Palo Tipping

[mom+3girls]

I know I am probably opening up a can of worms here but I wanted to ask this questions. What is the appropriate tip when dining at Palo? Bruch? Dinner?

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I know I am probably opening up a can of worms here but I wanted to ask this questions. What is the appropriate tip when dining at Palo? Bruch? Dinner?

Yep, you will get a lot of opinions and some very strong opinions at that. I usually tip either $15 or $20, depending on how good the service is. The guideline I heard was tip as you would if you were at a comparable restaurant on land. A comparable meal on land would cost well more than the $30 charged for Palo.

 

[cruisehopeful]

My husband tipped $20. We both paid to eat, but I was seasick and only drank tea and then went to my cabin. If I stayed and ate, too, we probably would have tipped $30.

 

[RedSox68]

I know I am probably opening up a can of worms here but I wanted to ask this questions. What is the appropriate tip when dining at Palo? Bruch? Dinner?

Yes, this always opens up a very hot debate. Some will say that the $30/pp you pay is the tip, others will say it is not and some will say they tip anyway whether it is or not. We tip anyway as the service is always terrific and the price is so reasonable for what you get.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

Yep, you will get a lot of opinions and some very strong opinions at that. I usually tip either $15 or $20, depending on how good the service is. The guideline I heard was tip as you would if you were at a comparable restaurant on land. A comparable meal on land would cost well more than the $30 charged for Palo.

I've heard this before here and it always seems a strange logic since the business models are so very different.

According to DCL (and all other cruise lines I've sailed) is that gratuities are included in the upcharge price.

Many people do tip additionally. I think the amount tipped really varies and it's going to be difficult to find a hard and fast number.

 

[Rabb it]

Went to brunch last cruise with my girlfriend, I tipped 20 bucks.

 

[Trera]

We always tip the amount of 1 upgrade cost of the meal...............so $30 in Palo and $75 in Remy.

 

[cmph]

We tipped $20 for 2 (for brunch). DH thinks it's weird and should be included to avoid confusion. I probably would have tipped more but our server was just ok. (and no, I'm not that picky - I ordered a second mimosa that I never got and she didn't refill water until we asked even when glasses were empty.)

 

[birdmom]

We tipped $20 ( 2 for brunch) In no way should people think the $30 they pay is the tip, that money goes right to Disney, the server does not get it!

 

[Aanna]

I've heard this before here and it always seems a strange logic since the business models are so very different.

According to DCL (and all other cruise lines I've sailed) is that gratuities are included in the upcharge price.

Many people do tip additionally. I think the amount tipped really varies and it's going to be difficult to find a hard and fast number.

This is interesting, and I'd love to add it to the general tipping thread. Do we have a url or something where DCL says it is included, please?

 

[RedSox68]

We tipped $20 ( 2 for brunch) In no way should people think the $30 they pay is the tip, that money goes right to Disney, the server does not get it!

There's been many conflicting reports on this -- including people posting that servers themselves said that the upcharge includes the tip. So it's always been questionable.

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

Based on all the reports I've seen, the tip is part of the $30/pp but not all of it. Probably $5-10 of it is tip, if that much, and DCL gets the rest. You can tip additional if you like but it is a personal choice.

 

[clten]

When DCL doesn't provide any guidance on tipping for a position, I always go back to the guidance they do give. So if you look at DCL's suggested gratuity for your dining room server, it is basically $4 per person per day -- and they are serving all meals through the day, I'm just at Palo for one. In Palo, your server is also your "assistant server" (getting your beverages) so I add in the $3pp to the tip calculation. So, in my messed up logic, I look at this as the bottom amount I'd tip. For 2 people (4+3)x2=$14 so basically $15 is my "suggested" gratuity amount for us. As with my MDR servers, I adjust up from there based on how good the service is that I receive. As some of them are really good, doubling that to $30 isn't outrageous.

My feeling on the debate on whether the cover charge includes tip or not is this -- if they do get a cut, good for them it is probably only a couple of dollars so isn't going to change my tipping logic at all. If they don't get a cut, they knew this when they took the job so they were okay will letting the passengers determine their value and since I never walk out without tipping something, I'm okay with that too.

 

[Aanna]

I hate ambiguity LOL I wish DCL would just TELL us clearly yes or no and how much.

 

[Aanna]

I got all wild and crazy and emailed DCL about it Let's see if they answer!

 

[RedSox68]

I got all wild and crazy and emailed DCL about it Let's see if they answer!

Yes, I'd love to know what they have to say!

 

[undertheradar]

When we have it served in a royal, we tip $10 per person served.

 

[mama&me]

My mom and I were on a cruise last week. We did our first Palo Brunch. I was hesitant because she is lactose intolerant and I wasn't sure she would enjoy seeing all she could not eat.
I of course can and probably did eat everything. After reading other threads on this topic, I was prepared to tip $10-$20. Our server, Pablo, was awesome. He gave my mom his arm and took her around and showed her all she could eat. He made sure to tell her what she could not. He checked on us often and was gracious. Both mom and I loved our brunch. I wound up tipping $30.

 

[daisydog2]

On our Spring Break trip this year on the Magic, we tipped $30.00. Our Server was Hemet and he was great. Always checking in on us and bringing us whatever we wanted...I think it just depends on what you feel comfortable with. We ended up with more cash on our last day then we thought so we gave extra to all the cast members we had great interactions with

 

[heapies926]

I recently asked disney how much of the Palo charge goes to the server and received this response:

"Thank you for contacting Disney Cruise Line!

I would be happy to assist you.

The cost per person to dine at Palo is $30.00. Of that amount, $5.50 is
distributed to the Palo Service Team and $24.50 goes directly into
maintaining the world-class experience in Palo.

I hope this information has been helpful. If you require further
assistance with any other inquiries, please feel free to contact us."

So it sounds like your server gets a small amount.

Palo service is always good, and I know the servers only usually have two tables at a time, so I usually give a $30 tip for the pair of us.