Inside Travel Talk

Alaska Adventures, Europe’s Best Christmas Cruises & Award-Winning Resorts

• Mark Faldmo & Patrick Wiscombe • Season 3 • Episode 50

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Port loyalties just shifted: Port Canaveral edged out Miami to become the world’s busiest cruise port, and the ripple effects matter for your next sailing. We unpack what drove the surge, how midweek call-ins from Northeastern itineraries tip the scales, and what that means for finding better pricing, ships, and sail dates without the usual hassle. Then we turn to a pair of headlines redefining value: Virgin Voyages rolls out a wide-ranging status match and a bold 30-day Alaska season pass for 2026, inviting die-hard glacier chasers to stack back-to-back voyages into one immersive month at sea.

We also go deep on a smarter take than standard all-inclusive. Fresh from Cancun, we share why the “more inclusive” approach at El Dorado resorts delivers outsized value: roundtrip airport transfers, signature experiences like catamaran snorkeling and cenote adventures, eco ranch visits, and beach club access on famed Maroma Beach with a long, local-forward brunch included. From adults-only romance at Royale, Casitas, Seaside Suites, and Maroma to the family-friendly suite setup at Generations Riviera Maya, we map each property to the traveler who’ll love it most, and explain how these extras change the budget math.

Introducing alaskacruiseguru.com a new website from Blue Planet Vacations. Explore Alaska Cruise Tours and Small Ship adventure and Luxury Alaska Cruises.

Listener questions took us to Europe’s Christmas markets, where early bookings are crucial for 2026. We share our go-to picks: AMA Waterways’ iconic Danube route between Budapest and Nuremberg with Vienna by night and Salzburg’s charm, plus Avalon’s Romantic Rhine between Amsterdam and Basel, featuring Cologne, Rüdesheim, Strasbourg, and beloved Heidelberg. We compare vibes—castles and villages on the Rhine, grand capitals on the Danube—and outline current airfare promos and stateroom savings, with a realistic note on why holiday sailings sell out fast.

Ready to pick your path—glaciers, Christmas lights, or turquoise water? Tap play, get the strategy, and plan smarter. If you enjoy the show, follow, share with a travel-loving friend, and leave a quick review to help more travelers find us.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Welcome to the Inside Travel Talk Podcast Radio Show. Coming up on today's show, we will be talking about the number one and number two cruise ports. Who is number one? American Airlines quietly, shh, ever so quietly, raising bag fees and cruising in Alaska. Probably one of the most popular topics on this radio show and podcast. Let's start the show. The Inside Travel Talk Podcast radio show presented by Blue PlanetVacations.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 Inside TravelTalk.com. And now, here are your hosts, Patrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo.

Patrick Wiscombe:

He is back from beautiful Cancun Mexico. Welcome to the Inside Travel Talk Podcast, a radio show. Hello there. I am Patrick Whiskey. And if you have no idea where to go, we're just going to give you some ideas of where you may want to go on vacation next. And we are presented, proudly presented, by BluePlanetVacations.com, which is Mark Faldmo's company. Also the co-host of this show. And thank you for taking the time to stop and listen. This week we are talking about cruise port number one, cruise port number two. We've had a switch in rankings. We'll tell you who is the most popular cruise port in Florida. American Airlines is quietly, ever so quietly, raising bag fees. And probably the number one or number two topic that we have on the show each and every week, or certainly every other week. Cruising in Alaska. We're going to give you some great deals. But let me bring in the very tan. You're not as cherry red as you were, Mark. How you feeling? Feeling good. Good to have you back. Let's get right to the travel news headlines. American Airlines is ever so quietly. Did you hear that? Raising some international bag fees.

Mark Faldmo:

Yeah, they are their short haul international flights were $35. They are raising them to $5. There's no major announcement on this. They just kind of raised it by $5 to $40. Which is interesting because domestic flights, they already charge $40. So these international short haul flights, they had not raised.

