Not Impressed by Palo

[Disney_Life84]

DH and I went to Palo for the first time on the Dream this week. We were really looking forward to the exclusive dining experience. We read so many wonderful things about the atmosphere, the food, and the service. We were greatly disappointed. The atmosphere was nice. Our dining time was at 8:00pm, so it was dark outside and made a nice dimly-lit ambiance. However, the food and service were lacking. Our server was not very attentive, and I spent most of my meal without a drink. He always seemed rushed and we didn't see him very much. We only saw him at one other table, so I don't think he was overbooked. The food, we found, was equal to the food we had in the MDR. We each ordered the beef tenderloin. It was good, but again, we didn't find it any more tasty or tender than the beef we had in the MDR. It was nice to go there once, but we will never do it again. Has anyone else had this same experience, or feel that Palo is overrated? I'm just curious if anyone else feels the same.

 

[KashasMom]

DH and I went to Palo for the first time on the Dream this week. We were really looking forward to the exclusive dining experience. We read so many wonderful things about the atmosphere, the food, and the service. We were greatly disappointed. The atmosphere was nice. Our dining time was at 8:00pm, so it was dark outside and made a nice dimly-lit ambiance. However, the food and service were lacking. Our server was not very attentive, and I spent most of my meal without a drink. He always seemed rushed and we didn't see him very much. We only saw him at one other table, so I don't think he was overbooked. The food, we found, was equal to the food we had in the MDR. We each ordered the beef tenderloin. It was good, but again, we didn't find it any more tasty or tender than the beef we had in the MDR. It was nice to go there once, but we will never do it again. Has anyone else had this same experience, or feel that Palo is overrated? I'm just curious if anyone else feels the same.

Very sorry that you didn't have a good experience. It seems that most people rave about Palo/Remy. We haven't been but don't intend to.

 

[Barbydoll8]

we didn't find it any more tasty or tender than the beef we had in the MDR.

Yes. We did brunch on the Fantasy July 2018 and while good, I wasn't blown away. It was a one and done for us. We aren't fussy eaters by any means so we are easily pleased with the MDR food for the most part. I can say our service was impeccable however. I just wasn't blown away by the food. And yes, I had the chicken parm. It was good. It certainly wasn't great.

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

Palo is like everything else, not everyone will enjoy it every time. It's possible you may have enjoyed the experience if you had a better server.

We've never had an overall bad experience with Palo and have never done Remy. We feel the food served in Palo is better than what you get in the MDR but certainly not fine dining like you would experience on land.

 

[71 Truck]

Sorry to hear about you experience. My wife and I have never had dinner at Palo however we have done brunch several times. We have never had anything but an exceptional experience. We always ask if our past server is on board and if so we ask for him to be our server. The past three cruises we have been on he was part of the greating team as you get on the boat. When we go to brunch we are usaly there for at least 2 hours or more and never feel rushed and are well attended to. The food has always been exceptional and our server always makes recommendations that we have been happy with. It is now even better because we are Platnum and do not have to pay for brunch. We do always tip our server well so he takes very good care of us.

 

[Dug720]

Did you speak to the maitre’d or manager at the time? Or following? They want to know when things are not right so they can make corrections.

 

[Simba]

Sorry you did not enjoy. That has never been our experience. We tend to go to Palo 2-3 times every cruise (Always take 7 night cruises). We love the atmosphere, the food, everything!

 

[ILoveMyKellen]

This is exactly how my husband and I felt about Remy. While the service was outstanding and the atmosphere was wonderful, we felt the food was just meh. We were glad we did it but once was enough.

I do love Palo but my husband isn’t crazy about it either. While he likes the brunch he’s not overly fond of dinner.

 

[serenitynow]

I would agree that for us Palo was a once and done experience. We did the Palo brunch a few days ago and were not overly impressed. It was nice, but not “all that” especially at $40.00 each guest.

The place is beautiful, the view tremendous and the food is very good, especially compared to the rest of the food on the ship. But then again, maybe our expectations were too high.

 

[serenitynow]

I also think a lot of the buzz about Palo comes from Platinum members who get their meal for free. We may have been more impressed by the experience if it had been free, rather than $80.00 for the two of us.

 

[PrincessTess]

We love Palo so im sad you didn't enjoy it! We always book two brunches and a dinner here (before even being platinum for a free meal).

