is Yachtsman really that bad now?

[hildarumpole]

We thought it was o.k, but not worth a 2nd visit. DH and I dined last June. There service was fine, but most of the food was simply average, especially considering the prices and signature level. I enjoyed the seafood salad. We weren't wowed by the steaks. I had the filet with mashed potatoes. The steak was cooked perfectly, but the potatoes had a gummy consistency. DH had the rib eye. He wasn't impressed. He preferred the steak at Coral Reef he had 2 nights previous.

 

[carolinagirl121]

We at there 2 weeks again and it was wonderful. My hubs had the NY Strip and I had the deconstructed Beef Wellington and they were delicious (the Wellington was the best). Also, the mushroom caps on the side were great. We would totally recommend eating there.

 

[Linda67]

We ate there on the 23rd of May and it was a fantastic meal with the best server of the trip
DH had the Fillet Minion and said it was wonderful

 

[bytheblood]

We're going next week, and I had no problem getting into LeCellier for dinner. In fact, I've been able to switch times consistently to manage a 6:05 reservation.

Aside from the charachter breakfasts and CRT, (and possibly O'Hana for dinner) it's been incredibly easy to book recently. The closer you get to your date, the easier it is, but LeCellier, to be honest, since turning into 2 entitlements for dinner, has been very, very easy to book dinners.

I tried at 180 days our as soon as I could make reservations and it was all booked up. That was for my entire trip of 11 days.

People are not shying away from it because of the change.

 

[vettegirl]

We at the YM a couple of weeks ago and it was the best meal of our trip. Their filet is soooo darn good!

 

[jabead]

We at the YM a couple of weeks ago and it was the best meal of our trip. Their filet is soooo darn good!

We were just there last month too and my filet was definitely the best steak of the trip. DELICIOUS! Between DD and I, we also tried the filet at California Grill, Narcoossee's (Surf & Turf), Citricos, Jiko, and Teppan Edo. On our 2010 trips we also had steaks at Flying Fish Cafe, Le Cellier, and Coral Reef. So far the YSH filet has beaten them all. Many people here say Shula's is the best steak house at WDW, but I haven't yet tried it. We've used the Disney Dining Plan on our recent trips and Shula's does not accept it.

 

[dad4dis]

We were at the YS a few weeks ago. It was the best meal of the trip. I ordered the ribeye. It was well marbled but not fatty. The service was excellent! I would not hesitate to go again.

 

[Amy&Dan]

We love Yachtsmen, its been our favorite signature meal by far for several years. I think the filet and the porterhouse are the two standout items along with the scallop appetizer, the desserts and those incredible garlic rolls. We enjoy the decor and a couple of times when we have been seated by the window, we've enjoyed a few of the Epcot fireworks. Our favorite server in all of WDW is there, his name is Thomas and he has been there for years.

If any of you have watched theshow from 2004 called Fan's Guide on Travel Channel, Thomas is the server the one couple had at Yachtsmen, he's a great guy that Disney put on the Travel Channel table so that says a lot!

 

[goofy4prez]

Yeah right, try getting a ressie

I love the Yachtsman

Not that big of a deal anymore. Now that the place has gone signature the mushroom filet, cheese soup, and breadsticks are not all that much in demand anymore. Went online when I saw your post and punched in several weeks in a row 7/12,7/19,7/26,8,2; all with seating around 4:30 as well as 8:30 on each of these days.

To the OP; I personally like Yachtsman over Cali Grill. Sure the atmosphere at CG is very nice, but while the food is good, the menu is just ok for me.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I've always liked Yachtsman, but I haven't been there for a few years.

 

[Ramsfan28]

Yachtsman is fine. I'm not sure which reviews you've read, but it does a very good job by Disney standards. Anyone who tells you it's not as good as Shula's, Ruth's Chris, etc. doesn't know what they're talking about, considering those are half-baked chains that don't do steaks very well to begin with. Flying Fish is the better of the Boardwalk options, but if your friend doesn't do seafood it's a no go. However, FF does have an excellent NY strip on their menu, so it might be worth considering.

I disagree with your opinion.

Ruth's Chris, Mortons, Shula's and the Captial Grille are better than the Yachtsman. It isn't that the Yachtsman is bad, I find it rather good but it is a step below those other places.

