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]

You are so sweet!

Aww, thank you!!

You have a February visit coming up I see from your signature, I`m sure you`re all very excited for that, are you doing Disney and Universal this time around??? It`s always nice to hear about others trips

 

[GracieKam]

Aww, thank you!!

You have a February visit coming up I see from your signature, I`m sure you`re all very excited for that, are you doing Disney and Universal this time around??? It`s always nice to hear about others trips

Yes, myself and two of my daughters are doing both Disney and UniversalOur last trip was our first time visiting Universal and we fell in love with it! Also looking forward to much lower crowds this trip lol (last trip was the week after Christmas)

 

[schumigirl]

Yes, myself and two of my daughters are doing both Disney and UniversalOur last trip was our first time visiting Universal and we fell in love with it! Also looking forward to much lower crowds this trip lol (last trip was the week after Christmas)

Oh that is fabulous!! Girls trip

Doing both at that time will be wonderful, yes, crowds have to be less than that time of year just after Christmas, that must have been one of the busiest times of the year.

Look forward to hearing about it.......

 

[Robo56]

Good Sunday evening Carole I’am following along on your Pre-trip and Trip Report. So good to see you have your report up and running. Your reports are always full of fun things to do and see and lots of great photos.

On the way out we only get one suitcase each at 50lb each, plus hand luggage, which I think we can about manage, maybe....but I think we`ll go buy another suitcase while we`re out there for coming home as we do get 2 suitcases each coming home. Sounds like a plan!

A woman always needs plenty of suitcase space to get her shopping home for sure.

 

[schumigirl]

Good Sunday evening Carole I’am following along on your Pre-trip and Trip Report. So good to see you have your report up and running. Your reports are always full of fun things to do and see and lots of great photos.



A woman always needs plenty of suitcase space to get her shopping home for sure.

along Robbie, good to see you here!

Thank you for the compliments, I take them all.....lol.....

Oh yes, completely agree with the suitcase space. I know I bring far too many clothes but I`m not sure I can cut down on those, but I am going to try. But, for coming home.....absolutely....we need that space as we plan to visit Yankee Candle, Bath & Body and a couple of other places too......oh dear!!!

Look forward to your comments along the way

 

[schumigirl]

Ladies who I email regularly.......

My email is down again and I can`t even use my secondary or third email addresses......so I will get back to you if you`ve emailed me in the last 3 or 4 days.

Calling them back tomorrow to see if they can sort it out, but didn`t want you ladies to think I wasn`t replying to you......

 

[schumigirl]

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[BroadwayHermione5]

All caught up!

And I cannot wait for the beautiful pci tires you will be taking! Halloween is my fave holiday, but Christmas is where I thrive in terms of decorating (my nutcracker collection may or may not have something to do with that lol)

 

[schumigirl]

All caught up!

And I cannot wait for the beautiful pci tires you will be taking! Halloween is my fave holiday, but Christmas is where I thrive in terms of decorating (my nutcracker collection may or may not have something to do with that lol)

Glad to see you back and caught up BH!

Yes, I love all the holiday pictures, all the Christmas trees and everything that goes alongside that too.

I adore the Nutcracker, one of my friends named one of her children Clara due to her love of all things Nutcracker. Christmas is definitely my favourite holiday period, friends have always called me Mrs Christmas......I can see why though!

 

[keishashadow]

I adore the Nutcracker

Same, long-time family tradition here when my boys & GD were younger To head into the city and see the ballet’s production.

new management several years ago, decided to both modernize it and set in our local…oh, the horror…why?

 

[schumigirl]

Same, long-time family tradition here when my boys & GD were younger To head into the city and see the ballet’s production.

new management several years ago, decided to both modernize it and set in our local…oh, the horror…why?

It is an amazing show, I hate to hear them changing it in any way, modernisation never usually means better from experience.

We took Kyle once, he wasn`t impressed shall we say, so we never took him again, but we enjoyed it. Haven`t seen it for a long time now.

 

[Cara]

You win for the best trip report title ever! Love it! I look forward to reading.

 

[schumigirl]

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6 weeks sounds quite wonderful in one way, but I am not organised at all for this trip I`ve discovered

Oh, everything is in place and we have everything booked we need to be booked, but I just feel a little disjointed this trip, it`ll all fall into place as they say.

This week has been a bit of a muddle for several reasons, one being my long time email address just vanished out of the blue, it told me I was Forbidden from using it, ok then.....so a very stressful set of communications followed, but I`d have been better talking to a chocolate watch!! So, change of email seemed to be a good idea. Like most folks I do have a couple of back up emails, but don`t like using them generally instead I keep them for signing up to companies and businesses, junk generally.

