HAL Advanced Dining Reservations

[Snowerin999]

3 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

Incorrect information from Seattle (again).  The “pop ups” have never been a la carte - I’ve been on the ships with them and dined there each time and they are always the fixed price.  

 

The only ships that ever had the a la carte price were the Pinnacle Class (Koningsdam and N Statendam).

 

The only “addition” In cost is if you order some of the “extras” like Fruits de Mer.

 

It’s been $49 for the pop up dinners since Sel de Mer was instituted (unless I missed a price increase 😉 )

Looks like they had it backwards 🤪 At least now we know that they’re all a fixed price! 

[nickel-and-dime-me]

Nami sushi appears to he the only specialty dining option with a la carte pricing, at least on the k.

[KrissyCruises]

I just booked Sel de Mer online for N Statendam March sailing. No longer a la carte, fixed price was $40pp. Website indicated online advance purchase is 20% off onboard price. 

[Tom O.]

11 hours ago, KrissyCruises said:

I just booked Sel de Mer online for N Statendam March sailing. No longer a la carte, fixed price was $40pp. Website indicated online advance purchase is 20% off onboard price. 

 

How odd! When I try to book it for my August cruise on the Zuiderdam, it is $49. No mention of any discount for booking in advance. Do you have more stars than me? I am only 2 stars, maybe that is the difference?

Or maybe the discount is only on Pinnacle Class ships?

[Cruising-along]

2 hours ago, Tom O. said:

 

How odd! When I try to book it for my August cruise on the Zuiderdam, it is $49. No mention of any discount for booking in advance. Do you have more stars than me? I am only 2 stars, maybe that is the difference?

Or maybe the discount is only on Pinnacle Class ships?

It's nothing to do with Mariner status, it's that the NS is a Pinnacle class ship and has a dedicated Sel de Mer.  I'm 5-star but was charged $49 for the Noordam pop up when I pre-booked. 

[Alberta Quilter]

I believe there is a discount of $9 if one prebooks Sel de Mer on the Koningsdam and the NS. Not sure if this is temporary as they recently transitioned from a la carte to fixed pricing on these two ships. Agree with kazu that pop up price was always $49 pp. 

[DaisyFire]

I will be sailing on the Oosterdam in July.  This is my first time on HAL and from comments on this thread it sounds like specialty dining can often sell out on HAL.  Celebrity lets you prebook using your OBC, but doesn't do a good job of allowing you to select your reservation time, so I typically do that as soon as I board.  Pretty much every Celebrity Cruise I have been on has staff members offering discounts for specialty dining venues once you board.  They even stand outside the buffet area and 'peddle' specialty dining.  So my question - Are there any similar opportunities once onboard to get discounts on specialty dining for HAL - or are the rates pretty much set? If the latter - I am thinking that it may definitely be best to book in advance and just find something else to use buy OBC on.  (Celebrity also has pretty good deals on liquor in their duty free shops - so I have been known to use up any remaining OBC to buy a gift or two there 🙂 )

[kazu]

4 minutes ago, DaisyFire said:

Are there any similar opportunities once onboard to get discounts on specialty dining for HAL - or are the rates pretty much set? If the latter - I am thinking that it may definitely be best to book in advance and just find something else to use buy OBC on.

 

Some people have reported a deal/discount on the first night offered for the Pinnacle or the Canaletto.  I haven’t seen it myself but it has definitely happened.

 

It may depend on how many bookings they have?  I’m not sure.

[Tom O.]

3 hours ago, DaisyFire said:

I will be sailing on the Oosterdam in July.  This is my first time on HAL and from comments on this thread it sounds like specialty dining can often sell out on HAL.  Celebrity lets you prebook using your OBC, but doesn't do a good job of allowing you to select your reservation time, so I typically do that as soon as I board.  Pretty much every Celebrity Cruise I have been on has staff members offering discounts for specialty dining venues once you board.  They even stand outside the buffet area and 'peddle' specialty dining.  So my question - Are there any similar opportunities once onboard to get discounts on specialty dining for HAL - or are the rates pretty much set? If the latter - I am thinking that it may definitely be best to book in advance and just find something else to use buy OBC on.  (Celebrity also has pretty good deals on liquor in their duty free shops - so I have been known to use up any remaining OBC to buy a gift or two there 🙂 )

I have never seen any deals on specialty dining after boarding. If I were you I would book it in advance and just pay for it with your credit card. You will have to use your OBC for other expenses, which are plentiful. This way you will most likely get the best days and times that suits you best.

[nickel-and-dime-me]

Thats what we did.  I would have rather used for dining, but im sure we'll find another use for it.  

 

Maybe use it to towards the hsc? Not sure the policy on that with hal. 

[kazu]

8 minutes ago, nickel-and-dime-me said:

Thats what we did.  I would have rather used for dining, but im sure we'll find another use for it.  

 

Maybe use it to towards the hsc? Not sure the policy on that with hal. 

 

OBC will be applied to your HSC, no worries 🙂 

[nickel-and-dime-me]

2 hours ago, kazu said:

 

OBC will be applied to your HSC, no worries 🙂 

Thanks for confirming that for me.

[DaisyFire]

15 hours ago, nickel-and-dime-me said:

Thats what we did.  I would have rather used for dining, but im sure we'll find another use for it.  

 

Maybe use it to towards the hsc? Not sure the policy on that with hal. 

 

Thanks!  I had forgotten all about the HSC!

[DaisyFire]

Sorry to hijack this thread again - but has anyone had experience with reservations for large groups (like 20 people) in any of the specialty restaurants?

 

[kazu]

8 minutes ago, DaisyFire said:

Sorry to hijack this thread again - but has anyone had experience with reservations for large groups (like 20 people) in any of the specialty restaurants?

 

 

I did a booking on the Westerdam for 24 people for lunch in the Pinnacle Grill.

I arranged it through the ship’s co-ordinator.  

[catl331]

24 minutes ago, kazu said:

I did a booking on the Westerdam for 24 people for lunch in the Pinnacle Grill.

Did you get your 5* discount for all? Or none? Or what?

[kazu]

14 minutes ago, catl331 said:

Did you get your 5* discount for all? Or none? Or what?

 

The ship co-ordination arranged it so that once I boarded, I could give the details on whom to bill and their cabin numbers to the Pinnacle Grill manager.

 

We each had a table that sat 6 or 4 people.  Each person who “hosted” the table was either a 4 or 5* Mariner and paid for their own table so everyone got the 50% discount. 

 

When you have a larger group, they do prefer to have a more limited menu.  The PG manager kindly agreed to change one item as I knew it would be popular, checked at the meet and greet to make sure everyone was good with the choices and confirmed after with the PG manager.

 

Lunch was very good and we all enjoyed it.

 

This was on the Westerdam a few years ago.