HO-HO-HO..We`ll put the RUM in Pa-Rum-Pum-Pum-Pum! 16 holiday nights at SF & RPR. A Nov/Dec 2023 Trip Report

[schumigirl]

RESTAURANT OPTIONS​

Restaurants and food are a huge part of our vacations, over the years we`ve found some amazing places to eat and a lot from taking advice from friends who are local has always led us to try places we`d maybe otherwise miss, and they have never given us a bad place yet.

We have our regular places that we will always visit, Tom has a genuine affection for Longhorn for example, so that`s always a must do. Add in a couple of nights at Strong Water, St Augustine, Thanksgiving Buffet and a couple of other things, we really are quite short of nights to do all the places we want to visit!

Last year, the lovely Raphael recommended Rodizio Grill, a new Brazillian restaurant that he thought we`d maybe like. Previously we had tried Texas de Brazil years ago and thought it wasn`t the best experience, so we had asked folks that we knew would keep us straight if there was anything better. Unfortunately we never managed to experience Rodizio in May, so we had planned to try it this trip. But, Raphael mentioned last week in an email that he had a new place for us to try and that we`d love it!

Chima Steakhouse is owned by Rodizio but he said it is a far more upscale experience than the one on I-Drive and he was right, it looks amazing!!

It`s on Sand Lake Road further up from where Eddie V`s sits, and the building it now resides used to be Bonefish which has sadly closed, there also used to be a Roy`s Fusion Restaurant in roughly the same area, also gone now too. We went there on our first visit and loved it, never did make it back as we planned.

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The menu looks lovely, very similar menu to any other Brazilian restaurant experience. The Guacho`s all come around with the meats they`ve cooked and you choose what you want from the offerings, the quality of meats are supposed to be excellent, so we are looking forward to trying it. And they also have lamb which is one of our favourite meats, as long as it`s cooked medium and not overdone.

They operate the same system as most others do, with the red or green table cards for each guest. Simple traffic light system I`m sure you all know, show the green for more food.....had enough or wanting a break, show the red. I do like that idea.

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They also have a separate bar menu which also looks very good with several options on there as well as a full bar which we do plan to indulge in, I will get my Caipirinha, I do hope that is the correct spelling!! ​

They are also famous for their amazing salad bars, and many have said you can make a meal out of those alone!! Probably correct as they genuinely do have every kind of side you could possibly want.

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They have two different options for dining for both lunch and dinner, you can go for the salad bar and one choice of their meats/chicken/salmon with a vegetable skewer and a pineapple cinammon skewer, or you can go for the whole experience with unlimited meats as well as the full salad and side options.

I think for us, we`d have an early lunch somewhere in the parks and go absolutely starving for dinner as I know we`d want to try as many of the meats as possible.

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This is definitely on our to do list for this trip. It will be a little bit different to our usual steakhouses, but look forward to the change and hope it might be one we`ll add to our list.

There are so many places to try, it`s hard to pin down just a few new ones each trip, but we do keep trying

All pictures from Google.

 

[KathyM2]

That steakhouse looks fantastic!! I'm following along and may try it when we are there in March.

 

[schumigirl]

That steakhouse looks fantastic!! I'm following along and may try it when we are there in March.

It does look amazing!

We`ve put it on the definite list, spoke to one of our friends from the hotel yesterday, well through an email and they had gone a couple of weeks ago and said it`s their new favourite restaurant, so knowing them it must be good!!

And they make a fabulous cocktail too apparently....sounds good to me!!!

 

[schumigirl]

HIGH TIDE HARRY`S​

This is one place we`ve been trying to visit for many years and just never managed to get around to it for some reason or another. It gets amazing reviews and is a very local place, so much so one of our friends asked me not to post about in here......lol.....

They do like to keep local places local, and I do agree as rather ironically I do prefer places where tourists don`t really know about....I know how crazy that sounds, but it`s true!!

Seafood is one of our favourite types of dish to enjoy and of course there are many places to pick from in the immediate area to us, but we do like to wander a little out of where we know well and this place isn`t too far away at all in South Semoran Blvd which is around 25-30 minutes away from our Universal hotel.












The menu for us in this place looks amazing and I think we could visit a dozen times and still not try everything we`d like to enjoy.

