Welcome to Deb & Matt Chat. We hope to have it up and running soon and completed soon.

A PASSION FOR LIFE, CRUISE & TRAVEL

We love to adventure and share our thoughts on Life, Cruise & Travel.

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Deb & Matt Chat on YT: Our First Video

Hi there and welcome to our first video. We are Deb & Matt. This video footage was intended to be just for some testing, but as a raw first take we loved it when we watched it and is keeping with taking you on the journey from the beginning. The video quality isn't perfect, but neither is a rose until it blooms. The audio isnโ€™t the greatest. But for a first run thatโ€™s ok. We know where we went wrong. It is all learning! We are starting a journey setting up a new business together. We have chosen the #kajabi platform to help us launch. Flashy โ€œexpertโ€ videos are great (trust us we have been watching plenty) but this is your chance to learn as we learn. If you havenโ€™t heard about Kajabi as an online platform follow this link to check it out at https://app.kajabi.com/r/GzeU6QUq Be sure to subscribe! **Affiliate links disclaimer** As we go on our journey we may post the occasional affiliate link, which means we may earn a small commission. It helps us and we appreciate if you do click through, but you can always just use your favourite search engine and find the product or service that way too.

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Deb & Matt Chat on YT: Cruise News LIVE ๐Ÿšข New Itineraries, Rising Fees & Is Aussie Cruising in Trouble?

Welcome back to Deb & Matt Chat LIVE ๐Ÿšข This week weโ€™re breaking down some of the biggest cruise industry updates โ€” from new itineraries and ship changes to rising costs and whatโ€™s really happening in the Australian cruise market. ๐Ÿ—ž๏ธ This weekโ€™s cruise news: ๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต Princess Cruises expands Japan & Asia season A huge new deployment with ships homeporting in Tokyo and dozens of itineraries across Asia ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฏ Fiji Princess to be retired after grounding Following a recent incident, the ship will be removed from service and replaced with a new vessel ๐Ÿ’ธ MSC raises gratuities Passengers will see higher daily service charges, with more increases expected across the industry โ›ฝ Fuel surcharge concerns return Cruise executives warn rising fuel costs could impact pricing and future cruise fares ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ CLIA report: Record demand BUT warning signs Australians are cruising in record numbers โ€” but the industry warns Australia is losing ships and competitiveness ๐ŸŒ StarCruises boosts Asian itineraries New flexible itineraries and extended port stays across Asia for 2026 ๐Ÿ’ฌ Join us LIVE as we break it all down! ๐Ÿ‘‰ Are cruise prices about to rise again? ๐Ÿ‘‰ Is Australia losing its place as a cruise destination? ๐Ÿ‘‰ Would you cruise Asia over the South Pacific? ๐Ÿ‘ Like & Subscribe for weekly cruise news ๐Ÿ“บ Deb & Matt Chat โ€” Life, Cruise & Travel Key topics this week include: Cruise news 2026, Cruise price increases, Cruise gratuities increase, Princess Japan cruise season 2027 and 2028 , Fiji Princess Retirement, Cruise Industry in Australia, clia report australia cruise, cruise fuel surcharge and More Asian cruises 2026, cruise updates live

Deb & Matt Chat on YT: Cruise News LIVE ๐Ÿšข New Itineraries, Rising Fees & Is Aussie Cruising in Trouble?

Welcome back to Deb & Matt Chat LIVE ๐Ÿšข

This week weโ€™re breaking down some of the biggest cruise industry updates โ€” from new itineraries and ship changes to rising costs and whatโ€™s really happening in the Australian cruise market.

๐Ÿ—ž๏ธ This weekโ€™s cruise news:

๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต Princess Cruises expands Japan & Asia season
A huge new deployment with ships homeporting in Tokyo and dozens of itineraries across Asia

๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฏ Fiji Princess to be retired after grounding
Following a recent incident, the ship will be removed from service and replaced with a new vessel

๐Ÿ’ธ MSC raises gratuities
Passengers will see higher daily service charges, with more increases expected across the industry

โ›ฝ Fuel surcharge concerns return
Cruise executives warn rising fuel costs could impact pricing and future cruise fares

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ CLIA report: Record demand BUT warning signs
Australians are cruising in record numbers โ€” but the industry warns Australia is losing ships and competitiveness

๐ŸŒ StarCruises boosts Asian itineraries
New flexible itineraries and extended port stays across Asia for 2026

๐Ÿ’ฌ Join us LIVE as we break it all down!

