Set Sail with Us: All Things Travel’s 2025 Podcast Cruise on Utopia of the Seas!

Join Ryan and Julie on All Things Travel as they announce the first-ever Podcast Cruise, happening in July 2025 aboard Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas! In this exciting episode, they dive into the details of the cruise, the ship’s amazing features, and why you’ll want to be part of this unforgettable adventure. Whether you’re looking for family fun, adult relaxation, or thrilling experiences at sea, this cruise has something for everyone!

In This Episode, We Cover:

• Podcast Cruise Announcement: Get all the details about the 3-night cruise, setting sail on July 25th, 2025, from Port Canaveral, Florida.
• Ship Highlights: Explore the incredible amenities of Utopia of the Seas, including water slides, dry slides, climbing areas, adult-only solariums, and exciting lounges.
• Family Fun & Teen Activities: Discover the Ultimate Abyss, Splashaway Bay, teen lounges, mini golf, arcades, and more.
• Adult-Only Relaxation: Find out why the solarium is the perfect escape for adults seeking tranquility at sea.
• Ports of Call: Learn what to expect at Nassau, Bahamas, and the thrilling Perfect Day at Coco Cay.
• Special Group Perks: Exclusive access to a cocktail party, meet-ups, and even the opportunity to be part of a live podcast recording on board.
• Pre- and Post-Cruise Options: Extend your vacation with extra days at Disney World, Universal Studios, or a beach getaway in Orlando.

This is your chance to meet the hosts of All Things Travel, enjoy special group events, and create lasting memories with fellow travel enthusiasts. Listen in to find out how to reserve your spot on this one-of-a-kind sailing!

Ready to join us? Click the link in the show notes to fill out the interest form and secure your spot today!

Want to cruise with Ryan and Julie in July 2025? Join our podcast cruise! Check out the details: https://forms.gle/Jpikq82XPQS63v5N8


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https://bit.ly/babytoddlerpackinglist


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• Contact Ryan at ryan@creatingmagicvacations.com
• Contact Julie at julie@creatingmagicvacations.com

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Transcript

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 0:00

Hello and welcome to All Things Travel. Ryan and I are so excited to be hosting our first podcast cruise next year and you're invited. Today we're going to give you all the details and let you know why you want to be a part of this really fun vacation with us. Listen in with travel advisors and destination experts, Ryan and Julie. He is your travel professor, teaching you everything you need to know to have a magical vacation. And I'm a Disney loving, Maryland mom of three, and a specialist in family travel. Whether we're discussing incredible destinations, Top vacation tips or sharing personal stories. It's always all things travel. It's the beginning of September. We just had our first week back in school, which I know is kind of cool. You guys have been in for a while.

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 0:48

been in for about three so, yeah.

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 0:50

Wow, so last week, just a small life update on Julie. My oldest had her first week at kindergarten and my middle had his first week at preschool. big

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 1:01

were kind of on the emotional bus, I think, last week.

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 1:04

It was a big struggle bus.

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 1:05

You know, that's all a part of the transition, have that. I have a daughter off to we're we're working through it. Aren't we?

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 1:12

We are working through it, but this is going to be a very fun episode It's kind of coming at a perfect time because I know that I personally have some trips planned for our family now that school started i'm even more like I can't wait to go on those trips and have that quality

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 1:27

Yes, today. So this has been in the works for a Every year when Shane and I, and then when you I kind of our, our goals for the podcast, this was something that was always talked about. And finally we were like, the trigger. Let's do this. And I know that we've talked about this on social in the podcast announcements, but we are so excited to talk about our all things travel. Podcast crews next summer. So we're going to get into the details. We're going to talk about what we're looking forward to, it's just going to be awesome.

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 2:03

Cue the noisemakers.

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 2:05

But before we do that, if you did not go back and listen to last week's episode, we helped Julie prep for her trip to Disneyland and Aulani, a Disney resort and spa. Facebook don't forget If you haven't. Join our Facebook page, all things, travel podcast. You're going to see announcements. You're going to be able to interact with us. You're going to see information about the episodes. You want to be there on our Facebook page. All right, Julie. So give us some of the details about our podcast crews.

