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Plays here stream straight from our feed. Prefer your own app? Hit “Listen on Spotify,” or find us wherever you get your podcasts.In this episode
Cruise Radio floats a blockbuster rumor — a $7 billion, four-ship Carnival order that would fast-track new builds Carnival swore were a decade away — and the crew digs in on what it means, why they’d rather see small ships replace small ships, and which fantasy-class legends might finally retire. Along the way there’s a call from a very “double diamond” listener named Margaret, a spirited all-inclusive debate, a whole new batch of Madison’s gloriously silly AI cruise products, and the moment Gary Manning goes Facebook-official as the show’s fourth host. It’s news, nonsense, and family all at once.
What they covered
Topics on deck
Rumored $7B four-ship order
Fantasy-class ships retiring
Small ships vs. mega-ships
All-inclusive cruising
Non-alcoholic drink packages
Madison’s AI cruise products
Passengers speaking other languages
Gary joins as host
Don’t miss
Moments worth the wait
- Gary goes Facebook-official — the crew announces the show’s fourth host, complete with a drum roll and a chair still saved for Reese.
“We have a third host here on Carnival Cruising Podcastaways… Oh, four. Four. Reese is always always. We have a chair out for it.”
- The Margaret call — a listener phones in pitching all-inclusive ships and insisting on her “double diamond” status.
“I’m actually, I’m like double diamond because I’m like 200 days.”
- Small ships, big feelings — Trevor makes the case for keeping cozy ships in the fleet.
“There was something about that ship that felt cozy. Bigger ships, you can get lost in.”
- Madison’s AI product line — the crew unveils the perfume ship-in-a-bottle, the cutlery set, and a cruise-director cardboard cutout.
“It’s your own cardboard cutout of your favorite cruise director. Get it for the kids.”
- Speaking the crew’s language — a warm defense of hearing crew members chat in their native tongue.
“Being able to talk a little bit in your native tongue brings that little bit of homeland… to it.”
- The breakfast-burrito voicemail — a SpeakPipe message “from” the Blue Iguana burrito itself.
“Thank you so very much for continuing to support the best breakfast burrito at sea. That would be me.”
Golden nuggets
Running bits & lore born here
- Two truths and a lie — the weekly opener rolls on, this time with Tom claiming he’s souping up the ravioli and Trevor “almost dying” of bronchitis.
- “This is not John, this is Bob” — the beloved Bob-hijacks-John-Heald’s-account bit, defending crew speaking their own language.
- Margaret, double diamond — the recurring call-in listener who keeps upgrading her own loyalty tier mid-sentence.
- Madison’s AI products — the running gag where Madison generates ten cruise gadgets and Trevor picks five to show off.
- The empty chair for Reese — the crew keep a seat open for their long-absent co-host (currently “in the basement”).
- Breakfast-burrito countdown — “58 days” to a Blue Iguana burrito, capped with “save the foosball tables” and a Wang Chung singalong.