Patrick Wiscombe:

I mentioned at the very top of the show that you're back from beautiful Cancun, Mexico. And that is going to be the travel deal of the week. Where did you stay down there? I think it was the El Dorado Resort, but I don't remember which one it was.

Mark Faldmo:

I stayed at the El Dorado Royale. I love all of the El Dorado resorts. They're kind of known for their, they like to say, Mexican luxury. It's a luxury hotel, but it's very steeped in Mexican tradition and the Mexican culture. They're owned by a local family there for 40 years or so. Um they've had their transportation company and hotels. And so just a really good family to work with and really good resorts and services that they offer.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Let's do a quick overview of what your trip was and the announcement. It's the major award, the announcement of the Palm Award. What is the Palm Award?

Mark Faldmo:

I was there for a meeting, and it's kind of their sales meeting, you know, where they talk about the upcoming year, what they want to do, kind of review the past. But they do have an award ceremony, and I was honored to win the Palm Award, which is for one of the top travel advisors uh that they have.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Really?

Mark Faldmo:

They they give out one a year, and I was honored to receive it this year.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Wow.

Mark Faldmo:

So um you know, it was an honor. And you know, coming from Joan Dolores, who are the owners, they're icons in the Mexican tourism industry, and so that was a real honor to get that award.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Was it a black tie affair? And should I have been there for it?

Mark Faldmo:

Something tells me I I should have been there for that one. It was a black tie affair, although I will say getting dressed up in a suit in Mexico is kind of hard. Um after the award ceremony and dinner outside, they have a a taco cart, which is the best part of the meeting.

Patrick Wiscombe:

So here's the major award, here's your Emmy, here's your Oscar, here's your taco cart. Yep.

Mark Faldmo:

Congratulations. I didn't know you were going down for that. I didn't know I was going down for that either. I know I was going for the meeting, but and it's an honor for me and for Blue Planet Vacations to have won that award.

Patrick Wiscombe:

If I've got this straight, they're more of a uh what is called a more inclusive type resort. Let's talk about a what the more inclusive resort does and is.

Mark Faldmo:

Lomas hospitality, I came out with their more inclusive concept. You know, we always talk about all inclusive. And so Lomas Hospitality wants to be more than all inclusive. And so it goes beyond the standard all-inclusive. They add in to the typical all-inclusive, which is usually food and drinks and non-motorized water sports, they add a lot to it. So they add transportation, so round trip transportation from the airport to any of their resorts is included. So you don't have to pay additional for that. And then you have access to signature experiences, so included in your stay. They have a catamaran cruise, which includes snorkeling on the reef, they have wave runners, they have kayaking and paddle boarding, they have an uh cenote experience, which is underground cave or river. Um and this one is actually at a place called Octuchen Nature Park. I've done cenote's a few times and I absolutely love it. If you've not done a cenote, go to the Yucatan Peninsula and experience a cenote. It is an experience. And then they also include their eco ranch with wildlife encounters, and it's an animal rescue, mainly horses that have been abused in the area. So it's an animal rescue that you can go experience that. They include beach club access to the Maroma Beach Beach Club. And we've talked about beach clubs on a few shows. Oh yeah. One of your favorites being on uh Bimini and the Bahamas. Oh yeah. They have a beach club on Maroma Beach, which is the often ranked as the in the top five or ten beaches in the world. It's a phenomenal beach, Maroma Beach. And at that beach club, they have a brunch that goes from 10 to 5, which is some of the best food I've had in Mexico, mainly local things like tacos, empanadas, tortilla soup, lots of things like that. So that's all included at the beach club.

Patrick Wiscombe:

I'm hearing a lot of value, Mark. Good quiz.

Mark Faldmo:

Yeah, yeah, as well as it's all inclusive. So you have all the food and drinks, ocean loungers, oceanfront loungers, chairs, just lots of interesting things to do there. And then it also includes access to their water park, which is the largest water park for kids and families that like water parks. It includes that. All of this is included if you stay at an El Dorado resort.

