Author: Deb & Matt

Deb & Matt Chat on YT: Did We See Turtles in Airlie Beach? | Anthem of the Seas

Deb & Matt Chat on YT: Did We See Turtles in Airlie Beach? | Anthem of the Seas

Posted by | Aug 27, 2026 | |

Day 5 aboard Anthem of the Seas brings us back to Airlie Beach for our second day in the Whitsundays!

Today we head off on foot along the Airlie Beach boardwalk toward Coral Sea Marina for a turtle spotting tour with Whisper Tours. It was hot, humid and very sweaty, but the walk gave us some beautiful views around Airlie Beach before we arrived at the marina

Our turtle spotting tour was aboard a small electric boat, limited to only a small group, and we set off to see if we could spot turtles in the Whitsundays. So… did we actually see any?

After the tour, we tender back to Anthem of the Seas, cool down onboard, enjoy lunch, and then take in a stunning sunset as we sail away from the Whitsundays

The evening includes rum punch cocktails, Taste of the UK in the Main Dining Room, some wonderful viewer meet-ups, Crazy Quest, and a very fun — although slightly confusing — Royal Caribbean Resolution Dance Party

🛳️ Ship: Anthem of the Seas
🚢 Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean
📍 Port: Airlie Beach / Whitsundays
🌏 Cruise: Sydney to Airlie Beach

Useful Links:

Airlie Beach Tourism
https://airliebeachtourism.com.au/

Whisper Cruises
https://whispercruises.com.au/

CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro
00:20 Coming Up Today
00:51 Airlie Beach, Queensland
01:41 Walking The Airlie Beach Boardwalk
02:29 Stay Hydrated In The Whitsundays
03:01 Crocs, Stingers & Airlie Beach Warnings
04:37 Coral Sea Marina Airlie Beach
06:12 Whisper Tours Whitsundays
07:12 The Electric Boat
09:58 Whisper Tours Airlie Beach
10:32 Turtle Spotting Tour – Did We See Any?
12:48 Tendering Back To Anthem Of The Seas
14:09 Rum Punch Cocktails
14:26 Main Dining Room White Night
14:37 Subscribe
15:33 Taste Of The UK Dinner
17:33 A Request For Royal Caribbean
17:54 Yummy Food & Viewer Shout Outs
19:06 Crazy Quest 18+
19:20 Royal Caribbean Resolution Dance Party
19:34 Daily Wrap Up

If you enjoy cruise vlogs, Royal Caribbean tips, port days, cruise food, ship life and real travel adventures, make sure you subscribe and come along for the rest of our Anthem of the Seas series

#AirlieBeach #AnthemoftheSeas #RoyalCaribbean #Whitsundays #CruiseVlog #CruiseAustralia

Experience the intense humid weather of Airlie Beach firsthand. We show you how to navigate the heat while exploring Queensland today.

This vlog documents our journey returning to Airlie Beach by boat tender. If you are planning a trip to this part of Australia, you know that managing the climate is essential. We share our practical experience dealing with the humidity during our scenic walks and bus rides throughout the area.

Beyond the boat trip, we sit down to discuss the realities of traveling in humidity. It is not always easy to stay comfortable when the air is thick, but we found ways to enjoy our time regardless. Whether you are prepping for your own Queensland boat trip or just curious about the local conditions, this video offers a realistic look at what to expect.

Subscribe for regular travel vlogs, and tell us in the comments if you prefer exploring tropical climates or cooler destinations.

#cruise #cruisevlog #cruisetips #cruiseadvice #cruisehacks #travel #travelcouple #cruiselife #traveladvice #travelhints

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Deb & Matt Chat on YT: Does Australia Need MORE Cruise Ships? 🚢 Princess Selling Out + Cruise News LIVE

Deb & Matt Chat on YT: Does Australia Need MORE Cruise Ships? 🚢 Princess Selling Out + Cruise News LIVE

Posted by | Aug 26, 2026 | |

🚢 Does Australia need MORE cruise ships?

There’s plenty to talk about on Deb & Matt Chat LIVE tonight, with Princess cruises selling out Down Under, MSC specifically targeting Australian travellers and even calls for CRUISE SHIPS to help solve Brisbane’s accommodation shortage during the 2032 Olympic Games!

Plus we’ve got a Disney Cruise Line mystery to solve, Celebrity Equinox heading somewhere new and a serious warning for travellers following the collapse of a luxury Kimberley cruise operator

🇦🇺 TONIGHT’S CRUISE & TRAVEL NEWS

🏅 CRUISE SHIPS FOR THE BRISBANE 2032 OLYMPICS?!

