Inside Travel Talk

Exploring Unique Destinations: Galapagos Adventures to Greek Isles Small Ship Cruises

• Mark Faldmo & Patrick Wiscombe • Season 2 • Episode 38

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The travel landscape is changing in ways that might surprise you. Airlines are now leveraging sophisticated AI technology to analyze your browsing history and past purchasing behavior to potentially charge you higher fares. Delta Airlines recently announced plans to deploy an AI pricing tool for 20% of their domestic fares, raising significant concerns among travelers. While some carriers deny using personalized pricing, the trend points to a future where what you pay could depend on who you are—and your digital footprint.

This shift highlights the renewed value of travel advisors who can access reservation systems where customer identity isn't linked to fare offerings. When booking through an advisor, you're more likely to receive standardized pricing based on contracted bulk fares rather than algorithmically determined rates targeting your specific profile. As Mark explains, "These are set contracted fares, usually based on a 12-month contract, so I know that's always going to be my fare as long as there are seats available."

Beyond airline pricing, we explore two distinctive ways to experience the Galapagos Islands—expedition cruises with companies like Celebrity Expeditions, or land-based tours utilizing smaller catamarans and local lodges. For those dreaming of Greek Island adventures, we highlight alternatives to mainstream cruise lines, including Celestial Cruises with their immersive cultural experiences and extended port times, and Star Clippers' romantic tall ships offering unique sailing itineraries with up to 65% savings on 2026-2027 voyages. We also discuss Princess Cruise Lines' massive expansion into Japan with 78 departures planned for 2027, and the surprising trend of Generation X travelers embracing guided tours after years of independent travel.

For our listeners in Sale Lake City we discuss on offer for 20% Off Airport Parking with Park n Jet. This offer can be found on Blue Planet Vacations website.

We also discuss AmaWaterways plans for several new ships by 2030 and possibly some smaller charter only River cruise options.

Ready to explore these destinations without overpaying? Visit BluePlanetVacations.com or call 888-718-7717 to work with travel advisors who can navigate these changing systems and secure the best value for your next adventure.

Patrick Wiscombe:

It is the weekend, which means it is time to talk travel. Welcome to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show Coming up. On today's show, mark and I will be talking about. Airlines are changing how they price fares and it's raising concerns. Traveling to the Galapagos Islands, princess Cruise Lines gets serious about Japan and cruising in and around Greece. Let's start the show. The Inside Travel Talk podcast radio show presented by BluePlanetVacations. com contains travel deals, promotions and offers that are 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 InsideTravelTalk. com. And now here are your hosts, Patrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Hello, there, I am Patrick Wiscombe, alongside Mark Faldmo. He will be here in just a moment. The entire purpose of this radio show and podcast is to help you plan and book your next vacation, or we're just going to give you ideas of where you would like to vacation next, and we are presented by BluePlanetVacations. com and thank you for taking the time to stop and listen. And this week we are talking about airlines, kind of getting into your business Plus. We're going to travel to the Galapagos Islands. Princess Cruise Lines is getting serious about Japan. They laid out their plans and we're going to cruise in and around Greece.

Patrick Wiscombe:

That's coming up on this edition of the Inside Travel Talk podcast, a radio show, and if you are a podcaster and you can't catch us live, just go to InsideTravelTalk. com. You can stream the show live there, but we've also got links to all of the major podcast platforms if you just want to subscribe. And now it is time, let me bring in the owner of BluePlanetVacations. com, mark Faldmo. How was your week? I haven't even talked to you all week had a good week.

Mark Faldmo:

It's been busy and I'm just excited to talk travel today.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Well, I know you've been busy when I send you an email at four o'clock in the morning. As I'm sitting here in the office and you respond to the email at four o'clock in the morning, I was not expecting that.

Mark Faldmo:

Yeah, yeah, I've had some fun projects working on. I'm going out tomorrow to Tennessee, taking a big group to Memphis and to Nashville to go see the history and the music sites back there, going to the.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Grand Ole Opry, which I'm excited for. I know that you're married, but you can pass this on to someone who is single, who is in Memphis. You go up to a girl and you say are you from Memphis? Because you're the only 10 I see. Let's get to the travel news headlines. You and I are big fans of rail, and so let's start with Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel. Are they celebrating their 25th anniversary and they're going to have the Polar Express special?

