Le Cellier for Lunch or Garden Grill for Dinner??

[Wendy31]

Hi, everyone!!

As a little background, previously, we've had the DxDP. In 2008, when our oldest 2 children were still "Disney kids" (9 & under), we really liked the DxDP & felt like it was a good value for our family.

However, on our last trip (last September), we also had the DxDP & felt like it a was huge waste of food & money & time!

Our 2 oldest children are now considered "Disney adults", but they don't really eat like adults - both in quantity-wise & the things they like. By the time, they ate their adult-sized appetizers, they were no longer hungry for their entrees... of course, they did perk up a little to eat their desserts!

Additionally, we would have to "tweak" the menu for them. For example, at Le Cellier, they both ordered the filet mignon w/ no sauce & a side of French fries instead of the risotto. At Flying Fish Cafe, I guess we didn't really get the adult meals' "tweaked" enough for DD & I think she just sat & looked at her food & then gobbled up dessert. So, needless to say, I felt like we were wasting huge amounts of food & then paying a huge tip on food we didn't eat!

So, to make a long story somewhat shorter, for our upcoming trip in September, we've decided to go w/ the basic dining plan & will pay OOP for some appetizers for us to share. (Plus, we'll be paying OOP for 2 TS meals & for CRT.)

And, we've had to make some choices this time as well, of course, & cut out some TS meals that we've scheduled in the past!

From last year to this year, we're cutting out the following:

Boma (dinner),
Coral Reef (lunch),
Grand Floridian Cafe (breakfast),
Kona Cafe (dinner), and
a signature dining restaurant for dinner (instead we're doing Mama Melrose's)

Of those, I think I'm really only going to miss Boma, & I don't think the kids will really miss any of them.

So on to my question!

We also have room for EITHER Le Cellier (lunch) OR Garden Grill (dinner).

Last year, of course, we enjoyed lunch at Le Cellier. Our experience at Garden Grill was less than stellar - but that was due to our server & not the food. Because of the service, our meal at Garden Grill took over 2 hours - more time than any other meal, including Flying Fish! We enjoy the character interaction at Garden Grill & the food is decent.

When I told the kids we might be skipping Garden Grill, DD said, "Awww... I like Garden Grill!" And older DS said, "Yeah, that restaurant's cool!"

Of course, they also liked their steak at Le Cellier!

We will have 3 other character meals: dinner at CRT, lunch at Crystal Palace, & breakfast at Chef Mickey's.

However, Garden Grill is the only meal w/ Chip & Dale. And our younger DS will only be little so long, you know? I sorta feel like, while they're young, we should enjoy the character meals!

Plus, is the food really that good at Le Cellier? But, it is Le Cellier! I think I would feel a little like a bad DIS-er if we weren't eating there! LOL!

So, what would everyone do?

Lunch at Le Cellier?

or

Dinner at Garden Grill?

Thanks so much for any opinions & suggestions!!

 

[PoohsFan1]

I chose Le Cellier only because it is a must do for our family. However, if your kids really like GG then by all means go for it...we really didn't care for GG ourselves (dined there twice) because the service was extremely slow and we weren't really big fans of the food, but the character interaction was awesome.

I know what you mean about kids who are considered "Adults" for their menus. We have one of those as well and we also do the DxDP. My DD loves steak and the mushroom risotto but she cannot eat the whole thing especially after the soup and then trying to save room for dessert. DH and I have thought about going down to the basic DDP but we eat at way too many character meals and signature meals that it just makes sense for us to do the DxDP rather than the basic. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[CamoMama]

That's a tough choice. I adore the food at Le Cellier (the cheddar soup was amazing!), but the atmosphere is a little too grown up for my taste while I'm on vacation at Disney. We loved the food at Garden Grill as well, and that ended up being our favorite character meal. Mickey sat down at an empty seat next to my camera shy 16 year old, Chip and Dale hugged me and kissed my hand, it was just all around awesome. And after dinner was the perfect time to ride Living with the Land and check out how our food was grown.

