Inside Travel Talk
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Inside Travel Talk
Travel Beyond the Ordinary: Discover Lesser-Known Destinations
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!
It is the weekend, which means it's time to talk travel. Welcome to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show Coming up. On today's show, we will be talking about Fiji. In fact, that will be in the first segment repositioning cruises. If you want the most bang for your buck, that's the way to go, and it wouldn't be a show if we didn't talk about Disneyland's season of the force, and we've also got a warning for spring break travelers. Let's start the show. 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 BluePlanetVacations. com. Call or text the show now 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700. And check out the podcast at InsideTravelTalk. com. And now here are your hosts, Patrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo.
Patrick Wiscombe:It is time to talk travel. Welcome to the weekend and welcome to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show. Hello there, my name is Patrick Wiska. Mark Faldmo will be here in the studio here in just a moment and if you are brand new to the show, or you are a listener every single weekend, and if you are brand new to the show, or you are a listener every single weekend, either on the radio around the country or part of the podcast, the entire purpose of this show is to help you plan and 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 consider next. And we are presented by BluePplanetvacations. com. And thank you truly, thank you, for taking the time to stop and listen. Let me bring in my co-host and friend, mark Faldmo. I haven't talked to you again all week.
Mark Faldmo:How was the week Week's been good, good.
Patrick Wiscombe:I'm just looking forward to talking travel. We've got a jam-packed show. I think the headline for this one was the Disneyland season of the Force. The Force is strong with Disneyland.
Mark Faldmo:Man, they can market, they can really market and it looks like an interesting event that they're doing.
Patrick Wiscombe:We'll get to that here in just a second. But let's start off with the travel news headlines, and I think this is good news. Travelers are branching out. That's the headline. Europe is going to have another busy summer.
Mark Faldmo:Europe has been really strong the last few years. Your traditional places like London, Paris, Rome are always going to be strong, but a recent study which looks at air travel bookings, hotel bookings, has found that travelers are starting to branch out to some of the less known and less visited destinations. That's kind of one focus of this show is to really help people branch out in some of those lesser known destinations.
Patrick Wiscombe:What are some of the lesser known destinations that our listeners should consider?
Mark Faldmo:In Europe. The country of Slovenia has had a 473% spike in bookings. For that small country, that's a pretty significant increase in the number of travelers. A few weeks ago we actually did Slovenia, I think, was the destination of the week. It is a country that's north of Croatia, in the very north part of the Adriatic Sea. It has beaches, mountains, In the very north part of the Adriatic Sea. It has beaches, mountains. It's very rich in cultural history, as a lot of those kind of Central European countries are. So that's the country that's seen the largest increase, but other countries Croatia I don't know why they're counting this as a lesser known destination, because it's been big for years but then Malta that we talked about last year, Turkey, the Czech Republic and Hungary, and also the country of Montenegro, have all seen double digit growth this year in the number of bookings.
Patrick Wiscombe:So what I'm hearing you say is, because we feature it on the show, you can expect double to quadruple bookings. That is how much power we have.
Mark Faldmo:Yeah, another region is Scandinavia. Iceland, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway have all seen about a 200% increase in bookings, so some of those lesser known and then the region of Scandinavia has seen a large increase, which is good. That means it's kind of spreading the travelers out among Europe. The last probably two years, maybe three years if you went to Italy in the summer, it was just back-to-back people. So this is spreading those people out to some of the lesser known destinations, which I think is good for travel in general and people should branch out. Well, we've always wanted to visit London, Paris, Rome. Some of these other places are fascinating to visit.
Patrick Wiscombe:A little bit closer to home, I saw that the US Embassy in Mexico is issuing a warning for spring break travelers. What is the warning?
Mark Faldmo:This is a standard warning that kind of comes out this time of year. They actually have not changed the travel warning to Mexico. It still stays the same which is level two exercise level two exercise increased caution.
Mark Faldmo:But this time of year a lot of people for spring break are going to Mexico and they just want to remind people to be smart in their travel, remain vigilant, especially in some of the downtown and more congested areas. Crime like pickpockets and robberies can happen in these places, and so just be vigilant. They're not saying don't travel there. It's just a reminder, as you should anywhere in the world, to be vigilant to your surroundings and protect yourself from some of the crime that can happen all over the world.
Patrick Wiscombe:I should have tied this into the Europe story If you have a criminal record. Uk's new electronic travel authorization system is denying some travelers.
