Intro

SPEAKER_02 0:02

Welcome to the Travel Agent, Disney and Beyond, your Canadian connection to theme park news, travel information, practical tips, and vacation savings. I'm your host, Stephen Payne. Coming up in today's episode, we'll continue looking forward to the holidays by discussing Disney's Jollywood nights at Hollywood Studios. Then I'll share some thoughts on the Daredeviler and Canada's Wonderland, talk about specialty dining on cruises, and wrap up the episode with an in-depth interview about beloved plan inheritance with the beach map, Relov and Baxter Bearing as well as Deals Dish. It is a full episode with lots of information to share. If you want more information about cruising and travel, including the latest cruise promotions and limited time offers, subscribe to my Expedia of Cruises personalized email newsletters. Simply click on Fan mail and send me your name and email address, and I'll add you to my mailing list for the newsletter as well as for show updates and information. You can also email your name and email address to the following email stephenatravelagent.ca. Stephen is spelled S-T-E-P-H-E-M. And make sure you spell Agent with an E H, because we're Canadian. That email once again is stephenatravelagent.ca. This information will also appear in the show notes. Let's

Mouse Minutes: Jollywood Nights

SPEAKER_02 1:22

begin with Mouse Minutes. Last week we talked about Christmas at Disney and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, which takes place at the Magic Kingdom. Now there are other events, I mentioned this last week. At Disney's Hollywood Studio, there is Jollywood Nights, and at Epcot there is the International Festival of the Holidays. Jollywood Nights at Disney's Hollywood Studios is a separately ticketed event. Just like Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. You can get admission to the parks starting at 5 30 p.m. But the party starts at 7 30 p.m. and lasts until 12 30 AM. So the party itself lasts five hours. But you can tag on a couple of extra hours at the beginning just for some fun park time. Now there is a different vibe than Mickey's very Merry Christmas party. At Jollywood Nights, it's more of a Hollywood spin on the holidays, or a movie type spin. Just like the park itself is, well, Hollywood Studios and was built with the idea that, you know, we were going to look at shows and movies, and that was going to be the basis of the theme for that park. The Jollywood Knights has the same theming idea. Of course, like all the parks in Disney during the holidays, there are going to be decorations. So for example, in Hollywood Studios, you'll see giant garlands draped over Hollywood Boulevard, or you'll see glowing reindeers hanging from the lampposts. So what are some of the events at Jollywood Nights? Well, to start, there's a stage show. It's called Disney Holidays in Hollywood. And it's held at the Theater of the Stars. The show is hosted by Kermit and Miss Piggy from The Muppets. And there are performances inspired by holiday television specials. These performances include appearances by Mickey, Minnie, Belle, and Tiana. If you go to the Hyperion Theater, you can view What's This or Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas sing along. If you are a fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas, you'll know that What's This is a song from that movie. And so what you need to do is imagine that you're in the theater singing What's This? Or you could be singing Sally's song while surrounded by Halloween Meets Christmas Decorations. And you can do that all while basking in the gentle snowfall. Sounds like fun, right? There's also a skating show called Glisten. This happens in front of the Chinese theater with projections on the theater, and skaters spinning, leaping, and dancing to classic holiday tunes and some original songs for Jollywood nights. There are other parties and events around the parks. For example, you can join a 1930s soiree in the courtyard of the Hollywood Tower Hotel. That is indeed one of my favorite locations. That's where the Twilight Zone Hollywood Tower of Terror attraction is. And I really love the theming in that attraction, which does go back to 1930s style. It's as if the events of the Hollywood Tower of Terror happened in the 1930s. So the Soiree is also themed the same time period. And there's going to be a live band playing swing hits from that era, and that sounds fantastic. It sounds like it would fit right in and certainly would be a fun thing to attend. Now, if you want to have some fun with the kids, that maybe isn't quite so horrifying. Well, I don't think it's horrifying, but it's just by the Tower of Terror. But you could join Edna Mode, Prozone, and Mike Wizowski for a dance party in Pixar Plaza. That sounds like fun as well. You'd be dancing to holiday classics, and there's probably going to be a little bit of a disco tinge to it. If you want to be classier, you can attend jazzy holidays at the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant. In that context, you would have live music, jazz music obviously, there would be holiday standards being played there, and there of course would be holiday decorations and special themed food. The problem with that one is that you would have to make a reservation to the Hollywood Brown Derby to be part of that event, and so that will cost you a little extra money if you're going to eat there. Now, as far as shows go, there is the big show called Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam. This is the equivalent of Minnie's wonderful Christmas time fireworks at the Magic Kingdom. But of course it's at Hollywood Studios. So the show center is not on the castle, but on the Chinese theater. There are projections on the theater, there will be lasers, holiday music, and of course fireworks. During the show, there's a story presented by Wayne and Lanny from Prep and Landing about a mission to rescue Santa, and you'll see scenes from classics like Beauty and the Beast, Mickey's Christmas Carol, and Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas. And there will be snowfall over Hollywood Boulevard. I have been to Hollywood Studios when the snow has flown. I've been there in the Hyperion Theater when they were doing the frozen sing along, and the snow fell there, and that was magical. Kids around me were jumping out of their seat, they were so excited when the snow started falling, and Elsa was singing Let It Go, the famous standard now. And the snow was flying and people were having a great time. Also, I have been out on the streets on Hollywood Boulevard when snow starts flying, and it is also quite magical and fun. Now, as with most of these events, there are character meet and greets. Many of them are quite unique. For example, you might meet Stitch dressed as Santa. That would be kind of fun. There's also Chewbacca celebrating Life Day. Well, you have to be immersed in Star Wars lore to know what life day is. Interestingly, it coincides with Christmas time. Or you could meet Baloo and King Louie from the Jungle Book, which doesn't happen every day at Disney World. Also at this time, many of the rides are open. That's uh a fantastic thing about these events. If you like to get on attractions without waiting a long time in lines, this usually provides the opportunity to do that. And there are some great rides in Hollywood studios. My favorite, of course, being the Hollywood Tower of Terror, but I have other ones that I really enjoy too. I really enjoy Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. I enjoy the Rock and Roller Coaster, which used to be Aerosmith, but is now the Muppets. I haven't been on the re-themed Rock and Roller Coaster. I hear it's good. There's also Slinky Dog Dash and other similar rides. And also in Hollywood Studios, you can go to the Galaxy's Edge, which is the Star Wars area. Finally, don't forget about all the special holiday treats that you can purchase. Every time there's a party, the people at Disney design special treats that are themed out for the holidays, and so there will be lots of holiday treats that you can get, but it's not included in your in your ticket, so you would have to buy those. So how much does all this cost? Well, tickets for Jollywood nights start at $169 USD and range up to $199 USD. And again, as I mentioned last week, their range is because they use dynamic pricing. So the price of the ticket varies depending on when you go. Most of the time, if you're going closer to Christmas, the prices will be higher. And if you're going during a weekday, the prices will be lower, or if you're going at a time that is early in the run, it'll be cheaper. And also there are dates after Christmas, which will likely be cheaper as well. So I'll just run through the dates for you, just in case you'd like to know. And remember, you can go to the show notes to see these dates. So Jollywood Nights runs on November the 7th, 14th, 16th, 21st, 23rd, and 28th. And it also runs in December, on the 5th, the 7th, the 12th, the 14th, the 19th, the 21st, and the 23rd. And if you'd like to go in the year of 2027, there are dates on January the 3rd and January the 5th. Now I've never attended Jollywood Nights, but I talk to lots of people who have been there, and I've also read a number of things online, reviews and so on, and there are quite a few people who like this event more than Mickey's very Merry Christmas time party. And I find that interesting. I think they like the vibe that is present in Hollywood Studios. Maybe it's a little more glittery, and maybe it's more uh movie-like, Hollywood-like, I'm not sure. But for whatever reason, people like the vibe, and they also really like the show. Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam. I mean, I like just saying the name of the show, so I can't imagine the show would be a letdown with that kind of a name.

