LIVE from Oasis of the Seas Transatlantic (with bonus Disney World) April 2024

[laurieal]

3 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

I can understand your philosophy.  I don’t mind hearing the song from Frozen once during the ride, I wouldn’t want to have to hear it on repeat over above the fear of being stuck on the boat. 😀

I wasn’t even thinking about the songs, but yeah I wouldn’t want to get stuck forever on anything with songs or dialogue. 
 

I can get into a boat ride no problem because gravity does most of the heavy lifting (or is it pushing?), but I’m not sure I can cat out and some things in life are better as a mystery 😂 

[laurieal]

4 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

I’m sure I missed it - you are now back to double brake power again?

I sure am! I went to the repair place yesterday morning and the guy got it fixed in no time. 

[laurieal]

With the laundry all done and folded, it was finally time to go see some animals. 
 

 

Maybe not that one. 
 

DiVine was waiting for us close to the entrance of the park. I had never seen her in the flesh (in the leaves?) before. 
 

 

Seeing the Tree of Life as we enter never gets old for me. 
 

 

The tamarins were particularly cute. 
 

 

So were the flamingos. 
 

 

Do you sometimes travel with someone who gets a bit too fixated on animals and just won’t move on?

 

 

It’s me. Hi. I’m the problem. 

 

[laurieal]

My first destination was Africa.

 

 

 

 

Although I did the Kilimanjaro Safari with my friends on our visit earlier this week, I have to ride the safari every time I come. 
 

 

 

The baby elephant was out again! She is absolutely adorable. 

 

 

 

[laurieal]

The Gorilla Falls trail starts right outside the exit of the safari, so it would have been rude not to do it. 

 

Not even close to a gorilla, but look at the floofy babies!
 

 

There was some serious grooming action happening. 

 

 

Also, snacking. 
 

 

 

 

[laurieal]

Afterwards, I headed towards Asia and I went to the bird show. I love bird. I love shows. I was happy. 

 

 

 

 

 

While I was in Asia, I rode Everest which is one of my favourites. It doesn’t actually go upside down, but they do a pretty good job at making you believe it does. I also love the theming around this ride. 
 

 

 

 

I wanted to do the animal trail in Asia, but it completely slipped my mind. I’m not sure I will make it back to Asia.
 

Today feels like the hottest day since we arrived and I’m trying to avoid backtracking as much as possible. 

 

I’m also trying to keep up with my sunscreen and hydration, but I’ll admit it was easier when there were three of us to remember. 

 

 

[laurieal]

I had some time to kill before the next Nemo show that I wanted to see, so I had a quick peek at Dinoland USA. I would have liked a picture with Chip and Dale dressed as dinosaurs, but the times didn’t match up.

 
 

 

You know when it’s so hot that you just can’t deal with food? It’s been that kind of day. I had some plans for a late lunch, but I got a Mickey Premium Bar to at least put something in my stomach. Strangely, it was my first ever one. 
 

 

After my ice cream, it was time for the Nemo show. They changed it since the last time I saw it and I enjoyed it a lot. 
 

 

 

On my way to my late lunch, I ran into Kevin. 
 

[mac_tlc]

4 hours ago, laurieal said:

Wow, trip 107! 🤯 Anything you’re particularly looking forward to for that trip?

 

The Oasis class ships are indeed huge and can be rough for people with mobility issues. Although it takes me longer to get places, I will usually take detours to avoid rolling on carpet for long distances. 

We go more for the food than the rides ! Any Epcot festival is a great day , or two. 
 

We bought a house in Orlando  awhile ago and my sister-in-law hasn’t seen it yet and she is coming with us, always fun with a newbie!! 
 

We will head over to Jetty Park near Port Canaveral one weekend day to watch the cruise ships leave . With a trip to Fishlips first! 
 

mac_tlc

[laurieal]

Guys! I think I found a new favourite spot in Disney World! I’m currently writing from the Nomad Lounge. 
 

 

 

I’m sitting outside, so it’s still hot, but I’m half in the shade and right next to the river where I can see boats with characters passing by. Also, there’s a gentle breeze and I may never leave. 
 

I got chicken satay with a fruity cocktail and both are so, so delicious. The chicken is a serious contender for best food of the trip so far. 

 

 

[laurieal]

6 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

We go more for the food than the rides ! Any Epcot festival is a great day , or two. 
 

We bought a house in Orlando  awhile ago and my sister-in-law hasn’t seen it yet and she is coming with us, always fun with a newbie!! 
 

