Palo/ Remy. What's best

[phinz]

Oh well sounds like a bargain lol

It is, relatively speaking, just like a $100,000 Corvette that can compete with a $300,000 Ferrari is a bargain, relatively speaking.

 

[tjlitzi]

We did Palo last month on the Magic - both brunch and dinner and enjoyed both immensely. For next year on the Fantasy I am considering just Palo brunch. I really enjoyed the diversity of the choices and that is about the fancy level we enjoy. Remy seems too fancy for us and while I bet we would enjoy it, I would get way more out of money on many other things on the boat.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

What kind of person are you? DW and I did Remy once. We were there for 3 hours (we knew it would be that and planned in advance for it). We are not what we call "fru-fru" people. In better terms - everything that Chef Ramsey would make, we wouldn't like. We're steak and potatoes people. take your wording preference.

We found very little to enjoy at Remy (although the little bite of tomato soup in a pasty block thing was really, really good - I will give them that). Most of the food just wasn't the type of thing we enjoy. We read about them or see them on TV, but don't eat them.

Saying all that - we still think it was worth the $85x2 that we paid for the ONE time. Because it was an experience and one we would never have had on shore because we just wouldn't go to a place like that. Would we do it again? Never. Do we regret doing it once? Not at all.

Be warned - it's not just $85. They will try to upsell you on a different class of meat (costs more) and various wines and other things to go with your meal. Those are all very expensive. It's easy to spend a couple hundred in there and not even know it.

 

[Dug720]

What kind of person are you? DW and I did Remy once. We were there for 3 hours (we knew it would be that and planned in advance for it). We are not what we call "fru-fru" people. In better terms - everything that Chef Ramsey would make, we wouldn't like. We're steak and potatoes people. take your wording preference.

We found very little to enjoy at Remy (although the little bite of tomato soup in a pasty block thing was really, really good - I will give them that). Most of the food just wasn't the type of thing we enjoy. We read about them or see them on TV, but don't eat them.

Saying all that - we still think it was worth the $85x2 that we paid for the ONE time. Because it was an experience and one we would never have had on shore because we just wouldn't go to a place like that. Would we do it again? Never. Do we regret doing it once? Not at all.

Be warned - it's not just $85. They will try to upsell you on a different class of meat (costs more) and various wines and other things to go with your meal. Those are all very expensive. It's easy to spend a couple hundred in there and not even know it.

Granted, Remy is probably not something I will ever try as I cannot eat gluten, do not eat fish, and the thought of eating pigeon turns my stomach, (plus I have read from more than one person that they escort you to the bathroom...no thank you, I am not 2) but...

Can you not JUST say no? I know when I have felt pressure to upgrade in other situations and say no, it is either honored immediately or a simple "May I please see the manager?" suffices to end the pressure.

 

[wilkeliza]

Granted, Remy is probably not something I will ever try as I cannot eat gluten, do not eat fish, and the thought of eating pigeon turns my stomach, (plus I have read from more than one person that they escort you to the bathroom...no thank you, I am not 2) but...

Can you not JUST say no? I know when I have felt pressure to upgrade in other situations and say no, it is either honored immediately or a simple "May I please see the manager?" suffices to end the pressure.

You can definitely say no. I never found them to be pushy or anything in their suggestion for upgrading the experience. They are just that suggestions. We often go during truffle season so of course they always offer the truffle menu. We politely decline as none of us like truffle. Both times it was never mentioned again. The waiter still brought the jar over so we could smell a fresh truffle ourselves and see it since a massive truffle is not something you often see.

The escort to the bathroom is just fine dinning and old school etiquette. I've heard if you let the waiter know you are fine they'll leave it be but I always kind of like the pampering.

Just as an fyi if you ever want to try Remy I've done a full meal there with no fish and no pigeon. They supposedly make amazing gluten free bread as well.

 

[Garyjames220]

It is, relatively speaking, just like a $100,000 Corvette that can compete with a $300,000 Ferrari is a bargain, relatively speaking.

Sadly am not as loaded as u lol

 

[phinz]

Sadly am not as loaded as u lol

I'm not even close to loaded (unless I've had too many drinks), but I can recognize the relative value regarding things that are virtually the same.

 

[Garyjames220]

I'm not even close to loaded (unless I've had too many drinks), but I can recognize the relative value regarding things that are virtually the same.

