TravelStories Episode 4: Cruising

Milenomics ² Podcast - No Annual Fee Edition

Editor's Note: Episode 3 of Travelstores only appeared on the Milenomics Patreon Feed.

How To Get the Most Out of Your Cruise

Key Points From This Episode:

• Today’s topic: How to get the most out of your cruise.
• The COVID-19 pandemic and how it affected the cruise industry.
• How the state of the cruise industry has changed over the past year.
• The most popular time to go out to sea.
• Why cruises can be seen as an economical travel alternative.
• Where most people are going on cruises right now.
• How the pandemic offered a unique opportunity to enjoy emptier cruise ships.
• The mindset shift you should make if you want to adopt cruising.
• Some of the most convenient benefits of cruises.
• The type of high-quality entertainment you can experience on cruise ships.
• The less enjoyable aspects of going on a full-capacity cruise.
• Tom and Trevor reflect on their Baltic cruise and what they appreciated about it.
• Why European cruises allow for a more authentic experience.
• Tom’s experience on his first Norwegian Cruise Line cruise and how it compares to Royal Caribbean.
• The differences between reserved and freestyle dining.
• Learn about the manufactured spending opportunities that you’ll find on a cruise ship.
• An overview of the variations in casino experiences on different cruise lines.
• The exciting benefits that you receive from casino loyalty reward programs.
• The opportunities for free and substantially discounted cruises if you don’t like gambling.

Episode 04: Show Notes.

When the COVID-19 pandemic first caused global lockdowns in early 2020, cruise lines were one of the many hard-hit industries that had to close down virtually overnight. Now, in 2022, the world has opened up considerably, and many industries have returned to pre-pandemic levels of operation (or close to it). Today on the show we discuss some of our most memorable cruise experiences and how cruise lines have recovered over the past year. Listening in, you'll hear Tom give a detailed breakdown of the loyalty programs that gave him access to free and discounted cruises and how that allowed him to spend over two months at sea in 2022. We reflect on how the pandemic created a unique opportunity to experience much emptier cruises, and what we’ll be missing now that they are back in full swing. Our conversation also covers the types of entertainment you can expect, the best ways to dine, and how to shift your mindset for the best cruise experience. If you’re curious about the world of cruises and how to make the most of your next trip, then be sure to stick around for this illuminating conversation!

Tweetables:

“Cruising is almost unrecognizable from the state that it was in, in December of 2021.” — Tom Kim [0:01:06]

“You have to make a mindset shift when you adopt cruising as something that you want to do.” — Tom Kim [0:05:54]

“I've gotten dozens of free cruise offers from the casino loyalty program. And you don't have to gamble that much for them to start offering you stuff.” — Tom Kim [0:35:43]

“Now that the ships are back to 100% capacity I think the casino offers are getting a little less generous.” — Tom Kim [0:45:31]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Royal Caribbean

Norwegian Cruise Line

Carnival