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The plan was to end the evening there and go to bed, but I accidentally found myself in the 70s Party while trying to cross the ship to get to my stateroom. I ran into some people from the solo meetup and we had a little boogie together. I went to bed as soon as it ended.

I’m so late again! I’ll try to catch up quickly before my tour. After dinner at Portside BBQ, I grabbed a seat at Boleros for the Perfect Couple Game Show. It was a funny way to pass the time. The guy who was hosting was hilarious. Then, at last, it was time for my Aqua 80 reservation. What an awesome show! A must see, for sure. My favourite part is always when they’re splashing around in, like, an inch of water. Do not miss it if you’re on the Oasis.

Not sure how accurate my notes are, because we’ve had some changes in the past, but I think 7:00 to 17:00. If you see me, come say hello! I’ll be the one with the printed-at-home Virgin SesPass card trying to get on for some Pokémon.

I had been saving my appetite all day for this moment. I was having dinner at the Portside BBQ. Several people have told me I absolutely have to eat there. I was repeatedly told to order the half chicken. Did I listen? No! I’m not going to order HALF A CHICKEN. Who am I, Sandor Clegane? I got the brisket and the pulled pork. For my sides, I went with the mac and cheese and the corn on the cob. For my dessert, I had to get the brookie. It was alright. Unfortunately, we went to the Polite Pig in Disney Springs, so it was hard not to compare the two. The Polite Pig wins hands down for me. I wish the corn on the cob had some excitement to it like some garlic spread thing or some spices or maybe some parmesan. I make a better corn on the cob in my air fryer. The mac and cheese was very similar to the one at Chops. Very creamy with some crunchy bits on top. I liked it, although I would have liked some sharper cheese in there. The pulled pork was good. I was surprised to enjoy it more than the brisket, which I thought was just ok and a bit dry and a bit too mustard-ey for me. The things I enjoyed the most were their cocktail, the Portside Spiked Palmer. My tastebuds couldn’t understand what was happening there, but it was good! I think it was the mint that tied it all together for me. Also, the brookie was delicious. I liked that the brownie part was super moist and gooey and that the cookie part was harder. Would get it again without hesitation. Despite it being just ok, I think I want to try it again and get other things. At the very least it would give me an opportunity to get that cocktail and brookie again. And maybe that time I’ll listen to directions and order half of a whole chicken. Now there has been some questions about whether Portside BBQ will still be there after the dry dock. I asked and the guy who was there said yes. But also a guy at the hibachi said that it was going to go away. I don’t particularly trust either of those guys. Sounds like it’s all rumours at the moment.

I did not leave Cadiz empty handed. Oh no. I brought a bag of jamón flavoured Ruffles chips aboard. I’m running low on Pringles, so that should be a fun snack. I went straight to my stateroom for a shower and a little rest. It’s been a while since my shoulders have had to work that hard and I’m definitely feeling it. Eventually, feeling refreshed, I went up to my usual spot on deck 16 for a frozen mojito. I took a stroll around the deck and got a good view of our neighbour, the Costa Diadema. And also what I think is the Celebrity Equinox in dry dock? The weather was, for a Canadian, beautiful. It was 18 degrees and quite lovely in the sun, but the wind was chilly. Still, there were a bunch of what I assume were Canadians and Northern Europeans enjoying the pool deck. Eventually, the Costa Diadema sailed away. And eventually it was our turn, too! Do you know if there’s a reason why a captain will blow several short blasts or one long one? Ours was doing a few short ones.

That is so disappointing, especially from a specialty venue! Now that you mention it, I remember my waiter at 150 thanking me often for being patient. I didn’t even notice how long it was taking, because I was lost in my book and the bread, but perhaps they were overworked and I was oblivious.

It was good to get off and explore a lovely city, but I was enjoying the sea days so much that I could have gone to Barcelona without ever touching land and I would have been ok with that.

I thought the tour was excellent. Pablo, our guide, did a good job of bringing his city to life during the two hours he spent with us. As a wheelchair user, it was difficult to navigate this old city. I can deal with cobbles. I can deal with uphill cobbles. But downhill cobbles? Those are so difficult to navigate, because you feel the gravity pulling you down and with so much weight on the front of the chair you’re one cobble away from a front wheel getting stuck and being ejected from your wheelchair. I had plenty of offers for help, which I appreciate, but I have trust issues when it comes to strangers helping me (especially on cobblestone). I ended up going down the biggest hill backwards because those big back wheels don’t get stuck on stuff the way the front ones do. But it’s a beautiful city and I liked the tour a lot. The tour ended close to one of the beaches. Since I was a bit sick of cobblestone by then, I decided to enjoy the promenade by the water. Not only is it flat and almost smooth, the scenery is beautiful. Once I was near the cathedral, I cut through the city to return to the ship. The following pictures are from my walk back to the ship.

