
cruise is when cruise ships need to transition
from one geographical region toanother for different seasons.
For instance, a ship mightreposition from its winter
Caribbean season to its summerMediterranean season, so they
need to move that ship from theCaribbean to the Mediterranean.
So these are often kind ofone-off cruises.
(34:52):
They're often longeritineraries and you have more
days at sea but you also go toless frequently visited ports.
Some of the repositioningcruises that I've been on have
just been unique.
I did one.
The ship that was coming, itwas Norwegian cruise line and
they were repositioning fromtheir summer Europe season down
(35:15):
to the Caribbean, and so I did aLondon to New York, which did
Iceland, a couple of ports inCanada, new England and down.
One thing repositioning cruisesare usually really good prices
but also kind of unique off thebeaten cruise ports that you go
to.
One thing if you are looking ata repositioning cruise, you'll
(35:37):
have to look at the days at seaand see if you're okay doing
that many days at sea.
As I've often said on this, themore I cruise, the more I like
days at sea.
The most I've ever done at onetime was five days at sea, but
the ships have a lot to keep youoccupied and going during the
day, all the entertainment andeverything.
(35:59):
But repositioning cruises areoften a little bit more laid
back because you're not in adifferent port every other day.
Some of the repositioningcruises I've seen them have as
many as eight days at sea before.
But for the price it's a greatway to go.
Do they move the Prima, thatship?
Yes, they do.
Sherry did ask about springcruises so I looked at a few
(36:19):
things.
April and may time frame.
Norwegian is moving the primaand it's a New York to London
area, so it's ports.
That leaves New York City, goesto Halifax, Nova Scotia, goes
to Reykjavik, Iceland, that'd begood.
It goes to Belfast in Ireland,Liverpool, England, le Havre,
(36:44):
which is in France that would bewhere you go see the landing
beaches at Normandy and thenends in Southampton.
It's set sail April 27th.
It's a 14-day cruise and thatstarts at $999 per person for an
inside cabin or $1405 for abalcony.
Patrick Wiscombe (37:07):
The Prima's a nice ship too, You've been on
the Prima right.
Mark Faldmo (37:10):
I was.
I was on the inaugural namingceremony for the Prima, which
actually happened in Reykjavik,Iceland.
Patrick Wiscombe (37:16):
Okay, what about other?
Mark Faldmo (37:18):
ships.
So another one I found that wasa really good price.
And this again is atransatlantic.
Again it's on Virgin Voyagesand it's moving a ship from the
Caribbean, particularly the portof San Juan, to Barcelona.
This one is one that hasseveral days at sea.
It leaves San Juan and then ithas seven days at sea, but then
(37:40):
it visits Tenerife, Casablanca,Palma de Mallorca, Valencia in
Spain, and Barcelona.
Oh wow.
Patrick Wiscombe (37:50):
How many days is that one?
Mark Faldmo (37:51):
So that one's a 14 day cruise as well, and it
starts at $999 per person.
It's an April 12th departuredate, and then a balcony cabin
starts at $1533 per person.
Patrick Wiscombe (38:06):
You know, if you think about that, it's about
$100 a day for a 14-day cruise,per person.
It is Wow.
Mark Faldmo (38:11):
Okay, then I've got one more.
Patrick Wiscombe (38:15):
Man, you're loaded this week.
Mark Faldmo (38:17):
I am.
It's a 25-day repositioningcruise and it goes from Tampa
Florida through the Panama Canaland ends in Whittier, Alaska.
Patrick Wiscombe (38:27):
Oh, wow.
Mark Faldmo (38:28):
So you're getting a Panama Canal cruise, a Mexican
Riviera cruise, west Coast UScruise and an Alaska cruise.
On this I'll just quickly gothrough the ports.
On this Leaves Tampa goes toCartagena, Colombia, cologne and
Panama.
Cruising through the PanamaCanal goes to Costa Rica, goes
(38:49):
to Puerto Quetzal, which is inNicaragua.
Goes to Acapulco, Mexico, CaboSan Lucas, Los Angeles, san
Francisco.
Acapulco, Mexico, Cabo SanLucas, Los Angeles, san
Francisco, Astoria, Oregon andKetchikan, Juneau, Skagway,
Hubbard, glacier and Whittier,Alaska.
Patrick Wiscombe (39:08):
Wow.
Mark Faldmo (39:10):
How much is that one?
So it's a 25-day cruise startsat $1799 per person.
Patrick Wiscombe (39:18):
Wow, that is amazing.
Mark Faldmo (39:20):
So basically, take the month of April off, take the
month of April off, and thatone was again April 3rd and that
one, you get the best of threedifferent regions.
Ad Voice (39:31):
Panama.
Mark Faldmo (39:31):
Canal, which is fascinating.
You get that Central America.
Then you get Astoria, Oregon,one of my favorite places to
visit, mainly because I like allthe Goonies stuff that's there.
And then you get an Alaskacruise.
That's pretty good.
Patrick Wiscombe (39:47):
Okay, we got to take a break here.
Sherry, I hope that answers thequestions.
Call Mark in his office duringthe break.
Just get the conversationstarted.
No obligation, anyone listening, Just get the conversation
started.
No obligation, anyone listening.
Just get the conversationstarted and find out.
Just book the vacation.
Do this.
Live your life deliberately.
(40:07):
Live your life intentionally,man.
It doesn't get any moreintentional than this.
888-718-7717.
888-718-7717.
When we come back, we've gotMark's travel tips and we've got
just a little bit more NCL news.
That is next when the InsideTravel Talk podcast or radio
(40:30):
show continues.
Alongside Mark Faldmo, my goodfriend, I am Patrick Wiscombe.
Thank you so much for allowingus to be part of your weekend.
We will be right back.
Show Voice (40:41):
Explore your world.
You're listening to the InsideTravel Talk podcast and radio
show with Patrick Wiscombe andMark Fulton.
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.
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Waterways, from castles andcapitals to vistas and villages
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Show Voice (41:37):
This is the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio
show with Patrick Wiscombe andMark 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 (42:07):
Final segment of this week's Inside Travel
Talk podcast and radio show.
Thank you so much for allowingboth of us to be part of your
weekend.
If you want to reach the showduring the week to text your
travel-related questions, thesetexts go straight to Mark
801-649-3700.
(42:28):
801-649-3700 to ask yourtravel-related question and we
will answer it on the air.
And we do want to hear from you.
This isn't some canned showthat we don't want to hear from
our listeners.
We absolutely want you to bepart of the show.
So call us in studio 801 ortext us 801-649-3700.
(42:52):
Coming up in this final segmentof the show, we've got mark's
travel tips and, of course,we've got more travel news
headlines.
Let's start with just becausewe're coming off the infamous
Just Cruising segment, mark.
Let's start with the NorwegianCruise Line story.
Real quick, I saw that NCL hasexpanded, or is expanding, their
(43:15):
More at Sea Wi-Fi inclusion onlonger cruises.
