Lido Loop Podcast
Lido Loop is a podcast dedicated to the joy of cruising, theme parks and travel. Hosted by Jack and Jesse, these two blend travel insight, industry news and personal stories to inspire your next adventure.
Lido Loop Podcast
The Lido Loop: Get to Know Jack & Jesse
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Jack and Jesse are back with a brand-new episode of the Lido Loop!
On this week’s show, the guys dive into the latest cruise news, including updates on a potential new cruise terminal coming to Galveston, Royal Caribbean extending its decision to skip a popular cruise port, and a discussion about Netflix’s new cruise-related show Shipwrecked.
In the theme park and travel news segment, Jack and Jesse discuss Busch Gardens announcing a closure date for Kumba, an incident at Universal Studios that left guests stranded on an attraction, and an Allegiant Airlines flight from Phoenix that was forced to return after a bird strike.
Finally, the guys take some time to let listeners get to know them better as they share their cruise and theme park experiences, including why they love cruising, their first cruises, favorite ships, memorable (and not-so-memorable) travel moments, dream cruises, favorite theme parks, and the vacations that have helped shape their love for exploring the world.
Tune in for another episode filled with cruise news, theme park updates, travel stories, and plenty of Lido Loop fun!
Welcome to this week's episode of the Leto Loop. I am your host, Jack McCraw. With me, my good friend, Jesse Barbosa. How are you doing today? I'm doing good. How was uh your uh casino trip? Well, I've done worse, but I've also done a lot better. I ended up losing about $100, which that's not terrible by some other times I've been to the casino, but I have no luck in Louisiana. I think I just need to stick to Vegas. Which casinos did you go to? We started at La Berge and then we went to the golden nugget. And this is Lake Charles, by the way. So, you know, you're in the Houston area, it's a short two-hour drive, and you get real casino games just like you would in Vegas. So you get, of course, Buffalo, and then of course you get the Dragon Link, which that's mostly what I played, and some Goldfish as well.
SPEAKER_01So what machines did uh you donate your money to? Um my favorite one was Goldfish.
SPEAKER_00Like where yeah, yeah, where the fish, you know, keep getting bigger and bigger. I finally one of the fish broke the bowl, and I got a whole $10 bonus. Wow. So yeah, we were really breaking the bank, and I had to be you know escorted out by security. Uh, other place I do have luck is on cruise ships. And Jesse, what's the latest and greatest in the cruise news?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so uh it seems like Galveston will be getting its fifth terminal. Uh, and Royal Caribbean has extended a non-stopping at a popular cruise port. And also, we're gonna talk about the new Netflix show, Shipwrecked.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, all about that Casa Concordia, which you know I had to do my research on before we talk about that topic. It's definitely a very sad and very interesting thing that we're gonna discuss. On the theme park side of things, Bush Gardens has announced closure for Kumba, their long-lived floorless roller coaster attraction. We'll tell you all the details about that. Plus, a Universal Studios attraction leaves 70 riders stranded. We'll tell you which ride it is and why that ride should be torn down in the first place. And then, of course, an allegiant flight out of Phoenix was forced to turn around after hitting a bird. We'll give you all the details about that. And something special in today's episode, we are going to talk about us in the sense of more of a get-to-know me and Jesse podcast. So stick around for that and much more on this week's episode of the Leto Loop. So, for those of you new to this channel, welcome. We are the Leto Loop where we like to talk about all things cruising, theme park, travel, casinos, and much more. We always like to start the show with the cruise news. So, Jesse, I'm hearing that Galveston will actually be expanding here soon. You want to tell us a little bit more about that?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so Galveston, everyone knows, is the fastest growing cruise port in the United States. Uh, and they have now decided that they're gonna add a fifth cruise terminal. This fifth cruise terminal is gonna be right between MSC's and rural Caribbean's current cruise terminal. It's gonna be on uh on Pier 14, it's at the east end of the port. Uh, it's mainly there just because of how fast it's growing. Uh, they actually did a traffic study uh and they actually released it so you everyone can read it on here. They've released it on the Chronicle. Um they concluded that that the new terminal should have only a minimum impact on surrounding roads if planned improvements, such as longer turn lanes and updated traffic signals are made. I know earlier this year, Jack, we were talking about them using AI assisted uh lights. I'd what do you think? I think that would definitely help the traffic.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean, I imagine AI getting into traffic. It's like, okay, these people can go, these people can go. Instead of just a timer or a plate, I think that could definitely help alleviate a lot of the traffic in that area. And it does seem like Galvison is capable to have another cruise terminal. Now, you and I were kind of talking off air. Galveston is an island, there's only so much room that they can expand. It feels like after this, there's not gonna be a whole lot of room to expand, don't you agree?
SPEAKER_01It's definitely gonna be harder, I think. I think it's gonna be more costly. It's they're gonna be having to buy up existing land with like existing buildings on it, and which I mean I I'm definitely fine with that. Um, because I was looking at these numbers, Jack, and it shows that in 2026 they're expecting 3.9 million cruise passengers. And by 2045, they're expecting 10 million, so it's gonna over double in size in what? How many years is that? That's like twenty about twenty years, nineteen years. So they're just think about how big it is now, and it being double in size in 20 years. That's crazy thinking. Like, where are they gonna put all these cruise terminals?
