Inside Travel Talk
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Inside Travel Talk
Surprising Travel Finds: Monaco on a Budget to New Cruise Ships Coming in 2026
Monaco for $1,500 including airfare? That's not a typo! We're breaking down how to experience this playground of the rich and famous without breaking the bank. From the iconic Monte Carlo Casino to the historic Princess Palace and stunning Riviera views, Monaco offers a surprising amount of attractions in its tiny footprint. Stay in Nice and take the scenic coastal train in, or splurge on accommodations right in Monaco—either way, you'll get five nights and airfare starting at just $1,500 per person.
We're also exploring an ambitious project crossing America—the Great American Rail Trail. This 3,700-mile walking and cycling path will eventually connect Washington State to Washington DC, passing through 12 states on abandoned railroad corridors. With 2,000 miles already complete, outdoor enthusiasts can already experience significant portions of this car-free route through America's heartland.
The cruise industry is making waves with 16 new ships launching in 2026. From the massive MSC World Asia carrying nearly 7,000 passengers to the intimate luxury of the Orient Express's 100-passenger yacht, we've got the details on all the exciting vessels coming soon. Norwegian Luna, Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas, and several other noteworthy ships will offer exciting new options for cruise lovers. The best part? If you book now, you can secure incredible deals on these brand-new ships, with Caribbean cruises from $929 and Mediterranean voyages from $1,337.
Travel trends are shifting toward fewer but longer, more meaningful vacations as people move beyond the post-COVID rush to check destinations off their bucket lists. Whether you're dreaming of European luxury, American adventures, or setting sail on the newest cruise ships, there's never been a better time to plan your next journey. Ready to explore your options? We're here to help turn your travel dreams into reality.
Welcome to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show Coming up. On today's show we will be talking about a 3,700-mile walking trail, vacationing in Monaco starting at $1,500, and that includes the airfare and all the new cruise ships coming in 2026. 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. And check out the podcast at InsideTravelTal k. com. And now here are your hosts, Patrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo.
Patrick Wiscombe:Helping humanity get out and see the world. This is the Inside Travel Talk podcast, a radio show. Hello there, I am Patrick Wiscombe, alongside Mark Faldmo he will be here in just a moment, coming up in today's show we will be talking about a walking trail that connects the state of Washington all the way to Washington DC. Not really a bookable vacation, but we'll give you the details anyway. And we're going to tell you to go west, young man, and we'll be talking about a vacation in Monaco and I'm not making this up Starting at $1,500. And that includes the airfare. And we'll talk about all the new cruise ships coming in 2026.
Patrick Wiscombe:If you are brand new to the show, the entire purpose of this radio show and podcast each weekend is to help you plan and book your next vacation, or just give you ideas of where you may want to consider going on vacation next. And we are presented by blueplanetvacations. com. And a sincere thank you every Saturday and Sunday for taking the time to stop and listen. And, mark Faldmo, you have been busy man. You have been booking a ton of vacations. I have.
Mark Faldmo:There's a lot of interesting places to go out there and people are coming up with things to challenge me and get some good trips, but what has been, from a logistical standpoint, the most challenging vacation that you've had to plan? Well, I did a pretty interesting Scandinavia trip and I actually have that on the docket to talk about on a future show. But it was a multi -destination involving planes, trains, automobiles and ferries all around Scandinavia.
Patrick Wiscombe:Let's get to the travel news headlines. American Airlines has eliminated or is eliminating baggage recheck for London to Dallas flights. This is amazing news. Explain to listeners why this is such a significant development.
Mark Faldmo:This is significant. Generally, when you're traveling internationally back to the US, you have to go down, go through customs immigration, get your bags and recheck your bags. American Airlines is starting this pilot program right now. It's only on London Heathrow to Dallas Fort Worth Airport where you actually clear customs at the arrival gate that's probably a facial recognition thing Then just walk out into the airport like a domestic flight so you don't have to go through a long walk to customs immigration, get your bags, recheck your bags and then re-go through security. That would be a pain in the tuchus. Hopefully American and other airlines will start to roll out programs like this at other US airports.
Patrick Wiscombe:There's a 3,700-mile trail that will connect Washington State to Washington DC. It doesn't sound like anything you can really book, but, man, what an adventure to walk the entire US it's called the Great American Rail Trail, so it's all built on abandoned railroad lines.
