Inside Travel Talk

Kauai, Maui or Big Island? Plus Vancouver Tips & Alaska Cruise Deals

• Mark Faldmo & Patrick Wiscombe • Season 3 • Episode 49

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Prices at Disney are about to move like airline fares, and we unpack what that truly means for families weighing magic against budgets. We lay out how dynamic pricing will shift day-to-day costs, why flexibility becomes a superpower, and the simple planning moves that protect your wallet without sacrificing the fun. Then we pivot to the airport checkpoint, where the TSA’s modernized alternative identity verification program introduces a new fee for travelers without Real ID—and what you should do now to avoid paying it.

We open the map to Hawaii with a listener question that hits a timeless dilemma: which island fits your style. Kauai’s dramatic cliffs and waterfalls, Maui’s polished mix of beaches and Haleakala sunrises, and the Big Island’s lava-to-rainforest extremes each offer a distinct flavor. We share practical ways to choose, from pace and scenery to budget and crowds, and how to plan smart routes that match your base so you spend time exploring, not commuting.

Before you sail to Alaska, Vancouver deserves a night or two. Bike the Stanley Park seawall, snack through Granville Island, brave the Capilano Suspension Bridge, and ride up to Grouse Mountain for views and trails. For easy embarkation, Pan Pacific and Fairmont Waterfront sit beside Canada Place, with Auberge’s boutique charm a short walk away. Ready to cruise? We spotlight a June-value Princess roundtrip with sharp balcony pricing and a 10-day Azamara northbound that trades big-ship bustle for rare ports, longer stays, and Hubbard Glacier time.

We even line up a timed offer: save up to $650 on Hawaii and Mexico vacation packages for 2026 travel when paid in full, if booked by December 14. If this guide helped, follow the show, share it with a travel buddy, 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 Disney's dynamic price changing coming to its theme parks. Hey. Traveling to Hawaii, Alaska cruises for 2026 will also help you save up to $650 on Hawaii and Mexico vacations. The Inside Travel Talk Podcast radio show, presented by BluePlanet Vacations.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 InsideTravel Talk.com. And now, here are your hosts, Patrick Wiscombe and Mark Faldmo.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Your attention, please. Your attention, please. We are officially less than three weeks away from Christmas. Prepare your credit card to get warmed up, and we're gonna help you spend some of that money on travel. Welcome to the Inside Travel Talk Podcast Radio Show. Hi there, I'm Patrick Whisker. The entire purpose of this radio show and podcast is to help you plan and book your next vacation or just give you some ideas of where you may want to consider going on vacation next. And we are presented, proudly presented, by BluePlanetVacations.com, Mark's company. And just a sincere thank you for taking the time to stop and listen. This week we are talking about Disney's dynamic price change coming to all of its theme parks or most of its theme parks. I don't know how I feel about this, Mark. We're gonna talk about traveling to Hawaii, Alaska cruises in 2026. Plus, we're gonna help you save up to $650 on Hawaii and Mexico vacations. It's good to have my co-host here. How are you doing, Mark? I haven't talked to you all week. I'm actually in Cancun this week, so I'm on a nice, warm, sunny beach right now. So you I forgot that you were down there. Well, no wonder I haven't talked to you all week. Yeah. Not that they don't have phone service down there. I just I forgot that you were going down.

Mark Faldmo:

Yeah, yeah. I'm at uh El Dorado Resort. So one of my favorite places to stay. I am at their uh annual meeting and award ceremony. Are you getting a major award? I am getting a major award.

Patrick Wiscombe:

You know what I'm talking about, right?

Mark Faldmo:

I do. I uh you know, I'm actually planning a trip that is gonna go to the Christmas Story House in Cleveland. Oh, awesome. This summer. So uh baseball and uh sports trip, but part of it involves Cleveland, and we're gonna go to the Christmas story house.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Well, let's get right into the travel news headlines. Let's start with probably the biggest announcement of the week, which was Disney is announcing major dynamic pricing changes coming to its theme parks. Basically, if I've got it right, if it's more busy, they're gonna charge more, and if it's less busy, they'll charge less.

Mark Faldmo:

That's correct. You know, one of the biggest complaints over the last few years is Disney has become too expensive.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Oh, well, it is.