So many different types of crab to try from Dungeness to Snow, King and Blue when in season and they offer a special involving mixes of each, so incredibly tempting.












Of course there are oysters, and I am sure I will enjoy some of those much to Tom`s annoyance......lol......but the menu is very tempting.

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Shrimp, hush puppies and every kind of fish you`d want to eat are all on the menu in any kind of seasoning and flavour you`d like.They also do steak, chicken, sandwiches, ribs, salads, a burger, Gumbo, clam chowder and a blue stew which gets rave reviews.

A few years ago we went to a place in the lake Wales area called Cherry Pockets, despite not having the best experience outside the place itself the food was sublime and we had the best Hush Puppies ever, however we won`t go back there I don`t think.

A couple of folks who told us about HTH`s said if we enjoyed Cherry Pocket we would love this place as it`s similarly styled, serving really good food in a not very glamorous surrounding, but said we`d absolutely love it.

Of course we`d happily hear any other suggestion for restaurants around if anyone has any. Trip Advisor is all well and good at times, but nothing beats a good recommendation from folks who have been to these places, especially if they`re off the beaten track somewhat.

Hopefully we`ll get to visit this marvellous looking establishment this time around.


More to come....

 

[schumigirl]

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[schumigirl]

PF CHANGS

MALL @ MILLENIA​

One place we really enjoy, but don`t go very often is PF Changs which is conveniently placed in the beautiful Mall which is only a 10 minute drive from the Universal hotels so quite handy but for some reason we tend to miss it out in favour of The Cheesecake Factory, another we really enjoy.

PF Changs is to the right hand side as you enter the Mall and can`t be accessed from inside, but you can`t miss it.

They open for a limited lunch menu, but as we don`t like limited menu`s we opted for dinner on our last visit there and we weren`t disappointed.

It was very busy and we hadn`t booked, but we got a lovely booth with very little wait, but we were surprised by how busy it was as we very rarely hear anyone talk about it.

We did have a good old giggle though at our waiter, Tom asked for a bottle of champagne and he looked at us as if he didn`t think we were serious and asked if we meant prosecco......lol....we really should have got up and left as he obviously thought we couldn`t afford it, it did make us laugh though and we enjoyed the champagne a lot!!

The menu was rather decent and plenty of options to choose from and a lovely cocktail menu too which is right up our street.

We shared a couple of appetisers of spicy chicken lettuce wraps and spring rolls which were lovely, lacked spice for us as is usual in many places, but they were lovely.

We were a little safe in our choices looking back, but the food was tasty, Tom opted for Pepper Steak with noodles and I had the spicy chicken with fried rice, both were very well presented and tasted beautiful.

Aside from our waiter who I do believe felt as though we were going to run away without paying the whole night....it was genuinely funny though and didn`t really offend us at all, although others said we should have complained about him......nah, wasn`t an issue really, but that aside it was a lovely evening and we look forward to going back again.

I did notice you could eat at the bar, so as we are reluctant to make reservations for most places, that would be another option for us if we turned up and it was busy.

HOT N JUICY CRAWFISH

SAND LAKE ROAD​

This is a little gem of a place, sitting in shopping area it attracts mainly locals according to the manager first time we went in, but it was a very friendly place and although all of the serving staff were very young they were incredibly friendly.

The server we had once remembered us the next time we came in to eat, we were very surprised at that. Good memory.

The premise of this place is very simple, shrimp, crawfish, snowcrab and other seafood options are all served to you in a clear plastic bag with your choice and strength of seasonings from mild to really hot, you can get half pound or pound bags and initially I thought a pound of shrimp sounded a lot.....it really wasn`t!!

They do have oysters on the menu, but being honest, they weren`t overly impressive, not awful but wouldn`t get them again, there are much better places to get oysters.

The first few times we were here, the shrimp came with heads on, didn`t bother us, but last time they had added the option of having heads removed so I took that option. We do enjoy tearing shellfish to eat it, doesn`t bother us at all, but purely for convenience I`ll opt for head free from now on.

We tend to get very spicy with the Hot n Juicy seasoning and it is delicious, but last time we went for just spicy and I think that might be perfect for us next time.

