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

[perfect match]

18 hours ago, laurieal said:

Alright, people. A plan has been formed. 
 

Thanks to everyone who has offered suggestions. I went to the front desk last night when I came back to the resort and they gave me the number of the company they deal with for scooter and wheelchair rentals. They don’t do repairs, but they gave me the number of a company who does. The conversation with the guy went like this:

 

Me: one of my brakes is broken

Him: you probably have a screw loose

Me: the screw fell off

Him: well it’s definitely loose, then
 

That company doesn’t do “at home” repairs, but I booked an accessible taxi with Mears to take me there on Thursday. I can manage fine until then, I just want to get it fixed before the cruise where the waves could make transferring more…interesting. 
 

But now I’m late on my review again! I’ll just skip yesterday’s day in Animal Kingdom for now since I’ll be going again later this week. 

I’m glad to hear that you’ve found a way to get your chair fixed. There are lots of steep ramps at WDW where brakes would certainly come in handy! Never mind once you’re on the ship where it might be a bit more difficult to get your chair fixed. Maybe grab a few extra screws at the repair shop in case you have any more problems.

 

It’s going to be heating up the next couple days so be sure to keep up with your hydration, sunscreen and cooling breaks. Sounds like you’re having a great time at WDW. 

[laurieal]

3 hours ago, perfect match said:

I’m glad to hear that you’ve found a way to get your chair fixed. There are lots of steep ramps at WDW where brakes would certainly come in handy! Never mind once you’re on the ship where it might be a bit more difficult to get your chair fixed. Maybe grab a few extra screws at the repair shop in case you have any more problems.

 

It’s going to be heating up the next couple days so be sure to keep up with your hydration, sunscreen and cooling breaks. Sounds like you’re having a great time at WDW. 

Fun wheelchair fact:

 

(It’s not that fun of a fact; don’t get your hopes up too much)

 

I don’t use brakes in ramps or hills. I use my hands on the push rims of the wheels to control the speed of the descent. Brakes are for when I want to stay stationary, like to transfer onto a ride or to take a picture when the ground isn’t level. 

[laurieal]

Last time I updated you, I was eating hush puppies in Liberty Square. Then, I visited the Haunted Mansion to reflect about death and visit the grim grinning ghosts. Seriously, how good is that song? Probably my favourite of all the ride songs, but it has some strong competition. Stay tuned. 
 

 

 

The Liberty Bell was approaching as I was exiting the mansion, so I thought a nice boat ride / hydration and sunscreen break was in order. 
 

 

 

 

 

It was a bit mad in Fantasyland so I don’t have any pictures from the next part of my day, but I rode The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh twice because no one was in line for the accessible vehicle. Then, I rode Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and had a quick cold brew break before heading to Tomorrowland. 
 

[laurieal]

In Tomorrowland, I did Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, which was a first for me. It reminded me of Turtle Talk with Crush in Epcot and was very cute. 
 

 

I had a Lightening Lane booked to ride Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, but their accessible vehicle was down so I went to Carousel of Progress instead. What a fun show and what a good song! 
 

 

 

My last activity before it was time to meet up with my friends outside the park was Tron. It’s so, so good, but I wish the part where it goes super fast was longer. 
 

This time I could hear the joke as I was writing it. 
 

 

 

[laurieal]

For the evening, we had planned a progressive dinner around the monorail resorts. First, we took a boat from the Magic Kingdom to the Grand Floridian’s Enchanted Rose Lounge. 
 

 

 

 

 

Our waiter said they make the best Espresso Martini on property, so I had to try that. We also shared some spicy nuts and some truffle fries. 

 

 

 

Those fries were very good, but when paired with the truffle aioli? What a game changer. The best thing I’ve eaten on the trip so far, hands down. 

[laurieal]

I interrupt this review for a dad joke courtesy of Hollywood Studios bag check guy. 
 

What’s the inner temperature of a Tauntaun?

 

It’s lukewarm. 

[laurieal]

Alright, back to progressive dinner. Our second stop of the evening was Steakhouse 71 at Disney’s Contemporary. I have special feelings about the Contemporary. Back when I was a kid and we were planning a Disney trip, my parents ordered a VHS showing all the things that Disney had to offer. The shot of a monorail entering the Contemporary really impressed me and to this day I’m still a bit awed by the sight. 

 

The lounge at Steakhouse 71 really gave me cruise ship bar vibes. Sometimes I forget that I’m getting on a ship on Sunday 😊 
 

 

 

I had the French 71, which is Cognac, Prosecco, pear nectar, agave syrup and lemon juice. It was delicious!

 

 

One of my friends had the Mac and Cheese, which was his highlight of the evening. I tried it and thought it was very good. It had a surprising kick to it. 
 

 

My other friend and I shared the burger. I’ve heard it described as the best burger on property and it’s definitely a contender for the honour. It was the highlight of the evening for the friends I shared it with. 

 

It came with Parmesan fries, which were ok, but it’s not their fault if they were following the truffle fries from the Enchanted Rose. Those poor waffle fries didn’t stand a chance. 
 