 

[WDWCPALUM03]

We did Garden Grill back in October and were not impressed at all with the food. Our service was slow, the entire meal took close to 2 hours and they were not busy, we were the 2nd table seated when they opened. My 2 year old liked the chicken and cupcake. The 3 adults in our party ended up having to get other food maybe an hour later. It was truly the only "horrible" meal I've ever had any where on property.

 

[CatNipRules]

Darn. I love Garden Grill, but I want to try Le Cellier. We are going to do both for our upcoming trip. I think if I had to choose I would have to choose Le Cellier. Simply because it's something new.

 

[Mikey'swife]

Le Cellier has better food by far. Considering your kids are not super young and have done GG I would pick LC. A large portion of a disney trip is for the kids I think adults should get a few good meals

 

[Wendy31]

I chose Le Cellier only because it is a must do for our family. However, if your kids really like GG then by all means go for it...we really didn't care for GG ourselves (dined there twice) because the service was extremely slow and we weren't really big fans of the food, but the character interaction was awesome.

I know what you mean about kids who are considered "Adults" for their menus. We have one of those as well and we also do the DxDP. My DD loves steak and the mushroom risotto but she cannot eat the whole thing especially after the soup and then trying to save room for dessert. DH and I have thought about going down to the basic DDP but we eat at way too many character meals and signature meals that it just makes sense for us to do the DxDP rather than the basic. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Le Cellier has been a "must do" for us too!

And one of the reasons I was okay w/ leaving off Garden Grill was due to HOW SLOW our server was last time! Our ADR was for 6:30 pm. I thought we'd be able to eat & then get back to our resort in time to swim. WRONG! By the time we made it back to our resort (WL), "Wishes" was over!

And DH & I went back & forth over the DxDP & the basic... w/ the basic, we're going to have to pay for some meals OOP. Plus, we're dropping our signature restaurant. However, w/ 2 kids who are really "Disney adults", it was just TOO MUCH this last time - I felt like we were sending back full plates of food. But, in 2008 when they were both still "Disney kids", we loved the DxDP! And I will definitely miss the 2 snacks/day.

That's a tough choice. I adore the food at Le Cellier (the cheddar soup was amazing!), but the atmosphere is a little too grown up for my taste while I'm on vacation at Disney. We loved the food at Garden Grill as well, and that ended up being our favorite character meal. Mickey sat down at an empty seat next to my camera shy 16 year old, Chip and Dale hugged me and kissed my hand, it was just all around awesome. And after dinner was the perfect time to ride Living with the Land and check out how our food was grown.

The character interaction has always been great at Garden Grill!

And, right now, I'm thinking we can get great steak at home, but we can't eat w/ Chip & Dale at home. So maybe we should go w/ experiences we can't get at home, you know?

But, if I choose Garden Grill, I really, really don't want our meal to take as long as it did last time! It took so long, it actually felt a little surreal!

We did Garden Grill back in October and were not impressed at all with the food. Our service was slow, the entire meal took close to 2 hours and they were not busy, we were the 2nd table seated when they opened. My 2 year old liked the chicken and cupcake. The 3 adults in our party ended up having to get other food maybe an hour later. It was truly the only "horrible" meal I've ever had any where on property.

Our food was fine, but that's exactly what we experienced w/ the length of the meal! It was awful! And I'm not sure why it took so long. It's preplated food - everyone gets the same thing. You know the cooks aren't back there cooking it as you arrive.

Darn. I love Garden Grill, but I want to try Le Cellier. We are going to do both for our upcoming trip. I think if I had to choose I would have to choose Le Cellier. Simply because it's something new.

Le Cellier is really good! We haven't had a bad meal there! We did both Garden Grill & Le Cellier last year as well. The character interaction at Garden Grill is great. The food is good too. For us, it was just the service. Sooooo slllloooowwww! Which was why DH & I were okay w/ dropping it this year. But now I'm reconsidering...