That's good to hear, because ifyou're going to be Wi-Fi
inclusion on longer cruises,that's good to hear, because if
you're going to be out longer,you need to stay connected.
Mark Faldmo (43:25):
Yeah, it is so if you buy those more at sea rates
for cruises 12 nights or longer,they've increased that, I think
, from 250 minutes up to 300minutes.
The shorter cruises 7 to 11nights get 150 minutes, and
three to six night sailings get75 minutes of included Wi-Fi.
Patrick Wiscombe (43:46):
Let's just talk about more at sea,
generally speaking.
So more at sea Wi-Fi isincluded, but more at sea
usually means Wi-Fi and thedrinks package.
Mark Faldmo (43:56):
More at sea includes a shore excursion
credit, the Wi-Fi credit that wejust talked about.
It includes specialty dining, adrink package and third and
fourth guests free and so on thedining and drink package.
You do have to pay additionalgratuities on that, but the
(44:16):
actual base cost of thosepackages are included in the
Morrissey.
Patrick Wiscombe (44:21):
By the way, Nicki and I took advantage on
Norwegian's Aqua, the brand newship that's coming out.
We did take advantage of theshore excursion credit for the
Bimini Islands, just so you know, uh-huh.
Mark Faldmo (44:33):
That's good.
I love Bimini Islands.
Yeah, I know you do Beach Clubon Bimini.
Patrick Wiscombe (44:41):
Awesome, it's great.
Yeah, there is a, a starattraction, and I don't mean
featured attraction.
It literally is quite lookingat the stars at the Hyatt
Regency in Maui.
What details do we have on thatand when does it start?
Mark Faldmo (44:53):
every night from 8 to 11 pm.
The Hyatt Regency, Maui has anastronomer on one of their
rooftops with three largesatellites to help people with
stargazing.
That's one of the things I likeabout Hawaii probably with the
exception of the Honolulu areais it's pretty dark skies and
(45:14):
you know you can go out and justlook up at the stars.
And so these astronomy programs.
I think it's a great thing fora hotel to add just something
that adds a little bit somethingspecial to people's vacations.
Patrick Wiscombe (45:28):
Alma Waterways is offering a co-branded river
cruise with Smithsonian Journeys.
Mark Faldmo (45:35):
Yes, beginning in April 2026, there are going to
be Smithsonian journeys on Almawaterways.
So these are going to be extraspecial in the history and
culture.
They're going to be tailored tosome of the things that the
Smithsonian does.
They're going to be on theDanube, Rhine, Douro, Seine and
(45:56):
Rhone river.
I think they do the best joband this is actually the second
partnership that they have.
They also do the Adventure byDisney cruises.
They have these partnershipswith these other like-minded
companies to really get peopleimmersed into the culture where
Ama Waterways goes.
Patrick Wiscombe (46:17):
You're such a fan of Ama Waterways.
Are there any promotions thatlisteners should take advantage
of for the river cruising Rightnow?
Mark Faldmo (46:24):
through the end of March, they have up to $2,000
off select river cruises, andthis is departing in 2025.
So it doesn't include thosesailings that are the
Smithsonian journeys quite yet,but again, up to $2,000 off
cruises, which is combinablewith their Air Plus credit.
(46:44):
So that's airfare ratesstarting at $899 per person to
Europe.
Patrick Wiscombe (46:49):
So $2,000 off plus $899 airfare.
Mark Faldmo (46:52):
Correct, probably the best way to see Europe.
There's probably not a bettertime to book a river cruise than
right now.
Patrick Wiscombe (47:00):
I saw a story that I think speaks perfectly to
the whole purpose of this show,and that is how taking vacation
, or multiple vacations, canimprove overall well-being, and
you actually found a study aboutthis.
Mark Faldmo (47:15):
The study started out by saying there are 768
million unused vacation days inthe US.
30% of those days are forfeitedcompletely.
That's crazy.
Patrick Wiscombe (47:29):
Yeah, just forfeited.
Mark Faldmo (47:31):
Also another thing that the survey found is a lot
of American workers 50% feelburnt out in their job, and
that's what vacation days arefor, whether it's just to take
some days off and relax in yourhome or take some days off and
actually go on vacation.
There's been some research doneon the cognitive impact of
(47:52):
vacationing.
Vacationing just resets yourmind, can really help with some
of the things that come withbeing burnt out at work.
Just the fact of planning for avacation improves your mood.
I can buy that People that areplanning a vacation or have a
vacation planned they sleepbetter and they perform better
(48:14):
at work when they have vacationplanned.
Patrick Wiscombe (48:16):
I can buy that .
Gives you something to lookforward to other than work.
Mark Faldmo (48:20):
An interesting another part of that study.
There were about 800participants in this and those
who took a vacation less thanonce in every six years were
more likely to develop heartproblems than those who went on
vacation twice a year.
Patrick Wiscombe (48:38):
A few years ago, I was working for a local
radio station here in Salt Lakeand there was a big news event.
I was always a slave to someoneelse's schedule.
The only person that had moreto say in my life were complete
strangers, and I finally justmade the decision.
You know what?
I am tired of having my timetaken up by people that I don't
(49:00):
know, and that is why I startedmy own company, and that is why
I'm just like I've got to getoff this treadmill of life.
I'm tired of grinding.
I work hard, but I'm tired ofmy time being dependent on
someone else's choices, andthat's what got me off.
You've got to go live your ownlife.
Ever since doing that, thingshave improved enormously.
Mark Faldmo (49:22):
Now you're starting to take more vacations, which
will improve that more.
Patrick Wiscombe (49:28):
And I guess that's the point.
I now own my time, which is anamazing feeling, and I have to
remind myself how lucky I amthat I own my own time.
Yes, that's going to do it.
You can listen to this showeach and every Saturday and
(49:49):
Sunday morning at 11 AM righthere on this radio station and
around the country, and you canstream, download and subscribe
to the podcast atInsideTravelTalk.
com.
You can actually just streamthe show right off that website,
insidetraveltalk.
com, if you don't want tosubscribe to the podcast, but if
(50:11):
you're a podcaster we're on allof the major podcast platforms.
Just go to InsideTravelTalk.
com.
Major podcast platforms just goto insidetraveltalk.
com.
Well, now it is your turn toget out and explore the world
while you can, because you neverknow what Curveball's life is
going to throw at you.
As we say, live your lifedeliberately, live your life
(50:33):
intentionally.
And a big thank you, a genuine,sincere thank you, to all of
you for listening.
We'll talk to you again nextweek.
Have a great week.
Show Voice (50:44):
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.
(51:05):
Thanks for listening.
Have a great week.
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It is the weekend, which means it's time
to talk travel.
Welcome to the Inside TravelTalk podcast and radio show
Coming up.
On today's show, we will betalking about Fiji.
In fact, that will be in thefirst segment repositioning
cruises.
