While my parents had the children at the Luau, DH and I had "date night"!!! Not bad, huh?? Built in babysitters!

Perhaps that's why we invited them to go on our next WDW vacation....just kidding, dad!
Our ressies were at 9pm (I know, kinda late, but we wanted to be there for the fireworks) We decided that that we would leave early and just stroll around the Poly, then head over to the CR and stroll around there.
It's always a tradition for us to make silly hat pictures...DS9 request this of his parents, so we have to comply. This pic is at the Poly.
We arrived at the CR, via monorail of course! Can you tell how much I love the monorail???!! This hotel brings back so many good memories of when I was a child. My family had some great times here!!
We headed over to their gift shops to see what we could find....and yes....we found another opportunity for DH to get a silly hat picture. Ya know, you can be as ridiculous as you want at Disney and no one bats an eye...it's all considered normal at WDW!
Around 8:15 we decided to go ahead and check in even though our ressies were at 9pm.
There is actually a place downstairs (Cali Grill is on the top floor of CR) for you to check in. And when I say downstairs, I mean like floor 3 or 4....something like that. Does anyone remember which floor? The guy that checked us in was super friendly. He told us about the observation deck to watch the fireworks and the bar area, etc.
When you get off the elevator at Cali Grill, this is what you will see.....
Even though this is a very "adult" restaurant, there were children around, even babies....notice the strollers in this picture. No complaints, though. All the kids were very well behaved. DH and I have contemplated taking our children next June...we'll see.
DH and I did snag a small table in the bar area and had a couple of drinks. Now...here comes a complaint (the only one I have for this restaurant) DH went to the bar to get a drink. The lady that was bartending was less than friendly. He asked her for a Mojito. She looks at him like he had horns coming out of his head and said very rudely, "we don't serve drinks like THAT here." and she walked off. Extremely strange for typical Disney service. Anyway, that will be my only complaint. And it really didn't bother him too much, we were enjoying our time together and taking in the GREAT atmosphere!!
You can see the entire MK, Poly & GF from the restaurant. We walked outside on the observation deck to see what that was all about....great view up there of BLT... that place looks super cool!!!
We were seated before 9pm by the window. Our waiter was fabulous!! He was very attentive, very nice! He immediately told us that we could just get up and go watch the fireworks and he would get our order when we returned. Also....FYI...there are 2 observation decks. (this info came from our waiter) There is one that most people go directly to, then there is the other one that is not as easy to find, and I think, a bit smaller.
I attempted to make pictures of the fireworks. Apologies for the poor quality, but I'm still in the process of learning how to use my new camera. (The music is pipped in on the deck.)
Okay....no one start flaming me, but I'm getting ready to state my opinion. And let me preface this by saying that we did really enjoy the fireworks from the roof!! It was great....BUT....we have watched the fireworks from 4 locations; Mainstreet, Poly, GF & Cali Grill. MainStreet is obviously a great location that can't be beat. IMO, though, the Poly beats the GF & CR for this reason. When you are at the CR & GF, you are watching the fireworks from the side, so you can tell that the fireworks are coming from different places in the MK. When you are watching from the Poly, it's dead on center and looks like the fireworks are right over the castle. Don't get me wrong, it was really cool to be so close to the fireworks and MK, but I still prefer the Poly for my viewing location.
Okay, so on with the food situation! Since we were on the Dxdp, we were able to get sushi as our appetizers. Holy cow!!!!! If you like sushi, you will LOVE Cali Grill.....a beautiful presentation, too.
DH and I probably should have just ordered 1 appetizer. It was soooooo much food...almost like a meal, really.
Don't worry if you aren't a sushi lover....there are plenty of other options! And before I forget, if you are a wine expert, there are TONS of selections!!!! Our waiter was very knowledgeable of all wines....thank goodness, because I'm not.
For dinner, DH and I ordered the same thing....an oakgrilled fillet...it looks small, but was really thick and super yummmmmmmmmy!!!!
Honestly, by the end of dinner, I could barely put another bite in my mouth, but the waiter talked us into trying the Bananas & Caramel......so we ordered one.
Okay....we should have ordered TWO! This is one of the best desserts at Disney. I've said that before, haven't I???
So, the big question once again.....Would we return???????
YES! MOST DEFINITELY! ABSOLUTELY! WITHOUT A DOUBT! Fabulous service (minus the bartender) fabulous atmosphere & fabulous food!!!!! Next time, though, we will be taking my parents with us....and the kids.....NEXT JUNE
Stay tuned for STAR WARS at DHS......