Taking a chance on the California Grill

I have perfected the art of the Advance Dining Reservation at Walt Disney World and we never leave home without having many of our dining reservations in place. One of the places I have been known to book, and then cancel, in the past was the California Grill at Disney's Contemporary Resort. There were many trips where we'd have a reservation here, I'd take a peek at the menu, and then change my mind. I'm not an adventurous eater at all...in fact I've always been quite picky. It is not above me at all to walk out of a restaurant after looking at a menu...much to my husband's dismay. So when I finally decided to take a chance on the California Grill in celebration of our 10-year wedding anniversary while in Walt Disney World it was a big deal.

So in October of 2008 we finally kept a dining reservation at the California Grill. Once glance at the menu and I decided to give this flatbread a try. I LOVED it though when I read the description it didn't sound like something I would like all that much. I took a chance though...and I could not get enough!


My husband was a big sushi fan so he ordered this dish...and I decided to have my first try at sushi. I didn't eat a lot but it wasn't bad. I have since become a huge sushi fan too.

You just can't beat this view! We were seated at a table right next to the window, which of course added to the experience. I can't remember our waiter's name but I do remember he was great. I can recall also trying the Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli...another thing I would have never ordered in the past because...well goat cheese? As it turned out, I LOVED this one as well and in fact I have since found a copycat recipe and have made something very similar to it at home many times...and even my kids now beg for me to make it for them!

Our main course selections were beef of some kind, which were okay but they didn't compare to the previous selections and I could so go back and just have their appetizers and first course items as a meal.

After dinner, we walked outside to the patio area to watch wishes as they piped in the music there and it was truly a magical experience. We knew we would have to return again.

Needless to say, when we returned to Walt Disney World in May of 2009 with our entire family (the kids and my in-laws) we were sure to make a reservation. We weren't sure how the kids would do there, but our kids are usually very good in restaurants. I must say the wait staff that time went out of their way to keep the kids happy as well as the adults! It was another excellent experience...and I ended up trying OSTRICH of all things at that meal...and found it also fantastic. I guess you could say the California Grill has helped bring me out of my picky eating shell quite a bit by now. Therefore it should come as no surprise that this is one of our must-do reservations for each and every trip now!

Halloween with Mickey

We have been fortunate enough to make a few trips to Walt Disney World during the fall season. I think if I had to pick a favorite time to go to Walt Disney World, it would probably be October but I might be a bit biased since I think we've been there more times in October than during any other month.

Our wedding anniversary just happens to be in October, so we've been lucky enough to make a few adult-only trips out to Walt Disney World to celebrate. One of the coolest experiences during October is Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. This is a ticketed event meaning that you have to purchase an additional ticket to go to this party...you can't just be there with a regular ticket or annual pass and be able to stay for the extra fun. The tickets do entitle you to spend the evening at the Magic Kingdom which is something that is rare during October since the parks tend to close early during that time of year. Experiencing the Magic Kingdom at night is a whole new experience.


Walt Disney World does not discriminate about who can experience the fun at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween party, so for those adults who miss being able to trick-or-treat without getting some really odd looks, this is the place for you! You don't even have to have a costume....just bring your treat bag and line up with everybody else at the designated areas and the kind Magic Kingdom Cast Members will gladly deposit some sugary goodness into the bag for you to enjoy.

The special Halloween parade is also fun to watch. There's just something about seeing some living dead characters that look like they are right out of the Haunted Mansion in a parade and seeing the villains get more than their fair share of parade time as well. Even the fireworks spectacular in the evening is particularly entertaining.


In addition to trick-or-treating, there are many other events throughout the park during the course of the evening, like special dance parties where there are usual surprise guest characters out on the dance floor! If you and your kids can hang out late at night, you also have the added bonus of very light crowds as it gets later in the evening and you can ride many rides over and over with little to no wait.

Mickey's Halloween event is something that you should definitely try to experience at least once!