Le Cellier has better food by far. Considering your kids are not super young and have done GG I would pick LC. A large portion of a disney trip is for the kids I think adults should get a few good meals

DD & older DS are no longer super young, but younger DS will just be 3! So I'd really be doing Garden Grill for him. When DD & older DS were younger, we always did several character meals each trip. So I kinda feel like we're shortchanging younger DS a little, if that makes sense.

If we don't do Garden Grill, we'll just be doing 3 character meals in 10 days. The 1st time we took the kids to Disney, DD was 5, & older DS was 3. In 6 days, we did 5 character meals! And, for this trip, we're thinking of only doing 3 character meals in 10 days.

But I do hear what you're saying about letting the adults getting some meals too... especially, since this time, we won't be doing a signature meal (except for CRT).

Oh, goodness!! Decisions! Decisions!

And, if the rumor I read earlier is true & Le Cellier goes to 2 TS credits at lunch (like it is at dinner already), I guess it won't matter anyway!

 

[momtwoboys]

I say Garden Grill! We are doing it too, even though my boys are a bit older. My DS11 loves the fact that you can see the Land Boat ride while eating. It screams old school Disney to me, and one day I am afraid that it will not rotate and they won't fix it! Also I have not heard that Le Cellier will be 2TS for lunch????? Don't think that will happen but you never know.

 

[River Country]

LC is a must on every trip but i do dinner

I really dont stop for lunch unless i am by the pool

GG didnt really appeal to me that much only been once in 2008 and that was the last time

 

[Eastern]

GG has a high fun factor. The restaurant is turning and there is a hidden Mickey somewhere in there.

 

[Sunnywho]

We've never had a long wait at Garden Grill but we like to go for an early dinner right when it opens (around 4:30). I say go with GG! They might outgrow GG but they won't outgrow LC so it will always be there.

 

[SquirtsMom]

We're doing both this trip. Le Cellier is new for us and even though we aren't steak lovers, the lunch menu was appealing enough for us to try. We always do Garden Grill and my kids are now 28, 17, 16, and 14. We've always had good food, good service, and the character interactions have been so much fun that we always want to go back. For that reason alone, I'd vote for Garden Grill. Have fun with whichever you choose!

 

[AHundredMinusOneDay]

I voted for GG. While I really enjoyed my own lunch at LC on my last trip, like you said, they are only kids once. Who knows; they may still enjoy character meals when they're older. (I still go with my parents and they get a kick out of it even now and I am definitely an adult.) But, it could go the other way and they may not want to do them ever again.

I have gone to WDW since before I can remember, and the character meals are the ones I still remember experiencing with my parents (oh, original Chef Mickey's...) - not the meals at TS locations like LC. LC will always be there (I hope!), but your kid's response that a character meal is "cool!" might not be.

 

[Wendy31]

I say Garden Grill! We are doing it too, even though my boys are a bit older. My DS11 loves the fact that you can see the Land Boat ride while eating. It screams old school Disney to me, and one day I am afraid that it will not rotate and they won't fix it! Also I have not heard that Le Cellier will be 2TS for lunch????? Don't think that will happen but you never know.

I agree - in addition to the characters, it's just cool that the restaurant revolves! I remember YEARS AGO going to Disney w/ best friend & her family, & we ate there. They didn't have characters, but I still remember how awesome I thought it was that the restaurant rotated while we ate!

I read that Le Cellier may be going to 2 TS credits at lunch on a different thread here on the Restaurants board, but that's the only place I've read it. The person who said it, though, claimed to have some insider information. So, who knows? I kinda expected that, when Tutto Italia reopened, it would be 1 TS credit for lunch & 2 TS credits for dinner since Le Cellier had sorta set the precedent, but, again, who knows?

LC is a must on every trip but i do dinner

I really dont stop for lunch unless i am by the pool

GG didnt really appeal to me that much only been once in 2008 and that was the last time

We really enjoy Le Cellier too!

