Palo Brunch Chicken Parm?

[Jsoenning]

No, I don’t think it is. It’s chicken parm. That’s it. Nothing amazing to us. I’ve customized my order for extra red sauce and hold the risotto and it was better, but I don’t get the hype. If you’re there anyway, definitely try it, but I wouldn't seek it out personally. We haven’t gone back since the end of the brunch buffet. I just don’t see the need for $90 plus tip (for 2 people) for chicken parm and a big Mickey waffle (realistically all I can eat plus some nibblings)

My wife and I came to this conclusion last Disney cruise. And we saw that much of the breakfast food you can actually get in Cabanas (e.g. waffles, omelet, etc.). Pizza wasn't blow us away compared to Pinocchio's pool side. Our favorite part of Palo historically was the buffet - because we got to try things we'd never had in small portions to where we weren't wasteful. And the strawberry soup that they no longer serve.

We're skipping Palo on our upcoming cruise due to food experience last December - probably paired with our last waiter was just not good - never came back to refill coffees or check on us, and it wasn't because he had many other tables.

My wife is also a huge fan of chicken parmigiana but steered us to other main dishes because to us it's not any better than our local Italian restaurants - we're fortunate to have several non-chain Italian restaurants near our home.

 

[Karin1984]

We're skipping Palo on our upcoming cruise due to food experience last December - probably paired with our last waiter was just not good - never came back to refill coffees or check on us, and it wasn't because he had many other tables.

A waiter can totally improve on the experience. When I said I booked a second brunch as soon as my first one was over (12-night transatlantic cruise), was not just because of the food. My waiter went the extra mile every moment of the brunch, he was definitely a huge influence on my decision to book again.

When I went back for my 2nd brunch, I was very happy to have the same server. He remembered how much I raved about the sorbet for dessert. When I ordered dessert, he got me extra scoops of sorbet next to the full dessert.

 

[NAB]

We’ve never been fans of it, but last time we were on the Wish our server convinced us to order it, and it was really good. Probably more chef dependent than anything else (wish I had found out who the chef was), as we always get the lasagna (our favorite), and it definitely varies depending on the chef.

Yes this I always get the lasagna but on the Fantasy this month it wasn’t my favourite.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I get the chicken parm every time I go to Palo for brunch. To me, the risotto makes it!

 

[71 Truck]

For me one word, YES.
I get it every time my wife and I do the brunch, along with the secret pizza that is not on the menu.

 

[Karin1984]

Oh the secret pizza was even more overrated. I love gorgonzola, but it really was nothing special (in my opinion).

 

[Bonnie1222]

I honestly don't like the chicken parm. To me it is very bland and lacks flavor but I know I am the exception, not the rule. Chicken parm is also not something I would order if we went out for Italian. Now the lasagne?!!!!!!!!!! I could eat that every meal on my cruise and not get bored.

Brunch is an experience. They do it differently now post covid but I still enjoy it. Even DH who hates to linger at a meal will sit there for 2-3 hours and just enjoy it. Someone earlier posted that you can things like the mickey waffles at Cabanas. No, not really. These are large and much better.

 

[RedHead0186]

Yes. I got it on our sailing last month. I wasn't going to because the thought was that I could get chicken parm anywhere. But our server (who was amazing overall) really sold me on it. He was right, it was amazing and I'm so glad I got it!

 

[CamColt]

The chicken parm and saltimbocca are mine and DH's go to entrees. They are very good! I do order extra sauce on the side for the chicken parm as they do go light on the sauce.

I get very few desserts on the cruise as I'm usually full, however if you are to get 1 dessert, make it the chocolate amaretto fondant at Palo brunch. That is amazing!

 

[emmybee]

The food is fine. The chicken parm is fine. Is it as good as the local Italian place at home? No. There is a lot of hype on the internet about Palo brunch. It was one and done for me. We're going to try the dinner, and even if that turns out to be fine as well, I would return solely for the opportunity to have a quiet meal.

