Disney Cruise Line released the following Palo Menu to give a taste of what the chefs have been cooking up for guests once the ships return to service. At Palo dinner, guests may choose to order from the prix fixe menu for $45, which includes four courses from a selected menu, or they may order individual items a la carte.
You may recall, back in April, the cruise line announced a price increase at Palo the adult only restaurants aboard the ships. Palo experiences were increased $5 with the price increase effective as soon as the ships resume sailing.
Platinum Castaway Club members and those adults in their stateroom will continue to be offered one complimentary meal at Palo, either brunch or dinner; at dinner, the prix fixe menu will be included (regular price of $45 per person). Additional items beyond the prix fixe menu may be added at an additional charge.
At this time, Palo Brunch will continue to be offered as a per person cover charge.
In late 2019, we encountered a noticeable change at Palo, which looking back, appears to have been the beginning of the changeover.
Yet to be seen is how the Platinum Castaway Club members will receive credit. Will it just be the price fixee meal, $45 towards the cost of the meal, or something else?
Are they kidding? Their big $45 choice—-any decent neighborhood Italian restaurant has a better selection. I have been dining at Palo’s for more than 2 decades and they still have not ever served me pasta al dente; it is what we Italians would say is moushad (mushy) . Their rack of lamb and dover sole have always been our go to. Now they are not even part of the regular menu. By the way, their famous soufflé is not worth the 20 minute wait. Of course, soufflé is French not Italian. Soufflé is a wonderful dessert; just don’t order it in Palo’s. Get the Amaretto one in the MDR. That is, of course, if it is still available. They better give us good reasons to pay this kind of mucho dinaro to cruise DCL.
Mucho dinaro? Really?!
For someone who knows sooo much!!!
And it’s Palo, not Palo’s, BTW.
OK, just to be clear. Palo used to be $75 per person for dinner, and Platinum Castaway Club members got one free dinner per stateroom. But now they’ve come up with this fixed price menu for at $45 per person which means that Platinum members just had their benefit devalued, is that correct?
Palo was never $75. It was just increased by $5 in April to $45.
Disappointing….
I think they want people to go a la carte. Such a poor selection for the pre-fixe.
Not sure how I feel about this yet. I think my only complaint is that the choices on the Prix Fixe main dish aren’t exciting. They aren’t bad. Just not exciting.
The mucho dinaro did not just refer to the prix fixe items, but to DCL. Yes, the name is Palo, but I was referring to not just the place but what is associated with it. I am glad you are satisfied with the offerings there, but gee whiz, Ana, it’s not like I insulted your Mother’s cooking. I have found that the MDR food has increased in quality which is wonderful, while the food at Palo has gone the other way, sadly. What makes Palo attractive is the service and that it is adult only.
MDR food is cheap and nothing compared to Palo.
We have done Palo Dinner, Palo Brunch, Remy Dinner, Remy Brunch. We just booked Halloween on the High Seas and Very Merrytime on the ” Wish” in 2022. We are looking forward to the rotational restaurants ( Arendell, 1923, and World of Marvel. We are also going to dine at Palo on one cruise and Enchante on the other. In the past there were some restaurant offerings we liked and some we did not. We also enjoyed room service (Don’t forget the “Mickey Bar”) We enjoy the attentive service and the total DISNEY EXPERIENCE
Palo has never been our jam – we went once, for brunch on our first ever DCL cruise on the Fantasy. The food was OK, but the whole hybrid buffet/table service thing was weird and cumbersome to the older folks in our party. And the service/ambience was just like the plethora of suburban “modern Italian fusion” places that seem to have sprung up everywhere in the past couple decades. We don’t usually go to those places at home, let alone on vacation. Also, we don’t have kids, so there’s nothing to escape in the regular restaurants. I say all of that to acknowledge that we are not the target audience for either the old or new menu.
However, based on the folks who frequent that kind of restaurant on land, the new menu makes sense. The format and content are pretty much identical to the average Brio/Bravo/whatever, and the Palo prices are actually lower in many cases. The folks who enjoy that kind of thing love consistency, so that probably puts them at ease. Also, the folks of the “how could anyone ever eat a whole side salad?” dietary persuasion seem to love that kind of restaurant, so I’m sure there was tons of waste and awkwardness when the waiter was just putting food in front of them so they could performatively not eat it.
So I’ll just sip my tea and watch this one play out when the restart happens – without a horse in the race, it should be entertaining.
Hi Megan, I appreciate your view point. As a cruiser, you know we expect the food onboard ship to be superior to restaurants on land. The price is not lower when you consider the passenger has already paid for his meal at the MDR. I am wondering if they made the $45 selection so poor (I mean come on some consider calamari to be on the level of bait fish), roast chicken (again nothing against chicken but it is something that is the go to in most people’s budget) that it will discourage Platinum guests from getting their perk or as someone said go for the a la carte menu prices.
It’s mucho dinero, not mucho dinaro.
Scott, what is your source on the Platinum benefit at Palo being only for the $45 Prix Fixe menu? I cannot find this anywhere on the official DCL website. Thanks.
It was mentioned back in April when the price was updated, and remains a listed benefit on DCL’s Castaway Club page as of this morning.
It was $45 and all you wanted. No thanks to the new way.
Thanks Karen, it’s been a long time since I used any of “my” Italian:) As far as the quality in comparison to restaurant food, I expect cruise food to be a higher quality. I am sure you do too Megan. As far as cost, we already paid for our dinner in the main dining room. I am hoping Steve is right and they are not just going to limit us to the Prix Fixe. Wonder if they would consider $45 credit in Palo instead. Also wondering if this is DCL’s way of discouraging Platinum members from using their comp.
I am thankful for this forum where we can all communicate especially since right now we cannot do so at sea. Hope to meet some of you in person some day. Hoping to see you “real soon”.
