Do Silver Members have any chance at booking Palo Brunch?

[PeppercornElvis]

Hi everyone!

We are booked on the Disney Wish in September (So excited!!!!!) and we'd really like to do Palo Brunch. Is it worth staying up until midnight for our booking window, or will the gold and platinum members have already claimed all the Palo Brunch spots by that time?

Scott

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Generally I'd say yes. But the early Wish sailings are going to be filthy with Platinum/Gold.

I think your best chance is the midnight window, but you might have to rush the app at boarding to actually get it.

 

[PeppercornElvis]

Thanks for your reply! I didn't know you could try to get a reservation once onboard. I think we will stay up until midnight, and if that fails, rush the app onboard. Thanks again!

 

[insureman]

Generally I'd say yes. But the early Wish sailings are going to be filthy with Platinum/Gold.

I think your best chance is the midnight window, but you might have to rush the app at boarding to actually get it.

What does "rush the app" mean?

 

[PeppercornElvis]

I took "rush the app" to mean, once you are onboard, check the Disney Cruise app ASAP and see if there are any slots open. Is that correct, @_auroraborealis_ ?

 

[Calantha]

What does "rush the app" mean?

Maybe be logged on right at 12:30 when dining services opens even if you're still in the terminal?

 

[anjuan]

I'm gold and booked on b2b Wish sailings in August and all brunches were completely booked before it was open to gold. This hasn't been the case with other cruises where I've been gold so I think your chances are slim in September- but I could be wrong.

 

[MomOTwins]

I'm gold and booked on b2b Wish sailings in August and all brunches were completely booked before it was open to gold. This hasn't been the case with other cruises where I've been gold so I think your chances are slim in September- but I could be wrong.

I think you are likely right. I remember when the Wish became available to book, August/September sailings seemed to sell faster than the more expensive summer sailings (with the exception of the maiden). Lots of platinums that got to platinum by bargain hunting I guess, makes sense.

 

[caheffe]

Another suggestion, which worked for us in October when we were looking for a cabana…as soon as the app allows you to login to the ship (which was while we were walking up to board), contact customer service. You may be put into a queue, just hold tight. You can go to the desk, but it’s always busy when we get on and I’d rather move about the ship while I’m waiting for my turn.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I took "rush the app" to mean, once you are onboard, check the Disney Cruise app ASAP and see if there are any slots open. Is that correct, @_auroraborealis_ ?

yep!

 

[cwis]

While everyone seems to be obsessed with “midnight reservations” I would also strongly recommend the “come check often” strategy. People cancel and change their mind all the time, especially as embarkation date approaches.

So far using this trick, we've booked everything we wanted, multiple Palo reservations, tastings (chocolate & liquor is hard to get for Silver), change dining seating…
Of course YMMV.

 

[iannovich]

Our Platinum booking window for a 4 night Wish in September opened Saturday night, but we were in the Pacific on the Wonder heading for Vancouver so we didn't bother trying wrestle the onboard internet demons by trying to hit the site right at midnight. By the time we did log in on Tuesday there were no Palo Brunch reservations available for Nassau or the Sea Day. Your best bet will probably be trying the combo of "come check often" and "rush the app" but we've also figured we could just end up with some extra time to explore the ship instead.

 

[otten]

Depends on the sailing. Our first cruise we booked an IGT 2 months before sailing so everyone had already had a chance to book activities but we were able to get Palo brunch no problem. Second cruise was a Panama Canal with 7 possible days for brunch and we weren’t able to get one on silver day. I did get one by checking back regularly. Our window just opened for our Norway cruise today and no brunches to be had. A lot depends on how gold and platinum heavy your cruise is. If it’s a standard itinerary on a not brand new ship and not a peak season your chances are much better.

 

[Jetku]

For August 15th, completely booked for every day (unless seemingly you have a party of 6). No Olaf either (though we weren’t looking for it)

 

[iloveeeyore]

While everyone seems to be obsessed with “midnight reservations” I would also strongly recommend the “come check often” strategy. People cancel and change their mind all the time, especially as embarkation date approaches.

So far using this trick, we've booked everything we wanted, multiple Palo reservations, tastings (chocolate & liquor is hard to get for Silver), change dining seating…
Of course YMMV.

This!

 

[vetrik]

While everyone seems to be obsessed with “midnight reservations” I would also strongly recommend the “come check often” strategy. People cancel and change their mind all the time, especially as embarkation date approaches.

So far using this trick, we've booked everything we wanted, multiple Palo reservations, tastings (chocolate & liquor is hard to get for Silver), change dining seating…
Of course YMMV.

This worked for us on our first cruise - Palo brunch was not available on booking day, but we were able to grab a cancellation before we got on board.

We're on an August Wish 4 night cruise, and not expecting to be able to book anything as Silver at midnight (our booking day is 5/24). We're sailing with friends on the same cruise who are Gold so we know many things are already gone and they weren't even able to reserve (like Palo brunch).

 

[iannovich]

"Come Check Often™" just got us the Palo Brunch on the Wish for our September sailing. We're still within the Platinum booking window, so the competition isn't as stiff, but it also worked well after the Silver Window (sounds like the title of a Nancy Drew book) opened. It also worked to get us a Palo brunch on the WBPC.

And for pretty much every sailing we've been on since the restart we have found slots open for both Brunch and sold out Tastings for at least the first few hours on board. The only exception are the Stem to Stern Wine Tasting classes... I suspect there is a glitch with those particular classes. Once onboard, the STSWT classes don't even show up as a 'sold out' option. I had been booked on one (also snagged using Come Check Often) for the WBPC and once onboard it didn't even appear in My Plans any longer. I had to go to Guest Services to confirm that I was still booked.

 

[cwis]

"Come Check Often™" just got us the Palo Brunch on the Wish for our September sailing. We're still within the Platinum booking window, so the competition isn't as stiff, but it also worked well after the Silver Window (sounds like the title of a Nancy Drew book) opened. It also worked to get us a Palo brunch on the WBPC.

And for pretty much every sailing we've been on since the restart we have found slots open for both Brunch and sold out Tastings for at least the first few hours on board. The only exception are the Stem to Stern Wine Tasting classes... I suspect there is a glitch with those particular classes. Once onboard, the STSWT classes don't even show up as a 'sold out' option. I had been booked on one (also snagged using Come Check Often) for the WBPC and once onboard it didn't even appear in My Plans any longer. I had to go to Guest Services to confirm that I was still booked.

Once onboard Concierge always has a lead.
Come Check Often™ has offered me the gift to book Stem to Stern as Silver.

 

[Intr3pid]

For three or four nighters, it's trickier, but for longer cruises, the easier way to get the brunch is to do so on board. Not through the app, but by simply calling the Palo manager and putting your name on the waiting list. There are far more cancellations on board, and they don't quite go back into the app inventory.

 

[swooshbear]

Thanks for your reply! I didn't know you could try to get a reservation once onboard. I think we will stay up until midnight, and if that fails, rush the app onboard. Thanks again!

Not sure if things have changed since 2019, but the first thing we do when get onboard is find the Dining Desk (on the Wonder it was usually on Deck 3 in the midship lounge) and we have never had an issue grabbing a brunch slot. Also noting that there is usually a bunch of people waiting so be prepared to wait about 15 - 30 minutes.