Deluxe Dining 12/10 An Honest Review without the Hype! 20 Reviews with Lots of Pics

[youcansmellit]

Great reviews. I like to hear when things go wrong. Some of the reviews are so one sided that you would think Le Cellier was giving out a gold bar with every order. I would say that it is good, but I was suckered by the hype.

The funny thing about Ohana is that if you said that you are a vegetarian or you have to eat gluten free. They give you an amazing meal. plus you get all the regular food too. Its a little sneaky. My Wife has to eat GF and my DD likes to say that she is a vegetarian but she is 7 so I'm not sure who put that in her head. They got the best dishes.

 

[youcansmellit]

 

[SnowWitch]

Great reviews. We have most of your choices booked for our upcoming trip so it was nice to see honest reviews. I wish you had made it to Artist Point, it will be our first time there, bit anxious. Agree with you on Narcossee's, we did not book it for the upcoming trip we subbed Artist Point in its place. great to hear you really enjoyed Yak and Yeti we also have it booked and have never tried it before.

 

[elbodans]

i just wanted to say thank you for posting this--i found it whilst looking up reviews of certain places i'm planning on visiting, and this report has been VERY helpful. thanks!!!!

 

[solgent]

Great reviews. I agree with you completely that it can be tough with reviews because some people aren't familiar with good restaurants and/or they're stunned by the prices.

The pictures of your son with the characters were adorable!

Your wife looks kind of familiar actually. I'm 45 and grew up in Baltimore so maybe I knew her way back when.

 

[DisneyFamily123]

I added the information below to post #24 about our savings using the dining plan.

But what if we really didn't need all that food and just used the Plus DDP and paid out of pocket for some meals, appetizers, and snacks?
In the end... the cost for us to go deluxe DDP instead of the Plus DDP is about $25 a night for 2 adults and 1 child. We would be fine with the Plus DDP -- 1 table service dinner a night, quick service for lunches, bringing cereal for DS's breakfasts and paying for ours, and using snack credits for drinks in the parks. BUT.... on a 10 day trip using the Plus DDP. I'd end up paying out of pocket for the things listed below not covered by the DDP (for 2 adults, 1 child).

Out of Pocket Costs if Used Plus DDP (Minimum):

some quick service breakfasts at the resort ($120)
2 character breakfasts not covered by DDP credits ($130)
2 extra quick service on our arrival/departure day ($50)
appetizers at some of our dinners ($80)
2 refillable resort mugs ($28)
additional drinks/snacks not covered by DDP ($55)

The total out of pocket would be $463. The cost to upgrade to deluxe DDP is $684, or about $25 more a night (total for all of us). So, for $25 more a night... we get to do table service restaurants instead of quick service (including shows and signature restaurants), appetizers at every table service, more snacks to use in the parks (and to bring home some fudge/caramel/treats), and another refillable resort mug (for DS). We end up paying more for tips because of doing table service.

 

[jandm]

Who doesn't like to visit the Grand Floridian? Fun transportation on the monorail or boat between Magic Kingdom, the evening orchestra and piano player, the wonderful decor and tile work in the lobby, Christmas decorations...

Really liked the breakfast here in 2009... Great food! Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter, Tigger and Pooh... We came back for dinner in 2010 because we had a fun encounter with the crazy stepsisters at the Halloween Party (sorry Cinderella)...

We had a 4:30pm ADR right when the restaurant opened. Took a boat from Magic Kingdom. We were seated right away and the dining room was already near full. The decor at 1900 Park Fare is nice, but it is a little crowded in there with the tables... not a ballroom atmosphere. I wish it were more like a ballroom, a little fancier but then they would probably charge more $$$ or 2 DDP credits.
Total cost = $96 (or 1 DDP credit per person) not including tip for 2 adults and 1 child.

DS5 enjoyed meeting Cinderella and Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Drizella and we got some great photos of course and autographs. Looking around, some of the younger girls were really enchanted by meeting Cinderella.

The buffet was pretty good. I liked the asparagus soup, the chicken coq au vin, green beans, and the carved beef. There was a dried cherry relish that was very tasty on the beef. The buffet is set up by country/region -- France, Spain, Asian, etc.. I didn't care for the Asian part but it was OK.

1900 Park Fare dinner is a great way to meet these characters without a long line. But we were at WDW during a less busy time of year and it was not a long wait to meet Cinderella and other princesses at MK. I bet the line is VERY long other times of year.

And it's only 1 DDP credit compared to Cinderella's Round Table... but I can't compare because I've never been to CRT (don't have girls, not interested). I'd definitely return here if staying at one of the monorail resorts or coming for dinner from Magic Kingdom. While I'll say there are better restaurants if you're just looking for food quality.... this was a fun place.

Carved Meats

Soups

Salads

Asian

France

Italy

Spain

Desserts

Strawberry Soup

Kid's Food

Desserts - very hotel like, but it's a buffet. Still tasted good!

We are having dinner at 1900 Park Fare and I was wondering how early you needed to leave to get there on time. Our ADR is for 5:00pm. What time should we get on the boat or monorail? Thanks!

