laurieal

I had dinner at the Windjammer. I got there around 19:00 and it was busier than last time I was there. I found a table in the back, but it was a bit too far from the food. When I went to get food and spotted a closer table, I decided to move my stuff. There was some wait at the more in demand stations. The ribs were particularly popular and had 5-6 people waiting in line for them. I started with my usual cheese and cheesy bread. The second cheesy bread was accidental; it was stuck to the first one. Also, bonus shrimp cocktail. For my main, I had the salmon en croute with the mashed potatoes and more cheese that I hadn’t seen on my first cheese run. The salmon was overcooked, but it’s buffet salmon and I expected that. It’s why I got the mashed potatoes. For dessert, I had the baklava and a couple of cookies. After dinner, I went to the headliner show FourEver in the theatre. I wasn’t planning on going after missing last night’s shows, but @little britain sold the show so well I had to check it out. It was a fantastic show. The singers were talented and the one doing most of the talking was very charismatic. It took a couple of songs for me to get super into it, but as soon as they started Bohemian Rhapsody I was hooked. Perhaps one day I won’t cry during Bring Him Home, but today was not that day. And my final mention goes to Nessun Dorma, which was absolutely beautiful. After the show, I returned to my stateroom to finish packing. My suitcase is now outside, all the electronics that need to be charged are charging, and I am ready to go.

Back on the ship, I went straight to deck 15. Yes, that’s not a typo. I went to 15. It was such a hot day and I needed some soft serve. I saw some seats I had not noticed before. One thing I loved about the Wonder was that they had all sorts of seating options, some of which I could transfer onto to get a break from my wheelchair. It’s next to the Lime & Coconut on deck 15. It’s too bad that it’s not in the sun, but I’m glad to know it exists. And then it was time to return to my stateroom for a much needed shower and some just as needed (but not as satisfying) packing. I didn’t quite finish, but I didn’t want to miss sailaway so I went up to 16 and got one last frozen mojito from my favourite bar. Ade and Igli were wearing “Best Bartender” medals and I can only agree. Ade is going home tomorrow, but if you’re on Oasis soon Igli makes the better Papa Jac and please don’t tell anyone I said that.

Go, Team Oasis! Let’s get them!!

The tour ended at the market. It’s a beautiful building, made even more beautiful by the presence of an accessible washroom. It’s in the basement and you need to ask for a key, which I knew how to do thanks to Duolingo. The other non-accessible washrooms require payment by credit card only. Being close to the market, I knew exactly where I wanted to go. I wanted to have the world’s best bocadillo. They can’t lie about that, so it has to be a true, verified fact. It was just as delicious as I remembered. The bread was like a crunchy baguette, and it had just enough meat and cheese inside. It’s the perfect sandwich. I ate my sandwich in the Plaça de la Reina, watching all the strange things that were happening around. That Pikachu had sound coming out of it. It was terrifying. I had one last look at the cathedral and I started making my way back to the shuttle. I had to wait three buses before the accessible one came, but it wasn’t that long of a wait since buses were coming one right after the other. There was a fair amount of chaos, though, with all three ships in port waiting for their shuttles in the same area.

I don’t like to see you taking the lead, but I have to admit it’s a pretty nice view.

Come on, Captain Ante! She’s beating us out of the port! Fire up another engine!

The shuttle dropped us off close to Pont dels Serrans and the Torres dels Serrans. You just need to cross the bridge and go through that door and you’re in the old part of Valencia. My tour met in Plaça de la Virgen, which was an easy walk from the shuttle drop off point. Here are some of my pictures from Valencia. If was a good tour. I think we saw most, if not all, of the heavy hitters from the old city. Our guide was nice and fun. I will put this tour on the same level as Málaga accessibility-wise. It was an easy one with just a short bit on cobblestone.

It wasn’t really an excursion. It was just a shuttle to and from the city centre, but we had to purchase it from the Shore Excursions people and we got a ticket/number like the excursions do.

This review is temporarily on hold while I pack. (Ugh) Let’s talk crystal blocks. Should I put mine in my checked luggage or carry on?

Excellent! It’s like a game of Guess Who 😊 I’ll try to swing by tonight.

Welcome to Valencia! Things have changed since the last time I was in Valencia back in 2022. Back then, the shuttle to the city centre cost €10 round-trip and had to be paid in cash to the people running the shuttles. Now, the same round-trip shuttle costs $25 USD and has to be purchased through RCI at the Shore Excursions desk. You could also get it on the day using your SeaPass card to pay. There was also a free shuttle you could take to the entrance of the port. From there, you could take a city bus or go on an adventure on your own. I have heard that all those shuttles are wheelchair accessible. I splurged for the $25 shuttle. Since my tour was at 11:00, I had purchased the 9:30 shuttle. They were checking tickets and distributing numbered stickers at the front of the theatre. Since there was no one with me, a lady from Shore Excursions took my ticket and went to get my number: 10. Since I need an accessible bus with a lift, I was told I would get on the first available one no matter what my number was. An accessible bus was just arriving when I got there. A lady with a scooter was already there and got in first, but thankfully the bus driver was able to get her and me both in there. The lady with the scooter actually had number 1. She was supposed to leave on the first accessible shuttle, but apparently the ship was having issues with the elevators and deck 2 was locked so she couldn’t get to the gangway. By the time they got it fixed, it was almost nine so she and I ended up on the same bus. She was from Canada, so I chatted with her and her husband the whole way and helped them get started on their Valencia journey. They had hoped to get a map from the port, but didn’t see any being distributed (I didn’t either).

