Le Cellier

[nytimez]

you got me wrong....i'm not apologizing for the steak quality at all....

and i'm sure as heck not apologizing for a revamped cafeteria in the basement that serves bland steaks not exceptionally well prepared and the same bland salmon, chicken choices that are company policy at all other sit-down restaurants without fuzzy characters....

But disney isn't solely to blame on this one...it's the throng of people that have convinced themselves that it is the greatest thing since sliced bread and bombard the place like rabid hyenas in a drought...

but that being said...you don't get good steak at disney on the average...just really overpriced steak. it's not bad food...its bad value for the money...but sadly that applies to much in the streamlined Disney dining world these days.

This is why I do counter service for most of my meals now. It's not that the CS food is necessarily good (it's basically passable to slightly-above-average fast food)... but the TS food in most cases is simply not a whole lot better.

I've found the best food to be consistently in the hotels, not the parks. Jiko and Artist Point, to name two.

 

[skiingfast]

Aaaaah (screaming madly). sorry Locke, why do we use that as an excuse.
They charge outrageous money and now 2 TS to serve ho-hum steaks. Any place is a place to get steaks if you are running a steak house. I grew up in the restaurant business for 25 of my 50 years. There is not a beef distributor on the planet that could not supply Disney great cuts of meat.

I interestingly had the 2nd best filet mignon of my life at Disneyland a few weeks ago. The first was at a cousins wedding.

 

[Lewisc]

This goes back to the point that many of us have been making for a long time. The introduction of DDP has reduced the quality of the food served in be participating restaurants. They have let the dining experience become controlled by accountants instead of by chefs! For those of us who loved the Disney dining experience how it used to be the changes have made it become something more akin to visiting any midlevel chain restaurant anywhere in the United States! At least in our opinion there is no real incentive to even try to find fine dining anywhere that is part of the DDP!

You're half right. Prior to the DDP many restaurants were empty many nights. Disney wanted to make the restaurants more popular and more profitable. Restaurants like Outback and Olive Garden are a lot more popular then restaurants like the Palm and Il Mulino.

Disney decided to change the restaurants so they could be priced differently. The DDP is the result, not the cause, of that decision.

I can't think of any priced fixed dinner that doesn't at least include the choice of soup or salad. The DDP is becoming more of a food plan then a meal plan.

Guests looking for fine dining still have the Signature restaurants. Guests looking for a higher quality of dining have V&A and several fine restaurants in the S/D.

Posters who tell us who great the restaurants used to be don't give us the full story. Many nights they had the restaurants to themselves.

 

[Donut23]

Aaaaah (screaming madly). sorry Locke, why do we use that as an excuse.
They charge outrageous money and now 2 TS to serve ho-hum steaks. Any place is a place to get steaks if you are running a steak house. I grew up in the restaurant business for 25 of my 50 years. There is not a beef distributor on the planet that could not supply Disney great cuts of meat.

I say it once, I say it a thousand times, any time you go to a steak house and the best thing on the menu is the soup, Houston we have a problem.

Actually, I shouldn't be upset because I gave LC 2 tries. fool me once - shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. I go elsewhere now.

Two chances and LeCellier....I must add my 2 cents. (too many 2's!)

I remember when LeCellier WAS far better than it is today. The last two visits to WDW we made reserations - hoping it was not declining like other disney restaurants.

Two times......two distinct cases of gastric distress (trying to be gentle here). Lets just say I had two lessons in the location of ALL ladies rooms surrounding World Showcase. One of our disney buddies is a physician.....it wasn't a stomach bug because the two visits.....were 4 months apart.

But hey - if you see a little lady in a decorated scooter in EPCOT.....I can tell you where the bathrooms are!!!!!!



All joking aside......they are living on a reputation that somehow lives on....except for people who understand good food.

 

[KYMickey]

You're half right. Prior to the DDP many restaurants were empty many nights. Disney wanted to make the restaurants more popular and more profitable.....

I can't think of any priced fixed dinner that doesn't at least include the choice of soup or salad. The DDP is becoming more of a food plan then a meal plan.

Guests looking for fine dining still have the Signature restaurants. Guests looking for a higher quality of dining have V&A and several fine restaurants in the S/D.

Posters who tell us who great the restaurants used to be don't give us the full story. Many nights they had the restaurants to themselves.

You are certainly partially right in your observations. Back when the food was good the restaurants were not packed to the rafters like they are today. Now that Disney is practically giving away food why wouldn't they be packed? Back then there was always something new and exciting to do each trip unlike now what it seems like something is missing each trip. Back then many people did not take time to eat large meals because there was so much else to do. Of course also back then you did not have to make reservations six months in advance you could actually decide that day or at least that week where you're going to eat. Imagine that!

You are certainly correct it has become more of a meal plan like you get while you are a college instead of a enjoyable diving plan. They have made all of the menus equal to the lowest possible denominator none of them are very interesting.

Yes they have signature restaurants but if I am going to leave the parks to dine I might just as well go off site where the prices are more reasonable and better.

No matter how you look at it the dining experience is nowhere close to where it used to be.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

You are certainly partially right in your observations. Back when the food was good the restaurants were not packed to the rafters like they are today. Now that Disney is practically giving away food why wouldn't they be packed? Back then there was always something new and exciting to do each trip unlike now what it seems like something is missing each trip. Back then many people did not take time to eat large meals because there was so much else to do. Of course also back then you did not have to make reservations six months in advance you could actually decide that day or at least that week where you're going to eat. Imagine that!

