Inside Travel Talk

Sail and Stay: Viking Cruise Combos + Costa Rica Vacation Savings

• Mark Faldmo & Patrick Wiscombe • Season 2 • Episode 41

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Planning the perfect trip shouldn’t feel like a second job—and when cruise lines launch bold new itineraries, timing is everything. We open with a clear-eyed look at why more travelers are turning to advisors as routes, fares, and policies shift, then dive straight into the headlines that matter: the FAA’s push for tighter evacuation briefings (yes, leave the bag), and the DOT’s order impacting the Delta–AeroMexico partnership amid open skies concerns. No panic, just practical guidance on what might change and how to protect your plans.

From there, we chart a course through deals that are both exciting and bookable. Viking’s uniquely integrated river-and-ocean combinations steal the spotlight: a Rhine-to-Norwegian Fjords journey that moves seamlessly from castles and canals to soaring cliffs and glassy inlets; a grand pairing that links fjords with the legendary Rhine and Danube all the way to Budapest; and the new Iberian Odyssey, weaving Barcelona, Seville, and Morocco into a Douro River finale through Portugal’s wine country. With reduced airfare, lower cruise fares, and a limited-time $25 deposit, these itineraries reward decisive planners who love depth without logistical headaches.

Closer to home, American Cruise Lines expands capacity across U.S. waters with all-American Great Lakes routes—think Mackinac Island and Midwest charm without passport friction—plus fresh river itineraries spanning the Smokies, the Arkansas River, and a culture-rich Gulf Coast run from New Orleans to Gulfport. Inclusive pricing that covers Wi‑Fi, drinks, and gratuities, paired with free airfare on select sailings and savings up to $1,500, makes the value easy to grasp. We round it out with our Top Five Cruise Deals page (really closer to fifteen this week), featuring standouts like a sharp NCL Mexican Riviera from San Diego and a two-week Cunard Caribbean priced around $100 per person per day.

If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to plan a river cruise, test a fjord, or finally see the Great Lakes by ship, this lineup brings clarity to your next move. Subscribe for weekly deal roundups, share this with a travel friend, and leave a quick review to help more travelers find smart guidance—and better trips.

Patrick Wiscombe:

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 the top five cruise deals of the week: Viking promoting combo, river, and ocean cruises. Such a unique idea. A revolution is coming to the cruise industry, and the FAA warns airlines to tighten emergency evacuation protocols. 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 Blue Planet Vacations.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:

Live from Salt Lake City, Utah, you are listening to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio show. Hello there. I am Patrick Wiscombe. Mark Faldmo will be in the studio here in just a moment. If you are brand new to this show, the entire purpose of our radio show and podcast is to help you plan and book your next vacation or give you ideas of where you would want to go on vacation next. And we are presented by Blue PlanetVacations.com and just a sincere thank you for taking the time to stop and listen. And this week we are talking about five cruise deals of the week. Really, we've it's about 15. And Viking has a unique idea where they're actually starting to promote combo river and ocean cruises. So maybe you take an ocean cruise first, get off in port, jump on a uh one of their river ships. We'll give you some of the details on that. And who was this, Mark? Was this uh Virgin? They have declared a revolution on cruise fare pricing. And the FAA is warning airlines to tighten emergency protocols. Those are just a handful of the stories that we'll be talking about on today's Inside Travel Talk podcast or radio show. By the way, happy weekend. Let's get right to the travel news headlines. A report has found that consumers want to use travel advisors.

Mark Faldmo:

This is good news for travel advisors and good news for consumers. So this is a study that is taken every year, and demand for human expertise is surging as travel complexity increases. Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed anticipate using a travel advisor within the next two years, which, when compared to last year, that's up from 49%. And interestingly enough, the growth is driven primarily by millennials. They value the logistical support that a travel advisor gives. And also, millennials are usually ones planning more complex trips like multi-generational family trips, smaller groups. And you know, that's where a travel agent can save the day, booking those more complex itineraries.

Patrick Wiscombe:

You were talking about travel complexities. Tied in with that is US travel agencies have set new airline ticket sales records.

