Virgin Voyages' Fresh Take on Cruising ft John Diorio and Win a Seven-Night Cruise!

Set sail on a conversation like no other as we launch a once-in-a-lifetime raffle for a seven-night Virgin Voyages cruise! Want in? We've got all the ropes you'll need to climb on board this unique opportunity. Up next, we're joined by John Diorio, the man steering the North American sales for Virgin Voyages. With almost 30 years in the travel game, John spills the sea salt on what makes Virgin Voyages more than just another cruise line. Think adults-only sailing, all-inclusive pricing, and a green footprint as big as a whale's tale.

Then, buckle up as travel deals guru Jessica Deverson drops anchor with three unbeatable vacation packages that'll have your compass pointing due "wow." From Europe to the Caribbean, find out how to stretch your dollar without compromising your wanderlust. But that's not all—dive into our "manifesto of no tourists allowed," as we navigate the transformation from mere sightseers to bona fide global explorers. It's all aboard for this jam-packed episode!

The Virgin Voyages Raffle Giveaway

James Ferrara: Hey all you adventurous travelers out there. Picture this: pristine blue waters, captivating sunsets, and seven nights of unparalleled luxury on a Virgin Voyages cruise.

Mike Putman: That's right, Mike. We're raffling off a free seven-night Virgin Voyages cruise for two people. Imagine basking in the glory of the Sea Terrace cabin. That's the category we're giving.

James Ferrara: And the cherry on top, you get to select from all available ships, dates, and ports when you book it. Just make sure you're setting sail before June 30th, 2024, if you're our winner.

Mike Putman: Now here's how it works. Each week right here on this podcast, No Tourists Allowed, we will be announcing a new raffle entry option. It's like a travel quest leading up to the big prize.

James Ferrara: For today's golden travel entry option, to get yourself one step closer to those sun-kissed days at sea, all you need to do is sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Mike Putman: That's right. And we've made it super easy for you. Head over to our website with the link in the description where you can enter the raffle and, even better, your information is saved. So each week when you return for more chances to win, it's smooth sailing.

James Ferrara: And folks, there's a treasure trove of additional raffle points. Follow us on social media and subscribe to our YouTube channel because we're dropping exclusive bonus entries just there.

Mike Putman: The links to the raffle entry, social media, and YouTube are in the episode description. Every week is a new adventure, leading you closer to that ultimate cruise giveaway.

James Ferrara: So sign up, tune into the podcast and the social media every week for new raffle point options. Gear up for the possibility that the next mesmerizing sunset you enjoy might just be from the deck of a Virgin Voyages cruise. All aboard the Dream Voyage. Now, without further ado, let's plunge into today's episode.

Introducing John Diorio of Virgin Voyages

Mike Putman: Good day, everyone. I'm Mike Putman.

James Ferrara: And I'm James Ferrara. Welcome to No Tourists Allowed.

Mike Putman: Yes, we're glad to be back for another edition in season two. We have a very special guest today. You have a special host every week, but we have a special guest this week. James, why don't you introduce John?

James Ferrara: We have with us one of the senior executives in the travel industry, a gentleman named John Diorio. He is currently the Vice President of North American Sales for Virgin Voyages. John also has an almost 30-year career. John, I'm sorry to age you, but what's interesting is your background is in resorts, hotels, adventure travel, and tickets. You really have a broad view of the travel industry and that brings a lot of value for our listeners. So welcome to No Tourists Allowed, John.

John Diorio: James and Mike, thank you for having me. I'm so excited for this opportunity and really look forward to just diving in with you both. And James, thank you for not aging me too much. I think I now say over 30 years, but if you say almost 30, that sounds even better. I feel younger already by being on this podcast.

James Ferrara: Could be my math is a little off. But listen, we traditionally start just to warm things up and have our listeners get to know you. We start with some personal questions about your travel likes and dislikes. I'll hand it over to the maestro for that, my co-host.

Travel Preferences and Career Insights

Mike Putman: Hot seat. Okay. First question is: what size headphones do you have? Just kidding, that's an inside joke.

John Diorio: They're invisible size. They're the invisible size ones today.

Mike Putman: We have some rapid-fire questions for you. If you'll just spout off the first thing that comes to your mind, this is a way of introducing your travel personality to our listeners. Question number one, what is your favorite destination?

