Inside Travel Talk
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Inside Travel Talk
Charting New Travels: Caribbean Cruises and Luxurious Cancun Escapes
Ready for an adventure? This episode of Inside Travel Talk promises to unlock the secrets of the latest travel trends and unbeatable deals. We welcome back Mark Faldmo from his Caribbean cruise to discuss some thrilling updates in the travel world, including Frontier and Spirit Airlines' game-changing no change fees and bundled fares. Plus, we'll explore Israel's new electronic travel authorization and reveal what a recent survey says about the shift toward longer, more adventurous trips, with Europe taking the spotlight. Mark also takes us through the emerging trend of mindful vacations and unveils this week's hot travel deal: a luxurious escape to Cancun's El Dorado resorts with the innovative "More Inclusive" concept from Lomas Hospitality.
In our feature segment, Mark recounts his memorable voyage on the MSC Meraviglia, providing detailed insights into the ship's food, amenities, and activities. From the indoor sports court to the exceptional dining experiences—especially the standout pizza—Mark covers it all. You'll also hear about the scenic departure from Brooklyn, New York, offering breathtaking views of the Statue of Liberty and the Verrazano Bridge. We wrap up with some exciting travel news, including the return of cruise ships to Baltimore and MSC's expansion at Port Canaveral, Florida. Mark's glowing review of the MSC Meraviglia, rated at 4.8 out of 5, underscores his recommendation for MSC cruises, highlighting their impressive improvements over the years. Tune in for a blend of travel news, personal experiences, and can't-miss deals!
The Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show presented by BluePlanetVacations. com contains travel deals, promotions and offers that may be time-sensitive. All offers and information were accurate when the show aired. Travel deals and offers change constantly and are capacity-controlled and subject to change without notice.
Show Voice:Explore your world. It's the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show presented by BluePlanetVacationscom. Call or text the show now 801-649-3700, 801-649-3700. And check out the podcast at InsideTravelTalkcom. And now here are your hosts, patrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo.
Patrick Wiscombe:Oh, my goodness, he's back from the Caribbean, Mark Faldmo. Oh my goodness, he's back from the Caribbean, mark Falbo. We did last week's show from the deck of the MSC. I forgot it was the Meraviglia you were at sea. And we literally did the show while you were cruising up the east coast of the United States. Coming back from, was it? Ocean Key, the Marine Reserve?
Mark Faldmo:from MSC. Yeah, MSC Ocean Key Reserve was the last port. That's where we headed from and you know we're going to talk about that a little bit later. I'm excited to share all about that cruise. You were sending pictures, since you're going there this month. Get you excited for your cruise.
Patrick Wiscombe:Here in about three weeks. Welcome to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show. He is Mark Faldmo. My name is Patrick Wiscombe. This is episode 38 of the podcast and radio show Coming up on this edition of the show. Mark's already mentioned that we're going to talk about the MSC cruise deals and we're also going to Mexico. Aren't you going to Mexico this month as well, or is that July?
Mark Faldmo:That's in July, and I am going to where we're talking about.
Patrick Wiscombe:We're going to be talking about El Dorado Seaside. We'll get to that here in segment number one. Segment one is always the hot travel deal of the week. But first let's get to the news of the week. Frontier is scrapping, which is a good thing, change fees and is including carry-on luggage in the fare. And, in typical copycat fashion, spirit Airlines is also matching the changes.
Mark Faldmo:They've announced that, effective 10 days ago, they've introduced bundled fares this kind of matches what other airlines are doing? They have a basic fare, which is what they're selling right now. They've introduced an economy fare and the economy fare includes carry on bag and a few other things. Then they have a premium fare and a business fare, so each fare includes specific things. And, as well, they've eliminated the change in cancellation fees, which matches what kind of the mainline big four airlines are doing. They did say that they still are going to continue to charge for snacks and drinks.
Patrick Wiscombe:At least they're not charging for toilets.
Mark Faldmo:Correct, although that's kind of the joke around the industry that they're going to have coin-operated toilets soon.
Patrick Wiscombe:We're number one in the number two business. Israel is going to launch a trial of the electronic travel authorization. That is starting today, actually June 1st. What do we know about that June 1st?