Edited April 17 by laurieal

[laurieal]

Our plan was to take the monorail to the Polynesian resort, watch the fireworks from

the beach, and then end our progressive dinner at Tambu Lounge. When we got to the Transportation and Ticket Center stop, we got stuck there because the monorail ahead of us was having issues. 
 

Since the fireworks were about to start, we decided to get out and watch from the TTC. It was actually a pretty good stop from

which to watch and they play the music in the area. 
 

 

 

After the fireworks show was over, the monorail was back up and running, so we hopped on and headed to the Polynesian. 
 

 

One of my friends had a pomegranate lemonade and we shared some noodles and pot stickers. I was a big fan of both, although by then I wasn’t really hungry anymore and I ended up crossing the line between pleasantly full and I need to lie down. 
 

 

 

But there was no lying down for us just yet. By then since the Magic Kingdom had closed we had a long line for the buses waiting for us. They had buses coming almost constantly, but it just felt long because I was so exhausted and full. 
 

It was a great night and I can’t recommend enough to venture out of the theme parks to visit the resorts and try their restaurants and lounges. There are some gems out there and it’s nice to take a break from the parks. 

[BillOh]

23 hours ago, laurieal said:

 

Him: you probably have a screw loose

k. 

My Dad told me that all the time.

[Rogueperson]

5 hours ago, laurieal said:

 

It was a bit mad in Fantasyland so I don’t have any pictures from the next part of my day, but I rode The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh twice because no one was in line for the accessible vehicle. Then, I rode Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and had a quick cold brew break before heading to Tomorrowland. 
 

 

The last time I was in Disney World was in 2011.  I remember coffee being in serious short supply and the best I could get was that nasty Nescafe they were offering.  I'm glad they have totally upped the coffee game.

 

Love getting a sneak preview before my entry on Saturday.  I just found out that Aerosmith Rockin Roller coaster is down on an extended refurbishment.  Booo....Hiss....At least Tower of Terror is up.   

[A&L_Ont]

6 hours ago, laurieal said:

 

 

 

 

This looks delicious. All the food photos did. 

[Jimbo]

2 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

This looks delicious. All the food photos did. 

All the food prices are high at Disney but at least you are getting better quality food compared to what they serve to you on a cruise for the prices they charge. That is what we have seen everytime we go to Disney compared to a  Royal cruise.

[laurieal]

7 hours ago, Rogueperson said:

 

The last time I was in Disney World was in 2011.  I remember coffee being in serious short supply and the best I could get was that nasty Nescafe they were offering.  I'm glad they have totally upped the coffee game.

 

Love getting a sneak preview before my entry on Saturday.  I just found out that Aerosmith Rockin Roller coaster is down on an extended refurbishment.  Booo....Hiss....At least Tower of Terror is up.   

I have enjoyed the coffee a lot. My favourite so far has been the Shakin Jamaican cold brew from the Joffrey’s carts. 
 

I have a love/hate relationship with Rock’n Rollin coaster. On the one hand, it’s super fun and goes upside down. On the other side, it jerks me around so much that it’s a migraine waiting to happen. Tower is alive and well. Such a good ride!

 

If I can offer some advice, if possible try booking Rise of the Resistance earlier in the day. It’s not rare to see it go down. If you wait until too late in the day and it goes down you could miss your chance. 
 

Spoiler alert, it kind of happened to us. 

[laurieal]

I’m feeling the pace today, friends. It was another hot day with not a cloud in sight. We’ve been so incredibly lucky with weather considering we’re in Florida. Not a single drop of rain. 
 

That’s me approaching middle-age and chatting about the weather. 
 

I was at the park for early guest entry to ride Tower of Terror with no wait. 
 

 

 

 

It just never gets old. I get butterflies in my stomach every single time. 
 

There’s a Joffrey’s coffee cart at the exit where I have never seen a long line (hint hint).

 

 

I grabbed one and went to visit the PhotoPass people. We were missing several pictures, mostly from rides, so I played “find my face” for a bit. 
 

Then, I met up with my friends for some breakfast. I had the breakfast bowl from Woody’s Lunchbox and thought it was excellent. 
 

[gatour]

I agree about Rock n Roll coaster and headaches.  It doesn't happen often but every so often it does esp. when I ride multiple times in a row.  I find if I  force my head against the headrest it helps to keep your head shaking and thus decreases the chance of headaches 

[little britain]

Meanwhile we drove to Canaveral and saw a rocket 🚀 launch!!! Wow.

Some more satellites 🛰️ to make our WiFi 🛜 speed across the Atlantic faster!!!

 

then we had dinner and ended at Señor Frogs . After which things get hazy..

the white dot is the rocket on her way. 

 

[laurieal]

1 hour ago, little britain said:

Meanwhile we drove to Canaveral and saw a rocket 🚀 launch!!! Wow.

Some more satellites 🛰️ to make our WiFi 🛜 speed across the Atlantic faster!!!

 

then we had dinner and ended at Señor Frogs . After which things get hazy..

the white dot is the rocket on her way. 

 

I’m so glad you got to see the launch! How cool!

 

Oh my! Those drinks bring back memories of my youth. How many Diamond vouchers do you think would fit into that?