Park Pulse: The Daredeviler and Wonderland

SPEAKER_02 9:57

Now let's move on to Park Pulse. This past week, on Sunday, I went to Canada's Wonderland, and I rode Daredeviler. Now Daredeviler is a refurbished ride. It originally was called Flight Deck, and once upon a time, when the park was owned by Paramount, it was called Top Gun. This ride became known as a ride that would bang your head in a bad way. Right? You would ride uh this roller coaster and it turned you upside down and went through some corkscrews and things like that. You ride in a uh a car that is suspended from the track, but as you got turned, flipped around and so on, it was a rough ride, and people would bang their head against the restraints, which included uh pieces that were by your head. So you'd bang against the restraints. And people didn't like that, and at some point they closed the ride down and decided they were going to reinvent the ride. And they did. And now this past week they finally opened it, and the ride's called Daredeviler. Now the theming of Daredeviler is new. Obviously, it's not Top Gun anymore, it's not Flight Deck, and they've kind of gone back in time in terms of theming. And I thought I would read to you what Canada's Wonderland says about the theming of this ride. So they say at the turn of the century, at the turn of the 20th century, world expositions captivated crowds with visions of the future. Among the wonders of that era was a revolutionary experimental aircraft unveiled by French inventor Etienne Vaillon, known as the Daredeviler. The prototype was engineered to attempt maneuvers no aircraft of its time could safely achieve. The plane's true fame came during the barnstorming era piloted by the fearless Canadian aviator Clara Hawk Redmond, whose breathtaking dives, barrel rolls, and near-miss stunts dazzled audience wherever she flew. Though the original aircraft faded into aviation folklore, its reputation for heart-pounding exhilaration never disappeared. Now, that legend rises once more. The Daredeviler invites guests to step into a Grand World Expo themed experience where past ambition meets modern engineering. Sweeping through tight turns, dramatic drops, and adrenaline pumping inversions, riders are launched into a high-speed thrill ride inspired by the daring feats of early stunt pilots. So that's what Wonderland has to say about that ride. Now, when they talk about the ride and they talk about the refurbishments, they talk about new trains with improved seating and open vest style restraints, track refinements for a smoother, more dynamic ride, and enhanced comfort and visibility for an immersive flying sensation. So here's my commentary. I like the theming idea. It's a good one. I like it better than a flight deck. It's quaint. I don't know, it's a flashback to an old era, and I think when it comes to theming, I like being taken out of my time and into some other time. The colors on the tracks and the colors of the ride are nice. The track is painted green with yellow highlights, and there are browns and burgundies throughout the ride. The seats are red. Um the colors are nice. And the theming's nice. There's a biplane in the queue. When you go into the queue, you pass a biplane and it's it's nice looking. It's the daredeviler, I guess. And uh you can see a photo of that uh on my Instagram if you go to the handle at the travel agent spelled with an EH. But the theming could be so much more. They could have plus it much more than it is. So it's good theming, but I feel like it fell short. So there's so many uh possibilities, right? They could have added so many more things to the theming to make it more interesting. I mean, back in the day when the ride was called Top Gun, there were flight hangers, there was a munitions depot, and when you went through the flight hangers, you would look in the windows and see props from the the movie Top Gun, or props that might be in the movie Top Gun, you know, like uh air traffic controller, radios, and all kinds of things like that. And so when you went through the queue, you went through these hangers, you looked through the windows, you looked at the buildings, there were labels, the hangers were labeled with numbers, the buildings were labeled with what they are. But now, um, they've repainted everything, but there's no labels. And when you walk through the hangers, there's no windows, you don't see anything, it's just boarded up black wall. And so it's kind of boring. Like I say, I like the walkway, I like the queue, I like the path, I like the and there's all kinds of grass, it's a very grassy area, it's very nice, and the biplane's nice, but there's not enough. You're walking through these hangars and they're just like boring buildings. But that's just my complaint. I'm probably spoiled by the time I've spent at Disney Parks or at Universal Studios because they're experts at theming, and I'm afraid that Canada's Wonderland is just a vague resemblance of what you can find in Orlando. However, there's more to say. So the ride was fun, and I do like the new restraint system. I like the vests, they come down over your head and they the vest goes over your chest area and you snap the buckle and away you go. There's no longer any um anything surrounding your head. But here's where the problem lies, and that is that is it a smoother ride? Well, not really. I have to be honest, it wasn't a smoother ride in my memory. It felt a lot like the ride used to feel. You still get jolted around in the ride. The plus is that with the new uh restraints, you're not banging your head. But if you think you're gonna get on the ride and it's gonna be a much smoother experience, well, you have another thing coming. And that's what happened to me. I had been reading what Wonderland had to say. I even read some comments online that said the ride was gonna be smoother. I think I mentioned that last week, but the reality is it was not smoother. You still get jolted around and knocked around in the ride. Now, as I said, it was still fun. It was fun to go on the ride, hadn't been on for a long time, and I, of course, love roller coasters, but just be forewarned that it's not smooth. It's not smooth like Leviathan or Behemoth. And that makes me think about the Great Canadian Mindbuster, just as an aside. The Great Canadian Minebuster has also been refined or refurbished over the last couple of years. They took two years to refurbish the Great Canadian Mindbuster, and they've smoothed out the track quite a bit. Now I rode that last Sunday, and that was a really smooth ride. In fact, in my group, I had someone who did not want to ride the Minebuster because they were concerned about how bumpy it was going to be, because wooden coasters, especially the older ones, are notorious for bumpiness, so for bumping you around, possibly giving you a sore back, that kind of thing. But the Great Canadian Mindbuster, wow, they've really improved that ride. And I would recommend it for anyone. It's a lot of fun still, even though it was one of the original rides at the park. It's it's lots of fun. So that is an example of a ride that's been smoothed out. But the Daredeviler? No, it's not smoother. The restraints are better, the theme is interesting, but it is not smoother. So that is my report on the Daredeviler. Now while I was there last Sunday, I did ride 16 attractions, and just for your interest, I'll tell you what I rode. I rode Alpin Fury, Daredeviler, Swings of the Century, Cyclone, Sledgehammer, The Fly, Shockwave, Whitewater Canyon, Timberwolf Falls, Yukon Striker, Great Canadian Mindbuster, Behemoth, Backlot Stunt Coaster, Antique Carousel, Riptide, and Leviathan. So that was quite a few rides that we got in there on a Sunday. Sundays are a good day to visit the parks because I think people are thinking about their workday on Monday and and they avoid going to Wonderland on Sundays. Plus there was the threat of rain, there were supposed to be thunderstorms which never came about. So it was a good day to ride. We didn't have to wait in lines that were particularly long. Plus, I got there early, so I was able to get on the very popular rides early on. Some of those