Mark Faldmo:Yeah, and this is interesting because before criminal backgrounds were not checked, but now the ETA, that new electronic travel authorization, is flagging some people and asking, either denying them entry or asking them to go to the secondary step, which is applying for a visa. We often run into this issue with people trying to go to Canada, particularly Alaska cruises. Canada is very strict. Three Alaska cruises Canada is very strict. If you've had a DUI or any type of offense, it can be hard to get into Canada, and so it's always good to check the country you're going to if you have had some type of conviction. This ETA says it's been flagging people with things that are several years old if that's something that applies to you so you don't want to book a whole vacation and then not be able to travel.
Patrick Wiscombe:This feels like it's fairly new. Normally, if you just got a passport, you just travel, you just take off. But now countries are putting this electronic travel authorization system in place and kind of screening people.
Mark Faldmo:They are, yeah, and this electronic travel authorization for the UK is only what? About two months old now from when it started. I think it was January 8th when it started.
Mark Faldmo:This is just an extra layer of screening before most countries do have restrictions on who can get a passport, and so they've just said if you have a passport from your country, you're okay to come in. But now they are screening that a little bit more strictly. And then also, if you're going on an Alaska cruise or into Canada, I've seen this situation come up the most, and that's been for years, I think as long as I've been in travel. That's been an issue for traveling to Canada. Now it is popping up more and more in other destinations.
Patrick Wiscombe:That is a perfect segue into our destination of the week, which is Fiji, and it has had a record-breaking year for tourism last year, 2024. So the reason we're going here is Mark received an email a little bit earlier this week from Joe. Joe is planning a friend's getaway and wants to know the best time to visit Fiji. That's his question, and it's also our destination of the week. So let's talk Fiji for a second, and you and I should be down there sometime between now and the end of the year.
Mark Faldmo:Yeah, we're hoping to get a trip down there. We've been invited by Fiji Tourism to do the podcast and radio show from Fiji. Tourism in Fiji has really gone well in 2024. For the first time ever they welcomed over a million visitors to the country Wow. So that was just under a million by air and about 100,000 by cruise ships. So it is becoming more and more of a popular destination. Fiji Airways has increased their flights. They added a new route from Dallas, a new route from Seattle, so we have actually lots of ways we can get there from the US to Fiji. Getting to Joe's question, I think Fiji is a great destination for a friend's getaway, for a couple's getaway, for any type of getaway. I think a few weeks ago we really highlighted Fiji. But Joe's question was when is the best time to travel to Fiji? So May through October is Fiji's dry season. That would be the best time to go when you have the most sunshine, temperatures a little bit cooler, lower humidity, which.
Patrick Wiscombe:I'm a fan of.
Mark Faldmo:It's still humid, but it is lower humidity. The actual peak season is July through September. This is when you kind of get a mix of Americans traveling for summer vacation and Australia and New Zealand people traveling for their winter breaks. The off-peak season is May, June and October. November through April is the wet season, so if you travel November through April you'll see probably a little bit of rain on your vacation.
Mark Faldmo:Now when I've traveled, I've always gone in January to Fiji and it's always been amazing weather, but technically November through April is the wet season in Fiji.
Patrick Wiscombe:What deals do we have this week for going to?
Mark Faldmo:Fiji. So Fiji Airways from Los Angeles or San Francisco has a $799 per person airfare.
Mark Faldmo:That's round trip. One thing going to Fiji from here is you lose a day crossing the international date line. So if you go, a seven night package would actually be five nights hotel, with how that works out. So you go Wednesday to Wednesday but it'd be five nights hotel. And these fares just this past week have been extended into 2026. So that is for travel now through the 31st of July and then August 1st through the 28th of February of 2026. It's pretty much any time when you can get that 799 airfare. Now that obviously is based on availability and certain other things, but I did just a quick look for a May departure date. So you can get airfare from Los Angeles and five nights hotel at a four-star hotel starting at $1,299 per person.
Patrick Wiscombe:Wow, they're serious about getting people over there.
Mark Faldmo:They are. Yeah, in years past a good price to Fiji was $1,600, $1,700,. Destinations I'd love to visit, and that is mainly because of the people. They're so friendly. It's a wonderful destination to visit. On top of the good beaches and all the fun things you can do, they do have the Mamanuka Islands. You can stay at a little 50-room resort on your own little island there and just sit on the beach, enjoy the water sports. It's a wonderful destination.