Mark Faldmo:

This is an another study that comes out. It's from the Airline Reporting Corporation, which is where all airlines report sales. U.S. travel agencies in the month of August sold $8.3 billion in airline tickets. Oh wow. Uh, which is a 2% year-over-year increase. And that comes after July, where travel agents sold $8.1 billion, which was a 7% increase over the same period in 2024. So more and more people are again booking their vacations through the professional travel advisors. If you look at the other numbers, online travel agencies, so like Expedia, have decreased 3% year over year, and booking direct on airline websites decreased about 2%. So more and more people are flocking to the travel advisor.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Well, what a lot of people don't know is that you really don't make money on airline tickets at all. That's correct. Okay. The FAA is warning airlines you better tighten up your emergency evacuation protocols. What specifically are they saying to fix?

Mark Faldmo:

They're mainly saying to fix their safety briefing at the beginning to reiterate that if the plane has to be evacuated, don't bring your luggage. There have been over the last six months, there have been two instances where planes have needed to be evacuated, and you see videos of people coming out. Yeah, with full luggage and everything.

Patrick Wiscombe:

So I have noticed that. It's in the safety video. Please just leave everything there. It is. What are they going to put a bold and underlined? We mean it now.

Mark Faldmo:

Probably. Yep. So they're just asking airlines to reiterate that where seconds can save lives. Bringing a carry-on can burn up valuable seconds that everybody needs to evacuate the aircraft if it's needed.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Delta was ordered. It's an interesting word to ditch the Aero Mexico partnership. Why is that?

Mark Faldmo:

So this was something that came from the the DOT, and they've ordered them to spin off that relationship by January 1st. Still said they can code share and do a lot of the things they're doing. So it won't really affect the flights and the code shares. And also Delta owns a 20% stake in Aero Mexico. So I don't know how they're going to dissolve that joint venture with Delta owning 20%. The reason why is because the Department of Transportation says the government of Mexico is violating the open skies agreement. There's a new airport in Mexico City, and the the former president, this was kind of a pet project of his. And so they artificially capped limits into Mexico City to try and force airlines to go to the new airport. Oh boy. They closed down their freight, um, forced everything to go to the new airport. They said because of that they want Delta to dissolve this relationship because it does violate the open skies agreement that most countries around the world have signed on to.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Okay. That just sounds weak. Yeah. We'll see how that unfolds. Yes. We want you to be part of the show, and if you have travel-related questions, we want you to text us not only when we're on the air, but you can have your travel-related questions answered during the week and during the radio show. Here's the phone number to get a hold of us. 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700. It just happens to coincide with Kristen's question. She is asking, I want to celebrate Halloween with my family at a theme park. And she goes, I know that there's Disney's, but uh, are there any others that you would recommend?

Mark Faldmo:

Yeah, there are lots of good Halloween things at theme parks. Disney does it very well, both at Disneyland and Disney World. I particularly like the changes they make to the haunted mansion.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Yes.

Mark Faldmo:

But if you're looking to go outside of the Disney parks, Legoland resorts have Brick Retreat. Um, and and that is at their Florida, California, and New York experiences. So wait, hold on.

Patrick Wiscombe:

So where's Legoland in New York? Is that White Plains? Oh, I know where it is. It's uh kind of up by Newburgh, Poughkeepsie. It's a little bit west of there.

Mark Faldmo:

Yep. All three of Legoland's theme parks. They have one of the largest kid-centered Halloween celebrations in the country. The name of it officially is Brick or Treat Monster Party. So that sounds kind of fun. And then at SeaWorld Parks, they have Hallo Scream at SeaWorld. Actually, that's at both parks, SeaWorld and in San Diego.

Patrick Wiscombe:

One that I like, it's not really kid-centric. It's teenage adults-centered was Universal Studios put on a great Halloween. Yeah, they do. Oh my god.

