Smooth Travels: Biometric Tech and the Massive Wave of New Cruise Ships 2025

Travel is changing fast, from how you clear security to how you vacation on the high seas. This episode breaks down why keeping an eye on new cruise ships 2025 is essential for your next getaway as the industry prepares to launch fifty new vessels by the end of the decade. We look at the sheer scale of this growth and why these massive investments mean better value and more diverse options for every type of traveler.

We also tackle the logistics of getting to your destination without the headache. We compare Mobile Passport vs Global Entry to see which one actually saves you more time and look at how biometric airport security technology is finally streamlining US terminals to match international standards. Beyond the tech, we explore niche travel trends like luxury river cruises Colombia and culturally themed \"soulful journeys\" that take you deep into local heritage.

Whether you are a frequent flyer looking to master airport shortcuts or a cruiser hunting for the best value on the water, this episode provides a roadmap for the next few years of travel. If you want to stay ahead of the trends and maximize your personal bucket list, this conversation is for you.

Introduction and New Travel Giveaways

Mike Putman: Well, good day, everyone. This is Mike Putman.

James Ferrara: And this is James Ferrara. Welcome to No Tourists Allowed. Here we are at the top of the year, Mike, and we are thinking about the year of travels ahead. We’ve got some news in the travel headlines, we’ve got some new technology, and a lot of exciting things this episode. Since last episode, we gave away a luxury cruise for two to Alaska.

Mike Putman: A balcony cabin nonetheless.

James Ferrara: And it was a balcony cabin on Princess Cruises. It was a really amazing experience and worth quite a bit. Now we are going to take it back to land and start our next giveaway.

Mike Putman: Absolutely. All our listeners have to do is go to notouristsallowed.com and register for our email. There we will provide an occasional newsletter. We won’t bombard you every day or every week, but we will occasionally check in with you and tell you what the podcast is up to. That is your key to getting a chance to win our next sweepstakes.

James Ferrara: Guys, these are legit, valuable trip giveaways. You don't have to purchase anything from us. We do this as a thank you for listening and joining us on occasion. Please tell your friends. It’s a great opportunity to win a really valuable trip, learn a little bit about travel, get a few tips from us, and join the conversation.

The Evolution of Airport Technology and Security

Mike Putman: As I was traveling back from South Florida this past week, I noticed some things have really changed over the last several months in the airports. I wanted to share a couple of things about how technology is interplaying with the traveler experience in airports. I think we've come a long way from simply having Clear to now being able to step up to a machine that takes your facial recognition. From that, you don't even have to show your ID or your boarding pass in some cases. There is a lot going on there.

James Ferrara: When technology is done right, it's really making the experience better. On my last trip just last week, I got dropped off at the curb and was inside the terminal buying a cup of coffee five minutes later.

Mike Putman: Three hours before your flight.

James Ferrara: Three hours before my flight, that's correct. It's better than doing the Mike run down the terminal to the gate. Literally five minutes. That’s because I have status with the airline, so I have a special place to drop my bag and get some service. I have Clear and TSA PreCheck, which made it easier for me to get through security. New security equipment makes things easier as well. You don't have to take things out of your bag or do much at all. Even at the TSA agent, the facial recognition is so good that it just takes a quick photo and you're through. I saw that in Europe too. Europe is a little ahead of the airports that I use here in the United States. In the New York area, I think we're lagging behind because in Europe, the facial recognition was so good you just walk through an e-gate. You never have to go up to a customs or border official or wait in line. You just slide your passport in or look at the camera and you're through the gates. The same is true even at the airline gates themselves to board the plane. It’s just getting better and faster. Airports are the thing that I complain about most in the travel experience, so this is good news for me.

Digital Identification and Trusted Traveler Programs

Mike Putman: It's definitely gotten much better. I've been one of the holdouts and not getting a Real ID. By now you should have had your Real ID to be able to get through security at the airports unless you have a passport. I went to my local DMV and got instructions on all that it took to get a Real ID, and that paperwork is still sitting on my desk six months later. Luckily for me, Apple came out with a solution. If you do have an Apple device, they have a way that you can create a digital ID that will drop into your Apple Wallet. Your Apple Wallet is becoming more and more useful every day. There is a process that is very simple to do and takes virtually no time. You scan your passport and there's some kind of "know your customer" verification that takes place. Ultimately, it drops a card into your Apple Wallet. When you go to the airport, instead of pulling out your ID or your passport, you just scan this card. That serves as your ID, so you don't have to pull out your physical driver's license.