I think the one disappointment was the crawfish, yes they are small, but not really worth the effort in the end, tasty, but we`ll pass in the future.











Another thing we ordered that was really too much was their cajun fries, they were exceptional, but really we couldn`t eat them all, tempting as they were!!

We love this place, this brand was one of the first of these types of restaurants with many replicas, I think we`ll stick to this one though despite there being many other options.

It`s a family friendly place and it`s fabulous to see kids that are very young tearing into such lovely seafood with such joy. At 3 or 4 years old Kyle would never have attacked crab legs with such alacrity!!! I wish he had, but it wasn`t for him.

They do give you a bib as well as plastic gloves, kitchen paper on a roll, a bucket for all the shells and paper and then of course some wet wipes....and you`ll need them!! We think it`s easier without the gloves so we always take our own wet wipes too, it`s just convenient.

Prices are excellent for the quality of the food you get here and with friendly service added in, can`t go wrong and we can`t wait to get back this upcoming trip.

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[schumigirl]

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In a real life planning update, yep, we do have a few things we need to plan and one of the essential things for us is a car.

We have used Uber very succesfully on our last couple of trips, but for going longer journey`s, we do need a car. We tend to be a little spontaneous so we dismissed the idea of having a car for a few days in the middle of our trip and maybe go on days away in that time period, but nah, wouldn`t work for us.

Over the last few years we have used a different company for renting a car instead of our usual crowd, we still book with Alamo but this company was a little different in that if the price came down we got the better price, with the previous companies, once we had paid the price, we didn`t have the option to take advantage of the cheaper price.

So, we merrily booked a few months back and have watched the price for this year drop a little, no massive drops but now with just over 4 weeks to go the prices are starting to rise by quite a lot.

We booked when the price for a standard SUV was around
£1500 for our 16 night stay and the last time we changed the reservation it was down to just under £1000, so that`s a very good price for 16 nights, well we`re happy with it.

SUV`s are what we are happier with over there, we drive one over here and have done for many years, we much prefer that high ride albeit none of the cars in Orlando are overly special.

We`d love to rent a high performance car but rentals don`t tend to offer anything in those categories. One of the nicest ones was the Maserati, but the one we got wasn`t a high spec or overly high in performance. However, it got us from A-B and was always an upgrade.

We haven`t seen the Maserati in the garages since we came back after Covid, so no point in hoping we get that again.

For many years we got the Tahoe or Suburban, but they haven`t been around when we have landed and made it across to the garages, so it`s been a real mix. Last time they offered us a mini van or a Rav 4, er, no thanks. We did end up with an Audi Q7 SUV last trip back and really liked that as well as the Lexus from last year after returning a heap of junk Yukon that was the only one they had when we appeared.

We`re really not fussy.....not really, just give us a car that doesn`t have a million miles on the clock and one that`s clean, not much to ask really.

But, glad to have our car sorted, one more thing in place.

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[keishashadow]

So many different types of crab to try from Dungeness

That’s difficult to find in Orlando, yum

will say, have tried several of the Brazilian steakhouses over the years, never in MCO area. popular choice with groups, it seems. All were truly dreadful. The one you featured looked top-notch. Looking forward to your review of it.

I think the one disappointment was the crawfish,

In general, lol. JK it’s just that process of savoring their tiny little heads =

£1000,

had to google . Does it include insurance too In those rates?

believe you have restrictions booking from outside the country? Seems dreadfully unfair to me.

generally, would use DH’s corporate rate with Avis. however, have been finding best rates (cancellable) thru Priceline of all places using a 3rd party search engine…all thru Hertz.

 

[margareton27]

Well finally got back to finish up your last report and here is a new one! And now down to about 5.5 weeks away. How exciting!

A few things I thought of as I read through - it’s too bad Virgin isn’t like Air Canada. You get the baggage allowance for the higher end seat you purchased when booking in two different classes. I learned that when I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t getting charged for my bags on the way out and it was because I was flying premium back. Worked for me’

And yes I remember the gingerbread village at RPR. It was so neat to see it. We all took some time to check it out.

Margaret

 

[schumigirl]

That’s difficult to find in Orlando, yum

will say, have tried several of the Brazilian steakhouses over the years, never in MCO area. popular choice with groups, it seems. All were truly dreadful. The one you featured looked top-notch. Looking forward to your review of it.