Mark Faldmo:

Um it is very expensive. Last April, Bob Iger addressed the issue saying demand is high, and then at the same time he announced they did a survey in the park. 2,000 participants showed that 24% of those visiting the park went into debt. So Disney is high and people are willing to go into debt to go. One thing Disney is gonna try and fix that, and it's still gonna be expensive, but if you're flexible, you might be able to find better deals on different days. So they are gonna switch to dynamic pricing, which means one day you might go in and it might be a hundred dollars, the next day it might be eighty dollars, the following day it might be a hundred and sixty dollars. Just depends on the demand for the park and also what other competing parks are doing. You know, right now Disney has set pricing and it can't change once they announce that. So they just have three seasons low season, shoulder season, high season, and then each day within that is priced at a different price.

Patrick Wiscombe:

So in holiday season.

Mark Faldmo:

Yep. So Friday, Saturday, Sunday are priced more than Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Yep. But now it's just gonna all go into a uh dynamic pricing, and it'll be what it is on the day you choose to purchase.

Patrick Wiscombe:

This feels like wheels of fortune. All right, let's spin the wheel. And it's just expensive. Yeah, yeah.

Mark Faldmo:

Bankrupt. It'll be expensive no matter what, but airlines have been doing this for a few years. A couple hotels have gone to dynamic pricing. It does kind of help even out park attendance. So there will be people that switch to different days, it'll help that flow, I guess. We'll we'll see how that works.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Yeah, we'll keep an eye on this story because I have a feeling that this is not the end of the story. Yes.

Mark Faldmo:

Yeah.

Patrick Wiscombe:

The TSA is planning a real ID workaround. What are the details on this?

Mark Faldmo:

We've talked about real ID on the show several times. It was recently implemented, but those without real ID are causing issues at the airport.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Okay, so real ID is basically your driver's license with that uh that yellow star, basically.

Mark Faldmo:

The y the yellow star or passport. So if you do not have a real ID, this first started out as you would have to pay $18 and go through a registration, hopefully, before you get to the airport. If you don't have that receipt, you'll have to go out of line, fill that out, pay the real ID compliant. It's called the modernization alternative ID verification program. So you'll you'll have to do that.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Say that again. What's it called?

Mark Faldmo:

Modernized alternative identity verification program. Oh boy. You know it's the government making things complicated. Um when they first announced this about 10 days ago, it was $18. I just saw a story yesterday that when it goes in, it's gonna be $45 per person. Oh, so they're you're gonna get hammered then. Yeah, and that is only good for 10 days. So every 10 days you'll have to renew that if you don't have a non-real ID driver's license. All right. So make sure your driver's license is compliant or travel with a passport to avoid paying that fee.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Okay. Well, they've been saying get real ID for a while now, so for 20 years.

Mark Faldmo:

It it took them 20 years to implement that program.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Yeah. It it sounds like the government. We have a caller question from Darren, and he got a hold of the show, and you can too, by texting or calling the studio 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700 is how you get a hold of the show, so we can answer your travel-related question. Darren is asking, I want to go to Hawaii, Mark. Well, I do too, but Darren does. I've been to Waikiki, or as Siri says Waikiki, and wants to go to a different island. Which island should I go to? I know what you're gonna say, probably. You're gonna say Kawaii. Well, you're gonna say all of them, but Kauai is probably your own.

Mark Faldmo:

I'm gonna say all of them. Yeah, good. So the other choices, Kauai, Maui, Big Island, all good. Kauai is good no matter which island you choose, I think. Yeah, but Kauai is known as the Garden Island, unmatched natural scenery. Yeah, uh, it's the most lush and dramatic of the islands. You know, the Nepali coast on the south side of the island is amazing. Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.

Patrick Wiscombe:

By the way, underrated. That was quite a ride getting up there. That uh, you know, that two-lane road that goes up. Spectacular. Just on the way, well, on the way up and the way down, but just yeah, it's it was awesome.

Mark Faldmo:

It's amazing. And Kauai has the most waterfalls of any of the islands. Laid back, uncrowded, perfect for travelers that want a slower pace, fewer high rises. Um, in fact, there's not a real tall building on the island.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Now that you say that, yeah.

Mark Faldmo:

So it's you know, kind of an outdoor paradise. My favorite thing there, there's a river kayaking. You go up through the set of Jurassic Park, you can get secluded beaches, you can go hike around one side, get to some secluded beaches.

Patrick Wiscombe:

By the way, the latest installment of Jurassic Park called Jurassic World, pretty good. I would rank it maybe number two behind the original, maybe somewhere between two and three.