If you want the most bang foryour buck, that's the way to go,
and it wouldn't be a show if wedidn't talk about Disneyland's
(00:21):
season of the force, and we'vealso got a warning for spring
break travelers.
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
(00:43):
controlled and subject to changewithout notice.
Show 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.
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 (01:25):
It is time to talk travel.
Welcome to the weekend andwelcome to the Inside Travel
Talk podcast and radio show.
Hello there, my name is PatrickWiska.
Mark Faldmo will be here in thestudio here in just a moment
and if you are brand new to theshow, or you are a listener
every single weekend, and if youare brand new to the show, or
(01:45):
you are a listener every singleweekend, either on the radio
around the country or part ofthe podcast, the entire purpose
of this show is to help you planand book your next vacation and
if you don't know where to go,we're going to give you ideas of
where you may want to considernext.
And we are presented byBluePplanetvacations.
com.
(02:05):
And thank you truly, thank you,for taking the time to stop and
listen.
Let me bring in my co-host andfriend, mark Faldmo.
I haven't talked to you againall week.
Mark Faldmo (02:16):
How was the week Week's been good, good.
Patrick Wiscombe (02:19):
I'm just looking forward to talking
travel.
We've got a jam-packed show.
I think the headline for thisone was the Disneyland season of
the Force.
The Force is strong withDisneyland.
Mark Faldmo (02:30):
Man, they can market, they can really market
and it looks like an interestingevent that they're doing.
Patrick Wiscombe (02:35):
We'll get to that here in just a second.
But let's start off with thetravel news headlines, and I
think this is good news.
Travelers are branching out.
That's the headline.
Europe is going to have anotherbusy summer.
Mark Faldmo (02:48):
Europe has been really strong the last few years
.
Your traditional places likeLondon, Paris, Rome are always
going to be strong, but a recentstudy which looks at air travel
bookings, hotel bookings, hasfound that travelers are
starting to branch out to someof the less known and less
visited destinations.
That's kind of one focus ofthis show is to really help
(03:11):
people branch out in some ofthose lesser known destinations.
Patrick Wiscombe (03:15):
What are some of the lesser known destinations
that our listeners shouldconsider?
Mark Faldmo (03:20):
In Europe.
The country of Slovenia has hada 473% spike in bookings.
For that small country, that'sa pretty significant increase in
the number of travelers.
A few weeks ago we actually didSlovenia, I think, was the
destination of the week.
It is a country that's north ofCroatia, in the very north part
(03:41):
of the Adriatic Sea.
It has beaches, mountains, Inthe very north part of the
Adriatic Sea.
It has beaches, mountains.
It's very rich in culturalhistory, as a lot of those kind
of Central European countriesare.
So that's the country that'sseen the largest increase, but
other countries Croatia I don'tknow why they're counting this
as a lesser known destination,because it's been big for years
(04:02):
but then Malta that we talkedabout last year, Turkey, the
Czech Republic and Hungary, andalso the country of Montenegro,
have all seen double digitgrowth this year in the number
of bookings.
Patrick Wiscombe (04:14):
So what I'm hearing you say is, because we
feature it on the show, you canexpect double to quadruple
bookings.
That is how much power we have.
Mark Faldmo (04:23):
Yeah, another region is Scandinavia.
Iceland, Denmark, Finland,Iceland, Norway have all seen
about a 200% increase inbookings, so some of those
lesser known and then the regionof Scandinavia has seen a large
increase, which is good.
That means it's kind ofspreading the travelers out
(04:44):
among Europe.
The last probably two years,maybe three years if you went to
Italy in the summer, it wasjust back-to-back people.
So this is spreading thosepeople out to some of the lesser
known destinations, which Ithink is good for travel in
general and people should branchout.
Well, we've always wanted tovisit London, Paris, Rome.
Some of these other places arefascinating to visit.
Patrick Wiscombe (05:07):
A little bit closer to home, I saw that the
US Embassy in Mexico is issuinga warning for spring break
travelers.
What is the warning?
Mark Faldmo (05:17):
This is a standard warning that kind of comes out
this time of year.
They actually have not changedthe travel warning to Mexico.
It still stays the same whichis level two exercise level two
exercise increased caution.
But this time of year a lot ofpeople for spring break are
going to Mexico and they justwant to remind people to be
(05:40):
smart in their travel, remainvigilant, especially in some of
the downtown and more congestedareas.
Crime like pickpockets androbberies can happen in these
places, and so just be vigilant.
They're not saying don't travelthere.
It's just a reminder, as youshould anywhere in the world, to
be vigilant to yoursurroundings and protect
(06:01):
yourself from some of the crimethat can happen all over the
world.
Patrick Wiscombe (06:05):
I should have tied this into the Europe story
If you have a criminal record.
Uk's new electronic travelauthorization system is denying
some travelers.
Mark Faldmo (06:15):
Yeah, and this is interesting because before
criminal backgrounds were notchecked, but now the ETA, that
new electronic travelauthorization, is flagging some
people and asking, eitherdenying them entry or asking
them to go to the secondary step, which is applying for a visa.
We often run into this issuewith people trying to go to
(06:39):
Canada, particularly Alaskacruises.
Canada is very strict.
Three Alaska cruises Canada isvery strict.
If you've had a DUI or any typeof offense, it can be hard to
get into Canada, and so it'salways good to check the country
you're going to if you have hadsome type of conviction.
This ETA says it's beenflagging people with things that
(06:59):
are several years old if that'ssomething that applies to you
so you don't want to book awhole vacation and then not be
able to travel.
Patrick Wiscombe (07:08):
This feels like it's fairly new.
Normally, if you just got apassport, you just travel, you
just take off.
But now countries are puttingthis electronic travel
authorization system in placeand kind of screening people.
Mark Faldmo (07:20):
They are, yeah, and this electronic travel
authorization for the UK is onlywhat?
About two months old now fromwhen it started.
I think it was January 8th whenit started.
This is just an extra layer ofscreening before most countries
do have restrictions on who canget a passport, and so they've
just said if you have a passportfrom your country, you're okay
(07:42):
to come in.
But now they are screening thata little bit more strictly.
And then also, if you're goingon an Alaska cruise or into
Canada, I've seen this situationcome up the most, and that's
been for years, I think as longas I've been in travel.
That's been an issue fortraveling to Canada.
Now it is popping up more andmore in other destinations.
Patrick Wiscombe (08:03):
That is a perfect segue into our
destination of the week, whichis Fiji, and it has had a
record-breaking year for tourismlast year, 2024.
So the reason we're going hereis Mark received an email a
little bit earlier this weekfrom Joe.
Joe is planning a friend'sgetaway and wants to know the
(08:23):
best time to visit Fiji.
That's his question, and it'salso our destination of the week
.
So let's talk Fiji for a second, and you and I should be down
there sometime between now andthe end of the year.
