4 big reasons you need to eat at Palo on your Disney Cruise

Welcome to this month’s Blogorail Orange Loop. Today we are sharing some of the most romantic Disney restaurants. From Disney Cruise Line’s Palo to some of the newest offerings at Disney Springs, we’ve got you covered.

When my husband and I took our first cruise on the Disney Wonder in 2006, I had heard rave reviews for an adults-only restaurant called Palo. It only cost $10 per person, and I’m shocked to say we almost didn’t do it because, well, we were already paying a lot for food. Why on earth would we want to pay more – even just $20 more – for different food?

I’ll tell you why. Because it’s incredible.

Palo is still one of my favorite restaurants in the world, and a must-do for us on every Disney cruise – even though the price has increased threefold. A menu anchored by Italian food, Palo really has something for everyone – and we’ve never eaten anything there that was less than stellar.

But not all quality restaurants are romantic restaurants, I know. No problem – Palo fits the bill there, too. So without further ado, four (big) reasons that every couple taking a Disney Cruise should be sure and book dinner or brunch (available on most cruises seven nights or longer) in Palo.

Value

I still totally understand where someone is coming from who says, “I paid a premium for this Disney cruise and will not skip a “free” (included) meal for one that costs an additional fee.” I hear you, I really do. But maybe try it just once? For $30 per person at home, we can probably get pretty good service, a decent size entree, and quality food. But nowhere else will a meal that costs less than $100 for a couple, including gratuity, be among the best meals of your life.

Service

At Palo, you won’t get pretty good service. You will get fantastic service. We’ve had servers go elsewhere on the boat to track down Iron Horse Fairy Tale Cuvee when I simply asked if it still existed. During our first brunch experience, my husband mentioned that we really enjoyed the Ahi tuna, then came back to this:

When you dine at Palo, you aren’t the only table a server is attending to, but it certainly has felt like it to us each time.

The Menu

I’m not usually a big fan of brunch, and I’m sure I’ve made it clear that we love Palo for dinner. That said, there are times when we don’t want to miss out on evening events or the regular dining rotation. After hearing half of the internet say that, believe it or not, brunch is even better at Palo, we decided we’d give it a try. It certainly wasn’t going to be a bad meal.

Um, I’m a big fan of this brunch. It feels like the choices are never ending, with several tables of food served buffet style in addition to a menu with entirely different offerings than those served at dinner. Once again, everything we ate was spectacular – and a free mimosa or champagne was proverbial icing on the cake. Oh and speaking of cake…

At dinner, choose from an incredible pasta dish, seafood, rack of lamb, or beef tenderloin that melts in your mouth. Or don’t choose. Ask to try more than one thing, get a little of a few different sides that interest you. Nobody will even bat an eye, unless you eat so much you can’t walk out of the restaurant. Which may a real risk.

To be honest though, there’s a big reason we weren’t afraid to try brunch – and it’s also the biggest reason you should visit Palo at all…

Atmosphere

I think that Disney Cruise Line does an excellent job with the adult spaces throughout the ship, but nowhere feels as peaceful and kid-free as the adult restaurants. They’re quiet, but not so quiet you feel like people can hear you chew. They’re beautiful, but neither the menu nor the decor will make you uncomfortable.

You also have enough space between your table and all the rest, that you don’t feel like you’re dining on top of other guests and eavesdropping on their conversations – or them on yours.

And the view. Oh, the view.

Many – if not all – of the tables are situated so that they’re facing gigantic, floor-to-cieling glass, overlooking the ocean. I don’t know where you live, but I don’t ever get that kind of view during dinner.

It’s no secret that we love cruises in part because they afford us to disconnect from the world, and also in part because they allow us – and each of our three kids – to disconnect from one another a little when we’d like time apart. During at least 90% of our cruises we are all together, or at least begging the kids come out of the Oceaneer Club so we can be together. But for one evening (or late morning), there may as well not be anyone else on the ship. It doesn’t get much more romantic than that.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail Orange | Romantic Disney Restaurants Loop:

• 1st Stop – The Delightful Life | YOU ARE HERE 🙂
• 2nd Stop – Rolling with the Magic | Morimoto Asia
• 3rd Stop – Distalgic | Coral Reef Restaurant
• 4th Stop – DISTherapy | Tiffins
• 5th Stop – My Dreams of Disney | Cinderella’s Royal Table