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cruisin1982
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Told our slot open and all the sea days are sold out for brunch. Any chance something opening up when we get on the ship. We went on line the minute our time slot opened. Is it worth the extra $30 is there crab legs on the buffet

 

 

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Told our slot open and all the sea days are sold out for brunch. Any chance something opening up when we get on the ship. We went on line the minute our time slot opened. Is it worth the extra $30 is there crab legs on the buffet

 

 

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you should keep checking, as people might cancel..

and when you get on the ship, you can right away go to check if there's availability....

hopefully someone will post where you go to check that as i don't know (maybe palo?)...

 

i'm not a big palo fan, so i wouldn't really mind if i were shut out..

but i get it, this is your first time so you want to experience it...you may well enjoy it...i'm the only person i know who didn't like it....so you're much more likely to like it than not....

 

i'm sure someone will post telling you exactly what to do when you board to check on a palo reservation...

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you should keep checking, as people might cancel..

 

and when you get on the ship, you can right away go to check if there's availability....

 

hopefully someone will post where you go to check that as i don't know (maybe palo?)...

 

 

 

i'm not a big palo fan, so i wouldn't really mind if i were shut out..

 

but i get it, this is your first time so you want to experience it...you may well enjoy it...i'm the only person i know who didn't like it....so you're much more likely to like it than not....

 

 

 

i'm sure someone will post telling you exactly what to do when you board to check on a palo reservation...

 

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Thanks we only wanted to try the brunch the extra $30 per person is something we could budget. We did the fancy restaurant on our first cruise. It was real nice but it’s not us. Think the extra charge was $60 per person. I’d rather spend the extra money on something else.

 

 

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There will be turnover in the Palo reservations. Keep checking to maximize your chances of finding an opening (as Beth already said).

 

I am also in the minority on Palo... I am not a fan, mostly because I don't have a big appreciation for finer food. Meals at Palo take a while, and I'd rather spend my time doing something else. If I had to pick Palo brunch or dinner, I'd probably go with brunch. I am a big fan of the MDR for dinner (more about the experience, less about the food). Palo brunch doesn't pull you from the MDR for dinner.

 

The poolside buffet is great in my opinion. They do have shrimp and crab legs (stone crab?) every day. The shrimp is my daily lunch staple on ship. They also have a carving station that my wife likes. Of course, kid favorites like french fries and mac and cheese flow freely as well.

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There will be turnover in the Palo reservations. Keep checking to maximize your chances of finding an opening (as Beth already said).

 

 

 

I am also in the minority on Palo... I am not a fan, mostly because I don't have a big appreciation for finer food. Meals at Palo take a while, and I'd rather spend my time doing something else. If I had to pick Palo brunch or dinner, I'd probably go with brunch. I am a big fan of the MDR for dinner (more about the experience, less about the food). Palo brunch doesn't pull you from the MDR for dinner.

 

 

 

The poolside buffet is great in my opinion. They do have shrimp and crab legs (stone crab?) every day. The shrimp is my daily lunch staple on ship. They also have a carving station that my wife likes. Of course, kid favorites like french fries and mac and cheese flow freely as well.

 

 

 

I didn’t think they had a pool side buffet. I really appreciate your comments. They seem honest we like good food but not so much the fancy stuff.

 

 

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Poolside might be a bit loose of a description. It's a restaurant just off the pool You can get food inside and then take it to the pool (or eat in the restaurant or eat on a deck off the back of the ship). There are also quick service restaurants that truly are poolside - stand at a counter and order/pickup food. The buffet requires you to wear shoes and a coverup, but wearing a swimsuit and barefoot is fine for the quick service spots.

 

The buffet is very convenient to the pool. During lunch, my wife and I will be back and forth from the pool to the buffet several times as someone wants dessert, more mac and cheese, or another whatever.

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Yea wanted to do it sold out. Disney should reserve some slots for first time cruisers. Everything thing is sold out even the liquor tastings.

 

 

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As noted, DCL does hold back some reservations for Palo to be booked onboard. The Navigator you receive at check in at the port will tell you where/when this is available.

 

Please don't pre-judge the cruise before you actually take it.

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Yea wanted to do it sold out. Disney should reserve some slots for first time cruisers. Everything thing is sold out even the liquor tastings.

 

 

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See my reply to this same statement on your other thread.