James Ferrara: I didn't know about that. I'm going to check it out.

Mike Putman: It's really easy to do. I did read that there are some backwards airports, like those in New York, that probably have not adopted this yet. But your more forward-thinking airports in the South have generally adopted these.

James Ferrara: What you said about Real ID is important. If you do mess up and you don't have yours, there is a small penalty you can pay at the airport and they'll validate for that one trip. But I always say step number one is to get a passport. I want to be ready to go. My advice to all my friends and family and everybody I run into in the travel industry is to get a passport. Everyone should have a passport, and then you don't have any of these issues. My other tip, because we were talking about crossing international borders, is Global Entry. That's a great program to get in and out of the United States without waiting in line, and now it is all automated. If you don't want to do that because it costs a bit, there's a lesser-known program that is free called Mobile Passport. It's a free app you can download from the government and it is a fast lane when you're crossing the international border. At border control here in the United States, you fill it out when you land on your phone and then you can go through these fast, automated aisles as if you had Global Entry. None of these programs work in other countries, though you can get trusted traveler status in other countries if you travel there a lot.

Mike Putman: I don't think the cost for Global Entry was that much.

James Ferrara: I thought it was like $180, but I could be wrong.

Mike Putman: If I had to give up one thing, either that or Clear, I would definitely give up Clear. I'm not a fan of it anyway; it's just a way for rich people to cut in line.

James Ferrara: It's a line-cutting program, yes.

Mike Putman: And I am being a hypocrite because I did use it in Fort Lauderdale this weekend because there was a massive line.

Technology in Hotels and Cruises

James Ferrara: I've been in some busy airports lately, and I've been happy to have it. There's technology in other areas of the travel industry too. Cruise lines are giving you what look like little watches that have a chip in them. At hotels, I'm using digital keys on my phone more and more so I don't have to have a physical key to the room. What I like about digital keys is that some programs allow you to pre-select your room even the day before. You check in online and pick the room looking at floor plans for the hotel. I like that because then I can pick a corner room or a room that looks bigger. Technology is infiltrating the experience everywhere, but the one area that really needed improvement, airports, seems to be getting a lot of it.

Bucket List Destinations for 2026

Mike Putman: Yes, it is, and all for the better. There's a lot of places that I haven't been. People that know what we do come up and say, "I bet you've been everywhere." That is so far from the truth. If we put our experiences together, we still probably haven't seen 50% of the countries in the world.

James Ferrara: There's a lot of "everywhere" out there.

Mike Putman: At the beginning of years, I reflect on what it is I want to do. I think about what places I haven't been that I want to experience. What are your bucket list trips for 2026?

James Ferrara: That is easy for me because I've had one place at the top of my bucket list for a long amount of time. I really want to go to Australia and New Zealand. I've never been. I've been to far-flung places like Japan, but I would really love to go to Australia and New Zealand.

Mike Putman: A place not quite so far away, but something that I have never done, is Argentina. I've heard so many good things about Argentina, not the least of which is their steak and their wine. I'm going to make it there in 2026.

James Ferrara: I love Latin America. I love the food, the people, and the culture. Later this year, I have another bucket list trip that I'm going to fulfill: South Africa. I'm going on a safari. We're going to the wine country of South Africa and Cape Town, which everyone says is stunning. We're also going to Kruger National Reserve for the safari.

Mike Putman: One other one I'm going to try to get in this year is Vietnam. I love the history of Vietnam and I'm very interested in their culture. I like Vietnamese food as well.

James Ferrara: There's something very sophisticated about Vietnamese food. It has French influence and it's very good. I envy you that trip also.

Mike Putman: More than the food, the people and the landscape seem to be spectacular. Friends of mine who have been said it's just one of their top places to ever go. I'd like to get there before it becomes too overdeveloped and still have a chance to get off the beaten path.

Global Travel Trends and Regional Highlights

James Ferrara: I've been to Thailand but never to Vietnam, and I would like that too. I wonder where our listeners are thinking about going. The statistics for top places don't change very much. From the U.S., it's going to be Cancun, Jamaica, London, Paris, and Italy. From the UK, it's Spain, Portugal, Greece, France, and Dubai. Dubai is a place we're going to get to this year. That’s been on my bucket list too, even though I feel like it rose out of the desert out of nowhere and it's very man-made. I think of it as the Las Vegas of the Middle East.

Mike Putman: It's a perfect analogy. It doesn't feel very genuine. I had a really good experience when I was there, but it does feel like a studio set.

