Hiya Jennifer! Thanks for stopping by planDisney with this great question!
Oh boy! I can't believe you are arriving on Christmas Eve to enjoy the holiday at the Walt Disney World Resort! There is nothing more magical than spending the Christmas holiday with Mickey, Minnie, and the rest of the gang!
California Grill is the perfect dining location and a great choice for this magical evening.
Jennifer, I completely understand your concern. Both of my daughters are extremely picky eaters and do not each much when dining at a place like California Grill. Unfortunately, dining locations that
offer prix fixe menus and pricing require payment from every Guest dining in the party. Only children under the age of three will be exempt from this pricing. You may be able to check with your server upon arrival to see if there are any additional food options that may be better suited for her. This is no by no means a guarantee, but it doesn't hurt to check while you are there.
If your Advanced Dining Reservation is for earlier in the night, you can certainly head back later to California Grill to watch the nighttime spectacular from high above
Disney's Contemporary Resort. Make sure to get a printed-out receipt from dinner and bring it with you when you return for the fireworks. Starting on December 23rd and lasting until December 29th,
Minnie's Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks will be shown nightly at the Magic Kingdom. You'll get a special fireworks show on these nights.
If you decide to not dine at California Grill, I suggest looking into reservations at
Topolino's Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera over at Disney's Riviera Resort. I recently dined here with my wife for our anniversary and had our two daughters with us. Since the menu is a la carte, there is no cost for your children if they do not order any food. Our server was incredible and the food here is absolutely delicious. We decided to feed our kids prior to arriving at Topolino's Terrace, so they ended up just hanging with us for dinner.
Jennifer, I hope you have a magical time during your visit!
See ya real soon!
Greg