URGENT: Palo questions...FREAKED OUT!!!

[AmberDaClown]

I am just over three weeks away from being able to go online for my first Disney cruise in December and book what I want for Palo's dinner and brunch and I am FREAKING out. I have never cruised Disney before and I have read that all the good ressies are taken by the repeaters. I am worried I won't get the times and dates that we want. We do not get into Orlando until noon on Saturday and will not be able to rush the ship when everyone else has boarded. What am I going to do if I don't get brunch and dinner which everyone says is a MUST DO!!!

I don't know what to wear should we get ressies for brunch. I figure something nice and dressy for dinner but do we have to get out of our shorts to go have brunch and then put them on after. Will we be too hot.

Please help my fears. I am even more worried my DD will HATE the kid's clubs and rip the Palo's experience from our first Disney cruise.

HELP HELP HELP!

 

[101DalmFan]

Hey hey hey, calm down

There is a good possibility you will still get your Palo reservations even if you're not first on the ship -- last year my girlfriend and I were nowhere near first on the ship and we managed to snag reservations for both. Also, they have a waiting list which you'll be able to go on if they can't immediately assign you reservations -- because people who do have reservations can and do cancel sometimes, clearing the way for others to enjoy Palo

 

[Eggleboo]

As far as dress I usually wear a nice pair of capris and a simple top. A nice little skirt, dockers, anything of that nature. Nothing fancy but not something I would hang at the beach in either. The atmosphere is more casual then dinner but definitely still a classy place. Relax I bet you'll get it and you have to think of the glass as half full instead of half empty (of course that is unless you are drinking a nice belini at Palo) Then you want it half empty so you can order the next! Good luck and enjoy!

 

[dahuffy]

A pair of nice capris and a blouse or a sundress are perfect for brunch. It is quite cool in the dining room.

 

[Johnna_Story]

I am just over three weeks away from being able to go online for my first Disney cruise in December and book what I want for Palo's dinner and brunch and I am FREAKING out. I have never cruised Disney before and I have read that all the good ressies are taken by the repeaters. I am worried I won't get the times and dates that we want. We do not get into Orlando until noon on Saturday and will not be able to rush the ship when everyone else has boarded. What am I going to do if I don't get brunch and dinner which everyone says is a MUST DO!!!

I don't know what to wear should we get ressies for brunch. I figure something nice and dressy for dinner but do we have to get out of our shorts to go have brunch and then put them on after. Will we be too hot.

Please help my fears. I am even more worried my DD will HATE the kid's clubs and rip the Palo's experience from our first Disney cruise.

HELP HELP HELP!

Deep breaths... deep breaths... okay now...focus.

You will very likely get a ressie that you want - even if the ship is full, there are plenty of brunch and dinner slots available, even after the Castaway Club members get their chance to book. The ship holds a good percentage (I think 50%) of them so people such as yourself can make them on board.

As for clothes for brunch - don't over think it. Just no shorts, and no jeans. And to me, heat-wise, a skirt is no different than shorts, so if that's your issue, plan to wear a cute skirt. Hubby can wear khaki's and a short sleeve golf shirt. And you won't be too hot - especially since the elevators are right outside the restaurant, so you don't even have to go outside and walk on deck once you have your "restaurant" clothes on if you don't want to. You won't be too hot in Palo either - it's air conditioned.

Relax and enjoy. That's what it's all about.

 

[HaleysMom2]

I was a little freaked out too when it was time to make reservations for our Oct. cruise (1st time cruisers as well). I stayed up until it opened at midnight in order to make the reservations the first minute I could. Let me tell ya...it was WAY frustrating b/c the website was having problems. I would get really close to making the reservation, but something would block it and not allow me to. After an hour of trying, I finally gave up, thinking that there would certainly be no way of getting to go to Palo then. I tried for the next 2 days, and was finally able to get all the way through the process. To my suprise, we were able to book dinner there. Many of the nights/times were taken, but there were still plenty to choose from. So, try not to worry...easier said than done, right!

I, too, am a little worried about DD8 not wanting to go to the kids club. I booked our dinner at Palo on our last night there in hopes that she will like going to the club by then. Good luck!

 

[Pansy]

Palo was nice but I did it on our 2nd cruise and feel like I didn't miss out on anything. If you don't get ressies then that is a reason to go back We enjoyed having a social dinner on our regular rotation just as much.

I am a repeater and still haven't been able to get brunch ressies but there is so much to do, I won't miss it. Enjoy what you are getting to do and don't sweat ressies. Have a great time

 

[KATHINOWA]

Don't freak out but we've been on 3 cruises and have not been to Palo yet. We've never even tried to go. We were going to try for the brunch but our last cruise was with inlaws and I didn't want to share it with them. When the kids were younger, we wanted to eat with them (food allergy issue) but now that they're older (11, 9, 6), they don't want to go in the clubs and we haven't made it mandatory. That being said, once we've had a taste of the good life we probably won't sail again without it. On our last cruise, we actually walked around the outside of Palo and peeked in. It looked so nice!

I hope you get the ressies you're after. I know either way you will have an amazing time!

 

[Aunt Jo]

I read on this very board a few weeks ago that someone had eaten at Palo every night of their seven day cruise by getting on the wait list. We are going on our second cruise in December and I don't even plan to try for online ressies. I will see what's available when we get onboard. I can certainly understand your concern about your child but we don't have that to consider so it's easier for us. My main concern is getting my 85 year old husband to the elevator and hope he doesn't eat too much.

I truly hope you get what you want or at least a time that will work for you. Good luck.

 

[yndygo]

Wow.

