Share Meal at Le Cellier or California Grille?

[OverplanninJess]

Ok...so I made a boo boo and thought we had a TS meal for each day of our vacation (eight) instead of for each night (seven)...and I made reservations accordingly, using up 16 credits between the two of us. I now realize that we only have 14 credits to use and this means that one of our meals will need to be split between the two of us...so I need an opinion on where you would get the larger meal (hence, better for sharing) Le Cellier or California Grille? Or, perhaps we should pay OOP for one of our character breakfasts? Opinions greatly appreciated!

 

[woody5]

Check out the menus and see which one will give you the most food for one TS credit and then decide if it is enough to feed the both of you. I know at Lecellier one of the main courses is an 14 oz steak. Add to that a large appetizer and a dessert and I know it would make a meal for me and my DH easily. Also, if you made ressies that need 16 TS and you only have 14 you will need to split meals twice to get 8 days worth of ts.

 

[bicker]

California Grill is one of the finer restaurants at WDW, and many folks have noted that the finer restaurants are beginning to serve more reasonable (smaller) portions. If you're going to count on splitting, I'd definitely refer to the menus and choose something for which the size is clearly listed in the menu, like the 14 oz steak.

 

[OverplanninJess]

Ok, so after thinking on it for awhile we've just decided to drop our ADR's for California Grille and have decided to pay OOP for our character breakfast...this leaves us enough to pick 2 nice TS so that we have one for each day of our trip

 

[marciagms]

So by reading this I assume that if you are on the dining plan you can split meals with another adult as long it is not a buffet. Please let me know if that's true! Thanks

 

[bicker]

There is currently no prohibition about splitting meals, on the dining plan or otherwise, unless the meal is priced per person, such as a buffet, a pre-plated meal or "package".

 

[Lewisc]

So by reading this I assume that if you are on the dining plan you can split meals with another adult as long it is not a buffet. Please let me know if that's true! Thanks

Bicker already answered your question but to elaborate, AFAIK all the character meals are either buffet or all you care to eat. All the dinner shows, the Fantasmic Dinner Package and the CP are all priced per person. Many of the other Disney owned restaurants are either buffet, BOMA for example, or are all you care to eat for at least part of the menu, the skillet meal at WCC for example.

There are certainly restaurants in which sharing works well but there are many in which it's either not allowed or where the portion sizes aren't really large enough.

 

[kayebee]

There are certainly restaurants in which sharing works well but there are many in which it's either not allowed or where the portion sizes aren't really large enough.

We just got back last week and looking back over our dinners, I don't think anyone served enough food that splitting it between two adults would have worked. Some of the portions were large enough to perhaps split between a child and an adult, if you could get a child and adult to agree on ordering the same thing!

Before out trip, I remember reading on these boards that portions were huge and could be easily split between two adults, but either we eat way more than others (which I don't think is true) or portions are getting smaller.

Karen

 

[bicker]

That's important input Karen. We need to be a bit more careful about projecting the impression that splitting meals will be a worry-free approach for most folks, because that could set unreasonable expectations.

 

[Lewisc]

I think the portions have been re-sized to reflect the reality that dining guests order 3 course meals. Portions can be reduced since the assumption is the diner will be eating all 3 courses. Previously some appetizers were sized to share. Guests not on the dining plan, who now have to order more food, are paying more.

Amazing that guests claim to be happy sharing "normal" sized portions at signature restaurants but can't make enough trips to the buffet table.

Most CS meals don't have enough of the main food to share and guests who want to eat healthier should be skipping most of the french fries and not making a meal out of them.

We just got back last week and looking back over our dinners, I don't think anyone served enough food that splitting it between two adults would have worked. Some of the portions were large enough to perhaps split between a child and an adult, if you could get a child and adult to agree on ordering the same thing!

Before out trip, I remember reading on these boards that portions were huge and could be easily split between two adults, but either we eat way more than others (which I don't think is true) or portions are getting smaller.

Karen

 

[kayebee]

I think the portions have been re-sized to reflect the reality that dining guests order 3 course meals. Portions can be reduced since the assumption is the diner will be eating all 3 courses. Previously some appetizers were sized to share. Guests not on the dining plan, who now have to order more food, are paying more.

Yeah, I didn't think about it much at the time, but after reading this thread and seeing yet another thread about "creative" use of the dining credits, I started to think about which meals could have been shared, and I don't think any of them could have been shared.

 

[jonimce]

We also booked too many. Because I really want to go to Artist Point again and am not willing to give up any of my other choices. We will pay out of pocket for one entre at one of the 2 TS's and share the dessert and app. We have done this before.