2 Silly last-minute questions :)

[lovetotravel07]

Sorry, probably asked 4 million times!

Tie for Palo?

Is purchasing a photo package in advance worth it?

Any recent wonder cruises, any must do's, must eats I might be missing? We sail on Sunday

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Sorry, probably asked 4 million times!

Tie for Palo?

Is purchasing a photo package in advance worth it?

Any recent wonder cruises, any must do's, must eats I might be missing? We sail on Sunday

DH wears his tie when we do Palo. I'm not sure about it's being REQUIRED.

We usually purchase a small package, but not til we're onboard. Then at the end of the cruise, if we don't use all the credits, we just change out the package for individual prints.

 

[lilpooh108]

How do you purchase a photo package in advance? Is there a big discount (like there is for the WDW photo cd)?

 

[poohs4me]

My DH does not wear a tie for palo, but does where the jacket.

Don't know on the photo package.

 

[eblong]

My wife likes to dress for dinner at Palo, so I make sere I dress as well. A tie is appropriate (though you get booted out for not wearing one).

 

[jbuckent]

I always buy the most expensive photo package right away. This allows you to take back to your room the photos that have been taken. I don't remember the details but if its 15 photos in the package you can take back to your room 3 the first night another 4 the next, until you have 15, there is a punch card. Look at them closely a couple times. You don't have to go rummaging through all the photos taken each night. If you already have your 15 photos and more are taken, bring the photos you don't want back to shutters and bring back to the cabin the new ones. Then the last day you can feel confident in the photos you want to keep. If there were only 3 you really want, then you can get refunded for the package and just buy those 3. But you had all that time to think about which you want to keep.

 

[AndyR]

I'd second jbuckent's post. And add......the tie is dependant on how you feel wearing one, both during dinner and in the photos. If you feel comfortable in a tie and like the look of it on you in pics then go for it (I always wear a tie to Palo). But if you feel uncomfortable and think "It's not me" the leave it in your stateroom, and wear what you feel is appropriate.

 

[Anal Annie]

When we went to Palo (on the Wonder) I wore a cocktail dress & DH wore a nice shirt with linen slacks & a sport coat, no tie. On the other hand there were men in dress shirts & ties and no coats. I think either way or both together is fine.

As far as the photo package...we did not buy any on our first cruise. The next time we did back-to-backs and couldn't come up with enough GOOD ONES that they had taken that we really wanted to even buy the minimum pkg. so we asked them to hold all of them over from one cruise to the next so we could decide on our 2nd cruise if there were enough worth buying. So IMHO I wouldn't pre-pay for photos that may or may not be what you want. That's like I HATE that I have to pre-pay for DS's school photos - they almost ALWAYS suck & then I'm stuck with an envelope full of pictures that I never pass out to anybody. I am convinced that if we had a CHOICE of buying them after we saw them that they'd be sure to take quality photos rather than just snap, snap, snap!! I personally would not pre-pay for any products or services until I've received, seen & approved of the final product.

 

[jbuckent]

So IMHO I wouldn't pre-pay for photos that may or may not be what you want. That's like I HATE that I have to pre-pay for DS's school photos - they almost ALWAYS suck & then I'm stuck with an envelope full of pictures that I never pass out to anybody. I am convinced that if we had a CHOICE of buying them after we saw them that they'd be sure to take quality photos rather than just snap, snap, snap!! I personally would not pre-pay for any products or services until I've received, seen & approved of the final product.

You can be fully refunded for the package if you don't like your photos but at least you had time to think about them more than while standing around in shutters.

 

[dorkeemn]

Tie is optional, but jacket and shirt with collar is not.

Depending on your family size and appetite for photos - look into the complete CD package - it's pricey - but you get everything they take of your family - plus a few of other families!

 

[HallsofVA]

Do not buy the photo package in advance!

 

[MrsMork]

Do not buy the photo package in advance!

 

[HallsofVA]

How do you purchase a photo package in advance? Is there a big discount (like there is for the WDW photo cd)?

No discount to buying in advance, and can actually end up costing you more than if purchased on the ship.

 

[HallsofVA]

I always buy the most expensive photo package right away. This allows you to take back to your room the photos that have been taken. I don't remember the details but if its 15 photos in the package you can take back to your room 3 the first night another 4 the next, until you have 15, there is a punch card. Look at them closely a couple times. You don't have to go rummaging through all the photos taken each night. If you already have your 15 photos and more are taken, bring the photos you don't want back to shutters and bring back to the cabin the new ones. Then the last day you can feel confident in the photos you want to keep. If there were only 3 you really want, then you can get refunded for the package and just buy those 3. But you had all that time to think about which you want to keep.

I actually take a slightly different approach. I start off buying the smallest package, and then just upgrade to the next package as necessary. Yes, it makes your account messy with the credit back of the previous package price and the recharge for the new package, but it seems to work out better. There was one time I tried to get credit back for the extra few credits I had left on my package, and it just wasn't worth it. So I start small and move up as needed.

Since they came out with the CD, I generally buy the CD first, then you get the 50% discount on any prints or packages that you buy after that.

 

[kcashner]

There is NO advantage to buying a package in advance--buy it after you board.

I do not believe that either a jacket or a tie is required in Palo, although most men wear at least one of the above. The last written dress code I saw said that gentlemen were required to wear a dress shirt. Polo shirts, t-shirts, etc. were specifically listed as "not appropriate." It said nothing about a tie or jacket being required, and I know I've seen men there without either of these.

In the "normal" restaurants, the dress is "suggested" rather than an enforced dress code. At Palo, if you appear in clothing that does not meet the dress code you will be asked to return to your stateroom and make appropriate adjustments.

 

[Anal Annie]

You can be fully refunded for the package if you don't like your photos but at least you had time to think about them more than while standing around in shutters.

We can usually tell straight away if we like a picture enough to want to buy it. There's not that much standing around to do IMO. And I honestly wouldn't be any more likely to take time in our cabin to look at them any longer than I would right there at $hutters.... I just don't see the gain in pre-paying for pictures that haven't even been taken yet.

FWIW I also don't believe in giving DCL the balance of our cruise before the actual due date nor do I believe in pre-paying for our gratuities either. We'll decide throughout the course of our cruise if who deserves more than the recommended tip amounts & we'll slip down to add them all to our account on the next to last day... We DO set aside the funds to pay off our cruise balance ahead of time but I'm not giving DCL the float on our money before it's required in full. I just see no purpose in the pre-paying thing. I gain NOTHING by doing that - if there were an additional discount offered for paying in full then we might. Our next balance isn't due until April 2011 & I set the funds aside in March of this year. But they're tucked safely away at the bank in a special vacation account, waiting for the due date.