Westerdam disapointing

[Krazy Kruizers]

Am I reading this correctly??

 

The poster had the choice of breakfast and dinner at 2 different restaurants.

One restaurant he liked; the other he did not like.

So he continued to go to the one he didn't like???

And now he is complaining about it??

 

What you are missing Bruce is that the poster had breakfast at the Pinnacle as a PERK for being in the Penthouse - their other choice would have been the MDR. Yes, they had a choice - the Pinnacle Grill (a perk) or the MDR for breakfast.

 

Why in the heck if you have the Pinnacle for breakfast would you go to the MDR - this is a perk you have paid for - It's supposed to be a perk and nicer - however, if I had issues - I would have addressed them toute de suite. amazing how quickly an experience can change - they MUST have new staff from when we were on.

 

In 2009 we were in PH 7045 on a 21 day cruise.

We had issues with the Pinnacle manager concerning never being able to sit by the window either for breakfast or dinner. He insisted that we had to sit a table with the pedastole which was not good for me as it killed my knees. For breakfast he insisted that the tables were for 4 people only and we explained that we would be happy if another couple would join us. NOPE -- so we ended up eating breakfast in the dining room.

Now for the clincher -- there was another couple staying in an SC -- they always arrived at the same time we did and they were always seated by the window.

Same thing in the evenings for dinner. They always got a table by the windows and we were seated at that awful table.

After 2 dinners we cancelled all our other dinners there.

And yes -- this was all reported while we were on the ship.

He even glared at us one day in the dining room at breakfast.

[bobontheblue]

Thank you everyone for trying to understand what we experienced, for those who did not well I will try to do better by you some other time. My reason for asking in the first place was to see if this was a one time rare event or a pattern which should be addressed by upper staff at HAL.

Let me assure one and all I held my tongue very well, and treated all staff with much deserved respect as ALL are worthy of. Working with the public is not easy as many threads on all these forums can well prove. However when the manager of the PG told me over the phone that"your opinion did not matter and what I could do with it." I did NOT return to the PG. I myself had only raised my concerns with the concierge in the Neptune, and it was her that told the manager of PG to call our suite.

So as a result of my question and the varied responses, one could conclude that at best Hal needs to work a little on what could be a great venue on the Westerdam.

[kazu]

Thank you everyone for trying to understand what we experienced, for those who did not well I will try to do better by you some other time. My reason for asking in the first place was to see if this was a one time rare event or a pattern which should be addressed by upper staff at HAL.

Let me assure one and all I held my tongue very well, and treated all staff with much deserved respect as ALL are worthy of. Working with the public is not easy as many threads on all these forums can well prove. However when the manager of the PG told me over the phone that"your opinion did not matter and what I could do with it." I did NOT return to the PG. I myself had only raised my concerns with the concierge in the Neptune, and it was her that told the manager of PG to call our suite.

So as a result of my question and the varied responses, one could conclude that at best Hal needs to work a little on what could be a great venue on the Westerdam.

 

If I was spoken to in that way, I would not be happy camper. I hope you made note on your survey. In any case, now that you are off the ship, I would send Seattle a note regarding this comment. To me, it is unacceptable. The manager should be looking to improve his service and listen to constructive criticism. JMO;)

[NanaBnana]

We were on the same cruise as the OP and, in fact, observed him complaining to both his tablemates and the waitstaff about his experience in the PG. At one breakfast in particular, he had issues with the cream that was served, the flavor of his poached eggs (he said they were "vinegary") and, when the waiter came over to rectify the situation, the OP waved him off and continued to complain. Later, he complained to Hazel, the concierge in the Neptune Lounge, instead of discussing his issue with the PG manager, Antonio. We ate many meals in the PG on this cruise, and all of it was properly prepared and served.

 

Staying in the PS category does not give you a license to act as if you are the "lord of the manner" and to treat others with an air of superiority. We believe you would have enjoyed your experience in the PG more if you dropped the pretense and treated the waitstaff with respect.

