This was my first Brazilian Steak House experience and I’ll get the ONLY negative out of the way at the beginning, for a family of four adults, plan on spending between $240 and $300 for dinner. At $47 per person, the meal, once you add on drinks, desert and the tip you’ll easily be in that range. Granted, some would say that the belt busting quantity and QUALITY of the meal is well worth it. I would agree on both points. However, if a more elegant or intimate experience is what you would prefer, for such a costly meal, Texas de Brazil might not be the best choice. Now, enough with the negativity – LETS EAT!

At it’s core, TdB is just a glorified (or glorious?) salad bar with a premium steak kicker. If you’re thinking Ponderosa or Golden Corral – there isn’t really a comparison – really, not even close. I’ll get to the steak in a moment but for being a ‘salad bar’ TdB has a lot going for it. The quality of the food is top notch and you’ll easily be able to convince yourself to make a few trips to the salad bar for such items as fresh sushi, cold salmon filet, cold season shrimp (peeled), Brazilian hearts of palm, grilled Portobella mushrooms, fresh buffalo mozzarella , various salads, sauces, imported cheeses, gourmet artisan breads and soup de jour – along with many specialities. The soup that night was Lobster Bisque and it was awesome. I ate so much at the salad bar that I didn’t have too much room for steak – lack of proper planning on my part.

Now, on to the steak , the Gauchos ( ‘Steak Cowboys’ – yeah, I know),  and the different way steak is dished out at TdB. As your server will explain, the Gauchos roam the restaurant with various meats (chicken, pork, lamb, sausage and streaks) on sword-like skewers and a rather large carving knife. Each patron is given a token – turn the token to the green side and the Gauchos will descend upon you, proudly presenting their offerings. Turn it over to red and they continue on. Ok, not really. Green or red – it really didn’t matter. If you made eye contact or looked in their general direction you were offered some meat. It’s sufficient to say that all the meats served at TdB were of the best quality and perfectly cooked for my taste. You can even request your steak cooked a little more (or less) as needed. If you’re a steak/meat lover (which would make sense being you’re in a ‘Brazilian Steak House’) you won’t be disappointed.

The servers and Gauchos were very attentive and ever present. I didn’t get the sense that my server had too many tables assigned to her which was nice. The establishment was very busy and when you combine free-wheeling mission focused Steak Cowboys, wait and buss staff along with patrons going to and from the salad bar – it makes for one busy floor. I kept thinking how many people end up with a skewer in their chest each night? Not a chance! The Gauchos knew what they were doing.

After you signal your surrender, you are presented with a desert tray that contains enough calories to send even the most sugar stable individual into a near diabetic coma! Be forewarned, the deserts and coffee are not included with your meal. I only mention this because throughout the entire experience, I was never actually given a menu or anything with pricing – hey, if you have to ask …

My wife and I shared  a $10.50 slice of triple chocolate something and we ended up taking most of that home. With all the desert suitable items still at the salad bar, we wondered how we were suckered into the cake?

Conclusions. Texas de Brazil is an impressive place with equally impressive food, drink and deserts. Combined with a suitably impressive bill, you will still be glad you visited. While lacking an intimaet atmosphere and not for the budget conscious diner, Texas de Brazil makes up for this with quality service and an extremely friendly attitude. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting the Orlando area for the experience alone. Enjoy!

Pricing: Adults are $47 each. Children 6-12 are $24 each and children under 6 are FREE!

Contact:

Texas de Brazil – Orlando
5259 International Drive
Orlando, Fl 32819

P: 407-355-0355
F: 407-355-0312

Dress Code: Smart Casual

Its that time of year again and not a moment too soon – Universal’s Mardi Gras 2011 at Universal Studios is sure to be one of their best line-ups yet. Expect to see several Global Team members attending Mardi Gras this year. With acts such as  Franki Valli to Lynard Skynyrd to NE-YO – there is sure to be at least one show that interests you.