Mark Faldmo:Like a lot of other countries we've talked about, the EU and UK that are announcing this. So this is kind of like reapplying to go to the country. So you'll fill out this authorization, you'll get a QR code back which you'll show when you go through customs and immigration in the country. So this just helps streamline the process and you know, a lot of countries or regions are going to start adding things like this. It is one more step for travelers, but it does help them, kind of vet who's pre-vet, who's coming into their country.
Patrick Wiscombe:There was a survey that finds that more people are seeking what are called mindful vacations. I would say that that's the kind of vacation that Nikki and I are going on this month. I'm genuinely excited for that.
Mark Faldmo:This survey found that this year people are taking fewer trips but they're taking longer trips and they're also looking for new destinations. They're looking for more adventure, more experiences, rather than kind of the typical vacation. So I guess more adventure type travel and I've seen that trend as well, I think is a great way to travel. This survey also found Europe is still the number one destination, followed by Asia, which is second, and that's a kind of surprises me and then Africa and South America follow her. Well, we follow those which are the top destinations.
Patrick Wiscombe:Well, we talked about the African safari on last week's show.
Mark Faldmo:These trips are extremely well planned, extremely adventurous, I should say, and they're unique. That's what people are looking for now. You know I'm surprised talking about Europe here, which is the number one that people are still seeking. I'm working on three trips right now. That are two weeks plus multiple countries, but they're doing unique, individual experiences which might have gotten one or two of those in years past. Right now I'm working on three. People are looking for the more unique, adventurous types of trips.
Patrick Wiscombe:There is no better person to plan a vacation with than Mark. You didn't know I was going to say that, but he has really, really helped Nikki and I plan the vacations that we go on, and he knows his stuff. Here in segment one, it's the hot travel deal of the week. Always in this first segment, we are going to Cancun. What's the hot travel deal of the week this week?
Mark Faldmo:This is one of my favorite places. I go five to ten times a year here, mostly for meetings, but I do love to go to Cancun. The deal this week is that one of my favorite hotel partners, which is Lomas Hospitality yeah, they own the El Dorado brand of resorts and there are, I think, seven different resorts they own that you can choose from. We'll talk about a few of them in just a moment here. But first they've introduced this new concept called More Inclusive. I think a few weeks ago we briefly talked about it. So when you book the hotel, it includes your round-trip transportation from the airport to the hotel, which usually you're paying for that, and then it includes the catamaran and reef snorkel. And then they also own an activity place called Maroma Beach. This includes access to their beach club with sunbeds and restaurant services, includes non-motorized water sports at Maroma Beach. It also includes they own Aquanick Water Park at the Nickelodeon Resort Hotel. So it includes admission to the Aquanick, and so, no matter what hotel you're staying at, they do provide transportation to all of these activities. No other hotel in the Cancun area offers anything close to this. It's a really good concept. And the hotels again, they're probably my favorite hotels in Cancun, Riviera Maya.
Mark Faldmo:Most of my trips are staying at these resorts and going next week or next month, as we mentioned in July for my anniversary. We've stayed at an El Dorado hotel each of the 12 years we've been married for our anniversary trip. So that's a tradition Heather and I have, but I enjoy them. I think the best part of this is their prices. Even with all of that included, they have pretty good pricing. So we'll first start out at the El Dorado Seaside Palms. This is for a September 19th date for five nights. Round trip from Salt Lake City starts at $1199 per person. That's airfare, five nights Hotel and all of those inclusions that we just talked about. Man, that's good. Seaside Palms is great. It's actually the first resort that they built. It's the palms, for a reason. There are palm trees everywhere. I've never seen so many palm trees.
Mark Faldmo:It's such a wonderful place to walk around. And then, right next door to that, is the El Dorado Seaside Suites, and this is one that we've talked about in the past, Patrick. Yeah, it starts at $1299 per person, where every room has an ocean view room and every level has a private Well, not a private, but it has a plunge pool that you can just swim on the plunge pool and look out and see the ocean.
Patrick Wiscombe:I can't oversell how great it is to go out on a balcony and just hear the ocean.