You are certainly correct it has become more of a meal plan like you get while you are a college instead of a enjoyable diving plan. They have made all of the menus equal to the lowest possible denominator none of them are very interesting.

Yes they have signature restaurants but if I am going to leave the parks to dine I might just as well go off site where the prices are more reasonable and better.

No matter how you look at it the dining experience is nowhere close to where it used to be.

This is about dead on...i agree completely

I would also like to highlight for the 7 billionth time what the real purpose of the dining plan is...in my opinion...beyond just cutting food supply costs and packing seats in restaurants...

If everyone is "prepaid" on food...they are still going to show up with discretionary cash to burn....

now that goes straight to the giftshops...where the profit margins are OBSCENE...

that's where the money is made. as anyone can look and find - WDW generates more money annually from merchandise than they do from tickets, hotel rooms, food and beverage combined...

And that is the secret and always the goal. and the more they get people to fall for it...the better off they are. AND...and this is the kicker...they have systematically cheapened the merchandised and streamlined it into walmart type junk.

 

[Faldred]

Follow-up: apparently, the dinner menu will be revamped as part of the change to signature status, including different wine offerings. No real details yet, however.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Follow-up: apparently, the dinner menu will be revamped as part of the change to signature status, including different wine offerings. No real details yet, however.

We'll just wait and see....

there's no way it has anything new or inventive...my bet

 

[Lewisc]

Disney isn't practically giving the food away. The dining plan costs around $46. The QS meal is $10-$12 and the snack is $3-$4. At one time the non-Disney participating restaurants printed the DDP reimbursement. That leaves almost $30 for dinner. $30 is more then enough to provide a reasonable meal. Disney isn't even including soup or salad. The current system is geared to fast table turnover.

The current DDP doesn't let restaurants include an expensive entree.

DME and DDP keeps guests on property. Gives Disney more of our vacation budget.

I agree menu standardization is an issue. Restaurants now have almost the same menu.

This is the news and rumors board. The question is if Le Cellier will upscale the menu enough to justify 2 credits.

You are certainly partially right in your observations. Back when the food was good the restaurants were not packed to the rafters like they are today. Now that Disney is practically giving away food why wouldn't they be packed? ..................

You are certainly correct it has become more of a meal plan like you get while you are a college instead of a enjoyable diving plan. They have made all of the menus equal to the lowest possible denominator none of them are very interesting.

Yes they have signature restaurants but if I am going to leave the parks to dine I might just as well go off site where the prices are more reasonable and better.

No matter how you look at it the dining experience is nowhere close to where it used to be.

 

[troynkasey]

This is about dead on...i agree completely

I would also like to highlight for the 7 billionth time what the real purpose of the dining plan is...in my opinion...beyond just cutting food supply costs and packing seats in restaurants...

If everyone is "prepaid" on food...they are still going to show up with discretionary cash to burn....

now that goes straight to the giftshops...where the profit margins are OBSCENE...

that's where the money is made. as anyone can look and find - WDW generates more money annually from merchandise than they do from tickets, hotel rooms, food and beverage combined...

And that is the secret and always the goal. and the more they get people to fall for it...the better off they are. AND...and this is the kicker...they have systematically cheapened the merchandised and streamlined it into walmart type junk.

This is spot on! And to add to it... The dining plan "forces" someone to spend more on food. Prior to the DDP, we would go and get an appetizer and a main course and split both between the two of us and then split a dessert. Now we both get full meals with dessert, etc. It didn't happen everytime we ate, but that's how we did it. Now we get more. Why? Because it's part of the plan. And then add in all the snack credits. We forget bottles of water are snack credits, so we pay for those with cash half the time. It's a ploy to get us visitors to spend more money. Spend more in the gift shops, on snacks, etc.

And then add in the fact that the DDP now pulls more people in to the parks or keeps them in the parks. Previously we would go off-site or order food and go eat in the room. Now we're lazy and will use the DDP and stay in the park.

Food quality may be decreasing, but DDP use is steady, so they won't change it. Restraunts are full and CS places are busy, so it's doing the job...

 

[loganpaulsmom]

I know that this is the rumor/news thread but I have plans to spend my Mother's Day 2011 at Le Cellier. Last time that I was there was in 2008, and the food was incredible, all of party had the best meal on our vacation there. Has the quality of food changed so much in 2 years?
I wasn't planning on going for dinner but rather having a late lunch that day. But, all this talk has me scared to make my ressies there.

 

[Candlelady]

loganpaulsmom,

Make your ressie. Yes the quality has slipped a bit, but it's still a good meal. Unless you frequent high end steak houses on a regular basis, you won't know the difference.
We dined there last evening and the meal was very good. Both ordered the filet, substituting the mushroom risotto with cream cheese mashed potatoes adding the veal demiglace for a small charge. We both enjoyed our meal and the waitress was very attentive. We used the TIW card. Looking forward to the LeCellier upgrade next year.

We did notice the table next to us had the dining plan as they were discussing that they'd have to pay out of pocket for the soup. Their waitress diplomatically steered them to another choice when they said they wanted what we had. (tables are very close, so we couldn't help but overhear). Wondering if it made a difference as our waitress said she could do anything we wanted and their waitress steered them in another direction. But that's a discussion for another time.

good luck with your decision.