Pinnacle Grill - Availability once on board?

[Invero]

Hello -

 

I was looking at Specialty Dining options for my Alaskan cruise this summer on the Westerdam. There is a package deal -- Canaletto and Pinnacle Grill for $50pp. But the catch is that you have to wait until you get on board to make reservations. Due to the tour we're on, I do not believe we will board until 4-5pm on embarkation day. I am worried that by the time we get on board, all that will be left is undesirable times, like 9pm.

 

If we book separately, it's $10pp more, but we get to select a date/time.

 

 

Do you think we'll be safe to wait? Or should I just suck it up, and pay the extra $10 for the piece of mind of having a reservation. 

[RuthC]

I look at it this way: the $10 extra to pick my day/time is about the price of one cocktail. That isn't much in the scheme of things.
I prefer to dine as I wish, and not have the day/time assigned and not be able to change it. 

[Crew News]

1 hour ago, Invero said:

Hello -

 

I was looking at Specialty Dining options for my Alaskan cruise this summer on the Westerdam. There is a package deal -- Canaletto and Pinnacle Grill for $50pp. But the catch is that you have to wait until you get on board to make reservations. Due to the tour we're on, I do not believe we will board until 4-5pm on embarkation day. I am worried that by the time we get on board, all that will be left is undesirable times, like 9pm.

 

If we book separately, it's $10pp more, but we get to select a date/time.

 

 

Do you think we'll be safe to wait? Or should I just suck it up, and pay the extra $10 for the piece of mind of having a reservation. 

 

If you were boarding at 11:30 AM, you time options are very good.  Reservations will be closed just before the Passenger Safety Drill but reopened around 5:30 PM when both the PG and Canaletto open for their dinner seating.  Note that the 5:30 & 6:00 PM dining times are considered "too early" for many and should be easy to bokk after you board.

 

To ensure you get the specific dates and times you really want, it would be worth the extra $10 to book online as soon as reservations are available on the HAL website.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I also would book now so that I would be able to get the day and time I want.

 

A couple of times the Pinnacle Grill was completely booked by the time people got on the ship.

[DeeniEncinitas]

2 minutes ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

I also would book now so that I would be able to get the day and time I want.

 

A couple of times the Pinnacle Grill was completely booked by the time people got on the ship.

Good morning KK!!

I also agree with you!! We learned our lesson from our past experiences! We always pre book now.

Denise😊

[DaveOKC]

I would book now to get the time you want.  IMO, the Canaletto is not worth it anyway.

 

 

[kevingastreich]

1 hour ago, DaveOKC said:

I would book now to get the time you want.  IMO, the Canaletto is not worth it anyway.

 

 

We've eaten at Canaletto several times and always enjoyed it.  It was actually a pleasant surprise because I guess we weren't expecting much. Personally, for the price I find it a better value than the Pinnacle Grill IMO.

[CruiseMGM]

I, too, advocate booking now to get the time and date you want. If you're a three star (or higher), the discount will be credited back to you as OBC. For example, we booked Canaletto and Pinnacle Grill pre-cruise, when we boarded (or after we ate, can't remember which), a credit appeared on our onboard statement. We're 3 star, so a 25% credit was nice!

 

Food is so subjective. We LOVE the Canaletto, especially on Saturday, which has jumbo grilled shrimp as their special that night!

 

Best wishes, have a fabulous cruise!

[Tom O.]

3 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

I would book now to get the time you want.  IMO, the Canaletto is not worth it anyway.

 

 

I think the Canaletto is OK, but no better than the regular MDR. So I agree, it is not worth paying extra for.

[Bostonjetset]

3 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

I would book now to get the time you want.  IMO, the Canaletto is not worth it anyway.

 

 

I politely disagree.  We loved Canaletto when we ate there. Of course if they keep raising the price it may not be worth the up charge.  The short rib gnocchi was fantastic!
 

1 hour ago, kevingastreich said:

We've eaten at Canaletto several times and always enjoyed it.  It was actually a pleasant surprise because I guess we weren't expecting much. Personally, for the price I find it a better value than the Pinnacle Grill IMO.

Agree. Especially when prices keep increasing. 