 

[DisneyFamily123]

We are having dinner at 1900 Park Fare and I was wondering how early you needed to leave to get there on time. Our ADR is for 5:00pm. What time should we get on the boat or monorail? Thanks!

Always best to allow extra time. 1900 Park Fare is in the main building... if you take the monorail, it drops you off right there. If you take the boat from Magic Kingdom, the Grand Floridian is the first stop, then it goes to the Polynesian, then back to MK. I'd take the boat, it's a nice ride. The ride is less than 10 minutes I think, but then you walk from the boat launch at GF to the main building, another 5 minutes.

So add wait time for the boat (up to 20 min?)....... I'd be at the boat launch at Magic Kingdom by 4pm. You will get there early... but always good to check in early and plenty to do at the resort (orchestra, piano player, floor tiles with characters, shops, etc..)

Have fun!

 

[bellenbuzz]

I have been researching Dinners for our group of 8...
I have 1900 Dinner on our list, so glad to hear your reviews

Two reasons:

We want to dine in the Grand Floridian because it is such a beautiful resort
AND
We have heard and read that the Stepsister & Mom are Hilarious and Quite Entertaining

We figure the Buffet food can't be all that bad

 

[DisneyFamily123]

I have been researching Dinners for our group of 8... I have 1900 Dinner on our list, so glad to hear your reviews
Two reasons:
We want to dine in the Grand Floridian because it is such a beautiful resort
AND We have heard and read that the Stepsister & Mom are Hilarious and Quite Entertaining We figure the Buffet food can't be all that bad

1900 Park Fare is one of my favorite character meals because, if you're in the mood, there's plenty of fun to be had. At breakfast, Mary Poppins is great... who doesn't love to sing a Mary Poppins song? And the Mad Hatter can really get wound up. I just saw a Youtube video where someone snuck up on him, tapped him on the shoulder, and screamed when he turned around and ran away... The Mad Hatter went crazy and chased the person. When we were there, he was loud and silly. At dinner, the step sisters can really kid around. We were a little tired so not too much joking from us, but we got a handful from them once before in Magic Kingdom! A little bit of kidding around or teasing the sisters can go far.

And the food is fine. The food is supposed to be from different countries so it's a little different from just plain meat and potatos. Better than most buffet food I've had.

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

My favorite review I have read so far.
It gets so irritating when reading reviews to scroll through pages and pages of reader responses to get to the next meal review.
I LOVED the way you have ALL the reviews together, so I can just read them all and then stop if I want, or read the replies and questions and responses.
You have also opened my thinking about the DxDDP.
One question---why do you call the DDP "Plus DDP"?

 

[Hootiss]

Great reviews, thanks for taking the time and effort to give your honest opinions.

 

[vettegirl]

Loving the reviews. 1900 Park Fare is one place I would like to try one of these days. Can't wait for us to have a little one to take there.

 

[DisneyFamily123]

One question---why do you call the DDP "Plus DDP"?

That's funny. Since 2008, I thought the "regular" dining plan was called "Plus Dining Plan"..... I got that from the reservations site where you choose the Magic Your Way Package "Plus" Dining. Sometimes, I wonder about myself.... and the value of my college education!!! I fixed that in my review...

So the Dining Plans are...the Magic Your Way Package...PLUS...

Quick Service Dining Plan
Dining Plan
Deluxe Dining Plan
Premium Dining Plan
Platinum Dining Plan

 

[Tinker12]

Great info! Thank you for taking the time to show us the difference!

 

[BucsTex]

Wow, thank you!!! This is the best review thread that I've read. You put so much effort into it!!!

I think what I have to thank you for the most is your honest evaluation of Le Cellier. Since we're going in May, it will be 2TS, and I've been vacillating between there or Marrakesh. I've been to Marrakesh before, once for lunch and once for dinner, and I loved it... but after all the hype I figured maybe I should try Le Cellier. You've re-affirmed that I should go with my gut and stick to Marrakesh!

 

[DisneyFamily123]

I'm eager to see if and how the menu changes when Le Cellier is 2 DDP credits. There's already a signature steak place nearby - Yachtsman. But people like steak. I think it's the most boring thing to order in a restaurant .... next to chicken.

 

[melissapealo]

Thanks for the great reviews. We're planning a trip for the end of October and I had planned on doing just the dining plan. I'll have to check some numbers but may just upgrade to the deluxe plan to be able to enjoy some signature dinners. We've never stayed onsite before so I'm doing lots of research on the different restaurants. My oldest son (17) is a huge steak fan so we're going to have to check out Le Cellier. While my youngest who will be 11 by then is an extremely picky eater and a vegetarian so the dining ought to be interesting. Your reviews are very helpful. Nice to know that you can get a bowl of strawberries from most places.

 

[Busymom85]

Thanks for the reviews. I really enjoyed them!

 

[seadd67]

Yak and Yeti,we love it there to. The Chil wings?,we have been there many times and never have seen them just glance at there menue here on Dis and could not find them. Do you know If this Is a dis-conteud item?. Thanks for the great review I wish I had the patients to do that