Brisbane could face a major hotel-room shortage during the Olympic and Paralympic Games — and one proposal is to bring in two or three cruise ships to provide thousands of additional rooms

Could this also strengthen the argument for expanding Brisbane’s cruise terminal?

👑 PRINCESS CRUISES ARE SELLING OUT IN AUSTRALIA

A third of Princess’s remaining Australian cruises this year are reportedly already sold out

With fewer Princess ships currently based Down Under, we’ll look at demand, prices and ask:

Does Australia actually need MORE cruise capacity?

🌏 MSC WANTS MORE AUSTRALIAN CRUISERS

MSC has created European back-to-back cruise combinations specifically targeting Australian and New Zealand travellers

Instead of flying halfway around the world for seven nights — how about 14 nights or longer aboard the same ship?

🏔️ CELEBRITY EQUINOX IS HEADING TO ALASKA

Celebrity Equinox will make its Alaska debut in 2028, joining Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Millennium

Which Celebrity ship would YOU choose for Alaska?

💸 LUXURY KIMBERLEY CRUISES THAT NEVER SAILED

Passengers have been left thousands of dollars out of pocket after Kimberley Pearl Tours entered receivership

We’ll look at what happened and the bigger question it raises:

How protected is your money when you pay a large cruise or travel deposit?

🐭 WHAT IS DISNEY CRUISE LINE TEASING?!

Disney has dropped a mysterious series of coordinates ahead of a BIG announcement

Where are they going?

We’re going to put the clues on screen and see whether YOU can solve the mystery!

And, of course

⚡ 30 Second Quick Questions
💬 Your questions LIVE
😂 Deb & Matt banter
🚢 Cruise tips, opinions and conversation

💬 TONIGHT’S BIG QUESTION

Does Australia need MORE cruise ships — and if so, which cruise line would you like to see increase its Australian fleet?

👍 LIKE the stream
🔔 SUBSCRIBE and turn on notifications
💬 Tell us where you’re watching from!

Deb & Matt Chat — Life, Cruise & Travel

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Deb & Matt Chat on YT: NOW We Know! 🚢 Royal Caribbean’s Big Australia Shake-Up Explained! Cruise News and More!

Deb & Matt Chat on YT: NOW We Know! 🚢 Royal Caribbean’s Big Australia Shake-Up Explained! Cruise News and More!

Posted by | Aug 19, 2026 | |

oyal Caribbean’s Australian 2027/28 cruise season is finally here — and now we can see what the big fleet shake-up actually means for Australian cruisers. 🇦🇺🚢

Last week we talked about the early reports of THREE Royal Caribbean ships appearing in Australia’s 2027/28 season.

Now we have the deployment schedules.

Tonight on Deb & Matt Chat LIVE, we’re taking a proper deep dive into Anthem of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas, what’s changing in Brisbane and Sydney, the role of Royal Beach Club Lelepa — and importantly, what happens to passengers who were ALREADY BOOKED on cruises affected by the changes.

📧 One of our viewers has shared the email she received after her booked Voyager of the Seas cruise was impacted by the deployment changes.

We’ll look at the replacement cruise Royal Caribbean has offered, fare protection, cancellation options and compensation — and ask whether Royal has handled the changes fairly.

🇦🇺 ROYAL CARIBBEAN AUSTRALIA 2027/28

🚢 Ovation of the Seas returns to Brisbane
The newly amplified Ovation joins Royal Caribbean’s Australian deployment.

⚓ What happens to Voyager of the Seas?
We’ll break down Voyager’s movements between Australia and Asia and what the new schedules tell us.

🌏 Anthem of the Seas returns to Sydney
Where Anthem fits into Royal Caribbean’s changing Australian strategy.

🏝️ Royal Beach Club Lelepa
How Royal’s new private South Pacific destination is influencing Australian itineraries.

📧 Already booked? Here’s where things get interesting…
We’ll examine a real email sent to one of our viewers after Royal changed her booked Voyager cruise.

Is being moved from Voyager to the newly amplified Ovation an upgrade — or would you still be unhappy that the cruise you chose has disappeared?

🗞️ PLUS TONIGHT

🏰 Disney reveals an entirely NEW cruise ship class

Disney is going smaller with three next-generation ships planned for 2029–30. Why is Disney choosing smaller ships while competitors continue building mega-ships?

🐉 MSC World Asia’s enormous dragon comes to life

A spectacular 12-metre illuminated dragon featuring thousands of LEDs becomes one of MSC World Asia’s signature attractions.