Patrick Wiscombe:I'm just excited to go, and I'm sure Joe is now too. Yes, and really, if you stop and think about it I'm not saying that prices that we're talking are chump change when it comes to travel it's one of those things that you just have to kind of accept, but then you will have a lifetime of memories just thinking about what you did. It's not necessarily about the price. It's about the common bonding experience of going with friends, family, whoever you want to go with. Just go. Quit thinking about it, just do it. Call Mark in his office. It sounds like I was scolding. Sorry, I wasn't scolding anyone. Call Mark in his office during the break to get the conversation started. 888-718-7717. 888-718-7717. Mark will also post this on blueplanetvacations. com. Mark will also post this on blueplanetvacations. com.
Patrick Wiscombe:And when we come back, we've got Legend of the Seas. Royal Caribbean's new ship is on sale. If you've always wanted to go cruising or you want to get on a new ship, which Patrick will be doing, and Nikki, you can now purchase those cruises starting now. That is next. Those cruises starting now. That is next when the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show continues. Alongside my good friend Mark Faldmo, my name is Patrick Wiscombe. Thank you so much for listening. 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.
Ad Voice:We'll be right back. This segment of Inside Travel Talk is sponsored by Star Clippers. For over 30 years, star Clippers has offered unique, authentic tall ship sailing experiences featuring creative itineraries throughout the Mediterranean Caribbean and Central America. Itineraries throughout the Mediterranean Caribbean and Central America. To book your unique Star Clipper sailing adventure, contact Blue Planet Vacations at 888-718-7717 or blueplanetvacations. com.
Show Voice:Now back to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio 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. Here's Patrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo.
Patrick Wiscombe: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 by blueplanetvacations. com, and all we do is talk about travel. We love to travel and we want to share that passion of getting out and exploring the world with our listeners. So if you have questions, travel related questions text the show right now. We want to answer your questions. Text the show right now. We want to answer your questions. 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700. We don't care if you feel like it's a silly question or if it's an overwhelming question. We just want to help you get out and explore the world. Here's the studio and the text number, again 801-649-3700. And coming up in this segment of the show, this is always the hot travel deal of the week and we are talking about season of the force at Disneyland. The force is strong with Disneyland it is. But let's start with the travel news headlines. Last month actually you know what? I forget that it's march now two months ago, technically January 2025 there was a five percent sales increase January 2024.
Mark Faldmo:compared to January of 2025, there was a five percent sales increase of air tickets. There were 9.3 billion billion of air tickets sold in the month of January. Wow, so there's a lot of people traveling out there. Yeah, that actually marked the seventh straight month of year over year gains for air ticket sales. The one thing that was good that came out of this report is the average ticket price was actually down about 1% month over month. So the average ticket price and this includes everything this is domestic, international, this is everywhere but the average ticket price was $557.
Patrick Wiscombe:It's amazing that air travel is as cheap as it is.
Mark Faldmo:It is. And if you look at that $557 mark, that includes all tickets, domestic and international. So that's lumping in flying to Europe, flying to Asia, flying to the South Pacific. That's just the average of every airline ticket purchase in the United States.
Patrick Wiscombe:actually, it really is a miracle that we can just so casually just hey, I'm going to go to the airport, I'm going to fly to Florida or wherever you're flying to, and just get there within really just a matter of hours.
Mark Faldmo: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 have that luxury of travel and to actually have it be so affordable.
Patrick Wiscombe:Speaking of air travel, let's go from Salt Lake City, which is where we are broadcasting, from Salt Lake, to Universal Orlando, or just Orlando in this case. Universal Orlando will hold nighttime events at Volcano Bay Water Park.
Mark Faldmo:All of these theme parks have these little kind of special events, and so this is called Volcano Bay Nights, where they're opening up the water park 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 for these special ticketed night events, and so they're going to have some of their attractions open. They're going to have special meet and greets with DreamWorks characters like Shrek, Fiona, donkey Donkey. It's one of the special things that you can do in some of these theme parks. Universal, more and more, is kind of becoming my go-to park. My wife and I are going to Miami here in a few months to go on the inaugural cruise. My God, let's just take an excursion up to Epic Universe.
Patrick Wiscombe:Let's head to the West Coast. Now let's talk about Disneyland's Season of the Force. What is that?
