Pinnacle Grill experience declining?

[Stratheden]

7 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

 We were on the Zuiderdam, which we have sailed on 5 times prior.  Definite service decline shipwise (but not BAD service, just well below prior experiences).

 

I know it sounds "picky" - old jeans and sandals - but it does reduce the atmosphere (most men had jackets on though).  Also, it would have been less of an issue to me if the woman had left her sandals (flip flops really) on during the meal........

Our experience of the PG on the Zuiderdam has been less than good.  Poorly cooked steak (very well done at one end, raw at the other) and the rudest waiter ever.   

[OlsSalt]

I wonder if there is a difference, due to food prep areas, on the different ship classes.  Anyone know?

 

Our better (but still inconsistent) Pinnacle experiences have been primarily on the R class ships - Rotterdam, Volendam, Zaandam and Amsterdam. The ones in the locations that get the least praise - the inside location with no "windows" - does this matter for evening meals?  

 

But for overall, table size, privacy, noise levels, traffic flow and greater senses of specialness, those are the ships where we like Pinnacle dining experience the best.

Edited October 27, 2018 by OlsSalt

[terrydtx]

Our Last HAL cruise on the N. Amsterdam the PG was terrible, great service but for $35 I could have a better Steak at any local steak house. However the last night we finally got into the Tamarind and it was probably the best Asian cuisine I have ever had outside of Beijing. We had wished that we could have eaten there more during the cruise. The Canaletto was no better than any Olive Garden. Actually our dinners in the MDR were on average better than the PG experience. Our last cruise was on NCL and their Specialty Restaurants were superior in both price and quality.  Next year on our Noordam Alaska cruise it will be the MDR every night for us, even though out TA gave us one PG dinner. I may give it away. 

[sevenseasnomad]

We've made it a custom to eat the last dinner onboard at the PG.  If the service or food were as inconsistent as a lot of posters have described, we'd probably abandon this custom.  Maybe we've been more fortunate, but we've had both good service and good food at the PG over the years.  We only tried lunch once.  I guess instead of heading to the MDR when we first board, we should head to the PG to book lunch.  Am I correct in thinking that PG lunch cannot be pre-booked?  It must be done once passenger boards?  

[SilvertoGold]

3 hours ago, St Pete Cruiser said:

We were able to dine at the Pinnacle on the Volendam earlier this month.  The Volendam's Pinnacle is located in a very quiet area of the ship on deck 4, mid ship.  Another couple joined us that evening and we had a table toward the far extension of the restaurant under a beautiful tray ceiling and colorful chandelier.  Our reservation was for 7:30 and we were seated immediately, although it was very busy, by the manager.  Our server started us with a small apertif after ordering a bottle of wine, an Australian Syrah that we shared in the larger wine glasses.  The starter plates and side plates add to the setting.  He took much time with our orders, making sure everyone ordered exactly as they wanted with some helpful suggestions from him.  The shrimp cocktail was much nicer than those served in the MDR.  I had the cedar planked haddock with scallops.  A nice thick serving, also better than the fish served in the MDR.  The others agreed that everything was extra nice.  By the time our dinners had been served, many tables had cleared giving us nearly a private area to ourselves.  The manager (matre d?) checked with us several times.  Desert was served with coffee, and the coffee was also better.  We very much enjoyed the Pinnacle and all agreed that is a one time only per cruise treat to be savored, especially if you have a 4 or 5 star discount!    

 

We were on your Volendam cruise and agree the Pinnacle was very good.  We were there for 3 dinners and 4 lunches.

Job ("Yob") , the manager, was a treat, what a sense of humour, not all stiff and serious like some.  YanYan and the other waiters were very engaged, very knowledgeable and tried hard to make sure you got exactly what you wanted.  Probably the best bunch of staff in the Pinnacle for a long time.

We met the chef, possibly new to HAL.  His kitchen turned out standard Pinnacle food with the exceptions of undercooked salmon, lukewarm crabcakes and underspiced soup.  Any small problems were taken care of instantly.

 

All this is to say that the Pinnacle depends on the ship.  Sometimes 5 star, sometimes not.  On the Volendam the new position of Restaurant Operations Manager was very ably filled by a lady who was totally first rate, very serious about her position and everywhere at once keeping an eye on things.  This likely made quite a difference, too.

 

 

[rkacruiser]

SilvertoGold,

 

You mentioned a new position of Restaurant Operations Manager that you experienced on the Volendam.  How does that position differ from the Culinary Operations Manager that I assumed was responsible for all of the dining facilities aboard the ships?  Do you know?