Mark Faldmo:I'll just throw out one more of their properties, which is El Dorado, Maroma Beach. Now, this one is a little bit pricier but well worth the upgrade. It starts at $1779 per person, so about $500 more per person. About $500 more per person. What I like about this property is it's a small boutique hotel 170 rooms, individual, more personalized service and, you know, even at that I would upgrade to their, their Mi Hotelito room or a private pool suite. The Mi Hotelito room category is their original 32-room hotel that they had. Oh wow, it's a little U-shape, with a pool and then right close to the beach Again one of my favorite places to stay. But I like it because it's small. I like the smaller boutique hotels.
Patrick Wiscombe:Let's just recap this as we go to break here the Eldorado Seaside Palms $1199 per person, five nights what was it September 19th for five nights, September?
Mark Faldmo:19th for five nights.
Patrick Wiscombe:And then Eldorado Seaside Suites for $1299 per person and every room has an ocean view. And then, if you really want to go deluxe, el Dorado Maroma Beach for $1779 a person. You love yourself some El Dorado properties. I will say that You've been consistent about that for a long time.
Mark Faldmo:Yeah, they're well worth the stay. And then, if you really want a good experience, they do also have overwater bungalows oh, over the caribbean sea, and so that's another hotel called palafitos, but I didn't get a price for that.
Patrick Wiscombe:But you buried?
Patrick Wiscombe:that would be an experience as well, it would we'll talk about that after we come back from the break. If you want to book that vacation, the hot travel deal of the week call Mark in his office, 888-718-7717, 888-718-7717. You can also go to blueplanetvacations. com. But if you just have your own adventure that you and your family, you, your significant other, want to go on, mark's your man. He's been a tremendous resource for Nikki and I for the trips that we go on, call him 888-718-7717. When we come back, it's all about MSC Cruise. Mark was just in the Caribbean. We'll talk about that next and we've also got some additional cruise deals of the week. That's next. Segment number two, just Cruising. You are listening to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show. My name is Patrick Wiskcombe, he is Mark Faldmo. We will be right back.
Show Voice:Taking you to destinations around the world. The Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show is presented by BluePlanetVacations. com. America's best travel advisors. Call or text the show now 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700. Thanks for listening. We'll be right back.
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Show Voice:Now back to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show presented by blueplanetvacations. com. Show presented by blueplanetvacations. com America's best travel advisors. Call or text the show right now 801-649-3700, 801-649-3700 and check out the podcast at insidetraveltalk. com.
Patrick Wiscombe:here's Patrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo this is the inside travel Talk podcast, a radio show. My name is Patrick Wiscombe. Mark is just back from the Caribbean. He was on the MSC and so we're going to review it all. The is the name of the ship. We're going to talk about the food. We're going to talk about the things to do. Most importantly, I think, we're going to talk about their islands, called Ocean Key. We'll get to that here. And then we've also got a couple of cruise deals to the Caribbean, and one of them is a repositioning cruise. Take off from Miami, go to Lisbon. We'll get to those details here in just a second, but before we do, let's get to some additional travel news of the week. This was good news when you sent me this story a little bit earlier, that the cruise ships are set to return to Baltimore. They actually started this past week.
Mark Faldmo:Baltimore is a pretty busy shipping port for that East Coast. It's a convenient cruise port for a lot of people, so it's good that they got that open. I also saw a few other news stories. The first cargo ship that went out about 10 days ago and so the cruise lines did have to move their operations to Norfolk, virginia, which caused some pain for people on flights and logistics. But now they're back to Baltimore.
Patrick Wiscombe:I also saw this story that MSC is bringing a second ship to Port Canaveral, Florida. What's the ship that's down there now and what's the second ship?
Mark Faldmo:The MSC Seashore is there now and they're going to bring the MSC Grandiosa. It's interesting how they're kind of positioning these two ships. The MSC Grandiosa will sell seven-night cruises, alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean, and the MSC Seashore, which is already there now, is going to do exclusively three and four-night sailings.
Patrick Wiscombe:Let's talk about the MSC . I think you took off from Brooklyn, New York probably not the greatest port in the world to come out of, just because Brooklyn is such a nightmare from a logistics standpoint just getting to the port, and then what did you do after that?
Mark Faldmo:NASA and then Ocean Key and then two days back to New York. And yes, logistically Brooklyn is a little hard to get to. There's only one small road in and so all the taxis and buses are all lined up. I got to the port and it probably took 30, 35 minutes just to get into where they could drop me off.
