Wishes during California Grill dinner - what is it like?

[Liberator]

I thought there was no chance to get a 07:30 pm time slot for California Grill with wishes at 8 pm when not booking 160-180 days in advance. Somehow, suddenly 07:35 pm popped up while trying to find a table.

I am asking myself now what is it like to dine there when wishes starts. We want to watch it from outside, do we just tell our server that we will leave the table for the fireworks or do we need to stay seated?

Do they generally try not to put plates with hot food on the table when the show starts so that nothing of the meal will get cold when you come back to your table?

Is the viewing area very crowded?

 

[scrappingbuckeye]

They do not serve food at all during Wishes - they pretty much assume everyone is there to see it lol. You can certainly double check with your server, but you should be able to get seated and maybe order before you head outside. The kitchen sort of goes to stand by mode and they pipe the music inside and dim the lights during Wishes. The viewing area is quite large now as you can go out either side, it's generally not too crowded, plenty of room for everyone.

 

[Hopefully]

I think with a 7:35 ADR when Wishes is at 8:00 it is likely that you will not be seated until after Wishes. Folks there are likely staying.

 

[bethanyfos]

I think with a 7:35 ADR when Wishes is at 8:00 it is likely that you will not be seated until after Wishes. Folks there are likely staying.

I'm not so sure about that. Last time we went to Disney, I scheduled our California Grille dinner so we were finished about a half hour or so before Wishes. We went outside to the viewing area and hung out until Wishes started so we could get a good spot and they could turn over our table.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

It depends on what time your ADR is and who your server is, to be honest.

7:35pm may be perfect, so long as they're running on time. A few years ago we tried Cali Grill for the first time. We booked late and our usual Narcoossee's was all booked up. It happened to be the year that Cali Grill was refurbished, so it opened late and we were able to snag a Christmas dinner ADR.

We booked it for 7pm, knowing that Wishes was at 8. We figured we'd be done by the time the fireworks started.

We were placed in the back room, next to a window, but looking out onto Bay Lake. There were two other parties in there. We were obviously a little nervous, as we wouldn't have a view. When the server finally came, he explained everything. He was so personable.

He smiled and goes "first time?"

After we smiled and nodded, he laid out the details, explaining that no fear being in the private room. They open it during crowded times. He said "everyone wants a window seat looking at Magic Kingdom. Personally, you guys have the best window seat. When Wishes starts up, you're free to head outside and view it from the deck. But, in a few minutes another... park... will be doing fireworks in that direction."

What seemed bad at first wound up being pretty cool. We were far away from the hustle and bustle outside and the room was quiet, making for an awesome dinner.

Anyway, our server timed everything perfectly. We finished our entrees by 7:45pm, at which time he returned to the table and took our dessert orders. He scurried us off to the desk, telling us that everything would be ready when we returned. Upon returning, we had a fresh table cloth, new place settings, dessert was on the table and he was pouring the last cup of coffee. "Just in time," he said.

Now THAT'S the kind of service you expect at Disney.

As far as the viewing area, it doesn't feel too crowded. It's a lot larger than it seems. Many people will run to the end to try and grab "prime viewing" but we did just fine along the rail closer to the restaurant. They do pipe in the music. The only thing I'd say that detracts from the experience is seeing the fireworks, perceptually, over Space Mountain. In MK, everything appears over the castle, but seeing it from that angle and height, you realize where the fireworks are coming from.