rides, some of those attractions I had not been on for years. So it was fun to try some things out again, like Whitewater Canyon. I haven't ridden that in oh, I don't know, at least 20 years, probably more. I was most impressed by Shockwave. That's a ride I hadn't been on for a long time either. And I'd forgotten how good that one was. Maybe not quite as impressive when you're looking at it, but when you're on it, man, it's a it's a thrill ride, to say the least. And I love the way you get flipped around in your chair, you go upside down, you're kind of moving in two different directions at once. It's a lot of fun. So if you haven't ridden Shockwave, I'd I'd recommend that as a thrill ride, but don't ride it if you're scared of thrill rides. I will tell you that you probably should avoid Wild Beast. I rode Wild Beast in June, and you know, we were talking about smooth rides and how great Canadian Mindbuster is a smooth wooden coaster. Wild Beast is a typical wooden coaster. It is so rocky and bangy. It just shakes you around. That is not a comfortable ride. It kind of made me laugh. There were two guys in front of me, and the one, you know, about halfway through the ride to three-quarters of the way through the ride, the one guy turned to the other guy and said, See, I told you we shouldn't have rode this one. It's ridiculous. And the other guy was just like sheepishly looking and not really commenting. But um but the one one guy was pretty concerned and he was he was complaining from halfway through to the end about how bad that ride was and how he's getting bumped around. So, unless you want a chiropractic back adjustment, do not ride the wild beast. Now I wanted to talk about single rider advantage when you're at Wonderland. There are single rider lines and you can really take advantage of that. In June, for the first time ever, I went to Canada's Wonderland as a single rider. I just went to the Wonderland by myself because I have a season pass, so I thought it would be fun to do. And I got a chance to try out the single rider lines. And I just want to report that that's a really great thing to do if you're a single rider, or if you're going with some friends but you're okay riding by yourselves. So I rode Alp and Fury. Now that ride, the single rider line may not be as useful as other rides. There was a wait time of 90 minutes for Alp and Fury when I boarded that ride. I went into the single rider line and I waited an hour and 15 minutes. So that was only 15 minutes short of the posted wait time. And I've also read online that there are people who sometimes waited longer in the single rider line than they would have in the regular standard line. So that one you have to make a judgment call on about whether you'll ride single rider or not. But the standard line does move fairly quickly, but the lamps are big for Alpin Fury because it is the newest ride and it is a lot of fun. But besides Alpen Fury, I rode Yukon Striker, Behemoth, Leviathan, and Wild Beast. And you know, I I recorded the times, so when I got in line for Yukon Striker, from the moment I got in line to the moment I walked off was 13 minutes. That's the wait time plus the ride time included. And for Behemoth it was 12 minutes. And for Leviathan, it was eight minutes. So you can really cut down your time in lines by being a single rider. There was of course no wait for Wild Beast. Now some of you might be wondering about me mentioning Leviathan, for example, having a single rider line. It doesn't officially have a single rider line from what I can tell, but I went up to the ride attendant and asked about a single rider line. They told me to get in the fast pass line, go to the front, and just say that I'm a single rider. So there's a tip for you. If you want to ride as a single rider, you can probably go in the fast pass line and just tell them you're a single rider going through the fast pass line. Behemoth is another one. There is a single rider line for Behemoth, but it's not visible when you get to the front. So you have to look for it. And a lot of people miss the fact. I I read online recently. Recently, somebody saying, Oh, there's no single rider line for Behemoth, but that's not true, there is actually one. Just ask the ride attendant. So again, the idea of riding single rider could save your life park time. I certainly rode all the big rides in a very short period of time in June. But just a reminder that if you're going in the single rider line, you are a single rider. There's been some discussion on Reddit about groups going into the single rider line. And I think that's okay as long as you understand that you are single riders and not a group. So apparently some people go up to the front in the single rider line and then ask to ride together. That's a no-no. Don't do that. You should be thrown out of the park for that. When you get in the single rider line, you're a single rider. So even if you're with a group of friends, you just have to know. You just have to go with what the park attendant tells you to do. And if you get seated on the same ride, well, that was your luck. But be prepared to ride alone and not with your group. I actually did go into the single rider line on Sunday for Yukon Striker with my friends, and we rode a single rider's, but we were fortunate, four of us got on the Yukon Striker all at the same time, and all sitting together. I don't know why that happened, but we didn't ask for it, it just happened. One more thing about Wonderland. I wanted to note that season passes for 2026 and 2027 just went on sale. And now seems like a good time to buy. You can get a gold pass right now for $99 plus the processing fee, which is up to $9.99. If you buy now, the gold pass includes parking and One Bring a Friend Pass. Now, parking is a uh a controversial topic for Wonderland. A lot of people complain about it, because the cost of parking is $44 when you go to Wonderland now. So getting the parking included in your gold pass, that's a real benefit. But recently, Canada's Wonderland has only put free parking on the prestige passes, which are more expensive. They're not associated with the gold pass anymore. You have to buy all season parking. However, right now, you can get the parking with your gold pass, and that's why it's probably a good time to buy right now. So you'll get the free parking, you'll get the one bring a friend pass. And then I don't know if you're aware of this, but the benefits of the gold pass include entry into other six flag parks, like Darien Lake and Cedar Point. So those two parks are fairly close by to those who live in southern Ontario. So you can go to Darien Lake, you can go to Cedar Point and enjoy those parks with your pass. And parking is free there as well. And if you'd like, you can add the meal plan and the drink plan to your pass. There's all season meal plans, there's all season drink passes. I've got all of those on my Gold Pass that I own currently, and it's quite nice because you can go to the parks on any given day, and it really doesn't cost you much, right? It only costs me the cost of the gas it takes to drive there. Once you get there, you don't pay for parking, you get park entrance, and then you can have up to two meals during the day, and you can drink as much as you want every 15 minutes. And so once you've bought that pass and you've bought those benefits, you can go as many times as you want, and it turns out it kind of feels like a cheap outing if you go often. And with the pass, you can also get into Halloween Haunt and Winterfest, which are two great events to go to and allows you to get the most out of your park pass. The season's passes weren't on sale for several months because Wonderland had taken them off sale. Now they posted these passes. If you buy now, you can get a season's pass for this year, for the rest of this year, and you get the pass for all of 2027 as well. So again, for $99, that's a pretty good deal. And all you have to do is know that they're saying that you have to buy by September the 7th. Once September the 7th hits, their deal will change. And what I'm worried about is you might lose the free parking that comes with it.

