Did anyone eat at the California Grill during the fireworks?

[kk8273]

I am trying to decide if I should take my DH, DS age 4 and DS age 8 to the California Grill to see the fireworks? Is it worth it? Will they get a good view? and what is the dress code? Not sure if I really should do this or not.
Any suggestions?

 

[Amps]

We got engaged there in May right after the fireworks. As you'll see when you get there, only about 1/4 of the seats have a good view of the MK. The majority of the restaurant got up and went out to the observation deck to watch them. If you do want to sit and watch them, I'd aim to get an early ADR (7:00-7:15 or earlier) and ask to sit at a window table facing the MK. You'll probably have to wait a little while to be seated but may be worth it. On the other hand, we were seated in the wine tasting room which looks over the lake behind the contemporary which was a very nice view but most of all, it is much quieter if you're looking for a little romance and quiet conversation.

 

[vicki845]

My kids at the time were 18 months and 4 yrs old. They were sleeping by the time the fireworks rolled around. The observation deck was a great place to see them. You can also view them if you have a window seat as well but ir's not the same as going outside on the deck. The dress code is business casual. When we were there I saw people in dressy clothes as well as nice shorts like dockers and a polo shirt.

 

[kk8273]

Thanks for the advice. I will show to my husband and see what he thinks. Not sure what my kids are going to be like @ 9:30.

 

[vicki845]

Thanks for the advice. I will show to my husband and see what he thinks. Not sure what my kids are going to be like @ 9:30.

You could take them back to the hotel for a nap and then go to dinner from there. Our kids fell asleep because they had a full day at Mk especially my dd who was 4 when we went. I loved the Calif Grill. The food, atmosphere and the fireworks. We are not going back in August only because there are so many restaurants that I want to try but I will go back one day.

 

[kk8273]

Thanks, maybe I will just give it a try.

 

[Buttercup Roberts]

It's a fun place to be at if you happen to be there during the fireworks - you run outside onto this (pretty ugly) concrete walkway and then go back to your table.

But I would NEVER suggest it as a "great place to see Wishes". If you want to see Wishes without going into the Magic Kingdom, you'd be better off on the dock in front of the MK, or across the water at the ferry dock at the TTC or on the beach at the Polynesian. Or take one of the Wishes cruises out onto the Seven Seas Lagoon.

CG is an excellent restaurant, but spending all that money and time to take my fidgety, boistrous, picky 8 year old son would be a disaster. I go when it's just hubby and me.

 

[Panlow]

We had dinner there in June and the restaurant does have great food and an awesome view, but if my children were under 10, I think I would pass. We saw some very young kids that were tired out and cranky, and really weren't interested in their expensive and somewhat exotic dinners. Even with a window table, there is a glare on the windows that is a little distracting, so you'll want to go out on the deck to fully appreciate the show

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

My thoughts: We did it once. We were celebrating 5 years of self employment to the very day. I thoroughly LOVED it, but there were some bad points as well.
BAD POINTS:
I dont get along with rich snooty people who "act" like they are better than you. We were in business/casual clothes. The ones dressed to the hilt were looking down their elavated noses at us. They expected better views, and when we reserved our spots on the balcony a few minutes before them a few of them acted as if we didnt deserve to have a better view than them. They were sloshing around their champaign and laughing loudly and trying to "bump us out of the way".
Every time my son made a noise we got the snub look from a few tables in particular. I didnt snub them when they laughed loudly like hyenas.
The concrete area (as previously mentioned) was very unappealing for such a fine restaurant.
The speaker delivered a very poor, broken up sound that matched that of a dollar store radio. Definately not Disney like in sound quality.
It was a 3 hour meal!!!
The view wasnt that special.
GOOD POINTS:
The view was DIFFERENT. It added a different perspective than on the ground.
It WAS romantic, even with a child with us.
The Sushi was AWESOME!!!! I have NEVER tasted such heaven on a fork!!! EVERYTHING we got was superb. I was VERY impressed with the food quality.

OK, my son is autistic, and he usually has a VERY short attention span. He did quite well there all things considered. I wouldnt do it with BOTH children... definately not... but one child is fine.
We got there 30 minutes early and had to sit there for 45 minutes AFTER our reservation. (Yes, we sat there for an hour and 15 minutes BEFORE a 2 hour meal!!!) So keep in mind how long the meal can take when deciding.

 

[Stinky_Pete]

I remember having dinner at Spoodles one evening and a child at a nearby table was having an aboslute fit - screaming, kicking, crawling all over the furniture, etc. It was not a pleasant experience for anyone. It was something like 9:30 at night and the kid was probably exhausted and should have been in bed. That was Spoodles - not quite a signature dining experience, but it still was unpleasant.

Dinner at CA Grill is about a 2 hour affair (with appetizer and dessert). I hope anyone with young children will seriously consider if they can make it though such a lengthy meal at such a late hour without freaking out.

I would be very disappointed if I had just spent $120 or so for dinner for the two of us at CA Grill and just as the fireworks started a tired child got to the point where s/he couldn't take it any more.

 

[MissMickee]

Ok, we just, just ate here and watched the fireworks. Literally 4 days ago. I'm going to be brutally honest about the entire thing...

