charge for Palo

[janetlynn]

I know there is a $10 pp charge for Palo, but how about the tip? Do they give you a "bill" at the end of dinner and you just write in the amount to be tipped or do you leave cash (how much is appropiate?)

Thanks

Janet

 

[Masonpips]

They give you a bill for the $10 charge (and any drinks you may have) and you can add the tip on there and just have it charged to your room.

Some folks do give cash and that is perfectly acceptable as well.

 

[talicskai]

Correct me if I wrong or if it has changed but ~ the $10 "charge" for Palo is a gratuity for the waiter because they do not receive dining room tips. I recall the receipt reading $10 gratuity and then there was another line that said "additional gratuity". That way you could leave more if you so desire.

 

[dap]

The $10.00 is not the "tip" it is a seperate charge for having your meal in the most wonderful resturant.

On my next cruise in a few months, my first stop is to make my reservations for PALO's. It is most certainly worth the $10.00 plus a nice tip.

 

[ivanova]

The DCL CMs explained to me that the $10 fee was to cover the servers tips, because they are not covered in the tips you leave for your regular wait staff. We tend to tip more than the $10 per person though at Palo.

 

[jfs9900]

Now see our server at Palo said that the 10 fee, the first 8 dollars went to "Mickey Mouse", then $1.00 to manager then 45 cents to the server. Is this the truth?

We were not planning on tipping the server - we thought that the 10 charge pp was to help cover that. The service we received though warranted an additional tip. However it sounds like there is conflicting information out there....

Anyone have a clear answer?!!!

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by ivanova
The DCL CMs explained to me that the $10 fee was to cover the servers tips, because they are not covered in the tips you leave for your regular wait staff. We tend to tip more than the $10 per person though at Palo.

I've asked Guest Services, and that's what I've been told too.

Unfortunately, DCL does not do a good job explaining the Palo service charge. My assumption is that the $10 per person goes entirely into a tip pool that is then distributed to all Palo service employees, including servers, the bread servers, the host, and any other service employees. I further assume that any additional tip is distributed to the server, bread server, and host who actually served you at that meal. But I could be completely wrong.

Obviously, other folks on this board have a different understanding. Some believe that DCL has automatically imposed an appropriate gratuity charge, and that no further gratuities are needed. Others think that the service fee is really a food fee that the servers never see, so they dig much more depply into their pockets to leave a tip that assumes that the servers get nothing from the $10 fee.

The guests and the servers at Palo would be better off if DCL did a better job explaining the $10 fee.

Originally posted by jfs9900
Now see our server at Palo said that the 10 fee, the first 8 dollars went to "Mickey Mouse", then $1.00 to manager then 45 cents to the server. Is this the truth?

I find this particular breakdown to be hard to believe (although I don't doubt that jfs9900 is accurately quoting the server). This just goes to show how we would all be better off if DCL did a better job explaining the fee.

Actually, it could be true that your server gets only 45 cents from your service fee in a shared tip pool model -- but that, when you do the math, your server also gets 45 cents from every other guest in Palo that evening, including those that he or she did not personally serve.

 

[castoff]

I don't want to add to the confusion but this is what my wedding coordinator told me when I asked her about tipping at palo's. We are getting married at Castaway Cay and part of our package includes the cover charge at palos. So I ask her about tipping. She told me: We should tip like dining at a fine dining restaurant. The value of the meal . Which is about 100.00. She didn't tell me where the cover charge money goes but I guess that doesn't really matter. Hope this helps. Tina

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by castoff
She didn't tell me where the cover charge money goes but I guess that doesn't really matter. Hope this helps.

Actually, I think it does matter. For a couple, the Palo service fee is $20. (DCL never calls it a "cover charge.") When calculating the tip, I'd like to know where that $20 is really going. If DCL is giving the impression that the $20 service fee goes to service staff, but it really goes to the bottom line, then that would be terribly unfair to the servers. On the other hand if the service fee is going to gartuities, and a couple leaves an additional $25 tip based on the value of $100 for dinner for two, then that couple should know that they're tipping the equivalent of 45%.

 

[castoff]

I am sorry....... but in my paperwork DCL does refer to palos as a cover charge as included in our package. I was simply saying it didn't matter where the money went because I believe it didn't go to the servers that's all. That's why the person told me to tip the way that we should. I do agree there should be something written about this in the guide book to help people understand better. Tina

 

[Sue Sullivan]

Is serving at Palos considered an upgraded job for the server. What I mean is does the server start in the dining rooms and then get a "raise" to Palo? If so, then there must be an economic advantage to wroking there instead of in the dining room. I sure hope they get the bulk of the service fee passed on.

 

[bbowers]

Our server in Parrot Cay at embarkation (Simone from Italy) said he usually works in Palos but they were full this time around. So it sounds like that's where servers want to be... must be SOME reason!

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by castoff
I am sorry....... but in my paperwork DCL does refer to palos as a cover charge as included in our package. I was simply saying it didn't matter where the money went because I believe it didn't go to the servers that's all.

Interesting. Having never booked a wedding package, I've never seen that paperwork.

Back in 2003, when the Palo fee was $5 per person, DCL's offical website made it clear that the fee was an automatic gratuity charge -- not a cover charge, and not a dinner charge:
<DL><DD>Is there a romantic restaurant just for adults?
The ship features an adults-only alternative restaurant called Palo. Dining hours
for Palo are 6 - 11 p.m. Reservations are required, and taken (once on board)
on a first-come first-served basis. Palo dining is limited to Guests 18 and older.
There is a service charge of $5 per Guest for gratuities. </DD></DL>
But now in 2004, the fee is $10, and the DCL website wording has changed to make it completely unclear who gets the $10:
<DL><DD>Is there a romantic restaurant just for adults?
The ship features an adults-only alternative restaurant called Palo. Dining hours
for Palo are 6:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. Required reservations, taken once on board,
are on a first-come first-served basis. Palo dining is limited to Guests 18 and older.
The Palo Dining Option is $10 per Guest for dinner. </DD></DL>
Come on, DCL, you owe it to your staff and guests to tell the straight story.

 

[LenDVC92]

To further add to the confusion, on our Magic cruise last week the Personal Navigator referred to the $10 fee as "The Palo Dining Option charge", and when our server presented the bill she called it the "reservation charge". Still as clear as mud.

BTW, they did add the automatic 15% gratuity for the wine we ordered as they do for bar bills anywhere on the ship.

Len.

 

[talicskai]

I know my bill from Feb 2004 said $10 gratuity and there was a blank space for "additional gratuity" I wish I could locate my receipt to scan it ~ however, it's in the depths of my "scrapbooking pile" If that is the case I would say the $10 pp gets split amongst the staff in Palo. Is there any CM out there that can clarify this?