Yachtsman vs. Le Cellier

[goofy4prez]

I agree it might not be the best idea to commit to multiple daily ADR's on a first trip. Figuring out new things and attacking the parks can take up a lot of time as new guests, let alone worrying about getting to multiple ADR's. However, people need to it. If they intend on eating a sit down lunch and a sit down dinner, then I'd say go deluxe.

I completely disagree about the 'too much food' part.
12:00PM - 1TS Lunch
7:45PM - 2TS Dinner

Seven hour spacing even on a sedentary day should lead to hunger and even from a dietary standpoint. Seven hours between meals isn't even healthy from a metabolic and nutritional standpoint, let alone on a physically active trip like Disney. Even with three courses, many of the signature offerings are smaller portioned and a soup/salad shouldn't have anyone struggling to finish their entree.

I agree with that 100% When we do the DxDP we never felt like we were stuffed. We would either do an ADR breakfast in the morning, have a light snack (healthy) mid day and then have our 2TS meal in the evening. Or if we were not doing a TS breakfast we would eat something light in the morning like some fresh fruit or a bowl of oatmeal, have an earlier TS lunch and then in the evening enjoy our 2TS dinner at one of the excellent signature restaurants at Disney. I guess If I was to do 3TS meals with appetizers, meals and desserts I may feel full. But How you showed it and how I know you dine, it is the same for us and we never feel bloated at Disney. And you hit the nail on the head when it comes to metabolic and a nutritional standpoint as well.

 

[Greeny T]

I'm actually completely surprised that most folks are choosing YS over LC. Le Cellier to my family and I is head and shoulders above The Yachtsman. I dunno if we just had an off day at YS, but Le Cellier has never disappointed, whereas all four of us got a little bit sick after eating at YS. Hope you enjoy whatever you choose! Of course there is Shula's and Citrico's for an awesome steak as well. And if you REALLY wanna splurge, Victoria & Albert's is second to none!

 

[Piwacket's Mom]

Thanks so much everyone. I spoke to my brother and he is holding tight to the deluxe. I did the figures on the 3, 2-seating restaurants we want and they came to $771. I also took into account paying for one meal OOP and using 2 seating points for other meal and thought of going back to regular dining until I had to admit to him we would lose a meal daily. lol I believe we will still be paying a bit more for deluxe but waving the numbers didn't work too well. Our compromise is 1, 2 seat meal with reservation and wing it for the rest. I hope this is the right combo.

 

[Greeny T]

We love the Deluxe Dining Plan. If you're going to be eating a bunch of Table Service Meals with some Two Pointers in there, it's so worth it. We rarely don't do The Deluxe.

 

[Piwacket's Mom]

OK, I just realized my calculations included extra beverages tax and tip. I made my argument with wrong numbers! I really have to think this out. That money could be better used.

 

[OhThePain]

Also, don't forget to factor in the time it will take to go back to your resort and shower and get ready for your Signature meals and then the time it takes to reach your restaurant. In most cases you are looking at 2.5-3 hours just to get from the park, to your resort, both of you showered and off to the restaurant. You probably won't be too comfortable sitting in a nice restaurant where most guests are going to be resort casual dressed (from a male standpoint I usually wear a polo and dockers to give you an idea and even that I sometimes feel underdressed) if you are just going to wear whatever it is you wore to the parks all day. There is more to WDW then just food.

Unless you are flexible with where and when you eat, I don't suggest just winging your TS meals, Signature or otherwise. You are quite likely to be shut out of most of the more popular restaurants if you don't have an ADR for it. We like to make our ADRs and then tweak them on the fly depending on our mood that day. Changing around ADRs is easy to do by either calling the dining line, using the app on your phone, going to your resorts concierge or the park you are ins Guest Services. It's always better to have something planned then to be scrambling to find something, especially if you are going to be on DxDP (you don't want wasted credits).