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 2:37

Okay, the biggest things that you need to know is that we set sale on Friday, July 25th, 2025. So we picked that date. It was kind of a way for a lot of people to wrap up their summer. Yeah, it worked out really well and we thought it would Goba for our listeners. We are sailing three nights If you haven't heard of Utopia of the Seas, you must be living under a rock because it's

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 3:07

so I know you've been doing a lot of research since we on Utopia of the Seas, Obviously, one of the reasons we chose this cruise was we wanted to be on the newest, the best, the most exciting. Give us a couple of the highlights of Utopia of the Seas.

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 3:22

by research Ryan means my children and I have been watching the YouTube video uploaded by the Royal Caribbean Blog. it's and it is So awesome. It's about an I put I put it on and just let it play. And kind of come and

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 3:36

And we did post that in the Facebook group a couple of is there. If you want to search utopia of the you're going to you're going to see that post on our Facebook page.

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 3:44

And so to me, Utopia of the Seas is the biggest and the newest, right? Well, maybe not the biggest, but the newest. So when you see the commercials, you see all the slides, you see, the water slides, neighborhoods,

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 3:57

It's a water park.

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 3:59

Oh, even better. You see all the water parks. You see the dry slide. You see the aqua theater. You see a lot of bright colors and it just looks so much fun But when you watch this video you really get to see the details of what You can do on board and really start to see yourself there And that was the really fun part for me of watching it with my kids Seeing them get excited. The really unique thing about Utopia of the Seas that is so different than a lot of the other ships, as it relates to my family, is that there is a lot of, play and climbing areas, which definitely were not on the Royal Caribbean ship that we were on in May. And, were they on Icon

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 4:42

much. I mean, they definitely the, the area for the smaller kids that had, you know, a playground and had a carousel you know, water stuff specifically for them, but not as much as what you're talking about.

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 4:54

It's not even in the kid's club. There was like two other, so they had Splashaway Bay, they had the carousel, they had some stuff there, but then they had two other areas as well. maybe even three other areas. I'd have to re watch the video again. were just like playgroundy type climbing areas they were all located in different parts of the ship I really loved that because for me going on Royal Caribbean with my kids, I've been a little worried that there wasn't as much for them to do.

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 5:20

awesome. That's awesome. for, for the older kids and the adults, there's certainly things to do There's, there's new lounges, there's new bars, there's new restaurants. There's tons of activities to You know, a three night sailing is going to be kind of short, but. You're going to have something to do all the And if you want to relax, there's spaces for that. If you want to be busy, there's spaces for that. If you want to be entertained, there's going to be shows. It's just going to be an amazing sailing. need to what else do we need to know about Utopia of the Seas, Julie?

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 5:53

I talked a lot about the different spaces that I think are going to be great my

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 5:57

Uh huh.

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 5:58

one of the things I think teens would really love, I'm gonna go through a whole list of them, The Ultimate Abyss, which is a huge dry slide. It's ten stories, and it's a way to go from, one of the upper decks down to the promenade area. It is so cool. That's the

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 6:17

Yeah. they they didn't have that on the icon.

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 6:19

Oh, wow. They also have the flow rider surf simulator and on board the ship that's included in your stay they've also got arcades. They have social 100 Which is one of the, teen clubs. A laser tag, mini golf, rock climbing wall, sports courts. So there's so much to do, you know, for littles and then for that teenage age group. And then when you talk about the adults only sections, Okay, so for adults only, the place that you are gonna want to go is the solarium, and this is an adults only space. It's a perfect area for you to go have a little bit of a quieter experience. I know on the Royal Caribbean ship that we were on in May, the solarium wasn't huge. if it got crowded, it also got really loud. The one on Utopia of the Seas has both an indoor area and an outdoor section. It also has multiple pools, multiple whirlpools cascading lagoons. It's got so much going on. And you can even book a stateroom. In the solarium that's called a solarium suite if you watch the video keep a lookout for that space because it truly does look really relaxing When you see a picture of the ship, that's kind of like that big glassed in area at the front of the ship for adults, there's gonna be a lot of lounges There was a lounge I told ryan he needed to go to it was the Pesky Parrot Lounge is where And even my kids were like, look mom, you guys can go there and we can wait in the pool for you. So I guess they have vacation figured out. it seems like every lounge on this ship was truly themed, really had its own identity.

