The Daily Cruise and Travel News ”Podcast” with Tom Drake

 Some dreamers are still hoping to build Freedom City. A 1-mile-long ship capable of carrying 80,000 people. Not a dream. A nightmare. Some crazy Greeks picketed the arrival of an Israeli cruise ship in support of Palestine.  John Heald, Carnival's Global Ambassador, has had enough of that Facebook stuff! Are overpriced hotels, and in-house historians the latest fad for the rich?

 NCL cancels three months of cruises on Norwegian Viva with no explanation! Santorini officials have decided that 70% of cruise ship guests will not be allowed to use the easy access to the island. International airfares are going down because the Guru thinks no one wants to go to Europe! Rooms are going fast for the funniest cruise you will ever sail!  

 Protesters shut down the roads around Costa Maya, preventing cruises from seeing ruins! Hotel bosses meet in New York to tell each other it's not as bad as they thought it was, and it's probably as good as the Guru said it was! The new Viking Mira is slightly larger than Crystal Symphony and will carry 400 more guests. Is owning NCL Holdings stock a good bet?

 Hilton will roll out a new brand rather than improve the quality of the brands they already have! Carnival Corporation admits that over 6 million people had their private information released in a breach. A juvenile delinquent on a United plane forced the aircraft to return because his Bluetooth description was bomb!  

An Alcatraz ferry in San Francisco slams into the pier. No injuries reported; lawsuits to follow. The owner of Morton's Steakhouse buys up half of Vegas! The captain of the Silver Whisper rescues a stranded sailor and the rich people applaud! Book any Crystal Cruise now with Best at Sea Tours and receive an additional $250 and on board credit. New bookings only.

High school graduations down south remind you that we live in the greatest country in the world! Lunch at the Cheesecake Factory in Clayton, North Carolina, reminds us why the cruise industry is so sucessful and so much better than anything offered on land. Alamo rental car and Embassy Suites in Raleigh, North Carolina got it done for the guru. Great job!! Princess send three ships that they can't...

Storylines-the wannabe Residence cruise company says it has money now! A Greek cement truck collides with a tour bus. Guests are late to the ship, and someone's new sidewalk doesn't get finished! In search of more revenue, Marriott is partnering with Resort Pass to fill its hotels with guests who are not staying there! What is cruisecompete.com?

Security at Avalon Airport shut down the airport because of one guy's laser hair remover! The cruise port in Boston tells visitors it will operate out of a tent for two years while it attempts to renovate. Almost an improvement. After hearing what guests who were on the antivirus ship went through, cruisers with norovirus should feel like they won the lottery. The Guru is considering sailing on th...

Carnival brand ambassador Heald says it's silly if guests complain about material in an R-rated comedy show. He's right. The GoldBelt Tram in Juneau is undergoing a bureaucratic proctology exam after the accident. It won't be opening anytime soon. Some cruise lines are restricting guests from putting anything on the doors for safety and overall appearance. It's trashy. Crystal Cruises announces th...

Carnival is being sued by a guest who burned his feet on a hot deck. He's asking for $5 million. 500,000 per toe. Sounds like a reach! Costa will find you $70 if you leave the dirty plate in the hallway. That's more than they pay the room steward for the day.  Based on current cruise line sales, no one is giving up cruising because of Hantivirus!    

Carnival Cruise Line put the wrong person on the no-sail list and was not very helpful. Incorrect in the error! The Guru loves this. Carnival will place an emblem on every bow to celebrate 250 years of America the Beautiful! Brand USA is building a program specifically to attract Canadians back to the US! The Guru is not sure it is needed. The US Supreme Court rules against the cruise lines in the...

Will TSA Plus replace TSA Minus? The CEO of the Hantavirus ship says, "Don't worry, we're financially resilient." Thanks for that. The head of the US travel association, Geoff "with a G" Freeman, is still complaining about the US government!! One Carnival guest is upset because he didn't have a digital clock in his room? No jokes about whether he can tell time!