Cruise Contemplations: Specialty Dining

SPEAKER_02 26:08

Now let's move on to cruise contemplations. I wanted to talk about specialty dining. We mentioned specialty dining in episode 1 in the interview with Nate Allen from Royal Caribbean. Nate talked about the Royal Train Dining Experience, and he talked about the Hollywood Club, which both sounded like fantastic experiences. And I mentioned during that interview that it's my opinion that you should book at least one specialty dining experience in any given cruise, because they really are great experiences. Usually there's an extra fee accompanying these specialty dining experiences, unless you book a special rate. For example, Princess Plus is a rate that you can book with Princess, which includes specialty dining. I think there's two experiences with Princess Plus. And there are some other offers out there where some specialty dining is included, one I'll talk about near the end of the show. I've never had a bad experience with specialty dining, at least not so far. So I'm a big proponent of the specialty dining experiences. So here are four experiences I've had in the past couple of years. I did a special dining experience on the Disney Fantasy last year. I dined at Polo. I had Polo brunch. Polo is an adult-only exclusive dining experience on the ship. And what a great experience it was. I have great memories of that experience. The service I had there was very personal, very friendly, top-tier service, but not too intrusive. You really like that when you're dining. There was excellent variety on the menu. The menu itself, you know, you start with an anti-pasty selection, which could be seafood or other. It's basically like a charcuterie board, right? And then there are soups you can choose from. You can move on to waffles and pancakes. I particularly liked the apple cinnamon waffles. You can have eggs of various types, you can have omelets, you can have pizza, flatbreads, and then there's entrees as well, including Parmesan crusted chicken breast, which is one that I thought was excellent. So the options are varied on the menu. And you can be as breakfasty as you want, or you can move into like lunch. And of course, the great thing about having brunch is it is cheaper than having dinner at Palo. And a lot of people say they like the food of the brunch better than the food at the dinner. Whatever the case is, I know I really enjoyed dining there, and the food was excellent. It was delicious food. And of course, the setting is elegant. It's it's upscale, it feels a little classy, and also you get these incredible views, right? You have the windows that are floor-to-ceiling windows, and you're overlooking the ocean. So put that all together. Great food, friendly, personal service that's not intrusive, great variety. I mean, you can't go wrong. That was a great experience. When I was on the Celebrity Apex, I dined in a couple of spots. I dined at Le Petite Chef. That was a great experience. Now, some of you might know that Le Petite Chef is not exclusive to Celebrity Apex. It's on other celebrity ships. And it is also in some major cities in North America. So for us Canadians, there's a Le Petite Chef in Toronto. Now, if you don't know what Le Petite Chef is, well, it's an immersive show. They use 3D mapping technology, and that 3D mapping technology produces animations on your table and on your plates. And what happens is in these animations, a story is told over the multi-course meal that you have. So in several courses, these animations walk you through a little story. You basically have the smallest chef in the world on your table, and that smallest chef in the world is preparing food for you along with his friends. And uh it's quite cute. There's a lot of cute animations. And what happens is they, you know, work together, they tell a story, but uh it's kind of the story of the course that you're eating, right? The dinner that you're eating, the appetizer you're eating, and so on. And what's fun about it is you know, you'll see this animation occur, and then right at the end of the animation, well, your food just magically appears on your plate, just like that. Now, of course, it doesn't magically appear, but it's all perfectly timed so that the server kind of sneaks in behind you and drops the plate just at the right time, so it just fits in with the animation story being told. So it's a lot of fun. And uh the food was very, very good. It was a unique experience that you don't get in many places, so that was a good one. Also on the Celebrity Apex, I dined at the rooftop garden grill. Now, the rooftop garden grill is located at the top of the ship, outdoors, in the middle of a live plant rooftop garden. And that is magnificent. So you're getting fresh air, you're dining outdoors, you can hear the ocean, you can see the ocean, and here you are with all these live plants surrounding you, and often you're listening to live music as well. The menu at the rooftop grill is more like a barbecue style menu. There are burgers, there's other barbecue favorites like ribs and so on, there's wings, that kind of thing. But very good menu and really creative using fresh ingredients, and you've got this cozy, beautiful setting there. So that's another one that uh I really enjoyed on the Apex. And then also recently I dined at the Crown Grill on the Enchanted Princess. The Crown Grill is basically a steak and seafood house. It's upscale dining, attentive servers, and the typical thing you'd get in a steak and seafood house, high-quality steaks, high-quality seafood dishes. I really enjoyed my dining there. The food again was delicious. I've heard some people complain online that their experience wasn't good either because the servers weren't that great or because the food wasn't that great. But I, in my experience, was fantastic, and others I've spoken to I've also enjoyed that dining experience as well. So I think generally speaking, when you go for a specialty dining experience, well, you get what you pay for. You're you're paying a little extra and you're getting plused in terms of your food and your dining experience. Now it's important to know with any of these specialty dining experiences, you do need to make reservations. So plan ahead, as I mentioned last week. Make sure that you are, or was it the first week? I don't remember. But I did talk about planning ahead, right? I think it was the first week. And make your reservations, use your cruise planner to make reservations, book before you get on board, because it's usually cheaper booking ahead of time than it is when you're on board. And especially if you're sailing with Celebrity or Royal Caribbean, do look on the cruise planner and look for sales because oftentimes on the cruise planner they'll have a special sale from week to week that the prices change. So keep your eye on the prices and see if you can snag a sale price for one of the specialty dining experiences. Let me know if you have any stories about specialty dining experiences. I think uh it would be great to hear from you and maybe we can share some of the experiences we've had, either good or bad, with specialty dining. If you mention an experience that seems helpful for others to hear about, I will mention it in the podcast in future episodes so that others can benefit from your knowledge. I'm very interested in building a community here where we can help each other out. So if you have any stories about specialty dining experiences, please email me at stephen at the travelagent.ca. The usual things, you spell Stephen S-T-E-P-H-E-N, and you have to spell agent with an E-H.