[rkacruiser]

Responding to OlsSalt post as to the ships that have provided the best PG experiences:

 

Prinsendam was a stand out.  Zaandam (other than a very poor Pinnacle Souffle), Amsterdam, and the late, lamented Statendam met my expectations with the Statendam being the best of the three that I listed.

 

Yet, none of them met the experiences that I have had in the Steakhouses of Carnival Freedom, Pride, and Liberty.

[AncientWanderer]

The last two times we dined in the PG, our steaks were pretty much inedible -- just gristle.  Very disappointing.

 

But...as "we're sailing away" noted, every ship is different.  We won't write off PG because we really enjoy the "small restaurant" experience and usually the food is quite good.  

 

Ultimately, I think it's just nice to have a change of scenery from MDR and take your chances.  After all, it's just a dinner.  Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.

[frankc98376]

I tend to agree with KK about the PG.  I can't remember the last time we had dinner in MDR.  We pre-book every night in PG when it opens for booking online and request the same table for the cruise on embarkation day. We are also there most mornings for breakfast.  We get to know the staff and they get to know us. They try their hardest to fulfill any special requests and have always taken great care of us.

 

We book every night at 7:30 and let the Manager know if they need our table for an early seating due to Explore 4 or promo we are fine waiting a bit. They know we are always in the Pinnacle Bar before dinner and come over to let us know our table is ready.

 

We have many PG people we still maintain contact with and are very excited when we find out one of them will be on our next cruise.  We have had servers recommend a different steak if they had gotten complaints. Our Caesar salads are still prepared by the servers-they just do it in back and always remember light anchovies 🙂.

 

Speaking of favorite servers- has anyone heard from or seen Clifford in a PG?  Haven't heard from him in a while and hoping all is well with him and his family.

 

And yes, we both wear a dress shirt and tie to dinner.  Some casual nights we forgo the jacket and just wear a vest. We have so few occasions to dress up the rest of the year it's fun on a cruise.

[ArtsyCraftsy]

Interesting topic.  I've only sailed twice on HAL -- my first ever cruise on the Amsterdam in September 2017, and this past summer's 38-day Voyage of the Vikings on the Rotterdam.  The Pinnacle Grill experience was drastically different between the two.  

 

On the Amsterdam, the Pinnacle Grill was wonderful: great service and wonderful food including entrees, sides, and desserts. 

 

In the Rotterdam Pinnacle Grill, the entrees were mostly good -- I had the planked fish (I think it was haddock?) that was particularly good; the pork chop was good but not outstanding; my filet mignon was well seasoned and perfectly cooked.  The sides, however, were mostly inedible.  I don't think they understood the concept of a "baked potato" -- the one I had was hard as a rock, it appears that they had used a "waxy" potato like a White Rose instead of the usual Russet that bakes up "fluffy"; and I kept wondering what the poor Brussels sprouts had done to deserve the treatment they got from the kitchen (tough, dry, tasteless).  I mistook the creamed spinach for a green "sauce" -- they had blended the spinach with a lot of cream into a green "puree" so it had the texture of a smoothie, with a lot of nutmeg added.  The only good sides I had were the mushrooms and the french fries.  The service, however, was just fine -- no issues.

 

I also did the Sel de Mer pop-up on the Rotterdam, and thoroughly enjoyed the meal.  No complaints at all, but I'm not sure it's worth the increased cost.  

 

Canaletto was a nice change, and I really enjoyed it -- service as well as food.

 

I'll be on the Eurodam in March (Hawaii-Tahiti-Marquesas), and I'll be able to try Tamarind for the first time.  I'm willing to give PG another shot, and I'll also be making a visit or three to Canaletto on that trip.  Clearly, the quality/experience varies from ship to ship, and I'm willing to give it another shot.

 

Lana in Bellingham, WA

[Crazy For Cats]

It’s interesting that different people can have different views of the PG on the same ship and even the same meal.  I was on the Rotterdam with dfish and her sister.  We dined with them along with Sandy for a meal.  My meal experience was fine and the food good.  However, Sandy would view it differently.  Her meal was delivered to the wrong person and it was immediately noticed.  The server took the meal away, instead of just giving it to Sandy, then brought it back about five minutes later.  She also was billed for an up charge that was someone else’s.  So her view point would be less than good on this meal.

 

My DH and I went back for another meal on the same cruise and found the service so bad that we have no plans to book again.  Tables around us were seated after we placed our orders and they got their meals long before us.  When our food finally arrived it was lukewarm at best.  A 6pm seating should enable us to make it to the 8 pm show.  Not on this evening.  

