Palo Fee Increase

[Regina]

Effective January 3, the fee for dining at Palo's will be raised from $5.00 to $10.00.

Please note that this additional amount will be reinvested in Palo's to enhance the overall dining experience. The original $5.00 service charge will continue to be distributed to the Palo Team.

In January, they will offer brunch at Palo's on the 4 night cruises. This will be a test market. Depending on the response, it will be determined if this will become a permanent addition to the itinerary.

 

[steveandtonya]

Regina, Is the price increase only for dinner or is brunch going up also? Thanks
Steve

 

[Lisa F]

Wah! We will miss brunch by ONE cruise. Unless, of course, they start having brunch at Palo starting January 1 (which is a day at sea!). Do you know?

 

[Regina]

The $10.00 fee for brunch remains the same. It's the dinner fee that's increasing.

Since the 4 day cruises sail on Sundays, I would assume that brunch will be offered on 1/4, 1/11, 1/18 and 1/25 cruises.

 

[AnnMorin]

So the severs only get the first five dollars? I hope everyone realizes that and still tips them accordingly. It would be a shame if people thought that for a couple of two the server will be getting $20.00 and they do not leave a tip at all.

 

[wltdsnyfan]

Thanks for the info. I was not going to try Palo but if they still have the brunch in August 2004 I will try. I wish August was next week I can not wait to go.

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

i wish next week was nov 2004 so we can go on our cruise. and if the price increase is to improve palo's thats great.

 

[Lisa F]

Wah. For the holidays, the wonder is sailing on a Wed this week (shifted the schedule a bit) so we are going on the 4 day Wonder from 12/31-1/4. One can still hope that the brunch will show up, I guess we can keep an eye out on the navigator.

 

[Regina]

So the severs only get the first five dollars?

That's what I wanted to make crystal clear. I hope that they find a way to communicate this to the guests. I can see where it would be assumed that the entire amount goes to the Palo team.

 

[CGC33A]

The first time we went to Palo ( along time ago), the server, a woman from France (don't remember her name), said the fee went the restaurant not to her. Everything I read, had heard or was told it did go to her. I was surpised at her statement (read: lie)--anything to get more of a tip!

 

[karina]

I hope this doesn't sound like a real stupid question, but how do you leave a tip for the server at Palo's? Can you put it on your ship card?

 

[ThreeCircles]

You can leave your tip for the Palo server either in cash or charge it to your KTTW card.

We usually always leave cash.

 

[Chattyaholic]

Wasn't planning to go to Palo on our 1/18 Wonder cruise, but if they are going to be offering brunch we may change our minds. DH and I had dinner at Palo on our last cruise, and had reservations for the brunch but decided to cancel. Once we got back home I wished we hadn't cancelled. Maybe now we'll get to try it. We plan to get on board early so we'll probably try for a brunch reservation.

 

[bengals01]

the $5.00 is split amongst a bunch of people, your server only gets a small portion of the $5.00, so you need to tip more, i figure when we go out for a nice dinner the tip is around $15- $20

 

[Luckymommyx2]

Even with the increase it seems like a good deal. I wish they would have test marketed the brunch on our four day earlier this year!!

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by dvcreg
Effective January 3, the fee for dining at Palo's will be raised from $5.00 to $10.00.

Please note that this additional amount will be reinvested in Palo's to enhance the overall dining experience. The original $5.00 service charge will continue to be distributed to the Palo Team.

What does "will be reinvested in Palo's to enhance the overall dining experience" mean? Reinvested? Did DCL use that word?

Regina, where did you get this news? It doesn't look like an official announcement from DCL -- if for no other reason than the name of the restaurant is Palo, not Palo's.

But I believe you! At the official DCL website, the Q&A item for Palo now says, "There is a nominal service charge per Guest." It used to say, "There is a $5 service charge per guest for gratuities."

If the additional amount is not going to the service staff for gratuites, then it's just another "nickel and dime" attempt to extract more money from our wallets. What's next? How about $5 to see movies in the Buena Vista Theatre ("but it's still a better deal than your local first-run cinema")? Or maybe a 2-drink minimum during shows in Rockin' Bar D ("after all, the entertainers don't work for free")? Maybe, charging for appetizers in the main dining rooms ("but your dinner entree is still included in your cruise price, and nobody has to order an appetizer")? I'd better not give them any more ideas.

Yes, I can afford $20 per couple, just like I could afford $10 per couple. Yes, nobody is forcing my wife and me to dine at Palo. Yes, in fact, I'll still do my best to get dinner reservations at Palo as soon as we board. But, this rubs me the wrong way.

Supposedly, a DCL cruise includes all your meals. That's the sales pitch. The old automatic $5 dinner gratuity charge at Palo could be justified because it meant that every Palo guest would leave at least a $5 minimum tip for the service staff.

Maybe the Palo dinner receipt will break down the $10 amount to show "$5 for gratuities" and "$5 for Michael Eisner's bonus fund."

 

[NCRedding]

Palo would still be $10 less than the speciality restaurants on the Radiance of the seas. On several cruise lines, the specialty places are $15-30 per person. On NCL with freestyle cruising, they offer restaurants where you pay for your entrees--priced from $8-25. I've also found reading other cruiseline boards, that other lines charge for sodas at dinner, and charge much more for photos ($10-20 for a 6X8).

 

[AnnMorin]

What bothers me is this....
number one I am concerned that the CM's are going to get ripped off, we usually leave about a 25.00 tip on top of our huge liq. bill with the tip built in and the $10.00 for the two of us surcharge, so now it is a ten dollar pp surcharge, our liq. bill will still be around $60.00 then I have to add in my tip to the server. MANY PEOPLE WON"T ADD ANYTHING!!! What does making Palo a better experience entail? Are our additional five dollars pp to recarpet the place? Add onto the menu? I agree all food was suppossed to be free, it kinda sounds like DCL is going the way of other lines and charging for their "premium" restaurants. Who will suffer? In the end it will be the CM's I can gaurentee their tips will go down. I will still continue to pay, an addition ten dollars is not that significant, but some people will look at it like the cover charge just doubled, that is all I will spend.

 

[GenieDana]

Amen Horace!

 

[Alex]

Of course the CM's will suffer, I can hear it now
"We are already paying 20 dollars!!! No need for a tip"
The way I calculate the tip is a meal of equal quality and service in Boston would run about 200 dollars. 20% tip= 40 dollars (assuming the service was exemplary which it always has been) - the built in 15% on the wine and the five dollar fee so I usually leave about 30 or 35.