Mark Faldmo:

Universal Halloween horror nights. Um it is, which you know does bring in, you know, a lot of those movies. Like I'm sure Freddie is wandering the theme parts to scare you there. Jason. Um Jason. Yeah. And they have a great uh Halloween themed nights as well.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Kristen, if you have follow-up questions, and we're sure you will, call Mark in his office. Let me just give out the uh the phone number again. 801-649-3700-801-649-3700. I'll give the number again as we go to break. Let's get to the travel deal of the week, which is always in the opening segment of the show. And one of Mark's favorite places on this planet is Costa Rica. What do we have for listeners?

Mark Faldmo:

So this actually came from a call I got this week looking to go to Costa Rica. And we've talked about Costa Rica several times on the show from the different areas. Just to reiterate, there's the beach area, which is Guanacaste. That's where a lot of the all-inclusive resorts are. Then there's the Central Pacific area, which is also has some beaches. There's the rainforest volcano area, which is inland. Arenal volcano area is one of my favorite places to visit. And there's also the Caribbean side where you have the white sand Caribbean beaches in Costa Rica. What I've done, if you go to the Blue Planet Vacations website, I do have something on Costa Rica, and we can either do kind of a build your own adventure, or I've put together a few sample itineraries to look at and we can sell from there. If you do visit Costa Rica, I'd recommend visiting at least two of the different regions. I like spending some nights at the volcano and then some nights in the Central Pacific area. What are some of the itineraries that you like personally? The one I'd recommend, and you can find this on the Blue Planet Vacations.com website by clicking on Costa Rica. That's an eight-day volcano and beaches. So it spends one night in San Jose, because you the flights usually arrive pretty late at night. So you do want one night. And then it spends three nights in Arnall Volcano, three nights in Manuel Antonio, which is in the southern part of the central Pacific beach area. And then I've included some activities, the volcano. It includes the Tabacan hot springs with the dinner, which is fascinating. Oh, yeah, you've done that. I've done that. When I was there the first time, you could just sit in those warm pools and look up at the volcano and see the lava coming out of the top of the volcano. Jeez. It was very fascinating. It hasn't been like that every time I've gone back. It is an active volcano, but not as active as it once was. And then in Manuel Antonio, it includes admission to that national park with a guide to take you through. And you know, there's monkeys all over the place. I've seen two cans and macaws down there. It's just such a fun excursion. Except you do have to leave one person back on the beach with your stuff or the monkeys still it off. That's serious too.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Yeah.

Mark Faldmo:

And you have to police them. You do, yeah. So this package, the eight-day volcano and beaches, includes all of the transportation in the country, breakfast daily, and everything we've talked about. And it starts at $1599 per person. Oh wow. For standard hotels or $1899 per person for deluxe hotels. The other packages listed on the site, there's just a six-day volcano tour or a six-day beach escape. Or if you want a completely custom designed, if you want to visit three regions or spend longer in one region, we can do a completely custom designed package as well.

Patrick Wiscombe:

That is the travel deal of the week. Take advantage of that. If you've always wanted to go, call Mark in his office at the break. We're going to go to break right now. Just get the conversation started. There's no obligation. The phone number is 888-718-7717-888. 718-7717. And he has much of this information posted on BluePlanetVacations.com. When we come back, it is time for the infamous Just Cruising segment. It is the segment of the show that has made us famous here in the U.S. and around the world. We've got five cruise deals of the week. It's really about 15. And we'll also be talking about Vikings' very unique idea of combining ocean cruises and river cruises. This is awesome. You're going to like this. That is next when the Inside Travel Talk Podcast, a radio show, continues. Alongside Mark Faldmo, I am Patrick Wiscombe. We will be right back. Give us about 60 seconds.