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 8:05

So one of the things that we really like about this particular sailing, Julie, is we are sailing out of Port Canaveral. So basically an hour away from Orlando. Why are we excited about Port

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 8:17

Departure.

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 8:17

as our

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 8:18

Because when you see a lot of Port Canaveral, you fly into MCO, Orlando International Airport, and there is a lot of really great things in Orlando such as Walt Disney World and Universal. SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, all that kind of great stuff. this being a three night sailing towards the end of July is a really awesome opportunity to add a couple of days at Universal or a couple days at Walt Disney World. even if you're not going to go to the parks, it could be a great time to book a stay at a nice, Disney resort and just enjoy the resort or Disney Springs. we like to do that before we go out on a cruise. We book a resort that we really enjoy Port Canaveral offers a lot of options for extending that

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 9:01

yeah. And, and even beyond the parks, just you're in a great location for a beach vacation. You're in a great go see Cape Canaveral and you know, it's just a really good to to sail out of, and it's a little more user friendly with Orlando and also depending on your airport. You know, some of those smaller airlines might even fly into Sanford. I know we have uh, in in Northern Indiana that are able to do that. And that's even closer to Port Canaveral than Orlando is

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 9:30

Port Canaveral is about 90 minutes from Orlando International Airport. at the Orlando airport, there's a Hyatt hotel. you can stay at the airport and still take advantage of the cruise lines transfers to the port. transfers are one of those pieces that the cruise lines sometimes forget about. anytime we can make the transfers easier for clients, the better,

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 9:53

So for this cruise, when we put together our group and worked with rural Caribbean, we were able to get two different types of cabins that you can choose from to be part of our group. The first is an ocean view So you're going to have your You're going to be looking out on the ocean and based on double occupancy, the price of this is 2547 another, we have another type, which is the boardwalk view balcony. So again, you're going to have your veranda, but in case you're going to be looking on the inside of the ship, overlooking the boardwalk Kind of seeing all the action in the ship, if you will, this price for double occupancy is 19. 49 this? We uh, arranged with Rural Caribbean to have 150 deposit that it's due when you make the booking and the balance due then in May of next year.

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 10:46

so with those rooms being double occupancy If you have a family that you'd like a little bit more space It is so awesome to have that opportunity to do connecting rooms You're still part of the group and you get more space for your family. So that's what we are doing all five of us will be there, and we have two connecting Ocean View Balcony rooms. But, if you do want a connecting room, contact us ASAP, because those do go

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 11:13

absolutely. So let's talk a little bit, Julie, about why people want to sail with us on board the Utopia of the Seas. Why do they want to be part of this podcast group? Well, first and foremost, they love the podcast. They're listening right meet us. They want to hang out with us. They everything, all things travel, but we are going to have a couple things that we know are going to happen. First of all, we really want to have a cocktail party for group. We're going to have several get togethers. Maybe if there's a special show or an activity. of, uh, meet up with people and, and I can see kind of doing a pub crawl, maybe around the um, all that stuff. And again, people can do as much or as little of that as they want. Maybe they just want to take advantage of this really good pricing and do a little it's, we don't have to be together all the time, but we're certainly going to do some fun I really want to record a podcast while we're on board and maybe include the folks that are part of our group.

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 12:09

Oh, that would be so fun. And, you know, we always talk about, it's just really fun to travel with friends. to have the opportunity to meet new people is also a really fun thing. like I said, with my kids starting school, I'm just so looking forward to the vacation time that we are going to get together to have that quality time. if you don't have your summer vacation booked yet, this is an awesome

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 12:30

absolutely. And we'll also have some other special once, uh, once we start cooking on this right? You know, I'm going to come up with some fun to to make it a memorable vacation, Julie.

