California Grill worth it??

[chimo2u]

Hello My best friend (Disney Newbie), my son (15) and myself will be in WDW next Sept/Oct 2012.....I am trying to think about meals and where to go for our TS restaurants, as I will be on the Free Dining Plan again, but I only got us the basic plan....The upgrade to DLX is too steep, another almost $500 for the 3 of us Disney Adults.

Anyway , I have never been to Cali Grill, and I thought it might be something nice to do on our arrival night and hopefully watch wishes from our table. We are stayingat the POLY, so there will be lots of chances to watch wishes, but I thought this might be unique....as well I keep hearing great things about the food there.

So, my question is, is it worth the 2 TS credits it will cost us? are the portions decent? we are just on the basic ddp, so no appetizers for us. See, this is the reason I am re-thinking on maybe just swallowing the DLX upgrade charge and upgrading regardless. We are staying Club Level at the POLY too, so that's why I really did not want to pay the DDP upgrade. But....by eating at Cali Grill, it means I have to sacrifice a TS credit and eat CS for a dinner one night. Not a big deal, as our MNSSHP might be a good time for that, but it means paying out of pocket if we want some extras....
The TS I sacrificed for CS was not eating at OHANA the night of the MNSSHP and just eating at MK CS that night....and another night, taking a trip to Downtown Disney for Wolfgang Puck Express CS for dinner.

Now that I've gone off on a tangent,
I am wondering if my son will like it....He LOVES steak, but has never been to a fine-dining establishment....ARe there some good steak meals at California Grill??? Those names are pretty fancy for the food, I am hoping it does not throw him off!! The restaurants I have in mind for our 5 nights are:

Arrival Day, Sept 29, 2012: California Grill
Sunday, Sept 30 2012: Beach Club CapeMay Clambake
Monday, Oct 1, 2012 (Hoping for a MNSSHP night next yr on this date....dinner would be counter service as mentioned above)
Tuesday, October 2, 2012: Teppan Edo
Wed October 3, 2012: Lunch @ Sci Fi Diner
Dinner at a CS place perhaps Wolfgang Puck Express this night.

Doing it this way, we miss out on OHANA because I dont' have enough credits. This is where DLX dining would really be nice and allow for lots of new dining experiences like JIKO, Cali Grill, Yachtmans?, etc....however, the price upgrade is quite steep and with club level, I think it will be too much food.

So....for those who've been, any advice for me??? Do you think Cali Grill is worth it? Food Good? Decent portions? Worth the 2 TS? Will a Teenager like it?? lol....ok....and do you have any insight into my dining dilema...is it worth it to buck up and save the extra $400.00 or so it will cost 3 adults to upgrade for 5 nights???
Thanks for your help!
Marie

 

[OhThePain]

If you are looking to get good value out of the free DDP, then using 2 TS credits on any restaurant, with the exception of maybe HDDR, is not the way to go. IMO, it is not worth using 2 TS credits, but we would rather have apps. and then split a dessert. We also don't love CG the way some people do. Seeing Wishes from up there is worth doing every now and then, the view is great, but we find that the entrees are really hit or miss. To us, it ranks about 5th on our list when it comes to the food quality at the Signatures (and it's only that high because they have decent sushi).

However, if you don't care so much about the value of a TS credit since the DDP is free, that is a different story and I say go for it.

 

[goofyintoronto]

Its true that using 2 TS credits for a signature while on the reg DP isnt the best way to utilize your credits. We were on the reg DP last month and decided to hit up Cali Grill anyway thou. Cause we've never been and we were curious. After eating there, I didnt regret using the 2TS AT ALL. OMG it was the tastiest darn steak! (i asked for the sauce on the side....cause its better to dip the steak than to have it smothered all over in case it doesnt agree with your tastebuds). The steak was so tender and flavourful. It was possibly the best steak i've ever had to be honest. The mashed potatoes were wonderful as well. We shared the flat bread app (3 cheese sundried tomato). Another wow! The view was gorgeous. Its a lovely place. I think its worth a shot to be honest. My DS11 loved that place...he loved the steak, dessert, atmosphere. We left very satisfied and pretty stuffed to be honest.

