California Grill with toddlers

[ASOG123]

I know it's Disney so kids are "welcome" almost everywhere. I booked CG for 9:05 our first night. I'm doing a split stay with the deluxe dining plan the first 2 nights. We have an afternoon arrival and I thought this would be a nice arrival night dinner. My kids are 11,9,4 and almost 2.
Also we have reservations for The Wave the very next night, are they too similar?
My current reservations utilizing the dining plan are as follows:
Arrival Day- California Grill 2 credits
HS- Fantasmic! H&V lunch 1 credit
The Wave dinner 1 credit
Epcot- Akershus lunch 1 credit
Via Napoli dinner 1 credit

We'll supplement meals with our snack credits and any snack credits left will go towards pastries from the boardwalk bakery.

Thanks for any insights/suggestions!!

 

[Marlyn]

I'm not really sure what you're asking here....as a parent though, I question the 9:00 dinner with young children. I am not questioning it because I think they shouldn't be in the restaurant....what I'm concerned about, knowing what my own kids were like....there would be a meltdown of some sort with a dinner that late. (Especially on arrival day). Tired, excited kids...late night....hungry....My boys would have probably had some sort of embarrassing episode. Maybe your kids are more adaptable but if it were me I would do Cali Grill later in the trip. Its not the kind of restaurant I'd want my kids melting down in....

Akershus, via Napoli, H&V....all great choices. Not sure about the wave...haven't tried it.

Also... To Dis!!

 

[imthemamahere]

Okay, I'll address the "with toddlers" bit first. We brought our son to dinner with us at California Grill when he was 2 1/2 and again at 3 1/2, so toddlers are definitely not unheard of there. That said, 9pm is late for dinner for most little kids. I don't know how your family normally schedules the day/meals, but you might want to give your kids a snack around 4/5pm so they aren't ravenous by 9pm, and so the little ones, if they are just too tired to stay up that late, don't end up going to bed hungry. At 2 1/2, our son konked out during our meal at California Grill - we had the stroller with us, so we tucked him in to that and he just slept beside the table as we finished our meal. Not a problem.

As for the rest of what you posted - I'm not really sure what you're asking for, so I'm not sure what else to suggest.

 

[caliope]

I know it's Disney so kids are "welcome" almost everywhere. I booked CG for 9:05 our first night. I'm doing a split stay with the deluxe dining plan the first 2 nights. We have an afternoon arrival and I thought this would be a nice arrival night dinner. My kids are 11,9,4 and almost 2.
Also we have reservations for The Wave the very next night, are they too similar?
My current reservations utilizing the dining plan are as follows:
Arrival Day- California Grill 2 credits
HS- Fantasmic! H&V lunch 1 credit
The Wave dinner 1 credit
Epcot- Akershus lunch 1 credit
Via Napoli dinner 1 credit

We'll supplement meals with our snack credits and any snack credits left will go towards pastries from the boardwalk bakery.

Thanks for any insights/suggestions!!

We took our 3 year old last month and he did very well at California Grill. But, we had a 5:30 ADR. The meal was definitely one of the more leisurely paced ones we had on our trip so we weren't done until around 7:15. The server was very accommodating and brought my son's food when we signaled it was a good time (told us he just needed a 5 min heads up). My son is a slow eater so he finished around the time we were finishing our entrees, though his food came out with our appetizers. Had we started dinner after 9:00, I don't think my son would have faired nearly as well. That being said, if your children are used to being up and eating late, perhaps it won't be an issue. Overall it was a nice experience and I'm glad we brought our son. He's used to similar restaurants at home, so I think that helped. For us, though, timing is everything.

 

[jmkjr72]

At 9pm you are going to be eating with a lot of people that picked that time for the fireworks they turn the lights off and pipe in music when the fireworks start
Will your young children be able to handle the late night with all the travel and not have a melt down
Yes disney is for kids and kid friendly is expected but some times parents need to take a step back and think about how they could effect others with things like an extremely late meal on travel day if a child has a melt down

 

[BigAlsGal]

Sounds like my nightmare! Lol. I wouldn't (not because of kids at Cali grill, mainly just the circumstances). It's your trip. Do what you want.

 

[minnie mum]

Are you in the habit of having a 1.5 - 2 hour dinner at 9:00 at home? We have found that when our kids were that young ( and now with DGS) that they did much better if we kept their meal times close to their regular routine at home. Travel days can be pretty tiring. A late signature dinner on top of that might be too much for them.

Are you also expecting to make RD in the parks the next morning?h

 

[mousegear]

We've done CG on arrival night and it's a great way to start your vacation. However, I wouldn't do dinner that late with kids. When my son was that young, we would do early dinner around 5:30~6:00 at CG and we will play/look around the resort and return to CG later to watch the wishes. It gave him the chance to burn the energy and also he would be very cranky, trying to seat through a three course meal at that time.

 

[Nancyg56]

I wish you much good luck with this meal. I think you may need it.

We have always taken our DGD to dinner, no matter where we went, so I am not opposed to little ones in any WDW restaurant. What I think is a nightmare waiting to happen is taking little ones to a late night meal on a travel day. THis is a long meal and depending on the diners already in place you may m=be waiting a while to be seated. You see, your ADR is at the same time some families are locked in place with their coffee and dessert and are not budging til after WIshes. You will be waiting your turn. Now you be not wait, bt best be prepared.

And once you are seated, this meal takes time. Are your kids generally nightowls who are used to staying uo and dining late. If not, especially given this is a travel day, I woudl make a change. YOu may be setting your forst few days up to be pretty exhausting.

