Cruise Dude Scott has a special interview for you today! He welcomes Cruise Director Joey of the Carnival Firenze on to our show. They take a deep dive into all the exciting things you find on this newly refreshed ship now sailing from Long Beach, California. Also, don’t miss the YouTube version of this interview as well.
On this new show, Scott recaps he latest cruise on the Carnival Radiance and shares the details about his amazing stateroom and plus his newest "Cruise Food Hacks". We also chat about Tommy's upcoming Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Caribbean Princess during Easter break and finally, we round out the show with a discussion about 100th anniversary of luxury cruising.
Hey there cruisers we have another episode of cruising goodness for you!
Scott shares his excitement and upcoming cruise on the Navigator of the Seas. He has made his list of things to do, see and of course, eat. Can't wait to get his full report and hear his stories about his cruise from Los Angeles to Catalina Island and Ensenada.
Then we share about the latest cruise news that we think you need to know about and some of our thoughts. The cruise industry is getting stronger and recovering from the unfortunate shut down, that has been dramatic and positive, bringing smiles back to cruisers worldwide.
Scott and his first mate, Pam share together their recent experiences on the Carnival Radiance. During the pandemic, the ship underwent the largest and longest refurbishment and make over in Carnival's history, such additions as Shaq's Big Chicken, Guy's Pig and Anchor Smokehouse and more exciting things. The ship looks marvelous, the crew is amazing, and it is wonderful that the West Coast has another great cruise vessel to enjoy on memorable adventures!
We have a special interview for you with Ryan Rose, Cruise Director on the Carnival Radiance! Ryan shares about all the new experiences, bars, eateries, shows, and more. The ship has undergone a huge makeover and she sparkles! Cruisers, you will be #funderstruck when you sail on your next cruise on the Carnival Radiance!
Enjoy the show!
Keep On Cruising Tommy & Scott The Cruise Dudes Podcast
Welcome to episode 96! Tommy shares about his recent four day cruise on the Star Princess. This cruise had a lot of twists, turns, changes, and so much more. Despite enduring powerful West Coast storms, the cruise was still a lot of fun, relaxing and never a dull moment. Plus we talk about the food: The Bon Voyage lunch experience, Crown Grill, Sabatinis, Capri Dining Room, International Cafe, Horizon Court and more. It was definitely a memorable and unique cruise - we hope you will enjoy Tommy's stories and seaside sagas. Please don't forget to sign up here for our new and upcoming digital magazine app: www.seawindmag.comAlso, follow our new Instagram feed here: Seawind Magazine IG Thank you for listening and sharing our show with your family and friends - we really appreciate all of your support of our podcast! Happy Cruising!
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Welcome to episode #91! On this week's show, Scott shares about his bounce back cruise on the Carnival Imagination. He shares about a theme cruise experience he encountered, a look into the entertainment department on the ship, and he shares two great little interviews. All in all, he had a great time aboard, and he still didn't have enough time to explore and experience every thing. He must book another cruise! Here is that video we mentioned on the show:
Plus, we have a little cruise news and Tommy shares about his upcoming four day cruise in January! Finally, please continue to share us with your family and friends - it really helps to expand and grow our show through word of mouth and the various social media outlets we use. We appreciate you - you are the best!
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Welcome to episode #86! We have a great podcast show for you today. While Scott was on the Carnival Imagination, he recorded a couple of interviews with the crew. The first interview is with Sonia who works with the Youth Programs on the cruise ship. She shares about the special programs and events that they have for the young cruisers. The second interview is with Lena & Ian who oversee the food and beverage services on board the Carnival Imagination. They share about how much they take care of their guests when it comes to eating and imbibing the gastronomic flavors aboard the ship. We hope you enjoy this show! Scott will be back on the Carnival Imagination November 6th-10th, 2016 for the Genealogy Journeys Cruise. For more information click here: Genealogy Journeys Also Scott has put up more videos from his recent cruise - click here: The Cruise Dudes YouTube Channel!
Finally, please continue to share us with your family and friends - it really helps to expand and grow our show through word of mouth and the various social media outlets we use. We appreciate you - you are the best!
The Cruise Dudes Podcast is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate
advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and
linking to amazon.com.
Welcome to episode #85! Scott just got back from his cruise on the Carnival Imagination. The ship just finished it's dry dock refurbishment and had some upgrades and new features added. Scott shares with us some "inside scoops" he got that are not quite well known too! From the Chef's Table to the water slides, Scott was busy trying, tasting and testing everything. Also Scott has already uploaded fresh new videos - they are just awesome. He and Pam got some amazing video from their parasailing adventure on Catalina Island. They even circled the cruise ship for some breathtaking views of the island and the luxury liner. Be sure to take some time to see these fun videos. It will want you to book that Carnival Cruise! The Cruise Dudes YouTube Channel! Please take our poll! Carnival wants to know from our listeners if you would like to see Guy's Burger Joint open for the evenings. We will share this information back to Carnival in a few weeks.
Finally, please continue to share us with your family and friends - it really helps to expand and grow our show through word of mouth and the various social media outlets we use. We appreciate you - you are the best!