Mark Faldmo:Season of the Force is a special time in Disneyland where they do some special things related to Star Wars. They have a new show called Shadows of Memory, a Skywalker saga, which debuts March 28th. Which debuts March 28th, they have a new experience called Fire of the Rising Moons, which is a nighttime experience that showcases a Disneyland firework display from a special place in Galaxy's Edge with a special musical accompaniment which they're bringing in a lot of the John Williams, the Star Wars theme songs into that, into the fireworks. They are also converting Space Mountain into Hyper Space Mountain, which they have a ride overlay, and so it will be Star Wars themed through May 11th. And then they also have some additional merchandising. One thing I'm looking for they have a Wookiee cookie and then a few other food and drink things that you can get that are Star Wars themed. A Wookiee cookie A Wookiee cookie Sounds good. That sounds hairy. Yes.
Patrick Wiscombe:Still think one of the best lines from the show is get this walking carpet out of my way.
Mark Faldmo:Yes, what are the dates on it? So that will run March 28th through 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're probably doing this promotion because that's a slower time and they're doing it to get people into the park.
Patrick Wiscombe:See, this is what I love about America right here Innovation. Get people in the doors, keep innovating and you'll stay relevant. So that naturally leads into the hot travel deal of the week, which is just Disneyland. What are the promotions that we have for listeners this week?
Mark Faldmo:They have save up to 20% on select rooms at Disneyland Resort hotels. So these are stays Sunday through Thursday night. So Friday and Saturday are a regular price, but Sunday through Thursday nights are up to 20% off for travel March 23rd to May 15th. So this falls right along in line with the season of the force there. How it breaks down is it's save 20% at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel, save 15% at Disneyland Hotel or save 20% at the villas at Disneyland Hotel.
Patrick Wiscombe:The one that's right in downtown Disney is called.
Mark Faldmo:There's the Disneyland Hotel, which is the main one Right.
Patrick Wiscombe:And that's on the west end, and then grand California which is the closest to the park? Okay, Grand California, that's the one I was thinking of, and then there was.
Mark Faldmo:It's called Pixar place now it was paradise pier, so Pixar palace. It celebrates the Pixar films and Pixar Animation Studios.
Patrick Wiscombe:That's a great hotel. The rooms are huge there. Yeah, it is, and so are Disneyland Hotel really.
Mark Faldmo:Yeah, and the thing I like about all three of those is they're within walking distance. Grand Californian actually has park access on one side of the hotel. I've always liked the Disneyland Hotel. Since I was a young child we stayed there and I was just so fascinated with walking out of the hotel, getting on the monorail station and being in Disneyland. That was one memory from my early childhood that I can remember. That was obviously before the downtown Disney.
Patrick Wiscombe:I can remember that was obviously before the downtown Disney Right. So the promotion is 20% off of select hotels on select days.
Mark Faldmo:On select days yeah, for travel March 23rd to May 15th, and you can do that right, you can book that stuff.
Patrick Wiscombe:I can book that. Yeah, the reason I'm asking that question is Disney's kind of particular who they work with. So that's why I was asking you can do that.
Mark Faldmo:Yeah, yeah, I can do that with full packages with park passes, park hopper passes and some additional add-ons as well. Can you just sell tickets? I can, yeah, I can just sell tickets if people want to buy just park tickets from me.
Patrick Wiscombe:I have the ability to do. That Can't really ever go wrong with Disney and especially Disneyland. Book a flight or just drive down there. The drive down there is kind of fun too. But to book the vacation to Disneyland, call Mark in his office during the break just to get the conversation started. Call Mark in his office during the break just to get the conversation started 888-718-7717, 888-718-7717. And he will also post this on blueplanetvacations. com when we come back. It is time for the Just Cruising segment, the infamous just cruising segment. Legend of the Seas, the new ship from Royal Caribbean is now on sale and we're also going to be talking about repositioning cruises. Just to give you a quick heads up if you want to know how to get the most for your money on a cruise, repositioning cruises is how to do it. That is next with the Inside Travel Talk podcast. The radio show continues. Alongside Mark Faldmo, my name is Patrick Wiscombe. Thank you so much for listening. We will be back after the break.
Show Voice:You're listening to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show with Patrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo, Presented by BluePlanetVacations. com America's best travel advisors. Call or text the show now 801-649-3700. That's 801-649-3700. And check out the podcast at InsideTravelTalk. com. We'll be right back.