I should add that if you look at the menu and decide you wanted sushi, i honestly wouldnt use 2TS credits for that. i'd pay OOP in that case.

WolfGang Puck is INCREDIBLE. I cannot stress that enough. Its definitely a must do on every trip.

Whatever you decide, im sure it'll be wonderful. Have a great trip!

 

[nkereina]

IMO, no. I agree about the 2 TS credits not being the best value, as PPs mentioned. And since you don't get apps on your plan, then you may end up paying OOP for some. Especially the sushi which people rave about, if you like it. The portions are smaller (think of other fine dining places you've been to), since it's signature you might be there for hours, and you may have a hard time getting a table to see Wishes, depending on what time your ADR is. Because there are so many courses, it's easy for people to hang onto their tables. You can still go out onto the observation deck to see Wishes though.

 

[River Country]

Best Restaurant in WDW

NUFF SAID

 

[goofyintoronto]

IMO, no. I agree about the 2 TS credits not being the best value, as PPs mentioned. And since you don't get apps on your plan, then you may end up paying OOP for some. Especially the sushi which people rave about, if you like it. The portions are smaller (think of other fine dining places you've been to), since it's signature you might be there for hours, and you may have a hard time getting a table to see Wishes, depending on what time your ADR is. Because there are so many courses, it's easy for people to hang onto their tables. You can still go out onto the observation deck to see Wishes though.

Just wanted to add to this.....I know ppl have said that cali grill takes forever. But we had our dinner ressie at 545pm and we were outta there approx 715pm. Thats with an appetizer, main course, dessert and drinks. Our meals were cooked very well, and the restaurant was busy enough. I guess they were on the ball that night. But its true that it might be a little difficult to get a table for wishes as a lot of ppl try to hang on to their table as long as possible. I personally dont think viewing from the observation deck is all that. I'd rather see it up close.

 

[hannahdrewmom]

Ok- so this may or may not work for you ... but' it's a tip I always give and it works great for us. We add up all our credits so if you are staying 5 nights you have 15 credits total. Then we figure out how to spend them.

Arrival Day, Sept 29, 2012: California Grill (4) pay 1 oop (choose entree that is cheapest of the 3 / share desserts)
Sunday, Sept 30 2012: Beach Club CapeMay Clambake (3)
Monday, Oct 1, 2012 CS (you could put a meal today now)
Tuesday, October 2, 2012: Teppan Edo (3)
Wed October 3, 2012: Lunch @ Sci Fi Diner (2) pay 1oop (choose entree that is cheapest of the 3 / share desserts)

That gives you 12 credits used and you would still have 3 credits left (giving you enough for a full table service another night. Lunch @ sci fi and 1 entree at CG will be way cheaper oop than upgrading to deluxe. My guess would be $50ish

 

[Gingerg11]

No. We ate there in August for the 1st time. The food was good, but was it the best food I ate that trip? No, that honor goes to Boma. Hubby and I ate there with our 23 yo son who also happens to love steak. He ordered the filet and thought it was good but not fantastic. He ordered it med rare and while it came that way, he said it was dry and needed the sauce that came with it. Not the best steak he ever ate and sort of small also.

Jennie

 

[chimo2u]

Do you think yactmans offers a better meal for our 2 TS credits, especially since we are steak lovers?

 

[Pakey]

I would never do Ca Grill on arrival night because it's a credit card guarantee restaurant and there's always a chance that arrival is delayed and you'd miss the meal but still pay a no-show fee.

I don't think any of the signatures are a good use of credits. It's one of the many reasons we no longer use the dining plans.

 

[chimo2u]

I would never do Ca Grill on arrival night because it's a credit card guarantee restaurant and there's always a chance that arrival is delayed and you'd miss the meal but still pay a no-show fee.

I don't think any of the signatures are a good use of credits. It's one of the many reasons we no longer use the dining plans.

I've Never had to use my credit card to guarantee anything when on the dining plan, last yr. For HDDR, concierge staff at BC IPO made my ressie and just stated dining plan as method of payment, I didn't get charged in advance. I am not too concerned about value per say more than the experience. I don't mind not getting 100% down to the last penny or more of savings with the DDP. I just like the convenience that things are prepaid. So with that said,Cali Grill or Yachtmans or somewhere else? Perhaps we can look at OHANA, it is only 1 TS credit/ and still a view of fireworks to be had..... Hmmm, now I am reconsidering! OHANA might just be the best way to go!

