Signature Dining- Suggestions/Question

[melana]

Hello everyone.. Going to WDW at the end of October and will be on the deluxe dining plan. This is a solo trip and I plan on trying some new places that I can't go to when I am with my usual travel companions. It is also a trip to celebrate my birthday so I am going to try to make it a really memorable trip. With that being said. I plan on doing 2 or maybe 3 Signature Dining experiences while there.

I have pretty much decided on Monsieur Paul as a 100% definite 1st choice. Why? Have no idea, but the idea of having French cuisine (or as close as I can get) is very interesting to me. Where I live we do not have options likes this and I don't see myself ever being able to actually go to France.

My second option has not been decided yet and that is where I need some help. I am not what you would call a very picky eater except I am not a huge fan of fish and asian inspired places are hit or miss with me. But...I really like steak. I am having a really hard time choosing between Le Cellier, Yachtsman, and the Boathouse. So any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

The third- I have no idea. I may actually take in a dinner show but I am not sure right now. I am not much of a dinner show type of person. had an awful experience at one a few years ago, but would be willing to try one at Disney.

This leads me to my question are all menu items available while using the dining plan (Yes, i know it is an appetizer, entree and dessert with the deluxe and if I want something outside of that I have to pay for that OOP). But some of the items are really expensive and was just wondering if there is a limited menu for those using the dining plan. It isn't going to change my mind, just trying to get my ducks in a row before my ADRs come up at the end of April.

I am open to any suggestions I can get.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

We really enjoyed Yachtsman and I'd recommend it. The reviews that I read (and I try to read a lot) comparing Yachtsman and Le Cellier seem to be about 80% in favor of Yachtsman. I haven't eaten at Boathouse (we stopped once for drinks and the service wasn't great) but STK might be a better steak option at Disney Springs than Boathouse.

For your third option, Flying Fish looks good to me and gets good reviews and we are trying next trip, but it is fish-heavy so may not work for you. I'd like to try Jiko, which also gets good reviews, but there are several in my family who aren't wild about the menu. We enjoyed Narcoossee's when we went but again sort of fish-heavy, and the steak at Yachtsman was certainly better. Artist Point also get's pretty good reviews, and I'd like to visit Wilderness Lodge at some point.

Almost all individual entrees are available on the dining plan. Certain items require that you pay out of pocket, like "enhancements" at places like Narcoossee's (which includes lobster tail, certain sides, etc.), or wagyu strip loin at Yachtsman (for example), which is $125 and included on the dining plan but requires that you pay a $75 "surcharge" in addition to your dining plan credits. Some places at Disney Springs are even more confusing -- at STK the steaks/entrees are included in your meal, but you have to pay out of pocket for the items listed separately as "sides." Boathouse is similar I believe. And I don't know what would qualify as an appetizer at Boathouse/STK.

 

[melana]

I have heard good things about Artist POint. I didn't even think about adding that to my list of possibilities. My friend has been there before and he said it was pretty good.

 

[cattrix]

Yay! I'll be going to DW in Sept for my 40th Bday trip, and we are also going to do Deluxe Dining. We don't have kids so we normally do a table service at lunch then a signature dining meal for dinner to use our 3 credits a day. We've done this for years because we like to eat at the more upscale places in Disney.

That being said, we have eaten at Yachtsman and Le Cellier many times and we prefer Le Cellier. Not that we don't like the Yachtsman, we just prefer the steak at Le Cellier. Their filet with mushroom risotto is beyond fantastic and may be our favorite steak on property.

For your other question, even the expensive items can be ordered on the dining plan. If not it will be marked on the menu. We also like to always tell our waitor/waitress what dining plan we are on so they can give us the "spiel" for each location like some items are meant to be shared or give us recommendations.

Some of our favorite signature places are, in order of likeness: California Grill, Le Cellier, Hoop-Dee-Doo, Fulton's Crab House, Narcoossee.

We tried to do 3 meals a day one year when we were on the Deluxe Dining, that was a disaster for us. We felt like food ruled our trip. We went from meal to meal to meal and it's so much food anyway that we would never be hungry by the time the next meal came around and trying to keep on the ADR schedule was just too much hassle for us. Now we do early lunch, and kind of late dinner and that suits us much better.

 

[melana]

It is my 40th Bday too!!
Yes, I agree with doing 3 meals a day. We did that once and it was a total nightmare for us. It seemed we spent more time getting to our meals than really enjoying the parks and resort. That is why our 2nd two trips we went with just the regular dining plan. This time, I am going all out. That is why I felt that doing some signature dining experiences would be a good idea. I am not a big eater and usually never eat three meals a day at home and I try to stick with that when travelling.

I am there for 5 nights so I could technically do more signature dining, but right now I am leaning toward just doing 3. I am also going to try to spend some more time at Epcot this trip so that opens up a possibility of doing both Yachtsman and Le Cellier. Plus I will have park hoppers so I could swing both. We shall see. LOL.

 

[cattrix]

I was able to go to the parks by my self one year as I tagged along with my boyfriend when he went to an IT conference. Everyday he would get up and go to the conference and I'd get up and head to Disney. I LOVED it! I did everything I wanted to do as many times as I wanted and ate everywhere I wanted. It doesn't bother me to eat or be alone in the parks and I took my time, enjoyed some wine in Epcot (France is favorite for wine) and it was just a great trip for me. People thought I was crazy, but for me it was so relaxing and uplifting to just be by myself. I hope you have a great time!