Mark Faldmo:It's 3,700 miles that connects Washington DC to Washington State and goes through 12 states. There's already 2,000 miles of this already open, offering walkers and cyclists scenic and traffic freeway to see the country. I suppose there is a vacation to come out of it. If you like biking, you could bike across the US. That sounds like Patrick. Yes, that does. That's why I put it in. I know you like your bike.
Patrick Wiscombe:I'm 95 miles away from riding my bike 7,000 miles.
Mark Faldmo:Yeah, so you could have ridden that trail round trip Washington to Washington.
Patrick Wiscombe:Alaska Air is expanding right here on the West Coast.
Mark Faldmo:This was done in response to a news story that we actually didn't cover. But Avelo Airlines, which is one of the low cost air carriers, completely pulled out of the West Coast and Burbank was one of their big hubs and so they're leaving Burbank. Alaska Airlines is coming in to fill that void and also Breeze Airways, I heard, is also coming in to fill that void, but starting in October Alaska Airlines is going to offer more flights between Washington, Oregon, California and Idaho, particularly filling that void from Burbank Airport.
Patrick Wiscombe:Always in this first segment of the show is the destination of the week and we are talking about vacationing in Monaco, including airfare, starting at $1,500. We're going to give you the details right now, but you received a text earlier this week from Michael and if you have travel related questions, call or text the show 801-649-3700, 801-649-3700. Michael is asking he wants to go on vacation in Monaco and Monte Carlo and his question to you and I think you've already answered his questions was how do you get there and what is there to do and how much is it?
Mark Faldmo:First of all answer his question. The easiest way to get to Monaco or Monte Carlo Monaco is the country, monte Carlo is the city, but it's all one place. The easiest way is to fly into Nice, France, which is about 20 miles away, about 45 minutes away, by car. There also is a helicopter transfer between the airport in Nice and Monte Carlo. Or another way you could see that is to actually stay in Nice and just take day trips to Monaco, and that will save you a little bit of money. But those are the two ways you could really get to Monaco and really experience it. Have you ever been to Monaco and really experience it?
Patrick Wiscombe:Have you ever been to Monaco? I have.
Mark Faldmo:Oh, you have been there. Last night I saw the movie F1 for the first time. That is probably what Monaco is famous for is the Monaco Grand Prix, and they just leave the track basically set up in the country. So all of the race rumble strips are just set up all over town. If you're driving on the track, you still have those red and white rumble strips.
Mark Faldmo:Yeah, so it's still there. I stayed when I was there at the Fairmont Monte Carlo Hotel, which is right on that sharp hairpin curve that's famous in the Monaco Grand Prix. It actually is right at their driveway. For the Fairmont Monaco kind of has two areas to stay. One is the Riviera, which is on the beach, and the other is kind of in the main town or marina. So the Fairmont Monte Carlo is on the water but it's not in the Riviera, it's closer to the main part of town.
Mark Faldmo:That's probably my favorite hotel to stay at there, but it is pretty pricey. It is pretty pricey Other hotels you could stay at. There's one called the Port Palace, which is in the Marina, the Le Meridien Beach Plaza, which is in the Riviera, the beach area, or there's a hotel called the Riviera Marriott, which is in the Port Marina area. Those are kind of the four hotels that I would recommend staying at if you're going to stay in Monte Carlo, and in just a minute we'll get to the pricing on that. One of Michael's questions was what are some of the things to do in Monaco. Probably the most popular thing to do is go to the Princess Palace.
Mark Faldmo:It's just set up on a hill, great views a lot of history of the monarchy there, of the Grimaldi family who first kind of settled that area in the year 1297. They've ruled it ever since. So you know there's a lot of history there. Another thing that I found really interesting when I was there was the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco. The Oceanographic Museum of Monaco it's all about the ocean but it actually the curator of the museum was Jacques Cousteau for several years.
Mark Faldmo:There's got to be a casino there. That's the next thing. A lot of people, especially the James Bond fans the Monte Carlo Casino. The first time I went there you had to wear a jacket and tie to get in. They've since relaxed their dress code a little bit, but it is a really famous, high-end casino. It's really fun just to sit outside and watch all the Ferraris and Lamborghinis pull up and watch the valets drive them away. If I had a car like that, I don't know if I'd trust it with a valet After watching Ferris Bueller.
Patrick Wiscombe:He read my mind.
Mark Faldmo:Yeah.
