Palo question from a first-timer

[toughmudder]

Howdy all. So I'm 75 days out from our Feb 3, 4-night cruise on the Dream. I have a few questions regarding Palo, for all you experts out there:

1. Is it worth it, and would you do brunch or dinner?
2. I'm thinking of doing this on the 4th night - will we have been to all three restaurants at least once, or is it completely random? (as far as which night is your "extra" restaurant night?)
3. Is there a place on disneycruise.com that tells you in advance what your dinner location rotation is?
4. What time are the evening shows, typically, and is there more than one show a night?
5. On the night that you have your Palo ressie, do you accompany your kids to dinner, but just not eat with them... or can they eat through the Kid's Club?

Thanks so much in advance for any help you can provide. I'm sure if I did some digging, I'd find an answer to all these... but these message boards have been so dang awesome, I'm asking them all at once!

 

[cypressmom]

We did both and I preferred brunch over dinner. I'm sure someone else will say that they like dinner better than brunch.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Howdy all. So I'm 75 days out from our Feb 3, 4-night cruise on the Dream. I have a few questions regarding Palo, for all you experts out there:

1. Is it worth it, and would you do brunch or dinner?
2. I'm thinking of doing this on the 4th night - will we have been to all three restaurants at least once, or is it completely random? (as far as which night is your "extra" restaurant night?)
3. Is there a place on disneycruise.com that tells you in advance what your dinner location rotation is?
4. What time are the evening shows, typically, and is there more than one show a night?
5. On the night that you have your Palo ressie, do you accompany your kids to dinner, but just not eat with them... or can they eat through the Kid's Club?

Thanks so much in advance for any help you can provide. I'm sure if I did some digging, I'd find an answer to all these... but these message boards have been so dang awesome, I'm asking them all at once!

1. Personally, I prefer brunch to dinner. Although the chocolate souffle is wonderful!

3. No. You won't know your rotation until you check in at the port.

4. The shows are roughly the same time as the dinner seatings. Early dinner seating goes to the show afterward. Late dinner seating goes to the show before.

5. You can take your kids to the MDR for their regular dinner seating, if you wish. Or you can feed them from the quick serve locations and then send them to the club. It's my understanding, if there is food in the clubs, it's generally just a sandwich and chips (along that line).

 

[kcashner]

5. You have many options. You can take your children to the dining room but not eat. You can order room service for them. You can feed them on the pool deck. You can place them in the programming--but be sure they are there at the dinner time (not necessarily the same as your dining room time). If they are old enough, they can go to the dining room on their own.

4. There are 2 shows each night--one during main dinner and one during late. You go to the show when you are not eating dinner.

3. You will learn your dining rotation when you check in at the terminal and see it on your KTTW card. It isn't assigned till about 2 weeks before the cruise.

2. You can call DCL and find the scheduled rotation of dining rooms for your cruise. You may repeat the 3rd and 4th night or the 2nd and 3rd. As in 1-2-2-3 or 1-2-3-3. You WILL miss something in the dining room if you go to Palo. You will either miss a signature menu or the pirate night menu.

1. Worth it is a personal thing--it depends on your finances, values. etc. Palo is a very nice, fine dining restaurant, on the same level as the signature restaurants at WDW (the ones that take 2 dining credits). Remy is rather the top of the heap. I took MANY DCL cruises before I ever went to Palo, but that was based on our decision that dinner is a family event and we ate together. Thus, until my daughter was 18, we did not book Palo (and then she celebrated her 18th birthday there!). But that was our choice. Others would find a night of dining without the kids to be "priceless."

 

[kristinfly2]

We were one of those couple that preferred dinner over brunch. I don't eat seafood or fish and those seemed to be the popular stations at brunch. We chose to order room service for the kids to eat while we got ready. Worked out great! Then we dropped them off at the club. The food served in the club is low quality and quantity! Our kids ate lunch in the club while we were at brunch and we ended up having to take them to topsiders to get a "real" lunch after! We have 6 kids so $40 for a dinner or brunch alone while the kids were having a great time in the club was priceless!!!