John Diorio: Puerto Vallarta.

Mike Putman: That's an interesting one we haven't heard before. And are you an aisle or window guy?

John Diorio: Hundred percent aisle. I don't understand how people sit at a window. I really do not.

James Ferrara: And you're a trim guy, John. For me, it's like I need the extra room spilling over into the aisle a little bit. How about are you a Kindle or paper book when you travel?

John Diorio: Neither, to be honest with you. I don't have a Kindle, but I do use my phone. I have everything on my Google Books. It's definitely electronic. I do not bring paper books.

James Ferrara: He's a man of the 21st century.

John Diorio: I try to be. If it fits on my phone, great. It's one less thing I have to put in my backpack.

James Ferrara: I bought recently a 900-page book that I lug around in my backpack now. It's like having a cinder block in my backpack.

John Diorio: How do you do that? I don't know, it's just... yeah.

Mike Putman: John, what's your favorite hotel brand?

John Diorio: My loyalty lies with Marriott from the broader global side of things. I find myself 90 percent of the time in a Marriott somewhere around the world.

Mike Putman: Non-specific to a brand, what is your favorite hotel in the world?

John Diorio: The first one that comes to mind would be the Four Seasons in Tokyo. There are so many great choices, but that one just resonates. Great location, great service, and one of the most magical countries in the world.

Mike Putman: And I'm heading there next month.

John Diorio: Oh, I highly recommend that place.

Mike Putman: I'll take note of that. And other than your current role at Virgin, what's been your favorite role? You don't have to give the company, but you're welcome to if you like.

John Diorio: I would say I had the pleasure very early on working for a company where I got involved very early on with travel online. Back in the early 2000s, I ended up working for a company called Hotel Reservations Network, which eventually became Hotels.com. At that point, I was running a team to find individuals that owned websites. Like if you owned New York Hotels.com, my job was to find you somewhere around the world and get you to put our booking engine on it. It was really in the early times when Google just started. It was fun watching how the internet really grew, specifically how travel grew online. Google wasn't even charging for advertising back then. It was one of my favorite jobs because it was all creativity and fun.

James Ferrara: All three of us, our careers probably started around the same time. We all got to live this incredible transformation of the industry, the digital transformation. There's been so much interesting, exciting, and combative stuff.

John Diorio: I remember even before that, there was a company I worked for in Boulder, Colorado. We had this global hotel program; it was truly a printed directory. We got a random call one day from some company out of Washington called Expedia. They were like, we want to put this hotel directory on a CD-ROM. It's been fun to watch how travel has grown online and what it's done for people's lives to see the world now more than ever.

The Virgin Voyages Experience

James Ferrara: John, let's turn to your current work because you're part of a really exciting brand presence, a relatively new cruise brand that has so much buzz about it. Tell us about Virgin Voyages.

John Diorio: I've been with the brand now a little over five years. I got a call randomly out of the blue and was told about this company. Honestly, I really didn't pay much attention to the cruise space. It wasn't what I always looked to do on vacation. But when you get a call and Virgin's tied to it and Richard Branson's tied to it—and I've been a big fan of his for years—it was worth understanding what the opportunity was for me. It was a chance to work for Richard and help launch a cruise line. It's not something that happens every day, let alone every decade. Our goal was to create the best vacation at sea. We started with wanting to create a very unique product in the cruise market space. There are some great brands out there, but we really wanted to create something very different to stand out. It's a formula Richard Branson has followed for now over 50 years.

James Ferrara: Tell us a little bit about the formula or what makes the Aaron Powell...

John Diorio: When you look at what Richard's done as he's launched different products, he thinks about coming into a marketplace and doing something a little differently. You probably remember Virgin America as they came in as a new airline in the US, and they really turned people's heads around. What a different way to have a flight experience. You didn't have carts going up and down the aisle and blocking your journey to the bathroom. That formula worked, but it started with understanding what people wanted. For Virgin Voyages specifically, we did about two years of research into what resonated with customers that loved a cruise and what we could do a little differently. More importantly, we got feedback from those who didn't think cruising was something they would love.

James Ferrara: Can you give us some pillars of that experience?