Canadian Compass Travel Tip of the Week: Beloved Playa Mujeres with Robin Baxter Bering

SPEAKER_02 34:01

And now it's time for the Canadian Compass travel tip of the week. Well, once again, the travel tip of the week will be in the form of an interview. If you were listening last week, you'll know that I don't really have a slot in the show where I can put information about all inclusives. I've got Mouse Minutes, I've got Park Pulse, and I've got cruise contemplations. So when I'm talking to someone about all inclusives, where do I put that? Well, it's going in the Canadian Compass travel tip of the week. And I I know it's kind of cheating, right? But I'm hoping that there will be some tips within these interviews that you'll be able to take away with you. Don't worry, we'll go back to other travel tips beyond just interviews in the weeks to come. But for this week, I have an interview about visiting beloved Playa Muharris. And tips are being provided by Robin Baxter Bering in an interview I had with her. I'm here with Robin BaxterBaring, also known as the.beechknob on Instagram. Welcome to the show, Robin.

SPEAKER_01 35:05

Thank you for having me, Stephen.

SPEAKER_02 35:07

Robin, you're here to talk about beloved Playa Muharris. It's an adults-only all-inclusive couples resort located in a gated community about 11 kilometers north of downtown Cancun, which means it's about 40-minute drive from the airport, and it's located in a community called Punto Sam, famous for its white sand beaches and turquoise waters. So let's start by talking about how you got there, how you got to Cancun. I understand you used Porter Airlines flying from Toronto to Cancun. Was that the first time you've flown Porter?

SPEAKER_01 35:38

Yes, it was, and it was a fantastic experience. Honestly, I would definitely fly them again. The the plane was much smaller. There were uh two seats on either side of the aisle, and that was it. The staff really looked like they actually like enjoyed their jobs. We were both really, really pleased with the flight there and back. Yeah, absolutely. And for whatever reason, alcoholic drinks were were free. The first three rows were uh first class, and they have their own uh um flight attendant, uh silver service kind of thing. And there was no curtain dividing us.

SPEAKER_02 36:18

So a number of people like Porter because of the two by two. Because if you're traveling as a couple, then it's it's kind of nice because it's just the two of you in a row. Nicer than than having a third person sitting sitting there as well.

SPEAKER_01 36:31

Yeah, and I usually get stuck in the middle.

SPEAKER_02 36:33

Yeah. And then Porter as well, that's normal for all their flights. They uh they serve alcohol and all their flights to all their clients. Yeah. So that's another uh selling point. I know a lot of people that I know are are really impressed with Porter. And you know, most people hate flying and they hate the airlines. They hate uh the WestJet's been getting a lot of hate lately and uh and so on. But Porter, everyone likes Porter right now because of the those perks, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:01

Those perks. And what I noticed was I don't think it was real glass, but my husband ordered a glass of wine. And um, you know, they usually come in those little plastic, little, little wine glasses that you normally get in the other airlines. This was if it wasn't glass, it was a great glass knockoff. And they gave so much. Like it wasn't like a uh a regulated size of you know six ounce. They poured that glass all the way full. They were freewheeling it, and you know, obviously they weren't worried about cost and and stuff. So maybe I shouldn't say that. I could ruin that for future.

SPEAKER_02 37:38

Yes, it'll probably change over time, you know. Yeah, as all these things do, you know, shrink what do they call it, shrinkflation?

SPEAKER_01 37:44

Oh, that's what that is. Shrinkflation. Yeah, shrinkflation.

SPEAKER_02 37:47

When when you're you're buying something in the grocery store and uh, you know, it's a package of cheese and it used to be 700 grams and now it's only 500 grams and it's the same price. That's called shrinkflation. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:57

Okay, I didn't know that. That's pretty common practice.

SPEAKER_02 38:02

Now I don't think this is the first time you've navigated Cancun Airport. So do you have any uh advice for our listeners who may be heading to Cancun Airport for the first time?

SPEAKER_01 38:11

So actually, it was my first time in the Cancun Airport. Yes. The uh it was a really interesting experience. And I have to say, it was so modern. It was much more modern than I thought it was going to be, uh, having been to many other airports around the Caribbean, especially. And you know that I I broke my foot uh a few weeks ago. So I had the VIP service of being wheeled from the gate through check-in through customs, all that, all that stuff. When you get through, so I do have just sort of just a heads up for people. When you get through customs um after the airport, you will see uh on your left and right sort of side booths, we'll call them, of people with little tables. And they're there to help you book excursions, tours, whatever it is that uh you'd like to do in your, you know, your stay in Cancun. They are receiving commission and the lady that we had was from and I'm going to say this wrong, Ick Ickarat.

SPEAKER_02 39:25

Ixcirat, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:26

And so she was very, very much like it was honestly 15, 20 minutes, got a broken foot. I just I just want to get to the resort. So we didn't end up going with any of the excursions she had to offer because you know, we hadn't even been to the resort yet, hadn't settled down, hadn't really thought, oh, what would you like to do? So just a heads up there, there's so many things you can do. I didn't realize all the things that they have going on in that area. And then when you get out of the airport, this was the big thing that uh that shocked me. And I wish I had my camera video rolling. When you go out to get your taxi uh or your, you know, whatever transport you're uh you're leaving the airport with, there's literally a row on your left of 22 dozen cab operators screaming out of their booth trying to get you to choose them. I mean, it reminded me of something when I arrived in Uganda like 20 years ago or something like that, where it was just me, me, me, me, pick me, pick me. And um, you know, they're all leaning out, they all got signs, and uh, that was it was funny. I've thought about if people were, you know, older, like my parents, who had never experienced anything like that, they might have been a little bit shocked, culture shocked, not know what to do. Uh, and since we already had Nexus pre-booked, we knew that we didn't need to do that. So we were just looking for the Nexus sign.