SPEAKER_00Or I don't know, I have no clue. I mean, I know the cruise terminals are kind of on the back of the island, so you know, it's almost seems like the cruise part is gonna like be very close. I mean, it's already close-ish to downtown Galveston, and then and with Seawall, Pleasure Pier, and other tourist attractions not far from that. There's only so much room that you can grow on an island, and I do agree with your point that there is land around there that they could purchase or you know, they could obtain so to continue to grow, and it's it's it is kind of insane to think about. Number one, the tourism industry at Galveston is exploding, and also the cruise industry itself is like one of becoming the one of if not the most popular cruising destinations here in America, and Galveston is certainly seeing the rewards of that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and a lot of people don't realize that we're not just talking about cruising too. This thing about they're gonna have to have more hotels, more people, they're gonna have more restaurants. That means the whole island itself is just gonna be massively growing because let's face it, Galveston Island, its big thing is cruising. Everyone knows that. And how fast it's growing, they're gonna have to be able to keep up with that for sure.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean, I love to see it because you know, Galveston is the closest port to us, and it serves, you know, the main part of the Houston area. So the fact that this many Houstonians are going to Galveston and people around the country and maybe even a little bit around the world are coming here to go on a cruise, that's awesome. And I love to see it for the city.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so this is is expected for economic impact. They're expecting additional 1,500 new jobs, approximately 278 million in additional direct business revenue, about 91.5 million in personal income, roughly 8 million in additional state and local taxes. So, yeah, I mean it's a win-win for uh Galveston. Right now, it seems like rural Caribbean will be taking over this port, uh, which they definitely need it, because I mean they have they just built this brand new nice port. I think it's only been open, what, a year, maybe a year and a half. Um so I definitely can see them like like you said, icons gonna be coming in. Um all these other ships are gonna be coming in that they definitely need it.
SPEAKER_00So speaking of Royal Caribbean, they have extended ships not to enter a certain popular cruise port, Jesse. What port might that be? And do you see this uh stoppage in going to this particular place lasting longer than expected?
SPEAKER_01So Royal Caribbean announced that they will no longer be visiting Labi Haiti until th well through June of 2027. The cruise line has extended this because of uh severe gang violence and political instability. Instability, Jesse. That's the word you're looking for. There you go. The US State Department still maintains a level three do not travel advisories for Haiti. Royal Crimean says the decision was made to protect the safety of guests and crew. I don't know, because man, I guess Royal Crimson and this have not been winning lately with these private destinations, right?
SPEAKER_00No, first it was perfect day in Mexico, and now this. I mean, to be honest, aside from the coastal towns, I I I'm even then I really wouldn't advise anyone to go to Haiti with everything that's been going on. It feels like ever since the earthquake hit in 2010, the country really has is still rebuilding from that, and you know, just the amount of gang violence and political uh uncertainty is probably the nicest term I could say. Uh it's definitely not a country that you probably should visit. It's probably better just to go to Dominican Republic instead on the other side of the island. But, you know, even though they own this private destination in Haiti, I I feel like it's it just has to be a safety issue because what's to stop these, you know, gangs from going onto this private destination and you know harming the tourists.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think the biggest thing is that they're they're fine with the destination because they do have walls and they do have security. It's the fact that not everyone wants to be in, they can't they can't like keep everyone within the destination, you know. Everyone wants to venture out and do other stuff, and they can't promise your safety on those areas. So, I mean, it definitely makes sense. So rural Caribbean has now suspended visits to Labby for more than two years now. What do you think, Jack? Do you think that they eventually should just return it back to Haiti? Or do you think rural Caribbean should be investing in like a new private destination somewhere else in the Caribbean?
SPEAKER_00I would say somewhere else in the Caribbean. I mean, like we said earlier, Haiti has I mean, even before that earthquake, Haiti really has not been that great of a country. I get it, it's a beautiful Caribbean island, but uh I imagine that uh at some point Royal Caribbean's gonna take a serious look at it, even though they own it and just see what they can get for it, and then just you know move on from it. Because I mean with the amount of political uncertainty, like we said, who knows how long this, you know, who knows how long this will last in Haiti.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, just I mean, just once they do go back to the island, just imagine they're probably gonna have to replace everything. And unless they have security there all the time maintaining, making sure everything stays, you know, people out of the island or out of the area. I mean, they're gonna have to replace all the loungers. I'm sure they're gonna replace everything. And if they're not maintaining it right now, they're gonna have to replace everything for sure.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so I think that they're operating right now at a net loss, and you know, who knows what the future will hold, but I don't think it's very certain that Haiti will ever return to what it was way, way, way before all the issues that they're having right now. So another issue that we kind of wanted to talk about was the new Netflix show, Shipwreck. Now, it was about the cost of Costa Concordia and the tragedy that happened in the Mediterranean. Jesse, you and I both watched the show. I want to hear your initial thoughts on it and you know, break down what happened with that captain. Did we not learn anything from Titanic about going too close to rocks, regardless if they're ice or not iced?
SPEAKER_01That show like really did not do good for the cruise industry. I mean, if you talk up to anybody why they don't go on cruises, they always bring up either this or they bring up the poop cruise, right?
SPEAKER_00Of course. Like those are probably two of, if not the most infamous, like modern day cruise tragedies. And then you'll see something like, oh, uh Carnival tail ship got caught on fire. Yeah, on the freedom. It called them twice, actually, by the way. Oh, nice. So they have a reputation now, so shout out to Carnival Freedom. And then, of course, they always pull out the Titanic from 1912. So, yes, these are incidences that have happened on you know ships transporting passengers, but you've been on so many cruises. I mean, there's it's it's you know, people that are afraid of flying because of plane will something happen with the plane. The chances of that are so unlikely. I think you're more likely to hit a cow on a street than have issues on a cruise ship or in a plane.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, exactly. And just like, you know, if anyone says, hey, I'm driving to the store, we don't say, Oh, I don't drive because you know, I might, you know, you know, run into that cow.
SPEAKER_00Run into that cow.
