Palos Worth It?

[Waldheim]

Is Palo's worth the hassle?

This is our first cruise of any kind and are bringing our DD's of 5 & 3.

Our 3 Year old is very shy and we don't want to be thinking of her the whole time we are trying to enjoy dinner. I know the Oceaneers Club has activities during the day broken down by age groups and our DD's will be split up. Do they have activities at the Oceaneers Club during the dinner hours? Are they split by age group at that time also?

We thought we would try them in the club during the beginning of the week and see how it goes. If we make the ressies for the end of the week and things are not working out is it a problem to cancel the ressies?

The mad rush for the reservations also seems like a turnoff.

Anyones 2 cents will be appreciated.

 

[PlaneJoy]

Palo... definitely worth it!

We got on kind of early and didn't experience a "mad rush" for reservations. In fact, just looking around at our seating (which was early since we had an infant at Flounders) someone probably could have called that afternoon and made reservations. They are limiting reservations to 1 at dinner until after the ship sails to give everyone an opportunity. Anything that is left can be picked up either that night or the next day, I don't remember which.

They have the children's programs from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. and can even eat lunch and dinner in the program, so don't worry about that. I saw some kids that cried when they were left at the club, then cried because they didn't want to go back to their parents. So even the most shy kids seem to enjoy it - maybe not all but they a great job at doing whatever it takes to get them to enjoy themselves.

Anyway... my 2 cents.

-joy

 

[Waldheim]

Joy,

Thanks again for your thoughts!

How early did you board?

I am sure that my DD will be fine as well just wanted to get someone's input.

Jim

 

[jordanyosh]

That should tell you something about this restaurant. My family and I had the BEST service we have EVER had while dining there last year. The food is excellent, but the service was NUTS.

When we went to make our reservations for Palo, we did so immediately when they opened for reservations. There were only a few other people there, so no mad rush. We got the time we wanted no problems,no crowds.

You can always cancel your ressies if your children aren't comfortable in the Clubs. Although Palo is awesome, not going and spending quality time with the kids will be equally memorable.


Have a great family vacation

 

[jessicajulie]

I second the last post.

Absolutely without a doubt the best dining experience we have ever had. Erika went out of her way to interact with us - brought us things to try even when we didn't ask for them and the food was beyond exceptional (especially the filet mignon and the chocolate souffle). Erika also suggested my husband try a chocolate martini - I'm not a big martini fan but I tried it and it was one of the best drinks I have ever tasted. Erika told us that the Palo bartender is a drink wizard We gave Erika a $20 tip and she was worth every penney.

 

[slmjam]

I agree with jessicajulie.

We were on the 6/14 Eastern and had Erika as our server at Palo. She gave the absolute best service I have ever seen. We had plenty of interaction with her, she gave us lots of suggestions on what to try, and even steered us away from a couple items. Although we didn't order it, she brought us lasagna with our dinner because she said it was fabulous and we would love it .... and she was right. My husband still says it's the best he's ever eaten. Erika also took us to meet the chefs after we had finished dinner. It was a very enjoyable dinner; you will love it.

As far as reservations, we boarded early (12:30 ish) and went straight to Rockin Bar D. Very easy, no hassle, no crowds, and we had our pick of times.

 

[darbear]

Yes, it was worth it! Ressi started at 1:30. We boarded at 12:00 ate lunch and at 1:15 MY DH went for ressi and was able to get the date and time we wanted. Service and food were wonderful.

 

[Waldheim]

Thank you all for your input! We have been convinced!!

What has been all the hype about the hassle making the ressies?

 

[dvarallo]

As the previous posters have said, you must do Palo's. We went to Rockin' D after lunch on our May cruise. My friend booked a brunch and I booked a dinner. There were no hassles. We made our dinner reservations for Friday night which worked out great. No matter what your dining rotation is, this will be the third time your'e scheduled for the same restaurant and it's a casual night, so you're not missing anything by not going to your scheduled dining area. It will also give your child a week to get used to the club and she'll probably be very happy spending the last night with her new friends. The kids put on a little show on the big stage after the disembarkation talks on Friday afternoon. We left the kids at the club after the show so we had time to get ready for dinner without the kids under foot. They just ate with the club. Let the CM's know that you're dining in Palo's and they will do everything they can to keep from paging you. My friend's daughter was hesitant about going to the club, but one of the CM's paid extra special attention to her and all she could talk about was "Alex" when we picked her up. She was even sitting in his lap when we came to get her and she didn't want to leave.