Patrick Wiscombe:

This feels bigger than it has been. Have they increased the offerings? Kind of sounds like they have.

Mark Faldmo:

They have, they've enhanced what's included at the beach club. They added Aktun Chen to it. The water park's always been there because they own it and it's adjacent to most of their hotels. They really have tried to enhance that and give a lot of value, and there is a lot of value in that.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Oh, yeah. Which resort did you stay out again? I stayed at El Dorado Royale. Okay. So let's talk about the different resorts then. Let's start with El Dorado Royale. Let's go over all their properties and who they're aimed at.

Mark Faldmo:

El Dorado Royale is an adult's only, and they really focus on romance. And it's very culinary driven. One of their restaurants there is Campai, which is a an Asian Thai food. One of my favorite restaurants in all of Mexico. That seems weird because when I go to Mexico, I really want the Mexican food. They do really good at their um Asian food. Of course. Um and El Dorado Royale is really good for honeymooners or those that want to do a destination wedding. When we were there, the five days we were there, I think there were four weddings going on at the hotel. So they're really good at that. What's the next property? The next property is the Casitas Royale. This is right next to the El Dorado Royale. In fact, it used to be part of the same hotel, but they grew it so much that it's now considered its own hotel space. Adults only, they have kind of more private casitas. They have buildings that have four rooms in them, and there's eight to sixteen rooms around your own private pool.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Oh wow.

Mark Faldmo:

For for just your casita section, you have your own pool and bar all right at the beach front. They have my favorite perk, which is the outdoor shower. Um, I absolutely love that.

Patrick Wiscombe:

There's something different about showering outside than it's just like it's a shower. But it's not. It's a totally different experience. It is, yeah. All right, what's the next property?

Mark Faldmo:

Uh next one is the El Dorado Seaside Suites. You've stayed there a few times. I have, and I really like this one. Again, adults only has a modern design, quiet beaches. But what I like is all rooms have an infinity pool, even all the way up to the uh, I think sixth floor. Oh, that's right. They were all built with an infinity pool. Um, so you have pool access right from every room in the property.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Oh I'm afraid I'd never get out of the water. And it's shaded too, if memory serves.

Mark Faldmo:

Yeah, it is shaded, and I love to just go sit there and look at the ocean. Oh, yeah. Get a higher floor room. Yeah. All right, what's the next one? Uh the next one is the El Dorado Maroma, which is again adults-only beach front. It's on the famous Maroma Beach. It's adjacent to the beach club that we talked about earlier. What I like about this one is it's smaller. It has about 160 rooms, almost boutique-ish, but it has been ranked as the most romantic hotel in Mexico. So this one is perfect for honeymoons, anniversaries. They also do weddings there. This is actually the resort that I honeymooned at. They do have a section that does have outdoor showers and private infinity pools as well on every level of one of the buildings.

Patrick Wiscombe:

So oh, just one of the buildings. Just one of the buildings. Okay, so the seaside suite has all of the rooms. Maroma just in a building.

Mark Faldmo:

In one of the buildings, uh, which makes up about half of the rooms on property.

Patrick Wiscombe:

So far, I'm just hearing adults only. Is there a family-friendly place?

Mark Faldmo:

Yeah, so the the family-friendly place is uh Generations Riviera Maya. It's an all-suite family and multi-generational friendly resort. It's oceanfront. It's kind of like the seaside suites where almost every room except for the very top level has an infinity pool or pool access. You can do one to three bedroom suites there. So you can get the family. I remember I went with Heather and myself, my parents, two of my nephews, and we were in a three-bedroom suite. What a great experience. Oh, yeah. You know, every room comes with butler service, you know, as we've often talked about. We don't know what to do with butler service, but but they have butler service. Those are the resorts of Lomas Hospitality in El Dorado with that more inclusive program.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Congratulations on the award, seriously. Before we go to break, is there a promotion? I'm assuming you came back with something.