James Ferrara: I'd like to go back to Jamaica this year to help them recover from the hurricane last year, which was devastating to certain parts of the island. Jamaica is open for business and the resorts are open. Mike and I were supposed to go to St. Vincent and the Grenadines last year, but because of the hurricane, we had to postpone that trip. I'm hoping we get that back on schedule for this year. That’s another interesting place to go that I've never been.

The Expansion of the Cruise Industry

Mike Putman: I haven't been either. Let's switch gears and talk for a minute about the cruise industry. We had quite a few new ships—new hardware, as they call it—come out this year, but that seems just to be the tip of the iceberg.

James Ferrara: I saw a report from CLIA, which is the Cruise Lines International Association. Between 2025 and the end of the decade, there are something like 50 cruise ships being built and deployed. They refer to this as "the book of builds" in the cruise industry, and apparently the book has never been bigger than it is now.

Mike Putman: You just can't come up with the idea and launch it in a year. There is substantial planning and capital investment years ahead of time.

James Ferrara: They're planning ships now four or five years out. They are ships of all types, not just the big mega ships. This past year, I went on the inaugural for Star of the Seas from Royal Caribbean, now the largest cruise ship in the world. I was on Icon, its sister ship, the year before. These ships are floating cities with 10,000 people on board. They look like you took the Empire State Building, turned it on its side, and floated it out to sea. But on board, they're actually very beautiful. The crowd control is like Disney did it. You walk into the public spaces and nothing seems crowded. Every elevator that opens is empty. It’s really very surprising the way they could create a vehicle of that size and make it an intimate experience. Because they're so big, they can put so many interesting things on board, like great restaurants and entertainment. In a week-long cruise, you can’t see everything. It used to be that by the end of the week, you felt like you had eaten everywhere and done everything. I don't think you can say that anymore on these big ships.

Mike Putman: Almost every imaginable cuisine is available now. There are Japanese steakhouses and Teppanyaki.

Diverse Cruising Experiences and Value

James Ferrara: Beyond those, there are ships of all types, down to small expedition ships that go to Antarctica or Iceland. Ritz-Carlton has yachts now, and Celebrity Cruises is launching their own river cruise ships. AmaWaterways has begun cruising in Colombia on the Magdalena River. They have smaller ships with only 50 or 60 passengers on board. You get this up-close Latin cultural experience cruising to places like Barranquilla. AmaWaterways has also pioneered something they're calling soulful journeys. They are special-themed cruises that focus on certain ethnic backgrounds, like Black culture cruises where the food and stories focus on that particular culture. I really like that idea. You can take a cruise and have a meaningful, authentic travel experience.

Mike Putman: It’s always about the choices that you make. When cruising started in the seventies, it was the Bahamas trips started by Carnival. Then Royal Caribbean and NCL came along. Now there is a real explosion because these ships are so large and carry such large capacities. This is a tipping point of getting cruises to be really mass-market ready. When you have 20 very large vessels that can accommodate 7,000 passengers every week, you start servicing a larger percentage of the population. This is a wonderful way to experience a vacation. It’s not for everybody, but it is for a lot of people. Everyone should try it to give it a chance. Even if you start with a short three-day weekend cruise just to see if you like it, it's a good way to dip your toe in the water.

James Ferrara: It’s still an unbeatable value. If you do the math on what it would cost on land to stay in a hotel for six nights and buy all your meals and entertainment, you wind up paying a fraction of that on a cruise. Almost 80% of the American traveling public has never been on a cruise. So eight out of 10 people have never been. Mike and I recommend it as something you should try. People who go have a very high satisfaction rate and the repeat rate is huge.

Closing Thoughts and How to Stay Connected

Mike Putman: Hopefully Charlie from CLIA is listening, and I think he'll be very proud of us for the pitch.

James Ferrara: Charles Sylvia, the vice president of CLIA, is a great guy. We ought to have him back on.

Mike Putman: I think we're running short on time, James. Thank you all for listening. Please tell your friends about No Tourists Allowed. We invite your feedback. If there's something you'd like us to talk about, please go to notouristsallowed.com and share some feedback.

James Ferrara: Don't forget to sign up for our newsletter there at notouristsallowed.com as we build the list to draw a winner for our next giveaway. This time we're going to be on land at an all-inclusive resort where your food, drinks, and activities are all included. Over the next couple of episodes, we'll give you some hints on where it is. You've got to be in it to win it, so please enter on the website.

Mike Putman: Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time at No Tourists Allowed.

James Ferrara: Thank you.