Do Palo and drink tastings ever open up?

[stowe75]

I went in the minute I could to book activities. I think we are silver castaway level. This will be our 5th cruise in March.

Even with logging in as soon as eligible there was no availability at Palo brunch and all the drink seminars are sold out. I keep checking every few days when I remember.

Any chance either of these will open up prior to sail date on 3/21? Or is there a chance once on board we will be able to score a brunch time and drink seminar or two?

This is our 5th cruise with the last one being 3 years ago and I’ve never had this issue. I was really shocked. Even a few of our first choice excursions on St. Kitts and Antigua were sold out. Thank goodness I got the fishing excursion on CC for my son. That’s the real reason I log on right at the time I can. Now fingers crossed it’s not windy!

Thanks!

 

[SamFaniam]

I went in the minute I could to book activities. I think we are silver castaway level. This will be our 5th cruise in March.

Even with logging in as soon as eligible there was no availability at Palo brunch and all the drink seminars are sold out. I keep checking every few days when I remember.

Any chance either of these will open up prior to sail date on 3/21? Or is there a chance once on board we will be able to score a brunch time and drink seminar or two?

This is our 5th cruise with the last one being 3 years ago and I’ve never had this issue. I was really shocked. Even a few of our first choice excursions on St. Kitts and Antigua were sold out. Thank goodness I got the fishing excursion on CC for my son. That’s the real reason I log on right at the time I can. Now fingers crossed it’s not windy!

Thanks!

Yes, they do keep back some of the reservations for Palo that people can book once they’re on board. When you check in you’ll be given a first day navigator, it will have a location to go for those reservations. There will also be beverage tasting reservations available once you’re on board. I would also recommend that you keep checking back online. Reservations may open up as people finalize their plans.

 

[Marc D]

The chances of both opening online before the cruise are entirely dependent on other cruisers cancelling. It happens frequently. You just need to keep checking.

If it doesn’t work, once you get onboard, your chances of getting both are pretty good. DCL only makes a portion of the openings available online. At 12:30 on embarkation day, the head servers make themselves available to book Palo or Rémy. You can go to the spot marked in the Navigator or the podium at Palo.

As for tastings, they can be booked at Guests services. If they do not have an opening, show up at the tasting. There are often extra spots and no-shows. The bartender holding the tasting can charge it directly there. On our last tasting, there was three no shows and one person booking directly there.

 

[diznymom]

Yes. Unfortunately some people book more things than they actually want, and will cancel later. I personally dislike this activity, but it does exist.

 

[iloveeeyore]

Yes they do. I tried for 6 weeks to book brunch on line with no luck, walked onto the ship directly to Enchanted Garden and got on line. The podium opened up a little before 12:30. I was third or fourth in line, had my pick of days and times.

Tastings kept popping up a few weeks before sailing, I was able to snag a few. Cancelled one once on board, so that was an opening for someone else. Don't lose hope!

 

[MichelleCanada]

We have only done 3 cruises - January 2017, August 3018 and August 2019. The first two cruises we had no problem getting into things last minute. This past summer (on the Wonder) we got a Palo dinner once we boarded and only the tastings we had booked previously. We asked at GS if there was a wait list or additional tastings and they said no to both.

 

[Stitch'sCousin]

When we were on the Magic in December, we were able to book Mixology and a Beer Tasting at Guest Services shortly after we boarded. These were additional tastings that never showed up online and could only be booked once we were on-board, so make you check in with Guest Services just in case the same thing happens on your cruise.

 

[otten]

We are on the Panama Canal cruise in March which is a Platinum and Gold heavy sailing. All the tastings and Palo brunch were sold out before silver day. I still haven’t snagged a Palo brunch but I have managed to grab the three tastings I most wanted by checking a few times a day.

 

[Tehanna]

Yes! On our last two cruises we went on the waiting list after boarding, and both times we received a call to our stateroom offering us a brunch reservation.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

So what do you do when you get on board exactly???

The meet and greets are sold out too what gives

 

[Marc D]

So what do you do when you get on board exactly???

The meet and greets are sold out too what gives

For Palo, there will be a spot mentioned in the Navigator handed out in port. Go there at the opening time (usually 12:30) and ask for a reservation.

The two M&G that you can book in advance almost always sell out online, but guests services will have spots available. Go there immediately when you board. If you can’t have tickets, there will be plenty of opportunities to see the princesses and the Disney characters. Only Frozen is exclusive to the M&G.

 

[ironz]

I'll agree to check back to the website frequently, especially as you get closer to the cruise. If you are in any cruise-specific groups (on the Dis or other sites), people may give you a heads up if they are going to cancel something like that.