I do agree about the Flying Fish, the steak there is excellent.

 

[M5ward]

We've never had a bad meal at Yachtsman..always good service and great food.

 

[beachclub]

we basically goto Disney from MA twice a year every 6 months and eat basically at the same restaurants every time. Yachtmans is always our last nights dinner to end the trip on a good note.
what makes yachtmans soo good for us is the good food but the one thing that stands out is the service. No other restaurant, even local home restaurants we frequent remember us. Alot of the yachtmans staff know us pretty and one server knows us by name. We always eat at opening so he makes sure we sit in his serving area. Once he even stole the table from another server just so he could serve us and he kindly gave an extra table to the server he took it from as to not steal a extra tip.
Now if this is not service then you are on some serious drugs. And if this story does not get you to at least give it a shot here then, well, nevermind.....

I know this thread is designed to knock the restaurant but i need to defend it on this basis.

 

[abminer]

Thanks so much everyone for your opinions (and sorry I went MIA for a couple days, work got insane).

We've knocked Cali Grill out of the running. The fireworks are not enough of a draw to get me there. This will be my 8th trip & I've seen them every time including watching Wishes from O'Hana last time - that was good enough for us.

I will say that my one trip to the well-hyped Le Cellier was a big disappointment. It was so crowded it was uncomfortable, we waited well after our ADR time, we had lousy service, and then the food really was a let-down. I was expecting Ruth's Chris level steaks and it fell well below that mark. I didn't even like the pretzel bread (which you can get at several other WDW restaurants) and cheese soup that much. With it now being signature I don't know if I'll ever give it a second try.

I'm still torn over Yachtsman vs FF. I think I'll book Yachtsman and see how many times I change my mind

 

[TDC Nala]

Hardly anyplace at WDW is "as good as it used to be," which does not mean that it is now bad.

Had the Le Cellier dinner last week. The group agreed the food was very good. I did not order beef (I had bison) so I cannot comment on the quality of the steak. However, the restaurant was crowded (8:30 PM reservation), the noise deafening, and the service bordered on abysmal. Part of that was apparently because the server couldn't hear us. Service there is always a crapshoot...have had great service at Le Cel before. Apparently everyone at the tables surrounding mine were on the dining plan, so 2 credits isn't keeping them out.

It's my understanding that if you are looking for a Ruths Chris type steak you are not going to get it at Yachtsman either. The usual recommendation is that if you want a steak similar to that and are not on the dining plan, try Shula's at the Dolphin.

 

[Micca]

Our first YS visit was about 15 years ago. We thought it was great, and my dedicated carnivore DW proclaimed it one of the top 5 steaks she had ever eaten. Since then we've returned at least a 1/2 dozen times and it has never been as good as that first time. Seems like the meat was pretty good, but everything else had taken a big drop in quality. Also during our last visit we had a server with a most peculiar manner. He did an ok job, but he was just strange and we just wanted him to go away.

 

[Colleen27]

We weren't terribly impressed by Yachtsman, not because the restaurant did anything wrong but because it was simply an unremarkable but nice quality steakhouse. The food and service were fine, but we could have had the same meal 1000 miles closer to home without any meaningful differences.

Flying Fish and California Grill are my favorite signatures, but taste is such a subjective thing. Pretty much all of what I really love about the food at both places is seafood so my review of the meal isn't going to be too helpful for your plans.

We've had excellent service at all three, but I'd give CA Grill the edge on atmosphere for the great view. Both CA Grill and Flying Fish are a little on the noisy side, though the little "circus tent" looking side room we were seated in at Flying Fish was quieter than the main dining area. Yachtsman is easily the quietest of the three and the one with the most "romantic" potential.

 

[OKW Lover]

While I'm sure some people don't enjoy the place, I will say that we have eaten there twice this year (Feb & April) and loved it both times. Great steak, great service.

 

[cm8]

well, here's one who will tell you to skip Yachtsman...we were seriously under-impressed by the "signature" steaks here. Blah. Service was OK...decor a big nothing, and ambiance non-existent (tables way too close together for a signature priced place.) Cancelled additional reservations we had to eat at Yachtsman again because first time was totally so-so.

That is just how my husband would describe it as well. He said that for the pricing and atmosphere we should have just made one ( a steak) ourselves . We did not enjoy it at all and would not even reconsider eating there