Any Palo brunch update? I leave in 12 days and want to cancel if they don’t restart buffet.

[RedHead0186]

I'm probably in the minority but I enjoyed the caviar selection at Palo brunch. It was a nice opportunity for cruisers to try it for the first time and the only way to experience it while on board.

That's how/when I tried caviar for the first time!

 

[o&smom]

I'm probably in the minority but I enjoyed the caviar selection at Palo brunch. It was a nice opportunity for cruisers to try it for the first time and the only way to experience it while on board.

I won't be doing Palo brunch unless they bring back the buffet. It was a fantastic selection and one of my favorite dining experiences while on board.

Our DS fell in love with caviar on our first Disney Cruise after he had just turned 7. He has been waiting with anticipation for the magical day when he could finally join us for brunch at Palo. Of course, Covid messed that all up, and then the changes to brunch made his dream disappear. We just returned from our first Disney Cruise after the pandemic last month. He got to enjoy both Palo dinner and brunch, but he definitely missed the caviar! Fingers crossed that it will return some day.

 

[Sykes]

Our DS fell in love with caviar on our first Disney Cruise after he had just turned 7. He has been waiting with anticipation for the magical day when he could finally join us for brunch at Palo. Of course, Covid messed that all up, and then the changes to brunch made his dream disappear.

It's obviously not the same, but most Whole Foods locations have a decent caviar selection if you want to re-create a version of the experience at home for a special occasion. It can be a lot of fun to get all of the accoutrements together and share it with friends.

 

[o&smom]

It's obviously not the same, but most Whole Foods locations have a decent caviar selection if you want to re-create a version of the experience at home for a special occasion. It can be a lot of fun to get all of the accoutrements together and share it with friends.

Thank you! Will have to check that out. Costco had a special Christmas deal a couple of years ago that Santa took advantage of. He also had a caviar sampling in St. Petersburg when we did our Baltic cruise when he was 10. Neither my husband nor myself really care for it, but he LOVES it!

 

[bbn1122]

About buffet!
I am so glad I was able to bring my 3 sons in January 2020 to the Palo Brunch with Buffet. Who would have known then what was to come.

We also took them to Palo Dinner. It was the first time we all cruised together since 2016 and finally everyone was over 18.

I just booked a 6 night cruise out of NYC to PR for this November.
Even though, I love the buffet, I would definitely give the brunch a try.

The Palo Brunch buffet was incredible, but that was a lot of food that they would display and have available. I could understand not going back, they are probably wasting a lot less and saving a lot too.

 

[goofy4prez]

About buffet!


The Palo Brunch buffet was incredible, but that was a lot of food that they would display and have available. I could understand not going back, they are probably wasting a lot less and saving a lot too.

I agree with you 100% on saving a lot. This is just my own opinion and personal feelings concerning DCL and not returning the buffet. I believe it no longer has anything whatsoever to do with a shortage of help or covid, nor do I think they really care about the waste. It is all about charging more and offering less thereby not only saving but making a whole lot more. I love Disney, I really do. However, this has become the common mantra of Disney, "Offer less and charge more." The crazy thing, we just keep on paying more and more and getting less and less (same with the parks). Or new people come along who never experienced the past and have no idea what it used to be like. At the end of the day, we Disney fans say, "Thank you may I have another," and just keep on eagerly paying more to get less. I guess I can't blame Disney; if people are willing to pay and Disney sells out, they have no reason to return to what Palo brunch used to be.

I'm guilty as charged. I grumble and complain, but when it's all said and done I pay and do it. I went to the Palo brunch in December on the Dream; I enjoyed it (though I loved the buffet more), and I will go back again on my next cruise on the Fantasy. I just hope that the day is not coming in the future when DCL pushes me away as Disney has with WDW and their park experience.

 

[MomOTwins]

If they aren't on the menu how do folks know to ask for it..? Clearly enough do that they make them but I'm always confused how this works. Its not like you can whip them up real quick! ^^;

I wonder if they are on an allergy menu? That might be why they have it in stock but don’t advertise it.

