Shows
The Folo by Travel WeeklySeatrade, Wave and the state of cruising. Plus, our cruise editor signs offWith Seatrade Cruise Global opening this week, it’s the industry’s time to hear from the biggest voices in cruise, and we’re adding our voices here. Host Rebecca Tobin, cruise editor Andrea Zelinski and news editor Johanna Jainchill look at a wrapup to Wave season, whether tariff talk or stock market convulsions have impacted the business and what to expect from two big cruise ship debuts this week. And we say farewell to Andrea: We talk about our favorite stories from her three years at Travel Weekly, and where she’s headed next – and her serendipit...2025-04-0735 min
The Folo by Travel WeeklyThe shape of cruising's Wave season todayLast week, Cruise Planners CEO Michelle Fee and Norwegian Cruise Line sales exec John Chernesky joined cruise editor Andrea Zelinski and host Rebecca Tobin to talk about the new cruise-ship class of 2025. This week, they're talking about Wave season, the industry’s period of big sales and good deals, and general trends. Is year’s Wave a wave or a tsunami? Other topics of note: Does Wave start in January, or has it moved backwards into the holiday season? And what’s the story with onboard spending? This week, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings will report its Q4...2025-02-2421 min
The Folo by Travel WeeklyThe big deal about the new cruise ships of 2025We’re back with new episodes of the Folo, and we’re kicking it off with two back-to- back episodes about cruise. And why not -- it’s Wave season. In this first episode we have three cruise industry experts talking about the new ships coming out in 2025: Cruise Planners CEO Michelle Fee; Norwegian Cruise Line senior vice president of North America sales John Chernesky; and Travel Weekly cruise editor Andrea Zelinski. From big ships to small, in the luxury and contemporary categories, what drives cruisers to these ships? Is big better? How have these new cruise ships e...2025-02-1741 min
The Folo by Travel WeeklyOur reporters predict 2025 trends -- part 1Welcome to our annual Preview episode, where we gaze into our crystal ball and draw on interviews with expert sources to talk about what we’ll be seeing in the next 12 months, travel-wise. In this episode we examine the overall health of the business, changes in the luxury sector and what might happen on the aviation-regulatory-merger front, especially with the Trump administration set to enter. Featuring: Host Rebecca Tobin and four of Travel Weekly’s senior editors: Jamie Biesiada, who covers retail; Andrea Zelinski, who covers cruise; Robert Silk, who covers aviation; and Christina Jelski, who c...2025-01-0626 min
You, Me, EmpathyWe Can't Do It Alone: Feeling Seen As a Little Queer Kid (with Zee Zelinski)On episode 3 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with 20-something neurodivergent queer disabled writer, Zee Zelinski, to explore why we're mosaics of everything and everyone we've ever interacted with, the particular grief of help and helping as a disabled person, gender identity, feeling seen as a little queer kid, and Zee's love letter to poet Andrea Gibson.
Helpful things mentioned during this episode:
@thebeautifulgodsYour Life by Andrea GibsonTo Write Love On Her Arms
Zee (they/them) is an intersectional writer and advocate residing in Washington State. Their work highlights their experiences i...2025-01-0237 min
The Folo by Travel WeeklyWhy cruise companies are breaking records this yearIn this episode, we’re talking about the positive momentum in the cruise industry with senior editor Andrea Zelinski. Now that the third quarter has closed, and our annual CruiseWorld conference is about to begin in Fort Lauderdale, we ask: What are travel advisors, analysts and the cruise lines themselves seeing in cruise – and what are some of the scenarios that would break the cruise lines' stride? This episode was recorded Friday, Nov. 1 and has been edited for length and clarity. Related links Is this cruising's 'golden era'? https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Is-th...2024-11-0438 min
The Folo by Travel WeeklyCruising in Alaska: More passengers. More opportunity?Cruising in Alaska has ballooned in popularity since the pandemic. The lines have invested newer, bigger ships and stretched the season longer. But as growth occurs, concerns of overtourism rise, too. The capital, Juneau, is introducing passenger limits in order to curb crowding, and other ports are watching the move closely. On this episode, host Rebecca Tobin talks with cruise editor Andrea Zelinski and Russell Dick, the CEO of Alaska native corporation Huna Totem, which has been working in cruise port development for 20 years, on the current situation in the Last Frontier. Huna Totem has a different...2024-09-2341 min