Mark Faldmo:It feels like they're gonna take your car yeah, and then kind of two last things that I really like in Monaco. One is, if you're staying there, to take the train to nice. It actually follows the seashore, it's a scenic route and you know there's a lot of little villages, villas, different things like that to see. It's a fun thing to take round trip and if you're staying in Nice, it's fun to take the train to Monaco as well, to visit Monaco. And then also in that area and we've talked about this before, but it's the city of Eze, it's Eze is the name of it, and it is a hilltop town Just fascinating. It was first populated in the year 200 BC and it was a commune of some sort for some group of people, and then it's been under Greek and Roman control. It is a fascinating small village with narrow streets to walk through. It's actually in France, it's just across the border from Monaco, but that's something you definitely should visit if you're in that area.
Patrick Wiscombe:How did you spell Es?
Mark Faldmo:Did you say E-Z-E? Yep, it's E-Z-E. My claim to fame there is. There was a street vendor making candy-coated almonds. They were so good except I broke a tooth or lost the feeling eating one. I had to go the whole rest of the cruise that I was on, six days with a broken tooth.
Patrick Wiscombe:Oh, wow.
Mark Faldmo:It's definitely worth the visit.
Patrick Wiscombe:It feels like Monaco is one of those places that you can go to but no one ever thinks about.
Mark Faldmo:Yes, yeah, you know, it's just fun to go see that kind of culture that's there. Walk down through the marina in the evening with all the big yachts pulled up. It's just an amazing place to visit. And you know, as we'll talk about here in a minute, price wise, at least getting there and staying there is not too bad of a price.
Patrick Wiscombe:So let's make that the hot travel deal of the week. Let's go to Nice, slash Monte Carlo. What hotel options do we have for listeners this week?
Mark Faldmo:Yeah, so I've picked two, two in Nice and two in Monaco and this is using that Delta Airlines vacations discount that we've talked about the last few weeks.
Mark Faldmo:It's $200 off Europe vacations. You also get bonus SkyMiles when you use this. So the first two hotels are in Nice. One is the AC Hotel by Marriott, which is a four-star hotel across the street from the beach. It starts at $1499 per person. This is for October dates and you know you get into October. The French Riviera, southern France you're still good weather, but a lot less crowds and a little cooler too.
Patrick Wiscombe:And a little cooler yeah, so that's the $1,500 price that you were talking about at the start of the show. Oh, and that includes airfare, right?
Mark Faldmo:Yeah, that's airfare. And Five Nights Hotel yeah, that's very doable, that is yeah. And then the next hotel is the Best Western Premier Plus, which is a four star hotel in the city center, kind of near the train station, and that one starts at $1589 per person. So that's within walking distance. A lot of shops and restaurants. City Center is a great place to be in most European cities. And then, if we move to Monaco, the two that I chose, one was the Riviera Mariette, which is in the port area of Monaco. It's just down the hill from the Princess Palace. It starts at $1689 per person.
Patrick Wiscombe:See, that's amazing as well.
Mark Faldmo:Yeah, that's a good price. And then the La Meridienne, which is in the Riviera, so the beach area starts at $1989 per person. So all four of those hotels are great prices with your airfare from Salt Lake. Five nights hotel if you want to see Southern friends.
Patrick Wiscombe:Take advantage of the hot travel deal of the week. Go to a place that you've never even considered Monte Carlo, Monaco, nice. Starting at $1,500 per person. That includes the airfare. That is a phenomenal offer. Call Mark in his office, just get the conversation started 888-718-7717. 888-718-7717. And he'll also put this on blueplanetvacations. com when we come back. It is time for the infamous Just Cruising segment, one of the most popular segments of the show. We've got the cruise deal of the week and we'll be talking about all of the ships coming to us in 2026. That is next when the Inside Travel Talk podcast, a radio show, continues. Alongside Mark Faldmo, my name is Patrick Wiscombe. Thank you so much for listening. We will be right back. Alongside Mark Faldmo, my name is Patrick Wiscombe. Thank you so much for listening.
Show Voice:We will be right back, 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. 801-649-3700. Thanks for listening.