We will head over to Jetty Park near Port Canaveral one weekend day to watch the cruise ships leave . With a trip to Fishlips first! 
 

mac_tlc

I get it! Food is one of my favourite attractions 😂 

 

I know I’m leaving tomorrow, but any favourite food places or items you’d like to share for my next time?

[mac_tlc]

52 minutes ago, laurieal said:

I get it! Food is one of my favourite attractions 😂 

 

I know I’m leaving tomorrow, but any favourite food places or items you’d like to share for my next time?

Our favorite Disney World restaurant is definitely Boma, at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I guess we like the restaurants there— we named our cat Jiko - after the signature restaurant there which is fabulous:

 

We lost that wonderful girl to cancer about a year and a half ago. The newest family member is Mara - the quick service restaurant at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. 

 

Now, back to restaurants: We also enjoy the Biergarten at the German pavilion in Epcot, The Edison at Disney Springs. Chef Art Smith’s Homecoming is good but difficult to get a reservation. A good “secret” is Olivia’s at Old Key West. For a real treat try Capa at the Four Seasons Resort — one of the only ways to get to see Golden Oak !!!

Edited April 19 by mac_tlc

[laurieal]

57 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

Our favorite Disney World restaurant is definitely Boma, at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I guess we like the restaurants there— we named our cat Jiko - after the signature restaurant there which is fabulous:

 

We lost that wonderful girl to cancer about a year and a half ago. The newest family member is Mara - the quick service restaurant at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. 

 

Now, back to restaurants: We also enjoy the Biergarten at the German pavilion in Epcot, The Edison at Disney Springs. Chef Art Smith’s Homecoming is good but difficult to get a reservation. A good “secret” is Olivia’s at Old Key West. For a real treat try Capa at the Four Seasons Resort — one of the only ways to get to see Golden Oak !!!

So sorry for your loss of Jiko. What a beautiful girl, and almost sitting like a human, too! Mara sure looks like she has seen some things, so I’m afraid you probably have ghosts in your walls. 
 

I actually went to the Animal Kingfom Lodge for the first time this trip to get some of those Zebra Domes from the Mara. I’ve been hearing only good things about the restaurants there so I’ll need to plan another visit. 

[laurieal]

I was thinking about maybe watching the It’s Tough to be a Bug 3D show, but at that point I was just done. I made my way out of the park, but I stopped at the PhotoPass place to get some help retrieving some missing pictures. 
 

Instead of going back to my room to pack, I boarded a bus to Saratoga Springs. My shuttle is only at 11:00 tomorrow morning. Future Laurie can be in charge of packing. 
 

I got off the buss at the Congress Park stop of Saratoga Springs, which is the closest one to Disney Springs. It’s a short, flat and pleasant walk from the bus stop to Disney Springs. 
 

 

 

 

 

Has anyone ever taken a ride in one of those water cars? They look so fun!

[GimmeOcean]

Just noticed this thread. We considered booking this cruise but picked the Odyssey TA instead, to see a bit of Italy. 

 

Odyssey is departing from FLL the same day Oasis departs. Wonder if we’ll get a glimpse of each other on the way? In any case it’ll be fun to follow what’s going on with the “other” Royal TA in progress.

[marchand28]

Wow some of my favorite posters all on the same TA. Definitely will have to keep reading to follow your fun. Hopefully @GimmeOceanand the rest of us on the Odyssey TA will be having as much fun as @laurieal and the rest  of you while we race you to Europe. 

[perfect match]

Thanks for including your Disney stay in your review, Laurie! I really enjoyed seeing WDW from your perspective. While you did a lot of our favorite things, you also did some that we’ve never done, or it has been a while and it’s time to go back and do them again. We board Allure in 9 days for a B2B and as usual a whole bunch of things that must be taken care of asap have appeared so WDW may need to wait until after we get home. I’ll still be able to follow your TAmthough! 

[Jimbo]

15 hours ago, StanleyandGus said:

I was enjoying your trip to Disney World so much that I had forgotten that you hadn’t got onto the ship yet!

Can't be ? what were you  thinking with all the food porn you have been seeing you just have to know you aren't seeing that on a Royal Cruise Ship.

[laurieal]

10 hours ago, GimmeOcean said:

Just noticed this thread. We considered booking this cruise but picked the Odyssey TA instead, to see a bit of Italy. 