Mark Faldmo:

Yeah, there is. And this is to Mexico and the Caribbean. Save up to five hundred and fifty dollars when you pay in full and book by December 31st. So about two weeks left on this promotion. Um, and then travel is I think after March 1st on this.

Patrick Wiscombe:

A little bit of a about a 90, 120 day wait on that one. Window, yeah. Okay. Take advantage of that. Congratulations on the award. Really. Thank you. Especially if you weren't expecting it. Although I am a little upset that we couldn't do the show from down there.

Mark Faldmo:

Yes. Well, we'll we will do it soon, so they will invite us down.

Patrick Wiscombe:

You'll have to send the show to them so they can hear what we talked about. Take advantage of that offer. Call Mark in the office, just get the conversation started. No obligation. 888-718-7717-888-718-7717. And he'll also post this on BluePlanetVacations.com. When we come back, it is time for the infamous Just Cruising segment. The segment of the show that has made us famous around the country and around the world. This week we're talking cruising out of Port Canaveral, Miami. Virgin Voyages is getting into the status match game, and we'll be talking about cruising in Alaska. And of course, we've got the cruise deal of the week. That is next. When the Inside Travel Talk Podcast or radio show continues, alongside my very tan friend, Mark Faldmo. I am Patrick Wiscombe. Thank you so much for listening. Give us about 60 seconds. We'll be right back.

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. This segment of Inside Travel Talk is sponsored by El Dorado Spa Resorts. Escape to Cancun's Riviera Mayer with authentic, all-inclusive luxury at an El Dorado Spa Resort. To book your romantic beach getaway, contact Blue Planet Vacations at 888-718-7717 or Blue Planet Vacations.com now back to the Insight Travel Talk Podcast and Radio Show. Presented by Blue Planet Vacations.com. America's best travel advisors. Call or text the show right now at 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700. And check out the podcast at InsightTravel Talk.com. Here's Patrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Hello there, I am Patrick Whiskey alongside Mark Faldmo of Blue PlanetVacations.com. Coming up in this segment of the show, it is the infamous Just Cruising segment where it's only about the cruise news and only about cruise deals. If you want to go on a cruise, listen up and thank you for listening. And to all boarding the show right now, may I just say, Ahoy, mate? Ahoy. Let's get right into the cruise news headlines. Let's get to Port Canaveral versus Miami. This feels like one of those MMA bouts. In this corner, Port Canaveral versus Miami. In the other corner, what news do we have on this?

Mark Faldmo:

Port Canaveral has edged out Miami to be the world's busiest cruise port. Really? Miami's crazy busy. That is saying a lot. It is, yeah. So Port Canaveral recorded a record 8.6 million passenger movements in the fiscal year 2025.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Nikki and I were four of them.

Mark Faldmo:

Yes. Yeah. And compare that to the port of Miami, which was 8.5 and a half million. Um, so Port Canaveral had a 13% year-over-year increase in ship calls. One thing that Port Canaveral has over Miami is there are some cruise lines that leave from New York that actually call on Port Canaveral as a port of call. That's why so that gives some of that midweek when you might not find a ship in Miami. You'll find a ship or two in Port Canaveral because cruises coming from New York use that as a port of call.

Patrick Wiscombe:

I think Miami visually still more spectacular. What's the famous island?

Mark Faldmo:

Star Island.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Yeah, Star Island. Downtown Miami. Man, that's special down there. That's beautiful area of the country. Virgin Voyages is getting into the status match game. What's this about?

Mark Faldmo:

Yeah, so Virgin Voyages will match um your status with any other cruise line. So if you have a higher status with a cruise line, they will match it. Also, if you happen to have a Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Australia airline status, they'll match that status as well. Oh, interesting. Uh so Virgin will match every cruise line except for MSc. The reason is because MSC has a similar status match program already, which allows you to status match with hotels. And so I guess they don't want you to status match with hotels. That's why MSc is left out because MSC's is a pretty broad status match where Virgin's is mainly related to cruise lines and other Virgin products.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Okay. Let's stick with Virgin Voyages here for a minute. Virgin Voyages debuts a new Alaska summer season pass for 2026. So coming up next year, what is the season pass?

