eating at Palo

[bonkos6]

I am new to the whole cruise scene and was wondering is eating at Palo's included in your cruise price or is it extra?

 

[mommasita]

It is 10$ per person extra.....Tipping is not included either...

HTH

P.S. Worth every penny.

 

[bonkos6]

thank-you

 

[smatterchu]

Seems like I read that the $10 was considered your tip....the meal is actually free, but since you would have a different wait staff, the $10 would cover tipping...

Maybe it's not, but I seem to have read that...

 

[3xthecharm]

The wait staff does not recieve the $10 fee as a tip. It is to cover the added expense of an extra special meal. Many people feel that tipping would be the amount that you would tip at a nice restaurant meal. Others have said they tip about $10 per person for dinner or brunch and $5 per person for tea.

 

[smatterchu]

Okay, if that's the case....do you tip that night somehow, do you get a special envelope at the end of the week?

 

[pjacobi]

For two people, a cheap bottle of wine, and tip, plan on about $50.00. That's about the same as a meal in a nice restaurant.

Drop the kids off at the club, and have a date with your spouse. It's worth having at least one trip to Palo's.


-Paul

 

[Snow Dog Mom]

I am wanting an idea on how and where to leave the tip also!


Thanks,
Kim

 

[mommasita]

They give you a bill...sort of. you sign for the 10$ fee, and just like in restaurants, there is a space to leave a tip after that on the bill/paper, or you can leave cash there....

HTH

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

The wait staff does not recieve the $10 fee as a tip. It is to cover the added expense of an extra special meal.

For the first few years of DCL, the charge for dinner at Palo was $5 per person -- and DCL specifically said it was to cover gratuities. The words in the DCL brochure were, "There is a service charge of $5 per Guest for gratuities." Many of us thought $5 wasn't enough of a gratuity, so we added more.

Until the end of 2003, the service fee remained at $5. At the beginning of 2004, the fee went up to $10. It was still a service fee, but DCL eliminated the phrase "for gratuities." According to Guest Services on the Magic in spring 2004, the money went to gratuities.

Now, it's no longer called a service fee. DCL's website says, "The Palo Dining Option is $10 per Guest for dinner." I have no idea if that means the service staff gets everything, nothing, or something in-between.

I wish DCL would provide a clearer definition of the "Palo Dining Option," along with tipping guidelines. My fear is that the Palo servers are losing out.

 

[disneyma]

I posted this on another thread also....


I was very confused by this...so I asked our server at Palo....

Out of the ten dollars....5 goes back to Disney for extra costs.... The other $5.00 is split among the 12 wait staff and the manager. They get 40 cents per customer even if they don't wait on them.

I was shocked by this... it should be put out there so others will know also!

 

[webray]

Seems like I read that the $10 was considered your tip....the meal is actually free, but since you would have a different wait staff, the $10 would cover tipping...

Maybe it's not, but I seem to have read that...

The $10 is not the tip. Tip what you would for a fine dining experience in any of your favorite restaurants.

You receive a bill to have the Palo "service fee" charged to your room key..you can add the tip on to that or pay in cash. We pay in cash so the servers have it to use in the ports on their days off.

 

[webray]

I am wanting an idea on how and where to leave the tip also!


Thanks,
Kim

You leave the tip at the end of the meal when they present you with the check. Add it on..or leave it in cash. But you leave the tip at the end of your Palo meal.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I was very confused by this...so I asked our server at Palo....

Out of the ten dollars....5 goes back to Disney for extra costs.... The other $5.00 is split among the 12 wait staff and the manager. They get 40 cents per customer even if they don't wait on them.

I was shocked by this... it should be put out there so others will know also!

I agree. Assuming that the server gave accurate information (and that nothing has changed since then), DCL needs to make it clear to guests that only $5 of the $10 goes toward gratuities. That's $10 per couple.

It's not suprising that the gratuities are pooled. That's not unusual. It means that the server, the bread server, the host, the sommelier, and anyone else on the service staff gets their share. And since all guests at all tables are paying into the pool, each member of the service team should get a decent amount out of it.

It's easy to spend $50 per couple for wine and bottled water, which would be another $7.50 because of the 15% automatic gratuity on paid beverages.

I agree that the service at Palo should be rewarded with an additional gratuity. But when deciding the amount, keep in mind that you're not starting at zero (despite what some folks write on this board); you're starting somewhere around $17.50. depending on your beverage bill. Then, by all means, be generous if you enjoyed the excellent service that Palo is known for.

 

[smatterchu]

I agree that the service at Palo should be rewarded with an additional gratuity. But when deciding the amount, keep in mind that you're not starting at zero (despite what some folks write on this board); you're starting somewhere around $17.50. depending on your beverage bill. Then, by all means, be generous if you enjoyed the excellent service that Palo is known for.

I think that's good advice. Thanks to disneyma for asking the Palo server. If anyone else has any direct info from a server or DCL, I'd love to hear it.

Thanks everyone for the input. I just want to do what is right, but I want to make sure I know where my money is going.