Ad Voice:We'll be right back Inside. Travel Talk is brought to you by Ammo Waterways. From castles and capitals to vistas and villages. Visit some of Europe's most remarkable sites and cities To set out on your own river cruise journey. 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:Ahoy mateys and welcome aboard. You are listening to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show. Alongside Mark Faldmo, my name is Patrick Wiscombe Coming up in this segment of the show. This is the infamous Just Cruising segment. This is the segment of the show that we are known for around the country and around the show. This is the infamous Just Cruising segment. This is the segment of the show that we are known for around the country and around the world. It is about cruise deals. It is only about the cruise news, and if you've ever wanted to experience a cruise or you are ready to go experience another cruise, this is the segment of the show that you will be most interested in. This is the segment of the show that you will be most interested in. But first let's get to the cruise news headlines. Mark Shall, we start in Columbia this time. Let's do yeah, all right. So Ama Waterways is naming their brand new ship called the Ama Magdalena in what they're calling a historic ceremony in Columbia, south America.
Mark Faldmo:This is the company's venture into the Magdalena River in Columbia. The ship, the Ama Magdalena, carries 60 passengers. It has a lot of the similar amenities of other river cruise boats. You said 60, as in six zero, six, zero, 60 passengers. Oh wow, it's small but they do exclusive jazz performance, birdwatching expeditions, just some of those small villages and stuff along the river. Just really get you immersed into that culture 60 passengers.
Patrick Wiscombe:That's not a big boat or ship, it's not very large, it's a smaller river.
Mark Faldmo:Just really get you immersed into that culture. 60 passengers, that's not a big boat, it's not very large, it's a smaller river. But actually this is sold so well. They are going to bring on a second ship later on this year, so they'll have two ships doing the Magdalena River in Columbia.
Patrick Wiscombe:How many times have you been in Columbia?
Mark Faldmo:Technically I've been twice, but I don't really count it because it was on a cruise ship stop where we only had five hours.
Patrick Wiscombe:Okay, all right, but you have been there.
Mark Faldmo:I have been there. I've been to Cartagena twice and it was wonderful. I'd love to go spend a lot more time in Cartagena.
Patrick Wiscombe:Travelers are taking fewer vacations, but they're taking longer and more luxurious trips. That sounds like the month of April for Patrick and Nikki.
Mark Faldmo:Yes, so it is a trend that I've also been noticing. The trend coming out of COVID was just see everything you can. People were taking multiple trips per year, shorter trips, but just to check things off their bucket list or just to go places. Now people are turning to more I would say meaningful vacations, where they're longer, they're staying in a little bit nicer place, they're slowing down a little bit to really enjoy the destination they're at, rather than trying to see everything. I think it's good for the travel industry.
Patrick Wiscombe:Let's talk about all the new cruise ships coming in 2026. There's going to be a fair number.
Mark Faldmo:So there are 16 new ships coming out in 2026. We're not going to talk about all of them, but we'll talk about a few of them. Windstar Cruise Line, which is more of the smaller yacht type cruising, has their new ship, the Starseeker. They also have sailing ships, but this is more of the smaller yacht type cruising has their new ship, the Starseeker. They also have sailing ships, but this is one of their motored yachts, I guess you would say has the Starseeker. It technically is December 28th of this year. Its maiden passenger voyage will be in 2026. One that I find interesting, the Four Seasons so of the Four Seasons hotels is venturing into cruising and yachting. They will have their ship come out and it's a smaller cruise ship that holds 190 passengers. Oh wow. One that I am very interested in is the Norwegian Luna, which comes out in.
Mark Faldmo:March of 2026. We've talked a little bit about that one that will hold just over 3,500 passengers.
Patrick Wiscombe:Nikki and I were on the newest ship, which was the Norwegian Aqua. That was in April, and this is their follow-up.
Mark Faldmo:March of 2026. Its maiden season will be the Caribbean from Miami. Here's another interesting one that I'm kind of interested in Orient Express is coming out with a new cruise ship in June. So they're the train, the famous Orient Express, and they also have a few hotels. So they're coming out with the 100 passenger yacht that will sail the Mediterranean and French and Italian Riviera. Another one of the big ships, the Legend of the Seas from Royal Caribbean, will come out in August and it will be the biggest one we're going to talk about today. It holds over 5,600 passengers.
Patrick Wiscombe:Is this bigger than Icon of the Seas, or is it an Icon class ship, but it's a little smaller?
Mark Faldmo:It's an Icon class ship and it will be.
Patrick Wiscombe:I believe it is slightly smaller, that ship, icon of the Seas. It is so large that it kind of breaks your head because you've never seen a ship that large. Yes, yeah, legend of the Seas, so September 2026.
Mark Faldmo:Yeah, and then Explora, which we've talked about a few times on this show. Explora is they're about a thousand passengers ships, but they are it's kind of a luxury line owned by MSC Cruises. They have some fantastic itineraries and the ship is amazing as well.
