There are dining experiences that have the power to become traditions you eagerly anticipate on your travels and that excite you when you return to your favorite destinations. For me, Palo, on Disney cruise ships, is one of them.
In this article I will share some details about my experience at this restaurant on the Disney Adventure, the newest and largest ship in Disney’s cruise fleet. I will focus on the particular elements that make this Palo different, and perhaps better, than on other Disney ships I have experienced.
Palo is a specialty restaurant that serves Northern Italian cuisine, focusing especially on meats. It is an adults-only venue and is not included in the cost of your cruise. The restaurant currently offers both brunch and dinner service, with menus available either à la carte or as a prix fixe option, the latter costing $55 per person. You must reserve it in advance through the official Disney app once your cruise reservation window opens.
Décor and atmosphere inspired by Luca
The first thing that makes Palo on the Disney Adventure different is that it presents itself as a “trattoria.” In Italy, this is a type of restaurant generally less formal than a “ristorante” but more formal than an “osteria.” Despite the name, Palo Trattoria is one of the most elegant and sophisticated venues on the ship.
Its décor perfectly combines the atmosphere of a modern restaurant with a few magical Disney touches. Unlike other ships, where Palo’s theme is purely Italian, with references to gondolas and Venetian landscapes that inspired its name, Palo on the Adventure pays tribute to the story and characters from the Disney-Pixar film Luca.
We see this in several sculptures and in the patterns of the carpets, where Luca and Alberto appear represented in an elegant yet explicit way. Less obvious are the decorative details throughout the space that reference the sea creatures and celestial elements that spark Luca’s love of learning and discovery in the film, including an enormous moon that crowns the top of one of the ovens, giving the space a romantic touch that harmonizes perfectly with the ocean views through the large windows.
While this may not be an epiphany about the wonders of the universe like the one Luca experiences in the film, the setting does invite us to discover and marvel at the subtleties of one of the richest culinary cultures in the world – the Italian one – and its power to create lasting memories through the delight of the senses.
The menu: some familiar favorites with new additions
As mentioned, the dinner menu – my experience during this visit – offers, as on other Palo restaurants, the option of a “Prezzo Fisso,” or fixed-price menu, at a cost of $55 per person, or an à la carte menu. Some options will be familiar to regular Palo guests from other ships, but the Adventure also introduces several distinctive items.
Among these new additions are the Beef Carpaccio ($14), a classic dish from Northern Italian cuisine, and the Yellowfin Crudo ($14). The latter was my choice for an antipasto. It consisted of a beautiful cut of tuna accompanied by toasted pine nuts, Amalfi lemon, Calabrian chili, capers, a mirepoix of vegetables, and olive oil. As one might expect on a cruise in Asia, the fish was of excellent freshness and quality, and the acidity of the lemon perfectly balanced the flavors of the fish without overpowering them.
Indeed, in this Palo experience at least, the acidity of lemons and red fruits played a fundamental role in elevating the dishes, becoming a kind of leitmotif that I did not expect but was pleasantly surprised by.
This was also the case with the outstanding Osso Buco ($32), a classic Palo favorite that I have had on other ships. In this version, it was again a veal shank served with risotto milanese and gremolata. While it maintained the quality and flavors of other Palo locations, I felt that the risotto in this instance had a more pronounced presence of lemon acidity, which once again highlighted and accentuated the flavors of the meat without overwhelming them.
The meat, as expected, was perfectly cooked, extremely tender, and featured that wonderful marrow which, when mixed with the risotto, creates one of the most magical experiences you can have if you are a lover of Italian cuisine like I am.
It is worth noting that Palo Trattoria, like the “Steakhouse” versions found on other ships, also offers premium cuts of meat. Although it was not my choice this time, my dinner companion ordered the 230-gram Striploin F1 Wagyu Beef ($55) sourced from Australia, and it was truly exceptional.
To finish, we ordered the Limoncello Soufflé ($15) for dessert, which our server explained is also a new addition on this ship. It is the famous Palo soufflé, but in this case flavored with limoncello and accompanied by vanilla anglaise sauce and raspberry coulis. Once again, the acidity of the limoncello and raspberry gave this classic dish a very distinctive touch and made it far more refreshing than the traditional chocolate version, which is also available on the menu.
The exceptional service that makes Palo so special
Without a doubt, Palo Trattoria continues the tradition of service that makes this restaurant so special. Unlike some other luxury restaurants, Palo offers the perfect balance between an elevated experience and one that never feels stiff or overly produced. The servers and the entire team have the ability to make you feel welcome while still delivering a high-quality dining experience.
Our server knew the menu perfectly, and upon learning that we had already experienced other Palo restaurants, he presented the distinguishing options of this new concept in a clear and well-informed way. He also knew the origin of the ingredients in detail and maintained a pace of service that felt perfectly timed throughout the meal.
In the end, Palo Trattoria on the Disney Adventure offers a renewed experience, with Disney touches in its theme and new additions to the menu, while still preserving the line and essence that guests expect from this restaurant on other ships.
That balance between offering a luxury experience – one that you do not have every day – while at the same time making you feel that you deserve it and that you belong there to enjoy it, is something not every restaurant at this level manages to achieve. For that reason, I still believe that Palo remains one of my favorite restaurants in the world.
If you would like to experience Palo on your next Disney cruise, contact your Dreams Unlimited Travel agent to begin your planning process, at no additional cost to you.
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