tuckmics

Are coat and tie needed for dining in the Pinnacle?

The Pinnacle follows the same dress code as the rest of the ship, so, for example, on formal nights, you follow the formal dress code. However, on non-formal nights you still can't wear jeans, shorts, tank tops, etc in the Pinnacle (and I believe not in the main dining room either).

We sailed on the Zuiderdam in August for a 7 day cruise to AK. We ate most of our meals either on the Lido or in our room. We did have one lunch and one dinner in the main dining room during the trip. Our main reason was that we didn't want to take a bunch of business or semi-formal wear with us, since most of the time we would be wearing jeans or shorts due to the more relaxed atmosphere of the AK cruises.

I think it really depends on what you are looking for. We had a very excursion-intensive trip (on shore days) and attended a lot of activities on board, so we really wanted not to be bound by dining times (even the open seating isn't as flexible as it would sound) or feel the need to rush back on board and change clothes just to have dinner, so the Lido was perfect for us, as was room service, which we used several times for breakfast and a few dinners, as well as for a small cocktail party we held in our room while in Glacier Bay.

I found the food in the Lido to be quite good, the atmosphere was not as "cafeteria-like" as many make it out to be...more like an upscale buffet restaurant. We enjoyed the variety and ability to eat as much or little as we wanted. We had excellent service in the Lido both from the food service folks as well as the dining room staff. We were usually spotted by the same guy (busboy? - not sure what his title is) and he would get us a table and bring us our drinks (remembering our choices every time) as soon as we walked in. The Lido dining room manager was very visible and walked around speaking with patrons on a regular basis. We just really liked the informal atmosphere and the ability to get in and out quickly, if need be, or sit for an hour and talk over a cup of coffee. In contrast, while the food and service was certainly very good in the dining room, I felt that the staff was a bit rushed and I could have been eating in any "family" priced restaurant in the country.

On my very first cruise, we ate exclusively in the dining room and so we made a conscience choice on this cruise to eat more casually. It is likely that on our next cruise we will again stick to the Lido and room service, with the occasional venture to the Pinnacle (which we enjoyed very much...definitely worth the $20 seating charge). Hope this is helpful information and you enjoy your cruise :)

I am new here (preparing for an 8 Aug sailing on the Zuiderdam to Alaska) and was confused by much of the terminology so contacted HAL to query them on their dining program. While many probably know this, from many of the posts there seem to be confusion about HAL's "As You Wish" dining program. According to HAL, "As You Wish" is the name of their entire dining program. This program is designed to give maximum flexibility to guests (as many have stated, this may or may not be the case). This flexibility includes eating in the main dining room (either traditional, fixed seating or flexible seating) as well as eating in the Pinnacle Grill, the Lido, the Terrace Grill or room service. There are some other non-meal options as well (snacks and such). What many are calling AYWD is actually the flexible seating in the main dining room, just a component of AYW. As I am sure there are many new to HAL (as I am), wanted to clarify this, as it was explained to me. If I have any of this wrong, I apologize.