Mark Faldmo (08:34):
Yeah, we're hoping to get a trip down there.
We've been invited by FijiTourism to do the podcast and
radio show from Fiji.
Tourism in Fiji has really gonewell in 2024.
For the first time ever theywelcomed over a million visitors
to the country Wow.
So that was just under amillion by air and about 100,000
(08:56):
by cruise ships.
So it is becoming more and moreof a popular destination.
Fiji Airways has increasedtheir flights.
They added a new route fromDallas, a new route from Seattle
, so we have actually lots ofways we can get there from the
US to Fiji.
Getting to Joe's question, Ithink Fiji is a great
(09:18):
destination for a friend'sgetaway, for a couple's getaway,
for any type of getaway.
I think a few weeks ago wereally highlighted Fiji.
But Joe's question was when isthe best time to travel to Fiji?
So May through October isFiji's dry season.
That would be the best time togo when you have the most
sunshine, temperatures a littlebit cooler, lower humidity,
(09:43):
which.
Patrick Wiscombe (09:43):
I'm a fan of.
Mark Faldmo (09:44):
It's still humid, but it is lower humidity.
The actual peak season is Julythrough September.
This is when you kind of get amix of Americans traveling for
summer vacation and Australiaand New Zealand people traveling
for their winter breaks.
The off-peak season is May,June and October.
(10:08):
November through April is thewet season, so if you travel
November through April you'llsee probably a little bit of
rain on your vacation.
Now when I've traveled, I'vealways gone in January to Fiji
and it's always been amazingweather, but technically
November through April is thewet season in Fiji.
Patrick Wiscombe (10:30):
What deals do we have this week for going to?
Mark Faldmo (10:33):
Fiji.
So Fiji Airways from LosAngeles or San Francisco has a
$799 per person airfare.
That's round trip.
One thing going to Fiji fromhere is you lose a day crossing
the international date line.
So if you go, a seven nightpackage would actually be five
(10:55):
nights hotel, with how thatworks out.
So you go Wednesday toWednesday but it'd be five
nights hotel.
And these fares just this pastweek have been extended into
2026.
So that is for travel nowthrough the 31st of July and
then August 1st through the 28thof February of 2026.
(11:16):
It's pretty much any time whenyou can get that 799 airfare.
Now that obviously is based onavailability and certain other
things, but I did just a quicklook for a May departure date.
So you can get airfare from LosAngeles and five nights hotel
at a four-star hotel starting at$1,299 per person.
Patrick Wiscombe (11:38):
Wow, they're serious about getting people
over there.
Mark Faldmo (11:41):
They are.
Yeah, in years past a goodprice to Fiji was $1,600,
$1,700,.
Destinations I'd love to visit,and that is mainly because of
(12:08):
the people.
They're so friendly.
It's a wonderful destination tovisit.
On top of the good beaches andall the fun things you can do,
they do have the MamanukaIslands.
You can stay at a little50-room resort on your own
little island there and just siton the beach, enjoy the water
sports.
It's a wonderful destination.
Patrick Wiscombe (12:29):
I'm just excited to go, and I'm sure Joe
is now too.
Yes, and really, if you stopand think about it I'm not
saying that prices that we'retalking are chump change when it
comes to travel it's one ofthose things that you just have
to kind of accept, but then youwill have a lifetime of memories
just thinking about what youdid.
It's not necessarily about theprice.
(12:52):
It's about the common bondingexperience of going with friends
, family, whoever you want to gowith.
Just go.
Quit thinking about it, just doit.
Call Mark in his office.
It sounds like I was scolding.
Sorry, I wasn't scolding anyone.
Call Mark in his office duringthe break to get the
conversation started.
888-718-7717.
(13:15):
888-718-7717.
Mark will also post this onblueplanetvacations.
com.
Mark will also post this onblueplanetvacations.
com.
And when we come back, we've gotLegend of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean's new ship ison sale.
If you've always wanted to gocruising or you want to get on a
new ship, which Patrick will bedoing, and Nikki, you can now
(13:38):
purchase those cruises startingnow.
That is next.
Those cruises starting now.
That is next when the InsideTravel Talk podcast and radio
show continues.
Alongside my good friend MarkFaldmo, my name is Patrick
Wiscombe.
Thank you so much for listening.
We will be right back.
Show Voice (13:57):
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.
Ad Voice (14:27):
We'll be right back.
This segment of Inside TravelTalk is sponsored by Star
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Show Voice (15:01):
Now back to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and
radio show presented byBluePlanetVacations.
com, America's best traveladvisors.
Call or text the show right now801-649-3700, 801-649-3700.
And check out the podcast atInsideTravelTalk.
com.
(15:22):
Here's Patrick Wiscombe andMark Faldmo.
Patrick Wiscombe (15:31):
Welcome back inside of the Inside Travel Talk
podcast and radio show.
My name is Patrick Wiscombe,alongside Mark Faldmo, and this
show is presented byblueplanetvacations.
com, and all we do is talk abouttravel.
We love to travel and we wantto share that passion of getting
(15:52):
out and exploring the worldwith our listeners.
So if you have questions,travel related questions text
the show right now.
We want to answer yourquestions.
Text the show right now.
We want to answer yourquestions.
801-649-3700.
801-649-3700.
We don't care if you feel likeit's a silly question or if it's
(16:16):
an overwhelming question.
We just want to help you getout and explore the world.
Here's the studio and the textnumber, again 801-649-3700.
And coming up in this segmentof the show, this is always the
(16:36):
hot travel deal of the week andwe are talking about season of
the force at Disneyland.
The force is strong withDisneyland it is.
But let's start with the travelnews headlines.
Last month actually you knowwhat?
I forget that it's march nowtwo months ago, technically
January 2025 there was a fivepercent sales increase January
2024.
Mark Faldmo (16:56):
compared to January of 2025, there was a five
percent sales increase of airtickets.
There were 9.3 billion billionof air tickets sold in the month
of January.
Wow, so there's a lot of peopletraveling out there.
Yeah, that actually marked theseventh straight month of year
over year gains for air ticketsales.
(17:18):
The one thing that was goodthat came out of this report is
the average ticket price wasactually down about 1% month
over month.
So the average ticket price andthis includes everything this
is domestic, international, thisis everywhere but the average
ticket price was $557.
Patrick Wiscombe (17:37):
It's amazing that air travel is as cheap as
it is.
Mark Faldmo (17:41):
It is.
And if you look at that $557mark, that includes all tickets,
domestic and international.
So that's lumping in flying toEurope, flying to Asia, flying
to the South Pacific.
That's just the average ofevery airline ticket purchase in
the United States.
Patrick Wiscombe (17:59):
actually, it really is a miracle that we can
just so casually just hey, I'mgoing to go to the airport, I'm
going to fly to Florida orwherever you're flying to, and
just get there within reallyjust a matter of hours.
