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The Daily Cruise and Travel News "Podcast" with Tom Drake
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THE DAILY CRUISE AND TRAVEL NEWS “PODCAST” WITH TOM DRAKE For nearly 30 years, comedian Tom Drake has gone where most people only dream of vacationing—performing stand-up aboard cruise ships around the world, crossing countless oceans, visiting faraway ports, enduring crowded airports, and witnessing nearly every kind of travel triumph and disaster imaginable. After that much time at sea, Tom has seen everything, done everything, and—at least according to Tom—now knows everything. That’s why he has earned the title “Guru of the Seas.” Every Monday through Friday, The Daily Cruise and Travel News “Podcast” with Tom Drake delivers the biggest stories making waves across the cruise and travel industries. Tom breaks down the day’s headlines, explains what they really mean for travelers, and shares the frank, funny, and completely unfiltered opinions you will not find in a cruise line press release. New ships. Changing policies. Airline meltdowns. Port problems. Passenger behavior. Travel trends. Strange stories from the high seas. If it affects the way people cruise, fly, or attempt to get from one place to another, Tom is talking about it. This is not a polished commercial for the travel industry. It is an honest look behind the curtain from someone who has spent decades working inside it—with a microphone in his hand, a comedian’s eye for the absurd, and very little interest in sugarcoating the truth. Whether you are a seasoned cruiser, planning your first voyage, frustrated with air travel, or simply enjoy sharp commentary and a good laugh, climb aboard. The Daily Cruise and Travel News “Podcast” with Tom Drake—weekdays wherever people “pod their cast.”
Episodes
946 episodes · about 33 min each
A man from Oklahoma gets arrested in the Keys and ends up with a $150,000 bond and nine felony charges. Welcome to Florida. The TSA is giving serious thought to allowing you to bring your water bottle through security. TSA and serious thought? There's a joke there. The Royal Canadian Air Force airlifted a seriously ill guest from a Celebrity ship. Great job!! Join Dottie and Tom February 26 on Crystal for a Panama Canal observation cruise.
A metal pier in Whittier, Alaska, burned because the new pier was metal, but the wood underneath wasn't! Child alert! Your kids' squishy toys will not make it on board unless they're in the checked bags! Are the check-in people at Frontier making up the carry-on rules as they go along? The Chinese government has new rules restricting freedoms in that country. Cancel your visit. Want to keep the wife laughing? Bring her on America's funniest cruise February 14, 2027.
Miami police arrest a man for sleeping underneath a hotel bed while the guests are sleeping on top! United will have Airbus aircraft outfitted with no middle seats in economy plus for trips across the pond! Are Canada and the European Union dating? Mt. Etna in Sicily is erupting again and many tourists are complaining that they're getting ash on their cannoli!
Princess joins Royal Caribbean and oversells the Island Princess! Royal Caribbean canceled many of its cruisers' Casita reservations because it was priced incorrectly. Too cheap! If it was too much, they would've shut their mouth! Justin Trudeau has been booked to speak at the World Tourism and Travel Conference. That announcement should sell one ticket. Maybe! Here is a shocker! According to a new report, Frontier Airlines had more consumer complaints than any other airline. Don't miss this new Suno song about the scrap industry!
What exactly is Explorations by Norwegian? The Bomb Bozo who called in the Disney bomb scare is blaming Disney! NCL and Carnival stocks dive because of high oil prices! So, you want to be a travel agent? Is it worth it?
A&K is offering a trip to the world's largest salt flat! This is not on the Guru's bucket list! NCL shut down half the services on the Norwegian Sky during its final voyage! A 20-year-old moron from Chicago was indicted for calling in a bomb threat on a cruise ship! Are people really flocking to the new Lake America? It's the same water, right?
NCL is using influencers to promote its new-look private island. Maybe some of them could influence the stock price! Azamara gift shops now have a rewards program! Is that important to cruisers? A Delta flight descended 27,000 feet in 10 minutes when the cabin depressurized! It's not too late to join Dottie and Tom on a fabulous New Year's Crystal Cruise.
NCL bosses believe their new waterpark will sell cruises. Not so fast. 30 rounds of 45 ammunition in your backpack will get you noticed at the airport. Are the musicians on a cruise ship really the reason you had a great cruise? Where is the best place in the world to live? Is it really Zürich?