[IRL_Joanie]

We were on the same cruise as the OP and, in fact, observed him complaining to both his tablemates and the waitstaff about his experience in the PG. At one breakfast in particular, he had issues with the cream that was served, the flavor of his poached eggs (he said they were "vinegary") and, when the waiter came over to rectify the situation, the OP waved him off and continued to complain. Later, he complained to Hazel, the concierge in the Neptune Lounge, instead of discussing his issue with the PG manager, Antonio. We ate many meals in the PG on this cruise, and all of it was properly prepared and served.

 

Staying in the PS category does not give you a license to act as if you are the "lord of the manner" and to treat others with an air of superiority. We believe you would have enjoyed your experience in the PG more if you dropped the pretense and treated the waitstaff with respect.

 

Well stated maam!! And much appreciated:)

I Want a Like Button!!!

Joanie

[djhsolara]

I'm very tired of these post titles that imply that someone had an awful cruise on a certain ship but really they had an issue with something else not specifically the cruise on that ship. This is twice in the past two days.

 

 

Douglas...Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Northshorecruisers]

We have enjoyed many breakfasts, lunches, and dinners in the PG. All have been superb and the staff excellent.

 

When we eat in the diningroom we do As You Wish dining so don't get to know the wait staff. But when we're in a deluxe suite and have breakfast there most mornings, we really enjoy the conversations and getting to know the staff there.

[bobontheblue]

We were on the same cruise as the OP and, in fact, observed him complaining to both his tablemates and the waitstaff about his experience in the PG. At one breakfast in particular, he had issues with the cream that was served, the flavor of his poached eggs (he said they were "vinegary") and, when the waiter came over to rectify the situation, the OP waved him off and continued to complain. Later, he complained to Hazel, the concierge in the Neptune Lounge, instead of discussing his issue with the PG manager, Antonio. We ate many meals in the PG on this cruise, and all of it was properly prepared and served.

 

Staying in the PS category does not give you a license to act as if you are the "lord of the manner" and to treat others with an air of superiority. We believe you would have enjoyed your experience in the PG more if you dropped the pretense and treated the waitstaff with respect.

 

Thank you for your first hand account WOW. I believe it was Claire whom I spoke with in private as there was not one soul in the lounge at the time. And if memory serves me correctly poached eggs were never in question. Again thank you for seeing things so clearly.:confused:

[lovetocruise2020]

Not fans of PG. If I pay a corkage fee for champane, then by all means please pour it. We have never had a good experience in PG and dined there alot. Rude and arrogant servers, closing early during breakfast then denying suite pax access, long waits, empty glasses, cold food, and a black hair in my shrimp cocktail keeps us out of there for dinner and made us switch to MDR for breakfast.

The MDR on our last cruise was FLAWLESS. So impressed.

[stan1]

We sail HAL frequently ( 4 star group)and found that the Pinnacle is extremely variable, with beautiful tableware, glassware, etc. and marvelous menu. Food varies greatly, and service is generally not very good, although the wait staff gives the impression that they think they are great. Pinnacle is better than the Princess Sterling Steak restaurant, inferior to the excellent Celebrity extra fee (name?)restaurant which has much better service and food. It appears that there is really no tight supervision of the HAL Pinnacle waitstaff, with the mistaken idea that ceremony is more important than knowing about the offerings, and getting them to the table at the right time and temperature.

[kjw869]

Thank you everyone for trying to understand what we experienced, for those who did not well I will try to do better by you some other time. My reason for asking in the first place was to see if this was a one time rare event or a pattern which should be addressed by upper staff at HAL.

Let me assure one and all I held my tongue very well, and treated all staff with much deserved respect as ALL are worthy of. Working with the public is not easy as many threads on all these forums can well prove. However when the manager of the PG told me over the phone that"your opinion did not matter and what I could do with it." I did NOT return to the PG. I myself had only raised my concerns with the concierge in the Neptune, and it was her that told the manager of PG to call our suite.

So as a result of my question and the varied responses, one could conclude that at best Hal needs to work a little on what could be a great venue on the Westerdam.