Mark Faldmo (18:12):
I love waking up in my bed but then being in Hawaii
in about six hours, seven hours, yeah exactly.
I'm okay with that.
It's nice to be able to havethat luxury of travel and to
actually have it be soaffordable.
Patrick Wiscombe (18:26):
Speaking of air travel, let's go from Salt
Lake City, which is where we arebroadcasting, from Salt Lake,
to Universal Orlando, or justOrlando in this case.
Universal Orlando will holdnighttime events at Volcano Bay
Water Park.
Mark Faldmo (18:41):
All of these theme parks have these little kind of
special events, and so this iscalled Volcano Bay Nights, where
they're opening up the waterpark at night.
It's a limited capacity event,it's $99 per person, and it will
be open April 12th, April 26th,may 3rd, may 10th and May 17th
(19:02):
for these special ticketed nightevents, and so they're going to
have some of their attractionsopen.
They're going to have specialmeet and greets with DreamWorks
characters like Shrek, Fiona,donkey Donkey.
It's one of the special thingsthat you can do in some of these
theme parks.
Universal, more and more, iskind of becoming my go-to park.
(19:25):
My wife and I are going toMiami here in a few months to go
on the inaugural cruise.
My God, let's just take anexcursion up to Epic Universe.
Patrick Wiscombe (19:34):
Let's head to the West Coast.
Now let's talk aboutDisneyland's Season of the Force
.
What is that?
Mark Faldmo (19:40):
Season of the Force is a special time in Disneyland
where they do some specialthings related to Star Wars.
They have a new show calledShadows of Memory, a Skywalker
saga, which debuts March 28th.
Which debuts March 28th, theyhave a new experience called
Fire of the Rising Moons, whichis a nighttime experience that
(20:07):
showcases a Disneyland fireworkdisplay from a special place in
Galaxy's Edge with a specialmusical accompaniment which
they're bringing in a lot of theJohn Williams, the Star Wars
theme songs into that, into thefireworks.
They are also converting SpaceMountain into Hyper Space
Mountain, which they have a rideoverlay, and so it will be Star
Wars themed through May 11th.
(20:28):
And then they also have someadditional merchandising.
One thing I'm looking for theyhave a Wookiee cookie and then a
few other food and drink thingsthat you can get that are Star
Wars themed.
A Wookiee cookie A Wookieecookie Sounds good.
That sounds hairy.
Yes.
Patrick Wiscombe (20:48):
Still think one of the best lines from the
show is get this walking carpetout of my way.
Mark Faldmo (20:52):
Yes, what are the dates on it?
So that will run March 28ththrough May 11th.
Okay, so a good six week run,basically Six week run, yeah.
So if you're a Star Wars fan,that's a good time to go and,
price wise and crowd wise,that's also a great time to go
to Disneyland and they'reprobably doing this promotion
(21:15):
because that's a slower time andthey're doing it to get people
into the park.
Patrick Wiscombe (21:19):
See, this is what I love about America right
here Innovation.
Get people in the doors, keepinnovating and you'll stay
relevant.
So that naturally leads intothe hot travel deal of the week,
which is just Disneyland.
What are the promotions that wehave for listeners this week?
Mark Faldmo (21:35):
They have save up to 20% on select rooms at
Disneyland Resort hotels.
So these are stays Sundaythrough Thursday night.
So Friday and Saturday are aregular price, but Sunday
through Thursday nights are upto 20% off for travel March 23rd
to May 15th.
So this falls right along inline with the season of the
(21:56):
force there.
How it breaks down is it's save20% at Disney's Grand
Californian Hotel, save 15% atDisneyland Hotel or save 20% at
the villas at Disneyland Hotel.
Patrick Wiscombe (22:11):
The one that's right in downtown Disney is
called.
Mark Faldmo (22:15):
There's the Disneyland Hotel, which is the
main one Right.
Patrick Wiscombe (22:18):
And that's on the west end, and then grand
California which is the closestto the park?
Okay, Grand California, that'sthe one I was thinking of, and
then there was.
Mark Faldmo (22:29):
It's called Pixar place now it was paradise pier,
so Pixar palace.
It celebrates the Pixar filmsand Pixar Animation Studios.
Patrick Wiscombe (22:40):
That's a great hotel.
The rooms are huge there.
Yeah, it is, and so areDisneyland Hotel really.
Mark Faldmo (22:46):
Yeah, and the thing I like about all three of those
is they're within walkingdistance.
Grand Californian actually haspark access on one side of the
hotel.
I've always liked theDisneyland Hotel.
Since I was a young child westayed there and I was just so
fascinated with walking out ofthe hotel, getting on the
(23:07):
monorail station and being inDisneyland.
That was one memory from myearly childhood that I can
remember.
That was obviously before thedowntown Disney.
Patrick Wiscombe (23:21):
I can remember that was obviously before the
downtown Disney Right.
So the promotion is 20% off ofselect hotels on select days.
Mark Faldmo (23:27):
On select days yeah , for travel March 23rd to May
15th, and you can do that right,you can book that stuff.
Patrick Wiscombe (23:34):
I can book that.
Yeah, the reason I'm askingthat question is Disney's kind
of particular who they work with.
So that's why I was asking youcan do that.
Mark Faldmo (23:43):
Yeah, yeah, I can do that with full packages with
park passes, park hopper passesand some additional add-ons as
well.
Can you just sell tickets?
I can, yeah, I can just selltickets if people want to buy
just park tickets from me.
Patrick Wiscombe (24:00):
I have the ability to do.
That Can't really ever go wrongwith Disney and especially
Disneyland.
Book a flight or just drivedown there.
The drive down there is kind offun too.
But to book the vacation toDisneyland, call Mark in his
office during the break just toget the conversation started.
Call Mark in his office duringthe break just to get the
conversation started888-718-7717, 888-718-7717.
(24:25):
And he will also post this onblueplanetvacations.
com when we come back.
It is time for the JustCruising segment, the infamous
just cruising segment.
Legend of the Seas, the newship from Royal Caribbean is now
on sale and we're also going tobe talking about repositioning
(24:47):
cruises.
Just to give you a quick headsup if you want to know how to
get the most for your money on acruise, repositioning cruises
is how to do it.
That is next with the InsideTravel Talk podcast.
The radio show continues.
Alongside Mark Faldmo, my nameis Patrick Wiscombe.
Thank you so much for listening.
We will be back after the break.
Show Voice (25:08):
You're listening to the Inside Travel Talk podcast
and radio show with PatrickWiscombe and Mark Faldmo,
Presented by BluePlanetVacations.
com America's best traveladvisors.
Call or text the show now801-649-3700.
That's 801-649-3700.
And check out the podcast atInsideTravelTalk.
(25:30):
com.
We'll be right back.
Ad Voice (25:41):
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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Patrick Wiscombe (26:00):
You are listening to the Inside Travel
Talk podcast and radio showComing up.
