Inside Travel Talk

Exploring Hidden Gems: From Thailand to Ultimate Norway Cruises

• Mark Faldmo & Patrick Wiscombe • Season 2 • Episode 35

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The travel landscape constantly evolves, and this episode navigates the shifting terrain of vacation perks, international promotions, and specialized travel experiences to help you make informed decisions about your next adventure.

Disney fans, take note – Disneyland California is eliminating its valuable 30-minute early park entry benefit for hotel guests starting January 5th. This popular perk, which allowed guests to experience multiple attractions before general admission, will be replaced with just one Lightning Lane entry per resort stay. For frequent park visitors, this represents a significant downgrade that might impact your decision to stay at Disney properties.

Meanwhile, Thailand's tourism authority has announced an innovative response to declining visitor numbers – free domestic flights for international travelers arriving between September and November. With proof of an international ticket, visitors can explore beyond Bangkok to destinations like Phuket, Chiang Mai, and Chiang Rai at no additional cost. This limited-time opportunity perfectly complements a Southeast Asian adventure, allowing travelers to experience Thailand's remarkable diversity without the usual internal travel expenses.

Mexico continues developing its "Magic Towns" program, now enhancing infrastructure to 177 authentic destinations across the country. The focus on improved roads and transportation options makes these cultural gems more accessible from major tourist hubs like Puerto Vallarta and Cancun. For travelers seeking authentic Mexican experiences beyond the resort areas, these charming towns offer a glimpse into the country's rich heritage and traditions.

Planning ahead? Book your 2026 vacation by September 15th with full payment to save up to $550 on packages worldwide. This tiered discount applies to Hawaii getaways, all-inclusive Mexico resorts, and European adventures – a substantial saving for those able to commit to future travel plans now.

The episode also demystifies expedition cruising, explaining how these smaller vessels (typically under 200 passengers) access remote destinations like Antarctica, the Galapagos, and the Amazon. Unlike traditional cruises focused on onboard entertainment, expedition voyages emphasize education, active exploration, and meaningful cultural immersion. Current deals from HX cruise line offer Arctic adventures under the Northern Lights or journeys from Norway to Scotland at surprisingly accessible price points under $4,000 per person.

Discover these opportunities and more by connecting with our travel experts at 888-718-7717 to transform these insights into your next unforgettable journey.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Welcome to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show Coming up. On today's show we will be talking about a great perk at Disneyland going away, helping you save up to $550 on your vacation in 2026, ultimate Norway cruises, free flights within Thailand, vacations in Hawaii and all-inclusive vacations in Mexico and Europe. 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.

Show Voice:

Travel deals and offers change constantly and are capacity-controlled and subject to change without notice constantly and are capacity controlled and subject to change without notice, Helping you plan your next vacation. This is the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show presented by BluePlanetVacations. com, America's best travel advisors. Call us now 801-649-3700, 801-649-3700, and check out the podcast at InsideTravelTalk. com. Here's Patrick Wiscombe and Mark Fulton.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Serving humanity with the greatest vacation deals on the planet. You are listening to the Inside Travel Talk podcast, a radio show Alongside Mark Faldmo. My name is Patrick Wiscombe and coming up on this edition of the show we will be talking about Disneyland, getting rid of early park entry for hotel guests Honestly a great perk. If you stay at one of their hotels, it's going away. We'll give you the details and if you are new to this radio show and podcast, our job is very simple. It is to help you plan and book your next vacation, or just give you ideas of where you may want to consider vacationing next, and we are presented by blueplanetvacations. com. And thank you for taking the time to stop and listen. Mark, you are back from tower butte in page, Arizona. You took the helicopter ride. We did the show live from the top of that Butte last week. It is good to have you home.

Mark Faldmo:

It's good to be back. I'm so far back up in work that it's taken me a few days to get all caught up.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Well, that's a good problem to have.

Mark Faldmo:

Yeah, you know that was such a fun vacation. I usually work, but there was so much to see. It was such a fun vacation. I usually work, but there was so much to see. It was such a really good tour by Globus that I just didn't work. So so now I've had to pay the price and catch up on all of that so that Globus tour that you're on, what was it called?