 

We have eaten breakfast at the Pinnacle 35-40 times and half as many for dinner and never had a problem with the food or staff. In fact, in many cases we find the staff there more friendly than our wait staff in the MDR.

 

There has been only once instance where we had a very long wait for everything at breakfast. That was this past January on the Nieuw Amsterdam on our first morning. The manager explained that the slow service was due to the fact that many of his staff was on Half Moon Cay. After that, the service was great.

 

On a couple of mornings when there were few people in the Pinnacle, I asked for a window seat for my wife and I and my request was granted. We've been on the Westerdam three times and the service and food in the Pinnacle was wonderful.

 

Now, we have had some bad service in the MDR on occasions. But, I wouldn't say the ship or our cruise was disappointing because of those events.

[startwin]

We were on the same cruise as the OP and, in fact, observed him complaining to both his tablemates and the waitstaff about his experience in the PG. At one breakfast in particular, he had issues with the cream that was served, the flavor of his poached eggs (he said they were "vinegary") and, when the waiter came over to rectify the situation, the OP waved him off and continued to complain. Later, he complained to Hazel, the concierge in the Neptune Lounge, instead of discussing his issue with the PG manager, Antonio. We ate many meals in the PG on this cruise, and all of it was properly prepared and served.

 

Staying in the PS category does not give you a license to act as if you are the "lord of the manner" and to treat others with an air of superiority. We believe you would have enjoyed your experience in the PG more if you dropped the pretense and treated the waitstaff with respect.

 

Just curious - how did you know that this was the OP that you were observing? Are you personally known to each other?

[bobontheblue]

Personal jabs and assumptions on my character aside, a room # does not give any person the right to behave poorly. Nor should one expect to be treated poorly in return. That being said, the cruise was wonderful the service beside a few unfortunate moments was excellent. The room magnificent, if you can swing it , it was decadent and so very private. The Neptune great, front desk , room stewards, photogs, entertainment, and MDR staff all great.

But so are many other lines as well. Thank goodness for the industry, it will allow them all to keep in business. Keep improving to keep our business as well.

As for myself HAL may not be the right fit.

[geoherb]

We enjoyed the Pinnacle Grill for one dinner and two lunches on the Westerdam in December. Our dinner was the evening they serve Le Cirque's menu, so it may have not been representative of the service. One of the lunches was after the cooking class, so once again, not necessarily representative of the service at other lunches. But the one regular lunch we had there was very good, with the level of service I expected.

[moniquet]

We had issues with the Pinnacle manager concerning never being able to sit by the window either for breakfast or dinner. He insisted that we had to sit a table with the pedastole which was not good for me as it killed my knees. For breakfast he insisted that the tables were for 4 people only and we explained that we would be happy if another couple would join us. NOPE -- so we ended up eating breakfast in the dining room.

 

Now for the clincher -- there was another couple staying in an SC -- they always arrived at the same time we did and they were always seated by the window.

 

Same thing in the evenings for dinner. They always got a table by the windows and we were seated at that awful table.

 

After 2 dinners we cancelled all our other dinners there.

 

And yes -- this was all reported while we were on the ship.

 

He even glared at us one day in the dining room at breakfast.

 

The same happened to us on the Westerdam sailing 11/25/2012. One day we entered Pinnacle for breakfast and there were at least 3 window tables available. We asked for one and the waiter said sorry but they had some larger groups coming in. How he would know this I'm not sure as there are no reservations at breakfast. We had been sitting for about 5 mins when a couple came in and the same waiter showed them to the window seat we had requested:mad: We complained to the Manager on leaving and he said he would have a word with the waiter. The next morning the Waiter apologised but it left a nasty taste.

[jayisgerman]

We loved the Pinnacle breakfasts, because it seemed a lot more serene than the Lido or MDR. However, we never were seated by the window (2 pax) - even if the entire PG was empty and they were all standing around yawning.