Well guess so have a point

But sounds so costly. Think I'd rather put that to another cruise

I worked out that dinner would cost more than the three excursions we are doing through dcl lol

Think it's going to need to be palo for us

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Granted, Remy is probably not something I will ever try as I cannot eat gluten, do not eat fish, and the thought of eating pigeon turns my stomach, (plus I have read from more than one person that they escort you to the bathroom...no thank you, I am not 2) but...

Can you not JUST say no? I know when I have felt pressure to upgrade in other situations and say no, it is either honored immediately or a simple "May I please see the manager?" suffices to end the pressure.

So I never felt pressured by them in any way. I don't remember them escorting me to the bathroom. I just asked them where it was, and the told me. They suggested the upgraded meats and gave us a 30 second spiel on why we should get them, but didn't seem offended when we declined. They just offered. They offered wines to go with the meal, but when we sat down we told them we were not big drinkers, and they were very polite about it - they left the wine menu there for us and told us they would be happy to come discuss the options and give us recommendations, but never said another word about it.

As for the meats - like pigeon and stuff - they never one looked offended or bothered if you didn't try something. (We didn't get pigeon, but we did have some odd things in there...).

So yes - you can say no, and they didn't seem disturbed or bothered or upset by it at all.

Very unlike Senses which I have a much different opinion of when it comes to pressure.

 

[bonnielynn]

So Remy has gone up again $10... just wanted to keep everyone up.

http://disneycruiselineblog.com/2016/11/disney-cruise-line-increases-prices-remy/

 

[Garyjames220]

Hey

We have decided to do palo. We have never been on the fantasy and can't decide between brunch or dinner

Don't want to miss out on all the great restaurants at night or is dinner at palo better more romantic etc

 

[twinsouvenirs]

Piggybacking here--does anyone know what the "meat upgrade" is? Can anyone describe it? I like to decide these things in advance

Also--I have heard you can bring wine and have it served at the restaurants--is that true of Remy? We have a special bottle we got for our wedding and I was thinking of bringing it. I'm assuming there is a corkage fee, but is it possible to bring in?

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Hey

We have decided to do palo. We have never been on the fantasy and can't decide between brunch or dinner

Don't want to miss out on all the great restaurants at night or is dinner at palo better more romantic etc

Sounds like you made a good choice for you. If you were dying to try a Remy experience or something like that, I'd say go for it! But since you were lukewarm on it to begin with, and of course a sensitive to the cost, then I think Palo is a good alternative.

The only other thing I would mention is that I was once twenty something with a wife, two salaries and no kids, and we were saving for a house, etc., and thought that money was tight, but in retrospect, money was plentiful. Once the kids came, and every meal out costs more...

Of course, now our kids are heading of to college in a few years, so I'm sure at that time, I'll look back at now and think that money was plentiful "then." It is really about prioritizing. $85/person for Remy versus drinks in the bar or $4 coffees from Starbucks every morning or Lunch out at work every day, etc. I'm not telling you how to spend your money. Not at all. I'm just saying if it is something you really want to do, you can probably find other things to cut back on instead, and this is a good time of life to do that, because if you have kids later on, chances are you will cut back on a lot of "your fun expenses" in order to give them experiences you want them to have.

In any case, you will have a GREAT cruise, and you are definitely going to be glad you went!

 

[phinz]

Piggybacking here--does anyone know what the "meat upgrade" is? Can anyone describe it? I like to decide these things in advance

Also--I have heard you can bring wine and have it served at the restaurants--is that true of Remy? We have a special bottle we got for our wedding and I was thinking of bringing it. I'm assuming there is a corkage fee, but is it possible to bring in?

My wife and father got the Kobe and Wagyu beef upgrade, which gave them servings of each. They were amazing.

I've never taken a bottle into Remy or Palo, so can't answer the second part.

 

[twinsouvenirs]

My wife and father got the Kobe and Wagyu beef upgrade, which gave them servings of each. They were amazing.

I've never taken a bottle into Remy or Palo, so can't answer the second part.

Do you recall how much the upgrade was?

 

[smiths02]

What kind of person are you? DW and I did Remy once. We were there for 3 hours (we knew it would be that and planned in advance for it). We are not what we call "fru-fru" people. In better terms - everything that Chef Ramsey would make, we wouldn't like. We're steak and potatoes people. take your wording preference.