SPEAKER_01The cow's looking for you. Yeah, I mean, so I mean, it's one of those things is like, first off, enjoy life. Like it if you're you know that like scared of doing anything, just you know, stay in your room and you know, don't go to work and just you know, live in there and live in the bubble. Live in the bubble, yeah. But what's crazy about this is so unfortunately 32 people did die on this, but honestly, this was a hundred percent preventable. What do you think? Do you think it's preventable?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, after watching the show, so just to kind of do a quick recap, the captain wanted to do a sail by for this island, and it was out of the recommendation of someone, I think that we they said I think it was like the their their mistress, but they didn't say it in the show. But other I have heard reports that it was a mistress that he wanted to do this because she was from there, but the show and then the YouTube documentary I saw didn't mention it, so maybe that's added, who knows? But he he manually ordered the ship to go closer and didn't use like the navigational you know beacon to try to avoid the rocks. And you know, when they finally realized the error, it was too late and they hit the rocks, and then it started the ship started going sideways. But there was so much more that made it so much worse. You want to talk about that, Jesse? Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_01Like there's so much things like I watched on the show, like as soon as it hit, some people knew like immediately, like something's wrong, you know. So then they lost power for a little bit, and then so a bunch of people started showing the muster station, and then the captain they had the captain had, I guess, someone that worked on the cruise ship, I think probably the cruise director announced, hey, everything's fine, go back to your cabins, which was a horrible idea. At that time, he actually knew that there was water in the ship. But I'm guessing, I'm guessing he thought because how ships work at the bottom of the ship, they can actually block stuff off so that the water doesn't rise, you know, keep going up and up and up. But apparently that wasn't working because it eventually sunk. And if you see the pictures, all it was completely on the side. Uh, one of the funny parts, or it's not really funny part, was what happened to the captain. Can you tell what happened to the captain?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so on two separate occasions, he made two pretty bad blunders that could have actually saved these people. Number one, like you say, go to your room. The other one was the Coast Guard actually called them, say, Hey, we're reporting an issue, and he said, No, everything's fine. We're just having experiencing a blackout. Of course, the Coast Guard didn't believe it, so they sent someone over to the ship once they realized that the Coast Guard actually did a really great job of trying to save a lot of these people as much as they can. And then there's actually audio of the Coast Guard yelling at the captain because Jesse, the captain abandoned ship because you know, he said he fell into a lifeboat while he was, you know, trying to assist other people. I don't I I don't know how that happens. I was like, I don't think like I don't think anyone would ever believe that. Like he fell and then he was like perfectly dry, right? Yeah, he was perfectly dry on the island, just hanging out with all the other passengers. And and I actually did see the Coast Guard that said, Well, I need you to go back on there to make sure everyone gets off.
SPEAKER_01And he refused like multiple times to get back on there.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean, if you're a captain of a vessel, you at least be the last person off the ship. You know, the old saying, captain goes down with his ship. In this particular case, he caused the ship to hit the rocks. So at least the most he could do is take responsibility for his actions and help as many people get off board, but instead he abandoned ship. And yeah, I you know, he faced a pretty decent amount of jail time too for that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think he's actually still in prison right now as we speak. Um so I mean, so both of these so Costa definitely falls under the Carnival umbrella. It's actually owned by the Carnival Corporation. And then the year after what happened the next year, Jack?
SPEAKER_00The poop cruise that I missed by two years, darn.
SPEAKER_01I do admit, if you're you know, if you're trying to get a cruise in 2014 or 2013 at the time, and you're like, huh, who am I going cruise with? I'm not gonna lie, I probably wouldn't have done carnival either.
SPEAKER_00I think it would have paid a little extra money to go to Disney or you know, Royal Caribbean, because you know, hey, you know, the mouse ship isn't stopping anywhere, it's not gonna hit any rocks.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, but I mean, like, in all seriousness, like, yeah, this is 100% preventable. I I mean, I wouldn't say never, this would never happen again because it actually ended up costing Costa $2 billion. And like me and you were talking, Jack, off-air, like it took a billion dollars to build the Jubilee, Carnival Jubilee, so they could build two ships to what they had to do to get the ship out and all the damage that they did.
SPEAKER_00I mean, I think most of the money had to come from just the transportation and the taking apart of the ship, because I think you and I were also talking about like they had to like float the ship above the water to try to get some of the water out to move it to a port where it can be disassembled. Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_01And and I definitely saw all the videos of what it looked like the before and the aftermath of the water. It's crazy the amount of damage that salt water can do to a ship once it hits the interior of it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean, and it's kind of crazy that these modern day tragedies still happen with cruise ships, but like we were saying earlier, you are far, far, far more likely to have something worse happen to you than something like this happen on a cruise ship. And as, you know, you and I who've been on you know multiple ships, I I I can't remember an issue that I've ever had with the exception of rough water, which you know that's kind of not really the cruise's fault.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And like I said, I definitely think that it's preventable, and it I doubt it would happen anytime in the near future.
SPEAKER_00I feel like some of these people who are afraid of cruises are also afraid of roller coasters, which, you know, kind of brings me to this next point. Well, well, first things first, you're also more likely to hit hit a cow instead of fall off a roller coaster or something happen to you. But nothing will happen to you on Kumba because it will be closing on August 2nd. Now, Kumba is a beloved floorless roller coaster. I compared it a lot to Superman at Fiesta Texas, and uh, you and I did get a chance to ride it back in 2019. It was a little rough, even back, you know, then. So I imagine it's only gotten worse. But you know, the roller coaster itself is over 30 years old. So actually, it's it's as old as me, 32 years old. How about that? And it will officially, like I said, be retiring on August 2nd. Now, Busch Gardens has been investing in their parks. So I I know that there's gonna be some sort of good replacement for this because that's one thing this Sea World Corporation does is they've been really trying hard to be a more so a roller coaster park than that happens to have animals, that happens to have sea life. And Busch Gardens is no exception, as you know, you and I have been there, and it's one of the I would say it's one of the top five best parks I've been to, wouldn't you agree?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. It was it was actually a lot a lot more fun than you would expect. I I'm not gonna lie, but you would think uh have that they haven't released anything about like what's gonna replace it, because you would think that if they're tearing down a roller coaster, they're gonna have an immediate replacement, right?
