Cali Grill -- ADRs at 9:20; wishes at 10 pm; staying at BC?

[missymj]

Hello, 9:20 pm is all that is available for our party size. We will be able to view wishes (at 10 pm) and dine at the same time? Also, how do we get back to the BC? How long is the bus transportation running? I believe Magic Kingdom is closed at 10 pm.

Thanks

 

[darthtatty]

going to the caslifornia grill on the last night of my holiday is my biggest regret! we wanted to hold our wedding dinner there but was told they didnt do that there so we chose Citricos at the GF, it was amazing!
booked a table at CG for 7.30pm, imagine my surprise when there was a wedding party there! waited over an hour for a table even though we booked! 30 mins to order, 45mins for starters then an hour for our meal.
in my opinion the view of wishes was very disappointing and there was no music like you got at MK. was told we couldnt order dessert as there wasnt time!
wish you luck!

 

[Princess Amy]

We had a wonderful time at CG last December. Although, to eat your entire meal was a good 2 hours or so. That was when the dining plan had appetizer, entree, and dessert.

I booked our ADR to coincide with Holiday Wishes. Our server told us to go outside about 15 minutes early before the rush of other customers went outside. She also told us to let her know when we were going outside so she could keep our food warm. And by gosh, she did. We were in the middle of eating our main course, when we told her we were going out, and she took all our plates and placed them in the warmer till we got back. What a wonderful server! We had a perfect upfront spot for the fireworks. And the music is so loud from the Magic Kingdom that we could hear everything. I know the previous poster said the music wasn't piped in outside. But to us it didn't matter because you could hear it from the park.

The buses might still be running from the Magic Kingdom after you eat, depending upon what time you are done. I believe busses run up to 2 hours after park closing. Might be an hour. Either way if your too hesitant to try with Magic Kingdom, just go down to the busses at the Contemporary, take the one to Downtown Disney, then hop on your bus to the BC. Yeah it may be wasted time, but you will be so stuffed from CG that the sitting will be lovely. Have fun, enjoy your dinner, and don't worry. It will be a magical night.

 

[Hootch]

the park should be open at least another hour to allow people to exit and shop. Buses do run an hour after the park closes. Your best option is to walk over to the MK or take the monrail and catch a direct bus to your hotel. The walk is relatively short and should be pleasant after dinner. We stayed at the Contemporary when my wife was five months pregnant and made the walks several times.

 

[MrsWaltDisney86]

I kinda had the same Question. I just get a ADR for CG at 9:40 was the only nighttime one left. The guy at Disney Dineing told me to get there at 9:30 to hope for early seating (anyone heard of this) so that we can go outside and see wishes. Do you think we will be ok getting to see it and getting a table at the same time???

HELP!

 

[MrsWaltDisney86]

Bump Still needing Help!

 

[Pakey]

We ate at CG in January; we waited 50 minutes past our ADR time to get a table as they frequently really back up the closer it gets to Wishes as people do not want to leave when they are done eating--they linger at their tables for the fireworks. It is very common here to wait past your ADR time but our Jan trip was the longest wait we've ever had here. There was no place in the lounge or bar to sit and there were probably close to 50 people standing by the elevators in very close quarters waiting for their tables. Once seated, Our meal took every bit of 2 hours so MK was long closed by the time we were done with our meal.

You will be allowed up and can go out on the observation decks to watch the fireworks, even if you have not gotten your table yet. Do not count on getting a window seat where you will have good viewing for the fireworks. In the 5+ times we have eaten here, we've only had a good window table once. All other times we've had to go out onto the decks to watch. The servers will hold your courses to accommodate this.

We took a cab from CR back to BC on this last trip. For the $20, it was worth it to not have to ride buses.

 

[MrsWaltDisney86]

Well if we have an ADR for 9:40pm and (by the sounds of it) dont get seated right away. Will the buses still be running when we are done eatting? We have to get back to POP from Contemporary

 

[Pakey]

The buses run until 2am to/from resorts to DTD.

 

[danceintherain]

This is making me re-think my plans for the CG during the MK Fireworks. I thought that maybe since I was going in January it would be less crowded, but apparently that's not the case. I would rather have a pleasant time effective meal, than a meal with fireworks.

 

[Pakey]

This is making me re-think my plans for the CG during the MK Fireworks. I thought that maybe since I was going in January it would be less crowded, but apparently that's not the case. I would rather have a pleasant time effective meal, than a meal with fireworks.

The food at CG is very good. I would not go here just because it provided a meal with fireworks as the fireworks view here is not nearly as spectacular as watching it from the park itself. Unless we go with newbies (as we did in January) we try to book our meals here an hour after the fireworks as the place really clears out at that time.

We go every January and this year I was really surprised at how busy the restaurants were. Parks were still empty but all of the restuarants were very full. I expect to wait at Coral Reef and Le Cellier but I was very surprised at how long we waited here. I've read a few other reviews that have expressed long waits now at CG also so I think word is out about this place and the fireworks.