Ad Voice:This segment of Inside Travel Talk is sponsored by El Dorado Spa Resorts. Escape to Cancun's Riviera Maya with authentic all-inclusive luxury at an El Dorado Spa Resort. To book your romantic beach getaway, contact Blue Planet Vacations at 888-718-7717 or blueplanetvacations. com.
Patrick Wiscombe:You are listening to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show Coming up. In the remaining 28 minutes of the show we will be talking about Legend of the Seas, the new ship from Royal Caribbean. Princess Cruises has announced their cruise tours adventures for 2026, and we received a couple of texts during the break about repositioning cruises. Let's get back to the show. 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:This is the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show presented by BluePlanetVacations. com, America's best travel advisors. Call or text the show right now 801-649-3700, 801-649-3700. And now here are your hosts Patrick Wiscombe and Mark.
Patrick Wiscombe:Faltmoe, all aboard for segment number three of the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show. This is the world famous, the infamous Just Cruising segment, where it's only about cruising and it's only about the cruise news of the week. And there's quite a bit going on this week, so let's get to the cruise news headlines. Probably none bigger than the new ship from Royal Caribbean called Legend of the Seas, and it is now on sale, which is good news, because it's always the least expensive time to book a cruise.
Mark Faldmo:What do we know about this new ship? They are sailing late summer into the fall. They'll be in the Mediterranean, then they'll move the ship to the Caribbean. So the very first passenger sailing is August 2nd of 2026. So this is not this coming summer, but next summer. It has a pretty good itinerary sailing round trip. Barcelona goes to Palma de Mallorca, goes to La Spezia, which is in Italy that would be a port close to Florence and Pisa Then it goes to Rome, Naples and back to Barcelona. That's a good itinerary, that is. That is kind of a classic Western Mediterranean itinerary, but it has great ports.
Mark Faldmo:One thing about this is it has pretty good prices for a new ship. Now I'm only going to talk about the balcony cabins, because the inside cabins are only about $100, $150 less. So there are lower prices than this, 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 than their typical seven-day cruises. And I think the reason why is because we're just at the very beginning stages of that. I bet in two months or so, as that ship starts getting more press and starts selling, it is going to go up to those traditional prices. So now is the best time to book that.
Patrick Wiscombe:I have a booking question that I'm sure that someone is thinking right now. Do I need to pay per person all of it right now, or is this more of a reserve your spot with a what? How much down $500 deposit, or is it even less?
Mark Faldmo:than that. They sometimes have deposit specials, but it's usually $250 per person to reserve. So you pay your deposit and then you don't have to pay the final amount until a few months before sailing. And then that ship does move to the Caribbean, starting in November, where it will do three, six or eight day cruises. Now I chose an eight day cruise and again just going to give the balcony rate cabin, which starts at $2,364. For a brand new ship, which you know a lot of people when they're comparing some of the rates that we've talked about in the past, a good balcony cabin price usually is about $1,200 to $1,500. But these new big ships have such a big demand they're probably worth that premium for a while.
Patrick Wiscombe:Other cruise news of the week MSC Cruises is welcoming guests at the new Miami and Barcelona cruise terminals. Now you and I will both be down there in April to get on MSC World America. Is that going to be the new terminal? Is that open?
Mark Faldmo:Yeah, that'll be the new terminal. It welcomed its first guests earlier in February and the Miami terminal has the capacity to handle up to 36,000 guests a day and can board up to three ships at the time, and it can accommodate up to three ships simultaneously. They will rent that space out to other cruise lines as well their Barcelona facility, which actually just took passengers last week. It really improves MSC's footprint around the world. Barcelona is the busiest passenger cruise port in Europe and they've all been really interesting, older, almost run-down buildings. I've sailed out of Barcelona quite a bit, so this new cruise port is going to be great for those traveling on MSC and also Explora Journeys, which is their kind of high-end yacht market that they sail out of in Barcelona.
Patrick Wiscombe:By the way that Explora One the name of the ship, beautiful ship, yes, I know that, Patrick and Nikki. After kind of looking at Explora One, I was like dang okay, need to go check that one out. Yes, yep, princess Cruises is expanding its Alaska National Parks Cruise Tours adventures in 2026. Anything that has Alaska and national parks probably going to be pretty amazing.