The Folo by Travel WeeklyHow cruising's private destinations are evolving -- A Summer Series episodeOn this episode we’re delving into one of the more unique aspects of the cruise experience, and that’s the part that takes place on land. We’re talking, of course, about private islands and private destinations: areas on land that are managed by the cruise line and provide a dedicated area and special amenities to cruise passengers. Senior cruise editor Andrea Zelinski and Cruise Planners advisor Mike Matthews talk with host Rebecca Tobin about the appeal of these places, the explosion of upgrades and expansions and why this is taking place. This episode is the...2024-08-1234 min
We Can't Do It AloneFeeling Seen As a Little Queer Kid (with Zee Zelinski)On episode 3 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with 20-something neurodivergent queer disabled writer, Zee Zelinski, to explore why we're mosaics of everything and everyone we've ever interacted with, the particular grief of help and helping as a disabled person, gender identity, feeling seen as a little queer kid, and Zee's love letter to poet Andrea Gibson.Helpful things mentioned during this episode:@thebeautifulgodsYour Life by Andrea GibsonTo Write Love On Her ArmsZee (they/them) is an intersectional writer and advocate residing in W...2024-07-2637 min
The Folo by Travel WeeklyThe rise of cruising's biggest megaships -- a Summer Series episodeEarlier this year, Carnival Corp. ordered an 180,000-gross-ton ship that will be the fourth in its Excel class. The very next day, Royal Caribbean International came through with another order for another Oasis class vessel -- its seventh. And after the episode was published, Carnival ordered a fifth Excel class ship. These ships, which all clock in the 6,000-passenger-plus size, will join megaships from MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line. With Royal Caribbean's Oasis-class Utopia of the Seas debuting in Port Canaveral this week, it seemed like a perfect time to revisit this phenom. In this episode...2024-07-1527 min
The Folo by Travel WeeklyThe evolution of cruising’s private islandsOn this episode we’re delving into one of the more unique aspects of the cruise experience, and that’s the one that takes place on land. We’re talking, of course, about private islands – or destinations – that are managed by the cruise line and provide dedicated spaces and special amenities to cruise passengers. Senior cruise editor Andrea Zelinski and Mike Matthews, an advisor with Cruise Planners, talk with host Rebecca Tobin about the appeal of private cruise destinations, the explosion of upgrades and expansions and why this is taking place. Why some cruisers specifically seek out itinerarie...2024-05-2734 min
The Folo by Travel WeeklyThe cruise news that CEOs are talking aboutThe Seatrade Cruise Global conference in Miami Beach in April is a great time for cruise lines to break news, and its annual State of the Industry panel is where business leaders head to hear the latest about trends, straight from the CEOs' mouths. In this episode cruise editor Andrea Zelinski and host Rebecca Tobin go over what was talked about from the Seatrade stage: Big ship orders, vacation demand, additions to the private island scene, and how tech upgrades have changed and improved the cruise experience. This episode was recorded Thursday April 11 and has...2024-04-1535 min
The Folo by Travel WeeklyTwo cruise ship orders and what it means for the industryCarnival Corp. last week placed its first cruise ship order since the beginning of the pandemic: It will add 180,000-gross-ton ship to Carnival Cruise Line that will be the fourth in its Excel class. The very next day, Royal Caribbean International also announced an order, for another Oasis-class ship. Both clock in the 6,000-passenger-plus size, on par with other new ships coming into the industry. This week host Rebecca Tobin talks the era of megaships with cruise editor Andrea Zelinski and Geoff Cox, the vice president of sales and marketing for Power List agency KHM Travel Group. A...2024-02-1927 min
The Folo by Travel WeeklyWhat the world’s biggest cruise ship means for cruise and travelTravel advisors Eizabeth Caran of Outlander Travel and Jennifer Kellum of Neverland and Main Travel talk with Travel Weekly cruise editor Andrea Zelinski and Folo host Rebecca Tobin about the world’s newest, biggest cruise ship, the Icon of the Seas. What sets this ship apart from other ships in the Royal Caribbean International fleet, and what does it mean for the industry overall? Among our topics, we’ll discuss the Icon’s new neighborhoods and where to hang out, family-friendly cabins, how the ship appeals to a true multigenerational vacation, tweaks to small details that h...2024-02-0537 min