[dfish]

1 hour ago, Crazy For Cats said:

It’s interesting that different people can have different views of the PG on the same ship and even the same meal.  I was on the Rotterdam with dfish and her sister.  We dined with them along with Sandy for a meal.  My meal experience was fine and the food good.  However, Sandy would view it differently.  Her meal was delivered to the wrong person and it was immediately noticed.  The server took the meal away, instead of just giving it to Sandy, then brought it back about five minutes later.  She also was billed for an up charge that was someone else’s.  So her view point would be less than good on this meal.

 

My DH and I went back for another meal on the same cruise and found the service so bad that we have no plans to book again.  Tables around us were seated after we placed our orders and they got their meals long before us.  When our food finally arrived it was lukewarm at best.  A 6pm seating should enable us to make it to the 8 pm show.  Not on this evening.  

I remember the incident with Sandy's meal and thought it odd.   Sue was pleased Sandy was kind enough to buy her a lobster tail.  Seriously, these are things that shouldn't have happened.  

 

I also remember your not so great meal in the PG.   We dined the following night and were in and out in an hour.  I can't explain it, but every restaurant or server can have an off night.  We experienced that on the Westerdam a few years back.  The first night service was slow and somewhat inattentive.  The second night, with the same server, it was impeccable.  

 

We all do have different viewpoints and tastes in dining.   I know most people love the Tamarind, but I thought it just so so and feel the same way about the Canaletto.  

[SilvertoGold]

14 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

SilvertoGold,

 

You mentioned a new position of Restaurant Operations Manager that you experienced on the Volendam.  How does that position differ from the Culinary Operations Manager that I assumed was responsible for all of the dining facilities aboard the ships?  Do you know?

 

The new position of Restaurant Operations Manager seems to have the overview of all restaurants on board,  I expect from a service perspective, whereas the Culinary Ops has to do more with food. 

 

The lady got promoted from Assistant Cul Ops to this new position. She did say the HAL was following Princess' staffing plan more now.  We almost never see the Cul Op Manager, but this lady was constantly around the restaurants.  You could bet on seeing her two or three times a day minimum.  She used the tiny office aft of the Explorers Lounge (used to be the DRM's office).

 

The DRM is now the Maitre d' and there are at least 2 of them (MDR and Lido/Caneletto).  Was told this was a big, complicated reassignment, mostly with the new titles but same pay.

[wales4ever]

We were on the koningsdam and left halfway through our dinner in the Pinnacle. We waited an hour for our starter, then the steak was poor.  The staff there knew it was bad, as they never came to our table to ask if everything was OK - they already knew the answer.

[*Miss G*]

We were encouraged to switch from the MDR to the PG for evening meals by @frankc98376‘s posts.  The server did do tableside Caesar salads in September so, if it was gone, it’s back.  Or maybe it’s just back on the Zuiderdam.  Based on my experience with the bone-in ribeye, which was tough, grisly, and underdone, I would never order it again.  The filet is always a sure bet, as is the shrimp salad.

[frankc98376]

23 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

We were encouraged to switch from the MDR to the PG for evening meals by @frankc98376‘s posts.  The server did do tableside Caesar salads in September so, if it was gone, it’s back.  Or maybe it’s just back on the Zuiderdam.  Based on my experience with the bone-in ribeye, which was tough, grisly, and underdone, I would never order it again.  The filet is always a sure bet, as is the shrimp salad.

We are big rib steak fans.  Twice servers advised us to do the Porterhouse as the rib steaks didn't look good. We are medium and medium well people- server several years ago suggested we request them charred on the outside.  We have never looked back 🙂

[*Miss G*]

2 minutes ago, frankc98376 said:

We are big rib steak fans.  Twice servers advised us to do the Porterhouse as the rib steaks didn't look good. We are medium and medium well people- server several years ago suggested we request them charred on the outside.  We have never looked back 🙂

 

Thanks for the advice Frank!

[drlee]

Over the years, we've experienced good and bad Pinnacle meals, mostly good. Overall, the food has been excellent, and the service great. On the Prinsendam this summer, one of our meals had a poor wine steward, and when we talked with the sommelier, he told us that there had been other complaints, and on our next visit, he had been replaced with an excellent young lady. We have had periodic problems with meat temperature (too done or raw) but can almost always get it corrected. Yes, the increasing prices of the venues is irritating, but reflects Hal's shifting of price/cost to the ala carte side of the ledger, and we just deal with it. On this same trip, the Canalleto was outstanding, with their nightly specials. The osso bucco was out of this world.

[sedbandmom]

4 hours ago, Crazy For Cats said:

It’s interesting that different people can have different views of the PG on the same ship and even the same meal.  I was on the Rotterdam with dfish and her sister.  We dined with them along with Sandy for a meal.  My meal experience was fine and the food good.  However, Sandy would view it differently.  Her meal was delivered to the wrong person and it was immediately noticed.  The server took the meal away, instead of just giving it to Sandy, then brought it back about five minutes later.  She also was billed for an up charge that was someone else’s.  So her view point would be less than good on this meal.