 

[TiggerTrigger]

While we LOVED Cali Grill (even our 5 yr old said it's been her fave meal so far at Disney- and that's out of 20 different TS meals), I don't think it's worth it for 2 credits on the standard DDP. We had the DxDP when we did it, so it was no biggie. Considering the appetizer options...if you opt to do it, it is probably worth paying OOP for having appetizers with your meal. As for food quality and portions...portions aren't gigantic, but they aren't tiny either. Quality is far superior to any 1 credit meals we've had. I mean, we've had nice 1 credit meals at place like Boma, 'Ohana, Rose & Crown, Le Cellier, Mama Melrose, and so on and so forth (I don't think you want a list of 30+ restaurants), but none of them hold a candle to the food quality, experience and service we got at Cali Grill. I also agree with a pp in that it's not a meal to have booked on night 1 unless you are certain you will make it (i.e. b/c of the credit card guarantee).

 

[amg35]

We went with 13 of us. At least 5 are very annoying food snobs. We were on the dining plan.

We all LOVED it. Between all of us, we probably had every entree on the menu! Myself and my 13 year old niece had the veal.....amazing, melted in your mouth. My sister loved the pork and my brother-in-law is still talking about the steak and this was in June!

We did pay out of pocket for the sushi, a few of us split a couple orders of rolls. Fantastic, some of the best sushi I've ever had.

Dessert was amazing and I don't even eat dessert. I had the creme brulee (sp?)

Now, our reservation was for 7 I think? We were there long enough to watch the fireworks-very nice. But we didn't mind, we are used to long dinners out with my dad! And we are a large party.

Highly, highly worth it!

Oh, and the portions were big enough! I was quite full.

 

[LGH1946]

I have booked reservations for 2. What time are the fireworks during mvmcp? Do we have to order 2 meals or can we just get one meal & share? Or can we share app. & dessert? I didn't say i had the dining plan when i booked. I just know you have to cancel within 48hours or your credit card will be charged.

 

[disneymd33]

Everyone says it's not a good way to use your credits. I personally don't know anything about that as I have never been on the DP before. But I say, if you really want to go, I say do it! Its definitely worth doing atleast once in your life! And you only live once!

 

[Mikey'swife]

We ate there in July it was good but we like Yachtsman better. If you really want to then try it, I would not say that it is a must do.

WPE is a great use of credits.

Honesly, I have heard that Poly CL is great, I would stick with ddp and enjoy cl and save dxdp for another trip sometime when you are not staying cl.

You could alway go and just pay for some apps oop- which were pretty good - loved the california roll and flatbreads.

 

[ToddyLu]

Yes, it is fantastic--worth every penny, every credit....I get my steak sauce on the side as well. Just expect it to be a bit noisy--that has been my only complaint this last 2-3 years. Food and service are terrific.

 

[annnewjerz]

I've Never had to use my credit card to guarantee anything when on the dining plan, last yr. For HDDR, concierge staff at BC IPO made my ressie and just stated dining plan as method of payment, I didn't get charged in advance. I am not too concerned about value per say more than the experience. I don't mind not getting 100% down to the last penny or more of savings with the DDP. I just like the convenience that things are prepaid. So with that said,Cali Grill or Yachtmans or somewhere else? Perhaps we can look at OHANA, it is only 1 TS credit/ and still a view of fireworks to be had..... Hmmm, now I am reconsidering! OHANA might just be the best way to go!

You won't get charged in advance, but you do have to provide a cc number because if you don't cancel within the cancellation period, you are charged $20 per guest dining on your reservation. This happens whether on the DDP or not.

 

[LGH1946]

NOT worth two table service!! I found it stuffy and we were sat as far away from the view of MK as possible. I can say been there, done that, never again.

 

[sotoalf]

NOT worth two table service!! I found it stuffy and we were sat as far away from the view of MK as possible.

Was this intentional on the part of the staff?