Patrick Wiscombe:

was it canyons?

Mark Faldmo:

and I forgot what it was called canyon country adventure okay, that's the name of it check that out.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Call mark about the canyon country adventure. It was basically a slow vacation going to all of the national parks between Las Vegas and phoenix and I absolutely loved it, yeah, and especially the helicopter ride to the top of tower butte yeah, that was a highlight. Let's get right to the travel dues headlines. It is bad news Disneyland eliminating early park entry, one of the main benefits, in my opinion, for their hotel guests. I think that sometimes that skews towards people booking with them, and now they're taking it away.

Mark Faldmo:

So this is Disneyland in California. They're eliminating the 30 minute early admission park benefit for hotel guests and this will start January 5th.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Okay so after the new year. I can swear that it was an hour before it.

Mark Faldmo:

Some point in in Orlando it's an hour Um I think California Disneyland has always been 30 minutes Okay, or at least the last little while it's been 30 minutes. Instead, every hotel guest will get one lightning lane entry per resort stay. That is nice, but I don't think it makes up for that 30 minute early admission. No, because if you're there for a few days you could go in and get two attractions done every day between Disneyland and California Adventure. And now you just get one Lightning Lane pass and it is still subject to availability. So you have to make those reservations so you might not get what you want using that Lightning Lane, if you can swing it financially.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Just get the upgraded tickets so you can jump the line everywhere, the Lightning lane everywhere. Yes, that's worth it, that is.

Mark Faldmo:

Yeah, we'll see how this goes. I hope they don't bring that out into the Florida parks. They're probably testing it. I've only stayed one time at Disney and we went every day early either to Disneyland or California Adventure. It was great.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Yeah, it is fun. It's too bad they're getting rid of it. Hawaii California Adventure it was great. Yeah, it is fun, it's too bad they're getting rid of it. Hawaii's first cross-reality bus tour. What is that about?

Mark Faldmo:

This is mainly designed for children and their parents, but it is actually on a bus. But you have goggles on and so XR goggles, and so they've designed a whole presentation while on this bus tour that gets you immersed, as you drive around Waikiki, in Hawaiian culture and, you know, really tries to bring Hawaii alive there's, you know, things on volcanoes and sea turtles and just a lot of things that's in the Hawaiian culture there. So I'm going to Hawaii in about six weeks and so I am actually going to do this to see exactly how this works. And it seems pretty interesting to me although I don't know why you need to be on a moving bus if you're wearing XR goggles, but maybe they have you take them on and off and do some things, but it seems interesting to me.

Patrick Wiscombe:

By the way, this is not a commercial for Apple Vision Pro, but if you've ever tried one of those things you talk about being lucky as a kid to start learning in a completely different way, other than just looking at pictures and reading text in a book, some of these immersive experiences are absolutely spectacular. Yeah yeah, free flights within Thailand. Obviously, you have to get to Thailand, but I like the idea of flying free within the country.

Mark Faldmo:

I'm not sure how they're going to implement this because the timeframe is so quick, but Thailand is seeing a slump in international arrivals by 6% the first few months of 2025. That's a pretty significant drop in tourist numbers, and so what they're trying to do is come up with this program that could start, they say, as early as August. This was just announced August 20th, but I don't know how I mean. We're on what the last day.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Yeah, today's August 30th here.

Mark Faldmo:

August 30th and then it is supposed to be for flights between September and November, which is the low season. If you have proof of an international arrival ticket, they are going to pay domestic travel, so you can get to see some of the other places in Thailand. They haven't announced the logistics or how this is going to work, but if you want to go to Thailand fairly quickly, or if you're going to Thailand and want to see other areas, you can get up to Chiang Mai, Chiang Ra, down to Phuket any of those places on a free ticket. That is a pretty good deal.

Patrick Wiscombe:

You and I have talked about Mexico's magic towns, and apparently they're making it easier to get to said magic towns.

Mark Faldmo:

Yes, they are. They've kind of completed their phase one, which is just getting the magic towns and starting to get the notoriety of the magic towns. Now they're really starting to focus on the infrastructure and how to get tourists to those magic towns, and now there are 177 magic towns within Mexico. There are a lot of them within two hours of some of the main tourist areas and so, for example, in Puerto Vallarta, they are really enhancing the road system to get to San Sebastian, which is up in the Sierra Madres. It's a lovely town. If I could go there every time I went to Puerto Vallarta, I would.

