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.

As we build our site we will be uploading helpful resources to help you plan.

------------------------

All

Popular

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 isn’t the greatest. But for a first run that’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 “expert” videos are great (trust us we have been watching plenty) but this is your chance to learn as we learn. If you haven’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.

All

Latest

Deb & Matt Chat on YT: Carnival Encounter Cruise Embarkation Day Boarding Brisbane

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: ✅Cruise boarding process in Brisbane 🤔Impressions of Carnival Encounter ⁉️Why the ship didn't feel full 🤯Confusion around cruise theme nights 🍴Specialty dining bookings (what we chose!) 🛌A possible cabin mistake 🤩NEW onboard changes (including Bonsai Sushi Express) 🚢Sailaway party vibes 😋Dinner at Trattoria Restaurant 👀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: ✔ Cabin tours ✔ Daily cruise vlogs ✔ Food & dining reviews ✔ Tips, tricks & honest experiences Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss what happens next!

Deb & Matt Chat on YT: Carnival Encounter Cruise Embarkation Day Boarding Brisbane

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:

✅Cruise boarding process in Brisbane
🤔Impressions of Carnival Encounter
⁉️Why the ship didn’t feel full
🤯Confusion around cruise theme nights
🍴Specialty dining bookings (what we chose!)
🛌A possible cabin mistake
🤩NEW onboard changes (including Bonsai Sushi Express)
🚢Sailaway party vibes
😋Dinner at Trattoria Restaurant
👀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:
✔ Cabin tours
✔ Daily cruise vlogs
✔ Food & dining reviews
✔ Tips, tricks & honest experiences

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

Read More

Deb & Matt Chat on YT: LIVE! Cruise Chaos 😳 Overbooked Ship, Grounding Incident & New Fees Explained

Welcome back to Deb & Matt Chat LIVE 🚢

This week we’re breaking down some of the biggest cruise news stories — from passenger perks to cruise chaos and industry changes happening right now.

🗞️ This week’s cruise news:

🇰🇷 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

⛽ Fuel surcharges return?
StarDream Cruises has introduced new daily fuel charges — raising concerns other cruise lines could follow

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

⚠️ Fiji Princess runs aground
A cruise ship ran aground near a famous island location — all passengers safe but the ship is damaged

🇦🇺 Virgin Voyages invests in Australia again
New Aussie sales team signals a renewed push into the Australian cruise market

💬 Join us LIVE as we break it all down and hear YOUR thoughts!

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

👍 Like & Subscribe for weekly cruise news
📺 Deb & Matt Chat — 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

Read More

Deb & Matt Chat on YT: Carnival Encounter Cabin Tour 5236 | Interior Quad Room Review & First Impressions

Welcome aboard the Carnival Encounter! 🇦🇺

In this video, we take you inside Interior Cabin 5236, a quad-share cabin where we’re staying with three people during our Australia Day long weekend cruise.

This is our first impressions + full cabin tour, where we show you:

What the space is REALLY like with 3 guests
Bed configuration and layout
Storage options (and limitations!)
Bathroom setup and usability
Our honest first thoughts on comfort and practicality

If you’re considering an interior cabin on Carnival Encounter, especially for multiple guests, this is a must-watch before you book.

🚢 This is part of our Australia Day Cruise Series, so make sure you subscribe and follow along for:
✔ Daily vlogs
✔ Food & dining reviews
✔ Entertainment and onboard experiences
✔ Final cabin review at the end of the cruise

👇 Let us know in the comments:
Would YOU stay in an interior cabin with 3 or 4 people?

Read More
Loading