Luxury camping in Antarctica. A brand-new river cruise brand entering the chat. A Mexican cruise port that wants to go from “stopover” to “homeport.” If you’ve felt like cruising is changing fast, you’re not imagining it, and we break down what these moves mean for real travelers trying to plan smarter trips.

We start with cruise news that spans the globe. AMA Waterways is expanding in Vietnam and Cambodia with a smaller Mekong river ship built around an immersive Indochina experience. Then we talk expedition cruising as Lindblad Expeditions (the National Geographic expeditions partner) acquires White Desert, opening the door to high-end Antarctica camping experiences, including flights on a restored DC-3 into remote camps. We also touch on Celebrity’s first river cruise ship reaching a major build milestone and why that matters if you’re tracking new ship launches and early sell-outs.

From there, we go practical with West Coast cruising and a big Puerto Vallarta cruise port expansion that could unlock new Mexico and Central America itineraries, plus more variety for San Diego and Los Angeles cruise routes. Finally, we dive into Viking cruise deals across ocean, river, and expedition categories, including the October sale with free or reduced airfare, low deposits, and a key choice: shipboard credit or a beverage package with gratuities. We highlight three standout itineraries, including Greece and Turkey in the Mediterranean, tulip season on the rivers of the Netherlands and Belgium, and an 81-day Arctic to Antarctic explorer voyage for travelers who want the ultimate bucket-list expedition.

If you love cruise planning, cruise news, and finding cruise deals that actually add value, hit play now. Subscribe, share this with your favorite travel buddy, and leave a review, then tell us which perk you’d choose: shipboard credit or drinks and gratuities?

Do you need new tires? Head to the experts at GrizzlyTires.com. Get name brand tires, get your brakes checked, wheel alignments, and oil changes. Grizzly Tire keeps you rolling. GrizzlyTires.com

Get $10 off your Disneyland vacation package when you use promo code VacationNerd10 at checkout on GetAwayToday.com

Get Away Today
Get Away Today sells discounted Disney and theme park vacation packages, tickets, hotels.

Support the show

Thank you for taking the time to listen to the show. There are literally thousands of podcasts from which you can choose, yet you listened to this show.

The entire purpose of this podcast is to help people plan and book their next vacation or give listeners ideas of where they might consider going on vacation next. Our goal is to help our listeners live their lives deliberately and intentionally. You only get one shot at life so you might as well make it count. Make memories with those that matter most to you.

TAKE ACTION: Quit talking about going on vacation, just do it. If you want more information about any of the destinations we discussed during the show, or have your own custom vacation in mind, I can help you. Please call, text, or email me.

Here's my contact information:

Patrick Wiscombe

Cell/Text: (801) 874-7717

Email: patrick.wiscombe@gmail.com

The Vacation Nerd (Audio Podcast): https://www.thevacationnerd.co/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheVacationNerd

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patrick.wiscombe

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patrick.wiscombe

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@pa...