Tipping for Palo dining

[PinMan]

how much do you tip for Palo or other restaurants you pay extra for ?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

how much do you tip for Palo or other restaurants you pay extra for ?

Honestly, whatever you feel the service was worth. That's what tipping is all about. Not someone else's idea of what's appropriate.

 

[over50visits]

Good question. Although there is no suggested tip, we generally tip $10-15 per person.

 

[belac]

We have done between $15-$25 PP depending on service and how many we are. Mostly 15 but once some time ago they were fantastic and we did the 25. Back then they gave us soufflé to take back to room ... they don't do that anymore

 

[dclpluto]

I usually take what it cost divide it by half. So 30 dollars at palo will mean a 15 dollar tip a person.

 

[elvispursley]

This will be our first time dining at Palo (first trip without the kids, woo hoo!) so bear with me if this seems like a naive question but wanted to just clarify that if you leave a tip, you leave your tip at the end of the meal, like you would ordering drinks at a bar?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

This will be our first time dining at Palo (first trip without the kids, woo hoo!) so bear with me if this seems like a naive question but wanted to just clarify that if you leave a tip, you leave your tip at the end of the meal, like you would ordering drinks at a bar?

You'll get a check (just like at a land-based restaurant). You can fill in a tip on that (it'll be added to your onboard account), or you can leave actual cash on the table at the end of the meal. Whatever works for you.

 

[elvispursley]

Oh good! Thanks!! We probably would've figured this out, but good to know in advance. Especially what people tend to tip (I know YMMV)

 

[Ralph&Pam]

We typically do $15pp plus whatever additional is needed to increase the beverage gratuity to around 25%. I usually discuss do-it-yourself wine pairings from the wines by the glass list for appetizer and main courses with the Palo sommelier, so an extra gratuity is in order.

 

[over50visits]

This will be our first time dining at Palo (first trip without the kids, woo hoo!) so bear with me if this seems like a naive question but wanted to just clarify that if you leave a tip, you leave your tip at the end of the meal, like you would ordering drinks at a bar?

It's easy - they ask you for your room key card (Key To The World card, or KTTW), and they treat that like a credit card. They'll bring back your bill, and there will be a line for a tip you can optionally fill in, sign the slip, and you're done. Just like a landlubber's restaurant.

You can also pay a tip in cash if you wish (though you will need your KTTW card to pay for the meal), but I suspect that is rarely done.

 

[pepe3penelope]

I usually take what it cost divide it by half. So 30 dollars at palo will mean a 15 dollar tip a person.

This is what we do also

 

[CamColt]

This is something we always question if we are doing the right thing. We gave $30.00 for a party of 2 at brunch last week. I can't say if that is right or wrong, but it's what we did.

 

[Minnie & Daisy]

Do the Palo servers receive any of the $30 pp charge for dining at Palo? Does anyone know what that charge covers?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Do the Palo servers receive any of the $30 pp charge for dining at Palo? Does anyone know what that charge covers?

It's an additional payment for the "more costly" food prep and service.

Time was that the servers did get a small portion of the upcharge. And it was pooled to be shared by all Palo servers. "Small" as in around $2-$4 from what I recall.

Not sure if they still do.

But, any additional gratuity you add to the check (or cash you leave) goes directly (and only) to your specific server (at least that's what I've been told).

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Do the Palo servers receive any of the $30 pp charge for dining at Palo? Does anyone know what that charge covers?

What Schmoo said. I'm not sure if it's still stated on the DCL website that gratuity is included but I do know it's a nominal amount at best. Typical Palo service is really amazing so additional gratuity would be appropriate (IMO!). I'm in the $15+pp gratuity category. If it's our favorite Palo server on Wonder we usually give more because we just adore Alvaro that much. <3

 

[elvispursley]

Super excited to try Palo. From everyone's descriptions, they will do wonders for my "special" vegetarian needs (allergic to the 'shrooms, which a lot of vegetarian recipes love to use )! Other than booking on the first dinner on the first night, is there opportunities for eating there more than once (e.g. do longer cruises make a difference)?

 

[FigmentSpark]

If you buy drinks/wine pairings, are the charges just added to your bill or are they added with a gratuity already listed?

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

Super excited to try Palo. From everyone's descriptions, they will do wonders for my "special" vegetarian needs (allergic to the 'shrooms, which a lot of vegetarian recipes love to use )! Other than booking on the first dinner on the first night, is there opportunities for eating there more than once (e.g. do longer cruises make a difference)?

On our 4 night on Magic out of NY, we're offered the ability to make 2 reservations in Palo. On our 7 night E Carib on Fantasy (registered this AM), we were offered 2 at each (Palo & Remy). So, yes?

 

[elvispursley]

Thanks!

 

[kid-at-heart]

Conversations on these boards used to suggest a $10 tip per person. I do not know if that has changed in the past couple of years. A friend of ours who works at an upscale restaurant said to judge what the meal would cost elsewhere then tip accordingly. That is certainly relative since in our area, cost of living is low, thus if we were buying the same style of meal here, we could have the same quality and service for dinner for about $30 per person, whereas, brunch would probably be about $40 per person (yes, brunch would be more than dinner due to the "buffet" part of brunch). In NYC, the meals would be much more... If we are looking at a 20% tip on a $30 meal, then that would be $6 per person for dinner and $8 for brunch. We tend to tip far more than that at Palo because a $12-$16 dollar tip for two folks seems a bit low. I think the service and the experience qualifies Palo for a larger tip than normal.