Show Voice:

Taking you to destinations around the world. The Inside Travel Talk Podcast and Radio Show is presented by Blue PlanetVacations.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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Inside Travel Talk is brought to you by AMA 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:

Back to the Insight Travel Talk Podcast and Radio Show. Presented by Blue PlanetVacations.com, America's best travel advisors. Get us up right now at 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700. And check out the podcast at insidetraveltalk.com. Here's Patrick and Mark.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Alongside Mark Faldmo, this is the infamous Just Cruising segment. The segment of the show that has made us popular around the country and around the world. And let me just welcome everyone aboard. Ahoy, Matees. Ahoy. This segment of the show is only about the cruise news headlines, the cruise deal of the week. We've got five cruise deals of the week, but really it's about 15. We post them on blueplanetvacations.com, which by the way, you do get a lot of traffic to that section of the website. I do, it's very popular. Let's get right to the travel news headlines. This one really caught my eye, and this is a story about Viking river cruises. Now they have river cruises, that's kind of what they're known for. And then they also have the ocean cruises, which I won't say a lot of people don't know, but I think they're more known for their river cruises. Is that fair to say? That's fair to say. Yes. Yeah. This is such a unique idea that Viking is starting to combo a ocean cruise. You get off the ship and then you go over to the river portion of the cruise. This idea I love. Because then you can experience the two types of sailings immediately, back to back.

Mark Faldmo:

This is something that, at least for the moment, is something that only Viking can do. A uniquely Viking product. Right now, on these river and ocean combinations, they do have some specials. They have uh reduced airfare, and you can deposit these for $25 per person. Um, there are three itineraries that I want to highlight here. So the first one is the Rhine and Viking shores and fjords. It's 15 days long with 12 tours and six countries. Oh wow. Uh so what that does is it starts in Basel, Switzerland, cruises the Rhine to Amsterdam, and then you get on the cruise ship in Amsterdam. You go wait, hold on just a second. So you get on a river cruise first? Yep. Yep, you start on the river cruise. Oh wow.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Okay.

Mark Faldmo:

So in Basel, Switzerland, cruise the Rhine, all the castles, Cologne, Germany, and in Amsterdam, then you get on the cruise ship, the ocean cruise ship, um, and you do a Norwegian fjords cruise. Wow. So you you go from Amsterdam to uh Skagen in Denmark, Oslo, Khristiansend, Stavanger, and then you cruise up one of the fjords to Flam, which Flam is probably my favorite port in all of Norway. Yeah. And then you end in Bergen. So that's a very unique way to see that area of the world. The next one is very similar but longer. So this is called Grand Europe and Viking Fjords. This one is 22 days, 18 tours, and six countries. So wow. This one starts in Bergen. It does that same cruise in reverse, but then it does their 14-day Grand European tour. So you do the Rhine and the Danube, and it ends up in Budapest. Wow, these are some impressive itineraries. Yep. Yeah, and then you know, we'll just do the the one last itinerary, and this is a new one that they just barely launched called Iberian Odyssey. It's 17 days, 14 tours, visits three countries, and it's Barcelona to Porto. And so that one you have a cruise that goes Barcelona, Palma, and then cruise down to Seville, goes to Morocco. The cruise portion ends in Lisbon, and then you actually take uh part on bus. So you do a bus tour up to Porto, and then you get on the river and cruise the river across Portugal, and then it comes back and ends in Porto, which is where you'll finish the river cruise portion of that. Wow. If you're looking for something unique, Viking definitely has that. And the special right now on that is reduced airfare and then also reduced cruise fares, and you can book up for only a $25 deposit. That's as long as you book by October 31st.

Patrick Wiscombe:

That is so unique. We've been doing the show for two years. That is a unique one. Always in this segment of the show is the cruise deal of the week. I think the cruise deal of the week is the Viking River and Ocean combinations. Those itineraries were awesome. But the actual cruise deal of the week is American Cruise Lines, and they've announced that they're expanding their Mississippi River capacity, and they're also adding some new itineraries.

Mark Faldmo:

I think this is really exciting because they are adding an all-American port, Great Lakes cruise. Which no one has done. No. So previously they had Canadian ports, which means some that you need passports and things like that. So this is uh nine-day Lake Michigan um and Green Bay cruise. Would you do the Great Lakes? I think I would. I think I would too. I there's a lot of demand for these, so people do want to go there. When I first saw these, I was kind of indifferent. But the more I read about them, they go to some pretty interesting places, you know, like Mackinac Island in the the upper peninsula of Michigan. Uh just some really unique places. The UP. Yeah. It's mainly a nine-day Great Lakes cruise. They have two different itineraries or they have a 14-day itinerary that are all US ports in the Great Lakes.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Don't go during the winter.

