Palo is the adults-only restaurant on the Disney Magic and Wonder cruise ships, and it will be on the new ships as well. Getting reservations can be competitive because there are limited slots available. Dinner ($15 per person) is served every night, and brunch ($15 per person) is served on sea days on both the Magic and Wonder and on Key West day on the Magic. High tea ($5 per person) is served on Magic sea days and is just starting to be offered on the Wonder this spring. Dinner is the easiest meal to get because there are slots every day. Brunch and high tea are more of a challenge, but there are some tips you can use to boost your chances:
1) Go online at midnight as soon as you can make Palo reservations. This is 75 days before the cruise for most people, but Silver Castaway Club members who have sailed at least once before can do it at 90 days. Gold members (5 to 9 sailings) can do it at 105 days, and Platinum (10 or more cruises) can do it at 120 days. The trick is to pay the day before you are eligible to start booking, even if this means paying in full before your due date. Then log on the Disney Cruise Line website at midnight, which is when Palo, spa and shore excursion bookings open, and you will have first choice. Book high tea first, then brunch, then dinner, as that is the order in which availability tends to disappear.
2) Arrive at the port as early as possible. There is an onboard Palo booking opportunity for those who could not get anything online. It is first come, first served so get to the port early, which means you will be given a low boarding number and be one of the first on the ship. You will get an activity list that tells you where and when to go for Palo reservations. Get there early!
3) Get on the wait list. You may not be able to get to the port early due to your flights. Ask to be put on a wait list if Palo is all booked up for the days and times you want. People do cancel, so you have a decent chance of getting a reservation later.
4) Just show up. Sometimes people do not cancel, or they do it so late that there is no chance to call people on the wait list. This happened on our last Magic cruise when we noticed a very light crowd at high tea. Dress in acceptable Palo clothing, stop by and ask if there are any last-minute cancellations. You might just luck out.
Some of the delicious brunch items are pictured above right. To see more of what you can dine on at brunch, click here for plenty of photos. To read more about the special benefits for each returning cruiser level, click here. For a list of my Orlando Theme Parks articles, click here. To find me on Facebook, click here.
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