Fourth of July Special: Fireworks, Fin Whales, and Ports for Little Kids

<p>The Golden Crew is back and dangerously patriotic for a Fourth of July special. Trevor, Tom, and Jenn open with holiday plans that range from &quot;community band concert, then maybe the casino&quot; to &quot;stay home and make sure the neighbors don&#39;t burn the house down,&quot; before digging into what Carnival&#39;s got cooking for America&#39;s birthday: seven ships meeting up near Celebration Key for a celebration at sea, patriotic deck parties, and the full America 250 program running all week.</p><p>We break down Carnival&#39;s new Milestone rewards — 5,000 points at 50 days, 10,000 and a gift every 100 after that, plus a coin that apparently has nowhere to go now that the coin pusher machines have vanished from the fleet. Then Jenn brings a genuinely heavy one: Royal Caribbean&#39;s Ovation of the Seas and the endangered pregnant fin whale it struck off Alaska, and what the speed questions could mean going forward. Plus a full stack of SpeakPipes — Tim checks in from Australia (twice), a listener needs kid-friendly port picks for a February sailing with a 5- and 7-year-old, and someone&#39;s after everything Aruba. Spoiler: it&#39;s a desert with a beach and a suspicious amount of cactus.</p><p>Got a question, a hot take, or a cruise story? Leave us a voicemail at <a href="speakpipe.com/carnivalcruisingpodcastaways" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">speakpipe.com/carnivalcruisingpodcastaways</a> and we&#39;ll play it on the show. Come hang out in our Facebook group, The Podcastaways, where the party never really slows down.</p><p>And remember: anything you do or say on a ship will remain forever.</p>