 

I'm probably the nut case here, but I prefer Palo dinner to brunch. But I'm definitely in the minority on that.

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See my reply to this same statement on your other thread.

 

I'm probably the nut case here' date=' but I prefer Palo dinner to brunch. But I'm definitely in the minority on that.[/quote']

Since they changed the Palo dinner menu (a couple of years ago), I like the dinner better than I did. But I still prefer brunch. My husband prefers dinner, so we switch out from cruise to cruise which we do.

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I've never been unable to make or change a reservation on the first day. In fairness, I usually do longer cruises, but the bottom line is that they have been available.

 

I don't do in and insist on 7:30 on Wednesday. I go with the attitude that I want a Palo reservation....is Wednesday available? If not, they find something that is available and fits my plans.

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Yea wanted to do it sold out. Disney should reserve some slots for first time cruisers. Everything thing is sold out even the liquor tastings.

 

You're not a first time cruiser though right? you logged on on Silver opening day?

 

Anyway, liquor tastings for sure you should be able to get on board, and I'm guessing Palo brunch as well - we were at a 12:30 seating and there were several empty tables.

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You're not a first time cruiser though right? you logged on on Silver opening day?

 

Anyway, liquor tastings for sure you should be able to get on board, and I'm guessing Palo brunch as well - we were at a 12:30 seating and there were several empty tables.

They don't fill all the tables all the time. It makes for a quieter dining experience when there are empty tables.

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We are totally Palo brunch people over their dinner. The food was great for dinner but we like the MDR experience so we only do Palo brunch. First cruise we had no luck getting reservations until we were on the ship but after that we did at online checkin by just checking daily to see if a slot opened up and it did.

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They don't fill all the tables all the time. It makes for a quieter dining experience when there are empty tables.

 

While I agree it would be quieter, I would find it really disappointing to know that such a coveted event as brunch, which only happens a couple of times on many cruises, has empty tables. I could see that making sense at dinner, but surely DCL knows how popular Palo brunch is.

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Thanks I will try once we get on the ship. Was just going by what Disney said when we called.

 

 

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Many of the people on the phones have never set food on any of the ships and don't have a clue as to how things work! We joke that if you get an answer you don't like, hang up and call again. You'll get a different CM and they'll give a different answer.

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While I agree it would be quieter, I would find it really disappointing to know that such a coveted event as brunch, which only happens a couple of times on many cruises, has empty tables. I could see that making sense at dinner, but surely DCL knows how popular Palo brunch is.

They do know how popular it is. That's why (several years ago) they eliminated the formal tea they had at Palo and used that time for more brunch seatings.

 

And, on some cruises, the brunch is offered on non-sea days (Dream 3 night cruise, as well as the Tracy Arm day on the Alaska cruises).

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The "empty" tables are in some cases used for the staggering of the reservation times. If everyone showed up at 9:00 and filled the restaurant, the kitchen couldn't keep up with the preparation of the hot items, the servers would be run ragged, etc. Filling tables at various times keeps the whole system running smoothly and all the kitchen items prepared as you order them (no sitting under heat lamps!)

 

And yes, the adult only tea was eliminated to make longer hours for brunch possible....thus more people can be seated and DCL can make more money.

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They don't fill all the tables all the time. It makes for a quieter dining experience when there are empty tables.

 

I just learned about that fact this cruise. Took the Art of the Theme Show tour and it was mentioned

that they intentionally leave some tables empty to create the ambience.

 

Palo Brunch has Alaskan snow crab legs. One of my favorites along with the salmon mousse.

 

The buffet restaurant that was mentioned is Cabanas. They have shrimp and stone crab. Deck 9 aft on the Magic and Wonder. Deck 11 aft on the Fantasy and Dream.

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The "empty" tables are in some cases used for the staggering of the reservation times. If everyone showed up at 9:00 and filled the restaurant' date=' the kitchen couldn't keep up with the preparation of the hot items, the servers would be run ragged, etc. Filling tables at various times keeps the whole system running smoothly and all the kitchen items prepared as you order them (no sitting under heat lamps!)

 

 

 

And yes, the adult only tea was eliminated to make longer hours for brunch possible....thus more people can be seated and DCL can make more money.[/quote']

 

 

 

I have worked in the restaurant industry and I totally agree people don’t understand when they are told there is a wait and they see empty tables. If 100% of tables were full not even the best kitchen staff could keep up and people would complain about the wait time

 

 

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