 

[MomOTwins]

It's obviously not the same, but most Whole Foods locations have a decent caviar selection if you want to re-create a version of the experience at home for a special occasion. It can be a lot of fun to get all of the accoutrements together and share it with friends.

Yes! My 11 year old loves caviar. We do a very simple home version with toast cut into small squares, a little smear of butter and whole food caviar.

One thing that has always annoyed me about Palo—we’d go more if they had certain hours or one day of the cruise when you could bring kids. We like letting our kids have a nice dining experience

 

[Snowwhyt]

We canceled the brunch since no buffet was offered. Waffles seem overpriced if that’s all you like on the menu. Once I’m platinum I’ll give that a try.

Went to dinner at Palo on the first night to see the lights as we left New Orleans. (Seemed way more romantic in my mind going past the land at night) Although we probably ordered wrong because it was almost $400 with one bottle of $75 wine and 3 drinks (we picked the wrong drinks it had a bit of lemon cleaner flavor for us) At least I asked for a sample of the wine before I ordered that.

Seemed like there was extra special little things that previously came with the dinner before the price changes. All though we did get a cheese curd in sauce that was good.
But I think I rather be spoiled by my servers in rotation. Wasn’t there a palate cleanser course before?
I have no idea why Palo was “sold out” because way over half of the tables were empty and we were practically a sold out ship. I feel it’s very similar to my regular MDR’s.

I had to disregard most of the entries because they were made before I got on the ship when I talked to them at 2pm. And I was told by Disney shoreside agent’s I just needed to go up to Palo when I arrived. Guess they are giving old information.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I have no idea why Palo was “sold out” because way over half of the tables were empty

They don't typically fill all the tables at the same time.

 

[Snowwhyt]

I don’t believe that any of the food goes right from the buffet to the trashcan. If they don’t make it available in other areas like Cove café I believe that they would at least give it to staff to eat because if they can fill the staff up on that then they don’t have to pay to feed them and other staff menus. Also they would have less waste that they would have to accommodate in the hold.

 

[Snowwhyt]

They don't typically fill all the tables at the same time.

Since I had 3-4 dinners there now over the past 13 years, I can say they absolutely had far more people at my other dinners. At this dinner we didn’t have to share our server with anyone. We noticed the front and back section were both empty. I initially thought it was empty because we wanted to eat earlier but it still was not any busier when we left at 8:45. Although our server did get his second table as we got dessert. And we noticed as we walked out through the round center section (half booth and 2 chairs per table) had nobody. and nobody at any table in the front at all.

I’ve gone right as reopen after Covid and it was just like what I noticed Monday. But my server had 2-3 tables that I could see and we were in the back corner.

I do remember brunch being packed back in 2010, 2013 and 2016 though.

 

[auntlynne]

 

[auntlynne]

 

[RedHead0186]

Went to dinner at Palo on the first night to see the lights as we left New Orleans. (Seemed way more romantic in my mind going past the land at night) Although we probably ordered wrong because it was almost $400 with one bottle of $75 wine and 3 drinks (we picked the wrong drinks it had a bit of lemon cleaner flavor for us) At least I asked for a sample of the wine before I ordered that.

Sounds like you had their limoncello (the "lemon cleaner flavor" drink). It's definitely an acquired taste, lol. I love limoncello so always order it when I'm at Palo!

 

[kiford]

Sounds like you had their limoncello (the "lemon cleaner flavor" drink). It's definitely an acquired taste, lol.

I remember having it a number of years ago and wasn't a fan. Then we went to Italy and spent several days in Sorrento, where everybody makes their own version of it, and it's routinely served at the end of a meal whether you ordered it or not. Then I developed a taste for it, and it's so hard to find here at home, and I miss it, especially in the summer! There's a small batch local distiller that makes a decent version, but they don't make it that often, and it's in very small bottles, but the other one that's available definitely tastes like cleaner. But with sugar.

We found on our January Wish cruise that, even a couple of days before the cruise, there was still availability for the Palo dinner, but I wanted to do the rotational dining since it was such a short cruise, and I don't like the new limited menu unless you pay a la carte (and I wasn't a fan of the options). I would have liked brunch, though, but it was definitely sold out.