Okay - relax - this is your VACATION! No stress allowed!!

Seriously. We booked our first Disney cruise 5 weeks out and I never thought that we'd get Palo ressies... yet we walked into the Rockin' BarD *after* having had lunch at Parrot Cay and stumbling in there by accident (around 1 pm?) and got ressies for a good time on a good night.

We weren't even sure if we were going to do it - because we weren't sure how DD would take to the kids club.

Just remember that even if you don't ever set foot in Palo, and your kids hate the kids clubs and won't stay, that you will STILL have an amazing cruise and an amazing time!!!

Believe me - there's no such thing as a "ruined Disney cruise" just because you miss one thing!!

 

[PurplePrincess4]

Relax...I am told that they have a lot of reservations held out for those not making theirs online. I am a first time cruiser and I made my reservations on August 27th. I was able to get Palo dinner I wanted but there were no brunch or tea ressie available and I got on at EXACTLY 11 PM CST. Everyone has told me that I will likely get what I want when onboard. I also do not arrive in MCO until 10 AM and will probably get to the port at 12. I am hoping for the magical fairies to get me a brunch!

 

[AmberDaClown]

Relax...I am told that they have a lot of reservations held out for those not making theirs online. I am a first time cruiser and I made my reservations on August 27th. I was able to get Palo dinner I wanted but there were no brunch or tea ressie available and I got on at EXACTLY 11 PM CST. Everyone has told me that I will likely get what I want when onboard. I also do not arrive in MCO until 10 AM and will probably get to the port at 12. I am hoping for the magical fairies to get me a brunch!

OOOOh thank you but I am even more freaked out about not being able to get Brunch online. Since it is so limited, that is our priority, but we wanna try dinner too. I promised that I would have it taken care of since I told DH if he takes his laptop or cellphone on the ship, I would throw them overboard (he has a bit of an emperor complex about work).

 

[yndygo]

OOOOh thank you but I am even more freaked out about not being able to get Brunch online. Since it is so limited, that is our priority, but we wanna try dinner too. I promised that I would have it taken care of since I told DH if he takes his laptop or cellphone on the ship, I would throw them overboard (he has a bit of an emperor complex about work).

I let my DH bring his laptop - but I confiscate the cellphone the minute we hit the ship - and it goes off - and I take the card out of it and hide it until we redock.
Sorry - there's nothing so urgent at work that it can't live without him for a week...

One of the reasons I hate cellphones so much!! Before they were commonplace, people could actually go on VACATION and their officemates would figure out how to make do until they returned.
Now people don't think twice about calling someone's cell phone.

Seriously - don't stress about the ressies, you'll get something!

 

[disgal1]

my friend got up at 3am to make her res. for palo brunch and dinner.
I thought that was nuts, I got up at 7, no problem for dinner, but brunch was all booked!
Once on the ship, no luck either, b ut I was 2nd on the waitlist.
They did call me , but unfortunately it was for the morning early after our late Palo dinner, so we passed.

This next cruise, I will be the nut getting up at 3am! Palo dinner is fantastic, we have done it every time and loved it, but the brunch , which we have done twice was just the best!!! I won't miss it if I can help it!

If you don't get it, be sure and go straight to the dinner arrangement area( our last cruise was Rockin D) and get on the waitlist! Make sure you check your phone for a message whenever you are back in your room.

 

[dahuffy]

Relax...I am told that they have a lot of reservations held out for those not making theirs online. I am a first time cruiser and I made my reservations on August 27th. I was able to get Palo dinner I wanted but there were no brunch or tea ressie available and I got on at EXACTLY 11 PM CST. Everyone has told me that I will likely get what I want when onboard. I also do not arrive in MCO until 10 AM and will probably get to the port at 12. I am hoping for the magical fairies to get me a brunch!

Here's hoping you have good flying weather. We cruised last year at this time and had problems with wind shear and had to abort our landing. They diverted us to Melbourne,where they kept us on the ground for 2 hours because they had closed MCO. We had trouble with our flight from start to finish. We were to leave Oklahoma City at 6:45 am,finally got off the ground at 9am. Were supposed to land in Orlando at 12 noon,finally got off the plane at 5pm. Lost luggage finally showed up at the motel at 11pm.
Thankfully, we always fly in the day before just in case this kind of thing happens.

 

[CraftyMouse]

This next cruise, I will be the nut getting up at 3am!

Just an FYI...spa, excursion and Palo booking now opens at midnight Eastern time, not 3am. Makes it a little easier on us East Coasters!

 

[disgal1]

Just an FYI...spa, excursion and Palo booking now opens at midnight Eastern time, not 3am. Makes it a little easier on us East Coasters!

Yippee! Thanks for this info

 

[dursin]

Keep in mind that the OP said she was a little over three weeks away from being able to make the reservations. That would likely put her on the 12/27 cruise which is likely to be very full. In my experience, I have not seen that DCL holds back any reservations to re-release at the 90 day mark, however...I've never had a problem grabbing ressies onboard...even when I didn't try until 3 or so in the afternoon.

I'd be much more concerned about not getting into Orlando until noon on the day of the cruise, especially if you're flying in. Wouldn't take too much of a flight delay to make Palo the least of your concerns.

 

[JsMom2]

I'd be much more concerned about not getting into Orlando until noon on the day of the cruise, especially if you're flying in. Wouldn't take too much of a flight delay to make Palo the least of your concerns.

Good point.

I've also cruised 3 times, never done Palo, and have no regrets. I do have ressies for my upcoming cruise, so maybe it'll be more of a priority after that!

 

[corimay]

When do they open online reservations for Palo?