Canadian baggage handlers get arrested for sticking drugs in customers' suitcases! Sorry! Norwegian's Pride of America has a complete toilet shutdown. Normally, it's the crew members who work slowly on that ship! The Guru struggles to order food from a bartender with a nose ring! Should he seek help, or should they tell the bartender to take it off? Happy Labor Day! Remember all the people who are working on this Labor Day!
Visit Sacramento and enjoy dinner with 800 people on a bridge! Another moron from Minnesota gets arrested in Maine when he loses his lobster over a flight delay! The latest addition to the United app is another insult to flyers everywhere! Well, Caribbean cancels a final Alaska cruise just prior to sailing and sends everyone home. I hope they at least got a bag of ice.
USA Today says there will be plenty of discounting in the cruise industry. The Guru disagrees! A Miami man at a luxury resort tells the bartender he's the son of God. The son of God then gets a taser and the sedan cops. A very tired man in Fort Lauderdale is arrested after deciding to spend the night inside a JetBlue airplane. The guru doubts he got a good night's sleep on a plane. John Dottie and Tom from Best at Sea Tours on an amazing 14-day cruise from Lisbon to Fort Lauderdale in 2027 aboard Crystal Symphony.
JetBlue unveils its new domestic first class. Wise move? Rich Carlton Yachts announces that sales are way up, but they are still losing a little money! Crime only pays for a little while. Police arrest a man who ran up $ 1,200 in charges to other people's rooms at the St. Regis. Money, Money, Money. Carnival's new loyalty program might be the template for the future in the cruise industry.
The Captain of the Carnival Breeze bounces the ship off a pier in Cozumel. What's new? John Heald tells Carnival guests not to sell their tuxedos yet! Royal Caribbean decides to change the name of their perfect private island! Riviera Travel decides not to sell you a river cruise since there's no river!
Officials arrest a Russian woman accused of trying to smuggle live iguanas from Ecuador into Iceland! American Airlines admits its airplanes haven’t been getting the cleaning and upkeep they should and now promises to clean up its act! Princess joins Royal Caribbean in the “Oops, We Oversold the Ship” club and offers a surprisingly sweet deal to the disappointed passengers. And Airbus tests a new long-range jet that stayed in the air for more than 24 hours because apparently 18-hour flights just aren’t long enough!
Galveston politicians put a hold on another terminal for raw Caribbean, but they welcome it. Margaritaville at Sea. Oceania's new ship, Sonata, floats! Are airport lounges really worth it? The Guru wonders. Flight attendants to the rescue. When a laptop computer catches fire, they stuff it in a bag designed to put the fire out!
Royal Caribbean oversold another Alaska cruise and asked customers to wait one year to see the ice melt and the salmon die! Azamara will have a 179-day world cruise in 2029. Oceana will improve its enrichment program with someone teaching American mahjong. The U.S. State Department confirms they are looking to deport as many as 200,000 people stuck in the system!
Dolly Parton drew millions of people to Tennessee every year with her tourism business. Corporate speak, set to music, still sounds like corporate speak. Listen to the NCLH blues. Thailand is about to get a boost in tourism and business, with 5,000 sailors visiting! I guest on the Getaway takes a dive off the 10th deck. They suspect he was overserved!
JetBlue is opening a second private lounge in Boston. It's all about the money! The TSA has decided to drop the controversial Gold Plus program. Score one for the unions! Holland America is refocusing on fun and entertainment. The Guru applauds this. Beware of scammers on the phone. They know more about you than you know about you!
Frank Del Rio’s attorneys are scrambling to find something..anything, to sue Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings over! Selling old ship memorabilia is apparently big business. The Guru is kicking himself for not bringing more stuff home over the past 30 years. They never would’ve missed it! It only took the Guru 18 hours to fly home from San Francisco. Not bad for Frontier! Apparently, walking was the only slower option. And another listener confirms what the Guru has been saying: If you’re going to sail MSC, do yourself a favor, stay in the Yacht Club!
Authorities in Italy arrest the wrong man cruising on Costa. Now he wants payback! If it's Friday, it must be Eureka. The Guru goes shopping for another magnet. Viking has signed the papers for two more ships! Join Dottie and Tom in 2027 for a fabulous Crystal reposition cruise from Lisbon to Fort Lauderdale!