Not Impressed by Palo

[bobbiwoz]

For our last visit to Palo, just last month, we had requested a specific server, on that afternoon, we went to Palo on the first night, and we did not get her. She did come over, and so we did connect with her. We decided to give our new server benefit of doubt, and she did deliver!

 

[Karin1984]

So as far as they are concerned, things were great. The only way they are going to be able to fix a problem is if they are told about it. Not if people say nothing and still leave generous tips.

I agree, let them know, even after your cruise. A company never improves without customer feedback.
It's nice of you to leave a generous tip, but it sets a wrong example for the server. He could now think he can 'do nothing' and still come out well.

 

[suedon70]

Sorry you weren't impressed by Palo. We've experienced the Palo brunch twice and loved it both times, the buffet items and the menu-ordered food plus our servers both times were outstanding.

 

[MickeyD]

So as far as they are concerned, things were great. The only way they are going to be able to fix a problem is if they are told about it. Not if people say nothing and still leave generous tips.

Even when told, nothing was done. When we cruised in 2015, we did Palo dinner (against my better judgment) and we had the worst service! I mean, dirty dishes left on the table for over 20 mins. The maitre de had to come clean the table. The waiter was pretentious and demeaning to me when I tried to order wine with my meal (like I did not know how to order wine and what I ordered was so "gauche") and we were pretty much ignored quite a lot of the time. There was maybe 3-4 tables of patrons in there, so it was not busy! As we left we spoke with the maitre de and cancelled our brunch while explaining why we were doing that. All they said was" sorry you did not like your experience" without even looking at us! Once they increased the price there is absolutely NO way I will pay extra to be treated like that. Keep in mind, this was not our first time in Palo, we had been to Palo numerous times on the Magic and Wonder and it was "ok," nothing extraordinary like some of the stories you hear here, but this was our first, and last time, in Palo on the Fantasy. We have been on the Fantasy twice (with the third time coming up in 2020) since then and have not returned to Palo and do not regret it. We can use that money elsewhere. Although once I get my Platinum free one next sailing, I may think differently. I would eat there for free for sure.

 

[Disney_Life84]

So as far as they are concerned, things were great. The only way they are going to be able to fix a problem is if they are told about it. Not if people say nothing and still leave generous tips.

To us, it wasn't worth complaining. They wouldn't have been able to make the food better, and even though our server wasn't the best, he wasn't rude so it wasn't worth getting him in trouble. We still left a nice tip because, although our server was lacking, we are nice people and know that he still works many hours in one day so we tipped him. There really wasn't much that could've been done by complaining. We did leave a note on our comment card that the food and service was "ok". Anyway, didn't post this to get into a debate...was just curious if anyone else felt that Palo was overrated.

 

[emilymad]

We have done Palo for dinner on every cruise we have sailed. We only once had an issue with a server. On our last trip in April we thought the food was good but not WOW like it used to be. With the price increase that is probably our last time unless we make it to Platinum. I wouldn't say anything went downhill but it has become more once and done then something we book every time.

 

[hnthomps]

To us, it wasn't worth complaining. They wouldn't have been able to make the food better, and even though our server wasn't the best, he wasn't rude so it wasn't worth getting him in trouble. We still left a nice tip because, although our server was lacking, we are nice people and know that he still works many hours in one day so we tipped him. There really wasn't much that could've been done by complaining. We did leave a note on our comment card that the food and service was "ok". Anyway, didn't post this to get into a debate...was just curious if anyone else felt that Palo was overrated.

I think it really depends on how often you eat out and where you live, and what your expectations are. We live in a big foodie city, and pre-kids ate out a lot (and even with kids, we make it work more often than many) so both Palo and Remy seem way overhyped. The food is fine, the service was pretty good (in one case excellent), but it wasn't fine dining by any stretch, at least not compared to what is available to us at home. I am not trying to be a snob here, most places in the world don't have a ton of fine dining. and while $40/person wouldn't go super far in my home city, it's not really an apples-to-apples price tag - it's $40/person on top of the opportunity cost of not eating in the MDR and the overall cruise fare. I'm not on a Disney Cruise for the food. While it's more edible than other cruiselines we've been on, it's still mass produced food served on a boat -- well executed given the constraints, but unfair to compare to real fine dining.

That said, we may still do it once on our next cruise to force us to have an adults-only dinner.

 

[mevelandry]

DH and I went to Palo for the first time on the Dream this week. We were really looking forward to the exclusive dining experience. We read so many wonderful things about the atmosphere, the food, and the service. We were greatly disappointed. The atmosphere was nice. Our dining time was at 8:00pm, so it was dark outside and made a nice dimly-lit ambiance. However, the food and service were lacking. Our server was not very attentive, and I spent most of my meal without a drink. He always seemed rushed and we didn't see him very much. We only saw him at one other table, so I don't think he was overbooked. The food, we found, was equal to the food we had in the MDR. We each ordered the beef tenderloin. It was good, but again, we didn't find it any more tasty or tender than the beef we had in the MDR. It was nice to go there once, but we will never do it again. Has anyone else had this same experience, or feel that Palo is overrated? I'm just curious if anyone else feels the same.

I've had the same meal (beef tenderloin) for dinner 2015 and did not find it to be overrated (and nowhere near what they serve in the MDR)... but maybe they have downgraded the quality since? IDK.

I think most of the hype of Palo is due to Palo brunch (which is amazing), to be honest.

 

[serenitynow]

We love Palo so im sad you didn't enjoy it! We always book two brunches and a dinner here (before even being platinum for a free meal).