Mark Faldmo:

prize. Yeah, so it's their 25th anniversary. Actually, when I was in the Grand Canyon a few weeks ago, saw the train pull up. I love trains. I wish I would have journeyed to the Grand Canyon on the Grand Canyon railway. But as part of their 25th anniversary they do the Polar Express every year, but they have some special pricing. So this runs from the first week of November until December 30th. It's a 90-minute round trip from Williams Arizona that starts at $62 a person. Weekends are a little bit higher and they do have a special Christmas Eve train that's more expensive than that. But you can also buy this with a package. So they have a train and hotel package where the hotel portion starts at $125 a night and includes breakfast and dinner, and then you put your train on top of that. So it's a pretty good deal.

Mark Faldmo:

And Williams Arizona has kept a lot of it has and it's kept a lot of its Route 66 history. So you go there and there's the old fashioned diners. It's just a nice little town to visit. Those cafes have the best food, anyway they do Again. It's a 90 minute train ride, round trip and then you stop at Santa's village. So there's time to get off to meet Santa and his reindeer along the way. Kids will love that?

Patrick Wiscombe:

Yeah, this is probably the main story of the week. Airlines pricing plans are raising concerns. This is why you should use a travel agent right here and I realize that we're doing the show and we want you to book your travel through us but this is a legitimate concern. What are the details?

Mark Faldmo:

A few years ago, airlines started looking at their customer profiles. So if you were logged into their websites and they knew who you were, they looked at your travel history and you know, for instance, if you took a business trip and your company paid for first class and you go to book your personal trip, they said, oh, he booked a first class and so they might only offer you premium fares. But a few weeks ago, united their recent investor call said they were deploying an AI pricing tool and they want that pricing tool to develop pricing for 20% of their domestic fares. A lot of people came out and said they're going in and scrubbing the Internet with AI on all of their customers and offering them higher fares, which Delta specifically said they're not doing that. They're using the AI to analyze fares and raise fares as needed or lower fares as needed.

Mark Faldmo:

This has created quite a stir in the travel industry because that airline has lots of data on you and they can raise the fares as needed based on the data. So, as you said, that is a reason to book through a travel advisor. Right now at least all of our systems they don't know who the actual customer is, and so travel agents are getting better fares in some cases on airline tickets and if you go through that, where it has the AI digging through your purchase history of fares and raising prices, Look at the fares online and Mark really doesn't make any money on airfare at all.

Patrick Wiscombe:

You might as well just save yourself the money and book it through him. I mean, obviously, take a look at the fare and compare the price that you're getting online to the price that Mark has given you, and you'll probably end up saving at least something.

Mark Faldmo:

And then when you package that with a hotel, which is where I then do get paid by the airline to book the seats, if you package it together, those are set contracted fares, usually based on a 12 month contract, and so I know that's always going to be my fare and it's not going to be as long as there are seats available. That pricing system is not going to be my fare and it's not going to be as long as there are seats available. That pricing system is not going to raise the fare on me because it is a contracted bulk fare.

Patrick Wiscombe:

I saw this story that guided tours are gaining popularity with Gen X.

Mark Faldmo:

In travel. It really is all about the different generations because it probably is in any sales business different purchase patterns. But Gen X, which is my generation and your generation kind of, have always been that independent, you know, kind of do it. Our own generation and 10 years ago that was kind of the big Gen Xers were a harder sale for a travel advisor. But now they're turning to travel advisors and turning to escorted and hosted tours. They just want it done for them. Some of them are approaching that retirement age. A lot of travel brands, like Globus, which is one we talk about they've had a huge increase, you know, almost 30% increase in Generation X purchases on their tours. I've always been a fan of these tours. We've talked about Globus several times on this. We had TJ on that talked about Globus. I love having everything done for me, having a guide with me, the whole time and getting that insight.