Mark Faldmo:

Virgin is new to the Alaska market, so 2026 will be their first season in Alaska, and they now have a season pass which will allow you to spend 30 days on board ship exploring Alaska. Whoa. And so they have four departure dates May twenty eighth, June twenty third, July thirtieth, and August twenty seventh that you can purchase for the thirty day season pass for Alaska.

Patrick Wiscombe:

How many ports do you? Go to or do you just visit the same ports over and over? I can't imagine they do that.

Mark Faldmo:

It's just back-to-back seven-day cruises. Oh, okay. But Virgins, since they're newer into the market, not every itinerary is the same. You'll visit lots of the same ports, but it's still a good way to really if you like Alaska. I would do that. Oh, yeah. I did I did back-to-back Alaska same itinerary two years ago.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Yeah.

Mark Faldmo:

And I loved it. So I think I could do that four times in a row.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Yeah, I think so too. When Nikki and I were on Norwegian's Bliss, we went for seven days. I'm like, it's over? Man, I could do this for at least another week easily.

Mark Faldmo:

So Virgin is allowing you to do that.

Patrick Wiscombe:

You're the owner of Blue Planet Vacations.com, who's the sponsor of this show. But you just came out with another website. Yeah.

Mark Faldmo:

So since we're talking about Alaska, I thought now is a good time to announce this. I just launched a website, which is Alaska Cruise Guru.com. So AlaskaCruiseguru.com. And it specializes in Alaska Cruises. You know, that's one of my passion cruise destinations. I love Alaska's. I just said before I could do several back-to-backs and do that. So this website is all dedicated to everything Alaska Cruise. There's a section for small ship adventure and luxury cruises, you know, which we don't talk a lot about on this show, but there is a whole section that just focuses on those small ships and adventure cruises. There's a section that just focuses on Alaska Cruise tours. So if you want to see the interior of Alaska, and then just lots of good information about Alaska cruising, Alaska specials and promotions on that website.

Patrick Wiscombe:

There's probably two things that you're guaranteed to enjoy cruising in Alaska and probably going to the Caribbean. Alaska is special. If you're looking for a good first cruise, you cannot go wrong with Alaska. You will absolutely enjoy it. You will. Yeah. Let's get to the cruise deal of the week. And we did receive a text from Charlotte during the break. So let me give out the studio and the text number. 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700. Now, if you have travel related questions during the week or while we're on the air, text us, call us. All of these go to Mark 801-649-3700. Charlotte was asking during the break, I want to go on a Christmas markets cruise next year. So I guess that'd be what 2026? Yeah, I guess. 2026. She's asking, when should I reserve the cruise? The short answer is as soon as possible because they sell out very quickly. What is the best itinerary and cruise line? Is her question.

Mark Faldmo:

Reserve it asap. Yeah, really. Um there are several departures I was looking at for 2026 that are already sold out. So most of the river cruise lines are reporting their Christmas season for 2026 is anywhere from 40 to 60 percent sold out. So so if you want to go in 2026, reserve it as soon as you can.

Patrick Wiscombe:

We're not telling you to for sales purposes, they really do sell out that fast.

Mark Faldmo:

They do, yeah.

Patrick Wiscombe:

They're one of the most popular itineraries. Who would you choose? Alma or Avalon or both?

Mark Faldmo:

Yeah, I would choose both of those. Those are my two favorite river cruise lines. I've been on four other river cruise lines, and I prefer AMA waterways or Avalon waterways. As far as the Christmas markets, when you're choosing a cruise, I would try and choose a river cruise that includes Nuremberg, Heidelberg, or Cologne. So Nuremberg's on the Danube River, Heidelberg on the Rhine, and uh Cologne is also on the Rhine River.

