Official California Grill Open ADR Watch Thread

[Eastern]

But I think we may be just ordering sushi and drinks and sit back and enjoy the fireworks this visit.

We usually do this and also order a couple of flatbreads to start. It usually works out well, although people seem to be complaining about the temp of the flatbreads lately.

 

[MinaEskobar]

I am a little nervous about our ADR's now! Booked CG twice during our stay (For January) because it was so highly recommended... To cancel or not to cancel!

 

[Reighngold]

I am a little nervous about our ADR's now! Booked CG twice during our stay (For January) because it was so highly recommended... To cancel or not to cancel!

We are still holding on to our reservation in January as well, but cancelled our October one. We are hoping they have it together by Jan. Personally, we are waiting to see how it goes and will decide mid December.

If you want to cancel one and get in a great restaurant that is exotic and amazing I'd say Jiko is a great restaurant that is not as widely promoted but has some of the best food on property.

If you want to eat at the contemporary and want to see the fireworks but the food at Cali Grill hasn't gotten better, my advice would be get dinner at the wave (very good food at a great price) and then go watch the fireworks from the viewing point on the 4th floor of the contemporary. Guaranteed good food and a great view of the fireworks. Or, if you want to ride the monorail, you can grab a spot on the Grand Floridian beach with a bottle of wine or a cocktail and watch the fireworks there, very romantic.

Anyway, those are our plans and I hope they might be in some way helpful for you

 

[Reighngold]

I am a little nervous about our ADR's now! Booked CG twice during our stay (For January) because it was so highly recommended... To cancel or not to cancel!

I'm starting to think of giving up my Cali Grill ADR and just hitting TOTWL instead. The lack of consistency has me worried.

Are you staying at the Bay Lake Towers or is there another way for DVC members to get into the club?

 

[MinaEskobar]

We are still holding on to our reservation in January as well, but cancelled our October one. We are hoping they have it together by Jan. Personally, we are waiting to see how it goes and will decide mid December.

If you want to cancel one and get in a great restaurant that is exotic and amazing I'd say Jiko is a great restaurant that is not as widely promoted but has some of the best food on property.

If you want to eat at the contemporary and want to see the fireworks but the food at Cali Grill hasn't gotten better, my advice would be get dinner at the wave (very good food at a great price) and then go watch the fireworks from the viewing point on the 4th floor of the contemporary. Guaranteed good food and a great view of the fireworks. Or, if you want to ride the monorail, you can grab a spot on the Grand Floridian beach with a bottle of wine or a cocktail and watch the fireworks there, very romantic.

Anyway, those are our plans and I hope they might be in some way helpful for you

Well we have ADR's for Jiko already, so I'm super glad to hear you suggest that! We also have Hollywood Brown Derby and WolfGang Puck (A bit concerned to not see WGP on the list of included restaurants in the DDP for 2014, so having to keep an eye on that one too!)

The beach is an amazing idea for the fireworks! If all else fails I might keep one of my CG reservations just for the fireworks aspect, and then cancel the other one. ..

Who knew there could be so much to consider!!!

 

[DvF Diva]

Are you staying at the Bay Lake Towers or is there another way for DVC members to get into the club?

I am a DVC member, and will also be staying at DVC property on two future visits. I still haven't cancelled my Jan ressie at Cali Grill, though. Just *hoping* that it starts to get consistently good reviews... Fingers crossed!!

 

[ammag]

Anyone have the name of the servers they loved? We will be there on a Sunday night. I think we might go to MK after since they extended the hours until 1 am! If we do that we will probably just share two or three appetizers , watch wishes and head over for more snacks in the park later. .

 

[drumms2112]

Disney just contacted me about our California Grill reservation on 12/3/03 to tell us it is closed that night and wanted to reschedule us to another night. They did not tell me why they were closed and we got the night we originally wanted which worked out great but I was told they would send me an email confirmation as well as update My Disney Experience but both promises did not happen. Not sure why...hoping it takes a few days to show up?

 

[mickeymotto]

Disney just contacted me about our California Grill reservation on 12/3/03 to tell us it is closed that night and wanted to reschedule us to another night. They did not tell me why they were closed and we got the night we originally wanted which worked out great but I was told they would send me an email confirmation as well as update My Disney Experience but both promises did not happen. Not sure why...hoping it takes a few days to show up?

That is disappointing! Universal just did that to us too. We had a ressie made 3 months ago cancelled by Universal just 2 weeks before our arrival leaving us with very few options accomodating our already scheduled itinerary. And like you, NO explanation provided. I called to inquire why and was told to leave a meassage and someone would call me back, No one EVER did.

At least Disney is making an attempt to help reschedule you. Universal has done nothing for us.

We are staying at both Disney and Universal this trip, so I am interested in seeing the comparisons between the two and will be sure to report back after our trip regarding our experiences.

I hope that you are able to find a replacement time or new ressie that works for your schedule. Did you actually reschedule CG to another day or reserve elsewhere? I would call and confirm, just to be sure. I hope it all works out for you.

 

[NC Disney Fan]

We had the pleasure of eating at CG on Sept 22nd just a couple of weeks after they opened and could not have had a better experience. Our waiter was wonderful and offered options when none of the menu offerings pleased my daughter and I. He even let us share a meal (which cuts into his tip). He put together a meal that made my skip for joy--brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes and chicken (okay, I know some of you are thinking that is boring but it made my daughters and my day!) My husband and 13 DD had the steak and both raved that it was the best steak they had ever had (and this held true after the 3 other steaks my husband had that week).