Mark Faldmo:This year, for the first time, they announced a new product, which was the Alaska National Park Cruise Tour, which was a 15-night expedition. Oh wow, that includes Voyage of the Glaciers, which is the north or southbound cruise. Then it also includes stays at the four princess-owned wilderness lodges.
Patrick Wiscombe:Oh, we talked about that a few weeks ago, when they announced that.
Mark Faldmo:Yeah, it's been so successful that they are going to extend that for 2025, 2026. And they're adding many more sailings to do that. These cruises are a great way you visit Glacier Bay, Denali, Rangel, Kenai Fjords and Katmai All beautiful places, but I think almost everywhere in Alaska is beautiful to visit. Now there's this extra option on Princess to really take a deep dive into Alaska. Princess, I think, does Alaska the best. They do it better than any other cruise line. With this, including longer sailings from Los Angeles and San Francisco that Princess has added, they are the best way to see Alaska.
Patrick Wiscombe:The one wish that I had personally is that seven days in Alaska for me when Nikki and I went on Norwegian's Bliss. I wish that we had had another seven days. I could have spent two weeks up there easily.
Mark Faldmo:Princess has their own train cars. So does Holland America, but they have their own domed cars. You can get off the ship at the port, walk 50 yards over to the train, get on your train car and then they take you up to Denali. These cruise tours are a great way to see the interior of Alaska. I've done the interior of Alaska off of a cruise tour twice. I would rather do that. Add that extension onto the cruise and go see some of these places like the Kenai Fjords and Denali.
Patrick Wiscombe:We were talking about repositioning cruises and Sherry had a repositioning cruise question. She said I heard you mentioned repositioning cruises a few weeks ago. Can you explain more what a repositioning cruise is, and do you have any spring dates? Let's start there. What's a repositioning cruise? A repositioning?
Mark Faldmo:cruise is when cruise ships need to transition from one geographical region to another for different seasons. For instance, a ship might reposition from its winter Caribbean season to its summer Mediterranean season, so they need to move that ship from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean. So these are often kind of one-off cruises. They're often longer itineraries and you have more days at sea but you also go to less frequently visited ports. Some of the repositioning cruises that I've been on have just been unique. I did one. The ship that was coming, it was Norwegian cruise line and they were repositioning from their summer Europe season down to the Caribbean, and so I did a London to New York, which did Iceland, a couple of ports in Canada, new England and down.
Mark Faldmo:One thing repositioning cruises are usually really good prices but also kind of unique off the beaten cruise ports that you go to. One thing if you are looking at a repositioning cruise, you'll have to look at the days at sea and see if you're okay doing that many days at sea. As I've often said on this, the more I cruise, the more I like days at sea. The most I've ever done at one time was five days at sea, but the ships have a lot to keep you occupied and going during the day, all the entertainment and everything. But repositioning cruises are often a little bit more laid back because you're not in a different port every other day. Some of the repositioning cruises I've seen them have as many as eight days at sea before. But for the price it's a great way to go.
Mark Faldmo:Do they move the Prima, that ship? Yes, they do. Sherry did ask about spring cruises so I looked at a few things. April and may time frame. Norwegian is moving the prima and it's a New York to London area, so it's ports. That leaves New York City, goes to Halifax, Nova Scotia, goes to Reykjavik, Iceland, that'd be good. It goes to Belfast in Ireland, Liverpool, England, le Havre, which is in France that would be where you go see the landing beaches at Normandy and then ends in Southampton. It's set sail April 27th. It's a 14-day cruise and that starts at $999 per person for an inside cabin or $1405 for a balcony.
Patrick Wiscombe:The Prima's a nice ship too, You've been on the Prima right.
Mark Faldmo:I was. I was on the inaugural naming ceremony for the Prima, which actually happened in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Patrick Wiscombe:Okay, what about other?
Mark Faldmo:ships. So another one I found that was a really good price. And this again is a transatlantic. Again it's on Virgin Voyages and it's moving a ship from the Caribbean, particularly the port of San Juan, to Barcelona. This one is one that has several days at sea. It leaves San Juan and then it has seven days at sea, but then it visits Tenerife, Casablanca, Palma de Mallorca, Valencia in Spain, and Barcelona. Oh wow.
Patrick Wiscombe:How many days is that one?
Mark Faldmo:So that one's a 14 day cruise as well, and it starts at $999 per person. It's an April 12th departure date, and then a balcony cabin starts at $1533 per person.