More pictures from my free walking tour of Cadiz.

We were already docked in Cadiz this morning when I went up to deck 16 to check out the view. It was raining at that time, but the forecast said it was going to stop soon, so I grabbed a table in the Solarium until it was time to leave for my tour. By the time I got off the ship, it wasn’t raining anymore. I had booked a free walking tour of the city that started at 10:30 in Plaza San Juan de Dios. One of the couple I was hanging out with yesterday was in the same group. Here are the stops for the tour: And here are some of my pictures for today.

I saw one kid. He was hard to miss, because he had shoes that light up 😂 I didn’t notice any other kids, but I also wasn’t really looking for them. I’m sure there were others. I think 90 minutes is quite long for a 4 year old. Maybe getting a seat at the end of a row could be a good idea. That way, you could make a quick and quiet exit if needed.

That’s some good looking sushi! Looks simple, but full of fish. The poké from the other day looked really good, too! Yeaaaah I’m so sorry about that. I really wasn’t thinking at the time. There would have been loads of better ways to convey how bad I was feeling. I need to get caught up on your thread. For some reason I thought your first stop was also today. We’re together tomorrow in Malaga, right?

I couldn’t answer everyone and now I have to go and meet my tour guide in Cadiz, but I will continue when I get back. In the meantime, here’s the… Day 11 Compass

That is one cute octopus! I bought a similar one while I was on Wonder because it reminded me of my avatar. I keep it close to my work desk, so I’m always thinking about my next vacation 😊

Anna is a beautiful lady! The bribe is absolutely working. I think I have a low tolerance for crowds and I tend to get overwhelmed by people easily. So when I say it was super busy, I agree that it doesn’t say much about actual business level to other people. Most of the tables were occupied, but I was able to find a table for two towards the back during my first round. At most, I would say I had two or three people waiting in front of me for a station when I went to get food, which I don’t think is that bad. What made it feel busy were the people circulating between stations going to get food or going back to their table. No one is going in the same direction, so I kept finding myself in someone else’s way. I believe the Windjammer has both sides open for breakfast, so even if more people are there for breakfast than dinner, I don’t expect you will find super long lines for a table or for food. And if you would like to experience a less busy breakfast buffet, you can check out the Solarium Bistro. It doesn’t have as many options as the Windjammer, but it’s a different vibe.

Cruise Critic would not let me post, yesterday, so I couldn’t tell you about Cats. I am familiar with the soundtrack, but I can’t say it’s a musical I connect with on a personal level. I don’t really get that “goosebumps on my arms” feelings from the songs or the story. But I do love musicals a lot and it always blows my mind that it’s something I can watch on cruise ships. I thought the cast was solid and there wasn’t any song that I didn’t enjoy. I just can’t say that I was enchanted or mesmerized, but that was not the cast’s fault at all, it’s just not a musical that moves me in that way. (The exception is Memory, which I think is a very powerful song) Having said that, I will absolutely see it again the next time I’m on Oasis. The set looks really cool and it’s 90 minutes of good singing and dancing. I consider it a very good use of my time. I did notice several people leaving, but most of them did so quietly, so I appreciate that. So, do I think you should see Cats if you’re on the Oasis? Of course! It’s a freaking musical on a ship! If you’re a cat owner, some of it may seem somewhat unrealistic. None of those cats was napping during those 90 minutes? Ok, I can get behind that idea, it is the middle of the night after all. But no zoomies? Mmmhmm…

I’m so sorry for worrying everyone! It was a very poor choice of words and an insensitive way of describing how I was feeling at the time. Lots of love to everyone here who is following along. We’ve been together for almost three weeks, now, and it means a lot that you would worry about this stranger on the internet ❤️

I went to the Windjammer for dinner. I wasn’t super hungry, but I figured it would be easier to find something before Cats than after. The Windjammer was super busy, so I skipped taking pictures and focused on not running into anyone. The theme for tonight was Euro Trip For Your Tastebuds. While I was checking things out, I ran into a couple from the Sushi and Sake lunch. They returned to their stateroom after the lunch and slept the whole afternoon. It was a brutal lunch, I tell you. I ended up grabbing a few things. First, some spicy cheese. I just had to. Then, some cheesy bread, because it’s tradition. I also had some pasta in a creamy sauce with truffle. I also added some token green beans to my plate so the internet won’t come at me for not eating my veggies. There was a croquette-looking thing next to the green beans, so I got one of those. Finally, I had a bit of sandwich with meat, cheese and pesto. It was a pretty good plate and I ate everything. I have Cats at 20:30, so my plan was to go to the Crown Lounge and see if I could grab some dessert there. But then I saw a spot at the lower bar at Boleros and I settled there instead. I ordered a Havana Special. They are having Motown trivia and things are a bit wild in here at the moment. I didn’t even bother with getting some paper and a pencil.