Mark Faldmo:

It's just such an easy way to travel and I think you get more on these tours than you get doing it on your own.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Frequently. You get special access. You basically cut the line.

Mark Faldmo:

Yes, yeah, another tour company called Talk Tours. They're developing tours for just people in their 40s and 50s, so they're going right for those Gen Xers. What tour was that? Tauck, it's called Tauck. Yeah, how do you spell that? T-a-u-c-k? Oh, okay, they're more of a luxury provider. I've sent several clients on Tauck tours and they love them. I'm partial to Globus, but Tauck is probably a step up in luxury from Globus.

Patrick Wiscombe:

A little bit earlier this week we were able to get a parking discount. If you need to head to the Salt Lake International Airport and if you park at Park and Jet, we have a special discount that we just want to mention quickly.

Mark Faldmo:

For our customers in the Salt Lake City area, blue Planet Vacations has negotiated a 20% parking discount at Park and Jet. So if you just go to blueplanetvacations. com, down in the bottom footer there's a Park Jet logo. If you click there it'll take you to all the details to get that 20% discount at Park Jet at the Salt Lake City Airport.

Patrick Wiscombe:

We want you to be part of the show. So if you have travel-related questions, call or text your question to 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700. And during the week we received a. Was this a call? I think it was a call. It was a call, yeah, from Janine saying that she wanted to go to the Galapagos Islands, and what are my options? So it's kind of a broad question. Where do you want to start with this?

Mark Faldmo:

one. There are two main options to get to the Galapagos. The first one, and probably what most people do, are the expedition cruises. HX goes there, Celebrity Expeditions goes there. There are several expedition ships that go there and into the Galapagos Islands. The other way to do it there's a company I work with that owns some lodges and hotels on the islands and what they do is you buy their packages and you can either kind of base camp out of one main lodge and then take day trips out to the different islands, or you can kind of sail around during the daytime and spend your nights in hotels that are on these islands and since it's a protected area, there's not a lot of development there.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Well, that's why I was surprised when you said hotels.

Mark Faldmo:

A lot of these were just grandfathered in before they really started protecting the Galapagos. And I like that because you're with smaller groups. These are generally catamarans held between 15 and 30 people, so you really get to visit these islands with smaller groups, even though expedition cruises are relatively small they're 200 to 400 people in size. These smaller groups are better, I think, doing it where you kind of have the land-based Galapagos, you do get a lot more interaction with the locals that live there, something that I like to do. I like that interaction with locals, going into the markets that they have or just visiting with the locals.

Mark Faldmo:

Either way is a good way to see the Galapagos. How you get to the Galapagos is you fly into Quito, Ecuador, and then from there you fly over to the main island in the Galapagos and that's where you'll either check into that first hotel or board your expedition cruise ship. I recommend spending a few days in Quito oh yeah, before or after. It's a really culturally rich city or after it's a really culturally rich city and then you can even do some things, get up into the Amazon rainforest and you'll get some really interesting things there in.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Quito. I actually have a friend in Quito. I've not seen him for a long time, but I was surprised how sneaky good Quito was.

Mark Faldmo:

Yes, Also that kind of gateway to the Galapagos and probably if you look at most people's travel bucket list, it's probably on 85 or 90% of everyone's bucket list. Either one of these ways is a good way to see it. I prefer the land way.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Janine, if you have follow-up questions, you probably will Call Mark in his office during the break or whenever you hear this If you're listening to it on the podcast. Call Mark in his office, 888-718-7717, 888-718-7717. And he'll also put this on blueplanetvacations. com Coming up. It is time. It is time. It is time for the infamous Just Cruising segment, where it's only about the cruise news and it's only about cruise deals. This week we're talking about AmaW aterways. Princess Cruises is getting serious about their largest ever Japan deployment, starting in 2027. And, of course, we'll have the cruise deal of the week where we will be cruising in and around the Greek Isles. That is next when the Inside Travel Talk podcast, a radio show, continues. Alongside Mark Faldmo, I am Patrick Wiscombe. Thank you so much for allowing us to be part of your weekend. We will be back in about 60 seconds. Stay right there.