SPEAKER_00I mean, this is also the same company that closed down this right Gwazi, which is a wooden roller coaster, and then waited almost five years to announce that they're gonna convert it into an RMC, similar to how like the Rattler became Iron Rattler. Sorry if we use Fiesta Text our portal reference, but yeah, that that is our home park. But yes, I am expecting a brand new state-of-the-art coaster to be built after Kumba is torn down, so it probably won't be until late 2027, if not early 2028, especially the land where Kumba sits on. There's just so much land that they could they honestly could build two Kumbas with the amount of land that they have back there.
SPEAKER_01Still offering free beer right now?
SPEAKER_00Yes, they are offering free beer. I think it's if you're a pass holder, you can get two, but if you buy a single-day ticket, you get one. I mean, it's only like a seven-ounce pint, but I mean, hey, free beer is free beer. I guess you can keep going back and forth in line and you know, go once, shave your beard, and then go back, and then you know, buy a mask, and then you know, keep getting more beer that way. But yes, but as of right now, Busch Garden is still offering free beer, and I hope to visit here soon. I really want to ride Iron Guazi because they say that it is one of, if not the best, RMC coasters ever built. And I think it's actually taller than Iron Rattler, and it I know it has more inversions, uh, but yeah, Busch Gard going back to Busch Gardens is definitely on my bucket list. But another Florida park making headlines, Jesse, is Universal Studios. Now, you haven't been to the Studios park, you went to Islands of Adventure, but what if I told you there is a ride based on a certain late night talk show host that might be one of, if not the worst, theme park rides ever built. Which ride are you talking about, Jack? I'm talking about Jimmy Fallon, and apparently 70 people were stuck on the ride, which by the way, it's not really a ride, it's more like a 4D theater. That's why when it says 70 people. It like they were they were stuck in like an upright position. It's like no one was hurt, and you know, I honestly that might be one of if not the worst theme park rides I've ever been on. I mean, the Fast and Furious ride that they had that they're closing down for good finally was probably number one. Jimmy Kimmel's number two. This is why I always recommend going to islands instead of studios. Now, Studios does have some pretty good parks, or excuse me, has some pretty good rides, like the Mummy Roller Coaster. Okay, it's no Velocicoaster and it's no Hulk. But if it's probably the best ride over there, Men in Black's a fun ride. They got the Simpsons ride, but there's just so much to do over at Islands. Like I you you would choose Islands over this, wouldn't you?
SPEAKER_01Oh, yeah, absolutely. I mean, I haven't even been on it, but I've seen enough videos about it that Islands of Adventures is definitely the park to go to.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. And you know, the other park that I've been wanting to go to is Epic Universe. And I think we're eventually trying to go next year. You know, I think you talked about like if we have that one theme park day, we gotta try Epic, especially because your son is a big Mario fan, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I would like to do two days. I would honestly love to go back to Islands of Adventures and then Epic, but if not, we at least got to go to Epic for sure.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. Yeah, Studios is it's such a skippable part. Like, I would only do Universal Studios if you had the Park Hopper or like a three-day. Yeah, and you have their third day and you have a half day where you can go to studios. And there's more better shows, like it, there's a lot more history there, the ET attraction. Uh, they have like the Born Stun spectacular. They do have a little DreamWorks land for kids. So, you know, your little ones love Shrek or you know, Puss and Boots or Trolls. Don't take them to Universal Kids, take them to Universal Studios. Same same price, pretty much, at this point. I know we kind of went off topic, but uh, so how long were these people trapped on the ride? So, from everything I'm reading, it didn't seem like there was a prolonged, you know, waiting for to be evacuated. I'm sure it was just you know your typical theme park attraction that breaks down. It just happened to be in an upright position. So, you know, the casting crew had to go in there and just you know awkwardly bring these people down. I'm sure it was like one at a time, so it was probably a little bit of a tedious situation, but it wasn't you know hours like it we have talked about in previous you know shows of being stuck on a Starflyer or the Iron Shark at you know Pleasure Pier, speaking of Galveston. But yeah, I think that this should be the nail in the coffin for this ride. I'm not a big 40 like movie goer experience anyway. So I think with this particular ride, it needs to be done something else. Like no more movie shows. Let's actually have an actual ride with animatronics. What do you say? Oh yeah, absolutely. I mean is it is it I haven't wrote of this, but is it similar to like the dark coasters or no? No, it's so it's not really a coaster at all, it's more like a 4D theater. Uh I would I'm trying to think of the closest thing. Think Harry Potter, but without the mechanical I even then that's kind of a bad example. Um, yeah, I I think the closest thing I could say to this, it's like if you go to your local movie theater and they have like the 4DX seats, but the whole theater moves instead of just your seat rocks back and forth. Okay, I can visualize it a lot more now. Yeah, and then you can also see you know Jimmy Fallon himself riding through New York. I mean, do you even watch late night talk show anymore? I don't I don't know if anyone does anymore. Like, I mean, we talk about the Muppets on the show being in an obscure reference, and I feel like late night talk show is right in the same boat. I mean, I think Kimmel and Fallon are still up there, but I mean if you told me they weren't, I would totally believe you that I have not watched late night TV in God knows how long.
SPEAKER_01So, another news, Jack, apparently Randy Johnson just had a flight out of Phoenix.