I am not saying DxDP doesn't have its benefits. I just don't agree with it for a first time trip. Good luck with convincing him

 

[Masonmj84]

A couple of thoughts:

Yachtsman versus Le Cellier: The mushroom filet at Le Cellier comes close to holding its own with any entrée at Yachtsman but every other aspect of the dining experience is much better at Yachtsman.

DxDP: We did the DxDP on our first WDW trip and loved it (but just for 2 meals per day, one regular TS and one signature). However, we are not at all commando types (we hit the parks from RD to around 1-2 pm). So if you're goal is to maximize park time, the PPs are correct in that lots of table service meals may not be the best idea (in our experience, signature dinners take at least 90 minutes - non-signature meals are usually around 60-75 minutes). And, as just about anyone will tell you, 3 TS meals per day is just too much food.

 

[Piwacket's Mom]

I really appreciate all the help. I did another round of talking and it made sense to him about all the time wasted. We are going back to regular dining and toning it down to 2 big meals. I have found some really nice quick service spots and love the sound of Flame Tree bbq and can't wait to try an elephant ear at Kusafari (?). I have never seen anything like that thing.

 

[Motherofcats8]

I am Team Le Cellier, but both have their pluses and minuses:

Pluses for Le Cellier: 1) Cheddar Cheese Soup, 2) Pretzel Breadsticks 3) Wild Mushroom Filet 4) Unibrou Beer, 5) knowledgeable wait staff, 6) great personalized service 7) serves lunch
Minuses: small dining area with tables that are very close to one another

Pluses for The Yachtsman: 1) Crew's Cup lounge attached so you can have a drink before being seated, 2) large dining room with plenty of space between the tables 3) great service 4) don't have to go into a park to eat there.
Minuses: 1) this is strictly my opinion, so please no haters..... the quality of the beef seems to have gone down as the prices continue to rise 2) use of way too much garlic on everything.

 

[Nancyg56]

Dont forget that on the deluxe DP you get 3 meals, plus 2 snacks. For those meals you also get an appetizer and dessert in addition to the entree. You dont think thats too much food (x3 a day?).

Also remember that although a signature (2TS credits) and a 1TS restaurant per day is ideal, not everyone will want to do a signature for dinner each night. Therefore they'd either do 3 (1TS) restaurants per day, or 2 TS restaurants and a CS.

We do the DP (we love to eat) yet at times we felt as though it was a lot of food! And trust me, we eat!

Actually, it is three credits per day, so how you use them makes all the difference in the World. For instance, it woul be very easy to use 4 one of the days simply by going to CRT for breakfast or lunch, and a late dinner at CG or Narcooses. When we vacation, we will often hae appetizers and dessert.

WE do not purchase the Dx DDP because we prefer to pay OOP for our extras, ( the truth is that I would feel compelled to eat more because I paid for it, but that is my own problem, and another story! LOL!!) but for many, the DxDDP is perfect for their touring and dining style.

When choosing a plan, I think folks should be honest about thei dining preferences, and how they treat themselves while on vacation. When my husband is with us, I have a die hard hot breakfast man to plan for, so adding several extra meals in the week starts to add up. He also likes to break for lunch, and then a good meal for dinner. In between he snacks on ice cream, frozen drinks and popcorn! If we all were like him I'd spring for the DxDDP and still save money! Of course he complains all the way home that he ate too much!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Nancyg56]

I really appreciate all the help. I did another round of talking and it made sense to him about all the time wasted. We are going back to regular dining and toning it down to 2 big meals. I have found some really nice quick service spots and love the sound of Flame Tree bbq and can't wait to try an elephant ear at Kusafari (?). I have never seen anything like that thing.

WE love Flame Tree, and eat there each trip. The food is good and the dining area is large enough to find a seat, and there is shade as a bonus!

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Le Cellier's steak was abut the same quality as Outback. The service was pathetically bad. (And I have given it a couple of tries) Stay far away!