 

My DH and I went back for another meal on the same cruise and found the service so bad that we have no plans to book again.  Tables around us were seated after we placed our orders and they got their meals long before us.  When our food finally arrived it was lukewarm at best.  A 6pm seating should enable us to make it to the 8 pm show.  Not on this evening.  

 

Sandy here. I ordered plain vanilla ice cream for dessert which arrived after my tablemates had finished their slices of pie. Ice cream had melted. On the other hand, breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill was wonderful. Good food and excellent service.

[SeaBands]

our last cruise was on the Rotterdam and ate in the Pinnacle twice. Once as a Sel de Mer pop up which was a disappointing compared to the full one on the Kdam. We are doing 21 days on it again and have 4 free Pinnacle dinners so we might try the Sel de Mer if it's a different menu. I like the steak  tartar as a starter but order a half portion as it's too large otherwise or fine as a main course.  We only order the filet since other cuts are not very good. We like our steaks rare plus. Happy to read that they are again making the salad table side.Pinnacle can't compare to Tamarind  but that's limited to a few ships. Their filet is much better but I think having the kitchen topsides helps. We also like when the caviar service was $45 and had it in the Pinnacle bar with iced vodka. Now that the price is almost double we skip it but might try it since we have 3 free dinners. I always wear a jacket to the Pinnacle. My partner likes to dress up at dinner. I don't think I would eat there every night as some people do.

[Crazy For Cats]

50 minutes ago, sedbandmom said:

 

Sandy here. I ordered plain vanilla ice cream for dessert which arrived after my tablemates had finished their slices of pie. Ice cream had melted. On the other hand, breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill was wonderful. Good food and excellent service.

I totally forgot about that!  

 

I’ll try PG for breakfast with you next month.  Mimosas will be required!

[rkacruiser]

6 hours ago, SilvertoGold said:

 

The new position of Restaurant Operations Manager seems to have the overview of all restaurants on board,  I expect from a service perspective, whereas the Culinary Ops has to do more with food. 

 

The lady got promoted from Assistant Cul Ops to this new position. She did say the HAL was following Princess' staffing plan more now.  We almost never see the Cul Op Manager, but this lady was constantly around the restaurants.  You could bet on seeing her two or three times a day minimum.  She used the tiny office aft of the Explorers Lounge (used to be the DRM's office).

 

The DRM is now the Maitre d' and there are at least 2 of them (MDR and Lido/Caneletto).  Was told this was a big, complicated reassignment, mostly with the new titles but same pay.

 

Thank you for your reply to my question.  If she makes an appearance in all of the restaurants several times a day, perhaps that will help to make the dining experience more consistent as to what that restaurant ought to provide.

[frankc98376]

I heard a while back that they had eliminated the Beverage Manager and created a Food and Beverage Manager.  Sounds like they reorganized again. A couple of Culinary Ops Managers come to mind that were stellar- Les and Eugene. Eugene was also acting HD on our Oosterdam cruise last year.

 

PG Manager Arlin on that cruise was great.  Everything was perfection hope to sail with her again soon.

[SilvertoGold]

17 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Thank you for your reply to my question.  If she makes an appearance in all of the restaurants several times a day, perhaps that will help to make the dining experience more consistent as to what that restaurant ought to provide.

 

Very likely.  She was conferring with the assistant Maitre d's a lot, the Pinnacle and Canaletto Managers.   Didn't see her talking to any wine stewards or Chefs (who were also quite noticeable in the Lido).  The new position sounds like a positive development.

[rkacruiser]

6 minutes ago, frankc98376 said:

I heard a while back that they had eliminated the Beverage Manager and created a Food and Beverage Manager.  Sounds like they reorganized again. A couple of Culinary Ops Managers come to mind that were stellar- Les and Eugene. Eugene was also acting HD on our Oosterdam cruise last year.

 

PG Manager Arlin on that cruise was great.  Everything was perfection hope to sail with her again soon.

 

Interesting post.  Some time ago, I was told that the Food and Beverage Manager position was split into a Beverage Manager and a Culinary Operations Manager jobs.  Reason given was that the Food and Beverage Manager had too much to do.

 

On my most recent HAL cruise, December/January on the Zaandam, the Beverage Manager's position was still being filled.  The very pleasant woman was always seen in the Crow's Nest at Happy Hour time, helping the staff and was also seen in the evening checking the lounges.

 

Sounds like another change has taken place.