Mark Faldmo:

I actually watched that on the plane down to Cancun. Oh, did you realize after Kawaii? What would be your choice? Maui. So Maui is kind of you know known for luxury beaches and romance. It's probably the best all-around experience. Beautiful beaches, lots of upscale resorts in both Wailea and Kaanapali. You know, one of my favorite hotels in all of Hawaii is the Grand Wileia.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Yeah. Oh yeah. Isn't that east of Lahaina?

Mark Faldmo:

It is. I don't know my directions, but it felt kind of on the south shore, but it's on the other side of the island. So Maui has some of the iconic adventures. The road to Hana, Haleakala, which is great for sunrise and a bike ride, right, Patrick?

Patrick Wiscombe:

Yeah. Well, we went in electric car up to Haleakala. It was spectacular. You're above the clouds. It is amazing. I was genuinely blown away at how much elevation there was on Maui.

Mark Faldmo:

Yes.

Patrick Wiscombe:

It you just go up, up, up, up, up, and it just keeps going. Amazing.

Mark Faldmo:

Haleakala is a little over 10,000 feet. Um which is you know the size of our mountains here in Salt Lake, but it goes clear down to sea level, so you're getting an extra 4,000 feet uh to that.

Patrick Wiscombe:

So it's worth going there just for that.

Mark Faldmo:

The last island, the big island. This is probably my favorite island. I would have a hard time choosing between Kauai and the Big Island. But the Big Island has the most diverse landscape. Oh, yeah. Lava fields, rainforests, black sand beaches, green sand beaches, waterfalls, you know, one of my favorite waterfalls, a caca falls there. And you can even get snow on Mauna Kia. Um, I I've been there. It's really interesting to be sitting on the beach and it's 80 degrees and look up to Mauna Kia and it's topped with snow. Volcanoes National Park on the big island is probably one of my favorite uh things to do in all of Hawaii, probably other than the Polynesian Cultural Center. But I love Volcanoes National Park.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Yeah, and it's uh it's going off right now, too.

Mark Faldmo:

It is. I actually keep seeing those stories like let's just go over there for a day and see the volcano.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Watch it probably turn to steam when we when we land.

Mark Faldmo:

You know, like Hawaii, the big island's a little bit less crowded, but it can be more affordable, and it's great for explorers if you want to just get out, drive around, and explore. There's lots of places you can explore on the big island.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Darren, call Mark in the office. 888-718-7717. 888-718-7717. Now let's get to the actual travel deal of the week, and we're going to help you save up to 650 bucks. So it's save up to $650 on Hawaii and Mexico vacation packages in 2026 when paying in full with a credit card and travels between February 1st, 2026, and December 14th, 2026.

Mark Faldmo:

And so, you know, this is something Darren can use as well. One thing this does have to be booked by December 14th. So we're we've got about a week left of this. Hawaii and Mexico vacation packages. Just travel anytime in 2026 as long as it's after February 1st.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Take advantage of it. Call Mark in the office. Here's the phone number again, 888-718-7717-888-718-7717 is how you get a hold of Mark. He'll also post this on BluePlanetVacations.com. And of course, there's no obligation. Just get the conversation started, but get out and travel while you can. Coming up in the next segment, it is time, it is time, 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. We'll be talking about Rocket Man. Not little Rocket Man, just the Rocket Man. AMA Waterways is set to unveil some new adventures in Africa. And we'll also be talking about Alaska cruises from Vancouver 7 in 10 days at the height of the season for a killer deal. That is next when the Inside Travel Talk Podcast or radio show continues. Alongside Mark Faldmo, I am Patrick Wiscombe. Thank you so much for listening. We will be back in about 60 seconds.

Show Voice:

Taking you to destinations around the world. The Inside Travel Talk Podcast and Radio Show is presented by Blue Planet Vacations.com. America's Best Travel Advisors. Call or text the show now. 801-649-3700. 801-649-30700. 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 Maya 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. Presented by Blue PlanetVacations.com. America's best travel advisors. Get us up right now. 801 649 30700. 801 649 30700. And check out the podcast at InsideTravelTalk.com. Here's Patrick and Mark.