Then spent the last two days contacting everyone (hopefully) to let them know not to send anything to the now defunct email!! Time consuming and unnecessary, but sorted now!
And squeezed in a rather unpleasant dental appointment for impressions, needed them for the upcoming Implant appointment where the infamous crown that came out over several trip reports, that was replaced by a bridge which worked for a long time, but now, it`s time to replace it with an implant!! Ouch.

So we are back to discussing our trip and what plans we may have for this time around. We always leave options open and have a few places in mind to visit, but one thing I know we will be doing is the Thanksgiving Buffet and probably at Amatista in Sapphire Falls again.

We have done a Mother`s Day Buffet there as well as Thanksgiving in 2021, so we know how wonderfully they do with these offerings.

It would be wonderful if they ever brought back the characters visiting while the buffet was ongoing, these guys were present for the Mother`s Day Brunch we went to and they were very much appreciated by all the guests.

We were so impressed by the buffet for Mother`s Day, so we knew we wanted to do it again in November 2021 when we knew we`d be there for Thanksgiving for the first time.

Reservations are one we do make, they do get very busy especially around the time we`d want to be there, so we`ll make that reservation when we arrive, no need to do it any earlier. This is one of the exceptions we have for making reservations, for general restaurants we`ve never found it necessary and we have always eaten where we`ve wanted to on the day.

They operate the buffet from 11am through till 9pm, I have no idea on cost but I think it was around $70 before tax and tip per person, maybe a little more and about half for the kids aged 3-9.

They also do an add on where you can have all you care to enjoy mimosa`s and cubanita cocktails, again, not sure on the cost of that, but maybe around $20 each. Over 21`s there of course!!

We did the Mother`s Day Brunch in May this year at RP and it was extra special as my son was actually with us for that celebration. In the UK we celebrate Mother`s Day in March, so this was like a bonus MD, getting to enjoy the day twice was wonderful.

I think this buffet was excellent too, but I do prefer the setting of Amatista, it`s much brighter, lighter and feels more spacious, but quality of food is the same in both places.....absolutely wonderful.

Turkey is the star of the show for Thanksgiving, for us in the UK that`s our usual choice for Christmas Day, for most folks anyway, so it`s lovely to be able to enjoy it here.

But, for us, mainly me.....the seafood is the highlight of the day! They covered everything I love including oysters and I truly could eat my weight in them .....Tom absolutely hates oysters but loves every other type of seafood on offer.

I wouldn`t like to guesstimate how many plates like this I enjoyed!!

Tom`s face is hysterical when I eat them, he rarely watches and as I`ve said before, I take great pleasure in enjoying them while he`s at the table.....must be a very cruel side in me......

When we go out for dinner with friends, he usually has nowhere to go and his face does smart a little when I ask what type of oysters they have.....lol.....bless him!!

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Tom although he enjoys seafood, prefers to eat the meats on offer and they do have some lovely options with turkey being the primary one, but they also do a ham and a beautiful Churrasco Steak that just melted when you ate it.

He put it on his plate and got back to the table and Fernando stopped him as he was about to eat the first bite and said he needed the Chimichurri sauce before he tried it......lol.....

He did actually like it, but I had it without the sauce, so tender.

I admit, we adore turkey and wondered about turkey that had been cooked in such vast quantities, but we needn`t have worried, it was gorgeous and so buttery! We didn`t eat much of it, but I think this year we`ll change that and have some more.

There are also pork, duck and chicken options and so many side dishes it`s hard to not be spoiled, from varying salads, potato and veg dishes as well as charcuterie options including different fruits and crackers too. There really isn`t much more to wish for with dishes and everything is replenished regularly, so it always looks fresh and appetising.

Just when you think you can`t eat anymore, you remember there are desserts, and there are honestly so many desserts you are spoiled for choice!!

I`m not the biggest dessert fan, well, sometimes, but there were items to suit everyone whether you are a chocaholic or a fruity person, something for everyone here.

We`re not fond of pumpkin flavour things, never quite captured that taste for all things pumpkin, but there were many items that had that taste covered.

This was more my table, fruity desserts including lemon mousse, creme brulee and fruit sushi which was probably the only thing we were disappointed in, but it wasn`t awful and so many other items to pick from.

And of course, they have a lovely selection of wines as well as cocktails, I think we started off with prosecco, but we couldn`t resist this lovely bottle of red that was offered.

All the hotels offer something on Thanksgiving, Cabana Bay, Aventura, Endless Summer and Dockside all have a more economical choice and they do look very good too.