In the remaining 28 minutes ofthe show we will be talking
about Legend of the Seas, thenew ship from Royal Caribbean.
Princess Cruises has announcedtheir cruise tours adventures
for 2026, and we received acouple of texts during the break
about repositioning cruises.
(26:21):
Let's get back to 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 subject to changewithout notice.
Show Voice (26:50):
This is the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio
show presented byBluePlanetVacations.
com, America's best traveladvisors.
Call or text the show right now801-649-3700, 801-649-3700.
And now here are your hostsPatrick Wiscombe and Mark.
Patrick Wiscombe (27:22):
Faltmoe, all aboard for segment number three
of the Inside Travel Talkpodcast and radio show.
This is the world famous, theinfamous Just Cruising segment,
where it's only about cruisingand it's only about the cruise
news of the week.
And there's quite a bit goingon this week, so let's get to
(27:44):
the cruise news headlines.
Probably none bigger than thenew ship from Royal Caribbean
called Legend of the Seas, andit is now on sale, which is good
news, because it's always theleast expensive time to book a
cruise.
Mark Faldmo (28:00):
What do we know about this new ship?
They are sailing late summerinto the fall.
They'll be in the Mediterranean, then they'll move the ship to
the Caribbean.
So the very first passengersailing is August 2nd of 2026.
So this is not this comingsummer, but next summer.
It has a pretty good itinerarysailing round trip.
Barcelona goes to Palma deMallorca, goes to La Spezia,
(28:25):
which is in Italy that would bea port close to Florence and
Pisa Then it goes to Rome,Naples and back to Barcelona.
That's a good itinerary, thatis.
That is kind of a classicWestern Mediterranean itinerary,
but it has great ports.
One thing about this is it haspretty good prices for a new
(28:46):
ship.
Now I'm only going to talkabout the balcony cabins,
because the inside cabins areonly about $100, $150 less.
So there are lower prices thanthis, but a balcony cabin starts
at $22.75 per person, which,when looking at these new ships
that Royal Caribbean puts out,that's about $300 to $400 lower
(29:07):
than their typical seven-daycruises.
And I think the reason why isbecause we're just at the very
beginning stages of that.
I bet in two months or so, asthat ship starts getting more
press and starts selling, it isgoing to go up to those
traditional prices.
So now is the best time to bookthat.
Patrick Wiscombe (29:27):
I have a booking question that I'm sure
that someone is thinking rightnow.
Do I need to pay per person allof it right now, or is this
more of a reserve your spot witha what?
How much down $500 deposit, oris it even less?
Mark Faldmo (29:41):
than that.
They sometimes have depositspecials, but it's usually $250
per person to reserve.
So you pay your deposit andthen you don't have to pay the
final amount until a few monthsbefore sailing.
And then that ship does move tothe Caribbean, starting in
November, where it will do three, six or eight day cruises.
(30:03):
Now I chose an eight day cruiseand again just going to give
the balcony rate cabin, whichstarts at $2,364.
For a brand new ship, which youknow a lot of people when
they're comparing some of therates that we've talked about in
the past, a good balcony cabinprice usually is about $1,200 to
(30:23):
$1,500.
But these new big ships havesuch a big demand they're
probably worth that premium fora while.
Patrick Wiscombe (30:31):
Other cruise news of the week MSC Cruises is
welcoming guests at the newMiami and Barcelona cruise
terminals.
Now you and I will both be downthere in April to get on MSC
World America.
Is that going to be the newterminal?
Is that open?
Mark Faldmo (30:47):
Yeah, that'll be the new terminal.
It welcomed its first guestsearlier in February and the
Miami terminal has the capacityto handle up to 36,000 guests a
day and can board up to threeships at the time, and it can
accommodate up to three shipssimultaneously.
(31:07):
They will rent that space outto other cruise lines as well
their Barcelona facility, whichactually just took passengers
last week.
It really improves MSC'sfootprint around the world.
Barcelona is the busiestpassenger cruise port in Europe
and they've all been reallyinteresting, older, almost
(31:28):
run-down buildings.
I've sailed out of Barcelonaquite a bit, so this new cruise
port is going to be great forthose traveling on MSC and also
Explora Journeys, which is theirkind of high-end yacht market
that they sail out of inBarcelona.
Patrick Wiscombe (31:44):
By the way that Explora One the name of the
ship, beautiful ship, yes, Iknow that, Patrick and Nikki.
After kind of looking atExplora One, I was like dang
okay, need to go check that oneout.
Yes, yep, princess Cruises isexpanding its Alaska National
Parks Cruise Tours adventures in2026.
(32:07):
Anything that has Alaska andnational parks probably going to
be pretty amazing.
Mark Faldmo (32:19):
This year, for the first time, they announced a new
product, which was the AlaskaNational Park Cruise Tour, which
was a 15-night expedition.
Oh wow, that includes Voyage ofthe Glaciers, which is the
north or southbound cruise.
Then it also includes stays atthe four princess-owned
wilderness lodges.
Patrick Wiscombe (32:33):
Oh, we talked about that a few weeks ago, when
they announced that.
Mark Faldmo (32:36):
Yeah, it's been so successful that they are going
to extend that for 2025, 2026.
And they're adding many moresailings to do that.
These cruises are a great wayyou visit Glacier Bay, Denali,
Rangel, Kenai Fjords and KatmaiAll beautiful places, but I
(32:56):
think almost everywhere inAlaska is beautiful to visit.
Now there's this extra optionon Princess to really take a
deep dive into Alaska.
Princess, I think, does Alaskathe best.
They do it better than anyother cruise line.
With this, including longersailings from Los Angeles and
San Francisco that Princess hasadded, they are the best way to
(33:19):
see Alaska.
Patrick Wiscombe (33:21):
The one wish that I had personally is that
seven days in Alaska for me whenNikki and I went on Norwegian's
Bliss.
I wish that we had had anotherseven days.
I could have spent two weeks upthere easily.
Mark Faldmo (33:35):
Princess has their own train cars.
So does Holland America, butthey have their own domed cars.
You can get off the ship at theport, walk 50 yards over to the
train, get on your train carand then they take you up to
Denali.
These cruise tours are a greatway to see the interior of
Alaska.
I've done the interior ofAlaska off of a cruise tour
(33:59):
twice.
I would rather do that.
Add that extension onto thecruise and go see some of these
places like the Kenai Fjords andDenali.
Patrick Wiscombe (34:08):
We were talking about repositioning
cruises and Sherry had arepositioning cruise question.
She said I heard you mentionedrepositioning cruises a few
weeks ago.
Can you explain more what arepositioning cruise is, and do
you have any spring dates?
Let's start there.
What's a repositioning cruise?
A repositioning?
Mark Faldmo (34:29):
cruise is when cruise ships need to transition
from one geographical region toanother for different seasons.
For instance, a ship mightreposition from its winter
Caribbean season to its summerMediterranean season, so they
need to move that ship from theCaribbean to the Mediterranean.
