The Daily Cruise and Travel News "Podcast" with Tom Drake · Tom Drake

Feb. 24, 2026 Most of Mexico is open again after widespread violence!

·37 min·2 clips

Robert Downey Jr. has been named godparent of Disney Adventure, the 6,700-passenger ship debuting in Singapore.

The show opens with sponsor reads. Tom Drake then settles into his familiar rough, live-sounding greeting from the mobile studio, with Tuesday, February 24th, 2026, right there at the start before he drifts into the chatter. He is already moving. A long, shaggy stretch follows about cruise crowds, German travelers, and the comic irritation of being nudged around by bigger ships and bigger groups. He does not polish it up. Instead, he jokes about doing the podcast alone in the card room and treats the lack of polish as part of the charm. That is the bit. He even says the act is prepared years and years in advance, even when it sounds like he is making it up as he goes. Then the news lands. Disney Cruise Line has named Robert Downey Jr. godparent of the newest ship in its fleet, the Disney Adventure, the largest ever built for Disney. That is the headline. The ship is set to debut on March 10 in Singapore, become the first Disney ship to homeport in Asia, and sail out of Marina Bay Cruise Center. Disney's pitch is big. Drake runs through Marvel Landing, the Iron Cycle test run, the first roller coaster at sea for Disney Cruise Line, and the live Avengers Assemble stunt show. The ship is packed. He also mentions the Marvel Web Workshop inside Oceaneer Club and folds the whole setup back into Disney's familiar blockbuster-on-the-high-seas formula. The bit keeps rolling. Listeners get a cruise-news monologue that is equal parts industry gossip, self-parody, and sales pitch, with a strong finish built around the Disney launch.

As heard by us

A chatty cruise-news hour that warms up slowly before landing on Disney Cruise Line's newest ship.

Tom Drake starts in sponsor copy and cruise-news banter, then settles into a sharper, more opinionated run at Disney Cruise Line's newest ship. The best part is the pivot to Robert Downey Jr.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want cruise news with a voice, not a vacuum.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from The Daily Cruise and Travel News "Podcast" with Tom Drake