 

[Mainemama]

CG is the one place I have taken my older kids to and left the 3 year old in the hotel (with daddy). Babysitter would also be an option for this age. I am sure they won't ask you to leave, but I think you would enjoy it more with the older kids. (My 8 year old was fine, but he is a foodie.) we dressed up and my kids knew this was best manners. CG is the type of place where we witnessed a proposal. I was very glad my kids were dressed nicely and were quiet and well mannered. I would have been uncomfortable with my toddler (but she is one to run into the kitchen... Not so easy to manage.) unless you are coming from the west coast, 9:00 is too late for any kid in my opinion.

 

[Runnergal]

We loved CG with our 4yo and 2yo last month, but we went at 5:30. They were well-behaved, pretty much sat and watched their iPads. They were also interested in the view. The restaurant is loud, so normal kid voices were not a problem. They loved the kids pizza. All that said, 9pm is late for dinner, even for me, and I am sure it would have been a different story at that hour. I don't think my older kids would have enjoyed it either. Only you know your kids though. Personally, if I was set on going that late, I would get a sitter.

 

[Hopefully]

I agree with everyone else. Travel Day is exhausting for everyone. 9 PM is very late for a 2 hour dinner for most 2 and 4 year olds on a normal day. I would switch it around so we did CG the next night earlier, if at all

 

[RachaelA]

Are you from the west coast? So 9pm is actually 6pm and normal dinner time?

I have 2 super flexible kids under 5. There is still no way a 9pm dinner would not be a disaster.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The likelihood of being seated late at a 9PM at Cali Grill is very high, as well.

Are your kids ready to be at dinner until midnight? What is your usual time zone?

 

[cgh]

Yeah-I'd agree with the others. I'm assuming you travel with your kids all the time, they normally eat that late, and are good about sitting still for a couple hours.

For us, with a 7 and 2 year old, we are still very much about getting acclimated at the hotel and doing something simple for dinner. They are excited from traveling, and just being at Disney. I also like early bedtime, early rise for rope drop in the am. Character meals have worked well that first night because the characters offer some entertainment. For me, my kids, a 9 pm with them at any restaurant would be my personal nightmare, particularly one where adults are having dates and things. (I know we got a babysitter our CG night)

 

[Nancyg56]

Yeah-I'd agree with the others. I'm assuming you travel with your kids all the time, they normally eat that late, and are good about sitting still for a couple hours.

For us, with a 7 and 2 year old, we are still very much about getting acclimated at the hotel and doing something simple for dinner. They are excited from traveling, and just being at Disney. I also like early bedtime, early rise for rope drop in the am. Character meals have worked well that first night because the characters offer some entertainment. For me, my kids, a 9 pm with them at any restaurant would be my personal nightmare, particularly one where adults are having dates and things. (I know we got a babysitter our CG night)

My DGD was a night owl when she was a youngster, and instead of trying o haul her out of bed for an early RD, we tended to keep her schedule later. She was well behaved in all the signature restaurants we dined in, but on arrival night? Not a chance would we have put her or ourselves through it. WE booked character meals and then back to the resort for bed.

OP- keep in mind that these meals are pricey, and for many of us, they are pretty special. I am not suggesting that your kids would struggle, or that you are "THAT" family, but my family has sat through several meals at signature restaurants, watching parents try to keep their kids either awake, or from melting down, or contained. It is easy to fall into the trap of taking that coveted ADR that everyone says is a "must do" even when we know it is not at a time our kids are going to be comfortable with. 9 PM ADR's at CG and 9:30 at 'Ohana, all the while praying that they will let us in earlier, or that someone will get out so we can go in before the kids collapse.

It really is all about your own family schedule and knowing what your kids (or hungry spouse) will tolerate for meals and dining times, all the while understanding that an ADR is really a place in line, and not a set in stone reservation. I learned my lesson last August when I scheduled too many early mornings for the kids traveling with us. Yes, we beat the heat, but those girls were miserable a few times, and I won't do it again.

 

[Three cats]

Add me to the list of those who think you're setting yourself up for a disaster at that hour. I would be inclined to switch it to another night and earlier at that.

 

[schoen]

The OP does not seem to be seeking advice on whether or not she should take young kids to CG late at night. The only question that I can see in this post is wondering if CG and THe WAve are too close in concept/theme/menu. The answer to that is no. They are completely separate experiences, there should be no worries on that front!

 

[maxiesmom]

I have to question the wisdom of such a late meal on arrival day too. My 24 year old nephew and I had an 8 pm dinner at Le Ceiller on arrival day our last trip, and we were both about falling asleep at the table 30 minutes in. No way would I want to do a meal that will last 90+ late on arrival day, let alone with little ones. Maybe that is not the question the OP was asking, but I think it is something worth thinking about.

 

[GillianP1301]

There are plenty of kids at Cali Grill, so I wouldn't worry about bringing a toddler, assuming that toddler has eaten at longer TS meals before and managed okay. However, my experience is with an earlier, more family friendly dining time (6ish). Although I've never done a late dinner there, I would venture to guess kids would be a bit scarce at 9pm.

Usually my number one piece of advice for people travelling to WDW with young children is to maintain your eat and sleep time as close to home as possible, it will all but eliminate over tired/hungry kid meltdowns. So unless your normal routine has you eating as late as 9pm, I would reconsider the time but definitely say go for it with Cali Grill.