The Cruise Dudes Podcast is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate
advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and
linking to amazon.com.
Welcome to episode #83! It has been almost a month since we had recorded a podcast together. Summer was wrapping up and we both had a lot of things on our calendars, so we decided to take a break from our regular production schedule for a few weeks - but now we are back! We're calling this show a "Seaside Scuttle", we call it that because basically it's a show with no particular topic and we just talk about about random things that have to do with cruising, our lives, and what we have been doing and such. Sometimes we just have to do a show like this at times and we hope you enjoy getting a peek into our lives that sometimes doesn't involve a cruise. We are planning our show topics for the last quarter of 2016, along with our holiday show! Do you have a show topic or would like us to investigate a cruise subject in detail? Please email us your ideas at thecruisedudes@gmail.com. Finally, please continue to share us with your family and friends - it really helps to expand and grow our show through word of mouth and the various social media outlets we use. We appreciate you - you are the best!
The Cruise Dudes Podcast is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate
advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and
linking to amazon.com.
Welcome to episode #81! We have a wonderful interview for you today! Listeners Grace and Stan just got back from their honeymoon cruise on the Carnival Imagination this month. They share all about the ship, their room, their food excursion tours and their Chef's Table experience. They go into great detail how they planned their trip that created fantastic memories that they will never forget. Plus, listen carefully to Stan's tips, he has lots of great advice to share when booking your cruise on Carnival. Here is the video and the slide show from the Chef's table dinner they enjoyed.
Have you taken a honeymoon or anniversary cruise? What special things did you do? Please share your tips and ideas with us and we will share them on a upcoming show. Finally, please continue to share us with your family and friends - it really helps to expand and grow our show through word of mouth and the various social media outlets we use. We appreciate you - you are the best!
The Cruise Dudes Podcast is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate
advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and
linking to amazon.com.
We have another new and exciting show
for you! Scott just returned from a 3 day cruise to Ensenada, Mexico on the
Carnival Inspiration during the Valentine's Day weekend. The ship was recently
in dry dock and had some improvements and upgrades. It is now a "Funship
2.0" ship! Scott shares about his experiences and there is also an
interview with ship's Hotel Manager.
Be sure to check out Scott's new video and see all of the new things on the
ship:
We also have some cruise news, theme cruise of the week and our Amazon purchase
of the week on this new episode. It's a big show with lots of great
information. We hope you enjoy it!
Have you made plans for a cruise this summer?
Don't forget, we would love for you to join us this summer for our
"Cruise With The Dudes" cruise! July 25th - 29th, 2016 on the newly
renovated Carnival Inspiration! Details can be found here: www.cruisedudesevents.com
Finally, please continue to share us
with your family and friends - it really helps to expand and grow our show
through word of mouth and the various social media outlets we use. We appreciate
you - you are the best!
The Cruise Dudes Podcast is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate
advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and
linking to amazon.com.
Welcome to episode #46! Scott is back from another four day cruise to Catalina and Ensenada, Mexico on the Carnival Imagination.
This cruise was with his mother, (her first cruise ever) and she was celebrating with her former high school friends a class reunion cruise. Scott shares his experiences with these seniors and what to expect when you cruise and travel with someone who has mobility issues. There is a lot of good information, insight, and fun on this show. Check back later for photos and a review from Scott. Also on this new show, we have cruise news, cruise chit chat, theme cruise of the week, listener email, and our opinions, of course. If you haven't done so before, be sure to follow us on Periscope @thecruisedudes - you can also watch our live video archived "scopes" here: www.katch.me/thecruisedudes We appreciate your support of our show. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen and share it with your family and friends! Happy Cruising! Tommy & Scott
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advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and
linking to amazon.com.
Cruise Dude Scott and his wife, Pam decided to take a post summer 3 day cruise to Ensenada, Mexico on Carnival's Inspiration cruise ship to get away from it all. So on this show, Scott tells us all about his cruise, the water slide, the food, his excursion tour in Mexico and so much more. Besides enjoying the cruise, Scott did some Periscope videos while on board and in Mexico. These videos are archived and you can view them here: www.katch.me/thecruisedudes
Also on this episode we cover the cruise news, cruise chit chat, the theme cruise of the week and a Cruise Dudes exclusive, a statement from SpongeBob SquarePants regarding his contract break-up from Norwegian Cruise Lines. We appreciate your support of our show! Please continue to share our show with your family and friends. Thank you! Tommy & Scott
* * *
Carnival Inspiration
(9/11-13/15)
“Short Review”
By Scott Andrews, www.TheCruiseDudes.com
3-Day Baja Mexico
This California 3-Day Baja Mexico cruise sailed from the Port of Long Beach. The Cruise Itinerary; departing Friday at 5:30pm, arriving Saturday at 8am in Ensenada, Mexico departing 6pm. A Fun Day at sea on Sunday, returning to Long Beach at 7am.