The bread at the beginning of the meal was wonderful. We loved both options but really enjoyed the lavender foccacia. The desserts were okay. I would say this is an area in which they could improve. It was not that they were bad but they were not like some that we have had at other restaurants where we want to return just for the desserts. We had the chocolate cake (very good), the seasonal sampler (good) and the lemon cheesecake (not that good--disappointingly tasteless).

But what won us over was the whole dining experience. Not only was it good food but the restaurant was beautiful, our service was very good and the view was awesome. We got to see the fireworks from there (both on the deck and inside). I thought the whole evening was just wonderful and we have already made plans to return. Give it a try!

 

[niemand88f]

Anyone have the name of the servers they loved? We will be there on a Sunday night. I think we might go to MK after since they extended the hours until 1 am! If we do that we will probably just share two or three appetizers , watch wishes and head over for more snacks in the park later. .

We ate there on 10/14 and Dawn was our server, she was really great. We were seated in the Monterrey Room (?) which was awesome. There are only a couple tables with a beautiful view of Bay Lake (we ate early, no plans for fireworks). We loved the bread and flatbread appetizer, DH liked his sushi but couldn't finish his two monstrous rolls. I liked the short rib but wished I had ordered the normal filet- the flavor of the sauce and potatoes were too bold for me. We had free creme brulee for dessert as it was our honeymoon, and tried two bottles of sake - both really good. It was a great dining experience but I don't know if I would have enjoyed it as much in the main restaurant (much louder and even a little crowded). I'll definitely come back on our next trip.

 

[benji2012]

As many others, I was a little reluctant to eat at CG...but we kept our reservations anyway. I was traveling with DBF, his adult son, adult daughter and her boyfriend. DBF is VERY picky, the kids a little picky...but not overly so.

We arrived about 8:30 for our 8:55 reservations. We were seated pretty quickly at a table near the viewing area door...great at first..not so great after a while...but that is a risk you take.

I had the goat cheese ravioli which was delicious. DBF tried the meatballs, and the "kids" had a sushi roll...though I don't remember remember which. the ravioli and sushi were both devoured quickly. Quite delicious. The meatballs were good, but not great.

For our entrees, three of us had the Pork two ways (including me)..we all LOVED it. DBFs son had the snapper which he really enjoyed. DBF had the filet, but subbed the olive oil potato puree for the tomato risotto. He enjoyed it, but it was way overpriced.

Our waitress was great up until this point, but after the fireworks they gave her several new tables at once. Not her fault, as we watched her struggle to keep everyone happy...but we waited a very long time for her to come back. DBF was ready to walk out. Finally she came back, very apologetic and gave us dessert menus. We ordered two samplers and the fritters. DBF's son ordered tea.

The fritters were AMAZING. The samplers were okay.

Because of several issues, including the delays at the end of the evening, our server credited us for two glasses of wine, another liquor drink, and the tea service.

Overall, the food was amazing if overpriced.

The service was lacking somewhat, but that's because of the hurry up and wait atmosphere created by Wishes/Hallowishes that can be hard to get the rhythm down.

We won't rush to come back, as we really like watching Wishes from Top of the World. If that perk is taken away from DVC member, CG may become more desirable. For a great meal, we will head to Jiko.

 

[WDWFANCBIIIME]

I had Dawn as well and she was outstanding!

 

[mickeymotto]

Quick Question: So I think we have decided to stick with just sushi and cocktails this dinner trip. Not sure of the sizes of all the rolls on the new menu. Between the 2 of us, how many rolls would you recommend for our dinner?

 

[mitchwebb]

Can you walkup and have a appetizer and drink in the lounge.

 

[MinnieTink]

What's the most kid friendly item on the kids menu? Last time my 7 year old picky eater got Mac and cheese but I don't see it on the menu any longer?

 

[TheMaxRebo]

What's the most kid friendly item on the kids menu? Last time my 7 year old picky eater got Mac and cheese but I don't see it on the menu any longer?

Probably the kids pizza. My daughter liked it. Other child in our group got the steak

 

[GreyStr0ke]

Is California Grill no longer taking reservations online? I know that you can't make reservations from the actual CG page but you used to be able to search all the restaurants and it would come up. Now it's always listed as not having reservations available but unlike the other restaurants it says to please call to make a reservation.

 

[Eastern]

Quick Question: So I think we have decided to stick with just sushi and cocktails this dinner trip. Not sure of the sizes of all the rolls on the new menu. Between the 2 of us, how many rolls would you recommend for our dinner?

Try googling images for 'california grill sushi' to see what some of the choices look like. You can see some pics here http://blog.wdwinfo.com/2013/09/10/...-california-grill/cali_grill_interior_bar_01/

Personally, if we had some bread with our drinks, 1 sushi order is enough for me, for dinner. I think my kids (adult males, actually) could eat 2 each. So if you are hungry, I would say 3 choices between the two of you.

I have seen people get sushi, salad, entree, and dessert, and I honestly don't know how they can eat that much at one time!

 

[Eastern]

Is California Grill no longer taking reservations online? I know that you can't make reservations from the actual CG page but you used to be able to search all the restaurants and it would come up. Now it's always listed as not having reservations available but unlike the other restaurants it says to please call to make a reservation.

You can still make reservations on the main page. The website is so, so glitchy. Just try again.