๐Ÿ‘‰ Are cruise prices about to rise again?
๐Ÿ‘‰ Is Australia losing its place as a cruise destination?
๐Ÿ‘‰ Would you cruise Asia over the South Pacific?

๐Ÿ‘ Like & Subscribe for weekly cruise news
๐Ÿ“บ Deb & Matt Chat โ€” Life, Cruise & Travel

Key topics this week include:
Cruise news 2026, Cruise price increases, Cruise gratuities increase, Princess Japan cruise season 2027 and 2028 , Fiji Princess Retirement, Cruise Industry in Australia, clia report australia cruise, cruise fuel surcharge and More Asian cruises 2026, cruise updates live

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Deb & Matt Chat on YT: Some things Felt Wrong on Day 1 | Carnival Encounter Embarkation

Welcome aboard the Carnival Encounter for our Australia Day Long Weekend Cruise!
We are so excited to be in Brisbane for an “Aussie Classics” cruise on Carnival Encounter! Join us as we kick off this Australia Day celebration with a sail away party. This cruise vlog will cover all the fun, from activities to food, offering cruise travel tips along the way.

This is Day 1 – Embarkation Day in Brisbane, and honestly… something felt a little off.

In this vlog, we take you through the full boarding process at the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal, explore the ship, and share our first impressions – including a surprisingly quiet atmosphere for a long weekend sailing.
In this video:

โœ…Cruise boarding process in Brisbane
๐Ÿค”Impressions of Carnival Encounter
โ‰๏ธWhy the ship didn’t feel full
๐ŸคฏConfusion around cruise theme nights
๐ŸดSpecialty dining bookings (what we chose!)
๐Ÿ›ŒA possible cabin mistake
๐ŸคฉNEW onboard changes (including Bonsai Sushi Express)
๐ŸšขSailaway party vibes
๐Ÿ˜‹Dinner at Trattoria Restaurant
๐Ÿ‘€First look at onboard activities

This cruise already had some surprises… and it’s only Day 1.
Let us know in the comments:
Have you ever been on a cruise that just felt… different?
This is part of our full Carnival Encounter series:
โœ” Cabin tours
โœ” Daily cruise vlogs
โœ” Food & dining reviews
โœ” Tips, tricks & honest experiences

Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss what happens next!

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Deb & Matt Chat on YT: LIVE! Cruise Chaos ๐Ÿ˜ณ Overbooked Ship, Grounding Incident & New Fees Explained

Welcome back to Deb & Matt Chat LIVE ๐Ÿšข

This week weโ€™re breaking down some of the biggest cruise news stories โ€” from passenger perks to cruise chaos and industry changes happening right now.

๐Ÿ—ž๏ธ This weekโ€™s cruise news:

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท South Korea introduces instant tax refunds for cruise passengers
A major policy shift allowing cruise guests to claim VAT refunds more easily during port visits

โ›ฝ Fuel surcharges return?
StarDream Cruises has introduced new daily fuel charges โ€” raising concerns other cruise lines could follow

๐Ÿšข Discovery Princess overbooked
Passengers were offered compensation and even free cruises not to board due to high demand from over booking.

โš ๏ธ Fiji Princess runs aground
A cruise ship ran aground near a famous island location โ€” all passengers safe but the ship is damaged

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Virgin Voyages invests in Australia again
New Aussie sales team signals a renewed push into the Australian cruise market

๐Ÿ’ฌ Join us LIVE as we break it all down and hear YOUR thoughts!

๐Ÿ‘‰ Would you accept a free cruise to give up your spot?
๐Ÿ‘‰ Are fuel surcharges coming back across the industry?
๐Ÿ‘‰ Is cruising getting too unpredictable?

๐Ÿ‘ Like & Subscribe for weekly cruise news
๐Ÿ“บ Deb & Matt Chat โ€” Life, Cruise & Travel

This week we will be discussing an exciting range of topics including, cruise news in 2026, cruise fuel surcharge, discovery princess overbooked, cruise overbooking explained, fiji princess grounding, cruise ship accident fiji, south korea cruise tax refund, virgin voyages australia return, cruise industry news, cruise industry updates

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