From Disney Gardens to Wonderland’s Halloween Haunt to the Disney Believe : Travel Adventures & Tips

Send us Fan Mail Episode #12: From Disney Gardens to Wonderland’s Halloween Haunt to the Disney Believe : Travel Adventures & Tips Release Date: October 6, 2026 | Duration: 45:57 minutes Episode Summary Get ready for a packed episode of The Travel Agent as Stephen Payne takes you from the gardens of Walt Disney World to the scares of Canada’s Wonderland—and into the future of Disney Cruise Line. First, discover what’s planned for the 2027 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, including beautiful topiaries and gardens, the Garden Rocks concert series, and the outdoor kitchens serving flavours from around the world. Then it’s time for Halloween Haunt at Canada’s Wonderland. Stephen shares his firsthand experience navigating the mazes, scare zones, and entertainment—including which maze was his favourite, how long the waits really were on a busy Saturday night, and whether the premium Conjuring: Beyond Fear experience is worth the extra cost. In Cruise Contemplations, get an early look at the brand-new Disney Believe, Disney Cruise Line’s upcoming ship scheduled to enter service in late 2027. Stephen explores its Moana-inspired Grand Hall, Toy Story details, and the Disney stories that will shape the ship—and looks ahead to the announcement of its itineraries and home ports. Plus, this week’s Canadian Compass Travel Tip could help you keep tabs on your luggage when things go wrong, and Deals Dish highlights some impressive cruise savings, including Expedia exclusive stateroom offers on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean sailings. There’s plenty of travel inspiration, practical advice, and a few personal stories along the way—including Stephen’s temporary 2026 Jeep Rubicon adventure. Whether you’re planning a Disney vacation, a cruise, a Halloween outing, or simply your next getaway, there’s something here for you. Timestamps [00:00] Intro [05:54] Mouse Minutes: Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival [12:55] Park Pulse: Canada’s Wonderland’s Halloween Haunt [30:30] Cruise Contemplations: The Disney Believe [33:51] Canadian Compass Travel Tip of the Week: Tracking Your Luggage [36:30] Deals Dish: Expedia Exclusive Staterooms Highlights [42:20] Outro Key Takeaways 🌸 Epcot Flower & Garden Festival — The 2027 festival runs March 10 through May 31, featuring Disney character topiaries, beautiful gardens and exhibits, Garden Rocks concerts, and outdoor kitchens serving garden-inspired dishes from around the world. 🎃 Halloween Haunt at Canada’s Wonderland — Get an overview of the six mazes, seven scare zones, and entertainment offerings, plus firsthand tips for making the most of your night—even when the park is busy. 👻 Conjuring: Beyond Fear — This premium experience is different from the regular mazes, combining a guided, immersive experience with elements of role-playing and paranormal investigation. 🚢 Disney Believe — Get an early look at Disney Cruise Line’s upcoming ship, expected in late 2027, including its Moana-inspired Grand Hall and design elements inspired by Toy Story, Peter Pan, and other Disney favourites. 📅 Get Ready to Book Disney Believe — Disney is expected to announce the ship’s itineraries, home ports, and reservation details, making this one to watch if you’re interested in sailing on a brand-new Disney ship. 🧳 Track Your Luggage — Stephen’s Canadian Compass Travel Tip is simple: consider putting an AirTag in your luggage so you can locate your bags if they don't arrive with you. 💰 Cruise Savings — Expedia exclusive stateroom offers can provide significant savings compared with cruise-line rates, sometimes with additional perks such as onboard credit, drinks, and Wi-Fi depending on the cruise line and offer. 🍁 World Explorer Event in Oakville — Local listeners can learn more about cruise options from Explora, Uniworld, and Princess Cruises at a free travel event featuring presentations, refreshments, and potential special offers and prizes. 🚋 A Canadian Family Outing — Stephen also shares his experience visiting the Halton Radial Railway Museum and why it could be a fun outing for families and anyone interested in trains and streetcars. Relevant Links The Travel Ehgent Website The Travel Ehgent Instagram The Travel Ehgent Facebook The Travel Ehgent Email:  [email protected] Halton County Radial Railway Museum Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival 2027 Canada's Wonderland's Halloween Haunt 2027 Amazon.ca:  Luggage Air Tags Register for the World Explorer Event in Oakville  Stephen Payne’s Expedia Cruises Website Calls to Action If you want more information about cruising and travel, including the latest cruise promotions and limited time offers, subscribe to my Expedia Cruises personalized email newsletters.  Simply click on “fan mail”, and send me your name and email address and I’ll add you to my mailing list for the newsletter as well as for show updates and information.  You can also email your name and email address to the following email:  [email protected].  If you’re enjoying the information and inspiration provided in this show, please leave a review on Apple podcasts or any other podcast reviewing platform.  Links to the show’s page and to Apple podcasts can be found in the show notes.  Also, feel free to follow me on Instagram, just search up @thetravelehgent.  If you want to respond to anything I’ve talked about on the show or if you want to offer topic suggestions or ideas, please send an email to [email protected].  You can be a part of building the content for our community. Apple Podcasts:  The Travel Ehgent: Disney and Beyond Spotify:  The Travel Ehgent: Disney and Beyond You Tube:  The Travel Ehgent: Disney and Beyond Next Episode Coming up for next week’s episode…well, I haven’t necessarily decided yet so I don’t want to commit.  I’m thinking of changing the format so that when I have an interview to share, we’ll focus on the interview for that episode and then resume our regular segments.  If all goes as planned, I’ll finally air that interview about the Pride of America’s Hawaiian itinerary.  And if that’s the case, that will be next week’s episode.  If not, we’ll do the usual segments of mouse minutes, Park Pulse, Cruise contemplations, Canadian compass travel tip of the week, and Deals dish.  But another exciting thing to look forward to is an interview with Susan Carvalho with Princess Cruises.  I’m setting a date with her and that will be coming up, but likely in December.  I’m hoping to bring on some other travel supplier reps as well, so keep listening to the show for those special interviews and for lots of other information and travel tips.  I love to talk travel with all of you. Until next time, keep dreaming, keep planning, and keep exploring! TICO Ontario Registration No: 50022045  Cover art: Makayla Kerr