Aurora Expeditions will now take only women to the coldest part of the world! Good idea? The Mexican government says no to Royal Caribbean's expansion of Costa Maya. They prefer the ruins. Airlines and hotels got together to gather enough signatures in Los Angeles to prevent the city council from implementing the $ 30-an-hour wage. Strong-Arm Hollywood style.      

Princess decides to completely change a ship's itinerary in 2027. This is a new trend in the business. The US government is considering not requiring five years of social media history to obtain a visa, even though employees enjoy reading other people's gossip. The mayor of Barcelona wants to charge even more money for cruise ship guests to have their pocket picked in the city! Does NCL intentiona...

Has CLIA become the UN of the cruise industry? A federal judge overturns some of the Bar Harbor cruise ship ban! Well, the Caribbean is upsetting many of its guests because the waterpark is not available at all times. Allegiant and Sun Country airlines have merged and the Guru doesn't even know who they are!

The FBI has had enough, and they arrested two female Carnival guests for a slap fest by the front desk. Guests on the cruise ship with the Noovirus outbreak in France were let off the ship and given a roll of toilet paper at the gangway. The very optimistic managers of the Port of Haifa just opened their new $5.5 million terminal. Viking announces that business is so good. The boss can retire!

MSC is rolling out a new app that will help you have less contact with the crew. Lufthansa plans to acquire 90% of the former Alitalia as long as the bloated bureaucrats approve it! The French government holds 1700 cruise guests hostage because they didn't wash their hands! Royal Caribbean warns guests that they are not responsible for the junk they put on their door!  

John Chidsey has all the answers to fix NCL Holdings. But does he? 200 different ships will visit the Caribbean this year because it's cheap and convenient! The port of Victoria remains very popular despite the outcry of the residents who live near the pier! Carnival Cruise Line is being sued by a woman who took a turn too fast with a rental scooter!  

Azamara will be spending money on the ships and looking for non-English-speaking guests. The Guru is not worried about Hantavirus. Trust the CDC? Soon, the Crystal Serenity will have a pool bar? The Guru will be there! Vessel inspections on cruise ships have increased despite staff cuts. How about that?  

Even with fewer Canadians showing up, Orlando tourism numbers go up! There is no reason to panic about the Hantavirus! Sadly, the Guru will never be invited to join Delta 360! Listeners report to the Guru that the boarding process for the Norwegian Jewel in Philadelphia was hassle-free!

The Guru hired a public relations agency that delivered negative PR! Carnival is turning one of the ships into an adults-only ship so they can have more grown-ups. Grownups on Carnival.. probably not Neurovirus strikes Caribbean Princess, but as usual, mostly among guests who don't wash their hands! AOL Travel publishes an article telling us that the worst cruise ship buffet is on Carnival. Duh!  

Consumer Reports names Lindblatt Expeditions the best cruise line. Except it's not a cruise ship. Guests on board the Hantavirus ship were able to leave in Spain! Disney reports very good numbers despite all the angst about the economy and the war! Marriott also had good numbers thanks to their select hotel business!  

 Are the hantavirus guests being held hostage on that Dutch ship? Another Carnival guest ends up in handcuffs after punching a teenager in the mouth! Malta officials have stuck their noses in the air, and they only want rich people to visit! Spirit Airlines lawyers ask the court for permission to sell every asset quickly. Facebook marketplace is good.!!

NCL guest passes away while snorkeling in the Bahamas! A Magistrate in DC apologizes to the White House shooter because his Airbnb isn't up to snuff!! The DOT secretary said there will be no handouts to the budget airlines.  Join the Guru live on Facebook at 10 AM!  

Hantavirus is not common in the United States. Only 200 cases last year! The tram in Juneau slammed into the base and injured five employees. This is why the guru never rides the tram! Carnival Corporation is facing lawsuits after being hacked by the Shiny Guys! The United flight that landed in Newark arrived safely but took out a tractor-trailer, a jeep, and a light pole.