Getting to the show early is important  if you expect to be near the stage. While some fans line up hours beforehand, 90 minutes before showtime should be good enough to get close enough to the Music Plaza stage. Performances take place in the shadow of the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Roller Coaster and it can get tight so you should decide if seeing the performers up-close is that important. There are large screens towards the back of the courtyard which helps to entertain fans who might want to make a quick exit once the performance is over. Most of the food/drink stands are also on the fringe or at the back of the courtyard so it can be convenient to stand back a little.

Just one caution for those attending Universals Mardi Gras, while not an absolute, the performances are usually very good and suitable for fans of all ages. I did see Kid Rock a few years back and all I can say is that his language wouldn’t have been put up with a few miles down I-4 in Disney World.

The complete line-up:

• Feb. 12: Frankie Valli & the Four Season
• Feb. 19: The B-52s
• Feb. 20 (Sunday): KC & the Sunshine Band
• Feb. 26: Pitbull
• March 5: Lynyrd Skynyrd
• March 12: Foreigner
• March 18 (Friday): Neon Trees
• March 19: The Roots
• March 25 (Friday): OneRepublic
• March 26: Blake Shelton
• April 1 (Friday): Sean Kingston
• April 2: Ne-Yo
• April 9: Lifehouse
• April 16: The Beach Boys
• April 23: Thirty Seconds to Mars

If you’re a Global guest and at one of the shows, please send us a picture – we would love to feature you on our website!

For more information and up to date show times, please visit the Universal Orlando Mardi Gras 2011 website.

Kennedy Space Center – just a quick trip to the east coast

The space program never ceases to amaze me. Living in Central Florida, you forget sometimes that not everyone can just walk outside and see the fire from a rocket or space shuttle from their backyard on a clear day or even better, during a night launch.

As fun and exciting as that may be, actually visiting the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) gives you a wonderful experience of the history of space travel. Just under an hour away from the Kissimmee/Orlando area, this is a Florida attraction that shouldn’t be overlooked. I was reminded of this on my trip to KSC last week.

Upon arrival, we entered the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex which has more of a small theme park feel than a place where rocket scientists do their thing; I appreciated this option for the vacationer that wants to do more than the big theme parks. It definitely has automatic appeal to all ages. There are real NASA rockets, exhibits that show the history of the space program bringing you to where it is today, and an IMAX film that is full of great information and fun to watch.

Want a little bit of adventure? A fun thing to try is the Shuttle Launch Experience, which is a simulation ride that puts you aboard a space shuttle and it launches you into space where you orbit the Earth. All of your senses will feel, hear and see what it could be like during an actual launch. Pretty cool thing to do. My 10 year old absolutely loved this and it was the highlight of her day!

There is also a bus tour that will take you onto the secured part of the property where the Space Center is located. There is an observation tower that gives you a 360 degree view over several launch sites where the shuttles take off. It also makes a stop a stop at the Apollo/Saturn V Center. Here you will find artifacts (including a REAL moon rock), photos, films, interactive exhibits, and the most powerful rocket ever launched by the United State, the Saturn V.

The last stop of the day for us was the gift shop, which I couldn’t not begin to imagine going to the KSC and not have Astronaut Ice Cream. It’s a staple item that you just have to buy…for where else would you expect such a thing? KSC is open daily from 9am-6pm and is located SR 405, Kennedy Space Center, FL, 32899. For tickets and park specials, please visit www.kennedyspacecenter.com .

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In the late 1940’s the beginning of what is now Gatorland began being a wildlife exhibit with gators and snakes and today it still has that Florida feel, yet it’s not a little exhibit, but a true attraction with several shows featuring gators and other reptiles.

Entering into the famous Gator mouth isn’t the same as it was years ago.  Due to a fire a few years back, the mouth is still there, but it is no longer the main entrance.  Still, it’s one of those photo opportunities you don’t want to miss!

