California Grill thoughts

[tatajess]

I hope you enjoy your meal there!

We ate at CG on our last vacation and had a reservation sometime around 6pm. We were given a beeper to wait for our table, which went off as soon as we got off of the elevator to the restaurant itself. We were seated in the wine room and enjoyed a nearly private meal as just us and one other table were filled! The view from this room is not as good as the MK view. You can see a bit of Epcot in the distance and the lagoon, but we were distracted by circling vultures.

The food was good, but we did enjoy meals at other places much more. Of course, our meal ended before the fireworks, so we hopped the monorail and explored the other resorts and did some shopping before returning. Like someone else said, just show your receipt and you can go right back up to see the fireworks. Even if you are eating during the fireworks, just inform the waiter that you would like to watch from the walkway. There shouldn't be any problems.

I know a lot of people like seeing them in the MK better, but I loved them from the Contemporary! Each burst looked like they were coming right at you and the music was piped in so you could hear it well. It was nice to enjoy it in a quiet, uncrowded location!

Hope this helps!

 

[skeletor40]

Wow, I appreciate all the comments and advice. I will keep my receipt in case I decide to see the fireworks from the observation deck. I actually don't mind the noise and kids that much. I am in Disneyworld after all. The only things that I mind are being shoved in a corner and poor service. Otherwise I'm pretty mellow. Gods, I really can't wait to eat there.

 

[disneymd33]

I ate there once. We had the perfect window seat and had time the reservation perfectly for the fireworks. We had just finished out dinner and our desert just came out when the fireworks started. We sat at our table and watched the fireworks and had the best view! Plus, I could still nibble at dessert while watching the show. What more could I ask for???

 

[atrain1024]

but really is expensive.
view is sick.

 

[skeletor40]

Hello IansMom. Happy Birthday in advance to your DH. What better way to celebrate a birthday than eating at WDW? I hope to see you there as well. I'll be the single youngish guy (Well, 42 years is kind of young) with a blissful expression on his face.

 

[west&east]

Can someone please describe the atmosphere in the wine room? I have read it is quieter. I always envisioned it being an interior space but I just read a description in the UG of it having "amazing views" (unless there is some other room off the main dining room?) What is the view of?

 

[Leanne1977]

We absolutely love the California Grill, its our favourite onsite. We have been 4 times so far and I will be booking it again for August.

We have always had a wonderful meal and excellent service. Our last meal here was on Christmas Day and it was great. My DH would certainly recommend the chicken entree, he said it was one of the best things he's ever eaten! I also love the fact that their vegetarian dishes are that little more exciting. I always have a great veggie meal here.

It is noisy but I find it more of an excited buzz than an annoyance. We think its a special place and like to dress to reflect that. So we always go smart, even our boys have trousers, shirt and proper shoes. But it is disappointing sometimes to see other diners wearing t-shirts, shorts, caps and flip flops. But that doesn't detract from our enjoyment.

Have a wonderful meal.

 

[D&R love Disney]

We love the wine room. It's a small room in the back corner of the restaurant. Some where around 6-10 tables with wine racks on the wall. 2 sides are all glass and it overlooks bay lake. Very nice, much quieter than the rest of the restaurant.

We had a very nice meal there this past summer, the cheese plate was very good.

 

[Bricket]

We are guests of the Contemporary and want to make a reservation for CG on Easter. Is this not a good idea? Or is all of Disney hella crowded for Easter and we should just stop worrying about it and go with the flow?

 

[laughinplace199]

We had a wonderful dinner at CG this past Sunday. DH & I ran the marathon that morning (my first marathon), so we wanted a nice dinner to celebrate and CG did not disappoint! We were lucky enough to be seated at a window table. When we sat down, we noticed that there was castle-shaped confetti sprinkled on the tables. It was such a nice touch. We had a wonderful server (Becky, I think?) and the food was fabulous. We finished our dessert around 7:30 (had a 6:00 ADR). Our server told us we were welcome to stay at the table for the fireworks (at 8:00), but we were staying at the CR, so we opted to watch them from our balcony instead. It was a great dinner. I hope yours is as well. Enjoy!