Patrick Wiscombe:

You do love it there.

Mark Faldmo:

I do, it's great, and there are a couple that we've talked about that are fairly close to Cancun and they're, you know, really enhancing how to get there. In fact, the Mayan train stops in a few of those places, and so you can either go there on a day trip or just go there and stay. I've never actually stayed in a magic town, but I think it would be fabulous, you know, because it's just laid back and really authentic Mexican culture.

Patrick Wiscombe:

You've always said that about the magic towns. Yeah, always. In the opening segment we have the travel deal of the week, and this week we are helping our listeners save up to 550 on your vacation in 2026.

Mark Faldmo:

what are the particulars on this offer? Book your vacation by September 15th, travel between January 1st and December 31st of 2026 and pay in full at the time of reservation. This is good to Hawaii, all-inclusive Mexico, good to vacations in Europe. It just has to be an air and a hotel package. It's kind of a tiered discount. It's based off of a percentage off of the total cost of the trip, and so if you can save $100, $200, or even up to the full $550, that's a pretty good deal.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Okay, and you have to book by when? Book by September 15th and then complete travel between what?

Mark Faldmo:

days, yeah, January 1st 2026 and December 31st.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Oh, okay, so you have the entire year then.

Mark Faldmo:

Yep, you have the entire year. Oh okay, it's good worldwide, but most people are probably going to use this for Hawaii and then their all-inclusive Mexico vacations. I actually just booked someone to Europe using this and then they saved about $400 off of the cost of that. It's a great promotion if you know you're going to go and can pay for your whole vacation upfront at the time of reservation. It's a great promotion if you know you're going to go and can pay for your whole vacation up front at the time of reservation.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Hawaii really doesn't have all-inclusive vacations, correct? Or they've tried it and it really didn't go anywhere.

Mark Faldmo:

Yeah, they've tried it. I do believe there is still one hotel on the Big Island that does have an all-inclusive package, but it's been a tough go in Hawaii. Anyone who's tried it?

Patrick Wiscombe:

Anyone who goes to Mexico. Generally speaking, those vacations are all-inclusive. Is there such a thing as all-inclusive in Europe? I wouldn't think so.

Mark Faldmo:

No, there's not. There's just the breakfast plan. I actually take that back because Hyatt Inclusive Hotels they do have hotels over there where you can buy European plan, which is breakfast only, or you can buy an all-inclusive, like in Corfu in Greece. There is a Secrets or no? I'm sorry, it's a Dreams. There's a Dreams in Corfu in Greece, which does have an all-inclusive plan. So there are some hotels, especially like the beach areas in Spain, greece, where you can buy an all-inclusive, but it is more on the rare side.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Take advantage of that. Save up to $550 on your vacation in 2026. You need to book by September 15th, so that is coming up in just a smidge over two weeks, and then that is good for travel between January 1st and December 31st 2026. They need to fill up some rooms, so you might as well take advantage of the offers that they have. Call Mark in his office, Just get the conversation started, no obligation. 888-718-7717. 888-718-7717. And he'll also post this on blueplanetvacations. com and there's also contact information there on the website.

Patrick Wiscombe:

When we come back, it is time. It is time for the infamous Just Cruising segment, the segment of the show that has made us famous worldwide. We will be talking about Smithsonian journeys to returning to the Mississippi. We've got the cruise deal of the week with HX Ultimate Norway and the Nordic Navigator from Norway to Scotland. Do not miss this next segment. If you love cruising, this is the section of the show for you. That is next when the Inside Travel Talk podcast, a radio show, continues Alongside Mark Faldmo, my name is Patrick Wiscombe. We will be right back.

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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.

