Official California Grill Open ADR Watch Thread

[WDWFANCBIIIME]

I am honestly getting frustrated doesn't everyone remember what happened last year of BOG???? Cali Grill has a such a following too!!!

 

[ammag]

Anyone have tips for making phone reservations for a surprise trip with your darn kids home?

 

[xipotec]

Anyone have tips for making phone reservations for a surprise trip with your darn kids home?

Those damn kids!!!!!
I just fake a bad mood,, make them clean their rooms, and stalk of to the garage.....
Its all good and I laugh that I am doing it for them.....

Whats with all the kid hate at Cali Grill? We had the waiter and another couple compliment our kids on their table manners last visit. We get dressed up as a family !

Personally i saw alot more bad behavior from drunk adults ( cursing and touchy feely with the girlfriend who was 20 years younger...)

 

[CarolMN]

Tried again this morning. Still nothing.

 

[Princess Serendipity]

Whats with all the kid hate at Cali Grill? We had the waiter and another couple compliment our kids on their table manners last visit. We get dressed up as a family !

Personally i saw alot more bad behavior from drunk adults ( cursing and touchy feely with the girlfriend who was 20 years younger...)

I didn't really have any experiences with kids at the Cali Grill, but for me in general, I just don't really like kids that much? Which is kind of funny considering my favourite place to go is Disney World. I think a lot of people though have had bad experiences with loud kids or seeing them run amok or even just making messes. I think a lot of people just get upset when they go to a very nice, very expensive restaurant and there's a screaming baby nearby, or a child with no volume control (to be fair, I've seen plenty of adults guilty of this too), or just someone who's tried and cranky and really needs to go take a nap and is getting fussy. That sort of thing? There's exceptions to everything, of course- parents who have taught their children how to behave in an upscale establishment and have them dress appropriately and the children themselves are used to finer dining. I don't think anyone is complaining about those kinds of children, like yours. I certainly wouldn't. But I think a lot of people just have bad experiences with some and it kind of ruins it for everyone, and since it's harder to be discriminate in allowing children ("You let that one in! Why won't you let mine in?" kind of thing), they just go for the "No kids after a certain point."

 

[mrsap]

I didn't really have any experiences with kids at the Cali Grill, but for me in general, I just don't really like kids that much? Which is kind of funny considering my favourite place to go is Disney World. I think a lot of people though have had bad experiences with loud kids or seeing them run amok or even just making messes. I think a lot of people just get upset when they go to a very nice, very expensive restaurant and there's a screaming baby nearby, or a child with no volume control (to be fair, I've seen plenty of adults guilty of this too), or just someone who's tried and cranky and really needs to go take a nap and is getting fussy. That sort of thing? There's exceptions to everything, of course- parents who have taught their children how to behave in an upscale establishment and have them dress appropriately and the children themselves are used to finer dining. I don't think anyone is complaining about those kinds of children, like yours. I certainly wouldn't. But I think a lot of people just have bad experiences with some and it kind of ruins it for everyone, and since it's harder to be discriminate in allowing children ("You let that one in! Why won't you let mine in?" kind of thing), they just go for the "No kids after a certain point."

Very ironic you would choose to go to a place like Disney when you don't like kids. I feel that when you to go restaurants at a location that caters to children, you have to accept the good and bad that comes with it. Even the BEST behaved kids can have an off day! They are just that..KIDS!! Kids cry, kids get cranky and kids get tired. If its that important to dine in an adults only restaurant, maybe people should consider Victoria and Alberts.
Also, to others that brought up clothing, a lot of people go straight from the parks, so to discriminate on clothing, I feel is a bit ridiculous.

 

[ammag]

I am not bringing my kids to this dinner though so glad! Although my kids are used to eating out a lot, we live in nyc (no garage to sneak off to!) and sometimes kids are jus not used to being in restaurants. If I have to be on hold for hours she may discover me...guess I can give her my iPad?

 

[budafam]

I took my daughter there on our last trip and we were complimented by several people on how well she behaved (it was her 4th birthday). We didn't notice any other rowdy children during our meal but we did eat at a later time so we could catch the fireworks.

 

[Princess Serendipity]

Very ironic you would choose to go to a place like Disney when you don't like kids. I feel that when you to go restaurants at a location that caters to children, you have to accept the good and bad that comes with it. Even the BEST behaved kids can have an off day! They are just that..KIDS!! Kids cry, kids get cranky and kids get tired. If its that important to dine in an adults only restaurant, maybe people should consider Victoria and Alberts.
Also, to others that brought up clothing, a lot of people go straight from the parks, so to discriminate on clothing, I feel is a bit ridiculous.