Patrick Wiscombe: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:Okay, then I've got one more.
Patrick Wiscombe:Man, you're loaded this week.
Mark Faldmo:I am. It's a 25-day repositioning cruise and it goes from Tampa Florida through the Panama Canal and ends in Whittier, Alaska.
Patrick Wiscombe:Oh, wow.
Mark Faldmo:So you're getting a Panama Canal cruise, a Mexican Riviera cruise, west Coast US cruise and an Alaska cruise. On this I'll just quickly go through the ports. On this Leaves Tampa goes to Cartagena, Colombia, cologne and Panama. Cruising through the Panama Canal goes to Costa Rica, goes to Puerto Quetzal, which is in Nicaragua. Goes to Acapulco, Mexico, Cabo San Lucas, Los Angeles, san Francisco. Acapulco, Mexico, Cabo San Lucas, Los Angeles, san Francisco, Astoria, Oregon and Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Hubbard, glacier and Whittier, Alaska.
Patrick Wiscombe:Wow.
Mark Faldmo:How much is that one? So it's a 25-day cruise starts at $1799 per person.
Patrick Wiscombe:Wow, that is amazing.
Mark Faldmo:So basically, take the month of April off, take the month of April off, and that one was again April 3rd and that one, you get the best of three different regions.
Ad Voice:Panama.
Mark Faldmo: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 all the Goonies stuff that's there. And then you get an Alaska cruise. That's pretty good.
Patrick Wiscombe:Okay, we got to take a break here. Sherry, I hope that answers the questions. Call Mark in his office during the break. Just get the conversation started. No obligation, anyone listening, Just get the conversation started. No obligation, anyone listening. Just get the conversation started and find out. Just book the vacation. Do this. Live your life deliberately. Live your life intentionally, man. It doesn't get any more intentional than this. 888-718-7717. 888-718-7717. When we come back, we've got Mark's travel tips and we've got just a little bit more NCL news. That is next when the Inside Travel Talk podcast or radio show continues. Alongside Mark Faldmo, my good friend, I am Patrick Wiscombe. Thank you so much for allowing us to be part of your weekend. We will be right back.
Show Voice:Explore your world. You're listening to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show with Patrick Wiscombe and Mark Fulton. Call or text the show now 801-649-3700. That's 801-649-3700. And check out the podcast at InsideTravelTalk. com. We'll be right back.
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Show Voice:This is the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show with Patrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo, presented by BluePlanetVacations. com America's best travel advisors. Call the show right now 801-649-3700, 801-649-3700. And now your hosts, Patrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo.
Patrick Wiscombe:Final segment of this week's Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show. Thank you so much for allowing both of us to be part of your weekend. If you want to reach the show during the week to text your travel-related questions, these texts go straight to Mark 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700 to ask your travel-related question and we will answer it on the air. And we do want to hear from you. This isn't some canned show that we don't want to hear from our listeners. We absolutely want you to be part of the show. So call us in studio 801 or text us 801-649-3700.
Patrick Wiscombe:Coming up in this final segment of the show, we've got mark's travel tips and, of course, we've got more travel news headlines. Let's start with just because we're coming off the infamous Just Cruising segment, mark. Let's start with the Norwegian Cruise Line story. Real quick, I saw that NCL has expanded, or is expanding, their More at Sea Wi-Fi inclusion on longer cruises. That's good to hear, because if you'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: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 300 minutes. The shorter cruises 7 to 11 nights get 150 minutes, and three to six night sailings get 75 minutes of included Wi-Fi.
Patrick Wiscombe:Let's just talk about more at sea, generally speaking. So more at sea Wi-Fi is included, but more at sea usually means Wi-Fi and the drinks package.
Mark Faldmo:More at sea includes a shore excursion credit, the Wi-Fi credit that we just talked about. It includes specialty dining, a drink package and third and fourth guests free and so on the dining and drink package. You do have to pay additional gratuities on that, but the actual base cost of those packages are included in the Morrissey.
Patrick Wiscombe:By the way, Nicki and I took advantage on Norwegian's Aqua, the brand new ship that's coming out. We did take advantage of the shore excursion credit for the Bimini Islands, just so you know, uh-huh.
Mark Faldmo:That's good. I love Bimini Islands. Yeah, I know you do Beach Club on Bimini.