And of course…

⚡ 30 Second Quick Questions
💬 Viewer Q&A
😂 Deb & Matt banter
🚢 Cruise & travel chat

💬 TONIGHT’S BIG QUESTION

If you booked Voyager and Royal Caribbean moved you to the newly amplified Ovation at the same or a lower price — would you consider that an upgrade?

👍 LIKE
🔔 SUBSCRIBE
💬 Join the conversation LIVE!

Deb & Matt Chat — Life, Cruise & Travel

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Deb & Matt Chat on YT: Royal Caribbean Goes BIG in Australia?! 🚢 Celebrity Cruise Deployments! Cruise Port Strike

Deb & Matt Chat on YT: Royal Caribbean Goes BIG in Australia?! 🚢 Celebrity Cruise Deployments! Cruise Port Strike

Posted by | Aug 12, 2026 | |

🚢 Could Royal Caribbean really be bringing THREE ships to Australia for the 2027–28 cruise season?

Tonight on Deb & Matt Chat LIVE, we’re digging into a very interesting Royal Caribbean story.

An Australian travel publication reported that Anthem of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas AND Voyager of the Seas would form part of Royal Caribbean’s expanded Australian program — and then the story disappeared.

But there’s more…

🔎 We’ve been doing some digging of our own and have independently found Voyager of the Seas listed at Sydney’s Overseas Passenger Terminal across future seasons, including multiple calls during 2027 and 2028.

So what is Royal Caribbean planning for Australia?

🚢 TONIGHT’S BIG STORY

🇦🇺 THREE Royal Caribbean ships for Australia?

We’ll look at:

⚓ Anthem of the Seas from Sydney
⚓ Ovation of the Seas reportedly returning to Brisbane
⚓ Voyager of the Seas moving between Brisbane, Sydney and Asia
🏝️ Royal Beach Club Lelepa opening in 2027
🔎 The Sydney port bookings we’ve independently found
❓ And why the original three-ship story suddenly disappeared!

Important: Royal Caribbean has not yet formally released the complete deployment we’re discussing. We’ll separate what has been officially announced, what appeared in the subsequently removed report, and what we’ve independently found in port schedules.

🗞️ ALSO TONIGHT

🌏 Celebrity Cruises expands Australia & Asia

Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Solstice are both heading Down Under as part of Celebrity’s huge 2028–29 global deployment.

🌎 Celebrity reveals cruises across ALL SEVEN CONTINENTS

Four Edge Series ships in Europe, Solstice’s first full Japan season, Alaska, Hawaii, South America, Antarctica and much more.

⚠️ Plus more cruise and travel news

And, as always…

⚡ 30 Second Quick Questions
💬 Your questions LIVE
😂 Deb & Matt banter
🚢 And plenty of cruise chat!

💬 TONIGHT’S BIG QUESTION

If Brisbane gets BOTH Voyager and the newly amplified Ovation of the Seas — which one are you booking first?

👍 LIKE the stream
🔔 SUBSCRIBE and turn on notifications
💬 Tell us where you’re watching from!

Deb & Matt Chat — Life, Cruise & Travel

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Deb & Matt Chat on YT: Cruise Industry Shakeup: Princess, Jetstar & the World’s Biggest Sailing Yacht

Deb & Matt Chat on YT: Cruise Industry Shakeup: Princess, Jetstar & the World’s Biggest Sailing Yacht

Posted by | Aug 5, 2026 | |

Welcome back to Deb & Matt Chat LIVE! 🚢

We’ve got another great mix of cruise and travel news this week, including major booking changes from Princess Cruises, airline updates, the world’s largest sailing yacht and the changing face of cruise theme nights.

🗞️ Tonight’s Cruise News

💳 Princess Cruises changes deposits and final payment dates
Princess is asking guests to commit earlier than ever before. We’ll explain what has changed and what it means if you’re planning your next cruise.

✈️ Jetstar updates carry-on baggage options
New baggage choices aim to give travellers more flexibility—but are they really better value?

⛵ Orient Express Corinthian
The world’s largest sailing yacht is almost ready to launch, combining luxury with cutting-edge sailing technology.

🎉 Are cruise theme nights changing?
From formal nights to White Parties and 80s nights—is cruising becoming more relaxed?

💬 Tonight’s Questions

👉 Would paying your cruise balance 120 days before departure change your booking habits?

👉 Are you a carry-on-only traveller?

👉 Would you choose a luxury sailing yacht over a mega cruise ship?

👉 Do you miss traditional formal nights?

⚡ Plus…

🎤 30 Second Quick Questions

💬 Live Q&A

🚢 Cruise chat, opinions and plenty of laughs!

👍 Like • Subscribe • Share

🔔 Turn on notifications so you never miss a live.

Deb & Matt Chat – Life, Cruise & Travel

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