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Thanks for listening. We'll be right back Inside. Travel Talk is brought to you by Amar 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. Hit us up right now 801-649-3700, 801-649-3700. And check out the podcast at InsideTravelTalk. com. Here's Patrick and Mark.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Ahoy, mateys, ahoy. You are listening to the Inside Travel Talk podcast, a radio show. I am Patrick Wiscombe. Mark Faldmo will be back in the studio here in just a moment. I had to go print some stuff off Coming up in this segment of the show we will be talking about the cruise deal of the week. This is the segment of the show for which we are most famous around the world and around the country. But first let's get to the travel news headlines. As Mark makes his way back into the studio, I saw this news story that Smithsonian Journeys Mark is returning to the mighty Mississippi. What details do we have on that?

Mark Faldmo:

They went there regularly until 2019. They've seen enough demand come back that they are taking a journey between Memphis and New Orleans. They don't own their own equipment when they do this. They are actually chartering a ship from American Cruise Lines and this will be on one of the classic paddle wheelers. The Smithsonian always gets some very good guest speakers and historians, so on this one they're going to have a presidential historian. That'll be the guest speaker that can talk a lot about the country's history there. They announced they've chartered a ship for 2027 on the Nile which will view the solar eclipse. I think that would be very fascinating to be in Egypt for the solar eclipse. I don't know where they'll be in their journey, but I think that would be a fascinating to be in Egypt for the solar eclipse. I don't know where they'll be in their journey, but I think that would be a very interesting destination.

Patrick Wiscombe:

We want you to be part of the show, so if you have travel related questions cruise questions, travel, whatever it is text the studio right now, 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700 is how you get a hold of the show both during the week and, of course, while we're on the air. We received a text. From who was this Ross? I've heard you talk about expedition cruising on the show before. Can you help me understand what expedition cruising is? I think it's a good question.

Mark Faldmo:

I hadn't really thought of that from the listener's perspective. We just go talk about expedition cruising and I don't think we've spent time defining what it is, because it is a different way to cruise. Expedition cruises are cruises that are centered on exploration and immersive experiences. Typically these cruises are on smaller, purpose-built ships to go into some of these smaller ports or ports that have certain restrictions. They go to harder reach areas like Antarctica and the Arctic, Galapagos, Amazon. They just go to really remote places in the world. They emphasize meaningful discovery through hands-on learning. They emphasize meaningful discovery through hands-on learning. They really help the guests explore the destinations with expert-led excursions and lectures rather than on a regular cruise. It's kind of passive sightseeing, what you're doing.

Patrick Wiscombe:

That's a great way to say that it's active learning.

Mark Faldmo:

Yeah, I like because there are a lot of restrictions on larger cruise ships. Most of the expedition cruises are about 200 passengers or less, which enables the cruise line to have more flexible itineraries, more frequent ports. You can get closer to the wildlife and also with fellow travelers. They prioritize education over entertainment and they really want you to dive in to the destination.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Where do the expedition cruises go and why would someone want to choose an expedition cruise over a typical tourist destination?

Mark Faldmo:

They really try and venture in to more remote, lesser-visited areas. For instance, today I was just reading about an expedition cruise company. It's called Ponant and they have the only class three icebreaker or something. It's the only passenger vessel with that and in 2027, they are actually having a voyage to the North Pole, where the ship will go and sit on the geographic North Pole. There we go. The ship will go and sit on the geographic North Pole. There we go. It's things like that Expedition cruises do, but also things like the Northwest Passage and then other places a little bit close to home Baja California, you know, sailing in the Sea of Cortez.

Patrick Wiscombe:

That's a great example. You never really hear about anyone going up the inside part of Baja. It's always the Pacific side.

Mark Faldmo:

Other places, expeditions would be Galapagos. Ooh, that's a good example. Yeah, Because there are lots of restrictions there. So it's really only the smaller expedition cruises that can go there in the Amazon and expedition cruise, even though some of the big cruise lines can go a good deal up the Amazon going on an expedition cruise that will take you deeper into the Amazon.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Less entertainment, more education, getting in touch with nature.

Mark Faldmo:

Interesting places. Yeah, more interesting places.

Patrick Wiscombe:

What does a typical day look like on board one of these?