Patrick Wiscombe:Awesome, it's great. Yeah, there is a, a star attraction, and I don't mean featured attraction. It literally is quite looking at the stars at the Hyatt Regency in Maui. What details do we have on that and when does it start?
Mark Faldmo:every night from 8 to 11 pm. The Hyatt Regency, Maui has an astronomer on one of their rooftops with three large satellites to help people with stargazing. That's one of the things I like about Hawaii probably with the exception of the Honolulu area is it's pretty dark skies and you know you can go out and just look up at the stars. And so these astronomy programs. I think it's a great thing for a hotel to add just something that adds a little bit something special to people's vacations.
Patrick Wiscombe:Alma Waterways is offering a co-branded river cruise with Smithsonian Journeys.
Mark Faldmo:Yes, beginning in April 2026, there are going to be Smithsonian journeys on Alma waterways. So these are going to be extra special in the history and culture. They're going to be tailored to some of the things that the Smithsonian does. They're going to be on the Danube, Rhine, Douro, Seine and Rhone river. I think they do the best job and this is actually the second partnership that they have. They also do the Adventure by Disney cruises. They have these partnerships with these other like-minded companies to really get people immersed into the culture where Ama Waterways goes.
Patrick Wiscombe:You're such a fan of Ama Waterways. Are there any promotions that listeners should take advantage of for the river cruising Right now?
Mark Faldmo:through the end of March, they have up to $2,000 off select river cruises, and this is departing in 2025. So it doesn't include those sailings that are the Smithsonian journeys quite yet, but again, up to $2,000 off cruises, which is combinable with their Air Plus credit. So that's airfare rates starting at $899 per person to Europe.
Patrick Wiscombe:So $2,000 off plus $899 airfare.
Mark Faldmo:Correct, probably the best way to see Europe. There's probably not a better time to book a river cruise than right now.
Patrick Wiscombe: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, can improve overall well-being, and you actually found a study about this.
Mark Faldmo:The study started out by saying there are 768 million unused vacation days in the US. 30% of those days are forfeited completely. That's crazy.
Patrick Wiscombe:Yeah, just forfeited.
Mark Faldmo:Also another thing that the survey found is a lot of American workers 50% feel burnt out in their job, and that's what vacation days are for, whether it's just to take some days off and relax in your home or take some days off and actually go on vacation. There's been some research done on the cognitive impact of vacationing. Vacationing just resets your mind, can really help with some of the things that come with being burnt out at work. Just the fact of planning for a vacation improves your mood.
Mark Faldmo:I can buy that People that are planning a vacation or have a vacation planned they sleep better and they perform better at work when they have vacation planned.
Patrick Wiscombe:I can buy that. Gives you something to look forward to other than work.
Mark Faldmo:An interesting another part of that study. There were about 800 participants in this and those who took a vacation less than once in every six years were more likely to develop heart problems than those who went on vacation twice a year.
Patrick Wiscombe:A few years ago, I was working for a local radio station here in Salt Lake and there was a big news event. I was always a slave to someone else's schedule. The only person that had more to say in my life were complete strangers, and I finally just made the decision. You know what? I am tired of having my time taken up by people that I don't know, and that is why I started my own company, and that is why I'm just like I've got to get off this treadmill of life. I'm tired of grinding. I work hard, but I'm tired of my time being dependent on someone else's choices, and that's what got me off. You've got to go live your own life. Ever since doing that, things have improved enormously.
Mark Faldmo:Now you're starting to take more vacations, which will improve that more.
Patrick Wiscombe:And I guess that's the point. I now own my time, which is an amazing feeling, and I have to remind myself how lucky I am that I own my own time. Yes, that's going to do it. You can listen to this show each and every Saturday and Sunday morning at 11 AM right here on this radio station and around the country, and you can stream, download and subscribe to the podcast at InsideTravelTalk. com. You can actually just stream the show right off that website, insidetraveltalk. com, if you don't want to subscribe to the podcast, but if you're a podcaster we're on all of the major podcast platforms. Just go to InsideTravelTalk. com. Major podcast platforms just go to insidetraveltalk. com. Well, now it is your turn to get out and explore the world while you can, because you never know what Curveball's life is going to throw at you. As we say, live your life deliberately, live your life intentionally. And a big thank you, a genuine, sincere thank you, to all of you for listening. We'll talk to you again next week. Have a great week.
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. Thanks for listening. Have a great week.
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