 

[Vernie822]

I am so torn now, haha. We loved the cheddar cheese soup and filet we sampled at Food and Wine last year, so my fiance was dying to try Le Cellier. We booked it for a spur of the moment June weekend trip, but now I'm having second thoughts!

 

[goofyintoronto]

Actually, it is three credits per day, so how you use them makes all the difference in the World. For instance, it woul be very easy to use 4 one of the days simply by going to CRT for breakfast or lunch, and a late dinner at CG or Narcooses. When we vacation, we will often hae appetizers and dessert.

WE do not purchase the Dx DDP because we prefer to pay OOP for our extras, ( the truth is that I would feel compelled to eat more because I paid for it, but that is my own problem, and another story! LOL!!) but for many, the DxDDP is perfect for their touring and dining style.

When choosing a plan, I think folks should be honest about thei dining preferences, and how they treat themselves while on vacation. When my husband is with us, I have a die hard hot breakfast man to plan for, so adding several extra meals in the week starts to add up. He also likes to break for lunch, and then a good meal for dinner. In between he snacks on ice cream, frozen drinks and popcorn! If we all were like him I'd spring for the DxDDP and still save money! Of course he complains all the way home that he ate too much!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, thats what I meant actually. Which is why i indicated you could either do 3 (1 TS credit) restaurants per day, OR a 1 TS credit restaurant and a signature (which is 2 credits per person) for each day.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I really appreciate all the help. I did another round of talking and it made sense to him about all the time wasted. We are going back to regular dining and toning it down to 2 big meals. I have found some really nice quick service spots and love the sound of Flame Tree bbq and can't wait to try an elephant ear at Kusafari (?). I have never seen anything like that thing.

Good choice!! And yes, there are a lot of really good QS restaurants at disney that dont just serve typical burgers and fries. have fun!

 

[GillianP1301]

The filet I had at Yachtsman last year was one of the best I've ever had. Atmosphere is great in there as well. I have not done Le Cellier (yet, it's on my next trip!), so I can't compare.

As for the DxDP comments. I love the deluxe plan because I love having cool down/rest times build into my plan when I would have to eat anyway. It's a huge part of our trip and I can't imagine not doing it. That being said, I don't disagree with the comments about it being less desirable on a first trip. It is definitely eaiser to plan and schedule ADRs when you know your way around Disney a little bit and can gauge transit times, etc... But, if you are 3 meals a day type people, regardless, then first trip or not, I would go for it.

 

[kbelle8995]

Yachtsman would be my choice if its between that a Le Cellier. Schula's is great and roughly about the same price as Yachtsman but it is ala carte so you pay a little bit more. At least it was when I was there. Service at both are excellent.

My only problem with Schula is the lighting. It is very dark. I joked that if I go again, I will take a flashlight and a magnifying glass. Yachtman has a better lighter atmosphere.

Le Cellier isn't what it used to be.

 

[Live4theMagic]

Ate at Yachtsman last night- it was excellent! We were chatting with the hostess and she said she gets many repeat diners who tell her they have the best steak!

 

[Piwacket's Mom]

Yachtsman would be my choice if its between that a Le Cellier. Schula's is great and roughly about the same price as Yachtsman but it is ala carte so you pay a little bit more. At least it was when I was there. Service at both are excellent.

My only problem with Schula is the lighting. It is very dark. I joked that if I go again, I will take a flashlight and a magnifying glass. Yachtman has a better lighter atmosphere.

Le Cellier isn't what it used to be.

I hate dark dining. I'm older and have enough trouble with the menu.

 

[karly05]

Just my opinion... Ate at Le Cellier in 2014. I was glad I tried it but feel no need to go back, and it is probably telling that my favorite part of the meal was the cheese soup. Tried Yachtsman's for the first time this year and my filet mignon was perfect; the whole experience was nice and more relaxed. I would definitely go here again. Have not tried Shula's.