Tag Archives: Canada Pavilion

Disney Dining at Yachtsman Steakhouse (Round 2)

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The first and last time Raymond and I ate at Yachtsman was in February of 2015.  It was a great experience and we are always up for a good steak.  When we were discussing dining plans for November, Yachtsman came up and we decided it was time for a return visit.  To be perfectly honest, the food was better this time and the service was better last time.  Even so, I still recommend you give Yachtsman a try if you get the chance.  Let me tell you why.

Disney Dining at Yachtsman Steakhouse

For us, there are three go-to steak places near Epcot.  One of them, actually in Epcot, is Le Cellier (Canada Pavilion).  While wildly popular with many Disney guests, this old favorite has kind of fallen out of favor with us for one simple reason – we can easily walk from Epcot to places we like much better.  Places with better food for the price and where the tables aren’t so close together we feel packed in like sardines with no privacy.  Le Cellier is considered a Signature Dining location and takes two Table Service credits on Disney Dining Plans.  (For comparison purposes, the filet is $54 and includes Mushroom Risotto, Asparagus-Tomato Relish, and Truffle-Butter Sauce.)

For an absolutely outstanding dining experience and one of the best steaks anywhere, Shula’s Steak House at the Dolphin offers a fine-dining experience we absolutely love.  The menu is a meat-lover’s dream and the steaks are perfectly prepared to order.  Where the in-park atmosphere at Le Cellier is very casual, the much more formal setting of Shula’s makes us want to get dressed up a bit to eat there.  It’s also relatively expensive and does not accept Disney Dining Plans.  (Currently, the 12 ounce filet is priced at $55 and side dishes are a la carte/additional cost.)

Not too casual, not too fancy, Yachtsman is just right!  The atmosphere is one I’d describe as neutral and even with a pretty good number of guests, the dining room doesn’t feel overcrowded.  One thing we loved is that on both visits, the hostess was the same wonderfully kind lady from Louisiana.  She loves her job and it shows!  The menu is not currently available online at Disney’s website, but this one seems to be up to date.  Notice the prices?  My 6-ounce filet and Raymond’s Elk Tenderloin were each less than $50 and they both came with sides!  On the Disney Dining Plan, Yachtsman, like Le Cellier takes two Table Service credits.

Disney Dining at Yachtsman SteakhouseI mentioned the service not being as good on our recent visit and I should stress that it had nothing to do with our server.  He was professional, knowledgeable, and, best of all, didn’t hover (we hate that).  We ordered lobster bisque to start and the filet and elk tenderloin as our entrées.  Disney Dining at Yachtsman SteakhouseThe bread service is especially good here; served with butter, olive oil, and roasted garlic – YUM!  Disney Dining at Yachtsman Steakhouse We also ordered some butternut squash risotto…which we did not receive until we were finished eating.  Our server took it off our bill and brought it out to us to taste anyway.  He sincerely felt terrible and was extremely apologetic, but we were overly full anyway and didn’t miss it at all. Disney Dining at Yachtsman Steakhouse The only reason we ordered the risotto in the first place is that I make it at home and we wanted to compare flavors.  For dessert we enjoyed the Seasonal Sorbet Trio and some coffee.  Our meal was great!Disney Dining at Yachtsman Steakhouse

Signature dining at a decent value in a great location – Yachtsman Steakhouse is an excellent choice!

What’s your go-to Disney restaurant for a good steak?

(Note: all three restaurants mentioned accept Tables in Wonderland if you have or are considering that option.)

Epcot’s Lumberjack Show

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RM-Lumberjack-Stage-CastI said I wasn’t going to do it.  I wasn’t going to write a review of the Lumberjack Show in Epcot because I didn’t like it and I don’t usually write negative reviews.  I try my best to write balanced reviews that highlight the good and, if any exists, the not-so-good about rides, resorts, restaurants, shows, and so on.

But every single time I look at the shattered screen on my brand new iPhone 6, I think about the Lumberjacks.  Weird, but true.  See, it all started like this……

Raymond and I found ourselves with a few spare minutes to leisurely stroll through Epcot one morning.  I checked the times for the Lumberjack Show since we were very close to the Canada Pavilion and I was very curious about this new and, well, somewhat controversial show.  The stage’s curtain was down, but we could hear show preparation noises going on behind it and decided to see what all the fuss was about – but on that day, there were no benches in front of the stage.  Those showed up the next day, oddly enough, but in the absence of seating, we moved to the far right of the stage and sat on the edge of some sort of landscaping wall.  I was wearing new pants – really adorable (if I do say) camo crops from Anthropologie and when I sat down, I set my phone on my lap.  Well the fabric of my new pants was actually more slippery than I anticipated and my phone slipped right off my leg and onto the concrete.  UGH!  I’ve had an iPhone for at least the past 5 years and have never ever even cracked a screen.  To put it mildly, I was really sad.  Raymond bought me that phone and I’d had it a month – now it was still usable, but marred.  Sigh.RM-Lumberjack-Show-Epcot

Not one to let my day be ruined by a mishap, I turned my still open-minded attention to the beginning of the show.  The show opens with a host who introduces a couple of two-man lumberjack teams – the blue team and the red team as indicated by the color of their plaid flannel shirts.  It was very hard to see!  The interior of the stage is small and quite dark; shadowed by the canvas cover that surrounds it.  I could hear the dialog just fine – the script was written so that the host and the lumberjacks are supposed to say things that are meant to be funny.  Sadly, the lines were delivered as if they were being read with poor timing and not a hint of comedy.  It was painful to watch!RM-Lumberjacks

The premise of the show is for the two teams to compete in lumberjack events like axe throwing and two-man sawing.  All conducted with those unfortunately delivered lines and in the dark recesses of the stage.  We watched in stunned silence.  THIS?  This is an actual show in a Walt Disney World park?  With all sincerity, we’d never seen anything like it anywhere before.

I guess you could say this is only a partial review because the moment those lumberjacks fired up their chainsaws we made a hasty retreat.  If I want to see someone use a chainsaw, I can go outside while Raymond trims low tree branches or cuts down a dead tree for firewood.  I do not, at any time while I’m on a Disney vacation, want to see or hear power tools in use.  How this is considered entertainment, I’ll never understand.RM-Lumberjack-Show2

So, there it is.  Epcot’s newest “talent” offering in the Canada Pavilion was not for us.  And every time I use my cell phone, I’m reminded of that sad fact.  I sure hope our local iPhone repair shop offers service on the 6 soon!  Then I can put the whole ugly mess out of my mind once and for all.

Have you seen the new Lumberjack Show?  How did you feel about it?