We found very little to enjoy at Remy (although the little bite of tomato soup in a pasty block thing was really, really good - I will give them that). Most of the food just wasn't the type of thing we enjoy. We read about them or see them on TV, but don't eat them.

Saying all that - we still think it was worth the $85x2 that we paid for the ONE time. Because it was an experience and one we would never have had on shore because we just wouldn't go to a place like that. Would we do it again? Never. Do we regret doing it once? Not at all.

Be warned - it's not just $85. They will try to upsell you on a different class of meat (costs more) and various wines and other things to go with your meal. Those are all very expensive. It's easy to spend a couple hundred in there and not even know it.

I am not the OP, but thank you for this review. We are taking my ILs to celebrate their 50th anniversary (in June 2018), and my DH kept asking if we needed to do something like this for them. (Granted, the only cruise DH and I have been on is NCL and we paid an upcharge to eat in restaurant, but it was more like eating in a nicer steak house, not a true foodie experience)
Anyhow, I was trying to explain that my ILs would not really enjoy this...they are steak (well done!) and potato people, they don't drink, and they don't really dress up.
Since we only have 4 nights, I think we'll just stick to the main dining room and eat dinner as a family.

(I'll just make DH take me on another cruise sometime with just us and the kids LOL)

 

[phinz]

Do you recall how much the upgrade was?

I do not, but it wasn't inexpensive. I seem to remember it being at least as much as the original cost of the meal itself, though.

 

[algae]

For us, Palo is like a upscale Italian restaurant in the SF Bay Area. There are plenty of them here that are comparable to Palo's. Remy, on the other hand, is more special and harder to find a comparable restaurant here. There are a few, but it is difficult to get a table at those places and they are much more expensive than Remy. We splurge for Remy whenever we can because it is tough to get something like Remy at home. Yeah, Remy is expensive, but it allows us to get something we like that we can't get back home.

Remy brunch is a really good way to experience Remy at a lower cost (I think). Just skip the champagne pairings and the cost is only semi-outgrageous.

 

[Msmit002]

First, about us: My DH and I are adventurous eater, we enjoy fine dining (by that, I mean James Beard award winning, Michelin Star rated establishments) when the opportunity presents itself AND I have celiac disease so that means I absolutely must adhere to a gluten free diet.

We dined at Remy while on the Fantasy and it was every bit as fine dining as most of the places we have dined at in NY metro, DC metro, and overseas. We weren't pressured into anything, including wine pairings (we're just not really wine drinkers, despite our fine-dining proclivities) and the chefs and wait staff absolutely handled my gluten-free necessity with the utmost importance and were most discrete.

In summary, I wouldn't hesitate to dine there again. The up charge is actually a bargain compared to what we pay for comparable dining establishments on land.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Do you recall how much the upgrade was?

Off hand, it was over $100, but I can't remember the exact price. As someone else mentioned, it was Kobe and Wagyu. We were tempted because it sounded good and they made it sound even better, but I remember thinking that for both of us it was really a budget killer, and we are not the type of people who blink at $50 upcharges, so it was significantly more than that.

I am not the OP, but thank you for this review. We are taking my ILs to celebrate their 50th anniversary (in June 2018), and my DH kept asking if we needed to do something like this for them. (Granted, the only cruise DH and I have been on is NCL and we paid an upcharge to eat in restaurant, but it was more like eating in a nicer steak house, not a true foodie experience)
Anyhow, I was trying to explain that my ILs would not really enjoy this...they are steak (well done!) and potato people, they don't drink, and they don't really dress up.
Since we only have 4 nights, I think we'll just stick to the main dining room and eat dinner as a family.

(I'll just make DH take me on another cruise sometime with just us and the kids LOL)

You are quite welcome. If you want a nice Steak and Potato option on the ship and you want to get out of the MDR rotation for a night, you have 2 really good options. Palo is more a steak and potato type place. They can definitely find something nice to eat there in a slightly more upscale environment. So it's a nice place to eat, but has more "mainstream American" fare.

Also, Cabanas serves a waited-on dinner on one side. Surprisingly I never knew this, but we found it by accident. It's where servers go to train apparently. Because of that, they are ridiculously attentive. The steak there was quite well done and it was quiet and easy to get into. (I assume they still do this, but you might want to check...)