In general, lol. JK it’s just that process of savoring their tiny little heads =

had to google . Does it include insurance too In those rates?

believe you have restrictions booking from outside the country? Seems dreadfully unfair to me.

generally, would use DH’s corporate rate with Avis. however, have been finding best rates (cancellable) thru Priceline of all places using a 3rd party search engine…all thru Hertz.

I`ve never tried Dungeness crab in Florida, I`m always distracted by other ones.

Yes, we weren`t impressed by Texas de Brazil, too loud and busy, but this one does look a little classier hopefully. And hopefully the recommendation means it`ll be a good one.

I should have converted to dollars!! Yes it includes insurance although they do sometimes ask us if we want to be completely covered.....we try to jump in early and let them know we are covered for everything. I know they have a reputation for convincing Brits they need some of the stuff they sell, commission of course. Yes, if we try to book through an American site where there are some better prices, it automatically takes us to a Brit version. Even using a VPN as soon as we put in our address, it doesn`t let us book. I think this company Tom uses now is a third party so prices are better than using Alamo direct.

It`s a minefield though....

 

[schumigirl]

Well finally got back to finish up your last report and here is a new one! And now down to about 5.5 weeks away. How exciting!

A few things I thought of as I read through - it’s too bad Virgin isn’t like Air Canada. You get the baggage allowance for the higher end seat you purchased when booking in two different classes. I learned that when I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t getting charged for my bags on the way out and it was because I was flying premium back. Worked for me’

And yes I remember the gingerbread village at RPR. It was so neat to see it. We all took some time to check it out.

Margaret

back Margaret......

Good to see you and glad to hear you finished the May report.

Oh that is a better deal with AC isn`t it! I like that deal and yes much fairer for the passengers of course. Tom is convinced I`ll bring less clothes this way...... I do love his optimism!!!

The gingerbread villages were so lovely, it would be lovely if they brought them back. Watching them, they made it all look so easy, when I try to ice something it`s like something out of a horror movie!!!

Glad you`re back and hope you enjoy joining in with this one too

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

Hello, long time lurker of your trip reports here! We just booked our first-ever stay at RP for December! We'll be getting there later in the month, but you've got me excited for all the restaurants and the holiday fun at Universal. We were meant to go over the holidays a few years ago but the pandemic spoiled that plan. We've done Christmas at Disney a few times, the last time in 2019 when FP+, the magic express, and the free dining promotion were still offered, but WDW has become too much work and stress for a vacation now. With the included express pass, I'm looking forward to the longest queue we stand in being the one for Butterbeer.

 

[schumigirl]

Hello, long time lurker of your trip reports here! We just booked our first-ever stay at RP for December! We'll be getting there later in the month, but you've got me excited for all the restaurants and the holiday fun at Universal. We were meant to go over the holidays a few years ago but the pandemic spoiled that plan. We've done Christmas at Disney a few times, the last time in 2019 when FP+, the magic express, and the free dining promotion were still offered, but WDW has become too much work and stress for a vacation now. With the included express pass, I'm looking forward to the longest queue we stand in being the one for Butterbeer.

A very warm to ofcabbagesandkings

I`m so glad you came out of lurkdom and posted....I have always been curious about your username on here and wondered if it was in reference to O.Henry novel.

Oh wow, first time at RP!!!! I really hope you love it and enjoy your stay there.

I can see why you want to have less stress in your vacations, although I have no personal experience with Disney (since 08) I hear the complaints from many friends, although many still enjoy their time there.

We do enjoy the Holidays at Universal, going to be looking at some things we`re looking forward to in the coming weeks.....I hope it lives up to your expectations for sure!! Yes, with EP we`ve never had to wait for too long for anything!!

Glad to have you along and hope you enjoy joining in with this report

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

A very warm to ofcabbagesandkings

I`m so glad you came out of lurkdom and posted....I have always been curious about your username on here and wondered if it was in reference to O.Henry novel.

Oh wow, first time at RP!!!! I really hope you love it and enjoy your stay there.

I can see why you want to have less stress in your vacations, although I have no personal experience with Disney (since 08) I hear the complaints from many friends, although many still enjoy their time there.

