Speciality restaurants we pay additional for, is this a new 'trend'?

[nbsjcruiser]

Are lots of people paying extra to eat at the specialty restaurants on board now? What's wrong with all the options on the ship? Yes, we do it, have reservations in the Pinnacle Grill and was going to make them for Canelotto when another popped up, Rudi's or whatever. Then it dawned on me, geez, pay all this money for our cruise and now additional money for these restaurants, why? My husband and I talked about it and we'd much rather stay in a suite rather than on food. Is the food that bad on board? I guess each to their own.

 

This is a bit of a sore point for me so I'll wade in :D

 

When we first started cruising 16 years and 24 cruises ago, I was so impressed with the food on Carnival (yes Carnival) and Royal Caribbean. Waiters weren't over worked. They had a decent number of tables to wait on with a few assistant waiters to help out. Waiters were there to supervise and direct the evening. During this time, the first specialty restaurants began to appear. At the time it made no sense to me. The food and service was so good in the MDR. Over the years though, waiters began taking on more and more tables with less assistant waiters to help out. Food began to slip a bit. Getting a nice NY Strip in the MDR became a thing of the past. Little things began to pop up - don't wait for the waiter to pour your wine, no more sorbet to cleanse your palate etc.. Busy waiters with no time to talk. All these things add up and I really noticed it last year on Princess when one evening we were seated in the club section of the MDR - only for Suite guests and above. The service was just like it used to be. Waiters had time to make small talk and it made a difference in the evening.

 

The onset of specialty dining was in my mind at the time a foot in the door and I avoided them for many years, hoping that others would do the same and force cruise lines to swing away from them. Instead, like ants to a picnic, we've all used them more and more and the same penny pinching, corner cutting tricks are starting to appear there as well - yes I gave up a few years ago and tried them as well. Less waiters in there now and on some lines have begun to restrict what you can order unless you want to pay more, over and above what you've already paid.

 

Cruise lines have become expert at selling more and delivering less. Soon, I'll be going on my first HAL cruise and for the first time in a few years I am booking no specialty restaurants. I hear the food on HAL is quite good - I hope that is true. Guess I'll find out.

[navybankerteacher]

 

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Cruise lines have become expert at selling more and delivering less. Soon, I'll be going on my first HAL cruise and for the first time in a few years I am booking no specialty restaurants. I hear the food on HAL is quite good - I hope that is true. Guess I'll find out.

 

I think you've hit the nail on the head - but just wanted to express hope that you enjoy your upcoming HAL cruise. We last sailed HAL in February - and, while there was noticeable corner-cutting from a number of years ago, the service was still good and the MDR food varied and well prepared - and dinners were generally enjoyable. We look forward to our sailing with them later this month.

 

Comparatively, I would rate them on a par with Cunard and Celebrity, better than Princess, Carnival and Royal Caribbean, and vastly superior to NCL - which is clearly pushing the specialty restaurants by the number of them offered as well as the (in my opinion) extreme cost cutting in the included restaurants.

[nbsjcruiser]

I think you've hit the nail on the head - but just wanted to express hope that you enjoy your upcoming HAL cruise.

 

Thanks very much. We certainly are looking forward to it!

[Winters in NZ]

I'll probably be looked down upon for posting this, but, if we are going to pay $60 (plus expected tip) for dinner, I would prefer to do it on a night when I would otherwise be the one cooking dinner. We can easily afford to eat at the specialty restaurants every night (or even book a suite!). Instead, we occasionally book inside cabins (never had a balcony), and only eat at the PG when it is a TA gift. We still enjoy our travels immensely since luxury is not a priority for us. To each his/her own.

 

I agree with you, 100%.

[iancal]

It is all about choice.

 

What is wrong with having choice.?You choose where to dine. You choose to go with an inclusive venue or go to a pay venue. If you don't want to pay extra, then don't. No issue whatsoever.

 

How bad can that be? What's to complain about? Sure, cruising is not the same as it was 15 or 20 years ago. But the prices are fairly comparable. We don't hear anyone complaining that the prices are too low or that they want to pay more. Change is constant-especially in the mass market segment of this industry.

 

We look at the whole cruise package, compare it with any other travel options/rpoducts on offer, and then make a decision based on personal preferences. We vote with our feet and with our wallets. The only constant for us in this industry is that we are cruise line agnostic. They are so similar these days that the ship seems to be the larger of the two variables.

Edited September 12, 2017 by iancal