Once entering the park, you walk into a swamp filled with gators.  And these aren’t some tiny little things that you see at most theme parks.  These reptiles are HUGE!  Very impressive and very exciting.

Gatorland: Big GATORS!

The most famous of the Gatorland shows would have to be the gator wrestling.  This is an arena where a Gator Wrangler goes in and pulls out a gator from a moat like water pit around a concrete island filled with sand.  The Wrangler then gets on top of the gator, and as fun as it is to watch, at this time is a great lesson about the alligators.  At the end of the show, they take out a gator with its mouth taped shut for a photo opportunity for the general public.  FUN!!  And something you probably won’t find anywhere else.

Another fun show is the Gator Jumparoo Show!! My mouth hung open in awe as some of the largest alligators in the world actually jump four to five feet out of the water to retrieve meat from a trainer’s hand!  Shamu is supposed to do tricks, not gators!!  I love this show, and I love to see the reaction of the crowd as the gators do their thing.

Gatorland has many other great things to see and do, including a kids water park area, petting zoo, bird aviary, an array of different gators from all over the world, including a very special area for a few white alligators.  Rare and very cool to see.

Gatorland: Gator Nuggets

It may be wrong, but I have to say, eating gator bites (yes, real gator tail) should probably make me feel guilty, but I am Florida girl, and I love me some gator!  The Gator Chow has other food on the menu, and overall it’s very reasonable. In fact, tickets are as low as $22.99 per adult and $14.99 per child.  Their website has a coupon you can download for $2.50 off per person.  There is a special Florida resident rate until the end of the year for $9.99 per person and if you are in the military, your ticket is free.

Tara from Global at Gatorland with a little baby gator

The Forbidden Journey combines animatronics and motion simulation (comparable to Soarin’ at Disney’s Epcot) perfectly. Riding  ”enchanted benches”, you follow Harry and Ron through a Quidditch match while dodging Dementors, spitting Spiders and Hargrids misbehaving dragon. This ‘robocoaster’  swings you through several dome projections and real sets that look straight out of the movies. It will take a few rides for you to notice everything and the projections do tend to blur a bit due to the speed at which you are moving but all in all, the Forbidden Journey is the next step in ride technology.

Look for a more detailed review coming soon but I should mention that if you feel queasy on motion simulation rides, the Forbidden Journey might not be for you. Also, even if you have no intention of riding, the queue is amazing and worthy of a walkthrough. The talking portraits are very well done along with the holograms of Harry, Ron, Hermione and Professor Dumbledoor.

For fans of the books/movies, or even casual fans like myself, the Forbidden Journey is a ‘must experience’ attraction while in Orlando. I rate rides on if I would stand in line for 60 minutes to ride it a second time. I just completed my 4th ride this past weekend.

Link to Universals video

A few weeks ago, Travis (Global I.T. specialist) and I set off to visit Hard Knocks Orlando, a urban themed indoor laser tag (sort of and I’ll get to that) gaming facility. Located just a few minutes from University of Central Florida, it’s a 30-40 minute drive from most of our resorts. After all is said and done, it’s well worth the drive and the money. This isn’t your father’s laser tag!

Once we arrived , we joined a group of six other friends and kept the same 4 man teams throughout the two hour session. After all, we had to keep score for bragging rights! Who won? Keep reading.

So how is Hard Knocks NOT like your ‘father’s laser tag’? Simple, you use real (looking) guns and run around in realistic themed environments completing several team based missions. The ‘weapons’ are replica metal electronic devices with a similar weight and feel of the real thing. Ammo is limited and the quantity of available ammo is tied to the type of gun your using at the time. You have to remember to ‘reload’ by hitting a button when your ammo count is low. Then you must wait a few LONG seconds for the gun to become live again as it completes the reload sequence. All in all, very realistic. Also, only ‘killing’ shots made to your opponents sensors (three in total) will cost them a life. Once all your available lives are gone, your dead and have to take the walk of shame back to the staging area. Remember, no talking to your teammates on the way out – dead man tell no tales. Pirate rules!