SPEAKER_00What's funny is that, you know, for the astute baseball audience listening, Randy Johnson, great Diamondbacks pitcher, won the World Series with them. A flight out of Phoenix going to Wichita had to make an emergency landing in Phoenix after it hit a bird. So the incident Allegiant Flight 694 departed Mesa at 3.28 p.m. bound for Wichita and was forced to turn back after hitting a bird. So the pilot safely navigated the return and landed the aircraft, normally allowing it to taxi under its own power. No injuries were reported, and you know it but a bird really how big was the bird? I mean, the article doesn't say what kind of bird it was, or I don't know. I think I think it's a pterodactyl. It had to been to derail the whole plane. Uh or it didn't derail the plane, I shouldn't say that. It made the derail the plane. Yeah, yeah. It really went off the tracks on that one. Anyway, no, the the whole situation is just kind of weird. Imagine you're trying just to get home, had a long vacation in Phoenix, you just want to go home to Wichita, a bird hit your plane, oh, now we gotta get you a new plane. Would you be pretty upset by that, Jesse? Oh, yeah, absolutely. The biggest story though is did the bird survive? I would say the bird did not survive. So just like what happened with Randy Johnson when he hit that bird in spring training, this bird hit a plane, did not survive. Randy Johnson was not the pilot, by the way. Apparently, it was you know someone else. I'm sure there's gonna be some sort of connection there. So yeah, I I just think of like annoying incidences like that. I mean, the poor bird. We rest in peace, bird, but I don't know what it is there like a bad you know delay story that you have for your flight. I think you said your flight got canceled whenever you went to Miami a couple years ago.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, originally that was with Frontier when I booked Frontier. That was a first and probably the last time I I tried to book with Frontier because man, because I how I work how I schedule is I schedule my time like as soon as I get off work pretty much, I'm head directly to the airport. I kind of maximize my vacation. So and then they changed my flight completely to like early morning, and I was like, I can't do that.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah, you can't take an extra day off work, darn.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, exactly. And they did it like two weeks before we were we're about to fly out, so like we had to like change flights immediately, and we had we booked Spirit, and it was a lot more expensive because Frontier decided to do that to you, yeah. Because of course, closer to the air airline flight the flight, you know, the tickets go up, of course.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and I would say that my own personal experience of delays, you know, sometimes it's not you know the planes, it would never hit a bird. Uh, I had a two-hour delay in Orlando also with Frontier, but that wasn't Frontier's fault.
SPEAKER_01Of course, it's probably mainly weather, you know, when especially during the you know winter time, you know, there's they they have tons of delays at all airports. Uh I know in Galveston, I mean here in Houston, uh, I of H, we always get a lot of wind and rain delays. That's the biggest ones.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's for me when I go home, there's usually more delays than when I'm actually going somewhere. Yeah, that's what it feels like. You're right, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01Houston is probably one of the least delayed, I mean, delayed flights, I would figure, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we it was funny. I'm going a little off topic, I know again, but last year we had a layover from Chicago to Tampa. I don't know why we had that layover, don't ask. But the there was a storm rolling through, and it seemed like we were about to have to stay the night in Tampa, but luckily we were able to leave in time. And especially with Florida, with how unpredictable the weather is. I it's almost like it's not surprising when delays do happen. And I kind of wanted to bring that point up because this last segment we're gonna do is the get to know us. So, you know, as we know we say in every intro, I'm Jack, that's Jesse. We've been friends for God knows how long, 20 years probably. Yeah, absolutely. And I don't I feel like we should have done this segment like one of the first episodes, right? Yeah, well, we had to you know make sure we get our audience, you know, hey, they're interested in us now, so now we can actually talk about ourselves.
SPEAKER_01Oh, that uh I guess that makes sense.
SPEAKER_00See, you know, now we're pulling back the curtain and you know, talking about our personalities, man.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, we pretty much so we pretty much met. Actually, his dad was my baseball coach, and yeah, and I kind of picked on Jack a little bit and we ended up becoming friends.
SPEAKER_00Well, he became friends with me so that way my dad would start you at pitcher, which you know he did. Yeah, and you know, you played a little second, first base, and I was just stuck in right field, you know, picking daisies. No, you're a secondary bench. Secondary, you're right, you're right. I was the bench warmers bench warmer. Exactly. But yeah, no, we decided to start this podcast from it was actually your idea. And you you know, you and I both like to travel, you and I both like to go on cruises and theme parks. So we found that there's not really an audience for both. You know, if you go to YouTube, you can find plenty of cruise specific or plenty of theme park specific channels, but there's just not really a good podcast for both. So we decided to bring our two ideas together and that thus the Leto loop was formed. Uh so I do have a couple questions, you know, kind of get to know us a little bit, Jesse. Um, how about, you know, pretty broad one? Why do you like cruises?
SPEAKER_01So actually, so my first cruise, I know this is another next question, but I'm gonna answer both in the same one. Is so the first time I took a cruise was in 2016.
SPEAKER_00We actually did it for me and my wife's uh anniversary that happened like is that where you lost your wedding ring and you still haven't found it since? That that's a story for another time. Depends on who's listening.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Um, so uh yeah, so we went in 2016 and then I fell in love with cruising. And then for a while we actually didn't go for I probably because we couldn't really afford to, I guess. We probably didn't go. And then we actually did a DC chip trip, me and you, Jack, and my family and all that. And I remember it was it was a lot of fun, wasn't it?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, because you know, we had that goal of wanting to go to all the ballparks in the in America, so we went to Baltimore and uh Washington National Stadium, then casino, of course. It was Maddie's idea. Go figure. Yeah, that was her one ploy to go, it's like, hey, I want to go to the casino. And you know, it was cool to see, you know, the Washington Monument and then the other historic DC landmarks, and we even saw the White House. But you said something that kind of made me realize that too, is you were so tired from that vacation, you need a vacation from your vacation, correct? Exactly.
SPEAKER_01And so now I kind of figure like because a lot of people realize that when you're cruising, you know that it's a more definitely more of an older crowd. I mean, I'm already I'm not I'm 33, I don't I'm not old, but I can understand why people older people cruise because it's cruising's all about relaxing. You can and there's different vibes of your cruise. Like if you want like a carnival, if you want to be with a party crowd and hang around the Leto deck or go to the nightclub at night, you can do that. If you if you're like me and hanging out at the tides pool or that area where it's not too rowdy, but it's not too quiet, like the Serenity deck or anything like that. What it like you can make the cruise the best of it, and you got a casino following you around everywhere you go.