Patrick Wiscombe:What is this? Explora 2 or Explora 3?
Mark Faldmo:This is Explora 3.
Patrick Wiscombe:Okay, Explora 2 is just out now, oh, that's right, that's right, okay, so Explora 3. And then, of course, the big big one is from MSC. Did they finally determine a name?
Mark Faldmo:Yeah, I was wrong when we talked about the legend of the seas. Msc World Asia is larger. It's nearly 7,000 passengers, Whoa. And it comes out towards the end of the year, December 11th and its maiden season will be in the Mediterranean.
Patrick Wiscombe:Now, Nicky and I were on MSC World America Beautiful, oh my goodness, Beautiful ship in April. So MSC World Asia in the Mediterranean, December 11th 2026. Dude, that is some serious shippage.
Mark Faldmo:Yes.
Patrick Wiscombe:Not sure why I said shippage.
Mark Faldmo:So there's a few others. Viking Ocean Cruise Lines has two ships coming out. American Cruise Lines has a ship coming out that will be I believe it's one of the coastal cats. Both of those hold about 125 passengers. Lots of new cruise ships, 16 in total, coming out in 2026.
Patrick Wiscombe:I've been asked this question and I know you have too. When is the best time to book your cruise? And it is right when they announce these ships. And I'm assuming- that they are selling these now.
Mark Faldmo:They are. Yeah, in fact, that's going to be our cruise deal of the week. We're going to talk about three of the cruise ships. Where do you want to start on this one, Norwegian Luna? Then, yeah, yeah, let's start with the Norwegian Luna. So this one I was looking at an April 11th sailing, so it's had the ship about three weeks or so to get worked in to its schedule full of passengers. That starts at $929 per person for an inside cabin or $1649 for a balcony and for a brand new cruise ship that's a pretty good price.
Mark Faldmo:And that one alternates Eastern and Western. This one in particular was the Eastern Caribbean, which went to Great Stirrup Cay, porta Plata, St Thomas and Tortola.
Patrick Wiscombe:That is a phenomenal price for a brand new ship which, by the way, just in case, for comparison purposes, icon of the Seas is still booking for basically double that, sometimes triple that number.
Mark Faldmo:Yeah, well, and you know, along those lines, let's go into the Royal Caribbean. Legend of the seas. Yeah, September 6th of 2026 is the date that I chose. This is in the Mediterranean. Its ports are pretty good. It's Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Marseille, Las piza, Rome, Naples and back to Barcelona. So it's that typical western Mediterranean. That's still pretty good, though it's a great itinerary. And it's that typical Western Mediterranean. That's still pretty good, though it's a great itinerary, and it's pricing. And actually this is one you might as well get a balcony. The inside cabins start at $1729 per person and a balcony starts at $1985 per person.
Patrick Wiscombe:Oh yeah.
Mark Faldmo:Get the balcony especially at that price, yeah.
Mark Faldmo:And then let's move on to the MSC World Asia, which will be in the Western Mediterranean as well. So this was December 14th of 2026, and it's round trip Rome. Its ports are Messina in Sicily. One of my favorite ports is Valletta in Malta. Oh yeah, not a lot of cruise lines go to Malta anymore, but it's a fascinating port. Then it goes to Barcelona, Marseille, genoa, Italy, and back to Rome, and that starts at $1,337 for an inside and again, you might as well go with a balcony, because it's not that much more starting at $1,587 per person.
Patrick Wiscombe:That's for a brand new ship.
Mark Faldmo:Brand new ship.
Patrick Wiscombe:So that's World, Asia MSC.
Mark Faldmo:World Asia.
Patrick Wiscombe:Wow, take advantage of those offers Absolutely phenomenal. Call Mark in his office, just get the conversation started, there's no obligation. 888-718-7717. 888-718-7717, 888-718-7717. And you can also get all of his contact information on blueplanetvacations. com. You can listen to this show again tomorrow morning at 11 am right here on this radio station and around the country at 11 am. So whatever radio station you're listening to 11 o'clock tomorrow and you can stream, download and subscribe to the podcast at InsideTravelTalk. com, and you can also just stream the show. If you're not a podcaster, just hit play. You can stream the show right on InsideTravelTalk. com and we're on all of the major podcast platforms if you would like to subscribe. Well, our job is done. Now it's 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. Live your life deliberately, live your life intentionally, and thank you so much for listening. We will talk to you again next 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.
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