Yachtsman or Le Cellier?

Which would you choose?

  • Keep dinner reservation at Le Cellier

    Votes: 4 13.3%

  • Change dinner reservation to Yachtsman

    Votes: 23 76.7%

  • Lunch at Le Cellier

    Votes: 3 10.0%
  • Total voters
    30
piglet21

piglet21

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
My fiance and I are leaving for the world in 6 days to celebrate our recent engagement and my MIL to be wanted to surprise him by paying for a surprise dinner for his upcoming birthday. I currently have Le Cellier booked for a late dinner at 8:30, but he's recently mentioned wanting to watch IllumiNations and this is the only night we will be in Epcot. He's mentioned wanting to eat at both Le Cellier and Yachtsman, but he seems to be more interested in Le Cellier's menu so I don't really know what to do! There's three options I can see:

1. Keep dinner reservation at Le Cellier and hope he doesn't mind not getting to watch IllumiNations
2. Change dinner reservation to an earlier time at Yachtsman in order to watch IllumiNations
3. Change Le Cellier to a lunch reservation (I don't really want to do this)

What would you do?
 
JohnD

JohnD

Well-Known Member
Assuming Illuminations is at 9:00, the timing for LeCellier doesn't work. There is no way you'll be able to eat for a half-hour beginning at 8:30, then see Illuminations. If you had an ADR at 7:30, I would say stick with LeCellier for the convenience then have a FP+ for Illuminations to guarantee you a view.

In this case, I say cancel LeCellier, and make an ADR for an earlier time at Yachtsmans. When done, either take a boat to the Int'l entrance or walk.

As for food, haven't been to Yachtsmans so can't help you with a comparison, although the consensus on this forum is that you can't go wrong there.

6 days from today is May 10. Are you referring to that day? Or another day? I found availability on 5/11.
 
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piglet21

piglet21

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thanks! Yep May 10! I should have been more specific. There's currently no availability before 8:30 other than lunch which I don't really want to do. I'm leaning towards changing it to Yachtsmans because while I don't care about watching IllumiNations, he specifically requested that we do, although I think if it came down to it steak would trump the show haha.
 
JohnD

JohnD

Well-Known Member
Well, as you know, May 10 is Mother's Day so that has something to do with it too. Couldn't find an early evening ADR for Yachtsmans either. I'll message you with what I did find though.
 
sxeensweet

sxeensweet

Love a little Disney every day!! ;)
Lunch is the same menu as dinner at Le Cellier. Le Cellier you would not have to leave the park at all and it is always a must do for me and DH. Yachtsman is good as well but you always take the chance of dinner running late and still missing the show and you have to leave the park. This is why I picked lunch @ Le Cellier. :)
 
JohnD

JohnD

Well-Known Member
His options are limited. As far as I can tell, no more availability for LeCellier that day -- 6 days away AND Mother's Day. Found several options for Yachtsmans. Not open for lunch, though.
 
JohnD

JohnD

Well-Known Member
piglet21 said:
Thanks! Yep May 10! I should have been more specific. There's currently no availability before 8:30 other than lunch which I don't really want to do. I'm leaning towards changing it to Yachtsmans because while I don't care about watching IllumiNations, he specifically requested that we do, although I think if it came down to it steak would trump the show haha.
Click to expand...

Have you considered Shula's? I'm finding plenty of available times, every 15 minutes from opening at 5pm. You could get an early ADR at, say, 6:00pm, with plenty of time to be back to Epcot for Illuminations. Just take a boat to the Dolphin and back from the Int'l Gateway.
 
Kate Alan

Kate Alan

Well-Known Member
I'd say swap for Yachtsman if he wants to see Illuminations. It's a great restaurant as well so you're both unlikely to be disappointed with your meals. Just give yourself enough time to walk back to the park. We leave Epcot often for dinner (Flying Fish Cafe in our case) and always make it back in time for the show.
 
jlsHouston

jlsHouston

Well-Known Member
I took a customer and his wife to dinner at Yachtsman this past April since he was at WDW that week I was and it was one of the best dinners I have had in a really long time. Of course the steak was perfect, the bread, those garlic things, the wine , the creme brulee, the mac & cheese , the salad... great service. Wonderful ambiance dining. Can you get an early ADR for Yachtsman on Mothers Day? Any other time you could probably just show up and get seated within 20-30 minutes at Yachtsman, I think that might be a bit risky on Mothers Day.
Maybe you could show up an hour early for your ADR at Le Cellier and they would seat you sooner so you could have a not so rushed dinner and catch Illuminations...I LOVE Illuminations.

JohnD said:
Have you considered Shula's? I'm finding plenty of available times, every 15 minutes from opening at 5pm. You could get an early ADR at, say, 6:00pm, with plenty of time to be back to Epcot for Illuminations. Just take a boat to the Dolphin and back from the Int'l Gateway.
Click to expand...

We tried Shulas too, this last trip, but it was more a wine and appetizer type of dinner. I noticed Shulas was having some problems that evening getting the entrees on the table for several of those seated around us. We just went in for appetizers and that lobster Mac&Cheese I had been dreaming about (and yes it was REALLY GOOD) so no complaints on our service. However had I been spending what I spent at Yachtsman the day before and experienced what I observed other guests having to deal with, I would have been extremely unhappy with the Shula's service.
 
JohnD

JohnD

Well-Known Member
jlsHouston said:
Yah...I budgeted 500 bucks for that dinner with the customer (party of 4 ) and I came in with tip a little bit under..........
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It's just me. But on a Florida state employee salary...

There is a chance I'll cancel a SW character dinner next Sat. evening to hang out with friends, one of which will pick up the tab in that case. We won't be going to Yachtsmans but the money that would have gone toward the SW dinner could be redirected to Yachtsmans on another night. Did I say I'm a budget analyst in a state agency?
 
jlsHouston

jlsHouston

Well-Known Member
Master Yoda said:
$498? ;)
Click to expand...

LOL it was 485 and that included the ben I left for the tip...Oh I paid for everything but the tip with disney gift cards that I had bought at Target LOL using my redcard discount....so it was like a 20 dollar discount...I should have renewed my TIW card but I didn't. I am going to do that first thing when we go back in June because I rarely do the dining plan anymore.....
 

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