SPEAKER_02 40:55

I mentioned this last week. I call that the red zone. I send a map to my clients and I basically tell them you got to keep walking through the airport to out to the back where the transfers that they're assigned are. It's like a gauntlet. You have to go through this area where people are trying to sell you everything, right? You know, even people who already have transfers arranged through their travel company uh sometimes get convinced that they need to take the transfer that is being offered to them. You just kind of want to navigate your way through there, especially like you say, you had your transfers pre-arranged. So you just want to push your way all the way to the back and find your transfer company. Otherwise, you're gonna be dealing with people who are, as you say, on commission and trying to sell you a lot of things. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 41:34

And what we found out was that Nexus was not in that area where all of the other transport companies were. They were outside. And it looks like they've really expanded business because there's now all these outside fronts where uh operators are also uh working out of. So it's not just the inside anymore. It's also outside and beyond. And they were doing so much construction on the runways too. They were expanding the runways.

SPEAKER_02 42:03

Yeah, it's a busy airport. Uh, where are the transfers? Did Nexus work out for you?

SPEAKER_01 42:08

Perfect. They have an app, you know, you download and they tell you when they're coming. Uh, they give you a heads up the day before, the morning of. Uh, so that that worked out really, really well. We had great drivers. They they never skip to beat. Now I am gonna delete the app because you know my app pings like 10 times an hour for me to go. I guess it's whale shark season there, and you can go see the whale sharks. Like, I'm not there anymore. So yeah, I have to delete that now, though.

SPEAKER_02 42:38

They're also looking for their commission, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 42:40

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:41

So when you finally arrived at uh beloved Playa Muiras at the resort, what were your first impressions?

SPEAKER_01 42:49

We were blown away, honestly. We arrived and the concierge, he greeted us and said, You know, have you been here before? And we said, No. And he said, Oh, well, you will be back again, trust me. And we were like, right. Yeah. And then we get inside and he makes us this, it was already pre-made, these in a champagne flute of, you know, wild berries and mescal. Um, I guess it's a traditional drink, or it's something there at the, you know, something uh signature, like a signature cocktail at the resort. And they just treated us like we were the only guests in the hotel for the next, you know, half an hour as we checked in. And the the furnishings uh in the reception area, it's very large and very modern, very modern, very elegant, sort of understated. Yeah. And I walked in and I went, wow, I wasn't used to that. You know, usually a lot of the Caribbean resorts have that outdoor reception area where everybody's standing in line, you know, waiting, when am I going to get my Room and it wasn't like that at all.

SPEAKER_02 44:01

That's great. It's nice to have a wow factor when you arrive, eh? That uh it's kind of it's kind of reassuring.

SPEAKER_01 44:07

Well, exactly. And and even my husband, because I'm the one that that planned it and found the place, he was just yeah, he was blown away.

SPEAKER_02 44:16

So I'm wondering what the surroundings were like when you arrive and you look around, you know, what was the setting? And also along with that, maybe you could talk about the the vibe or the atmosphere. What was the atmosphere like, seeing as it's an adults-only couples resort? What did that feel like there?

SPEAKER_01 44:32

So it was couples only. It was very subdued, it wasn't party central by any means. And when we first arrived, I didn't see anybody because you also couldn't see the pools or the beach when you're checking in. And it's very lush. The gardens are just absolutely beautiful. And uh apparently, talking to other guests, they've kept it very boutiquey, very small, more serene vibe than the Excellence, which is next door. And they did that on purpose, but you can use the facilities at Excellence. So I was told by a couple from Texas that it's basically excellence on a smaller scale without the big shows. And it is, it's really uh a boutique hotel that was absolutely beautiful.

SPEAKER_02 45:24

That's good to know because people need to know going in what to expect. What was your room like? What was the category of room that you stayed in? And were you satisfied?

SPEAKER_01 45:33

We had the junior suite. We went the El Chipo room. We didn't, we certainly didn't have a luxury suite, but honestly, our suite was a luxury suite, the least expensive. It was the largest suite we have ever, ever had. We had a full living room. The TV screen was uh at least a 60-inch. It it was just huge. We had a bathtub, a circular bathtub outside of the bathroom and sort of attached to the living room with a picture window that overlooked the gardens and your your balcony. I mean, it was just absolutely beautiful. You could sit in the tub and watch TV if you want, or sit in the tub and watch people in the pool. Yeah, it was gorgeous. It was very modern. And apparently they renovated the building that I was in last fall. So that's why it was so perfect and beautiful. And I mean, even we had a bar area with a fridge, and it was fully stocked with granola bars and Oreos and juices and beers. And then there was a liquor cabinet up top, a glass liquor cabinet with brand name bottles of tequila, rum, uh Chilean wine. It was these were not labeled domestic brands. These were, you know, international brands that a lot of people would normally pay extra for at a resort, right? To get that premium upgrade. I mean, we even had an espresso in the room. It was perfect.

SPEAKER_02 47:13

Yeah, you might be paying a little more than some of the cheaper resorts, but again, you know, you kind of get what you pay for, it seems, in a lot of cases.

SPEAKER_01 47:20

You're right. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 47:22

Punta Sam is renowned for its beaches. And you are on Instagram the dot beach snob. So I think you've had some experiences with beaches. How did this beach live up to its reputation?

SPEAKER_01 47:36

And as you you know, um, well, we both had done research on sargassum and how to avoid it. Uh, Playa Mujeras, the beach itself is so well manicured, and I I put out a video, I've got a video coming out on YouTube as well, that every morning they actually groom it. So there is not one piece of gum wrapper, there is no bottle cap on that beach. They sift it every morning, and it's so soft, and the beach itself is one of the nicest I've I've ever seen, as like as far as a resort beach, you know, if you've got hotels sort of lined up. Now there was some sar sargassum, like so little. It it didn't impact anything. But uh there are a couple of people that said, you know, when they were in the water, they didn't, you know, like the the seaweed. I really, because of my foot, I could only go in a couple of times and I didn't find that at all. But it is probably the most manicured beach I've ever seen. There must be also some sort of uh patrol. I'm sure it's not the police, but you know, a guy on a four-wheel, he's got like the little red light, you know, up and down. Really safe. I think that they really market it to like more of a romantic destination, like that that whole strip there, because it is more of a secluded beach than the Mayan Riviera. You can't just go there to the beach. You can't just say, okay, we're going to the beach today and we're gonna go to Playa Mujeres. Yeah. You have to get there via a resort.

SPEAKER_02 49:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 49:12

Yeah. And it is beautiful.

SPEAKER_02 49:14

Um, do they have seating and uh loungers or umbrellas available on the beach?