[DivotMaker]

We're cruising in June on Eurodam and after planning out our daily/nightly activities with my OCD personality, we realized we only have 3 nights that would work for specialty dining so we went ahead and purchased online.  Sure, we won't save a few $$, but this way we'll not have to worry about getting our preferred times/nights.  Plus, we want to try all 3 specialty restaurants as they seem to offer some pretty good selections.

[barb-ottawa]

We have never had an issue booking the Pinnacle while onboard. Also, we have booked online prior to a cruise and were able to change the booking to another day while onboard with no problem as to availability.

 

[seagarsmoker]

6 hours ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

I also would book now so that I would be able to get the day and time I want.

 

A couple of times the Pinnacle Grill was completely booked by the time people got on the ship.

Agree. On a previous cruise we received a complimentary dinner at Pinnacle Grill from TA in an envelope when we arrived on the ship. Thankfully, we were on a back-to-back cruise because the first week reservations had no openings when I checked at the Neptune Lounge concierge. She did find a 5:30 opening the following week on the second formal night.  

[Invero]

Thanks, everyone. Sounds like I should get over my cheapness and get the reservation now. :)

[puppycanducruise]

It's not "cheapness".  It's paying for what you want, so you won't be disappointed. 🙂

Enjoy your cruise.

[kazu]

2 hours ago, barb-ottawa said:

We have never had an issue booking the Pinnacle while onboard. Also, we have booked online prior to a cruise and were able to change the booking to another day while onboard with no problem as to availability.

 

 

I think how easy or difficult it can be to book at the Pinnacle can vary depending on the itinerary and the demographics of the passengers on board.

 

I’ve seen a lot of 5* Mariners very upset as they waited to book when they boarded and couldn’t get any reservations on a couple of cruises.  PG was sold out unless you wanted to eat at 9pm on 2 evenings (the only availability when I checked).

 

On other cruises, it was wide open, so it just depends.  If there is a date or time I want, I pre-book it.

On the other hand, I’ve yet to have a problem getting into the Canaletto even on a last minute whim.  But that too could depend on your itinerary and the demographics on board.

 

 

[MISTER 67]

3 hours ago, Tom O. said:

 

I think the Canaletto is OK, but no better than the regular MDR. So I agree, it is not worth paying extra for.

True, plus they just took some space from the buffet area, you would think they could find some area on the ship where they could build a true specialty restaurant.

I was really surprised when they built the  Koningsdam and the Nieuw Amsterdam and found that Caneletto was still up in the Lido buffet area.

[rkacruiser]

I'd suggest that you book the specific time/dates you desire.

 

I have had some success when informed that the only times available were very early or very late and start to "walk away" and not make a reservation.  Suddenly, "we do have a 7:30 available if that would be suitable rather than 8:00."  I arrive at 7:30 and there are plenty of open tables.  I have never seen the PG filled to capacity on any evening other than when there is some type of specialty dinner or Rudi's Sel de Mer pop-up is available. 

[kazu]

41 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

I arrive at 7:30 and there are plenty of open tables.  I have never seen the PG filled to capacity on any evening other than when there is some type of specialty dinner or Rudi's Sel de Mer pop-up is available. 

 

You will never see the PG full at most times as the reservations are staggered so that they can give good service (hopefully), clean the tables and reset, etc.

 

I have seen it full but it’s usually when some linger at the table after dinner and that is what they try to plan for.  They don’t know if you will be there for a long time or not 😉 

 

[rkacruiser]

2 hours ago, kazu said:

You will never see the PG full at most times as the reservations are staggered so that they can give good service (hopefully), clean the tables and reset, etc.

 

 

When pop-up Sel de Mer's are functioning in the PG and the restaurant is very busy, there is nothing wrong with the good service, cleaning the tables and reset, etc.  The staff is at "all hands on deck".  What is the reason that the staff cannot be at that same service level when it's just a PG?  

 

Imagine, I am a new HAL cruiser and I walk by the PG seeing that it has lots of empty tables.  What kind of impression does that make on me?  If the tables are mostly filled, this might tempt me to think "this is a venue I ought to try".  

 

Regardless of the purposeful reason of "empty PG tables", empty tables does not communicate the message that many patronized tables project.       

 

 

Edited February 14, 2020 by rkacruiser