Show Voice:

Taking you to destinations around the world. The Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show is presented by BluePlanetVacations. com, America's best travel advisors. Call or text the show now 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700. Thanks for listening. We'll be right back.

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Show Voice:

Now back to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show presented by blueplanetvacations. com. 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, Ahoy, mateys, Ahoy. You're listening to the Inside Travel Talk podcast, a radio show. Alongside Mark Faldmo, I am Patrick Wiscombe Coming up in this segment of the show. It is the portion of the show that has made us famous around the country and around the world where we only talk about the cruise news and the cruise news headlines. And this week we've got the cruise deal of the week, which is going to be cruising in and around the Greek Isles. We'll get to that here in just a second. But let's first get to the cruise news headlines. And I saw the story Mark, that Ama Waterways co-founder says smaller, charter only ships could be on the way.

Mark Faldmo:

There's actually two different topics. One just popped up in my inbox that I'm going to add to this. Ama Waterways introduced the Ama Magna, and then the upcoming Ama Rudy, which I call them double wide's, so they're double the size of the average cruise ship. They can only go on the Danube River because of the bridge restrictions and all of that.

Mark Faldmo:

But now they're going in the opposite direction. They're building smaller, charter only ships for private river cruises. I've read a few things that some of these could be as small as 12 people on board, so a family could just take a private river cruise if they wanted and it'll be just like a regular river cruise where you'll have the stops and your meals and your servers and your tours. They've really seen kind of their group business really explode and so they said why not make ships that are tailored just for these groups so they can just buy out a whole ship and make them smaller? And on a related note this is the story that just popped in as we were talking about Ama Waterways They've just put in an order for eight more ships to sail in Europe, so by 2030, and then they already have several ships that are scheduled to arrive in 26 and 27.

Mark Faldmo:

Then they already have several ships that are scheduled to arrive in 26 and 27. Currently, AMA has 27 ships, 23 of which sail in Europe. They plan to have a global fleet of over 40 ships by the end of 2030. I think the river cruise is the best way to see Europe, followed closely by a Globus tour by a land tour, but you know the river cruise, where you get your meals, your activities, your accommodations, it's just a great way to see that you can come back and have a place to relax at night. River cruise is, in my opinion, the best way to see.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Europe Princess Cruise Lines has unveiled, or is unveiling, their largest ever deployment for Japan, for 2027. You know, that's a part of the world that you really don't think of cruising.

Mark Faldmo:

I've always struggled to sell Japan cruises, oh really.

Mark Faldmo:

Because I've not been. Like you said, you don't think of it as a cruise destination. One of my agents, Julie, just got back from a Japan cruise with her family and said it's probably her favorite cruise that she's ever taken. Princess is going to have two ships in Japan in 2027 for longer seasons than they've had before, so they'll have a total of 78 departures and 50 different itineraries ranging from seven to 28 days, and they have 45 different destinations and six countries from their Japan-based cruises. The more I think about it, I think a cruise is a great way to see Japan. Japan has been it's on kind of the hot list right now. It's in the probably the second or third most searched vacation destination over the past 12 months and I think a cruise would be a good way. It does help alleviate some of the language barriers that you might have if you're doing a land-based tour there and you do get to see everything that Japan has to offer store there and you do get to see everything that Japan has to offer.

Patrick Wiscombe:

A little bit earlier this week we received was this a call? This was also a call from Barbara. It was also a call. Yep, and if you want to get in touch with the show and you have travel related questions, whether we're on the air or it's during the week when we're not on the air, call or text 801-649-3700, 801-649-3700. Those texts come to you, do they not? They do they come right to me. Barbara's question is I want to go on a Greek Isles cruise, but I don't want to be on a big ship or a big cruise line. Is that even possible? Is her questions there?