Patrick Wiscombe:Oh, wow.
Mark Faldmo:So logistically it's hard, but it is a nice port. To sail out of New York Harbor I'd much rather actually go from the downtown Manhattan terminal, Sure, but still from Brooklyn. When you sail out you can see the Statue of Liberty and that is one of the more memorable cruising experiences to see the Statue of Liberty.
Patrick Wiscombe:I'm assuming you went under the Verrazano Bridge, and what was that like?
Mark Faldmo:Yes, yeah, I like going under bridges. I was actually on my deck and so I just briefly saw that I know a couple of cruise ships. I like to go up on top and it looks like you could reach out and touch the bridge because you're so close to it Some of those cruise ships. But I just watched it from my balcony.
Patrick Wiscombe:I'm going to put you on the spot. Your overall experience one to five, one being terrible, five being awesome. Where would you put your experience on MSC?
Mark Faldmo:I would rate it probably out of five maybe a 4.8-ish Okay, almost five.
Mark Faldmo:Now there were some things, but lots of cruise lines have things that are there. I don't think anyone would get a perfect score. In the past we've talked about MSC. When they first came to the US they kind of really didn't know what they were doing in the US market and they made a whole bunch of mistakes. And if you look at some of those early reviews they're pretty bad. But now they do a great job and their ships are great.
Mark Faldmo:I really enjoyed the Maravilia up on the 16th and 17th deck. It's like a whole almost indoor sports court. They had a full-size basketball court that was indoors. They had arcade, a bowling alley, all sorts of fun and fascinating things to do. As far as the fill on the ship, I'd say it's kind of European chic.
Mark Faldmo:How was the food? The food was very good. I would give their buffet probably one of the better buffets of any of the cruise ships I've been on. Wow, the main dining room was good. I had some really good meals there. I had somewhere I kind of ventured out out of my comfort zone, and not that it was the cruise line's fault, it was my fault for probably ordering something that I ventured out on. But, um, you know it was. It was and the one thing I think I told you this the pizza was amazing on board. There's this cruise industry thing on who has the best pizza. I will still say it's Princess Cruise Lines, at their slice pizzeria, has the best big New York style pizza slices. What I liked about MSC is they had kind of two places you could get pizza, and one was the big New York style slices, which I like, and they were very good. But they also had another station that had more like pan pizzas.
Mark Faldmo:And so depending on what style of pizza you like. You have kind of both choices there. I probably ate a lot more pizza than I should have because it was so good. You know they usually have a margarita pizza, pepperoni pizza and then a specialty pizza of the day, so you do have choices there.
Patrick Wiscombe:Well and this is high praise coming from you You've been on over 150 cruises.
Mark Faldmo:It's close to 160 now with that, so I quit counting after a few years ago when it approached 150, but it's got to be close to 160. And I love to cruise. Unlike when they first came here, I was underwhelmed by their food. In the last 10 years they've made really good strides in the food department.
Mark Faldmo:I definitely would recommend and go on MSC good again I I really enjoyed it and the ship, comparable to any of the new ships that are out there by all the cruise lines, msc has the youngest fleet in the industry yeah okay, you know, if you take all of their ships and average the age, msc has the youngest ships. Norwegian for the longest time held that distinction but I believe MSC has taken them over in that because they've just built so many new ships and they haven't held on to some of their older ships like most cruise lines do.
Patrick Wiscombe:Take a minute or so to talk about Ocean Key, their private island.
Mark Faldmo:Yeah, I think the island is very much worth it. They have multiple beaches. They have four or five different beaches that you can go to. They have shops, restaurants. It's a whole experience.
Mark Faldmo:When MSC bought it, they really wanted to make a contribution to the environment. There were some reefs that were on old junk metal left in the ocean and they cleaned all of that up and they've kind of transported these reefs and they're regrowing all of the reefs around the island. What I liked about it was at nighttime they had a laser show on the lighthouse and I think that's something I post on Instagram. They had bonfires on the beach and then they had the laser show on the lighthouse. Really good experience, a unique experience too, that I actually think all cruise lines have pretty unique experiences on their private island. This one was a little bit different, a little bit more laid back, but there's still lots to do, you know, with cabanas, beach umbrellas, jet skis, all of the stuff that you would think of. Like you, I kind of would just want to get a cabana and sit there and relax all day.