 

[holula]

The food is fine. The chicken parm is fine. Is it as good as the local Italian place at home? No. There is a lot of hype on the internet about Palo brunch. It was one and done for me. We're going to try the dinner, and even if that turns out to be fine as well, I would return solely for the opportunity to have a quiet meal.

I think dinner is much better, but that seems to be the minority opinion. Brush for me is every few cruises but I’d rather do dinner most cruises.

 

[supergirl04]

I’ve tried the chicken parm three times on three different ships. Just not a fan. I did enjoy the lasagna. And now will try the saltimbocca. That has piqued my interest.

 

[Dug720]

The sheer fact that they can do chicken parmesan gluten-free makes it worth it to me. It's dang hard to find it gluten-free anywhere else.

 

[Aimeedyan]

It's good, but the fact you're on a Disney cruise is what sets it over the top for people IMO. It's the pixie dust effect (please also see Dole Whip and Gaston's cinnamon rolls). It's not better than a solid Italian spot back home, and certainly not the best I've had.

We FAR enjoyed dinner more than brunch on our last two cruises (2022 and 2023, both on the Dream).

I would not carve out time for Palo on a 3 night.

 

[Calantha]

Oh the secret pizza was even more overrated. I love gorgonzola, but it really was nothing special (in my opinion).

Yeah, we didn't love it when we ordered it in May. I like the regular pizzas better.

 

[cruisenews411]

When the brunch was $20-25, the food you got was elevated in taste and presentation compared to the included offerings onboard. Not on par with a fine dining restaurant on land but definitely worth the upcharge. Now that it’s $45 and you don’t have the buffet, it doesn’t have same appeal to me. If they returned to the old format with the buffet, MAYBE I would still say it was worth the price due to to unique offerings. Overall, I think they’ve priced the experience too high for what you are getting but there are enough people who still want to go so they will just keep raising prices and people will keep paying for it. If you are on a short cruise-I’d say skip it. If you are on a long cruise and want to give it a try, check it out. As far as the chicken parm, I’ve tried it twice and didn’t finish it either time but I don’t eat chicken parm anywhere else so keep that in mind.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

The sheer fact that they can do chicken parmesan gluten-free makes it worth it to me. It's dang hard to find it gluten-free anywhere else.

My gluten-free DW agrees. It’s her goto entree for the brunch. I prefer the lasagna myself, but the only time she can get that gluten-free is when we prepare it at home using Barilla GF lasagna noodles.

 

[Debonna]

Ok, OP here, back from my voyage. We ended up having both dinner and brunch at Palo. My husband loves gnocchi (his grandma used to make it fresh), so we decided to do a pre-dinner at Palo to just have a pasta course and some wine. Well. We are so happy our amazing server, Marko, talked us into ordering more. Everything was FREAKIN' AMAZING! From the pizza bread and gnocchi amuse bouche to the glorious, bring-tear-to-your-eye Osso Buco. It was all extraordinarily delicious. We had the Caprese salad, agnolotti (butternut squash ravioli), gnocchi, Osso Buco, and chocolate soufflé. The dessert was the only item I did not care for. It just didn't do anything for me. But man, that Osso Buco with saffron risotto was like a warm hug. We went back the next morning for brunch, which was probably a mistake, since we were still slightly full from the night before. Marko had prepared us that brunch is good but doesn't compare to dinner. He was quite firm about steering us away from certain items that weren't worth the stomach space, and I appreciated that. I wanted a Mickey waffle for the social media post, and he insisted I skip it. Was glad I did. Here's what we had:

Eggs benedict with rosemary ham - divine
Zucchini frittata - not bad. Loved the arugula on top and the parmesan crust on the outside.
Grape and Gorgonzola Pizza - - DELICIOUS (Marko told us he was bringing us a secret, off the menu item. I had seen it before on vlogs but didn't let on, so I didn't spoil his surprise.)
Chicken parmesan w/ risotto - very delicious, but I didn't finish it. It just didn't compare to the Osso Buco.
Lasagna - best I've ever tasted, but a bit too rich to finish.
Mushroom ravioli - just meh
Celery soup - contrary to what I had heard, it does indeed taste like celery (which I like), but wouldn't order again.
Almond croissant - heavenly (not as marzipan-y as I expected, like the ones Starbucks used to serve). Marko didn't bring us any other sweet pastries. He insisted we share only ONE croissant and would bring more at the end if we desired. We didn't...too full.
We tried the focaccia in the bread basket, but tasted just like what they serve at Cabanas. Marko suggested we not eat the regular bread/breadsticks, again, to save stomach space.
I don't eat seafood, but I did sample the meat/cheese/olive plate. Good but not necessary.
Desserts - buttermilk panna cotta - - oh.my.yum. Surprisingly delicious. Lemoncello tart - - didn't like. More sweet than lemony.

Was really glad we tried brunch but not sure we'll repeat until our kids are of age. But dinner... would book another cruise just to eat it again.

 

[Flossbolna]

Ok, OP here, back from my voyage. We ended up having both dinner and brunch at Palo. My husband loves gnocchi (his grandma used to make it fresh), so we decided to do a pre-dinner at Palo to just have a pasta course and some wine. Well. We are so happy our amazing server, Marko, talked us into ordering more. Everything was FREAKIN' AMAZING! From the pizza bread and gnocchi amuse bouche to the glorious, bring-tear-to-your-eye Osso Buco. It was all extraordinarily delicious. We had the Caprese salad, agnolotti (butternut squash ravioli), gnocchi, Osso Buco, and chocolate soufflé. The dessert was the only item I did not care for. It just didn't do anything for me. But man, that Osso Buco with saffron risotto was like a warm hug. We went back the next morning for brunch, which was probably a mistake, since we were still slightly full from the night before. Marko had prepared us that brunch is good but doesn't compare to dinner. He was quite firm about steering us away from certain items that weren't worth the stomach space, and I appreciated that. I wanted a Mickey waffle for the social media post, and he insisted I skip it. Was glad I did. Here's what we had:

Eggs benedict with rosemary ham - divine
Zucchini frittata - not bad. Loved the arugula on top and the parmesan crust on the outside.
Grape and Gorgonzola Pizza - - DELICIOUS (Marko told us he was bringing us a secret, off the menu item. I had seen it before on vlogs but didn't let on, so I didn't spoil his surprise.)
Chicken parmesan w/ risotto - very delicious, but I didn't finish it. It just didn't compare to the Osso Buco.
Lasagna - best I've ever tasted, but a bit too rich to finish.
Mushroom ravioli - just meh
Celery soup - contrary to what I had heard, it does indeed taste like celery (which I like), but wouldn't order again.
Almond croissant - heavenly (not as marzipan-y as I expected, like the ones Starbucks used to serve). Marko didn't bring us any other sweet pastries. He insisted we share only ONE croissant and would bring more at the end if we desired. We didn't...too full.
We tried the focaccia in the bread basket, but tasted just like what they serve at Cabanas. Marko suggested we not eat the regular bread/breadsticks, again, to save stomach space.
I don't eat seafood, but I did sample the meat/cheese/olive plate. Good but not necessary.
Desserts - buttermilk panna cotta - - oh.my.yum. Surprisingly delicious. Lemoncello tart - - didn't like. More sweet than lemony.

Was really glad we tried brunch but not sure we'll repeat until our kids are of age. But dinner... would book another cruise just to eat it again.

That’s wonderful that you enjoyed it so much! And thanks for coming back and reporting for us! My husband thinks the Palo brunch lasagna is the best dish on the brunch menu by far.

 

[brentm77]

I think dinner is much better, but that seems to be the minority opinion. Brush for me is every few cruises but I’d rather do dinner most cruises.

Do you have a favorite for dinner? We will be doing diner at Palo for the first time in two weeks.