Mark Faldmo:

are two options that come to mind for me. One is called Celestial Cruise Line. They're smaller ships that sail around the Greek Isles. They have two ships and they both hold about 1200 people. They specialize in the Greek Isles and Eastern Mediterranean. That's all they sail. Their ships are based year round in Athens. They really immerse you in the culture of Greece and they spend more port time compared to other cruise lines. They really try and get that authentic local experience. They really have lots of different itineraries. They have the shorter cruises, from three and four nights, as well as longer cruises of seven to 14 nights, depending on which options you want. Their fares include all meals, drinks, gratuities, wi-fi and shore excursions. This is Celestial. So this is Celestial. Yeah, so it's. Everything is included. Right now for Celestial, they have save up to 50% off on 26 and 27 cruises, anything for next year or the following year. And I want to highlight one of their itineraries.

Mark Faldmo:

I think this would be perfect if you're looking to explore the Greek Isles. It's seven nights, seven ports and two countries. It leaves from Athens. You go and spend a full day in Kousadasi in Turkey, which is where you can get to Ephesus, which is a fantastic place, and then you can also get your Turkish delight there in that port, and I came back with a suitcase full of Turkish delight from Kousadasi. I enjoy that, I know, yeah. And then down there you go to Rhodes, greece, spend a full day there, a full day on the island of Crete, a full day in Santorini, a full day in Mykonos, a full day in Mylos, and then back to Athens. That cruise starts at $8.59 per person for an inside or $17.69 for a balcony.

Patrick Wiscombe:

That's a lot of ports in seven days.

Mark Faldmo:

It gets them packed in and again, they really want you to see Greece. Another itinerary, just quickly, that I like. This one actually starts at $100 less, but I like it because of where it goes. It's called Heavenly Greece and Italy and Croatia, so that one goes from Athens, goes to Cataclon in Greece, Cephalonia, and then goes to Corfu I love Corfu and then it goes to Dubrovnik in Croatia, Kotor in Montenegro and then Bari, which is in the hill of the boot of Italy, and then back to Athens. Really incorporate a lot of Greece in. But you can go to Italy, Turkey and some of those Aegean Sea countries. We've talked about Globus a few times. They have a lot of Greece tours that do a land portion but then you can add on a three or four night cruise and that's all using Celestial Cruises. They do partner with other tour companies to get that cruise aspect in Greece.

Patrick Wiscombe:

What about a clipper ship? What do you recommend there? Yeah Well, do you?

Mark Faldmo:

I do and you know Star Clippers and we've talked about Star Clippers several times on the show. One of my favorite cruise experiences, you know to be on a smaller ship that's three to 400 people and then just sailing through wherever you're sailing, but in this case, the Greek Isles. It's just a great way to see the destinations. Right now, star Clippers has save up to 65%. Oh wow, this is a really unique product, so it's more expensive than Celestial. Their fair started at about $2,000 a person on up to sail through the Greek Isles.

Mark Faldmo:

One itinerary that I really like from them is leave from Athens, go to Hydra, Santorini, Rhodes, and then it has Bodrum, which is in Turkey, and Dillon River, which is in Turkey as well, and then they have kind of the northern Greek isles where it goes up almost to Istanbul. Another good way if you're looking for a smaller ship experience in Greece and still relatively affordable, you know, not going to the smaller luxury or even expedition ships that do these on occasion. These are two great options to sell the Greek Isles on a smaller ship.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Barbara, it sounds like we have got the answer for you. Call Mark in his office as soon as we get off the air so you can get the information. Obviously you're going to have some additional questions no obligation, of course. 888-718-7717, 888-718-7717. And he'll also post this on blueplanetvacations. com. And take advantage of the travel deal of the week. Get down to the Galapagos Islands as well.

Patrick Wiscombe:

You can listen to the show again tomorrow morning, Sunday, at 11 am, right here on the very radio station that you're listening to right now at 11 am, local time around the country. But if you can't listen to us live, you can stream, download and subscribe to the podcast at InsideTravelTalk. com. We're on all of the major podcast platforms and you can also just stream the show right there. So if you're in the office, also just stream the show right there. So if you're in the office, just stream it on your computer. It is now your turn our job is done 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. That's what we say around here, and a sincere thank you for listening. Really, we don't have a show without you. We don't have a business without you. We don't have anything without you. So thank you for allowing us to be part of your weekend. Until 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 7717.

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