I'm going on the cruise with my wife and our 2 daughters (ages 4 and 1). My sister is tagging along but I really can't count on her to do any childminding.

As we are really going as a FAMILY vacation, shoudl we worry about not getting into Palo's? Just not sure if I want to bother with the expense of a babysitter on board in order to go to a fancy restaurant....

For my money, I'd say yes, Palo's is a must-do.

I don't have children, so I don't know how late the Oceaneer's Club keeps kids, but perhaps an early dinner at Palo's while the kids are still with their activities for the day?

I know you said you can't really count on your sister for any child-minding, but what about if you offered to pay her? Perhaps less than if you got a CM to do it? Maybe $5/hour? You didn't say how old she is, so I don't know if that'd be an incentive or not. Maybe $10/hour?

Again, with no kids I don't know what DCL charges for baby-sitting, but I'd suggest you not miss Palo's.

I think there's just something special about Palo's. It helps remind you of why the two of you are together in the first place. Romance, great food, great wine, a leisurely pace for dinner, adult conversation...

My 2 cents...

While Mrs. GusMan and I wanted to go to Palo, we decided that it would be better to stick with out family and use the time to talk about our trip and the like.

Your 4yo can go into the OC, and the little one can go to Flounder's Reef, if your sister is not available to watch the kids, but it will cost you.

If you can make the arrangements, I say go for it. If you think it will disrupt the "flow" of the trip, then maybe reconsider.

Palo's is nice. If you can make it work out, then go for it. You might want to consider brunch there, which might give you more babysitting options (timewise).

My DH and I thought it was nice, but not the be-all, end-all of dining experiences.

I thought it was nice, but we missed having our regular server, whom always made our dining experience very special.

To us, Palo is comparable to dining at a snooty upscale restaurant - not really romantic, but a bit "stuffy". The food was excellent though.

We'll probably skip Palo during our honeymoon, but will more than likely do the brunch when we're on the 14-night repo next year.

Palos for brunch is lovely as well and maybe a great alternative. The afternoon tea was okay, but I would at least do brunch.