 

[cattrix]

Also, after reading more for our upcoming trip and looking at the 2017 Deluxe Dining info, seems I'm out of date and they are now supplementing cost for expensive items on a menu. Like the fancy beef at Yachtsman and probably others that I haven't found yet! Yikes!

 

[Cinderella94]

I would definitely choose the Yachstman for your steakhouse dinner! We had an excellent experience there.

 

[DisMommyTX]

We haven't tried many signature restaurants, but we loved Narcoossee's and Le Cellier. I would highly recommend the steak at both!

 

[justme0729]

California Grill! The best

 

[skramer100]

Artist Point is really good. Wife and I enjoyed our meal there a lot. If you are an adventurous eater and enjoy sushi go to Morimoto and sit at the sushi bar. Just tell the chef to make you what ever he pleases. Did that on a business trip and had a great hour of food.

 

[networkpro]

I have heard good things about Artist POint. I didn't even think about adding that to my list of possibilities. My friend has been there before and he said it was pretty good.

The food is average at best, not very representative of the Pacific North West. I've been traveling to the Seattle area for over 20 years so I think I can judge it a bit. the best thing we've had there is the seasonal berry cobbler.

 

[akfan513]

Here are my top 5 favorites:

1. Narcoosee's (and, yes, you can order the $70 lobster for your main course on the deluxe plan)
2. California grill during the MK fireworks
3. Tiffins
4. Le Cellier
5. Yachtsman

We've done the Hoop Dee Doo Review and we loved it!

In general you can order just about anything. Some have entrees or aps that are "for 2".

 

[topiney]

I have heard good things about Artist POint. I didn't even think about adding that to my list of possibilities. My friend has been there before and he said it was pretty good.

My husband and I ate there in November and we both really enjoyed our meals. The service was excellent and I would return there again.

 

[melana]

California Grill sounds promising. I am staying at BLT so that would work perfect.

 

[illinidp]

I'd recommend Flying Fish, Tiffins, California Grill, Citricos, Narcoossee's, Boathouse, Jiko, Yachtsman in that order. We will likely try Paddlefish next trip. We've never been blown away with Brown Derby, Le Cellier, Artist Point, Morimoto, or MP as signatures.

 

[Ms.Mouseketeer]

I thought Le Cellier was awesome. We took a romantic stroll through the countries after to walk off our meal as the park was clearing out. Truly magical!

 

[focusondisney]

We do signature places all the time. My DH will only do beef, lol! Our favorite places for steaks are Yachtsman's & Hollywood Brown Derby. HBD can echo-y but not loud. The food is really good & the servers are very professional. And no need to leave the park to eat! DH loves Narcoossee's but I'm not a big fan of the atmosphere. I prefer Artist Point for both food & atmosphere. We only ate at Monsieur Paul once but considering going back in May. I personally didn't care for the Boathouse very much. I thought it was noisy & not very relaxing. We went to STK steakhouse in September & the fillet was outstanding. They do have a DJ but the music wasn't intrusive or too loud as I have seen others report.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

Also, after reading more for our upcoming trip and looking at the 2017 Deluxe Dining info, seems I'm out of date and they are now supplementing cost for expensive items on a menu. Like the fancy beef at Yachtsman and probably others that I haven't found yet! Yikes!

I'm not seeing this anywhere, but that would be a pretty good deal if they were and you wanted to do a lot of higher-end meals and something I might consider. Do you have a link for this info?

 

[rosiebean]

A few thoughts:

Our visit to Artists Point a few years ago was spectacular. We didn't have entrees, however, our entire party each had a couple of appetizers each (we'd eaten at Prime Time Cafe earlier that day and were still full). But what we had was really, really good. The bread service was fantastic. The wine was amazing. Appetizers were beyond good. We had dessert too, which was excellent. But what made the evening out so wonderful was the service. Even though we weren't spending a ton on entrees, our waitstaff was extremely attentive and went overboard to make our evening memorable. We were really full by dessert and ordered one cobbler to split among seven of us...but the chef sent out two more cobblers because, as the server said, "You will want more after one bite." They also sent out complimentary champagne at the end of the meal. It was really very memorable, and I cannot say enough about our experience there.

Our visit to Cali Grill last December was even better. Not because of the service, which was standard, but because the setting and food was amazing. We had another largish party (eight), had dinner at 7ish, and were seated at a table just off of the windows and across from Cinderella's Castle. The view was just magical. The wine was really good. The atmosphere was festive. The food...was probably the best we've had at WDW. Because we'd eaten lightly during the day, we were ready to dine full stop that night...and everyone had an appetizer and entree and could not stop raving about their meal. Desserts were obnoxiously good. We ended our meal about an hour before fireworks, so we headed downstairs shop and relax...headed back up to the deck for fireworks later, and the view was just unreal. I've seen mixed reviews of Cali Grill, but our experience was so good that we will be back very soon.

A few members of our party went to Citricos last year when the rest of us were at MNSSHP and raved. They loved the atmosphere, service, and said the food was very very good. So that's another recommendation.