I'm curious... I wonder what the people who get brunch here and are disappointed order? I have to say, if you spend the $40 on brunch and order a waffle or an egg dish, yes, it is going to seem like the MDR breakfasts for a hefty fee. However, if you're getting that lasagna or chicken parm... I think the experience may be better? But that's just my speculation!

We shared an order of the Lasagna and Chicken Parmesan, as well as a Calzone. My better half ordered a grilled fish dish as well. We both agreed the lasagna was the best dish we ate.

I am not saying we were “disappointed” with the food, it was good. It reminded us of a nice hotel brunch. Nice enough, but just didn’t live up to the hype for us.

 

[lilsonicfan]

I haven't done Palo dinner; on both of our DCL cruises I have had it booked then cancelled while on board. I have really enjoyed Palo brunch both times we did it though, but for me the main reason I love it is because it's a relaxing and delicious meal with my DH and we aren't interrupted by kids. That's the main thing. The food is great, not blow your mind great but solidly delicious all around (although I do not like the chicken parmesan) - the buffet aspect is super appealing b/c the bites are small and you can try so many things.

However, I can see that it doesn't exactly live up to the hype as well. And in reading your post, OP, I too would not have complained. What would you say? "The server hasn't been great, he's not very attentive". "The food isn't as good as we expected". Those are difficult to complain about in the restaurant. The restaurant fell below your expectations - fair enough.

 

[Jgerva12]

I am so happy to have caught this post. We were just talking about making an anniversary reservation there. Now I suppose we should ask for suggestions!

 

[pezgirlroy]

We have done Brunch once and Dinner twice. I was fine with Brunch but it was just brunch. Dinner was wonderful both times. Service was amazing and the dover sole is something I still dream about. I am sorry that was your experience.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

DH and I went to Palo for the first time on the Dream this week. We were really looking forward to the exclusive dining experience. We read so many wonderful things about the atmosphere, the food, and the service. We were greatly disappointed. The atmosphere was nice. Our dining time was at 8:00pm, so it was dark outside and made a nice dimly-lit ambiance. However, the food and service were lacking. Our server was not very attentive, and I spent most of my meal without a drink. He always seemed rushed and we didn't see him very much. We only saw him at one other table, so I don't think he was overbooked. The food, we found, was equal to the food we had in the MDR. We each ordered the beef tenderloin. It was good, but again, we didn't find it any more tasty or tender than the beef we had in the MDR. It was nice to go there once, but we will never do it again. Has anyone else had this same experience, or feel that Palo is overrated? I'm just curious if anyone else feels the same.

I don't care for the dinner experience in Palo, but I love the brunch.

 

[Katy G.]

That's so disappointing to hear! We did Palo for dinner on the Dream earlier this year. Our server was excellent and so was everything about our experience. I will say, we went mostly with the suggestions we asked for from our server. I think if you have an experienced server, they do know what the crowd pleasers are....for us, she was spot on. We would do it again in a heartbeat....

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

I am so happy to have caught this post. We were just talking about making an anniversary reservation there. Now I suppose we should ask for suggestions!

We did Palo on the Wonder a few weeks ago, for Brunch and Dinner. Dinner was incredible, the most amazing fish (I think it was Dover Sole?) and steak, and I ordered steak in the MDRs a few time, none compared to the one at Palo. The souffles for dessert were also amazing, and the view, given that the sun sets super late in Alaska this time of year, was awesome. The brunch was less impressive. We tried to max out the value by eating lots of the seafood, caviar, getting the chicken parm, etc, but it was just busier, the server would not leave us alone to the point that it was hard to have a conversation without it being interrupted (same one as at dinner but he was more annoying at brunch for some reason), I thought the desserts and pastries were just meh. I think ultimately a buffet is a buffet and quality always suffers even if it's "fancy." For special date time away from the kids, we will always do Palo dinner in the future.

 

[Dug720]

I am so happy to have caught this post. We were just talking about making an anniversary reservation there. Now I suppose we should ask for suggestions!

I love it. And if you will speak up IF you feel service is off, I guarantee you they will see that it is taken care of. But you cannot sit in silence and be shocked when things don’t change.

 

[martinm]

I really like Palo. I wont even open a menu. I like to let my server take me on a trip.
I don't order wine so I don't have to deal with the wine guy. I heard a guy from my home town going back and forth with the wine guy... I found them both loud an annoying.
I still had a great meal with my DW and we had someone to talk smack about for life. Now that they have raised the price I, oh heck I'll still go. I can't get a dinner like that at home for under 200 bucks. I don't do brunch because I'm allergic to shellfish and see it as a waste.

 

[ember1205]

We did Palo on the Fantasy and it was fabulous. The beef tenderloin was like nothing else anywhere else on the ship. The service was spectacular. The views were amazing (we purposefully booked a 6:30 dinner to watch the sun set while we were eating).

With all of that said, we would have felt differently if our server didn't pay attention to us like he did. And, since we went first night on a 7-night cruise and went early, we were the only table he had for the first hour or so.

What's interesting about what you describe from your server is that it is my understanding that only those servers that get the best and most compliments from the MDR's are able to work Palo/Remy.

 

[Disney_Life84]

What's interesting about what you describe from your server is that it is my understanding that only those servers that get the best and most compliments from the MDR's are able to work Palo/Remy.

That's one reason we didn't feel the need to complain. Our server may have just been having an "off" night, which let's be honest, we all have those days. Again, he was very nice. He just wasn't very attentive. Complaining wouldn't have made a difference. So between that and the food being meh, we were unimpressed with our experience at Palo.

 

[DCLDVC1]

We enjoy Palo dinner but think Palo brunch might be the most overrated experience on DCL. It just doesn't do anything for us.