BCV Room 378 and Calif.Grille Stuff

[BAYBREEZEDISNEY]

Good morning...just back from Nov trip to BCV. We stayed in Villa 378 which was the very last villa facing the waterway (where we visited with the allagator on a daily basis! Our villa was wonderful and very clean..not one problem. It was a dedicated 2-BR with two queens in 2nd bedroom. We checked in about 10:30a and were told they could not meet our request for quiet pool view (did not really understand why...he said it was just the luck of the drawer?) Our Villa was not ready (not unexpected) and we enjoyed the pools. About 3:00p it was ready!

A wonderful stay with only one disappointment. Booked the California Grille for the Wed. night at 6:00p in order to view Wishes. It was a special gift for my sister and her daughter. We were shown to our table which was not a window one but not bad. We were very excited....waiting for the lights to dim and the music to start.....DID NOT HAPPEN...all of a sudden we saw everyone leaving the restaurant and heading outside to the viewing area. Once we found our server, we asked what happened. Oh, she said...we no longer do the viewing from the restaurant...it was too much trouble and delayed our schedules. I was VERY UNHAPPY!! The whole purpose of going to the Grille was to view the fireworks from the windows! It is quite pricey to dine there and the fireworks could have been viewed without dining. Not at any time, when I made the reservation nor when I called to confirm upon arring in Florida, was there any indication that the process had changed! It was mobbed on the observation deck and happened to be quite chilly...it was not at all a pleasant experience.

Other than that, another nearly perfect vacation!

 

[tinkgrl]

Hi,

Glad you had a good time!!!

Allison aka Ms. Sparrow

 

[Stimpy]

Thanks for the report. I'm sorry to hear about the California Grill but I can see why they are doing it from a business stand point. People were just sitting at the tables much longer than regular diners so they could see Wishes. They can make more money with a quicker turnover of tables.

 

[Lexxiefern]

That is too bad about California Grill - thanks for the heads up on it. Sorry you were disappointed

Doesn't room 378 face the quiet pool? Or were you too far down to actually see the pool?

 

[BAYBREEZEDISNEY]

Lexxifern...room 378 is at the very end of the building adjacent to the parking lot....it was great access to pick up your car...took stairs and bingo was right there!

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

We ate at the California Grill tonight and watched "wishes" from our table. While the lights weren't as low and the music volume wasn't as high as it was on our last trip, it was still very nice and we found no need to go out onto the deck. Our waitress was great. She told us to take our time and enjoy the show.

HBC

 

[sloneta]

Funny you hould report on villa 378 - we were initially given that room Saturday the 20th, but when my DH and I walked in, we were so disappointed in its condition that we asked to be moved. The room was clean, but the amount of wear and tear was unacceptable, especially given the fact that we had guests this trip. The baseboards were awful, an electric faceplate in the kitchen was broken, table was gouged, and the corners of the walls were all beaten up exposing the metal corners.

We pointed all this and more out to the runner who came to show us another villa to see if it was acceptable. It (433) was better, but still looking worn. Glad you enjoyed it though.

tara

 

[dallastxcpa]

So sorry to hear about your CG experience. I hope it was just a fluke. Maybe there was something wrong with the stereo system that night. I once at at Narcosse's and the food was wonderful, but when we went out to the observation deck to watch the fireworks the speakers kept cutting out. It really took away from the whole experience.

 

[KNWVIKING]

CG has undergone several operating changes in the last year or so. The outside observation deck was at one time a little known about magical gem. Sadly, it became an extremely popular location for freeloaders to come and view the fireworks while at the same time ruining the dining experience of guests paying top dollar to dine there. They have tried a few things to limit the abuse but we all know that rules and guidelines only apply to the "other" guy. There have been recent reports of early diners simply not leaving their tables until after the fireworks, which means of course that those people who did their homework,planned ahead & made a PS to coincide with "Wishes" were simply left to sit by the elevator & wait an extra hour or so.

Last plan that was known to be in affect was people with PS' must check in on the 2nd floor. Only those guests are permitted to take the elevator into CG. To try and discourage guests from "lingering" after their meal at the table, they no longer dim the lights or play the music. You can stay if you wish, but they want you out on the deck.

 

[Bracho]

Thanks for the heads-up.. I can understand how it was a major problem for them but it is a shame, sitting.. having dinner and watching the fireworks show is very cool...

 

[The4OfUs]

It's funny, I watched a show on Discovery High Def this past Thursday, from 2003, something about "Secrets of Disney" - and one of them was "Go to the CG, and they will turn down the lights and put up the music for the fireworks!". I had read that they had stopped this (on the restaurant board here) and thought "Gee, there's going to be alot of disappointed folks on THAT one..." =/

 

[Laurajean1014]

I love CA grill and the fact that the fireworks were viewed, was an added bene. However, it will not stop me from going. It's one of my favorite dinners.

Thanks for posting.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the BCV. We really like it there too. The quiet pool is very nice and relaxing!

Sorry to hear you were disappointed in CG. I've been reading similar reports on the restaurant board about the changes. Personally, we love the food at CG. Ate there twice for the fireworks when they had it piped in and running through as normal. Although, with the chaos and crowds over seeing the fireworks from CG, we've decided to have dinner there as to not see the fireworks...the food is wonderful!