So these are often kind ofone-off cruises.
(34:52):
They're often longeritineraries and you have more
days at sea but you also go toless frequently visited ports.
Some of the repositioningcruises that I've been on have
just been unique.
I did one.
The ship that was coming, itwas Norwegian cruise line and
they were repositioning fromtheir summer Europe season down
(35:15):
to the Caribbean, and so I did aLondon to New York, which did
Iceland, a couple of ports inCanada, new England and down.
One thing repositioning cruisesare usually really good prices
but also kind of unique off thebeaten cruise ports that you go
to.
One thing if you are looking ata repositioning cruise, you'll
(35:37):
have to look at the days at seaand see if you're okay doing
that many days at sea.
As I've often said on this, themore I cruise, the more I like
days at sea.
The most I've ever done at onetime was five days at sea, but
the ships have a lot to keep youoccupied and going during the
day, all the entertainment andeverything.
(35:59):
But repositioning cruises areoften a little bit more laid
back because you're not in adifferent port every other day.
Some of the repositioningcruises I've seen them have as
many as eight days at sea before.
But for the price it's a greatway to go.
Do they move the Prima, thatship?
Yes, they do.
Sherry did ask about springcruises so I looked at a few
(36:19):
things.
April and may time frame.
Norwegian is moving the primaand it's a New York to London
area, so it's ports.
That leaves New York City, goesto Halifax, Nova Scotia, goes
to Reykjavik, Iceland, that'd begood.
It goes to Belfast in Ireland,Liverpool, England, le Havre,
(36:44):
which is in France that would bewhere you go see the landing
beaches at Normandy and thenends in Southampton.
It's set sail April 27th.
It's a 14-day cruise and thatstarts at $999 per person for an
inside cabin or $1405 for abalcony.
Patrick Wiscombe (37:07):
The Prima's a nice ship too, You've been on
the Prima right.
Mark Faldmo (37:10):
I was.
I was on the inaugural namingceremony for the Prima, which
actually happened in Reykjavik,Iceland.
Patrick Wiscombe (37:16):
Okay, what about other?
Mark Faldmo (37:18):
ships.
So another one I found that wasa really good price.
And this again is atransatlantic.
Again it's on Virgin Voyagesand it's moving a ship from the
Caribbean, particularly the portof San Juan, to Barcelona.
This one is one that hasseveral days at sea.
It leaves San Juan and then ithas seven days at sea, but then
(37:40):
it visits Tenerife, Casablanca,Palma de Mallorca, Valencia in
Spain, and Barcelona.
Oh wow.
Patrick Wiscombe (37:50):
How many days is that one?
Mark Faldmo (37:51):
So that one's a 14 day cruise as well, and it
starts at $999 per person.
It's an April 12th departuredate, and then a balcony cabin
starts at $1533 per person.
Patrick Wiscombe (38:06):
You know, if you think about that, it's about
$100 a day for a 14-day cruise,per person.
It is Wow.
Mark Faldmo (38:11):
Okay, then I've got one more.
Patrick Wiscombe (38:15):
Man, you're loaded this week.
Mark Faldmo (38:17):
I am.
It's a 25-day repositioningcruise and it goes from Tampa
Florida through the Panama Canaland ends in Whittier, Alaska.
Patrick Wiscombe (38:27):
Oh, wow.
Mark Faldmo (38:28):
So you're getting a Panama Canal cruise, a Mexican
Riviera cruise, west Coast UScruise and an Alaska cruise.
On this I'll just quickly gothrough the ports.
On this Leaves Tampa goes toCartagena, Colombia, cologne and
Panama.
Cruising through the PanamaCanal goes to Costa Rica, goes
(38:49):
to Puerto Quetzal, which is inNicaragua.
Goes to Acapulco, Mexico, CaboSan Lucas, Los Angeles, san
Francisco.
Acapulco, Mexico, Cabo SanLucas, Los Angeles, san
Francisco, Astoria, Oregon andKetchikan, Juneau, Skagway,
Hubbard, glacier and Whittier,Alaska.
Patrick Wiscombe (39:08):
Wow.
Mark Faldmo (39:10):
How much is that one?
So it's a 25-day cruise startsat $1799 per person.
Patrick Wiscombe (39:18):
Wow, that is amazing.
Mark Faldmo (39:20):
So basically, take the month of April off, take the
month of April off, and thatone was again April 3rd and that
one, you get the best of threedifferent regions.
Ad Voice (39:31):
Panama.
Mark Faldmo (39:31):
Canal, which is fascinating.
You get that Central America.
Then you get Astoria, Oregon,one of my favorite places to
visit, mainly because I like allthe Goonies stuff that's there.
And then you get an Alaskacruise.
That's pretty good.
Patrick Wiscombe (39:47):
Okay, we got to take a break here.
Sherry, I hope that answers thequestions.
Call Mark in his office duringthe break.
Just get the conversationstarted.
No obligation, anyone listening, Just get the conversation
started.
No obligation, anyone listening.
Just get the conversationstarted and find out.
Just book the vacation.
Do this.
Live your life deliberately.
(40:07):
Live your life intentionally,man.
It doesn't get any moreintentional than this.
888-718-7717.
888-718-7717.
When we come back, we've gotMark's travel tips and we've got
just a little bit more NCL news.
That is next when the InsideTravel Talk podcast or radio
(40:30):
show continues.
Alongside Mark Faldmo, my goodfriend, I am Patrick Wiscombe.
Thank you so much for allowingus to be part of your weekend.
We will be right back.
Show Voice (40:41):
Explore your world.
You're listening to the InsideTravel Talk podcast and radio
show with Patrick Wiscombe andMark Fulton.
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.
Ad Voice (41:12):
Inside Travel Talk is brought to you by Anna.
Waterways, from castles andcapitals to vistas and villages
visit some of Europe's mostremarkable sites and cities To
set out on your own river cruisejourney.
Contact Blue Planet Vacationsat 888-718-7717 or
blueplanetvacations.
com.
Show Voice (41:37):
This is the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio
show with Patrick Wiscombe andMark 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 (42:07):
Final segment of this week's Inside Travel
Talk podcast and radio show.
Thank you so much for allowingboth of us to be part of your
weekend.
If you want to reach the showduring the week to text your
travel-related questions, thesetexts go straight to Mark
801-649-3700.
(42:28):
801-649-3700 to ask yourtravel-related question and we
will answer it on the air.
And we do want to hear from you.
This isn't some canned showthat we don't want to hear from
our listeners.
We absolutely want you to bepart of the show.
So call us in studio 801 ortext us 801-649-3700.
(42:52):
Coming up in this final segmentof the show, we've got mark's
travel tips and, of course,we've got more travel news
headlines.
Let's start with just becausewe're coming off the infamous
Just Cruising segment, mark.
Let's start with the NorwegianCruise Line story.