SPEAKER_00It really draws you in, doesn't it? Yeah, for me, I personally like cruises just because it's a layback atmosphere, kind of like you said. There are days that you can just not do anything. You can get up, eat, lay on a chair all day, go eat dinner again, go to a show, gamble. Eat.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01Eat it. Did he mention eat again, Jack?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think I mentioned a couple times. Hey, you put a guy's burger and then oh, what was that barbecue place? Was it guys? Was it just guys barbecue? Guys picket anchor. Yeah, that's the one. Yeah. Best barbecue on a cruise ship. It might be the only, but one of one right there. But yes, uh, yes. Eating is definitely a good fun part of going on a cruise, but just the aspect of you don't have to do anything.
SPEAKER_01You have no worries, like you don't like you don't have to worry about cooking, you don't have to worry about cleaning, you don't have to worry about finding food anywhere, and always get the drink package because you don't have to find worry about finding drinks too. So it's like unlimited fun, limited over relaxation. You can kind of make it what you want.
SPEAKER_00Am I right? Absolutely. And to kind of answer the second question of the first cruise, mine was a carnival triumph, you know, way before poop cruise. You know, I was on it before it was cool, you know. And what what year was that? Do you remember? 2011. It was actually out of New Orleans because at that time, I guess Galveston was still growing, so it was very expensive to go out of Galveston. But New Orleans, uh, my parents actually I was 17 when I went on this cruise, so I wasn't really able to do much. But my parents were able to save a couple thousand dollars just driving to New Orleans, parking the car there, getting a hotel the night before, and going on a cruise instead of just going out of Galveston. So hey, I mean, and that's that's cool because that was also the I've now been to three ports because I know you've been to Miami, you've been to Cape Canaveral and Galveston. Yeah, and then my three is Canaveral, Galveston, and New Orleans, and that was a lot of fun because you know you get to cut go through the Mississippi River before you get into the Gulf of America.
SPEAKER_01And my yeah, mine I I did mention mine was in 2013, uh no, 2016, I'm sorry. You said 16, yes. Yeah, 2016, and it was on Carnival Freedom. So I don't know, man. That that first that first cruise, we actually it had to me it was the best itinerary. It was like Jamaica, it was the Cayman Islands, and then Cozumel. I wish that they would have those coming out of Galveston now. I don't know why they don't. They should have those those direct ones from Galveston, but you never see those in it ever again.
SPEAKER_00I'm asking you as a friend, did you go on that cruise? Because I also went on the Freedom in 2016. Yeah, like in January. So you just went a few months after uh I went because I went with your brother and his wife's family.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, you you went after me, I think. Uh or did it? Yeah, I think you went after me. I don't remember, but yeah, it was on Freedom, and uh we went in September, I think it was September, October, I think we went.
SPEAKER_00Okay, yeah, because I went, yeah, we had it in January because I was starting college, and yeah, your brother just asked me at the last minute, like, hey, do you want to go on a cruise? And I just happened to be off for college break. And it's like, and I heard so I heard some crazy stories about that. Yeah, let's let's yeah, we'll we'll save that for when it's off air. You just say there was a mannequin involved. Oh my goodness. Yeah, save it for the Patreon page. We can talk about it then. So was the Freedom your favorite ship? Or I know you've talked about the Jubilee. Is that your favorite ship you've been on?
SPEAKER_01So right now, I think, yeah, as of right now, is so it goes Jubilee's my favorite I've been on, then Breeze, then Freedom. I definitely Freedom, Glory, and Conquest are almost identical. I've been on all three of those ships. Uh I but I did like Freedom more, but maybe because Freedom was a longer ship, you know, Conquest and Glory, they were shorter, so they definitely like booze crews. So they definitely have a lot more rowdy crowd, as you can see. Oh, yes.
SPEAKER_00I remember my time with the Craps Table on the Glory. Uh but yes, there was a for me, I would say I think Freedom was. I mean, the Triumph I do remember, but it has been such a long time. It it's it's also between the Freedom and the Breeze, just because the Breeze, I like the slides a lot more because they had, you know, a funnel slide and they had I feel like they had more to do on top of the ship. The glory really didn't have that much. I did like that they have a nice casino, nice sports bar, but the breeze did not have a sports bar. They did have the red uh the red frog rum bar, yeah, which you know did does kind of count, but they don't have a sports specific one. And I know I'm weird in that aspect, but you know, for Carnival, most ships are the same, so I I feel like I'll just yeah, I'll sit on the fence. I'll say tie between Freedom and Breeze. How about that? Yeah, I mean, those are definitely two great ships for sure.
SPEAKER_01Uh, do you have a favorite cruise memory? Actually, yeah, I do. And this is kind of weird. I'll you weren't on those cruises with me, Jack. This was actually last time we were in Jubilee. I was sitting on the Red Frog, the because it's double decker red frog pub on the Leto deck. And I was sitting at the top, and it was 80s nights, it was 80s nights, and I was just watching my daughter and my my niece and nephew, they were like dancing, and I was like just watching them dance and how excited. I think my my uh niece actually won like best dancing award. You know, they gave her that the cruise director handed it to her, which is it was awesome. And that that was that was just my my favorite memory, just watching my kids dance like that.
SPEAKER_00I mean, and you do spend a lot of time with your family on these ships, and honestly, it's a good way to for families to bond. Well, one, where are you gonna go? You're kind of stuck together on a boat, but a lot of families do get closer after these like type of vacations, so that's why it's always recommend for families to go. For me, was it a craps table? Craps table is definitely up there. It's one of my favorite moments. What happened on the craps table? Uh, you know, I met some new friends, you know. And hopefully, you know, like those friends can come on the show, but you know, we'll see. We'll see. Um, yeah, no, that we actually had a lot of fun gambling, just all of us gambling together. That was definitely one of my favorite favorite moments. Uh, I sing karaoke in the main stage when we were on the glory as well.
SPEAKER_01I don't think I was there.