SPEAKER_01 49:20

Oh, yeah. And their pictures on their website was what actually that was the final, like, okay, this is this is where we're going. I loved this setup. And even you can see on their website the sand looks so white and just clean, and and they have beautiful payapas. And my husband pointed this out. He was really right. They really thought of everything at this resort. So normally you'd have a payapa and then you would have a chair on either side of the middle stand. What they did was they would have a double lounger with like, I'm not kidding you, four-inch padding, six-inch padding. It was so it had a double lounger. And then on the other side of the pole of the payapa, they put a just a regular lounger so that you could move it if you wanted to go and get more sun or less sun or move it, you know, as as the day goes on and the shade changes. So they really did think of everything.

SPEAKER_02 50:17

In terms of dining, what was the dining like at Beloved? Um, I'm assuming did they have a buffet like in most resorts?

SPEAKER_01 50:24

No.

SPEAKER_02 50:24

No.

SPEAKER_01 50:25

No buffet. Uh they had a steak restaurant, and one night a week they do Mexican style food with traditional steaks that would be done in Mexico. They had a French restaurant, Le Bijou, which actually I do have to correct myself. There is a buffet, but it's only for breakfast. And again, this was the nicest breakfast buffet I've ever seen. And I didn't go to it till the last day because I like to just pack protein bars, and I'm at the beach at like 7 a.m. and I'll just have my protein bar, and I'm not missing, you know, a minute of beach time. But my husband would come back every day. You've got to go to breakfast, you have to see this buffet. So I did, and yeah, I was like another wow. There are two other restaurants uh near the beach. One is on the beach, and that is a seafood restaurant. They have a beautiful breakfast there as well. You know, you're watching the water, but they have a problem with iguanas, and iguanas are very scary. They, you know, they're they smell the food, even if you order something uh on the beach for lunch. It's uh yeah, I was scared a few times by the iguanas. Um, and then there's another restaurant um that overlooks the the main pool where the swim out bar is, and that's Italian. But the real sort of this was the one thing that sort of blew my mind was they have a sushi bar as well. In the main area where you congregate for all the entertainment at night, there is a sushi bar. You sit there and they, you know, have a have a menu of um of different roles that you can have. And I had that twice because it was just so good.

SPEAKER_03 52:13

Sounds great. Yeah, it really, really was. Was the sushi your favorite?

SPEAKER_01 52:18

Yeah, I'm gonna say it was because they would bring it to like your little sort of coffee table and this. It's an outdoor lounge where you could see the the entertainment uh late at night. And this was what was really interesting. This was the first place that I went to where all of the menus were on their app. There were no paper menus. You could ask for one, but you weren't gonna get one. They were all on the app.

SPEAKER_02 52:40

You gotta bring your cell phone with you.

SPEAKER_01 52:42

You do, absolutely, yeah, you do.

SPEAKER_02 52:44

You were saying that it wasn't party central there, but I I guess there was nighttime entertainment. I don't know if there's anything during the day. How would you describe the entertainment that you had, the options that you had there?

SPEAKER_01 52:55

Uh, we didn't do any of the water uh activities because of, you know, the foot, but apparently it's free at the resort. They have a catamaran that goes out into this really clear area just outside of the shore. And you can go swimming and snorkeling there for like an hour every, I think it's late afternoon, that they take people. So there is that, you know, there's kayaks, there's paddleboarding, there's, you know, all of those types of things. They had water aerobics, they had games at the pool, that kind of uh thing, fun games. And at night, the entertainment was always musical. Um, one night, which was so cool, was a mariachi band in traditional, I mean, their costumes were just absolutely gorgeous, and and you know, the detailing on the embroidery and stuff was was gorgeous. We had um guitarist uh two nights uh of the week where kind of like karaoke, but it was the guitarist who was there was there's nobody singing, it was there was an electric guitarist there doing it. That was really good. But there was one night, her name on Instagram, I think is Claudia T. She blew everybody away. This woman, I I just couldn't believe that she was not famous for something. She was her voice was absolutely outstanding. I recorded some of the things that she sang. I was just like, how have I never heard of this woman before? It was really good, but it was subdued. So uh there was a rock band one night. That was that was good, but nobody was dancing, so it wasn't that kind of like there was no show per se, but that was okay with us. We really enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_02 54:39

I was interested in what you have to say about the the water sports because a lot of times in resorts you you have to pay extra for a lot of the water activities. There's not that many resorts out there that have the water sports included, so that's pretty good.

SPEAKER_01 54:52

Yeah, I mean they they did ask, you know, for a tip in in kind, and uh and that was totally fine with me. But every time I went up to go and see about it, he'd already taken somebody out or he was on lunch. So I didn't actually get to do anything, but that was okay.

SPEAKER_02 55:08

When you look back at your time at Playa Miras, what was your favorite memory or your favorite moment?

SPEAKER_01 55:16

I can't pinpoint one exact moment. There were a couple of things that when I I looked back on, I think, oh that was so nice. That was that was wonderful. Like swimming in the pool and it was so warm. And I have to say, the beach service is phenomenal. So champagne at 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. Um, and there was one night uh I think I mentioned where there was a fantastic singer, and you know, again, the service was exceptional that night. Uh, everybody was just, you know, having such a wonderful time. It was relaxed.

SPEAKER_02 55:54

Fantastic. Is there anything about your experience at the resort that you'd like to see improved? You know, when I'm listening to you, it sounds like things went really well and there weren't too many things to complain about. But was there any recommendations you'd make? Anything that you you don't want to change?

SPEAKER_01 56:08

The iguanas, they're the I think they were the male ones. Um, they're a little territorial. And uh for someone who had never seen an iguana before, I was frightened, I have to say, especially when the food would come out on the restaurant at the restaurant at the beach that come out from underneath the flooring or just laying there, you know, on the beach. But uh yeah, I don't know, maybe find them a nicer location.

SPEAKER_02 56:36

It might be a little harder to control the iguanas, but obviously the iguana made an impression on you for sure.

SPEAKER_01 56:42

Oh my goodness. Well, I'd never seen one before, but um, there were a lot of people there from uh Texas, and that was nothing for them. Like, oh, it's just an iguana. Well, the Canuck is uh never seen one before, so it was it was a new experience. So it's it's something that you know I'm not gonna say it was the highlight of my my trip, but it's something that I can sort of giggle at now and look at. And I'm no longer afraid of them because I know that you just have to you just have to sort of swish them away, uh kind of brush like some sand over them. Um, and then you're fine.

SPEAKER_02 57:17

Good tip right there. How to get rid of a pesky iguana.

SPEAKER_00 57:20

And iguana.