Real quick, I saw that NCL hasexpanded, or is expanding, their
(43:15):
More at Sea Wi-Fi inclusion onlonger cruises.
That's good to hear, because ifyou're going to be Wi-Fi
inclusion on longer cruises,that's good to hear, because if
you're going to be out longer,you need to stay connected.
Mark Faldmo (43:25):
Yeah, it is so if you buy those more at sea rates
for cruises 12 nights or longer,they've increased that, I think
, from 250 minutes up to 300minutes.
The shorter cruises 7 to 11nights get 150 minutes, and
three to six night sailings get75 minutes of included Wi-Fi.
Patrick Wiscombe (43:46):
Let's just talk about more at sea,
generally speaking.
So more at sea Wi-Fi isincluded, but more at sea
usually means Wi-Fi and thedrinks package.
Mark Faldmo (43:56):
More at sea includes a shore excursion
credit, the Wi-Fi credit that wejust talked about.
It includes specialty dining, adrink package and third and
fourth guests free and so on thedining and drink package.
You do have to pay additionalgratuities on that, but the
(44:16):
actual base cost of thosepackages are included in the
Morrissey.
Patrick Wiscombe (44:21):
By the way, Nicki and I took advantage on
Norwegian's Aqua, the brand newship that's coming out.
We did take advantage of theshore excursion credit for the
Bimini Islands, just so you know, uh-huh.
Mark Faldmo (44:33):
That's good.
I love Bimini Islands.
Yeah, I know you do Beach Clubon Bimini.
Patrick Wiscombe (44:41):
Awesome, it's great.
Yeah, there is a, a starattraction, and I don't mean
featured attraction.
It literally is quite lookingat the stars at the Hyatt
Regency in Maui.
What details do we have on thatand when does it start?
Mark Faldmo (44:53):
every night from 8 to 11 pm.
The Hyatt Regency, Maui has anastronomer on one of their
rooftops with three largesatellites to help people with
stargazing.
That's one of the things I likeabout Hawaii probably with the
exception of the Honolulu areais it's pretty dark skies and
(45:14):
you know you can go out and justlook up at the stars.
And so these astronomy programs.
I think it's a great thing fora hotel to add just something
that adds a little bit somethingspecial to people's vacations.
Patrick Wiscombe (45:28):
Alma Waterways is offering a co-branded river
cruise with Smithsonian Journeys.
Mark Faldmo (45:35):
Yes, beginning in April 2026, there are going to
be Smithsonian journeys on Almawaterways.
So these are going to be extraspecial in the history and
culture.
They're going to be tailored tosome of the things that the
Smithsonian does.
They're going to be on theDanube, Rhine, Douro, Seine and
(45:56):
Rhone river.
I think they do the best joband this is actually the second
partnership that they have.
They also do the Adventure byDisney cruises.
They have these partnershipswith these other like-minded
companies to really get peopleimmersed into the culture where
Ama Waterways goes.
Patrick Wiscombe (46:17):
You're such a fan of Ama Waterways.
Are there any promotions thatlisteners should take advantage
of for the river cruising Rightnow?
Mark Faldmo (46:24):
through the end of March, they have up to $2,000
off select river cruises, andthis is departing in 2025.
So it doesn't include thosesailings that are the
Smithsonian journeys quite yet,but again, up to $2,000 off
cruises, which is combinablewith their Air Plus credit.
(46:44):
So that's airfare ratesstarting at $899 per person to
Europe.
Patrick Wiscombe (46:49):
So $2,000 off plus $899 airfare.
Mark Faldmo (46:52):
Correct, probably the best way to see Europe.
There's probably not a bettertime to book a river cruise than
right now.
Patrick Wiscombe (47:00):
I saw a story that I think speaks perfectly to
the whole purpose of this show,and that is how taking vacation
, or multiple vacations, canimprove overall well-being, and
you actually found a study aboutthis.
Mark Faldmo (47:15):
The study started out by saying there are 768
million unused vacation days inthe US.
30% of those days are forfeitedcompletely.
That's crazy.
Patrick Wiscombe (47:29):
Yeah, just forfeited.
Mark Faldmo (47:31):
Also another thing that the survey found is a lot
of American workers 50% feelburnt out in their job, and
that's what vacation days arefor, whether it's just to take
some days off and relax in yourhome or take some days off and
actually go on vacation.
There's been some research doneon the cognitive impact of
(47:52):
vacationing.
Vacationing just resets yourmind, can really help with some
of the things that come withbeing burnt out at work.
Just the fact of planning for avacation improves your mood.
I can buy that People that areplanning a vacation or have a
vacation planned they sleepbetter and they perform better
(48:14):
at work when they have vacationplanned.
Patrick Wiscombe (48:16):
I can buy that .
Gives you something to lookforward to other than work.
Mark Faldmo (48:20):
An interesting another part of that study.
There were about 800participants in this and those
who took a vacation less thanonce in every six years were
more likely to develop heartproblems than those who went on
vacation twice a year.
Patrick Wiscombe (48:38):
A few years ago, I was working for a local
radio station here in Salt Lakeand there was a big news event.
I was always a slave to someoneelse's schedule.
The only person that had moreto say in my life were complete
strangers, and I finally justmade the decision.
You know what?
I am tired of having my timetaken up by people that I don't
(49:00):
know, and that is why I startedmy own company, and that is why
I'm just like I've got to getoff this treadmill of life.
I'm tired of grinding.
I work hard, but I'm tired ofmy time being dependent on
someone else's choices, andthat's what got me off.
You've got to go live your ownlife.
Ever since doing that, thingshave improved enormously.
Mark Faldmo (49:22):
Now you're starting to take more vacations, which
will improve that more.
Patrick Wiscombe (49:28):
And I guess that's the point.
I now own my time, which is anamazing feeling, and I have to
remind myself how lucky I amthat I own my own time.
Yes, that's going to do it.
You can listen to this showeach and every Saturday and
(49:49):
Sunday morning at 11 AM righthere on this radio station and
around the country, and you canstream, download and subscribe
to the podcast atInsideTravelTalk.
com.
You can actually just streamthe show right off that website,
insidetraveltalk.
com, if you don't want tosubscribe to the podcast, but if
(50:11):
you're a podcaster we're on allof the major podcast platforms.
Just go to InsideTravelTalk.
com.
Major podcast platforms just goto insidetraveltalk.
com.
Well, now it is your turn toget out and explore the world
while you can, because you neverknow what Curveball's life is
going to throw at you.
As we say, live your lifedeliberately, live your life
(50:33):
intentionally.
And a big thank you, a genuine,sincere thank you, to all of
you for listening.
We'll talk to you again nextweek.
Have a great week.
Show Voice (50:44):
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.
(51:05):
Thanks for listening.
Have a great week.
Ad Voice (51:29):
Inside Travel Talk is brought to you 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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Contact Blue Planet Vacationsat 888-718-7717 or
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