I haven’t played laser tag for over a decade and honestly never got into it. Too much of people running up to you and rapidly pulling the trigger in your general direction. Not very realistic! Hard Knocks is much different, teams must work together to advance (and stay alive) or they won’t last long. Strategy actually counts for something at Hard Knocks and the combinations of realistic feeling weapons and the fast pace of game play (missions rarely last over ten minutes) makes for a quick and fun team building experience for all involved. The two available formats (Warehouse and Office Building) are played back to back with over 30 missions or scenarios to choose from.

If I had to list one thing that makes Hard Knocks worth your time, it’s the realism. The environments and weapons are so realistic that local SWAT teams practice in their facilities. With over 30,000 square feet of air conditioned  space available, it’s a great place for team building, birthday parties, pickup games or any sort of group team experience. You’ll also get a great workout! Even though the AC is blasting, running (actually running isn’t allowed – let’s call it ‘aggressive walking’) around for two hours gets the blood moving. I had a hard time climbing stairs for three days after Hard Knocks!

For more information on Hard Knocks Orlando, including prices, requirements and training videos – visit Hard Knocks Orlando and Hard Knock Training Videos for details on the rules of game play. Your Regulator “Athena” will walk you though it.

So who won? Well the fact that this blog post exists should give you some idea. Travis and I were on the winning team with yours truly winning the final mission – “The Highlander”. As I walked out of the Office arena, our Regulator gave me a thumbs up and said, “Congratulations, your the Highlander!”. I can think of no higher compliment.

Before I came to Global I had no idea that this type of product was even available! I was used to working in the hospitality industry. Let’s face it, in Florida, most people are associated with hospitality in one way or another.  I have always worked in hotels and times shares, and I can tell you there is such a world of difference.

The best thing about being with Global is the people. At so many large companies you become just another number. Here we get to know people, both co-workers and guests. I have many guests that return each year, some to the same home. Many have been staying with Global longer than I have been with the company, and when I speak with them they ask questions about the people they used to deal with. It truly feels like being part of family.

Another thing I would say is the value to our guests. If you compare what you get staying at our resorts with what you get anywhere else, there is nothing to compare it with. That makes my job easier in so many ways. You get all the comforts of living at home while staying with us. While no two of our homes are exactly alike, they are kept to a high standard that people enjoy staying in. I can’t say there are never any problems and that leads me to my last point.

I love to help people. When I’m working in a unit, either doing routine maintenance or a repair for a guest, I’m not just “patching a wall.” I’m helping someone’s vacation be better. We all wish for a flawless vacation, but we live in a real world where things do break. That’s where I come in. I get to talk to the people, find out what’s wrong, and get it fixed as fast as humanly possible. If it can’t be fixed, it gets replaced. We work with our owners to make sure everyone has a great time and a great place to stay.

In short, I love my job and I love doing it right here, right now. This is my second family and I can’t see being anywhere else.

- Aaron Tripp, Maintenance Department

The best way to describe how we feel about Global is the following:

G – is for good working ethics.

L – is for the love of the family atmosphere we maintain.

O – is for the “over-the-top” attitude.

B – is for always trying to be the best we can be.

A – is for all of us working to together to improve things.

L – is looking towards the future and how we can make things better and continue to grow.

At this time, Dave is working in the maintenance department and enjoys all of the guys & ladies that he works with. I am working at the front desk at our Formosa office, in the field with maintenance a few days, and helping where ever I am needed in the office. We are still enjoying our jobs, even though sometimes it gets hectic – but that goes with the territory in the hospitality business. We feel that Global is our extended family and have loved working for Global and hope to continue in the future. Their values and relationships with employees exceeds many companies that we have worked for in the past. We hope Global feels the same way about us.

- Pat & Dave Hess,  Front Desk & Maintenance Staff

- Adam Costner, Director of Customer Service