Would palo brunch be worth it for a vegan?

[Disneygirlxo91]

I’m going to be going on a cruise soon with my sister and she’s vegan I already worry she won’t be able to enjoy as much of the food as I can but I’ve watched many different vlogs, and have gone on many DCL cruises myself as a pescatarian so I know some of the vegan options but I’m curious about whether Palo would be worth it for brunch for her the only thing I know on the menu that is vegan is the tomato soup which is amazing but not worth $45 if that’s all she could eat. I watched a vlog recently of someone who was dairy free and they told palo a day in advance and even them knowing they had no dessert to offer them. So curious any who is vegan have you experience palo brunch?

 

[poohs4me]

Unfortunately, I do not think the brunch menu is worth the price for vegans/plant based eaters. While the chef “may” try to make something for her, it’s not a guarantee and the standard items are very limited. On my last cruise, I ate plant based but my sister loves palo brunch, so we went. There was very little for me to eat. We have fun in palo together so that made it worth it.

 

[Disneygirlxo91]

Unfortunately, I do not think the brunch menu is worth the price for vegans/plant based eaters. While the chef “may” try to make something for her, it’s not a guarantee and the standard items are very limited. On my last cruise, I ate plant based but my sister loves palo brunch, so we went. There was very little for me to eat. We have fun in palo together so that made it worth it.

Do you mind me asking how were the main dining rooms, cabanas , and the deck food for being plant based? We’re looking at going on the fantasy or the dream.

 

[KashasMom]

Two cruises ago we went with a vegan family member. The head waiter came to our table every night to discuss the following night's meal for him, including dessert. He loved all the food. They even made sure he had food for breakfast in Cabanas. I think there were a few things he could have on deck - and probably in Cabanas for lunch as well. (This is in response to your question above.)

 

[Disneygirlxo91]

Two cruises ago we went with a vegan family member. The head waiter came to our table every night to discuss the following night's meal for him, including dessert. He loved all the food. They even made sure he had food for breakfast in Cabanas. I think there were a few things he could have on deck - and probably in Cabanas for lunch as well. (This is in response to your question above.)

Thank you! I noticed last week they had a small plant based section at cabanas. And a few days they had a plant based option at the grill on deck 11.

 

[insureman]

If you have to pay and are not comped I don't think it's worth it for anyone. Just my opinion but we have not had a good experience the last few times we have gone. The last time was on the Magic in September on the WBTA. The eggs came out way too fast after we ordered and tasted like they were under a heat lamp. Entrees were cold too. I would have been really upset if I had to pay for it.

 

[cmph]

That lack of dessert part is very odd. DH has to eat gluten-free, but we gave Palo brunch a try once when it was a buffet. The chef made him a special dessert - a gorgeous fruit and sorbet creation. It seems like they could make something similar to that for vegan diners, but I guess it depends on the ship and the chef's whims.

In any case, it was a one-and-done for us, b/c it was just an ok experience for him then, and a couple additional dietary restrictions now limit DH's options even further. IMHO, it's not worth it for anyone with significant dietary restrictions, unless 1) you know exactly what entrees are ok for your diet, 2) you happen to like exactly those things you can have, and 3) you are ok with primarily the entrees, b/c the rest is a bit of a crap shoot. Part of the fun of Palo is the variety; it definitely lessens the experience even if you can eat everything but are WITH a person who has dietary restrictions. Nothing like sitting there with all your assorted appetizer and desserts that your dining companion can't eat!

 

[Disneygirlxo91]

That lack of dessert part is very odd. DH has to eat gluten-free, but we gave Palo brunch a try once when it was a buffet. The chef made him a special dessert - a gorgeous fruit and sorbet creation. It seems like they could make something similar to that for vegan diners, but I guess it depends on the ship and the chef's whims.

In any case, it was a one-and-done for us, b/c it was just an ok experience for him then, and a couple additional dietary restrictions now limit DH's options even further. IMHO, it's not worth it for anyone with significant dietary restrictions, unless 1) you know exactly what entrees are ok for your diet, 2) you happen to like exactly those things you can have, and 3) you are ok with primarily the entrees, b/c the rest is a bit of a crap shoot. Part of the fun of Palo is the variety; it definitely lessens the experience even if you can eat everything but are WITH a person who has dietary restrictions. Nothing like sitting there with all your assorted appetizer and desserts that your dining companion can't eat!

My last two palo experiences haven’t been great myself just overall without dietary issues besides not eating mean. But I feel it’s due to the servers we’ve had. But I definitely think when my sister and I go we will not do palo, save the money.

 

[Lillebelle]

I'm vegetarian, and now that there's no buffet, I no longer think Palo brunch is worth it. I'm sure it would be even worse as a vegan. Maybe they could come up with a couple additional things if you let them know in advance, but she definitely wouldn't get the luxury of a huge variety which is kind of the point of Palo brunch (or used to be, anyway).

For the MDRs, make sure you let your server know - if you two like Indian food, they should be able to provide some tasty off-menu dishes from the crew kitchen. I'm pretty sure most of what they brought us was vegan.

 

[diablodancer]

I’ve done Palo brunch as a vegan on the Magic and enjoyed it - had a four course meal (pancakes, pasta, salad and a fruit dessert) and was happy with it but on reflection it’s probably not that different from the MDRs to justify. That was on the staycation cruises last year though and I think their ingredient choices were somewhat limited overall compared to usual, haven’t tried it on any of my US sailings).