Well, hello there! 👋 If all goes well, I hope to be asleep by the time we make it over there, but I’ll be waving in my dreams.

I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to worry anyone. In my head it was clear that I was just suffering the effects of too much sushi and saké. They say “write drunk; edit sober” and I forgot about the second part. Those doughnuts, when they’re fresh, are so good. If I am encouraging people to eat more of them, that fills my heart with joy. Have the best time on the Allure and enjoy Mamma Mia!

I’m here! I’m ok! It was just a very lazy afternoon with new cruise friends. Around mid-afternoon I started feeling like myself again and not like my body was 80% sake and fish.

I did absolutely nothing this afternoon. Really. I wobbled all the way to my stateroom after the Sushi and Sake lunch to get some dollar bills, because I was out. Leaving from Izumi, I usually would have had to cross the ship to get to the front, but there was too much sake in me and I ended up having to roll down the whole corridor on carpet. Ugh. After that, I went up to deck 16 and settled in my usual spot while waiting for my coma to dissipate. On the way, I found a duck. It was a gorgeous afternoon, with not too much wind and some sun. Absolutely beautiful. One of the couples I’ve been hanging with found me and we just hung out together in my spot all afternoon. Some drinks were had and also some chips and guacamole from El Loco Fresh. Once I wasn’t in a sake haze anymore I got a frozen mojito. And then a Kraken Lava Flow, which fittingly flowed out of the glass and caused a mess. And then, suddenly, it was almost six and people had to go and get ready for dinner. I’m not that hungry after my big sushi lunch, so I’ll head to the Windjammer in a bit.

Day 10 Compass

I asked around and for this sailing most bar will have Heineken 0 and some of them will also have O’Doul’s

Let’s skip all the plaisanteries and go straight to the important bit. I’m dying. The captain will be making an announcement soon saying we are rushing to Cadiz and it will be because of me. But let’s rewind, shall we? It all started because I had booked the Izumi Sushi & Sake pairing lunch at 11:00. In had read about that lunch a few months ago from Sea Dog’s live review. If I remember correctly, he described it like a kind of Chef’s Table, but with sushi. I love sushi and I’m curious about sake. It sounded like an experience for me. There are stairs to go into the non-hibachi side of Izumi. One of their waiters took me through a secret door in the dining room on deck 4 and I got to see their very tiny galley they had to build when they added Izumi. We started with the Yellowtail Jalapeño Carpaccio. I was anxiously waiting for one of my many table mates to ask for a fork, but no one did so I grabbed my chopsticks and prepared for the carnage to come. Once the carpaccio made it to my mouth, it was excellent. It was a bit spicy from the jalapeños, but not in an agressive way. Then, we had Crispy Shrimp and Futomaki I did warn my table mates that I would be picking the big one up with my fingers. And isn’t sushi traditionally supposed to be picked up with fingers or is that just what I tell myself to feel better about my abysmal chopsticks skills? I loved both of them. They’re not something I would usually gravitate to in a sushi restaurant, but they were delicious. After that came the Champagne Lobster & Creamy Lobster Tempura. That one on the right with the crispy little ball? Yes, please. It was my favourite. The next course was the Teppan Beef Fried Rice. Oh my! And now that was my favourite. The beef was so, so tender. I’m not here to start fights between specialty restaurants, but I would have that beef before the filet at Chops or Giovanni’s any day. And finally, dessert was the mochi ice cream. I like mochi, so I liked that. I just wish I had remembered that was the dessert because I would have picked something else at the hibachi. Still, a good end to a good meal. I don’t feel qualified to talk about the sake we drank. First of all, it was eleven in the morning and felt way too early for sake. It was like being kicked in the head. Second of all, did I mention that it was freaking ELEVEN IN THE MORNING? Despite the fact that the process to make sake is more similar to beer, it tasted wine-adjacent to me and I know I would have enjoyed it a lot more if the experience had been in the evening. That Geisha cocktail, though, that’s always good no matter what time it is. I had a really good meal, but the one negative thing I will say is that it felt rushed. We started around 11:00 and I was in my stateroom taking a picture of cookies at 12:17. Look! Cookies!