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 12:41

right, so let's talk about where we're stopping on this cruise We are going to nassau in the bahamas and perfect day at coco

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 12:48

Yep. So, let's talk about NASA. What are What would you expect your Nassau day to look like, Julie?

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 12:55

I will be staying on the ship

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 12:56

There's a lot to do on Utopia of the Seas. If you have sailed the Caribbean before, my guess is you've stopped in Nassau, and you may decide, hey, I just want to take advantage of everything that Utopia of the Seas has, and that's good. That's, there's no problem with that whatsoever. I know I'm going to get off, And check out the straw market again. I know you and I were there in June, but I want to do a little shopping. I really liked the upgrades that they've done there. I'm going to do that first thing in the morning. And then like you, I'm going to get back on the ship and have some fun.

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 13:29

that's what I think is awesome about a ship like this that has so much to do is that you don't have to add on that extra excursion in nassau if you don't want to that price that we Mentioned earlier that can be your all inclusive

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 13:43

Now, if people want to add an excursion, absolutely. We can help you that. Um, We can suggest excursions that people have liked in the past. We can help you book those. That's not a problem at all. We're just about kind of our experience with Nassau. The second stop. Is my favorite day of cruising ever.

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 14:00

Perfect day at Coco Cay. I know last time we went here, Ryan, we did Hideaway Beach because we had never been there before. for my family, we won't be doing Hideaway Beach because I'll have my kids, but I am so looking forward to seeing them on the water park and we'll probably do a lot of playing at the beach and just have a really great family day together.

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 14:21

Well, then I will lead the field trip to hideaway and and me and the adults will go hang out and have a great time no, seriously as we've talked about on this podcast before coco k has Anything you want to do if you want to pay a little extra and have some exclusive experiences They're there if you just want to take advantage of the stuff that's there and included there's everything Any type of thing that you want, the largest pool in the Caribbean, an amazing swim up bar, several different beaches, just lots of things to Um, This was my seriously, I love being at Coco Cay. And so I'm excited to do this with our podcast listeners.

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 15:00

Yeah, I can't wait for that.

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 15:01

So after mentioned Julie, but I think, and we haven't talked much about this. So we don't to to, uh, reveal at this time, but I'm really thinking some extra time at Disney or universal um, sounds good for You've got, if you've got an extra vacation. Maybe let's add uh, some time at one of the theme And again, Julie and I can help you Uh, We're going to be helping you book your cruise. So we can certainly help you with those other days as well.

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 15:28

And Ryan mentioned post cruise, but I actually like to do it pre

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 15:32

You know, that's I, I did have that written the notes as, as a post cruise, but I agree with you, it's always good to end with the relaxing

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 15:40

Right. the reason I like to do it pre cruise is because before you cruise, you're gonna want to arrive at least a day early anyways. So you're not wasting that extra day You're spending that day. at the park. You're on your park vacation at that point. And then, just your last day of your park trip is when you're headed to the cruise port. after the cruise, you can go straight to the airport go home. ideally, we sail out on a Friday and come back on a Monday. maybe you come down the previous Monday and then you've got Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday to do some park days. the ship on

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 16:15

I like that idea a lot. That sounds really Well, hey, as we wrap up, I want to remind people, the form, the form that says, Hey, I want to go on this cruise or I want to know more information about it. Please contact me. That is in the show there, click on it, fill that out, and you're going to hear from Julia, myself, and we're going to help you with this cruise and it's also in Facebook and I will obviously repost it and I'll repost the video that we've talked about a couple of times with this episode.

squadcaster-5c53_1_09-08-2024_191637: 16:45

You wanna plan a trip to an amazing destination like joining us on Utopia of the Seas, but don't know how to get started. As your travel advisors, we will work with you to create customized itinerary for your vacation, to take the stress of planning away so you can focus on the fun and creating memories with us. You can reach me at julie@creatingmagicvacations.com.

ryan_1_09-08-2024_191637: 17:09

You can reach me at Ryan at CreatingMagicVacations. com. We look forward to talking to you next week on all things travel. When we discuss common items that you might forget on your next theme park, all inclusive or cruise vacation, and don't worry, We'll help you create the perfect packing list.