The Folo by Travel WeeklyBest of the Folo: The solo cruising trendIn early October Norwegian Cruise Line made another move in the small but growing trend of solo cruising. And an article by cruise editor Andrea Zelinski about NCL’s plans, and how other lines are building single-occupancy cabins, shot to the top of our most-read list. So in this episode we went deeper with Zelinski and NCL executive John Chernesky: Why cruisers traveling solo want a cabin for one, the single-supplement, what cruise lines do for single travelers and the evolution of ship design and the cruise experience. This episode was recorded Nov. 13. Re...2024-01-1632 min
The Folo by Travel WeeklyPreview 2024: Travel trends to look forOur last episode of 2023 is about our Preview issue, our annual look ahead at the travel trends we expect to drive business in the new year. For this episode, we’ve gathered three of our editors: Jamie Biesiada, who covers travel sales, Robert Silk, who covers aviation, and Andrea Zelinski, who covers cruise, about the outlook for the next 12 months: Travel demand, mergers, destinations – both the positive trends and the hurdles. Preview also includes insight into what’s happening in our other beats, namely hospitality, river cruise and tour operations. Check the show notes for our li...2023-12-2532 min
The Folo by Travel WeeklyHow one cruise line is catering to the solo-travel trendIn early October Norwegian Cruise Line made another move in the small-but-growing trend of solo cruising, saying it would more than double the number of cabins for single travelers across its fleet. And an article by cruise editor Andrea Zelinski about NCL’s plans, and how other lines are building single-occupancy cabins, quickly shot to the top of our most-read list, indicating it is a hot topic. With Zelinski, host Rebecca Tobin and NCL's senior vice president of North America sales, John Chernesky, we talk about why cruisers traveling solo might prefer a cabin for one, the si...2023-11-2733 min
The Folo by Travel WeeklyCarnival Corp.'s big quarter, and what it tells us about cruiseThe world's largest cruise company – Carnival Corp. -- released its third-quarter earnings results, and the company posted record revenues in the quarter. It also notched its return to profitability for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. We thought it would be a good opportunity to dig into some of the points raised during Carnival's earnings call and talk about the outlook for cruise. In this episode, host Rebecca Tobin; Gene Sloan, the cruise lead for the Points Guy; and Travel Weekly cruise editor Andrea Zelinski talk about Carnival's bookings, onboard spending, inflation, recession, fuel pr...2023-10-0931 min
The Folo by Travel WeeklyThe summer's biggest stories, and what's next for travelWe’re back with new episodes of the Folo by Travel Weekly! This past summer we’ve been serving up our “best of” episodes, so to catch our listeners up on the biggest trends of the past two months, our reporting team gathered together to talk about their biggest, most interesting and most popular articles that broke while we were on break. At the end of the episode, reporters also talk about the trends they’re interested in covering this fall. Demand is part of the big picture, as well as sustainability, extreme travel and a few othe...2023-09-1839 min
Traveling with AAACruising for the Under 40 CrowdAndrea Zelinski and Nicole Edenedo from Travel Weekly discuss younger travelers’ growing interest in cruising and dispel myths that sometimes keep those under 40 from booking a cruise.2023-02-1033 min
Trade Secrets PodcastIs small-ship cruising right for my client?The cruise industry is massive. In fact, CLIA estimates it generates more than $150 billion in economic activity every year around the world. This week on Trade Secrets, we’re focusing on one segment of that larger industry: small-ship cruising. Jamie Biesiada and guest host Andrea Zelinski, Travel Weekly’s cruise editor, talk all things small ships (and, spoiler, Tahiti) with Windstar Cruises’ Chris Prelog and travel advisor Nancy Cutter. This episode is sponsored by Windstar Cruises https://www.windstarcruises.com/. In this episode: 1:51 - Meet our guests, Windstar’s Chris Prelog and travel advisor Nancy Cu...2022-05-3032 min