Patrick Wiscombe:

I still want to go to Cologne just for the uh cathedral.

Mark Faldmo:

Yeah, it it's amazing. And then as far as the rivers, you know, if you're looking at the Rhine, it's a little bit quieter, more kind of story brook type towns, castles, vineyards, more of like Christmas village vibes. The Danube has more capital cities, bigger cities, diverse cultures, sightseeing, and lots of different Christmas markets to choose from.

Patrick Wiscombe:

If you only could do this once in your lifetime, which one would you choose?

Mark Faldmo:

I probably would choose the Danube. That's my favorite. Although I've not done the Rhine enough to really experience that and and say, you know, I think the castles on the Rhine and also Heidelberg, whether it's Christmas markets or not. Heidelberg's one of my favorite cities in that area to visit. So it would be really hard to choose if I had to only choose one.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Um okay. Well, then what are your picks for cruises? Meaning the Danube or the Rhine. Who would you use?

Mark Faldmo:

So I would use Alma Waterways on the Danube. The Christmas markets cruise I would choose is the iconic Christmas markets, and it runs between uh Budapest and Nuremberg. One of the highlights on that is the Christmas market in Salzburg and also the night Christmas market in Vienna. Part of this cruise, you arrive in Vienna a little bit later, and so you go right off after dark to the Christmas market. So that'd be cool. So that's one of the highlights.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Because you're already amped up. You're like, yes, I'm so excited to be here. And then to just head off into the night. That'd be cool.

Mark Faldmo:

Yeah, and then um I would choose the Avalon Waterways, Christmas on the Romantic Rhine, and this one runs between Amsterdam and Basel in Switzerland. This one includes Cologne, Rudesheim, Strasburg. Strasbourg also has a pretty good Christmas market, but then it does include Heidelberg and the Christmas market in Heidelberg, which is my favorite. If you're into Hallmark movies, my wife is, so I watch them on occasion. There is a movie, I think, called Christmas in Heidelberg. It's a little town square, and it's a perfect place, I think, for a Christmas market.

Patrick Wiscombe:

There's something about plaid and women in Hallmark movies that just is a magic combination.

unknown:

Yeah.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Let's get to the uh the cruise deal of the week. What are the promotions that we have?

Mark Faldmo:

Avalon Waterways has free or reduced airfare. And this is for all cruises, not just Christmas market cruises. Most of the Christmas markets have a discounted air and they aren't part of that free airfare promotion, but it's still an overall really good deal. And then AMA Waterways is save up to $2,500 per stateroom. And this is on most cruises that AMA offers. Most of the Christmas markets are anywhere from uh $500 per person to a thousand per person. They don't really have to discount the Christmas Mark cruises as much.

Speaker 2:

No.

Mark Faldmo:

And again, a couple of the early December Christmas market cruises for both of these and other cruise lines are already sold out. So if you're wanting to go on Christmas market cruises, book it right away.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Yeah. Charlotte, I'm just going to give you the number right now. 888-718-7717-888-718-7717. You can also get the contact information at BluePlanetvacations.com. You can listen to this award-nominated podcast or radio show, even though we haven't won, each and every Saturday and Sunday morning right here on this radio station and all radio stations around the country starting at 11 a.m. local time. And you can listen to this show again by streaming it right on the website or subscribing to the podcast on insidetraveltalk.com. All podcast platform links for the show can be found on insightraveltalk.com. Well, we've done our job. It is now your turn to get out and travel and see the world while you can because you never know what curveballs life is going to throw at you. We say it every week. Live your life deliberately, live your life intentionally, live the life that you want to live. And a sincere thank you, a genuine sincere thank you for listening. We don't have a business, we don't have a show without you. So thank you. Make it a great week. We will talk to you next weekend.

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 Whiskey 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. Contact Blue Planet Vacations at 888-718-7717 or BluePlanetvacations.com.