UPDATE: This is confirmed — click here to see the full 2011 Disney Dining Plan PDF. Below is a screen shot of the Le Cellier credit expenditure.
Thanks to Len Testa for the confirmation and GDPinvestigation for the PDF.
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While the “Le Cellier 2-credit” rumor had always been alive and well among Disney circles, I’ve never found enough evidence to report it here on the Disney Food Blog.
However, I received a mysterious email in my inbox last week mentioning that Le Cellier dinner will begin to require 2 Disney Dining Plan Table-Service credits starting in March 2011. Alas, the rumor has been confirmed.
Epcot’s Le Cellier Steak House will require 2 Disney Dining Plan credits for dinner, beginning March 1, 2011. Lunch will still be 1 credit.
Click the following link to read more about Disney World’s Dining Plans.
Click the following link for information and menus for Le Cellier Steak House.
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YAY!! maybe less people on the DDP will book it 😉
As someone who doesn’t do DDP, I think this is a good thing. Hopefully it should make it easier to get in!
it almost didn’t make sense for this restaurant to be 1 credit, last time we were there (w/ a DDP) we racked up a $100 bill for 2 people…we did brown derby and racked up $106.
I agree with Cody and Beth. Hopefully this will help open up some reservations for those of us who don’t use DDP.
I understand the hope that less people on DDP will book it now, but I’m still bothered by the fact Disney is arbitrarily raising the cost without giving more back in value.
I wonder if the prices go up with the change to turn it into a ‘Signature’ restaurant. As it stands now, it’s definitely not. Yes, the steaks are decent, but nothing compared to Jiko/Citricos/Yachtman/etc. The prices, as they stand, are around the average for the other ‘higher end’ 1 credit restaurants…Tutto Italia is one that comes to mind that might even be slightly more expensive.
I also saw the rumor that lunch will still be 1 credit on the DDP, but dinner will be 2?
Really hoping there isn’t a price increase. I’m not a DDP person, so this is particuarly important to me.
I think that the restaurant is overrated to be completely honest. I hope that the switch to 2 credits will bring a switch in food quality and make it worth the cost.
Evan, I now agree with you and consider the place overrated. My opinion of it has always been “good but inconsistent.” Since the rumor states it will be gaining Signature status well, yeah, I’m officially in the overrated camp. If there is an accompanying price increase I will start telling people to avoid it. They really don’t do anything to their steaks that is hard to duplicate at home.
I frankly couldn’t care one way or the other. I loathe the DDP and pay OOP. And there are so many great places to eat at Epcot that it’s just not a big deal. I’ve only eaten at LC once and it was fine but nothing so earth shattering to equal its hype.
they need to make it 2 credits so us real money paying people can freakin eat there :p
I have heard how hard it is to get a reserveration at Le Cellier, so this could potentially be a plus if it ends up being true.
First thing I though when I read this was “Did you make a call to Disney?” as that would be the first thing to do. I guess if you did have the time you could try finding the number to Le Cellier, as they would be able to tell you directly.
My steak loving 11 year old daughter will be crushed if it goes to a 2 Table Service Credit Restaurant as I probably will not pay the $34.99 out of pocket price for her to get “her” Mushroom Filet.
It will be a big set back to the regular Disney Dining Plan as well, since eating at Le Cellier was the best “value” on the DDP. By moving Le Cellier to the Signature Dining list it goes from one of the best DDP values to one of the worst.
I have been a fan of the Disney Dining Plan, but this move makes it even harder to say that you are saving money with it.
As so many have said, hopefully this will deter DDP guests from booking. I’ve only eaten here once and that was probably 10 years ago because it’s impossible to get into. I managed to squeeze in a lunch reservation this October. Since I’ve lived in Orlando for 3 years now, and have never used DDP, I really hope this makes it possible for us cash paying guests to get a chance to dine there, maybe even as a WALK UP! O_O
Hopefully this change will allow me to actually eat there. I’m a local and have never been able to get a reservation I could keep. When you have to make reservations six months out it’s hard to pick a date for which you will actually be available.
We’ve only done the dining plan once and we used it at Le Cellier, though I’m a little surprised they’d bump it up to 2 credits. It was a while ago and I don’t remember the prices but it didn’t seem like it was a 2-credit type of place from my memory. The food was good but other than big prices, it didn’t have the feel of a super classy place (maybe it was all the riff raff like me on the DDP?).
So now that it is confirmed to be two Disney Dining Plan credits, what exactly does this mean for the foot traffic and reservations for Le Cellier?
Also when you say two DDP credits I am assuming you have to combine it with another meal credit from earlier that went unused.
I know some locals near WDW who have told me that some cast members have been saying that a number of the more expensive restaurants will be going to 2 credits…just a rumor at this point but with WDW offer “free dining” so much, I certainly wouldn’t be surprised.
A lot of the complaints about the restaurant being overrated will be solved with this move. No restaurant could match the hype that Le Cellier gets with being so hard to book but it makes it even harder when you have the one dining credit status hanging over your head. They’ve had to cut down on quality and portion sizes in the last few years just to break even. Think about it, the fillet mignon is $36.99. That’s almost the entire dining plan cost for one day! Not to mention free dining season. Going signature allows more reservations to be opened up by non-DDP guests and allows the restaurant to match the quality of other signature dinging locations like Jiko and Citricos. Plus you’ll still be able to get your chedder cheese soup at lunch for one credit. It’s a big win for everyone.
We’re about a month out from the switchover. Any one heard rumors of when we’ll see the signature menu?