When embarking on a Disney Cruise, indulgence is what comes to mind. While each of the ships has unique dining rooms that are part of the nightly dinner rotation, every ship also has an adult-only dining option, Palo. Palo is known for its Northern Italian inspiration with a modern twist. They offer reservations for dinner and on select days, a brunch option. I have been following the Ketogenic way of eating for almost 2 years and my experience at Palo brunch was extraordinary. Brunch and dinner are subject to an additional fee of $40/person, plus gratuity. The following dress code is recommended:
- Dress pants or slacks and a collared shirt for men
- Dress, skirt, or pants and a blouse for women.
- Jeans may be worn if in good condition (no holes).
My husband and I have had the privilege of enjoying the Palo brunch on both the Disney Dream and the Disney Magic. The brunch offers a wide variety of options that did not need any modifications and they were more than accommodating to modify other items. Our meal began with a complimentary glass of prosecco. For those who are not eating Keto, they offer Bellini’s or mimosa’s as well! They also offered the standard beverage choices that were included as part of your $40 fee (coffee, tea, juices, sodas and iced tea). Additional beverages were available for an additional fee. My husband ordered the iced tea and it was served with ice cubes that were specially made from iced tea to avoid diluting the tea as the ice melts!! When we were seated, they shared the menu that was available to us. The options were hard to choose from and were easily adjusted to meet our dietary requests.
Our server then escorted us to the multiple stations filled with indulgent and delicious offerings. For the seafood lover, there was a medley of options including shrimp, tuna, scallops, caviar, and my husband’s favorite, king crab legs! The crab legs are pre-split and our server brought drawn butter for my husband to enjoy with his crab legs. For the cheese and charcuterie lover, there were extensive choices of cheeses and meats that did not disappoint!
While we enjoyed our selections, the chef was preparing the items we selected from the menu! We ordered a frittata, a steak, and our favorite was the chicken parmesan. The frittata did not require any modifications and was light and fluffy. We requested the steak have the sauces on the side and to substitute the standard side with sautéed spinach. The chicken parmesan required more modification, as it is typically coated with bread crumbs and cheese and served with risotto which is not keto-friendly. The chef made us the chicken without breading, with a light serving of their delicious marina and cheese, served on sautéed spinach. We enjoyed each and every dish and were more than satisfied!
Palo brunch is well known for their dessert and pastries. While there were many items, we only enjoyed a few berries from that table. Honestly, we had already overindulged on all of the other items and while tempted, we were able to resist the warm sticky buns, chocolate-covered strawberries, tiramisu, cannolis, and all of the other fantastic desserts.
Palo brunch reservations are limited and are very popular. If you are unable to secure a reservation prior to arriving on board, there are limited reservations available for booking on embarkation day. If you are unable to secure a reservation, you can request to be placed on a wait-list.
Following the Ketogenic way of eating for almost 2 years, we often choose to dine at home to ensure our meals are compliant. We experienced impeccable service and keto compliant delicious food. Palo brunch has continued to exceed our expectations and we cannot wait until our next cruise to enjoy it again!!