Will this menu be the same in 2022 including September 11th to September 18th 2022.
This will actually be better for me. I really enjoy the unhurried atmosphere of Palo on the first night of a cruise. And, I can certainly eat less than the $45 prix fixe menu (as I’m not a huge meat eater), and then I can go to the MDR of the night as well! UNLESS, you are charged the $45 IN ADDITION to a la carte, then I’m in trouble, cause I’d order from the prix fixe menu, eat everything and then miss the MDR of the night . ;D
Can I make a reservation and then have only the amaretto souffle? I’d happily pay $10 for that.
MG I am hoping you don’t mean an additional $10 to a $45 comp. I can’t imagine DCL charging you extra for the souffle if that’s all you are having and you are Platinum. If you are not yet Platinum, sure why not; don’t think there would be any kind of cover charge. Perhaps you should let them know when you make your reservation so they know the table will be free in a fairly short amount of time.
Not Platinum, so not $10 on top of $45 comp. With limited reservations available, I’m not sure how DCL will take to folks showing up for dessert only. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.
I guess, I’m not understanding…. is the Chocolate souffle $10 better then the MDR souffle? From what I’m seeing on the menu, I’m not seeing what the extra costs gets you. The menu screams Cheese cake factory not Northern Italian. Where is the polenta, risotto, Tortelli?
If your not going to do regionally correct food, then call it EU Heinz 57.
Can someone confirm that if I were just to order A La Carte items, I won’t have to pay the $45 prix fixe too?
Nathan, there is no cover charge of $45 if you order a la carte.
I was not impressed with the menu at all. I know this is suppose to be good, but I would expect a much better menu. I’ll go away feeling I’m not missing a thing by not going.
James, I agree 100%
Thanks Scott. We’ve got dinner booked for our magic at sea cruise in August. It’s a shame they had to change it.
Totally agree Jo – I sent an email to guest communications with that very same thought. I consider Palo an experience, not a restaurant. The last server we had was from Italy and she told us all about her country and how some of the dishes were similar to her family’s meals. She insisted on bringing us her favorites that reminded her of home.
I am trying not to panic as I usually do and run screaming! They’ve ruined Palo now!
Because they haven’t (for me). It is different. I will have to wait and see. I enjoy it for the atmosphere .I enjoy the service and the pace. I was thrilled when our kids were old enough to join us. I didn’t eat at Palo to get away from them. I do enjoy the adult spaces more as I age. I enjoy being in areas without young children. Just need a quieter place more often these days. I can’t hear as well as before and I get tired of straining to hear over the noise in the MDR. I get the same way at Disney World, searching out quieter restaurants (HA), and/or eating at off peak times. I also enjoy drinks before dinner and with appetizers. (Why don’t the bars have appetizers?) In the MDR drinks rarely come quickly, usually after the apps, and again the atmosphere is just so loud, crowded and busy. The biggest issue I have is the cost and how that all plays out. I don’t mind paying more but I do expect a “credit” of some kind for not going to the MDR. I have already changed my ways and I no longer adjust my tips down for not going to the MDR, even when we have trips we don’t go to dinner at the MDR at all. I tip the full amount. So I’m always paying something for the MDR.
But again, I hope I will be happy with the things that did not change enough that I can live with the things that did.
So I can just order the souffle and walk out only having spent $10?
I think they are thinking Remy. It was $5, then $10, $20, $25, $35, $40, and now $45 through the years
We have done seven Disney cruises and never been to Palos. I can get good Italian food anywhere, plus it would mean missing the atmosphere of the themed restaurants. The real question in my mind is have they changed the menu in the main three dining areas? The menus are so old it was hard to read the display menu last time on the Dream as it had faded with time. Same old menu for the last 10 years or so? Please Disney you’ve had 18 months to come up with new grub.
Same old menu, I hear you. Too bad they did not use this down time to send out a survey to their Castaway Club members. I am sure we all have our favorites and those that would not really be missed if they were gone from the menu. Not that they should have gone solely by the survey, but it would have given them some solid info from their repeat passengers. It would also have been something fun to do while we were not cruising. Anybody here want to say a favorite or two. I enjoy a good many items but would really miss the lobster ravioli, ahi tuna, sticky date pudding that is served warm with vanilla ice cream in the MDR and would miss them if they were gone.
Done with DCL. Cruising in September and to be charged on tip of the $45 for menu items that used to be included is ridiculous! It’s not like the cruise itself is inexpensive. Despite being Platinum I’m headed to Royal Caribbean.
Palo is (was?) a wonderfull experience. It was something neat and quiet I kept for the last evening meal. Yet a bit outlandish (fancy restaurant and not worrying of the price) making it a awesome cruise souvenir. And after the step cost of the cruise, it made for a nice gesture from Disney to have a great meal at a token price.
The $45 menu is rubbish. It’s like paying extra for a MDR menu.
My choice à la carte would top around $50/60. For this amount I carefully review my option.
I don’t say there is no value but maybe I would not chose to use this budget while aboard an all inclusive cruise…
And nobody talks about, but it means tips above I presume ?
With current Disney, *everything* must a center of revenue.
And with the growing number of Platinum guests maybe there was too many “free” meals to cover basic costs.
Unpopular opinion but I think that having access to opening prices is a big enough benefit for return guests.
I wish they just remove the free Palo benefit and kept it as a wonderfull evening available to all guests.
Should we start #bringbackclassicpalo ?
Hi all. I’m new to DCL. What is MDR ?
MDR = Main Dining Room
So true.
What if someone is a vegan? They used to be able to “veganize” dishes on the menu. Would that automatically default someone to the a la carte menu? Would force the brunch as the complimentary option for Platinum (vegan) guests…