Also-- it's going to depend on how many sea days you have and how many brunch spots they can offer. We were on a 5 night Magic recently that had 1 sea day. That means 1 brunch day. We had gotten a reservation when we first did our checkin and activities booking (we're Gold), and didn't end up cancelling until the day we boarded the ship. The Palo staff member said there were 85 guests on the waitlist, so I am quite sure *everyone* on the wait list didn't get a brunch.

 

[Chandler Bing]

We are on the Panama Canal cruise in March which is a Platinum and Gold heavy sailing. All the tastings and Palo brunch were sold out before silver day. I still haven’t snagged a Palo brunch but I have managed to grab the three tastings I most wanted by checking a few times a day.

Lucky you! I've been checking daily and not been able to book anything for that sailing yet, except for excursions and the character breakfast.

 

[MomOTwins]

It does seem like this is a growing thing that everything is sold out prior to silver booking day, but that makes sense because their is a growing population of Gold and Platinum. I noticed that the folks I chatted with on the Fantasy who had gold or platinum lanyards were often Florida residents for whom cruising frequently is so much easier due to lower travel cost and resident discounts. Plus then there is the whole population of kids who get CC status becoming young adults whose first cruise as self-paying passengers is at Gold or Platinum. This seems to come up now and then, but it does seem like DCL is going to have to start revising their CC benefits policy soon to avoid drowning in Platinum cruisers.

Another thing is every time this question comes up, the overwhelming response is book it onboard. That really doesn't work if you are taking Disney resort-to-port transportation, though. I really wish Disney would push back the time they start accepting Palo reservations onboard to later in the afternoon, since it starts to dilute the incentive for folks to stay on Disney property before the cruise.

Ranting over. To the OP's original question: I noticed that around 1-2 weeks before the cruise was when the tastings and dining really started to show up in the app. The last few weekends before the cruise were particularly busy as I expect most people did their vacation planning on weekends.

 

[Marc D]

It does seem like this is a growing thing that everything is sold out prior to silver booking day, but that makes sense because their is a growing population of Gold and Platinum. I noticed that the folks I chatted with on the Fantasy who had gold or platinum lanyards were often Florida residents for whom cruising frequently is so much easier due to lower travel cost and resident discounts. Plus then there is the whole population of kids who get CC status becoming young adults whose first cruise as self-paying passengers is at Gold or Platinum. This seems to come up now and then, but it does seem like DCL is going to have to start revising their CC benefits policy soon to avoid drowning in Platinum cruisers.

You would think that, yet after 21 years in operation, most non-exclusive cruises (like PC, TA or Northern European cruises) are mainly filled with new or Silver cruisers, especially the Dream cruises.

I’m guessing that when the kids get older, most cruisers go on to other lines, because of cost or interests.

Also, Disney in general is very good at creating rarity. Book now or you might miss out ! Palo brunch is a very good example. It‘s always sold out online, yet it is fairly easy to book onboard (maybe not if you come from WDW...) The same thing happens with tastings and meets. They do the same thing in the parks.

 

[Bella29]

Even if they are full when you go to sign up on embarkation day, you can ask to be on a waiting list and you may get a call mid-week saying there is an opening. I've had that happen with Palo brunch. Haven't tried with Palo dinner or tastings.

 

[MomOTwins]

You would think that, yet after 21 years in operation, most non-exclusive cruises (like PC, TA or Northern European cruises) are mainly filled with new or Silver cruisers, especially the Dream cruises.

I’m guessing that when the kids get older, most cruisers go on to other lines, because of cost or interests.

Also, Disney in general is very good at creating rarity. Book now or you might miss out ! Palo brunch is a very good example. It‘s always sold out online, yet it is fairly easy to book onboard (maybe not if you come from WDW...) The same thing happens with tastings and meets. They do the same thing in the parks.

Definitely agree with you on the dream. The 7-nights seem to be more DCL veterans though.

 

[CyberPluto]

We had no problem grabbing a tequila tasting on the Fantasy on the day of. We just walked to the location, asked if there was space, and they swiped us in. Also it helps to be kind and friendly to the bar tending crew—they can definitely help you out with booking a tasting (and they are all amazing people on the Fantasy).

 

[FamilyofFive]

If we can’t get into Palo can we still go to their bar for a drink on the Wonder?

 

[Marc D]

If we can’t get into Palo can we still go to their bar for a drink on the Wonder?

I must admit I never saw anyone seating at the bar inside Palo on Wonder or Magic. Is that what you are referring to ? There is no lounge next to Palo on the classic ships, only on Dream/Fantasy.