Mark Faldmo:

You're gonna need an icebreaker. Yeah, don't go during the winter.

Patrick Wiscombe:

What are some of the new river cruise itineraries?

Mark Faldmo:

They've added a couple of new cruises. They have an 11-day Great Smoky Mountain itinerary that's between uh Knoxville, Tennessee, and Huntsville, Alabama. They have a nine-day Arkansas River itinerary, and then a new eight-day Gulf Coast, which is between New Orleans, and ends in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Patrick Wiscombe:

I think I would like to do that.

Mark Faldmo:

The Gulf Coast. The Gulf Coast would be a really good itinerary. I mean, it goes New Orleans, Pensacola, Mobile, Biloxi, Ocean Springs, which is in Mississippi, and then Gulfport.

Patrick Wiscombe:

That's a section of the country of that's always intrigued me, but I've never gone. If I'm gonna go do that, that is probably the most appealing way to go do it.

Mark Faldmo:

Yeah. I mean, I've driven across that on a car, but I think you'd get so much more doing it by a cruise ship.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Yeah, agreed. What's the uh deal for American cruise lines for listeners?

Mark Faldmo:

So right now on Select Cruises, they're offering free airfare and up to fifteen hundred dollars off select cruises. So it's free airfare from anywhere in the country to where the cruise starts, and then fifteen hundred dollars off. So that's a pretty good deal for American cruise lines. And and seven-day cruises start at about thirty, seven hundred dollars a person. And again, that includes your airfare, the cruise, all meals. One thing I like about American cruise lines is they pretty much are all inclusive. So Wi-Fi, drinks, gratuities, everything is included in your affair. As we start to wrap up, let's talk about the top five cruise deals of the week. The top five cruise deals of the week. It's a page on blueplanetvacations.com where I list five or more of the top cruise deals of the week. Yeah, there's what, 15 right now? There's about 15 on there right now because I I can't stop adding them because there's so so many good cruises out there. The one that I just added was a seven-day Mexican Riviera cruise. Norwegian cruise line just started sailing also out of San Diego. Oh, whoa, when did that happen? Uh I didn't know that. That starts this year, so so it it starts, I think, in December. And so it's a seven-day Mexican Riviera cruise, starts at 459 per person.

Patrick Wiscombe:

You're trying to put a little pressure on princess.

Mark Faldmo:

Sounds like that goes out of there. Yeah. So it starts in Miami, but it does the Eastern Caribbean and the Southern Caribbean. And that one starts at $1199 per person. So write about $100 per person per day. On CUNARD. on Cunard. Wow. That is astonishing. So if you go to that page, Top Five Cruise Deals of the Week on BluePlanetVacations.com, you can see every all of the cruises I have listed, and I update that every week with new cruises or updated pricing for the cruises.

Patrick Wiscombe:

One thing about Mark is that he will scour all of his resources to find the best cruise deals of the week. Take advantage of those offers. Man, you came prepared today.

Mark Faldmo:

There's a lot of good travel deals out there.

Patrick Wiscombe:

If you're interested in taking advantage of any of the deals that we've talked about for the last 30 minutes, call Mark in his office as soon as we get off the phone. Just start the conversation, no obligation. 888-718-7717 888-718-7717. And you can also find much of this information and contact information on BluePlanetVacations.com. You can listen to this radio show and podcast every Saturday and Sunday morning at 11 a.m. local time on the very radio station that you're listening to right now. And we air on all affiliate radio stations at 11 a.m. local time. And you can also listen to this show again by streaming the show, subscribing, and downloading the show at insightraveltalk.com. Plus, we have all of the podcast platform links on insidetraveltalk.com. That's it. We're done. Now it's your turn to get out and travel the world while you can because you never know what curveballs life is going to throw at you. Live your life deliberately, live your life intentionally, and a sincere thank you for taking the time to stop and listen. Make it a great 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 Blue Planet Vacations.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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