California Grill questions

[Hidden_Mickey]

I have been to WDW three times but have never been to California Grill. DH and I are celebrating a big anniversary and would like to eat there during MK fireworks to celebrate. We are going April 22nd for a week. We are already within 180 day window. Do we have a chance of making this happen?! We can go any day that week. Are there days of the week that are quieter and may have more availability?

Fireworks are at 9:00 all that week. What time should we make a reservation for dinner? How does it work? Do you really want to be right in the middle of dinner at 9:00, or would it be better to plan to be eating dessert at that time? What if we had a reservation at 7:30 and were done eating by 9:00? Can we stay a few minutes and go out on the observation deck to watch? Are there any crazy rules we need to be aware of?

How strict is the dress code? Can I go in casual pants that are 3/4 length (think pedal pushers) and a nice fitted tee shirt from Land's End? I will be wearing Crocs sandals. DH will wear dress shorts, a polo shirt and sneakers. We want to spend the day at MK, then go right to the Contemporary for dinner. We don't want to have to go back to our resort to change before dinner.

Thank you!

 

[loves to dive]

If you can't get an ADR now, just keep trying. We got one on a week before Chirstmas trip day of. FWs were at 9, our ADR was around 9:15 but we got there early and decided to see if we could go ahead and get a table. No problem. The FWs were just starting and it was very loud, so loud our server had to tell us he would bring our drinks and come back after they were over to take our order. It got even louder when they ended and everyone came inside who had been out on the desk watching but calmed down in about 5 min. We weren't there to watch the FWs just happened that way.

Your clothes should be fine. I had on park clothes, which for me that day were capris and a top with a sweater and sandals. My son had on jeans and a polo shirt and tennis shoes.

 

[drwadadli]

Don't give up hope. I would keep checking back. The times to check back are:

60-days ---- this is when most people can make FP+ selection and sometimes FP+ times outweigh dining reservations.
30-days ---- this is when final payment for Disney packages are due without penalty so sometimes plans change and people have to cancel their trips and therefore have to cancel their dining reservations.
7-days ---- this is usually when "last minute" changes occur and people might change dining reservations (as mentioned above @loves to dive)

As for your attire, I think you will be fine. Be sure to ask for a quiet location. Personally, for my wife and I, we don't think California Grill is very quiet or romantic. Yes, it has a great view of the fireworks but for us, the food and atmosphere is better elsewhere. We have been known to grab a drink at the California Grill lounge (pre-dinner drink), go eat somewhere else on the monorail loop and then return to California Grill (show your receipt from the lounge) to see the fireworks. We also prefer dining at Narcoossee's and getting a table by the window to watch the fireworks, enjoy a much quieter atmosphere and better food (in our opinion).

Either way, congrats and have a great time.

 

[kaytieeldr]

People could cancel CG (almost any) dining reservation as close as the day before. Never give up. There's always the lounge, if there's room.

Probably 8 PM, if you can get it, allows for both seating delays and stepping out onto the deck between courses. Let your server know you plan to do this, they can time your courses appropriately.

 

[kiford]

We like to get ADR's around 7:30-8:00 pm. We are generally late diners but we also find that it's a bit quieter (fewer children) with later dining times. With earlier dining times, I would also feel more like I need to not linger so much over dinner so as to free up a table. I feel more like I can spend however much time I like when I dine later. We're usually still there during fireworks but have never bothered to get up and watch. We're usually too absorbed in our conversation and food but we could certainly have gone out between courses if we'd wanted to.

I've cancelled CG reservations the day before and I've also picked up (and modified) reservations within 1-2 weeks of our trip. If you can't get something right away, keep checking.

 

[Ross Kratter]

I've gotten reservations there on the day of, and also well within the 180-day window, before.

 

[cobright]

I have been to WDW three times but have never been to California Grill. DH and I are celebrating a big anniversary and would like to eat there during MK fireworks to celebrate.

My wife and I did this to celebrate our 20th last year. CG is her favorite and this dinner is one of the best we've had at Disney.

Do we have a chance of making this happen?!

Yes. No problem. But call the dining phone number and request a return call from the CG manager. My wife did this and was able to arrange a better reservation time than we got through ADR and arranged to have a bottle of sparkling wine chilling at the table when we arrived.

Fireworks are at 9:00 all that week. What time should we make a reservation for dinner? How does it work? Do you really want to be right in the middle of dinner at 9:00, or would it be better to plan to be eating dessert at that time? What if we had a reservation at 7:30 and were done eating by 9:00? Can we stay a few minutes and go out on the observation deck to watch? Are there any crazy rules we need to be aware of?

Even if the fireworks happen in the middle of dinner, the waitstaff is completely cool about it and it's not uncommon for most people to head out to the observation decks for the 15 minute show then return to the meal. If you take a 7:30 res and you're done with your meal well before 9:00, you might ask the server if they would mind seating you in the lounge or at the bar for coffee or a cocktail to wait for the fireworks. They'll probably tell you it's fine to keep your seat until then.

How strict is the dress code? Can I go in casual pants that are 3/4 length (think pedal pushers) and a nice fitted tee shirt from Land's End? I will be wearing Crocs sandals. DH will wear dress shorts, a polo shirt and sneakers.

The dress code is not terribly strict and I doubt your suggested attire would get any sort of official disapproval. That said... CG really is a great opportunity to dress to the nines, or at least to dress up a bit. Short of white tie formal you will not out-dress the restaurant and that's a rare thing to encounter these days. To come straight from the parks, it's really not a hardship to bring along a change of clothes and stow it in a locker on the way in.

 

[gharter]

Use Reservation finder on Touringplans. They have found hard to get reservatons for us.
I would try and get an ADR about an hour before fireworks.
If you can't, get an earlier ADR.
After dinner, walk t othe park or go to a lounge for a bit and come back up to watch fireworks. You can do that if you ate there earlier in the night.