-The food was FABULOUS!
-Our server was AMAZING (request Gary if you want the BEST!)
-Having had a HORRIBLE time with every other ADR we'd made this trip, we arrived an hour early for this one. It was scheduled for 9:30 and I was afraid we wouldn't get seated until after the fireworks. We requested a MK view, as suggested, and were seated IMMEDIATELY. Yes, an hour early! And we were 1 row off the windows. Our server told us it was one of the best seats in the house. This was our view (please try to ignore this poor couple. I felt like we were staring at the our entire dinner!)...

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-There were lots of kids there when we visited. And not a one bothered DH or I. The restauant is VERY loud so there could have been fussy children but we didn't hear them. As with any meal out with kids though... it can be tough if they're upset and adding tired to the mix may be too much for them. I personally was practically falling alseep by the time our dessert came... oh, BTW, it was a surprise anniversary cake for DH and I. We still don't know how they knew.. they're that good!

-The atmosphere was kind of "snobby" as noted before. The dress is "business casual". The sign on the check in desk actually points out what exactly this means. No cut-offs, no tank tops, no swim suits or swim suit cover-ups, no hats on men. I'm pretty sure that was it. We did see men in jeans but with polo shirts. The wonderful couple sitting beside us was wearing khaki shorts and hawaiian shirts and DH and I were wearing shorts and plain old tops. He was actually wearing a solid t-shirt. There were, what I consider, over dressed people for sure, but that was by their own choice, not something the restaurant required.

-Now for the fireworks. They had the same music as you'd hear in the parks which I thought was plenty clear but still hard to hear over the hustle of the restaurant. The thing that surprised me most... all of the fireworks weren't actually OVER the castle. 90% of them were off to the right between the castle and Space Mnt. See this photo...

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It's because we're not actually looking at the front of the castle as you would be if you were IN the park. We're on the right hand side of it (if you were facing it as you walked down Main St.). Also, they do dim some of the lights but not all of them so there is a large amount of reflection on the glass. You can see a lot of it in this picture... there's that poor couple again.. Luckily, they were awesome!

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So so sum up. If you're planning to go to the California Grill just for the fireworks... I personally think seeing them in the park is MUCH better. If you want to go to enjoy the fabulous food, service and atmosphere... go during the day when the kids aren't so tired. As for DH and I, we will DEFINITELY go back, but probably not for Wishes.

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

They had the same music as you'd hear in the parks which I thought was plenty clear but still hard to hear over the hustle of the restaurant.

I was wondering when I posted my earlier post if the sound quality had changed any since our trip about 3 years ago. It was SOOO bad, it was surprising. If you didn't notice it as being really bad it has probably been fixed since then.

 

[Exile]

I'm going to WDW for the first time in January and was hoping to get an ADR around the time of the Fireworks. Does the show start at nightfall or is it later?

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

I will make the note that if your on the DDP, this is one of the best deals on the plan. Our meal cost over $300. It was all included on the plan. Theres a reason its 2 credits!

 

[Dis Ohana]

On the other hand, we were seated in the wine tasting room which looks over the lake behind the contemporary which was a very nice view but most of all, it is much quieter if you're looking for a little romance and quiet conversation.

I'm interested in hearing more about this wine tasting room. We have an ADR there for a night when there is no fireworks so I really don't care about the MK view. I am extremely noise sensitive so I'd rather be in the quiet room. Is this room just for people ordering wine, or is can anyone be seated there? We have a 12 and 15 y/o and we do not drink.

Congrats on your engagement, what a wonderful place to be proposed to!

 

[Uncleromulus]

It's for anyone..kids included. It can also be closed off for large partys, etc. It's not an actual wine tasting room per se, but a place where they happen to have a lot of bottles of wine stored. WE don't ask for it, but have been seated there a few times. It is more quiet than the main area.

 

[alldiz]

I'm going to WDW for the first time in January and was hoping to get an ADR around the time of the Fireworks. Does the show start at nightfall or is it later?

I was there in Jan.....I think the fireworks were at 600...
It was awesome...We usually don't stay at the parks till
very late.....so 10pm is too late for us to see....

We made a 5:30 ressie....1st one i think....

Place was empty....perfect for dd5 to go exploring...
We watched the sunset.....georgeous...that view...

Then wishes....you can go out to the observation deck to watch
wishes.....
If wishes is late....if you eat at CG..you can go back
later for fireworks viewing.....
Kerri

 

[jlewisinsyr]

The boyfriend and I went there 2 years ago and had the seats that another poster linked here. The seats were wonderful and we had actually made the reservations that morning, so it was a bonus to A) get a reservation and B) to get such great seats.

We were seated around 7:00, ordered a bottle of wine (excellent Moscato D'Asti) and an appetizer. Then had dinner. By the time dessert came around, the show was about to start. So we ordered some dessert, two glasses of Grand Marnier and watched the show. It was really romantic and very nice.

We have reservations again for our trip in September and I cannot wait!

 

[Geoff_M]

Also, you don't have to fret about timing the ADR right with the fireworks. You can eat earlier if you'd like come back to watch Wishes from the deck (best view, btw). All you have to do is show your receipt from your dinner that evening.

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

Kinda OT, but are there any OTHER spots way off the ground to watch the fireworks from?
We tried once watching them from on top of the Swiss Family Tree House. Too many trees. That didnt work.