John Diorio: I can talk about this all day long. As we looked at creating that experience, the first thing that really resonated was that there was a huge opportunity in the cruise space to have a voyage without children. We are an exclusively adult-only experience. You have to be at least 18 years or older to sail with Virgin Voyages. When I started telling my kids they couldn't go on my ships, they were not really happy about that. It's been one of the true differentiators for us. It is built for us as adults. Everything we did from the design of the ship, the smell, the soundtrack, the experience, and our crew helps create that very unique experience. It's amplified when you step on board and feel that energy.

James Ferrara: It's not because Sir Richard doesn't like kids. There's plenty of cruise experiences out there for children. It's just something that really sets you apart.

John Diorio: That was foundational for us. And then it became what that experience was going to be for our sailors. We started with making sure there was as much as possible included in their experience so they didn't get this sticker shock at the end. All of your food is included. We include all the gratuities and all the group workout classes. We include as much as you could possibly think of where it makes sense for us. It resonates really well with our sailors. We're winning all of the best cruise line awards right now.

James Ferrara: This nickel and diming concept for travelers in any vertical sticks under our craw. You're hitting on something that resonates with travelers, this more inclusive kind of approach.

John Diorio: I would say we're not an all-inclusive product; there's a difference. We're a more inclusive type of product. We include what our sailors want to have included where they can control what they want to do. For example, Wi-Fi. To us, Wi-Fi is a basic human right. Everybody gets Wi-Fi. But we took it a step further and said you're going to get two devices when you come on board, per sailor. You don't have to worry about knocking someone off the Wi-Fi. It just creates a nice experience with less friction.

Ship Design, Dining, and Sustainability

Mike Putman: Let's talk about your hardware. What differences did it make when you were designing the hardware and thinking about how you don't have to worry about kids or kids' clubs?

John Diorio: It started with us really looking at what size of ship we wanted to build. We consider ourselves more of a mid-size ship. There are the very large ships and there are ships that are smaller, but our size allows us to have different experiences and go to ports that larger ships can't go to. Every space on our ship was designed to be very intimate. You won't see large dining restaurants of fifteen hundred. You don't see theaters of a thousand people. As you move from space to space, there's a unique soundtrack and vibe. We didn't have to think about where to put the roller coaster or the rock climbing wall. Everything we designed had the lens of what adults want to do. We could have a karaoke lounge or adult entertainment. We even have a tattoo studio on board. And in our cabins, we've got hammocks on all of our Sea Terrace cabins.

Mike Putman: When it comes to dining, was there anything special that you thought about?

John Diorio: We have no buffets. There's nothing wrong with a good buffet, but we knew based on our research that for this elevated adult experience, you wanted to have ready-to-order food that was custom and fresh. We also include all the food in your experience. You don't have to pay extra to go to a specialty restaurant. That allowed us to really hone in on quality of food that's unrivaled in the industry right now.

James Ferrara: You've touched on things that bring us into the ethos of our podcast, No Tourists Allowed. We're trying to help people travel in a more authentic way. Does this fit into this "no tourist allowed" worldview?

John Diorio: Richard has a lens on just being environmentally aware. We started from day one making sure we were doing what was best for the oceans and the ports we go into. We have no single-use plastics and no bottles of water that you have to buy. Even the band that we wear is made from recycled fishing nets extracted from the ocean. We use that to get into your cabin and pay for things on board. Even the sunscreen we have on the ship is reef-safe. You talked about buffets; they lead to tons of waste annually when you throw food away. Those are the little things that we look at to just be more responsible.

James Ferrara: Travelers need to hear more about that. Most people don't understand the lengths to which cruise lines go to protect the oceans and deal with waste and single-use plastics.

John Diorio: It's actually a very influential factor in the buying decision. There are people that want to buy products that align with their beliefs. I think the industry as a whole has done an amazing job over the past decade in the way they design ships.

Shore Excursions and Expert Travel Tips

James Ferrara: Tell us about your favorite Virgin shore thing or two.

John Diorio: In May, we launched our third ship, Resilient Lady, out of Athens, Greece. When we go to Mykonos, we do this cooking experience at a lady's house. She welcomes us into her home and we just make Greek food all day. She shows us how to make it and gets us involved. It's about twenty to thirty people, so we try to create an intimate experience versus one with a hundred people.

Mike Putman: Let's get some tips from John because he is such a frequent traveler. Are there any plans for Necker Island to be a stop?

