which of the three main restaurants to nix, if planning to dine in both Remy & Palo?

We are a couple (early 60's) new to Disney Cruising but seasoned RCCL & Celebrity cruisers. Usually enjoy the specialty restaurants. We will be on a 4 night Bahama cruise on Dream in January 2018. Should we go to both Remy and Palo? If yes... Which main dining restaurant would you give up to do both? Also what about pirate night menu... ok to skip that experience? would probably chose Palo that night and finish in time for the fireworks.

We are a couple (early 60's) new to Disney Cruising but seasoned RCCL & Celebrity cruisers. Usually enjoy the specialty restaurants. We will be on a 4 night Bahama cruise on Dream in January 2018. Should we go to both Remy and Palo? If yes... Which main dining restaurant would you give up to do both? Also what about pirate night menu... ok to skip that experience? would probably chose Palo that night and finish in time for the fireworks.

I think it depends on what you prefer. If you like a more refined, kid-free experience, definitely go for both Remy and Palo. In terms of which of the main eateries to skip, that also depends. The Enchanted Garden is a neat concept that makes you feel like you're eating in a garden while special effects slowly take you from "sunrise" to "sunset." Animator's Palate is the most high-tech and interactive, but it's also the most loud, colorful and kid-friendly. (If you're eating at the later dining time, these things might be less of an issue.) Royal Palace has a royal theme and a French-inspired menu. In comparison to the other two, it's a little boring, but it's also a bit more "adult." Here's some additional info:

Remy: https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2293

Palo: https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2289

Royal Palace: https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2291

Enchanted Garden: https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2390

Animator's Palate: https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2292

It really depends on what you want. Palo is a nice restaurant, on the level of a place that we might choose for a special celebration at home. It is good, not always great. Remy, on the other hand, is like nothing available in my home city. It compares to Victoria and Albert at WDW in terms of menu, style, etc. Dining there is more of an experience than a meal, and it may take you about 3 hours.

Another option is to do a Palo brunch. This will allow you to experience Palo in a slightly more casual atmosphere and still experience each of the MDRs.

remy is worth your time....palo not so much...if you must do palo, eat brunch there...

Definitely skip pirate night in favor of a specialty restaurant. It's a different menu, but it's in one of the restaurants that you'll have already gone to on a regular night.

I think it is such a personal decision. I recommend you take a look at the standard rotational menus for the 3 restaurants and then look at the Pirate night menu (my least favorite). I'd base it on what menu you would most like to skip rather than the decor of the restaurant.

As for Remy or Palo - again it's so personal of a decision. We are foodies and have done the 4 night on the Dream and ate in Palo twice and Remy twice and skipped main dining all together (but we cruise on DCL a lot, so had been in the main dining already several times). Palo dinner is upscale Italian but it's food you can pretty easily find on land. Palo brunch is really good and a lot of fun. I would pick brunch over dinner at Palo. Remy is on another level. Amazing food and service. It's a dining experience, not just a meal. It's expensive, but for us, totally worth it. If you are going to pick between dinner and brunch, I'd go with dinner. Brunch is also really great and you can do champagne pairing with the meal which is divine.

On a four-night cruise, one of the nights will be a repeat night, so you can skip that restaurant and head to either Remy or Palo. You can call the Disney Cruise customer service line and they can tell you what your restaurant rotation will be and what night pirate night will be on. We usually have them set us up for two nights in our least favorite restaurant and then book one of those at Remy or Palo.

That still leaves you a choice of which other restaurant to leave out. Honestly, we have always loved the food in the main three restaurants as well. But we hit Palo's again this past July --- WOW it was still fantastic!

You will just have to book another cruise to get all the great dining in.

I'd skip Animator's Palate. We were assigned there twice on a 4 night cruise, the second being pirate night, which was the more enjoyable of the two. Even at 2nd seating during non school break time it was very loud to the point of distracting. I'm going on the Fantasy next April for 7 nites and truly hope not to be assigned to this restaurant 3 times.

Skip Animator's Palete. The entire theme doesn't come together. Food is actually not appealing in that restaurant at all. Palo is a much better deal than Remi. We like dinner better than brunch at Palo and Remi-- brunch is too casual, no ambiance. I would only do Remi if you are a serious foodie. Menu at Enchanted Garden is the best of the three rotational restaurants, but theming is meh. Royal Court/Palace or whatever it is called is a close second for food, theming wins.

if you're comparing Palo to Remy on upcharge alone, you're right. Palo is $30 as compared to Remy's $85 for dinner. But that's where the comparison ends. Palo is a high end Italian themed restaurant. Remy is a dining experience equivalent to Victoria & Alberts and would easily be a 5-star restaurant if it were on land.

We regularly do 4 night Dream cruises (usually coupled with a WDW stay before). Remy is not to be missed - a dining extravaganza! We would rather eat at Remy than Victoria and Alberts (been at Q&A Queen's Room twice but not yet at the Chef's Table). We have eaten both regular Remy menus, and now usually just ask the chef to "surprise us!"

We also save the sea day for the Remy Champaign lunch; DW would even give up a spa visit for that! We often also trade Animator's Pallet for Palo. Have to admit we have not yet tried a Palo brunch. Our second least favorite is the Royal Palace.

if you're comparing Palo to Remy on upcharge alone, you're right. Palo is $30 as compared to Remy's $85 for dinner. But that's where the comparison ends. Palo is a high end Italian themed restaurant. Remy is a dining experience equivalent to Victoria & Alberts and would easily be a 5-star restaurant if it were on land.

Yes, but we also were a bit disappointed for the upcharge at Remi. It was excellent, but not excellent enough for the upcharge (for us). Whereas we felt Palo was completely worth the upcharge. But for someone who is a complete foodie, the upcharge might be worth it.

I think it depends on what you prefer. If you like a more refined, kid-free experience, definitely go for both Remy and Palo. In terms of which of the main eateries to skip, that also depends. The Enchanted Garden is a neat concept that makes you feel like you're eating in a garden while special effects slowly take you from "sunrise" to "sunset." Animator's Palate is the most high-tech and interactive, but it's also the most loud, colorful and kid-friendly. (If you're eating at the later dining time, these things might be less of an issue.) Royal Palace has a royal theme and a French-inspired menu. In comparison to the other two, it's a little boring, but it's also a bit more "adult." Here's some additional info:

While I haven't been to Enchanted or Royal, due to their not being on the Wonder, I'd definitely say that Animator's Palate, while good, is the most general-menu and kid-friendly of the themed sit-downs.

Sort of like the difference between Be Our Guest and Chef Mickey's, at the parks, where Guest is about the food and atmosphere, and Mickey's is more general and about the characters and show.

Me, I'm of the opinion that Remy's AND Palo's is overdoing it for the sake of "Doing everything our first time!", as the two formal specialty-upcharge restaurants are similar enough in atmosphere and both offer their own cuisine's version of the same four-star foodie experience. Just that one is a little more formal-casual than the other.

If it strikes you to drop Remy's and save it for the next time, you still won't miss out with the rotationals.