SPEAKER_02 57:21

And just like any animal, they love food, right?

SPEAKER_00 57:24

But neither got my burger.

SPEAKER_02 57:25

That's great. Yeah, you protected your food at all costs. I did. I'm proud of you. Okay, I think you mentioned earlier that your husband said that you would already be looking at making plans for next year. So um I guess you know, a question I had for you is whether you'd consider a follow-up trip, but it sounds like that's already possibly in them in the makings.

SPEAKER_01 57:46

Yeah, he just looked at me and just kind of nodded his head and said, next year, yeah, it was exactly what we needed.

SPEAKER_02 57:53

All right, as I've mentioned already, you do run an Instagram account and apparently a YouTube account too. The Instagram is uh at the dot beach snob. Could you just tell us a little bit about what you're doing on Instagram and YouTube and what that's all about?

SPEAKER_01 58:08

So I'm hoping to bestow some of the experience I have to help people figure out what beach destination is perfect for them as a tourist because we all have different needs and wants, and some of us have physical challenges. Um, like so, for example, my husband just wants to sit on a gorgeous beach and stare at the water. Whereas, you know, I want to see what's going on and and I I want to have to see conveniences nearby, you know, I have to do the coattail, you know, those sorts of things. So everyone wants something different. And I just hope that whatever I can relay will help me choose the place that's right for them. That's it. And um, and I just have so much fun doing it.

SPEAKER_00 58:48

I love beaches, always have, and I've traveled the world and love to just I I could do this all day long. I could just talk to the beaches.

SPEAKER_02 58:57

Well, I enjoyed uh I enjoyed watching your uh top five beaches of 2025. I thought that was pretty entertaining, yeah. So I like those top five uh videos.

SPEAKER_01 59:08

Yeah, well, I was saying, I think I said in that video that I mean now I've been to more beaches, but I will have been to another 10, I think, by the end of the year. And it's it's a tough one, you know. St. Martin, Anguilla, Mexico.

SPEAKER_00 59:26

We're going to St. Lucia, and there's also a Canadian beach. Yeah, exciting.

SPEAKER_02 59:32

Tough job, eh? Going around checking out those beaches and evaluating them.

SPEAKER_00 59:36

I wish I could do it full time.

SPEAKER_02 59:38

Yeah. All right. Well, thanks for joining us today, Robin. We really appreciate all the uh insights you had into beloved Playamu Harris, and probably there's people out there who are thinking now, well, that sounds pretty good, and they'll be looking into it. So we appreciate you giving uh your perspectives on the resort, and hopefully that will help some people who are listening today.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:00

My pleasure. Yeah. You're very, very welcome.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:03

Once again, I just want to thank Robin for doing an interview with us. I do appreciate the information she's provided about that resort, and hopefully it has helped you in some way, or at least been of interest.

Deals Dish: Royal End of Summer Sale

SPEAKER_02 1:00:16

Time for Deals Dish. I'm excited about Deals Dish because lo and behold, I knew we were talking about specialty dining, and look what showed up today. A special deal from Royal. It's called Royal End of the Summer Sale. It's an Expedia exclusive, so if you're going to take advantage of this deal, you will have to book through Expedia Cruises. I'd be happy to help you with that, as I work at Expedia Cruises Oakville South. But really, any Expedia Cruises location would be able to provide you with this deal. With this deal, you get up to 500 American dollars of onboard credits, and you can get specialty dining for two. That's why I thought it was quite serendipitous that this deal showed up this week when we're already talking about specialty dining. So when you book a Royal Caribbean vacation between August 10th, 2026 and August the 14th, 2026, you can score up to $500 to spend at sea and a specialty dining for two on eligible sailings. So what are those eligible sailings? Well, for these sailings, you have to depart between September the 1st, 2026 and April the 30th, 2027. So there's a window there, basically from fall of 2026 through to the end of spring 2027. If you're planning to travel during that time, you might be able to take advantage of this deal, but you must book it between August the 10th and August the 14th, so there's a five-day booking period. Here's what you get. So if you're sailing for three or four nights on a Caribbean cruise, or three or four nights with a West Coast sailing, you can get onboard credit. $200 per suite stateroom, $100 per balcony stateroom, $50 per oceanview stateroom, or $25 for an interior stateroom. Now if you want the specialty dining offer, you'll have to go on a cruise that's five nights or longer. And again, it would be a Caribbean itinerary or a West Coast sailing. If you go on one of these sailings, one of these itineraries, you can get $500 per suite stateroom plus specialty dining. Or if you book a balcony, you can get $300 USD plus specialty dining. If you book Ocean View State Room, you get $150 USD onboard credit. And if you book an interior stateroom, you get $75 USD. So those are pretty good offers. I particularly like the balcony stateroom offer. If you're going on a cruise, a seven-night cruise, for example, with Royal Caribbean, you'll get $300 USD for onboard credit, which is the equivalent of around $450 Canadian, so it's significant. And you get this one specialty dining experience. That's a pretty good deal. So if you are thinking of going on a cruise soon, I think you should consider booking between August the 10th and August the 14th. You can even just put the cruise on hold during those days and then pay for it when the deposit is due, which would be three to five days later. Now, this episode is being released on August the 4th, I believe, so that'll give you, what, about six days or so before you hit August the 10th? So it gives you a few days to think about it, and then sometime in those five days between August the 10th and August the 14th, you can make your booking and take advantage of this deal. I'll

Outro

SPEAKER_02 1:03:32

be going on a camping trip to Manitoulin Island in Ontario this week. So the plan for next week's episode is still a little bit in flux, but the plan is to hear a little about a client's trip to Disneyland, California, to talk about Halloween horror nights at Universal Studios, and to have a discussion about using Sherpa to make sure that you're prepared for your next vacation. And hey, maybe we'll talk about camping on Manitoulin Island. That might be interesting too. I'm also excited to announce that in the coming weeks, we'll have an interview with Michelle Croft from Celebrity Cruises to chat about the new Celebrity River Cruises, the Celebrity Excel, and an upcoming March Break cruise, one that my agency is offering and you could be a part of. If you're enjoying the information and inspiration provided in this show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts or any other podcast reviewing platform. Links to the show's page and to Apple Podcasts can be found in the show notes. And also feel free to follow me on Instagram. Just search up at the TravelAgent. Spelt with an E H. And remember, if you want to tell me about your specialty dining experiences, please send an email to stephen at the travelagent.ca. I can spread any recommendations through this podcast. And that's about it for today. It's time for me to go off camping on Manitoulin Island. Until next time, keep dreaming, keep planning, and keep exploring.