MouseChat.net – Family Travel Podcast - Disney, Universal, Cruises, All Inclusiv

The #1 must-do on a Disney cruise isn't a restaurant, a show or a water slide. It's the private island day. This week Lisa, Debbie, Caitlin and Steve count down the top 10 Disney Cruise Line must-dos according to DCL fans, then argue about which ones are actually worth it. First up: Debbie has the early teaser details on the Disney Believe, the next Disney cruise ship, sailing fall 2027. These are preliminary and Disney has not announced itineraries or a home port yet. Rumored so far: a Nightmar

Just back from Royal Caribbean's Star of the Seas, the MouseChat team skips the standard beach day and tests three off-the-beaten-path shore excursions in Costa Maya, Roatan and Cozumel. Lisa, Steve, Caitlin and Sharpie also compare the cruise line private islands: Disney Castaway Cay, Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, and Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day at CocoCay. The three excursions we did

Planning a Christmas trip to Walt Disney World in 2026? On this episode of MouseChat, the weekly family travel podcast sponsored by Pixie Vacations (an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner since 2009), Lisa, Debbie, Kaitlyn and Steve walk through every park, party and holiday tradition. They cover what's worth paying for, what's free, and the deals still open.

Caitlyn is back from maternity leave (welcome, baby Clara!) and Steve and Lisa are just home from their annual Labor Day weekend at Universal Orlando, this year with a new addition: a full day at Epic Universe before Halloween Horror Nights. First up, an honest Epic Universe review now that the park has had time to settle in. Is Express Pass worth it? (Short version: if you're only there for one day, yes, and note that Epic's Express is a separate ticket that isn't included with the Universal ho

Level 99 has taken over the old DisneyQuest and NBA Experience building at Disney Springs, and it's exactly Lisa's kind of place. This week Steve and Lisa are joined by special guest Laura from Game Masters Escapes, who has designed 21 escape rooms, runs 14 of them (plus three holiday rooms) in Canada, and has installed rooms everywhere from the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas to Mexico City. Laura walks us through what makes Level 99 such a smart addition to Disney Springs, why interactive enter

Lisa, Debbie "Sharpie," and Steve sit down with Steven, a Doctor of Physical Therapy in Orlando and host of the Happily Ever Active podcast, to talk about how to actually get your body ready for a Disney World vacation — before you ever set foot in the parks. Steven breaks down how most people walk only 4,000–5,000 steps a day but need to handle 20,000+ at Disney, and why that sudden jump (not the walking itself) is what causes sore feet, back pain, and injuries like plantar fasciitis and shin s