But, Sapphire, RPR, HRH and PBH all put on a rather lovely buffet and I have to say it`s always been wonderful and something we wouldn`t miss if we were there at the time one was being offered.

The Thanksgiving Brunch is set in stone for us to attend and one we are very much looking forward to. You really are spoiled for choice and you aren`t rushed either at any of the brunches.

So, if you are thinking of enjoying one of their Thanksgiving offerings, go for it, I think you`d love it!!

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[schumigirl]

You win for the best trip report title ever! Love it! I look forward to reading.

back Cara!!!!


lol...thank you, I had to get rum in there somewhere!!

How`s things??? Did you enjoy Maine, I was thinking of you last month and wondering how the trip had gone.

And has the new grandbaby arrived yet??? I`m not sure you said when the baby was due, but you all must be so excited for the new arrival!!!

Good to see you and look forward to chatting along the way......

 

[keishashadow]

We always leave options open

Don’t forget to try to pencil in meeting friends

you had me at oysters with that Thanksgiving buffet. From what I’ve read, traditional fare at the earliest incantations here.

I’ve tried to get family to do the parks for the holiday, not having it. Just as well, our WDW APs black out then anyway.

 

[schumigirl]

Don’t forget to try to pencil in meeting friends

you had me at oysters with that Thanksgiving buffet. From what I’ve read, traditional fare at the earliest incantations here.

I’ve tried to get family to do the parks for the holiday, not having it. Just as well, our WDW APs black out then anyway.

Oh absolutely, I’m sure we overlap at one point!!!

Oysters were lovely, fresh as paint and plentiful, Yes, I read seafood would likely have been part of the original thanksgiving. I’d happily have both lol…..

I think they’d miss your Thanksgiving feast too much to want to do the parks Janet, it’s too good!!!

Have a wonderful trip back to the sunshine

 

[KathyM2]

Once again I'm taking notes for my next Orlando trip of where to eat! Even though we will be staying at a Disney resort...I really want to try Orchids sometime!!

So right now, we`re a little unsure if we will manage to do this, but it would mean we get back to St Augustine as we didn`t go on our last visits, it`s a beautiful place and well worth a visit.

I love St. Augustine, but have not been for the holiday lights. However...I remember the parking situation being a bit of a pain on a regular day...so I can imagine at holiday time with a special event..it might be...a challenge...that said...the pictures seem like it might be worth it.

 

[Cara]

back Cara!!!!


lol...thank you, I had to get rum in there somewhere!!

How`s things??? Did you enjoy Maine, I was thinking of you last month and wondering how the trip had gone.

And has the new grandbaby arrived yet??? I`m not sure you said when the baby was due, but you all must be so excited for the new arrival!!!

Good to see you and look forward to chatting along the way......

Hello! We LOVED Maine. We did something every day, but we made very few firm plans. We also did a whole lot of relaxing, which was so nice. I think Colorado is next on our list.

And we have a brand-new, beautiful grandson, born Sept. 28! 7 pounds, 13 ounces of pure sweetness. Thank you for asking!

 

[schumigirl]

Once again I'm taking notes for my next Orlando trip of where to eat! Even though we will be staying at a Disney resort...I really want to try Orchids sometime!!


I love St. Augustine, but have not been for the holiday lights. However...I remember the parking situation being a bit of a pain on a regular day...so I can imagine at holiday time with a special event..it might be...a challenge...that said...the pictures seem like it might be worth it.

Orchids is lovely, I don`t think you`d be disappointed eating there, lovely atmosphere too. We do have a couple of new places to try this visit, if we can drag ourselves away from Strong Water!!!

St Augustine is so beautiful, parking hasn`t been too bad for us, but we found a place right next to St George Street which is ideal for us and what we want to see there. But, we also tend not to go at weekends and holidays. I think if there is a park and ride we might use that purely for convenience, but I agree, I think it`ll be worth it.

 

[schumigirl]

Hello! We LOVED Maine. We did something every day, but we made very few firm plans. We also did a whole lot of relaxing, which was so nice. I think Colorado is next on our list.

And we have a brand-new, beautiful grandson, born Sept. 28! 7 pounds, 13 ounces of pure sweetness. Thank you for asking!

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Wonderful news Cara!!!!! Huge congratulations and a very warm welcome to your new little family member, you all must be so proud and happy, nothing quite like a new baby

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Hope everyone is doing well and your little grandson will be thriving I`m sure!!

And happy to hear you enjoyed Maine, looks so beautiful and Colorado is another place that looks to be stunning. Glad to know you had a lovely time and yes, relaxing is always nice on a trip!

Congratulations again.......

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