And, funny that you said that you had a bad experience at Garden Grill in 2008 - we did too! The food wasn't nearly as good as it had been in prior years, & even the character interaction felt a little "off". But we went back in 2010, & it was great! And I had been worried because we were bringing my parents for their 1st visit to EPCOT & 1st character meal & my mom can be really picky, but everything was wonderful! This last time (last September), the only thing that was bad was our incredibly slooow service!

GG has a high fun factor. The restaurant is turning and there is a hidden Mickey somewhere in there.

LOL! We know all about that hidden Mickey! Our server showed it to us & talked to us about it in detail for a good 10 minutes! If he had only been as dedicated as getting our food & drinks & check to us in a timely manner!

We've never had a long wait at Garden Grill but we like to go for an early dinner right when it opens (around 4:30). I say go with GG! They might outgrow GG but they won't outgrow LC so it will always be there.

For some reason, the earliest ADR I could get last year was 6:30 pm, & I normally like to make earlier ADRs because I'm worried that the later it gets, the more "backed up" the restaurant will get. However, even w/ a 6:30 ADR, we checked in early & were seated early which was nice! It really was just our service. Our meal took over 2 hours!! And, really, there's no need for a non-signature meal to take 2 hours! Especially w/ kids! I think we saw each character at least 5 times! It was kinda ridiculous! We even told the server, "We're ready for our check." Alrighty then...

But, anyway, that's exactly what I'm thinking... someday, they may outgrow GG, & I'll be missing the character meals w/ the kids!

We're doing both this trip. Le Cellier is new for us and even though we aren't steak lovers, the lunch menu was appealing enough for us to try. We always do Garden Grill and my kids are now 28, 17, 16, and 14. We've always had good food, good service, and the character interactions have been so much fun that we always want to go back. For that reason alone, I'd vote for Garden Grill. Have fun with whichever you choose!

We really like Le Cellier, & I think you will too!

And I'm glad that you said Garden Grill is a tradition for your family! I'm really having a hard time letting it go...

I voted for GG. While I really enjoyed my own lunch at LC on my last trip, like you said, they are only kids once. Who knows; they may still enjoy character meals when they're older. (I still go with my parents and they get a kick out of it even now and I am definitely an adult.) But, it could go the other way and they may not want to do them ever again.

I have gone to WDW since before I can remember, and the character meals are the ones I still remember experiencing with my parents (oh, original Chef Mickey's...) - not the meals at TS locations like LC. LC will always be there (I hope!), but your kid's response that a character meal is "cool!" might not be.

That's exactly it! I think you remember experiences (like character meals) way more than you remember restaurants - to my kids, Le Cellier is just another restaurant. But Garden Grill is an experience!

I'm going to have to show this thread to DH. He's still leaning toward Le Cellier, & now I'm leaning back to Garden Grill!

I just wish Garden Grill was still open for lunch! I was kinda liking having a lunch ADR & then just be free for dinner on our EPCOT (Future World) day.

Thank you, everyone, for all the suggestions & opinions! And for letting me "talk this out" w/ y'all!

I have until 3/19 to decide!! And I think I will go back & forth right up until then! LOL!

 

[Keegansmommy]

I'd go with the Garden Grill. We love Le Cellier too and I'd love to go there for lunch but we have two small boys (ages 2 and 4). This trip we did all character meals except Whispering Canyon because we knew that's what THEY would enjoy. They're not going to appreciate the yumminess of LeCellier. I figure we can try there again when they get a little older.

I wish we could get the cheese soup to go though. *drool* That is HEAVENLY!

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I would choose GG, because we don't like to eat our biggest meal of the day at lunch. Actually, we would choose a WS restaurant for dinner, but we don't have small kids. The one time we ate at GG the character interaction was the best we've ever experienced. Plus, I do like the fact that the restaurant revolves. GG would be a lot more fun for small kids than LC would be.