We do enjoy the Holidays at Universal, going to be looking at some things we`re looking forward to in the coming weeks.....I hope it lives up to your expectations for sure!! Yes, with EP we`ve never had to wait for too long for anything!!

Glad to have you along and hope you enjoy joining in with this report

Thanks for the welcome! And my username is from Alice and Wonderland, the poem read by Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, "The Walrus and the Carpenter."

"The time has come,' the Walrus said,
To talk of many things:
Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax —
Of cabbages — and kings —
And why the sea is boiling hot —
And whether pigs have wings."

And yes, WDW has changed quite a lot since 2008! We took our first trip as a family back in 2014 and I can't believe how much has changed even since then.

 

[keishashadow]

Yes, if we try to book through an American site where there are some better prices, it automatically takes us to a Brit version. Even using a VPN as soon as we put in our address, it doesn`t let us book. I think this company Tom uses now is a third party so prices are better than using Alamo direct.

Yet another mountain to climb for you.

as Alice would say - curiouser and curiouser, why it is so for UK customers in the US

And my username is from Alice and Wonderland, the poem read by Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, "The Walrus and the Carpenter."

And a very fine name & avatar it is!

 

[DisGhost]

The kids nixed not being home for Christmas so alas, I am not getting a 3rd Universal trip on this AP , BUT we will be in Florida at the same time as you! 3 hours away but still.... same state! Can't wait to read about your trip, I will have to live vicariously.

 

[DisGhost]

All those pictures bring back memories of our very first trip there in 2008... My best friend's mom passed away on the 2nd to last day of our trip and I needed to change my plane ticket to go to CA for the funeral. We went to the concierge desk and explained the situation and they gave us a pass up to the lounge where I could use the computers (and were very sweet and lovely to my husband who spent the last day by himself lol.) I remember all that vast empty space over there! I kind of miss the warmth of all that lovely wood but it definitely looks lighter and airier.

 

[schumigirl]

Thanks for the welcome! And my username is from Alice and Wonderland, the poem read by Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, "The Walrus and the Carpenter."

"The time has come,' the Walrus said,
To talk of many things:
Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax —
Of cabbages — and kings —
And why the sea is boiling hot —
And whether pigs have wings."

And yes, WDW has changed quite a lot since 2008! We took our first trip as a family back in 2014 and I can't believe how much has changed even since then.

Ah I see, funnily enough I was mentioning to keishashadow recently, I know nothing of Alice in Wonderland, it was never a story I got into. But, it`s always interesting to find out the story behind interesting usernames.

I don`t think I`d recognise much of WDW now to be honest, even Downtown Disney is very, very different to what it was

 

[schumigirl]

Yet another mountain to climb for you.

as Alice would say - curiouser and curiouser, why it is so for UK customers in the US

And a very fine name & avatar it is!

Simple answer....money.

Why charge $500 when they can charge us $1500. I always remember someone on Valet asking what we paid for our rental that trip, his face fell when tom told him and he said we`d be cheaper buying a car for the length of stay....lol.....not quite but I knew what he meant.

 

[schumigirl]

The kids nixed not being home for Christmas so alas, I am not getting a 3rd Universal trip on this AP , BUT we will be in Florida at the same time as you! 3 hours away but still.... same state! Can't wait to read about your trip, I will have to live vicariously.

All those pictures bring back memories of our very first trip there in 2008... My best friend's mom passed away on the 2nd to last day of our trip and I needed to change my plane ticket to go to CA for the funeral. We went to the concierge desk and explained the situation and they gave us a pass up to the lounge where I could use the computers (and were very sweet and lovely to my husband who spent the last day by himself lol.) I remember all that vast empty space over there! I kind of miss the warmth of all that lovely wood but it definitely looks lighter and airier.

back to the lovely DisGhost....


Awwww......but it`s lovely they want to stay home and enjoy Christmas!! 3 hours isn`t so far, sounds like a nice break away in the sunshine, it`ll be cold for you by then at home.

I`m glad they were so helpful to you in a time of need and glad they looked after your husband too, it`s good to have reliable help when you need it. Yes, it was a huge expanse of wasted space for most of the time, I do think they have made much better use of space, but agree, that wood looked so impressive.

Glad to see you and have you along for the trip again