Patrick Wiscombe:That's what we did. So, nikki and I, we've got a cabana. We're also doing the Wave Runners. What's unique about our cruise experience is that it's a 10-day cruise, where we go to and from Port Canaveral, spend one day on Ocean Key, then we take off again for another seven days, go to Ocean Key and we're overnight there. So we actually have a third day. So we get to spend three days there, which is very unique Three days there.
Mark Faldmo:Yeah, yeah, that's unique and though you know those overnight ports, they have beach parties and I'll be interested to get your experience, you know, or mine. We didn't leave till 10 PM but we didn't get a full kind of evening experience there Cause they prepared for the lighthouse show and all of that and then all aboard was at 930. So they kind of quickly did that at sunset dusk and then everyone got on and we left.
Mark Faldmo:So it should be interesting to see what they do at nighttime there, and then also you can just get off and roam the beach, I guess, at night, which you possibly could have a whole beach to yourself if you did that at 10 pm or so. So that would be pretty interesting.
Patrick Wiscombe:Okay, I'll give you the report. We do that in. What are we about three weeks away? Yeah, that sounds about right. About three weeks away. Yeah, before we take off, let's give everyone the cruise deal of the week.
Mark Faldmo:I've chosen two really good ones on MSC, since that is the topic of our segment here. First, this is kind of a section of the cruise you're doing A seven-day cruise on the MSC seashore round-trip Port Canaveral. It has that overnight on Ocean Key, then visits Costa Maya, one of my favorite ports. I love going to the archaeological site Chakchoban. And then Cozumel. I like to go to Cozumel but I don't do a whole lot there. I like to go just to the main square and eat chips and salsa and people watch. So it starts at $319 per person plus taxes and fees, which are about $150 or so, and then balcony cabin starts at $629 per person Plus again the same taxes and fees Get a balcony, especially if you're going to the Caribbean.
Patrick Wiscombe:Let's talk about the repositioning cruise on MSC going from Miami to Lisbon. What are the prices on that one?
Mark Faldmo:This one is quite an amazing price for a 16-day cruise Starts at $499 per person for an inside cabin, plus taxes and fees again, or $869 per person for a balcony cabin, again. For 16 days $869. That's an amazing price and I actually think for a repositioning cruise. This has one of the more intriguing itineraries because it does a Southern Caribbean cruise before heading over to Lisbon. So it goes to Tortola, it goes to Antigua, goes to St Martin, it goes to Martinique and then it goes to Barbados. Before heading over, it has done six days at sea and goes to a functional which is in Merida islands, which is owned by Portugal, but it's actually kind of off the coast of Morocco. So it's a, so Northern Africa is about where it's at, wow, and then heads to Lisbon, Portugal. That's unbelievable.
Mark Faldmo:So, that's a fascinating cruise if you can handle that six days at sea, which, the more I cruise, the more I enjoy days at sea.
Patrick Wiscombe:If you think about that, that $869, the 16-day repositioning cruise, that's like $ 60, maybe $65 a day with the taxes and fees, that's unbelievable.
Mark Faldmo:On a great cruise line and great cruise ship.
Patrick Wiscombe:If you want to book any of the deals that we've talked about on today's show, call Mark in his office. I can't oversell this, just on a personal level. I know that Mark and I do this show together, but I cannot overstate, I can't oversell just how incredibly valuable Mark is with his knowledge and helping you plan vacations 888-718-7717. 888-718-7717 is how you get a hold of Mark, and you can also visit the website blueplanetvacations. com, and if you want to come up with your own itinerary, he can help you there as well. 888-718-7717. Thank you so much for allowing us to be part of your Saturday morning. One other quick thing before we take off if you have not subscribed to the podcast, be sure to visit insidetraveltalk. com. That's where all of the shows reside and there's links to all of the podcast platforms from there, insidetraveltalk. com. Have a terrific week. We'll talk to you again next Saturday morning.
Show Voice:That's it. That's the end of the show You've been listening to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show with Patrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo, presented by blueplanetvacations. com. Book your adventure right now. Call 888-718-7717. That's 888-718-7717. That's 888-718-7717. Thanks for listening. Have a great week.
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