Le Cellier or coral reef ?

[kristennn]

We are debating between the two for dinner at epcott - myself, my husband and my 4 year old girl.

here are my other ADR's is anyone feels like making suggestions for changes :

monday - dinner at Boma ( we are doing animal kingdom before and after )

Tuesday - dinner at 1900 park Faire - we're doing MK and BBB during the day

wednesday - breakfast at chef mickey's and then off to universal islands of adventure

thursday : princess story book dining breakfast at ashkerus and then dinner at le cellier or coral reef

friday : breakfast at hollywood and vine

saturday - no dining reservations - our plane leaves at 7 and I am not sure which park we are going to that day so i thought maybe i shyould leave it open.

 

[whogirl'smom]

We loved them both, but I give the edge, foodwise, to Le Cellier. But, I think your 4 y/o would love the atmosphere at Coral Reef if you can get a table tankside. That didn't really help, did it!

 

[kristennn]

We loved them both, but I give the edge, foodwise, to Le Cellier. But, I think your 4 y/o would love the atmosphere at Coral Reef if you can get a table tankside. That didn't really help, did it!

Do you ask for a tank side table when making your ADR's or do you ask the hostess when you check in at the restaurant?
We were leaning towards coral reef for those reasons - but I recently read a poor review so now I am second guessing myself.

 

[JenLanDisney]

I have not been to Le Cellier, but just ate at Coral Reef with my mom and 2 year old son in Jan 08.
He liked the fish tanks. We got the kid's meal for him: cheese pizza.
My mom ordered the Shrimp Pasta with penne pasta and a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce $23.99. Her meal was good but not spectacular. I know because I ate about 1/3 of it.
I didn't like my meal: Alaskan King Crab Legs - served with corn and asparagus relish $29.99. The crab was uninspired. Just boiled really. The relish was awful.
We had the Butterscotch Creme Brulee - with Berries $7.99 for dessert. It was one berry as a garnish. The creme brulee was pretty good.
Total cost before tip $104.
I would not go back. Compared to Boma (which was terrific!), the cost didn't reflect the quality.

 

[whogirl'smom]

Do you ask for a tank side table when making your ADR's or do you ask the hostess when you check in at the restaurant?
We were leaning towards coral reef for those reasons - but I recently read a poor review so now I am second guessing myself.

I had requested a diver with a sign for my DH's birthday; when I talked with a manager about that request (months earlier) she told me to come about 30 minutes before our ADR and they would try to get us right next to the tank. And that's exactly what they did! I think if you arrive a little early for your reservation they will do their best to honor your request for a table by the tank.

You will see good and bad reviews on this board for every restaurant at WDW--I was thrilled that we had such a great dinner and great service at CR b/c I had read mixed reviews, too. Roberto was our server and was excellent. None of us got seafood , but the NY strip was better than the one at LeCellier. Of course, my absolute favorite there is the mushroom filet, but CR's strip was running very close behind for steak of the week!

One thing in your favor is that you are a party of 3--the tankside tables are only 4 seaters and 2 seaters. That cuts down on how many parties can realistically be "waiting" for a seat by the aquarium.

 

[Pakey]

We just returned from our most recent trip and have eaten at Le Cellier and Coral Reef on many occasions in the past and again on this trip. We were very "uninspired" by our trip to Le Cellier this time and probably won't return any time soon. All 4 of us felt this way about it. We enjoyed our meal at Coral Reef more. However, I must say, that I feel that some dishes at Coral Reef are good and others are just so-so. It's a real hit or miss type of place. This trip I had the blackened catfish with polenta and once I scraped the horrible salsa stuff off of the top of the fish, I enjoyed the dish. DH had the tilapia and said it was good.

Since everyone who goes there as a party of 2 or 4 requests a table by the tank, I wouldn't book this place if that's a condition of wanting to eat there. There are probably only 10 tables that sit against the tank so your chance of getting one is not a guarantee. I personally prefer the booth type tables that are one step up from tankside but we do not have small children.

Also, both of these places are the only two places where I have ever dined where we've been seated past our ADR time by more than 15 minutes. We are almost always seated late at Coral Reef.