Disney World recently announced their 2009 packages and dining plans. In reviewing the participating locations, it occurred to me that the restaurants at the Disney Coronado Springs Resort are not listed on either the quick service or sit-down dining establishments.

I contacted a representative at Disney to be sure this was not a mistake. Apparently, the restaurants at the Disney Coronado Springs Resort are operated by a third party company that decided not to participate in the 2009 Dining Plans.

Of course, this is subject to change and there are plenty of other restaurants around Walt Disney World that are available on the various dining plans. However, if you plan to stay at the Disney Coronado Springs Resort, you may want to take a closer look at each dining plan before deciding if one of the plans will work for you

You may think that making a reservation at Le Cellier Steakhouse located in the Canada pavilion in Epcot wouldn’t be very difficult, but it is. On several occasions, I had tried to book reservation for us at Le Cellier to no avail. Fortunately for us though, I was able to confirm a late lunch reservation for 2:50pm on July 14, 2008. We literally had the last lunch seating time which was actually very nice because by them we settled in at our table, most of the other guests were finishing their lunches and were leaving.

We arrived a few minutes ahead of time and were greeted by several cast members who welcomed us into the air-conditioned reception area. Given the afternoon temperature had reached the mid-90′s; we were already starting to like this restaurant. It took just a few minutes for us to be seated. We were led down a stone walled corridor to the dining room. Once we entered the dining room, I realized why reservations are hard to get. Le Cellier must have one of the smallest dining rooms on Disney property. Although small, it is very unique although not very fancy. It reminded me of dining in a 1000 year old “cave or celler” restaurant I had dined at in Europe. Hence the name of course! The chandeliers look like old wagon wheels which what would have been candles for light 100+ years ago.

We were promptly greeted by one of the friendliest servers we’ve had in a long time. Since we were having a “late” lunch, we decided to go ahead and order cocktails. I had the Blue Glow-Tini created for the Year of a Million Dreams and my husband ordered a regular gin martini. The glow-tini was great and a bonus for my daughter, as she end up getting the glow cube afterwards. She ordered a coke as well.

Our drinks arrived followed by an interesting selection of breads. Our sever explained that each bread represented and area of Canada. I found it very interesting how much thought was put into the bread course.

We decided, as we had often done on our last trip, to order separate appetizers and share an entrée and order off the kids menu for my daughter. I had heard so many great things about the Cheddar Cheese Soup that even though it was HOT outside, I had to try it. My husband ordered the Duck Two Ways and my daughter apple slices. We enjoyed them all. The soup is as good as I had read and our server suggested that I dip some of the various breads in the soup. Oh, was she right! The duck appetizer was also a big hit. We especially liked the marinated apples.

For our entrées, my husband and I split the mushroom filet and my daughter ordered the kids steak. Our server was very specific in mentioning that we could also have the filet without the mushrooms or with a side dish other than the mushroom risotto. This made me think that there had been complaints in the past about the dish being heavy on the mushroom. We decided to keep the dish as suggested on the menu; another great choice. The steak was done perfectly, medium rare, and the mushroom risotto was great. Now if you are not the fan of the mushroom, don’t be afraid to ask for the dish to be modified.

Although quite full after our entrée, we couldn’t pass up the chocolate on chocolate whiskey cake. Chocolate on chocolate…do I need to say anymore???

We had a wonderful lunch at Le Cellier. I think part of what made it so great, besides our server, was the fact that the restaurant was nearly empty and if you have ever been to Disney World during the summer, you know how that can be a welcome treat! My suggestion is book a late lunch. You’ll get to enjoy pretty much the same menu as dinner, at slightly lower prices, but if you’re lucky, you may also enjoy some quiet time in a beautiful restaurant!

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Cuisine: Steakhouse fare with Canadian flair

Hours: Lunch – 11:30am – 3:00pm and Dinner 5:00pm – closing

Location: Canada pavilion in Epcot

Food ordered:

Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup – smoked bacon and Moosehead beer $5.49 cup, or bowl $6.99

Duck Two-Ways – confit and rillettes with marinated green apples and apple gastrique $12.99

Le Cellier Mushroom Filet Mignon – with wild mushroom risotto, white truffle and herb butter sauce $25.99

Kids Pick Grilled Steak – $9.59

Chocolate – on -Chocolate Whiskey Cake $7.99

Over the long weekend, on at least three separate occasions, I was reminded of the need to plan well in advance if you want to dine at Walt Disney World. I think it comes as a shock to first time WDW visitors, or those who have not visited in several years, how dining at Walt Disney World has changed and unless you plan on eating at food courts and quick service restaurants, you need to plan your meals at least six months in advance and especially if your vacation is during peak time. Why? The new Disney Dining plans are definitely a factor and some of the dining experiences have just become very, very popular.

Now planning your meals six months in advance may sound crazy to some people but if someone in your family has their heart set on dining with a particular character or you want to watch Wishes from the California Grill at the Contemporary, that’s exactly what you have to do. Dining reservations are accepted starting 180 days from your check-in date and what most people don’t know is you can make reservations for your entire trip starting that day.

So what do you need to do to plan that far ahead? Well, you have to plan your days! Wait you say! I haven’t even made my final payment on my trip and you want me to plan my days? Yep and here’s how you do it.

1. Do you homework. Either do your own research or find a travel agent who is an expert on Walt Disney World who can help you determine which restaurants are on your “Must Do” list, including some alternates as well in case your first choice is sold out or you didn’t read this until closer to your vacation and many reservations are already gone.

2. If you are staying at a Disney World Resort, you will be able to get into one park each morning an hour before the general public is allowed in. Plan to take advantage of this extra hour and start planning your days. How can you find out which park opens early each day? Do your own research or hook up with a good travel agent who can provide this information to you

3. Now that you know which parks you will visit on which days, look at your list of “must dos” and alternates, and create your dining schedule.

4. 180 (180+10 for resort guests) days prior to your check-in date either you or your travel agent needs to call 407-WDW-DINE and make your dining reservations. They open at 7am Eastern time and some of the most populae dining reservations sell out in minutes! Some reservations require a credit card quarantee so be sure to have your credit card handy.

5. Write down your confirmation numbers and you are done!

Now, you can sit back and relax until it’s time to plan how to navigate each park each day, but that is another story.

P. S. – Many restaurants offer late lunches so if the dinner reservations are sold out at your “must do” and alternates, try working in a late lunch instead. The menus are usually quite similar and the prices for lunch are typically a little less.

Bernadette Stark is a Certified Travel Agent and owner of Vacation Dreams Travel which specializes in Disney World and Disney Cruise Vacations.