Palo on Disney Cruise Line – What You Need to Know

Disney Cruise Line offers a wide variety of dining options during their cruises. From quick snack options to fantastic dining at multiple restaurants with its rotational dining experience, almost all of the dining is included in your cruise fare. If the included dining options are so good, you may not think it’s necessary or even wise to pay for a dining experience at Palo. We’re here to tell you that you couldn’t be more wrong. Not only is Palo a steal of a deal, but the food is superb and the service is impeccable, making it the highlight of any Disney Cruise. Keep reading for our thoughts and review of Palo on Disney Cruise Line.

1 – Palo on Disney Cruise Line

At Palo, Disney Cruise Line passengers experience excellent dining in an intimate atmosphere reserved exclusively for adults, where every romantic dinner and exquisite champagne brunch provides unsurpassed service and inspired modern Italian cuisine. Palo is on the first four Disney Cruise Line ships; it is not on the Disney Wish. On the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, sweeping ocean views add to the ambiance, and an exhibition kitchen provides guests a glimpse into the culinary magic. Note that Palo is an adults-only experience. Guests must be eighteen years or older to dine there.

2 – Dressing for Palo

Like most signature dining experiences at Walt Disney World, there is a dress code for Palo. Here are the guidelines from the Disney Cruise Line website:

Adult-exclusive restaurants aboard Disney Cruise Line ships are elegant dining experiences. Guests are requested to dress in a manner consistent with the restaurant’s sophistication. Formal or semi-formal attire is recommended. Also permitted is dress-casual attire with a polished look, such as dress pants, jeans in good condition, collared shirts, dressy tops and lifestyle shoes. For brunch at Palo and Palo Steakhouse, dress shorts are acceptable. Clothing such as T-shirts, swimwear and sports attire are not permitted.

It’s not very hard to meet the recommendations, plus it’s fun to dress up for dinner or brunch. Like most cruise meals, you’ll find a wide variety of dress at the restaurant with some going all out and some merely meeting the guidelines.

3 – Beautiful Dining Room

Named after the colorful poles that line the canals of Venice, Disney Cruise Line’s signature restaurant invites adults to indulge in a menu of sophisticated cuisine, classic reserve wines, and superior service. Palo provides an unforgettable dinner experience at sea. With a semi-circular design, floor-to-ceiling windows, and raised banquettes along one side, every seat offers beautiful views. Stylish furnishings, fresh linens, custom art, warm wood tones, and a color palette of rich red, green, and gold jewel tones create a refined, Italian-inspired décor.

4 – Dinner at Palo – Prix Fix or A la Carte

Palo now offers a Prix Fix menu for dinner, which includes four courses. Guests may choose one dish from each course. Guests may choose to also order items from the A la Carte menu as well. There are meat, fish, and vegetarian options. The food is delicious and filling. Here are some of the menu items we have enjoyed on past cruises:

5 – Desserts at Palo

Diners saving room for the delicious finales can indulge in Palo’s homemade tiramisu, panna cotta with a strawberry-basil sorbet, and the signature Palo chocolate soufflé, prepared fresh-to-order and served piping hot with luscious vanilla bean and chocolate sauces, plus a scoop of ice cream for good measure. Click here for the full dessert menu.

6 – Wine Selections

The sommelier is pleased to recommend the perfect wine pairings to please guests’ palates and make an extra-special meal extraordinary. Palo’s extensive reserve wine list features selections that hail from some of the most mature vineyards in the world and highlight Super Tuscans such as Sassicaia, Ornellaia, and Tignanello.

7 – Champagne Brunch

In addition to romantic dinners, Palo offers an adult-only Champagne brunch on sea days and select port days. Brunch is served while the ship is out at sea during 4-night and longer cruises. The brunch features Palo’s signature pizzas, made-to-order entrées, seafood, a selection of international cheeses, fresh breads and pastries, desserts, champagne, and mimosas.

On our most recent Disney cruise, our Palo brunch was the highlight of the cruise. There was so much food to choose from, and every bite was delicious. We both agreed that we enjoyed the brunch more than the dinner. You get a wider selection of food, and we enjoyed the daytime views more. We left our brunch stuffed, and we can’t wait for the next time we can enjoy a Palo brunch again.

8 – A Small Fee

There is a $50 charge for dinner and brunch, plus the cost of alcoholic beverages. We firmly believe that a $50 charge is well worth the cost of either dinner or brunch at Palo. A signature dining experience meal at Walt Disney World is usually well over $100 per person. We believe Palo blows away most signature dining at Walt Disney World (and anywhere else, frankly). The food and service are exceptional. Do not let the $50 charge keep you from enjoying this meal! You’ve already spent thousands on the cruise fare; spending $100 more is not going to break the bank. It will likely be the highlight of your cruise!

9 – Overall Thoughts and Recommendations

We absolutely love dining at Palo and can’t recommend it enough. It is so worth the small extra charge. If you could only fit in one meal, we would recommend the brunch over dinner; however, both experiences are fantastic. You won’t be disappointed. We would be tempted to book a dinner and brunch on a seven-night cruise if possible! Reservations are required for all Palo dining experiences. You can book your dining experience in your Disney Cruise Line account.