Captain’s Grille Closes, Yachtsman Steakhouse Adds Breakfast & Lunch Ahead of New Restaurant Opening at Yacht Club

As part of the ongoing renovations of Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, a number of dining modifications will be in place over the next month. As part of this project, from October 2nd to November 1st, the Yachtsman Steakhouse will offer casual dining for breakfast and lunch. During this time, a larger selection of hot menu items will be available for dinner at The Market at Ale & Compass as well.

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Captain’s Grille at Ariel’s closed forever on September 29th, with the new Ale and Compass Restaurant set to open very soon in the original home of the Captain’s Grille. Don’t worry though, many menu favorites from the Grille are coming back at the new location.

Captain’s Grille is Becoming Ale & Compass Restaurant, Gastropub for Yacht Club Resort

When Captain’s Grille returns in October 2017, it will become Ale & Compass Restaurant, a gastropub.

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A whole new Ale & Compass concept will debut at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort in October, when the lobby bar & lounge is transformed with a new interior and expands to 58 seats, offering a new menu of classic cocktails and light bites. But the biggest change is the adjacent Captain’s Grille, which becomes Ale & Compass Restaurant.

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The Ale & Compass Restaurant menu is still in the works, but the re-imagined restaurant will have a gastropub ambience with New England-inspired comfort food, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. An on-stage hearth oven is the focal point. Décor is inspired by the cozy warmth of a lighthouse, as a comforting respite from the outside world. The casual, table-service restaurant will be on the Disney Dining Plan.

CONFIRMED: Captain’s Grille Closing for Extensive Remodeling & Refurbishment

As we told you several months ago, Captain’s Grille at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort will be closing for several months to under go a massive remodeling and refurbishment project.

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The restaurant overhaul is part of the sweeping changes at the resort, including the ongoing room remodeling and the expansion of the convention center. During the closure from mid-May until the Fall of 2017, a temporary version of Captain’s Grille will open in the Ariel’s space next door to Martha’s Vineyard at the Beach Club.

Disney today confirmed the timeframe and that the project is taking place.

Captain’s Grille at Disney’s Yacht Club to Close for Major Overhaul in 2017

With the ongoing expansion of the Yacht and Beach Club Resort Convention Center at Walt Disney World, it only makes sense that other enhancements around the hotels would also be taking place to coincide with this ongoing work. The first of those major enhancements will be a remodeling of the Captain’s Grille restaurant at the Yacht Club Resort beginning in early 2017.

Captain's Grille at Disney's Yacht Club

Captain’s Grille at Disney’s Yacht Club

While no dates have been provided as of yet, the refurbishment will likely last for around 6-8 months and include a major remodeling of the restaurant’s interior and a pretty significant overhaul of the existing menu. It is unknown what the menu changes might be exactly, but one would assume that the popular (yet mostly unknown to the average guest) breakfast buffet will return.

Captain's Grille at Disney's Yacht Club

Captain’s Grille at Disney’s Yacht Club

Servers at the restaurant have been made aware of the closure over the last few weeks, but that information has not been deciminated to guests through any official avenues by Disney as of yet.

Captain's Grille at Disney's Yacht Club

Captain’s Grille at Disney’s Yacht Club

While Captain’s Grille continues to be a hidden gem of Walt Disney World dining, the interior of the restaurant is undoubtedly aging, a product of early-1990’s design. The restaurant has never undergone a significant remodeling in that time and has, for the most part, looked the same for over 25 years now.

The restaurant will likely see a surge in customers as the nearby convention center is expanded over the coming years. Guests at the facility will be in need of dining options, and Yacht and Beach are fairly short on dining capacity and counter service options. Captain’s Grille typically does not require an advance dining reservation (as it is rarely busy), but it does get a fair amount of foot traffic from the current convention center already.

Stay tuned for more information on this story as it becomes available.