Patrick Wiscombe:

And to all listening, welcome aboard and ahoy mate. Ahoy. Coming up in this segment, we'll be talking about Rocket Man on Norwegian's Luna. We'll give you the details here in just a moment. And we've got special travel promotions cruise deal of the week, which is Alaska Cruises from Vancouver. We've got a seven-day deal and a 10-day deal that you'll want to listen up for. But let's quickly jump back into the cruise news of the week. And let's start with uh Rocket Man, Elton John. Norwegian cruise line is going to debut the Rocket Man, a celebration of Elton John on Norwegian Luna.

Mark Faldmo:

They've always had one of these music performers on board. Some of the other ships they have Revolution, a celebration of Prince. But on this ship, they are doing Elton John Rocketman. And they're also adding another show called Haiku, along with this, which is a sci-fi show that blends uh cirque artistry with mixed reality visuals. So new entertainment options on the brand new Norwegian Luna.

Patrick Wiscombe:

By the way, just a shout out to uh the piano man, not Elton John, but the guy who sings lots of Elton John, guy named Scott Gurney, who was on Norwegian Bliss. I'm not sure which ship he's on right now, but got to know him when we were in Alaska. And man, dude can sing and he can play Elton John very, very well. We have another caller question. If you have travel related questions, get a hold of the show. Here's the phone number. You can call us while we're on the air or just during the week if you have travel related questions. So we can get your question on the air. 801-649-3700. 801-649-3700. And this is from Angie. She is booking or booked. I think she booked a cruise departing from Vancouver. She wants to know if oh, this was the call that you got earlier this week. That's right. Yeah. She wants to know if she should go early, meaning to Vancouver. Is Vancouver a good city to sp uh to spend time in prior to a cruise? The answer, Angie, is yes. Vancouver is amazing. Absolutely go.

Mark Faldmo:

And as far as cities that you can spend in pre-cruise, Vancouver is one of my favorites. San Juan is also up there. But I love going to Vancouver early. Lots of things to do there. Some of my favorite is to walk or bike the seawall in Stanley Park. I love Stanley Park, and just outside the park, there's a bicycle rental where you can just go ride through the park, and that seawall is quite amazing. Granville Island Public Market, great place for breakfast and lunch. Dozens of little shops, food places, waterfront patios. Just a great place to visit. And then my two favorite things to do there Capalano Suspension Bridge Park. You can go over the bridge, and there's little things to do, trails and different things to do on the other side of the bridge. It's funny, I like to sit at one side of it. People walk about 10 feet and turn around and can't go across the bridge because it's it's uh see-through all the way down and to walk across that and it moves a little bit. And then I like going to the uh Grouse Mountain Skyride in Gondola where you take it up. It's a ski resort, but in the summertime you can go up to the top of that. Hiking trails lookouts, they have a lumberjack show, they have a grizzly bear rescue that is up there. There's zip line and rope course, and also restaurants with great views up there on top of Grouse Mountain. And it's just a nice city. I've always liked Pacific Northwest City and Phil, and Vancouver is certainly a great city for that. There's also really good food there. One of my favorites, actually, both of these that I'm gonna give are in Gas Town, which is the old gas-lit area, and it's kind of a throwback uh to the early 1900s. One of my favorite restaurants there, it's called the Flying Pig. Um, and it's local comfort food, where my favorite thing there is pulled pork poutine. Um, you have to get poutine when you're in Canada. Of course, yeah. They also have I'm a big creamed corn fan.

Patrick Wiscombe:

You know what I am too?

Mark Faldmo:

They have really good creamed corn. Otherwise, it's a lot of fish and some steaks and pork troughs, a little bit of a higher-end restaurant, but very good. And then when I say this, people are gonna laugh. No, but there's a reason why it's the old spaghetti factory.

Patrick Wiscombe:

You know what? Old spaghetti factory is still one of my favorites.

Mark Faldmo:

I love it. And 1970 is when old spaghetti factory first opened in Vancouver, and that's the original old spaghetti factory.

Patrick Wiscombe:

I'll have the uh creamy pesto and the meat sauce, please. Yeah, that's what I go for every time.

Mark Faldmo:

So I always go there.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Whenever Nikki and I travel, we always try and find an old spaghetti factory.

Mark Faldmo:

Yeah, you're gonna have to go to Vancouver and go to the very first one. If you're going for a pre-cruise, there's some hotels that I'd recommend. The first one is the Pam Pacific in Vancouver. It is literally across the street from Canada Place, uh, or adjacent to Canada Place, not even across the street, it's on the same side of the street. You could walk from your room to the terminal in two minutes. Oh, so it's real close. So it's real close.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Oh, wait, so you could pick up the cruise there, if I understood that right.