Mark Faldmo:

expeditions. They're really destination driven, so if you're at sea, your lectures on your next port when you're in port. A lot of these places don't have piers and so you're taking zodiac, small inflatable boats taking you ashore. A lot of these cruises offer wildlife viewing, hiking, kayaking, snorkeling or guided cultural excursions In the evening rather than your Broadway production show. They often have presentations, recap of where you've been, a preview of where you're going to really help you have that immersive experience that they're trying to get you in. They also have photo classes how to take the best wildlife pictures. They have onboard experts that really help to enhance your vacation.

Mark Faldmo:

Some expedition ships are luxury, some are not so luxury, but they're all comfortable and they're used kind of as your mobile base camp. You can relax when on board, gourmet meals, reading areas, saunas there we go Igloos you know different things like that, and a lot of them include all of that. They're not additional. One of the cruise lines that I really like for expedition cruising is HX. I think two, maybe three weeks ago we talked about Hurtigruten. They used to be the same company. Hurtigruten does Norwegian coastal voyages and then they started an expedition cruise line. They're one of my favorites.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Let's get to the cruise deal of the week, which is HX, and what's the promotion we have for listeners this week.

Mark Faldmo:

Right now they have free suite upgrades or you can choose up to 35% off of cabins. A lot of people, if they do know about Expedition Cruising, they think they're very expensive and they can get expensive. But with this 35% off it makes it more affordable and I actually found two expedition cruises on Hurtigruten that are under $4,000 a person. That is a deal and so that's bringing up more in line like what you'd pay for a suite on a big ocean liner. Yep, this first cruise that I'm looking at, it's called Ultima Norway. It's Arctic Expedition under the Northern Lights. Yep, this first cruise that I'm looking at, it's called Ultimate Norway. It's Arctic Expedition Under the Northern Lights. So this is Norway in the wintertime. This particular sailing that I looked at is January 24th. It's an eight day sailing and it starts at $3787 per person.

Mark Faldmo:

That is very reasonable, so for under $4,000 a person it really spends its full time in the Arctic Circle. So you fly to Tromso in Norway, which is above the Arctic Circle, and then you have eight days cruising around Northern Norway.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Oh, how fun. Anything else that you want to throw in here?

Mark Faldmo:

Yeah, there is one more cruise, and this one is called the Nordic Navigator, from Norway to Scotland, and this one's even a better deal. It starts at $3451 per person and it is an 11-day cruise. This is actually, since it's a repositioning cruise, the same rule for expedition cruising as regular cruising. Those kind of repositioning cruises usually are a better price. This cruise, it starts in the Tromso and then just sails down that west coast of Norway and then goes over to Lurwik in the Shetland Islands, goes to Kirkwall, which is there at the northern part of Scotland, and then sails around and ends in Glasgow. And this one is the end of March, so it's a March 28 sailing next year.

Mark Faldmo:

The one thing I like about Hurtigruten is pretty much everything on board is included your regular meals, so breakfast, lunch and dinner Drinks are included at mealtime, and then you get a complimentary refillable water bottle. You get a polar expedition jacket, a backpack and then another kind of HX expedition kit that you get I'm not sure what's in that Complementary Wi-Fi, use of the sauna, hot tubs, fitness rooms onboard. All the gratuities are included, although if you get good service you can leave an extra gratuity.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Yeah, and those stateroom attendants, they earn it.

Mark Faldmo:

The last thing that I think is great is you have included unique excursion experiences. There may be some that are additional costs, but they do include some of those experiences.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Take advantage of that offer. Take advantage of all of them. Just call Mark in his office, get the conversation started. No obligation 888-718-7717,. 888-718-7717. That is the cruise deal of the week. We've actually got three of them. Make the call. Like I said, no obligation, but at least explore it. You won't regret it, but at least explore it. You won't regret it.

Patrick Wiscombe:

You can listen to this award-nominated show again tomorrow morning, Sunday, at 11 am, right here on the very radio station that you're listening to right now, and you can stream, download and subscribe to the podcast at InsideTravelTalk. com. We are on all of the major podcast platforms and you can get links to all of those platforms on inside travel talk. com. Well, 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 thanks for life intentionally and thanks for listening. We don't have a business without you. We don't have a radio show or podcast without you. Thank you for allowing this to be part of your weekend. Have a terrific week. We'll talk to you next Saturday and Sunday.

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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