The service was polite but never became personable, like with our waiters in the MDR at night. There was however a couple people that really stood out - not in a good way. :-) There was a very big waiter with a bald shaved head - he actually scared me to be honest. He would never smile, always had this kind of "piercing" look and in his white coat and black pants looked very intimidating. I started to refer to him as the "Ivan the Warden". He had a partner, who was also Russian, who pretty much mimicked him exactly - except for the shaved head. I kept thinking they may have had a career change when the KGB went away.

Other than that, the food was very nice and again, we enjoyed the tranquility of the almost empty restaurant. However, for dinner - we really loved our servers in the MDR and even cancelled our PG reservation for dinner 1 night - because we loved the MDR food and service.

[nana51]

I have only dined in the pinnacle once so I don't have a strong opinion, but my one visit wasn't impressive. I found them terribly snobbish and cold. We were all dressed beautifully and behaved beautifully. They made us feel we didn't belong and the service we did get was quite poor. So I haven't wanted to go back.

[sail7seas]

[quote name='moniquet']The same happened to us on the Westerdam sailing 11/25/2012. One day we entered Pinnacle for breakfast and there were at least 3 window tables available. We asked for one and the waiter said sorry but they had some larger groups coming in. How he would know this I'm not sure as there are no reservations at breakfast. We had been sitting for about 5 mins when a couple came in and the same waiter showed them to the window seat we had requested:mad: We complained to the Manager on leaving and he said he would have a word with the waiter. The next morning the Waiter apologised but it left a nasty taste.[/quote]


[B] We were on that same Westerdam cruise and the one before it. We also were never seated at a window table but, truthfully, we never asked. What we did 'require' was to not be seated in the side room on the left when we entered and wanted to sit in the 'window area'. They accomodated us every morning but a few times we had to remind them we didn't care to sit in the side area. It's funny as some folks prefer that area.

We enjoyed our breakfasts in Westerdam's Pinnacle the same as all the ships. I still like Room Service a few times each cruise but DH prefers Pinnacle.

[/B]

[CowPrincess]

[quote name='nana51']I have only dined in the pinnacle once so I don't have a strong opinion, but my one visit wasn't impressive. I found them terribly snobbish and cold. We were all dressed beautifully and behaved beautifully. They made us feel we didn't belong and the service we did get was quite poor. So I haven't wanted to go back.[/quote]

We've had dinner in the Pinnacle 8ish times. Our experience was very similar to yours on several occasions. We'll go there for lunch now, but don't care for dinners there. The menu doesn't thrill us, the food doesn't thrill us, and we fear that our servers will be having a "bad night". One server actually lied to us one night, and that left a very bad taste (pun intended :D )

[kazu]

We were only on the ship for 7 days - so perhaps our experience isn't the same? when we entered they asked where we wanted to sit - we said a window and after that other than a couple of mornings (the tables were all full) we sat at the window at a four top that was converted to a 2 if I recall correctly.

Maybe it depends upon how you approach people - I don't know - but I found the staff friendly and willing to please. But that was November not when the op cruised.

A smile or some pleasantries can go a long way - we have had good luck there (any PG) but frankly if I was told what the op was - I doubt I would see the full benefit of booking in a suite. JMO:D

[gelo7]

Pinnacle would keep you from sailing HAL?

[sail7seas]

[quote name='kazu']We were only on the ship for 7 days - so perhaps our experience isn't the same? when we entered they asked where we wanted to sit - we said a window and after that other than a couple of mornings (the tables were all full) we sat at the window at a four top that was converted to a 2 if I recall correctly.

Maybe it depends upon how you approach people - I don't know - but I found the staff friendly and willing to please. But that was November not when the op cruised.

A smile or some pleasantries can go a long way - we have had good luck there (any PG) but frankly if I was told what the op was - I doubt I would see the full benefit of booking in a suite. JMO:D[/quote]


[B] When you (and we) were on Westerdam, the Manager was brand newly promoted. We knew him as a former Pinnacle steward from another ship and were delighted for him when we saw him our first morning aboard and we became aware of his promotion.

He's doing a wonderful job and always treated us exactly as we would hope. NO complaints whatsoever. It's always fun to see crew we know from one ship on another ship when we run into them again..... same as everyone here enjoys. :)

[/B]