[laurieal]

After breakfast, we slowly made our way to the Indiana Jones show. It was fun, but so short! Did they change it? I feel like I remember a bit with audience participation and also a plane catching on fire. Am I thinking of another show?

 

 

 

 

Since we were in the area, we then saw the Frozen Singalong show. 
 

 

[laurieal]

After the Frozen show, my friends got the famous Wookiee Cookie from Backlot Express. I’ve been hearing about this cookie forever, but I tried a bite and it felt quite dry. 
 

 

We were right next to Star Tours and it had a very short wait so we rode that. They added some new scenes recently and we got one featuring Ahsoka. 
 

 

Riding the Star Wars wave, we headed to Galaxy’s Edge to ride the Millenium Falcon. This time, we were paired with a couple of people who were riding it for the first time so we let them pick which role they wanted to do. I ended up being an engineer again, which I think is super chill. 

 

 

We had a reservation coming up, so we hung around Galaxy’s Edge for a while. It’s such an immersive land and I keep finding new details of Easter eggs every time I visit. 
 

 

[laurieal]

Around two, we went for a drink at Oga’s Cantina. 
 

 

 

Two of us got a Fuzzy Tauntaun and my other friend got a Jedi Mine Trick. They were both very tasty. 
 

 

We had a reservation for Rise of the Resistance later in the afternoon, so my friends got a bite at Docking Bay 7 and I got more of the space popcorn. 
 

 

Some more shots from Galaxy’s Edge. 
 

 

 

 

[perfect match]

Aw, I completely forgot to look for the rocket 🚀 launch today! We were down in the Disney area this afternoon for a medical appointment for DH and then met some friends for dinner so we were a lot closer than seeing a launch from our house. It would have been a much better view than what we have at home. 
 

Laurie, I loved your dinner and fireworks around the monorail. We used to do that a lot before we moved down here. Might be time to give it another try. We also like dinner around the Boardwalk and even dinner around the Skyliner. You and your friends are really doing a great job with your Disney planning. You’re getting a lot done and seem to be having a great time doing it! 

[laurieal]

Rise of the Resistance went down while we were in line and everyone got evacuated off the ride and queue. There were cast members waiting for us and scanning our tickets to give us a Lightning Lane valid for the rest of the day for either Rise of the Resistance or any other ride. 
 

We left space and went to Toy Story Land. The wait was quite low for Alien Swirling Saucers, so we decided to ride it. It was my first time, because during my previous visits the accessible saucer was down. It’s a very fun ride that I’m excited to ride again in the future. 
 

 

We also rode Toy Story Mania, of which I have zero pictures because Toy Story Mania is super serious business and I wouldn’t want photography to impact my performance. Yes, I did win. Thank you for asking. 
 

I then rode Slinky Dog with one of my friends while my other friend was riding the saucers again. Slinky is such a fun coaster and so smooth, too. Perfect for people who enjoy some thrills, but don’t want to be jerked around too much. 
 

 

Not too long after we had exited Toy Story Land, Rise of the Resistance came back up. We could have hurried and ridden it, but we were about to head to Fantasmic. Since we had ridden Rise on our previous visit, we decided to skip it and we got a refund for our Individual Lightning Lanes. 
 

We got a mashed potato bowl with pork belly from Fairfax Fare and corn dog nuggets from the Fantasmic food counter. It had been a while since I had seen Fantasmic (it wasn’t running because of the pandemic the last time I went), and it’s just so good. It hit me right in my feelings. 
 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow, I have an accessible taxi booked to take me to the wheelchair repair place. I hope for two whines: that they have the kind of screws I need and that I get to sleep in a little. 

[laurieal]

9 hours ago, perfect match said:

Aw, I completely forgot to look for the rocket 🚀 launch today! We were down in the Disney area this afternoon for a medical appointment for DH and then met some friends for dinner so we were a lot closer than seeing a launch from our house. It would have been a much better view than what we have at home. 
 

Laurie, I loved your dinner and fireworks around the monorail. We used to do that a lot before we moved down here. Might be time to give it another try. We also like dinner around the Boardwalk and even dinner around the Skyliner. You and your friends are really doing a great job with your Disney planning. You’re getting a lot done and seem to be having a great time doing it! 

Would love to do dinner around the Boardwalk or Skyliner one day. I’ve heard really good things about Jellyrolls and Sebastian’s Bistro. 
 

The planning is so satisfying in a way. There’s that rush when all the stars align and you’re able to schedule your day just how to want to. 

[StanleyandGus]

10 hours ago, laurieal said:

After breakfast, we slowly made our way to the Indiana Jones show. It was fun, but so short! Did they change it? I feel like I remember a bit with audience participation and also a plane catching on fire. Am I thinking of another show?

No, you remember correctly! I think that the audience participation was a Covid casualty.

[JessyCruises]

25 minutes ago, StanleyandGus said:

No, you remember correctly! I think that the audience participation was a Covid casualty.

 Yes they used to bring up several members of the audience to be background actors in the scene.  I have been selected a few times. There was always one they picked that was actually a plant and was one of the stunt performers.