Yes, I mentioned that it was funny that I like Disney when I don't like kids- I just love Disney World more than I don't like kids. It's not like I hate them or anything, I just don't enjoy their company- kind of like someone who doesn't like cats or dogs or something.

And I would have absolutely no problem at all with loud children in a place like, say, Tony's or Pinnochio Haus or McDonald's or anything like, it's kind of a foregone conclusion, really. But we're talking about one of the Signature restaurants, not even one in the Parks, but at a deluxe resort. They're not exactly a restaurant that is catered towards children. I'd have to say it's very different from a location like Crystal Palace.

And yes, I know kids can have an off day- I was actually going to include something along the lines of that in my post, but I didn't quite feel I could express myself on it as adequately as I'd like as well as that the fact that kids have less emotional control than many adults is just an argument towards an Adult Only cut-off point, which is not even something I was arguing for in the first place. I was just explaining why someone might not be thrilled about having children in a restaurant. And yes, we do dine at Victoria and Albert's, every trip. I'd even go multiple times if I could, but alas, that is not in the budget.

 

[mrsap]

Yes, I mentioned that it was funny that I like Disney when I don't like kids- I just love Disney World more than I don't like kids. It's not like I hate them or anything, I just don't enjoy their company- kind of like someone who doesn't like cats or dogs or something.

And I would have absolutely no problem at all with loud children in a place like, say, Tony's or Pinnochio Haus or McDonald's or anything like, it's kind of a foregone conclusion, really. But we're talking about one of the Signature restaurants, not even one in the Parks, but at a deluxe resort. They're not exactly a restaurant that is catered towards children. I'd have to say it's very different from a location like Crystal Palace.

And yes, I know kids can have an off day- I was actually going to include something along the lines of that in my post, but I didn't quite feel I could express myself on it as adequately as I'd like as well as that the fact that kids have less emotional control than many adults is just an argument towards an Adult Only cut-off point, which is not even something I was arguing for in the first place. I was just explaining why someone might not be thrilled about having children in a restaurant. And yes, we do dine at Victoria and Albert's, every trip. I'd even go multiple times if I could, but alas, that is not in the budget.

You were speaking in a general term, and so was I. I wasn't directly calling you out.

I agree it's expensive, but when you factor in the view and fireworks, to not have kids attend seems unfair. Not only that, but others, such as ourselves, who go without someone who could babysit, have no choice but to bring our kids along with us. Why should I not be able to enjoy a nice dinner because I have children?

 

[Princess Serendipity]

I agree it's expensive, but when you factor in the view and fireworks, to not have kids attend seems unfair. Not only that, but others, such as ourselves, who go without someone who could babysit, have no choice but to bring our kids along with us. Why should I not be able to enjoy a nice dinner because I have children?

You said yourself, " Even the BEST behaved kids can have an off day! They are just that..KIDS!! Kids cry, kids get cranky and kids get tired. "

Do you really want to have to interrupt your nice dinner to take your child out and perhaps back to your room if he does need to cool down? Not to mention the fact that there are plenty of people there who either don't have kids or do have kids and perhaps had them babysat who really don't want to have their nice dinner interrupted. It's kind of a problem with no solution that will make everyone happy, I think.

I'm not really certain about this myself because I don't have kids and never needed it, but doesn't Disney offer childcare services?

I also think that the original poster who suggested Adults Only wasn't saying Adults Only Ever, but Adults Only after a certain, later time.

 

[mrsap]

You said yourself, " Even the BEST behaved kids can have an off day! They are just that..KIDS!! Kids cry, kids get cranky and kids get tired. "

Do you really want to have to interrupt your nice dinner to take your child out and perhaps back to your room if he does need to cool down? Not to mention the fact that there are plenty of people there who either don't have kids or do have kids and perhaps had them babysat who really don't want to have their nice dinner interrupted. It's kind of a problem with no solution that will make everyone happy, I think.

I'm not really certain about this myself because I don't have kids and never needed it, but doesn't Disney offer childcare services?

I also think that the original poster who suggested Adults Only wasn't saying Adults Only Ever, but Adults Only after a certain, later time.

Of course not, but I don't have a choice. And even if they did offer babysitting, I would not leave my kids. Most restaurants allow kids (Disney or not). Sorry ahead of time if my children misbehave, but it's a fact of life that it Can happen. You have to choose whether or not you want to dine out with kids.... If the answer is no, you are better off eating home.

 

[Princess Serendipity]

Of course not, but I don't have a choice. And even if they did offer babysitting, I would not leave my kids. Most restaurants allow kids (Disney or not). Sorry ahead of time if my children misbehave, but it's a fact of life that it Can happen. You have to choose whether or not you want to dine out with kids.... If the answer is no, you are better off eating home.