Mark Faldmo:

Yeah, if you're doing the cruise, you just go right there.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Oh, good idea.

Mark Faldmo:

The other one is the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel, and it is across the street. It is a luxury hotel, so it'll be a little bit more expensive, but it is a very nice, well-located hotel. And then just about a block and a half away from the cruise terminal, it's the Auberge Vancouver Hotel, and it's a boutique style hotel. It's a little bit more cozy, not a big resort, and it's a little bit less expensive than the other two. So you're not spending kind of that upscale luxury money, but still a very good location.

Patrick Wiscombe:

And she's already booked her cruise, if I've got that correct.

Mark Faldmo:

Correct.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Okay, so for everyone else listening, this is now the cruise deal of the week, and we've got seven and ten-day tours of Alaska from Vancouver. Let's start with the Princess Cruise. Let's do the seven-day first.

Mark Faldmo:

So this is a round trip Vancouver cruise. The best date is June 30th, but they're similar pricing through most of June.

Patrick Wiscombe:

And that's the height of the season, too.

Mark Faldmo:

And that is, yeah, June 9th is another date that has the best pricing. But you know, June 30th is the one I would choose. Again, round trip Vancouver goes to Ketchikan, Juno, Skagway, and Endicott Arm. Um, so a fairly typical Alaska cruise, but for a June date, this is where it gets good. Inside prices, $699 per person. Oh, that's so good. Balcony cabin, $1,219 per person. Wow. For a summer date to find anything less than about $1,800 is quite good. Yeah. And this one is $1219 for a June 30th departure date. Wow. Um, and that is on the Emerald Princess. Is that what Angie booked? No, she booked a north and southbound cruise. Um, she's just starting in Vancouver.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Okay. Let's go to the 10-day northbound cruise. When is this and what cruise line is it on?

Mark Faldmo:

So this is a June 1st date and it's on Asmara Cruise Line. Some people may not be familiar with Asmara Cruise Line. So just a quick overview of Asmara. Um, Asmara is a boutique cruise line. They have four ships. They're kind of mid-sized ship. They each carry about 700 guests, so it's a smaller ship designed to be more like a hotel at sea rather than kind of that mega ship experience. The main thing they like to offer is destination immersion, longer port stays, overnight calls, visits to smaller, lesser-known ports that the big ships can't visit.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Yeah, because they're just too big.

Mark Faldmo:

They're too big. And so, you know, they really focus on service, but kind of relaxed and elegant. I chose this one purely because of the itinerary. And it is a northbound cruise. So it leaves Vancouver, has a day at sea, and then Ketchikan, and then it goes to a place called Kalawak. I think I'm saying that correctly, which is on Prince of Wales Island, which is an island that's across from Ketchikan. And then it goes to Sitka, Skagway, Icy Strait, Haynes, Hubbard Glacier, Valdez, and then ends in Whittier. So there are two ports on that that most Alaska cruises don't go to. And I like that it combines both Sitka and Skagway.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Yeah.

Mark Faldmo:

There's really only one day at sea.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Oh wow. It is port intensive then.

Mark Faldmo:

Yeah, plus Hubbard Glacier is also a day at sea, but you're in Hubbard Glacier for most of that day. So and that one, an inside cabin starts at $1849, while a balcony starts at $2859 per person. A smaller ship, a little bit more upscale, but an amazing itinerary for that 10 days.

Patrick Wiscombe:

Oh yeah. Especially for June. That's incredible. Take advantage of those offers. Call Mark in the office, just get the conversation started. 888-718-7717. What a great time to be alive, to go travel the world. Just get out and do it. Get out and see the world. Call Mark, 888-718-7717. You can listen to this award-nominated radio show and podcast, but never winning. Each Saturday and Sunday morning right here on the very radio station you're listening to right now. And this show airs around the country on all radio stations starting at 11 a.m. local time. And if you want an encore presentation of the show, you can subscribe to the podcast at inside travel talk.com and stream the show right there as well. Insidetraveltalk.com. And we have all the podcast platform links for the show can be found also at inside travel talk.com. Well, we've done our job. Now it's your turn to get out and see the world, 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. Really, we don't have a show, we don't have a business, we don't have anything without you. So thank you for taking the time to do this. Make it a great week. We'll 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. Inside Travel Talk is brought to you by Anna 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 Blue Planet Vacations.com.