I'm curious... I wonder what the people who get brunch here and are disappointed order? I have to say, if you spend the $40 on brunch and order a waffle or an egg dish, yes, it is going to seem like the MDR breakfasts for a hefty fee. However, if you're getting that lasagna or chicken parm... I think the experience may be better? But that's just my speculation!

 

[Lisa Skier]

Love my free brunch That said I have always preferred Palo over Remy, although I have only been to Remy once. For the price the service was horrible. And interestingly enough on that particular cruise our dining room waiter's wife worked in Palo and made sure our dinner there was exceptional. I like the action in the MDR enough that I wouldn't choose dinner at Palo but I know everyone has their own opinion which is what makes our world great. Probably won't go to brunch on our three day in August but certainly will go in November.

 

[MomOTwins]

We love Palo so im sad you didn't enjoy it! We always book two brunches and a dinner here (before even being platinum for a free meal).

I'm curious... I wonder what the people who get brunch here and are disappointed order? I have to say, if you spend the $40 on brunch and order a waffle or an egg dish, yes, it is going to seem like the MDR breakfasts for a hefty fee. However, if you're getting that lasagna or chicken parm... I think the experience may be better? But that's just my speculation!

I don't think at brunch you are paying for the entree, which I agree were just okay. You are really paying for the huge spread of chilled seafood, cheese and charcuterie, pastries, other hor d'eorves and desserts. Plus you do get one mimosa or bellini included which is easily 1/3 of the cost. All far superior to the breakfast and lunch options on the ship in my opinion--which is the main point. We have not been to Palo dinner yet because the 4-course MDR dinners are already included in the cruise price and are much more comparable to palo than the breakfast and lunch included options, which we find more disappointing.

 

[Dug720]

I'm curious... I wonder what the people who get brunch here and are disappointed order? I have to say, if you spend the $40 on brunch and order a waffle or an egg dish, yes, it is going to seem like the MDR breakfasts for a hefty fee. However, if you're getting that lasagna or chicken parm... I think the experience may be better? But that's just my speculation!

My other thought is they must not live in/near a big city. You're lucky to find "eggs and waffles" in NYC for under $40. Much less those including the foods on the buffet, one included alcoholic drink, and coffee (non-specialty), tea, water (tap - or "Mickey"), and/or sodas.

 

[OKW Lover]

We love Palo. Our experience has been very good for both service and food.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I also think a lot of the buzz about Palo comes from Platinum members who get their meal for free. We may have been more impressed by the experience if it had been free, rather than $80.00 for the two of us.

We are Platinum, so it’s free except for the tip, and we tip generously because the service has always been exceptional. I love it all, especially the Parmesan cheese in the antipasto!

 

[cruisehopeful]

Sounds like you got a dud server on an overly busy night.

I've done Palo twice on Wonder. The first time was for dinner and it happened to be the first time in my life that I was feeling seasick. Ended up eating a couple bread stick things and drinking mint tea and that was all I could handle. My server was very attentive and tried to make it a good experience, which I gave him rave reviews on my survey for. My husband stayed and had a very nice dinner. I had to go back to the room and go to sleep.

Next time we decided to do a brunch instead. We had an awesome server named Duon, who really spoiled us. It was a very magical experience. The food was very good. We will do brunch again whenever we sail on Wonder.

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

We had Palo brunch on our cruise, and like some others, we weren't overly impressed. The food was very good, as was the service, but we weren't blown away. (We are also limited by food allergies, and for me, it always takes some of the fun out of a special dining experience when I can't eat much of what's on the brunch buffet.) We may do brunch or dinner again in the future, but we are thinking that our "extra" thing on the next cruise will be spa appointments instead of dining.

 

[Disney_Life84]

We didn't complain, and still gave a very generous tip. The restaurant was not busy by any means. There were many empty tables, so it just doesn't make sense about our inattentive server. Oh well. Again, it was nice to do once, but will never do again. Glad to hear others agree about the food being meh.

Did you speak to the maitre’d or manager at the time? Or following? They want to know when things are not right so they can make corrections.

 

[Dug720]

We didn't complain, and still gave a very generous tip. The restaurant was not busy by any means. There were many empty tables, so it just doesn't make sense about our inattentive server. Oh well. Again, it was nice to do once, but will never do again. Glad to hear others agree about the food being meh.

So as far as they are concerned, things were great. The only way they are going to be able to fix a problem is if they are told about it. Not if people say nothing and still leave generous tips.