Palo Brunch on the Wonder

[hexdragon]

I am rather ticked.... Today our 90 day window opened to book excursions and dinner at Palo. We were online @ 7:30 am EST and ALL the Palo brunches were already booked... :mad:

 

GRRRRRRR. Now I know how Disney newbies feel.... At least we got all our excursions...

[hexdragon]

I just had a thought (a dangerous pastime I know)

 

Are these brunches Character Brunches???? Is that why they are all taken???:confused:

[Shmoo here]

I just had a thought (a dangerous pastime I know)

 

Are these brunches Character Brunches???? Is that why they are all taken???:confused:

 

No, the Palo brunch is only available on sea days, so there are fewer times available for booking.

 

The Character Breakfast (on 7 day or longer cruises) is also on a sea day, but every guest is scheduled for one. On your KTTW card it will indicate what day/time you are scheduled for the Breakfast.

 

:)

[Host Mick]

I am rather ticked.... Today our 90 day window opened to book excursions and dinner at Palo. We were online @ 7:30 am EST and ALL the Palo brunches were already booked... :mad:

 

GRRRRRRR. Now I know how Disney newbies feel.... At least we got all our excursions...

 

All is not lost. They withhold some reservation times for booking at the pier and for conceirge guests. These get released by the concierge if they are not taken. Also, there are cancellations especially right around final payment time. And as a last resort, during your cruise, check with Palo from time to time to see if there are cancellations or no-shows.

[cyclenut]

I found the same thing about Palo and was also rather ticked. We settled for dinner and had to settle for dinner on Day 7, the final day.

 

I really hate these loyalty programs that seem to provide rewards for returning guests *at the expense of new guests*. Rewards programs should provide additional perks, I'm all for that and hope to benefit from them someday ... but being able to take a place at the head of the line just because you've cruised Disney before really irks me.

 

We were able to get all of our excursions, but noticed that several were already booked, it just so happened that we weren't trying to get on one of those.

 

Yes, we were on-line the first minute we were eligible to book.

[chzheadfl]

I am rather ticked.... Today our 90 day window opened to book excursions and dinner at Palo. We were online @ 7:30 am EST and ALL the Palo brunches were already booked... :mad:

 

GRRRRRRR. Now I know how Disney newbies feel.... At least we got all our excursions...

 

 

I know your frustration. We are now platinum with DCL, and can book out 120 days. I will tell you that even when we have booked our sailing more last minute, ressies have opened up either ahead of time, or once on the ship. Brunch is our favorite meal on board, and we are sure to head to the Palo dining team on embarktion day to get brunch ressies. Hope you have the same experience getting ressies!

[kpalmer]

Arrive early on embarkment day. Go directly to the lounge where they can help you with Palo reservations and dining preferences/changes. Like another passenger said, check back often for cancellations and to get on a waiting list. Brunch is definitely worth the effort.

[genmasjoy]

I hope to be able to get reservations for brunch on embarkation day. I booked at the 90 day window and was only able to get a dinner reservation. For me, the brunch is one of the highlights of the cruise, so I hope it will work out. There was no problem getting a reservation for a massage on Castaway Cay, my other top pick for the trip.

[hexdragon]

Ahhh, a massage in Castaway Cay, just what I need... Unfortunately I'll be in Alaska... :o

[Dizzyworld]

The reservation booking window opens at midnight, unless there is a computer issue. So it could be other new cruisers got the reservations at that time, if there were any available.

 

Keep checking back, people do cancel. DCL does keep some reservations for Palo available to book onboard. Make sure you are in the front of the line for Palo reservations once on board. Go at least 15 minutes early. Good luck.

[cyclenut]

The reservation booking window opens at midnight, unless there is a computer issue. So it could be other new cruisers got the reservations at that time, if there were any available.

 

Keep checking back, people do cancel. DCL does keep some reservations for Palo available to book onboard. Make sure you are in the front of the line for Palo reservations once on board. Go at least 15 minutes early. Good luck.

 

We logged in at midnight Eastern time (9pm here on the west coast) and all the brunch and most of the dinner were already gone.

 

Maybe I'm one of the few that thinks this practice is just wrong. Think of it this way. At Disneyland they have something called Magic Mornings. They are available only to those who meet certain criteria (like staying at one of the hotels) but they are NOT available to annual passholders. You have to enter the park with a regular ticket to get the early morning entry. Annual Passholders have other perks, but those don't take away from the experiences of other guests.

 

Allowing this advanced booking does encourage repeat business, but there are other ways to do that IMO.

[ducklite]

I booked our Palo and Remy dinners as well as a Cabana at 12:01 am at exactly 120 days out and while I had the pick of meal times, I couldn't believe how fast those cabanas were gone. I went to book at about 12:10 am after the meals and couldn't believe that half of them had already been booked.

 

Just like a frequent flyer who gets upgraded to first class regularly--those travelers are the bread and butter of the cruise line. Does it stink for the rest, yes, but it also conditions them to continue booking so they'll eventually have the ability to have a variety of perks. It also keeps the bread and butter guests happy. Just like with the airlines or hotel chains, Disney would rather lose that once every five years guest than their very regular clientele who they can count on to keep the ship full in off-season. Their "whales" (concierge guests) are also given the perks because they are spending a lot of money with the cruise line. It's really pretty typical policy across the board in the hospitality industry.

[Dizzyworld]

I booked our Palo and Remy dinners as well as a Cabana at 12:01 am at exactly 120 days out and while I had the pick of meal times, I couldn't believe how fast those cabanas were gone. I went to book at about 12:10 am after the meals and couldn't believe that half of them had already been booked.

 

I too am surprised how fast the cabanas were booked.

 

We are doing a B2B cruise this summer. What has surprised me is the availibilty of Palo for dinner on both cruises, and how many reservations for Remy are booked. Who knows?

 

With the popularity of brunch, I wish DCL would do the same brunch in the Remy space too. Maybe at some point they will use the space for brunch? I don't think they would have a problem selling it out.

 

Have faith everyone, and get to the port early.

[cyclenut]

I booked our Palo and Remy dinners as well as a Cabana at 12:01 am at exactly 120 days out and while I had the pick of meal times, I couldn't believe how fast those cabanas were gone. I went to book at about 12:10 am after the meals and couldn't believe that half of them had already been booked.

 

Just like a frequent flyer who gets upgraded to first class regularly--those travelers are the bread and butter of the cruise line. Does it stink for the rest, yes, but it also conditions them to continue booking so they'll eventually have the ability to have a variety of perks. It also keeps the bread and butter guests happy. Just like with the airlines or hotel chains, Disney would rather lose that once every five years guest than their very regular clientele who they can count on to keep the ship full in off-season. Their "whales" (concierge guests) are also given the perks because they are spending a lot of money with the cruise line. It's really pretty typical policy across the board in the hospitality industry.

 

I totally agree that you want to keep the "whales" happy. I subscribe to frequent flyer programs but just don't have enough miles to get too many perks, but I get some. I'm good with that. I'm perfectly fine with giving out perks. What I'm not fine with is when those perks are at the expense of other travelers.

 

My thinking is that you offer a certain percentage of the dining room to those travelers, maybe even as much as 75%, which gives them the best opportunity to get the spots. But if you don't save at least some spaces for those who are first timers, they will not have the opportunity for the full experience. Someone who could become a "whale" may never be enticed to be one.

 

I *may* cruise Disney again. I'll know more after I return from my upcoming trip. What will help me determine this is not whether or not I have to sail again just to get a reservation at Palo at a decent time, it will be about my experience on this sailing. How I am treated as a guest of DCL. I expect more from Disney and so far, I'm not impressed.