Private Rooms at the Cali Grill

2BWEDDNDIS

Disney Bride
Joined
Oct 4, 2005
Messages
164
Our planner also suggested gettting a private room at the california grill for the rehersal. Has anyone done this. How expensive is this, and do you get good seating for the fireworks with the music piped in?
 
There are 2 rooms at the cg. The Sonoma and the napa. The sonoma has aview of the castle the napa I believe does not (it could be the other way around) Any way I believe after 5 in the room w/ castle view is a 3,000+ min. For lunch i think it is $1,000 (I could off on my figures but that is ballpark) Napas mins are obviously less because no castle view. They do pipe in the music come wishes. If you book napa there is a balcony to go to to watch the show but no music on the balcony.

CG is a bit expensive I believe my consultant said for lunch the range is $30-$50 pp and dinner is $60 pp and up? I would conyact your planner and have her send you some menus.

Dan and I just ate there last week and even though we have eaten there before I swear it gets better each time. The goat cheese ravioli,the sushi and the filet are all to dye for.
 
We have the Napa Room booked for our Rehersal Lunch. I am a little dissapointed now though because I didn't know that the Napa room didn't have a view. I did notice the difference in cost but I thought it was less because it could hold fewer people. Well I guess they will be able to see the view walking in...hope it's still nice! :rolleyes2
 

No I am sorry I WAS wrong it is the NAPA room that has the view and the higher min fyi...sorry!
 
2BWEDDNDIS said:
Our planner also suggested gettting a private room at the california grill for the rehersal. Has anyone done this.

I ~think~ UnderTheMistletoe used one of the rooms for her rehearsal dinner. Do a search of the board for her comments on this.
 
Hi Janet! So nice to see you! Have you been lurking or just very busy?

Yes, we had our rehearsal dinner at the California Grill. A lot of the above mentioned information is wrong. :rolleyes:

The Napa Room sits so that it faces the castle. It's an incredible view as you look into the Magic Kingdom. The Sonoma room has beautiful panoramic view of the Wilderness Lodge, Seven Seas Lagoon, and the Orlando "skyline." We were able to spot the SeaWorld needle, Discovery Cove, and a few other major Orlando landmarks. Honestly, you cannot go wrong with either room. They are both fantastic.

The Napa room has a minimum expenditure of $3,000 for dinner. The minimum menu price is $70++, excluding alcohol. I am almost certain the Sonoma is a $2,500 minimum expenditure. Both room feature priavte bars. You would be choosing the same bar options and pricing as those for your wedding reception.

All meals are served "California style". It's a fancy way of saying family style. I was initially a little bit hesitant becuase we had just assumed it was regular table service. We asked the EM about it and she matter of factly told us, "Give it up now. They won't change it for you, me, or Roy Disney himself." There you have it. We really felt that it worked in our favor. All the food was divine (from what I've heard... I lost my appetite in all the excitement before the main courses arrived) and people really enjoyed being able to mix and match. We had the filet, chicken, and salmon. People are still raving about how good the food was.

Although they will allow you to tweak the menus, you can not make changes to them that would ruin the integrity of the menu. For example, we did not want one of the goat cheese appetizers... and the "Peeky toe crab" freaked Brye out. "I am not eating peeky toe anything !" were his exact words. We were able to substitute those (the regular menu appetizer choices) with one of the other hand-served items- a vegetable spring roll ususlaly used for passed hors d'eourves. We also had ordered a groom's cake for Brye. Instead of using the menu dessert item, we chose to have that served.

Being in the Napa room for Wishes really does add that extra Disney magic. It's a great alternative to a dessert party of you're concerned about the weather, too. Guests have the option of watching from the room itself or veturing out to the catwalk. Everyone was oohing and aahing at the fireworks. From most we got, "That was the most spectacular fireworks display I've ever seen!" I am sure the vantage point had something to do with it.

The service the CG was incredible. Absolutely top notch. They went about and did their jobs so quietly and professionally you barely noticed they were there. I really liked the fact that they kept me up-to-date and informed about how we were doing time wise, when the food would be ready, etc. They kept the night moving nicely. The only snag was stopping the cocktails and getting the food service started. We had a very lively group and so they let the cocktails and mingling go on a bit longer than they probably should have. The only thing it did was mean that we had the fireworks between the salad and main course instead of between the main course and dessert. In the grand scheme of things, no big deal.

I do have pictures (and owe them to someone else!) but have not had time or energy to get them scanned. I will make an attempt to do it in the next day or so. I also have the menus if you would like to see them. Just PM me with your email address and I can send them to you.
 
UnderTheMistletoe, I don't have time to read your post (I'm on my way out the door to grab my daughter from school) but I am so thankful that you added your info to this thread (it looks like you added a lot -- thanks!). I know it will be very helpful for those who are considering the CA Grill's private rooms.

As to my "disappearance" from the Dis, I have been pulled in too many directions (some good, some bad) over the past couple of months. I hope to have more time soon (and hope to finish my dang trip reports one of these years). I still need to read your trip report but did find time a few weeks ago to view your photos -- they looked wonderful! I hope your wedding was everything you dreamed it would be. Congratulations!
 
Not very many and not very good. There are more coming. Unfortunately, MIL is exceedingly busy and will be delayed in running them off the digital camera. When I get them, I will post them!

A close-up of the vegetable centerpieces. I'm sorry it's cut off- had to crop it to get everyone out! I am sure the fruits and veggies featured changes with the season. They were really striking and worked very well with the modern decor of the restaurant. Personally, I wouldn't spend money on putting something else there.

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This is the view from *inside* the Napa room during Wishes. :teeth:
Edit: I think that's cat hair in the lower left of the photo! :lmao:

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Our groom's cake- substitue for the menu dessert offerings

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Pretty picture of the walls :rotfl: ... getting silly and giddy, too!

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Picture of our rehearsal favors- were much blacker, but the black tulle layer seems to blend in with the table cloth.

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Just a note: Having the rehearsal dinner at the CG is very easy logistically for the rehearsal itself as they can be held in the ballrooms in the convention center. We found we really liked the convenience of not having to transport guests or make sure they had directions to get there, etc. Additionally, if you're staying at the GF, getting home is really easy!
 
UnderTheMistletoe, for some reason I can't see the photos. But that doesn't really matter because I just wanted to thank you for adding all the info that you did (I finally got the chance to read your post).
 





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