 

Odyssey is departing from FLL the same day Oasis departs. Wonder if we’ll get a glimpse of each other on the way? In any case it’ll be fun to follow what’s going on with the “other” Royal TA in progress.

 

10 hours ago, marchand28 said:

Wow some of my favorite posters all on the same TA. Definitely will have to keep reading to follow your fun. Hopefully @GimmeOceanand the rest of us on the Odyssey TA will be having as much fun as @laurieal and the rest  of you while we race you to Europe. 

Have a great cruise on the Odyssey!

Hopefully we can catch peeks of each other. 

[laurieal]

6 hours ago, perfect match said:

Thanks for including your Disney stay in your review, Laurie! I really enjoyed seeing WDW from your perspective. While you did a lot of our favorite things, you also did some that we’ve never done, or it has been a while and it’s time to go back and do them again. We board Allure in 9 days for a B2B and as usual a whole bunch of things that must be taken care of asap have appeared so WDW may need to wait until after we get home. I’ll still be able to follow your TAmthough! 

That’s one thing I enjoy about Disney. There’s just so many different things to do that everyone has different favourites. 
 

Have the best time on the Allure!

[laurieal]

4 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Can't be ? what were you  thinking with all the food porn you have been seeing you just have to know you aren't seeing that on a Royal Cruise Ship.

It’s very subtle, so I’m not sure, but I feel like you’re not a fan of RCI’s food? 😉 

[OBX-Cruisers]

I have to ask this once after following your adventures so far: your pictures are very well done as others have already commented (food picture actually too well done because they induce snacking). 

What are you using to take the pictures and are you prepared with the memory you will need for the Oasis photo extravaganza??

[laurieal]

I’m using an iPhone 15 Pro Max for pictures on this trip. 
 

I’m pretty sure I’m all set on memory space for everything the Oasis has to offer. If no, I probably have a couple thousand pictures of cats I could sacrifice for the cause 😂 

[A&L_Ont]

17 hours ago, laurieal said:

I had a quick peek at Dinoland USA.

 

 

We were fortunate to have had a Plaid one time at Disney for the day.
 

We learned a lot of things about Disney we never knew and your photo at Dinoland reminded me about all the hidden Mickeys being incorporated that he pointed out during the day. 
 

When they laid the asphalt in Dino land they purposely made it look to be decades old with all the cracks. In the process they hid this Mickey. 
 

 

[laurieal]

How long would you wait in line for cookies? Me? I don’t think I’ve ever had to wait for them. I’ve lived a sheltered life where the cookies are always readily available. 
 

But last night, in Disney Springs, I was looking for cookies that are apparently worth waiting for. 
 

 

The lady at the end of the line said it would be about half an hour, which I thought sounded almost reasonable for Gideon’s. There was a band across the way at Raglan Road so it felt like a very quick 30 minutes before I was let inside. 
 

 

 

Although their main thing is cookies, they also have cake slices and cold brew. 
 

 

 

I went with the Pistachio Toffee Chocolate Chip.

 

 

I had a quarter of it this morning for breakfast and wow! That cookie was absolutely worth the wait. 

And now for a weird tangent. For some people who suffer a spinal cord injury, the body will develop a way to communicate its needs. It’s called hyperreflexia and the symptoms will vary from people to people. The cause, for me, is usually that I need to use the washroom, that my body is in some kind of pain I can’t feel (maybe I’m sitting on something), or that my body is getting ready to create human life (no, thanks). 
 

Anyway, I was planning on staying longer in Disney Springs and maybe have dinner at Wine Bar George. Did you know that have an appetizer that’s just cheese, but they set it on fire?

 

But The Body was requiring some attention and going to the washroom didn’t fix the issue, so I chose to return to my room and deal with whatever it was. I’m happy to report that I took care of it and as of this morning The Body seems pretty happy. 

As I’ve been saying since I got here, I’ll just have to go next time!

[laurieal]

13 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

We were fortunate to have had a Plaid one time at Disney for the day.
 

We learned a lot of things about Disney we never knew and your photo at Dinoland reminded me about all the hidden Mickeys being incorporated that he pointed out during the day. 
 

When they laid the asphalt in Dino land they purposely made it look to be decades old with all the cracks. In the process they hid this Mickey. 
 

 

That’s a good one!

 

One time, a cast member told me there was a hidden Mickey in Everest where the track stops and there are loads of hair ties. I’ve been looking every time but I’ve never been able to spot it.