Day 14 Compass Information about Valencia provided by RCI

Should I ask a specific bartender in Schooner or should they all know how to make it?

I just googled the name of city + “walking tour”. When I found an interesting one, I would check their FAQ or email them to get accessibility information. Here are the companies I booked with: - Cádiz: Cadizfornia Tours - Málaga: Explora Málaga - Alicante: Free Walking Tours Alicante - Valencia: Free Valencia Essentials Tour

When are you sailing away?

Good morning, Lady in Red! Did you think you could hide among all those containers? (It took me a while to spot you 😂)

I noticed that the Central Park Library was empty, so I went in to take some pictures. I feel like there were fewer books the last time I came on day 5 (I think). Perhaps people have been donating the books they have finished during the crossing. Outside the library, in Central Park, I found another small duck. I wanted to eat something sweet, so I went to the Café Promenade hoping they would have cookies. They had a chocolate and peanut butter mousse. If there’s something with peanut butter, I have to get it. It’s the law. It was all sorts of wrong. The top chocolate mousse was super hard. The peanut butter mousse had a strange texture. The cereals on the bottom were super soggy. I would stay away from that dessert unless you see them bringing fresh ones. And that’s how my night will end. I wish I could have made it to Rock the Room, but I’m just too tired and I need to rest before Valencia tomorrow.

It had been a while since I had witnessed a good horn battle, but when the TUI ship that was in port with us left, both captains engaged in a honk honk duel. It sounded like the other ship was having a fun sailaway party. Eventually, it was our time to leave. I returned to my stateroom to get ready for dinner. I was so tired that for a moment I considered skipping dinner and just going to sleep. I may have fallen asleep for a little bit. But I eventually dressed my best and headed to Central Park. I was hoping to sit outside, but the only available table at Vintages was inside, but it was fine. I was just happy to have a table. It seems like a very popular place to have a pre-dinner drink. I ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. The plan was to order a plate of ham and a plate of cheese since they both came with bread. But then I realized they had an actual bocadillo on the menu, so I ordered that plus some crab croquettes. I enjoyed both, but I wish the bocadillo didn’t come with tomato sauce. I found it eclipsed the taste of the cheese. It was still nice. I had been waiting all day for that sandwich.

Valencia tomorrow will be our fourth port day in a row (we had Cádiz, Málaga, and then Alicante today). I’m feeling rough for sure tonight. Hopefully I’ll be so exhausted by the time I get to the airport in Barcelona that I’ll sleep the whole way back home.

I have not and there’s so little time left! Maybe tomorrow!

I was feeling very hungry when I came back to the ship, so I went to El Loco Fresh to try some tacos. It’s rare that I do that, but I accepted the offered help to make the tacos. I wasn’t trusting myself to not put some ingredients all over the counter. One taco had the chili beef that I like to much and the other one was rice and beans. They were good, but they will not replace the good old chili over chips. Since I was on deck 15, I had to get some soft serve. And since I was in dessert mode, I ordered a Mudslide from my favourite Lime & Coconut bar. I really don’t know what I want to do for dinner tonight. It has to be something small, because I had tacos around 15:30. I was feeling Windjammer, but I’m tempted to try Vintages since I couldn’t get my desired dose of meat and cheese and crunchy bread. Any thoughts?

Out of the elevator, I had a weird encounter with a French woman. She tried opening a roped area for me, but couldn’t. I told her it was fine, thanks. She reacted like I had kicked her cat. I keep thinking about it, wondering what she thought I said. I know myself. It’s going to bother me forever 😂 They have a beach side promenade that’s very nice, so I used that instead until I had no choice but get on the boring sidewalk going back to the ship. I’m not a beach person. The last time I went on a beach I broke my back and severed my spinal cord. I’m on no hurry to go back. But if you do like the beach, they have those wooden paths that would make it easier for a mobility device to get closer to the water. It always feels good seeing the ship after a long day.

Spoiler alert, you will hear about the Papa Jac eventually 😊

Aaaand we’re back! There was a line for the elevator. I think in total I must have waited between 20 and 30 minutes. I saw a sign saying it was €2,75 to use the elevator, but no one ever asked me for money or a ticket. I’m assuming it has something to do with the wheelchair. You have to go through a very long corridor before you reach the elevator. It was pretty cool at the top. What’s in the pictures is the extent of what I could see up there. There were ramps that I don’t think even my 20-something self would have attempted, so it was a no go for me today. I’m sure I would have been able to see more if I had visited with other people. For the price (free) it was nice to see, but I don’t feel the need to see it again.

Peach is actually my second choice. I prefer passionfruit, but it seems rare these days. My favourite is the Peach Daiquiri. Very refreshing.