Palo Costs???

[DMoss3377]

Hi

I know I've read that there is a either a $5 fee or $10 fee for brunch/tea/dinner at Palo.

Would someone explain if that is all you're charged, or is that just for the reservation and then you're also charged for the meal? If you also pay for the meal...what are the costs?

My DH and I sailed 4days on the Wonder last year and didn't try Palo since we were short on time. This year we're going on a 7-night on the Magic and would love to give it a try. Even if it's only brunch or tea.

Also - what would you recommend...brunch, tea or dinner and why?

Thanks in advance for all the info!

 

[mmouse37]

There is a $5 cover or gratuity charge for the dinner, a $10 charge for the brunch and no charge for the tea. It is all charged to your KTTW card and you must cancel if you are not going or your card will still be charged.

There is no charge for any of the food served at any of the above. Some people like to leave an additional tip if they feel the service warrants it.

We have never done the tea, but we have done the brunch 3 times and the dinner 3 times. I prefer the brunch only because there are more offerings. Dinner is wonderful as well!!! Don't let the cover charge scare you....the meals are well worth the small price.

MJ

 

[Firefighter Mickey]

While the cover charge is technically all you have to pay for, we find it appropriate to leave an additional amount as a tip for our server. We guestimate what the meal would have cost us at a restaurant and then tip appropriately. As always, there's no requirement that you tip an additional amount, but we've always found the service to be worth the extra tip.

We prefer brunch and dinner; I'd normally choose brunch over dinner except for the chocolate souffle for desert at dinner.

High Tea is also very nice, but seems to be very popular and limited in availability. They only offer High Tea on sea days, and we missed out this time around (had to go to the waiting list and alas, never got a call) - only 2 sea days on the western, and even though we went to sign up right away, the tea was full.

 

[kpros]

Do all three if you can! And don't forget, alcohol is extra and the $5 and $10 charges are per person.

Ken

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

The $5 per person charge at dinner is not a cover charge; it's an automatic gratuity charge for the serving staff. According to DCL's official Fun Onboard Q&A page:
<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>
At brunch, it's $10 per person, but that includes a glass of sparkling wine. They don't tell you how much goes to the service staff as gratuities and how much stays with DCL for the sparkling wine.

As other have written, you don't have to pay any more than the automatic charges. There is no additional charge for the excellent food, regardless of what you order. But if you receive the typical outstanding service, it's likely you'll want to increase the tip. On this board, some people are extremely generous, tipping an extra $20 or so per person. I imagine an $5 per per person is more common, and I assume that others don't leave an extra tip at all.

As in any DCL dining room, you pay extra for wine, other alcohol, and fancy non-alcoholic drinks. There's an automatic 15% tip for these.

 

[DMoss3377]

Thanks everyone for your responses and great info.

It helps knowing when creating a budget for the cruise. We will probably try the dinner and/or brunch.

Thanks again.