SPEAKER_00I don't know where I was at. No, you were somewhere else. It was me, Jacob, and Maddie. Oh, we went to uh we were it was like a name that tune competition, and they said, Who wants to sing? And it was the hanging by a moment life house. So that was kind of cool singing in front of a I did think I think I did see a video of that. Yeah, it wasn't great. I think did you send that to Americans Got Talent? Yeah, I got rejected actually. Yeah, it's if it was still, I mean, even though he's not on American Isle anymore, I think Simon Cow would have not approved of me in that aspect. Uh so yeah, I mean, Glory definitely had a lot of good memories, but you know, just being with either my family or you know, your family or you know, you and your family, those are always kind of my favorite memories and my favorite moments. Is there a cruise that you want to go on in the future?
SPEAKER_01So we're actually we're looking at doing it or pretty much set on doing it, but we haven't booked it yet. But we plan on going to icon when it comes to Galveston next October, we're thinking. We just looked at it because there's literally got six water slides on it. My kids will love that, and it just the design is way different than any ship that me and you have ever been on. It's completely different. It looks amazing. They literally have a flow rider on the ship.
SPEAKER_00That's so cool. And is that the one the ships that they have, like the cliff divers as well, like in the main stage?
SPEAKER_01Yes, they got the water in the yeah, yeah, the water, yeah, the divers that jump for way down. Yeah, they have all the water shows, they have uh ice skating ring on board. It's it's kind of crazy that you can have all that on board.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's like what can you not put on a cruise ship? I think is you know the icon, what people who build the icon are thinking about. And I've always loved to see that like greenery area that they have like in between the two towers.
SPEAKER_01Central Park, they call it Central Park, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I would definitely like to try uh an icon class ship. You have talked me into wanting to go on a MSc ship as well. Uh, I just wish that they had shorter durations because you know most of them are like seven or eight days. I'm more so a guy five to six days max for me. Uh but you know, I know you going on a Jubilee is like an eight-day cruise, which you know, I won't hear from you for like a week plus, and you know, you'll be alright with that. But yeah, I would like to try that. Maybe eventually Disney, but I know that one's pretty expensive, and I think I would, you know, but they don't have a casino. They don't so Maddie would never go. Yeah, no, she would not go on a Disney cruise. Uh or actually Alaskan cruise would probably be the number one on my list, just because you know, that's probably the only time I would ever go to Alaska is on an Alaskan cruise ship. That would be amazing. Uh so kind of going over to the theme park side of things. What theme park made you want to continuously go? Because that's kind of how we be when we became friends, we started really getting into theme parks at the same time.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think it all started actually with you when we went to Fiesta, Texas. Oh, what year was that? That was probably what 27, 08? Was it that far back? Oh, yeah, I guess. Yeah, we were still in middle school when it happened. Yeah. Uh that was actually that was my favorite. That was the first time I've been to Fiesta, Texas, and I loved that. I fell in love with that theme park, and I fell in love with Rolly Pushers at that time.
SPEAKER_00For me, it was Astro World, and I got to go at the very, very end of Astro World. I I went one time and I just don't remember too much of it. I I mean, you're probably not missing much because like towards the end of Astro World, it was pretty bad in the sense that you know that it was dirty park, but there were still a lot of good fun rides. And you know, I kind of wish that I would have gone a little bit more. Obviously, it was kind of out of my hands because at that age, you know, I was relying on my parents taking me to and from the parks. But after Astro World closed, that's when we started to go to Fiesta, Texas and Six Lags Over Texas. And you know, Fiesta, Texas is definitely the park that I've been to the most, and Six Lags Over Texas is a little bit more nostalgic to me. So for me, it was those two. But I also have to all this happened because I went to Disneyland when I was a little, little kid. I think it was like what year did Lilo and Stitch come out? Like 2002? Around then, yeah. Yeah. I think I remember seeing posters of Lilo and Stitch. That's why how I remember when I went to Disneyland. And you know, when you're young, like that's like some of my first memories there. So that's another reason why I do like the Disney parks, is just because it does have that nostalgia factor. When I went back to Disneyland, so what, 22 years. Later and see all the rides were still there and with some new added stuff was it was pretty sweet to me. Um and as far as you know keeping on the theme park side of things, what is the best theme park that you believe you've been to?
SPEAKER_01Uh it's definitely Islands of Adventure. That was it was just amazing how theming they keep up with the rides. It's not like Six Flags where you know they like kind of go downhill. Um yeah, Islands of Adventure for me. What what about you, Jack?
SPEAKER_00It's funny you say that because it's it's almost like someone who you know going from a Margaritaville cruise ship, no disrespect, to Icon of the Seas. Because it it that is the seriously the jump between Six Flags and Universal. Six Flags is you know, it's it's a regional park whereas Universal is a global destiny.
SPEAKER_01And it is way cheaper too. So I mean, don't get me wrong, I would if you think about it, you can literally go for a whole season cheaper than just a one day at Universal.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and uh they are so akin to that local market that they want people to come a lot and so that way they can have you know these people uh spend money on food. Yeah, exactly. I that's how they actually Six Flags makes their money. Uh for me I think my favorite park has to be Hollywood Studios over at Disney World because they got Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, they have Toy Storyland, Rock and Roller Coaster, we'll say it, and the Tower of Terror. I mean, every time I've been to Hollywood Studios, even though the ride lineup isn't nearly as big as let's say Magic Kingdom or you know Universal, I always have good experiences, especially with Fast Pass, because I didn't have to wait for any of the rides. Just I guess maybe people are underutilizing it. But my favorite Disney attraction is the Tower of Terror. So that's one of my favorite ones. You're smiling over there. What wait what do you gotta say over there?