That's not really fair either though, is it? Forgive me if this seems rude or harsh, but you just said it wasn't fair for you not to be able to have a nice dinner because you choose not to leave your children, but then say that if I want to have a nice dinner out, I have to just deal with it if a child misbehaves? Or stay at home if I don't want to deal with it? When we go to Disney, I generally try to stick to Signature or less child-appealing (and certainly do not begrudge children in the places I dine that are more appealing to them) restaurants and go at off-times (usually later if I can) because after a long day of noises and crowds, I just want some time to relax and enjoy some quiet.

Actually, even if a child does start crying, if the parent calms him down or takes him out to cool down, that's not something I have a real problem with. My problem is the parent who continues to allow their child to scream, or throw things, or run around. Can we both agree that that is an issue and should not be simply accepted as something inevitable and just to be suffered through?

Edited to add: One thing I didn't think of earlier, and a bit of a more extreme and unlikely case, but still possible. What about if a child throws something like food or knocks a drink onto someone? Especially if they are dressed up and wearing one of their nicer garments.

 

[mrsap]

That's not really fair either though, is it? Forgive me if this seems rude or harsh, but you just said it wasn't fair for you not to be able to have a nice dinner because you choose not to leave your children, but then say that if I want to have a nice dinner out, I have to just deal with it if a child misbehaves? Or stay at home if I don't want to deal with it? When we go to Disney, I generally try to stick to Signature or less child-appealing (and certainly do not begrudge children in the places I dine that are more appealing to them) restaurants and go at off-times (usually later if I can) because after a long day of noises and crowds, I just want some time to relax and enjoy some quiet.

Actually, even if a child does start crying, if the parent calms him down or takes him out to cool down, that's not something I have a real problem with. My problem is the parent who continues to allow their child to scream, or throw things, or run around. Can we both agree that that is an issue and should not be simply accepted as something inevitable and just to be suffered through?

In the same sense, I do not have the option to go to Victoria and Alberts. That is my choice, just like its your choice to dine at restaurants that welcome kids. We have to make sacrifices to do something that makes us happy.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

Could we maybe get this thread back on topic we can debate children versus adult only on the main restaurant board. When I saw the notifications of the number of updates to this thread on my phone I was hopeful that reservations had opened.

So I'll try to turn this conversation back to the original topic. Do we think that they will go reservation-free for the "soft open" week that has been rumoured? (Last week in Aug) and then open up reservations when the restaurant actually reopens?

 

[Princess Serendipity]

Could we maybe get this thread back on topic we can debate children versus adult only on the main restaurant board. When I saw the notifications of the number of updates to this thread on my phone I was hopeful that reservations had opened.

So I'll try to turn this conversation back to the original topic. Do we think that they will go reservation-free for the "soft open" week that has been rumoured? (Last week in Aug) and then open up reservations when the restaurant actually reopens?

How was it done with restaurants in the past that had a soft opening? I can't remember how they did it at Be Our Guest, but I'd imagine it would go the same way.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

How was it done with restaurants in the past that had a soft opening? I can't remember how they did it at Be Our Guest, but I'd imagine it would go the same way.

I remember for Via Napoli and La Hacienda de San Angel it was done that way. I was fortunate enough to get in during soft opening for both. And reservations didn't open up until the official opening date. So we might be waiting until early September before we can get CG reservations.

That works for me because I will be at WDW Sept 3rd through the 12th. Worst case we will go to CG and try to grab a seat in the lounge!

 

[Princess Serendipity]

I remember for Via Napoli and La Hacienda de San Angel it was done that way. I was fortunate enough to get in during soft opening for both. And reservations didn't open up until the official opening date. So we might be waiting until early September before we can get CG reservations.

That works for me because I will be at WDW Sept 3rd through the 12th. Worst case we will go to CG and try to grab a seat in the lounge!

I remember the lounge being really nice. Good luck with your dinner!

And funny story, Friday morning shortly before I woke up, our internet went out. I have a habit of checking this thread first thing to see if the ADRs are open yet, but obviously I couldn't that morning as I had no internet access (and don't own a smartphone). So I called the Disney Dining line later after the internet hadn't come up after a few hours and first thing I got was, "All circuits are busy!" So I panicked thinking it had opened and was going to have to spend the morning scrambling for a res. Nope, just a string of coincidences, the CM just gave me the usual spiel. All that adrenaline was better than a cup of coffee though!

 

[donkeykong91]

Such a valuable thread! Looking forward to its re-opening!

 

[dizneeat]

I would LOVE to hear they are doing a soft opening. We missed CG in February and will be there the first week of September. Keeping my fingers crossed.