Check-In
Check-in is between 1-4pm. My advice is to beat the crowds and check in as early as you can. Let your cruise begin. The pool, buffet will be open. My cruise day started pulling into the parking structure at the dock. The cost of parking is $19.00 a day. Just remember this while putting a budget together. There are taxis and Ubers around that might make the cost cheaper over a longer cruise. Check-in will take some time. There are two types of check-in, Priority passengers proceed to the Captain’s Lounge located in the plaza and all other passengers proceed to General Check-In inside the Dome (formally the Howard Hughes Spruce Goose Hanger). Remember, 2,000 of your soon to be “close friends” are also checking in. Expect a little controlled chaos. All the lines were open and the very helpful Carnival staff direct passengers. It can take 15 minutes to an hour to check in before you step foot on the ship. The number one thing I saw holding up check-in was how individuals were arguing with staff about taking drinks, such as bottled water and other alcohol, onto the ship. Every passenger over the age of 21 may bring one bottle of wine. Passengers are still permitted to bring on sodas as long as they are in a can. Even with the politeness of staff explaining the policy many people tried to sneak beverages on in their carry on luggage. The new policy of not bringing bottled water I believe is a good policy to have. It cuts down on the screening of liquids at check-in. Not to mention the affordable $2.99 12-pack of water that can be purchased online then delivered to your room before the cruise begins. This also includes sodas that can be purchased and sent to your room so it is waiting for you when your cruise begins. Once at the check-in station staff was very polite and helpful checking in passengers.
The Ship
The Carnival Inspiration launched in 1996 part of the 8 ships in the Fantasy class. With the passenger capacity of 2,056 and a crew of 920 this ship is the ideal size for a 2-5 day cruise to Baja California. I had an inside room. I love the inside rooms on such a short cruise. Sleeping in complete darkness is nice. The room was the standard 185 square feet. The room steward, Ida, who took care of our room was excellent; he was always there cleaning rooms and keeping passengers happy. The hallways were kept cleaned and tidy.
Dining
The ship has different food options throughout the cruise included in the price. There is a Sea-day Brunch, 2 Dining Rooms, the buffet at the Lido Restaurant, Pizza Pirate, The Taste Bar, 24-Hour Room Service, Mongolian Wok, Swirls, and more. If you are looking for more, Inspiration also offers for extra cost The Coffee Bar and favorites like Lobster any night from the Steakhouse Selection. I chose the anytime dining starting at 5:45pm until closing instead of having a set time. With 600+ seats in each dining room the wait was only a few minutes each time. The menu included appetizers, soups, and salads. The desserts were excellent, the Hot Melted Chocolate Cake was to die for. Everything I had was hot and tasted great. The prime rib was cooked perfectly to my preference. My favorite appetizer, escargot, was on the menu and yes I had two. The dining room was spotless. Wait staff were always there assisting passengers with selections until the lights dimmed and the wait staff went into dance mode getting passengers up and dancing. It was very entertaining. It was also nice to see hostess staff enforce the nightly dress code turning passengers away for coming to the dining room in inappropriate attire, i.e. sports shorts, sleeveless t-shirts, etc.
Activities/Shows/Excursions
There are so many activities, shows, and excursions to choose from while on board. There is the Casino for the adults and the kids have their own programs and areas to hang out in too. The nightlife also includes the Rock n’ Roll nightclub or great productions like Motor City, with the sounds of the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s or Studio VIP, which brings back disco. Both shows are very entertaining to watch. During the day on the pool deck you can play fun adult themed games to watching crew making large ice sculptures and if you dare the water slide. If you want to get away from it all there is the Serenity Deck for a bit of peace and quiet for adults only. There are so many other things to do while on the ship. I found myself constantly on the move enjoying every second. I would actually need a longer cruise just to do it all.
On Saturday the ship docked at Ensenada giving passengers a window between 8am to 6pm to enjoy what the city has to offer. I chose, with the help of listeners, to take the Mexican Craft Beer Tour. It was great, we went to The Grumpy Goat where we were treated to a behind the scenes tour and tasting with the brew master, Juan. I am now “broken”, I tasted the best Irish Red Ale I have ever had, it’s not sold in the states as of yet, ahhhhh! From there we went to the Wendlandt brewery right on the coast and was given another tour and tasting. There I had the Farmhouse Ale that’s aged in old French oak wine barrels. Our last stop was Hussongs; it’s the oldest bar in Ensenada and is the true spot where the first margarita was born. Our tour guide, Stefano, was awesome. He talked about the region and the history Ensenada as we were driven through the beautiful scenery of Mexico.
Future
What’s happening to the Inspiration in the near future? The last dry dock of the Inspiration was November of 2013. The next dry dock will be taking place in January of 2016, with the first set cruise Super Bowl weekend. All I can say is more Fun Ship 2.0 elements are coming soon. I would love to see a Guy Fieri’s Burger Joint or the Blue Iguana Tequila Bar or Cantina. I guess we will just have to wait and see. I am looking into returning for another cruise on the Inspiration in February when she is launched once more from dry dock. For more information about the Inspiration or what is Fun Ship 2.0 go to the Carnival.com website. Until next time, “Keep On Cruising!"
The Cruise Dudes Podcast is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate
advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and
linking to amazon.com.
The Cruise Dudes Podcast is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate
advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and
linking to amazon.com.