SPEAKER_01No, no, no, no, I there's nothing. Um, but my yeah, my favorite theme park memory, honestly, yeah, like that first one, honestly, we went on uh and what we whatever it was, 2007, 2008 when we went to Fiesta, Texas. That was just because you know, the first time I went on vacation, we never went on vacation really growing up, so that was like one of the first times I did, and I had a blast.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, the favorite theme park memory, I think that's I would say just the childhood memories that made me like theme parks. I know it's kind of a catch-all kind of answer, but yeah, like Ryan getting over my fear of roller coasters when I finally rode the original Rattler, or you know, when I first went upside down on a coaster at at Astro World, you know, because when I was a little kid, I was very scared of coasters, and I I mean it's a common fear that people do have, but once I got over it, I mean I absolutely loved roller coasters. And you know, kind of going back to just vacationing in general, so besides cruising and theme parks, where have you always wanted to go on vacation?
SPEAKER_01So I've actually one thought about going to like one of the the Mexican, like the all-inclusive resorts. Because they definitely do seem fun, because it's very similar to a cruise, yeah. Cause I'm very big. Just not on a boat. Yeah, just not on the boat. But see, I like to move around. I don't I don't like to just be like sitting on the beach. Because to be honest, I'm not a big beach person. I like the thought of being on a beach, but until you actually see the water and it's like, oh, it's brown. I don't want to go in there. There's rocks here. Yeah, and then there's sand everywhere, and then like it's hot. You're dirty when you get back to the room, you have to shower. Yeah, and everyone that knows me that's actually cruising me, I go on the island for like an hour and then get back on the ship and like and keep enjoying my drink package.
SPEAKER_00I'm about to say, like, yeah, yeah, I think you got your free food when we went to Celebration Key, and you just got immediately back on the boat.
SPEAKER_01I mean, to my to my uh defense, that was like the the weather was so bad that day there.
SPEAKER_00It was because I think that even me, Jacob, and Maddie didn't last more than two or three hours there. The pool was cold, you know, the beach was pretty nice, but there was just so many rocks. I think Maddie kept complaining, like, where's the casino? We're a casino. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We told her there's no casino here. It says the Bahamas. I mean, even though it didn't feel like the Bahamas, but you know, we covered that in our actual first episode. This is kind of out of left field, but I've always wanted to go to Tokyo. And, you know, when we had Lindsay and Jasper on in our last episode, they talked about how they can go to Tokyo Disney Sea and Tokyo Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, and that's always been on my bucket list as well. And then, of course, you know, there's Universal and Osaka as well. Then but it did say no theme park, you just said no theme parks. You can do other things, but but you would go to the theme parking. Yeah, I was like, well, I I want it, I want to be there for the culture, you know. Go see the Godzilla statue. Like, okay, let's go. Um, a non-theme park. Ooh, that's a good one. Um, you know, I do like to travel for sports. So there I so for me, like I'm trying to go to all 30 ballparks. I've been to 11, so any sort of game where I can travel. Um my favorite place, you know, which is kind of the um which is my the next question is like do you have a favorite non-cruise theme park vacation is Vegas. And I like to go to, you know, they have hockey, they have the Raiders there, they I mean plenty of casinos. So I would say that's my favorite place, and also the place I do like to go to the uh where I want to go, even though I've been there before.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I I definitely would say Vegas as one of the best places I've been. Uh the only thing is I like to go on vacation with my kids and all that. So you can take the kids to Vegas. You could. You could. Just because you could doesn't mean you should.
SPEAKER_00But yeah, I mean drop them off at Circus Circus, you know, let them go play in the theme park over there.
SPEAKER_01But I I like I said, that's probably why I haven't been back to Vegas in a couple years. Um, but like I said, I like to go there. But with the kids, I really did enjoy when we went to DC and Baltimore because I love history. Of course, me and you both love history, and it was really cool seeing um, you know, the decoration independence. You have a crazy story on that, as it is.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, uh, we went to what was the National Archives Museum, and there was a mural of just everyone signing the Declaration of Independence. I thought, oh, that was a really cool photo. So I grabbed my phone, want to take a photo of it. Security approached me so quickly like I was a threat or something, and they said, You need to leave that right now. I was not even close to the declaration of independence. I was in the doorway about a hundred feet away. But if you're ever go see the declaration of independence, photos are strictly prohibited. And weren't you trying to steal the declaration of independence? Yeah, but then I ended up just buying one at the gift shop, you know. Oh yeah. They actually gave me a carrying case just like a national treasure. But that'll do it for this episode. I hope you enjoyed, you know, getting to know us a little bit more as to why we like cruising, theme parks, traveling in general. And we do enjoy making these episodes for you guys. So, of course, we plan on going on more cruises, theme parks, and just giving you the latest coverage and both those aspects, and of course, in traveling gambling as well. Jesse, do you have anything to add? A couple things I want to add. First off, Jack, is it true you cried when you saw the fireworks at Magic Kingdom? I'm just gonna say, you are not a man unless you've shed a tear once when the and during the happily ever after fireworks show. Jack, would you shed a tear at the birth of your child, though? Ooh. So are you putting fireworks above the birth of your child? Just as you put, you know, the last thing on a cruise ship above the birth of your children. I actually saw you like wipe both your eyes when it was they were saying the goodbye song. Yeah, that is definitely true. That is true. And then you immediately started your countdown for your next cruise. Um, you look, the fireworks are great at Disney. That's all I'm gonna say.
SPEAKER_01But yeah, if y'all if y'all definitely have any other things y'all want to know about us, uh please you know comment on our YouTube channel or our Facebook page, like what Jack mentioned. Uh, where else can you comment? Uh, I think you can comment on the podcast page. Spotify, I think you can too. Or uh, but yeah, definitely comment, let us know what you think. Uh, if there's any questions y'all have about cruising or theme parks as well.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and you brought up Spotify. You can find our podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon, wherever you get your podcast. Of course, the Facebook and the YouTube channel are growing, so we do appreciate all of y'all's support. And as always, I'm Jack, and that's Jesse. We will see you on the Leto Deck or crying at the Disney Fireworks because that's what real men do.
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