John Diorio: The answer is no. There's really no place to put the ship, to be honest with you. I think Richard would rather come to the ship. You could easily purchase an experience on Necker Island, and Richard would be more than happy to welcome you there, but no plans for Necker.

Mike Putman: When you speak to Mr. Branson, does he require you to call him Sir Richard?

John Diorio: He does not. But out of respect you use it and reference him, but no, you do not.

James Ferrara: Do you have any tips for when you travel that make it more convenient or less of a hassle?

John Diorio: I'm a big fan of being as efficient as possible. TSA PreCheck is a no-brainer, but I'm also a member of Clear. Clear helps you expedite that and has even moved that experience into stadiums now. The other thing is I have pictures of my passports, credit cards, and driver's license on my phone. In the event that I lose that stuff, I have it. It's sitting in a Google folder so if I ever have to get to anything, it's there. Also, I don't go anywhere without my refillable water bottle. Some airports are banning plastic bottles now. I don't want to pay five dollars for a bottle of water.

James Ferrara: John, it's been great having you. Thank you for being so generous to provide us with a seven-day cruise giveaway.

John Diorio: James, Mike, thank you for having me. This was a great pleasure and honor.

Travel Deals of the Week

Mike Putman: Next up, we'd like to bring on Jessica Deverson, our deals guru, to share some great deals she has been working on.

Jessica Deverson: I brought three new deals for this week. First off, we have Avalon Waterways. They are known for their panoramic windows. Right now, they have a fly-free event from select US cities on select 2024 Europe river cruises. Next up we have Royal Caribbean. They're running their 30% off every guest plus kids under 12 sail free. If you're booking for 2024, you get an additional savings of up to $150. Plus, a $500 air credit for Europe and Alaska. Last but not least, we're about halfway to St. Patrick's Day. For an in-depth Ireland tour, you want to look at CIE Tours. They have itineraries that hit Dublin on St. Patrick's Day starting from only $1,245 per person. Be sure to contact your travel advisor for any of these offers.

The No Tourists Allowed Manifesto

Mike Putman: Really valuable insight from Jessica. Today, James and I want to talk about our manifesto of No Tourists Allowed.

James Ferrara: We've dropped advice about how to travel in a more authentic way, a more memorable way, and a more mindful way. We thought we should start establishing our manifesto.

Mike Putman: When you begin traveling, you're kind of born a tourist. As you mature, you become more of a traveler and experience authentic things like dining and interacting with other cultures.

James Ferrara: One of the first points is to find a genuine interest in another culture and be open to learning. Seek out those differences in art, architecture, and customs. It also matters where you stay. In Marrakech, I stayed in a Riad, the traditional courtyard house. It was a very different experience of Marrakech than when I stayed at a Four Seasons. Stay in a pensione or a hostel where you're closer to the people.

Mike Putman: Like John mentioned, he went into someone's home in Mykonos to prepare food. What a remarkable experience to live like a local. It's about getting out of your safety zone and doing something different. You might volunteer for a day to do work with a children's program. By doing so, you really get involved and interact with the culture. You talk to people who don't have to treat you like royalty.

James Ferrara: Eating locally should be a value that you pursue. Look for busy places filled with local people. If you don't know what something is on the menu, that's a signal that you should try it.

Mike Putman: My father had a rule: you had to try it; if you didn't like it, you could order something else. I went to Cuba thirteen years ago, and we went to these expensive places built for tourists where the food wasn't good. Then we went to a chicken place on the side of the road filled with Cubans. It was the best meal that we had and one-tenth the cost. Eating local is better quality and lets you have conversations you wouldn't have otherwise.

James Ferrara: You're more likely to get fresh food that way. What's unspoken here is no McDonald's. When you're in Paris, don't go to the big American names.

Mike Putman: The only exception is Estonia. I went into a McDonald's in Estonia and all of the people working there were supermodels. It was like a Victoria's Secret fashion show.

James Ferrara: Estonia is the exception. We hope these things bring clarity to what our ethos is. We want you to think about traveling in a way that's sustainable and authentic. Come back each week and we'll give you a few more guidelines in our manifesto.

Mike Putman: We're giving away that free Virgin Voyages cruise. Sign up for the newsletter at NoTouristsAllowed.com for entries. I also want to thank Nathaniel, our producer, and Richika, who helps with social media and marketing.

James Ferrara: Thank you, everyone. Have a great week.