 

[OKW Lover]

We've done both and love both. I'd be hard pressed to decide one or the other. They really are two different dining experiences.

OK, so that probably doesn't help the OP decide.

 

[luv2sleep]

I preferred brunch over dinner. There were more food options and I loved getting a small taste of everything. Also, the pizza was phenomenal and my favorite thing there. They don't serve the pizza at dinner anymore.

When I had dinner, I ordered room service for my son and then took him to the club. He never eats the food in the club and says he doesn't like it. So if I'm going to do Palo and miss a meal with him I make sure I fed him first.

I felt both brunch and dinner were very worth it. I will do both again.

 

[darkwing818]

We've done both and love both. I'd be hard pressed to decide one or the other. They really are two different dining experiences.

We agree with the above:

On a 7 day cruise, we do both (along with a Remy dinner). However on a 4 day, due to lack of time, we always hit the brunch on the Sea Day (always a winner )...

 

[jdb in AZ]

Brunch is offered only on at-sea days, so your chances of getting brunch aren't as great as they would be on a longer cruise. You'll have better luck with online dinner reservations. If both options are full, try again as soon as you board the ship. Ask a crew member where to go to do that.

Actually, if all ressies for Palo are taken, you could try Remy. Even higher priced, but yes, it's that much better.

 

[Gatrcruzer]

I think that the Pirate menu tends to be one of the weaker menu nights, and whatever restaurant you eat in for Pirate night you will eat at a second time with their regular menu, so that is a good night to skip if you are going to do the dinner route. Just be aware that brunch might be offered the same or next day (Pirate day is usually day 3 on a 4 night), so could be a lot of good food in a short time frame if you do both Check online to see which night will be pirate night for you, and also when your sea day will be. We did Remy lunch and loved it, but we like that type of dining.

 

[kristinfly2]

I know a lot of people think the menu isn't good on pirate night but the beef short ribs we had that night were the best I have ever had! They were even better than mine! . They were so good out server brought us two helpings each!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I know a lot of people think the menu isn't good on pirate night but the beef short ribs we had that night were the best I have ever had! They were even better than mine! . They were so good out server brought us two helpings each!

I'm one of the few who also like the Pirate menu. Personally, I don't care for the Captain's Gala menu. I usually just wind up ordering the generic baked chicken and potato.

 

[rosermama]

I like both but DH doesn't care for brunch. Personally I would do it early on pirate night. It is a repeat restaurant and the show is at night on deck with the fireworks.

My daughter likes the nights we go to Palo because its her free night. She eats up on deck and then gets to be in the kids club all night.

Sent from my SAMSUNG Galaxy Note using DISBoards

 

[luv2sleep]

I like both but DH doesn't care for brunch. Personally I would do it early on pirate night. It is a repeat restaurant and the show is at night on deck with the fireworks.

My daughter likes the nights we go to Palo because its her free night. She eats up on deck and then gets to be in the kids club all night.

Sent from my SAMSUNG Galaxy Note using DISBoards

Is pirate night always a repeat for everyone?

 

[jdb in AZ]

Is pirate night always a repeat for everyone?

Except a 2-day cruise to nowhere, or a 3-day. On longer cruises you have a chance to go to all three MDR's with day(s) leftover.

 

[adminjedi]

We like Palo dinner food so much more than the regular dining restaurants that we ate there every night on our Magic Caribbean cruise!!!!

 

[DesertGal]

I loved both of them but each experience was different. Dinner was our date night but I struggled to find something to order as a main entree (I'm not a huge steak person) and at the MDR I always just ordered appetizers or the salad. I did love the pizzas but they don't have them at dinner anymore. The brunch had several ahi dishes and tons of fruit, veggies and cheeses.

 

[wildel1021]

I have done both the Brunch and Dinner several times on different ships.....If I had to pick one it would be the Brunch.