Anyone try the MDR upsells?

[atexsix]

Someone on Facebook posted recent menus and I have sticker shock.  I feel like I might as well eat in the Pinnacle every night.  So I'm wondering how the steaks compare. Taste? Cut?  Cooked correctly?  I'm pretty picky with steak and at those prices I should be, but with the number of meals they need to cook in the mdr my preferences could be overlooked.

 

Also, are the indulge options on the room service menu?  I've been waiting for someone to post them for the Alaska season and I don't think anybody has.

[caviargal]

4 hours ago, atexsix said:

Someone on Facebook posted recent menus and I have sticker shock.  I feel like I might as well eat in the Pinnacle every night. 

 

I feel the same!  We booked specialties for 5 of the 7 nights, and even THOSE now have upcharges!

[Mary229]

I think bringing the specialty in the main dining room should in the long run improve service overall.  I think the proliferation of high service restaurants has spread the hospitality crew thin.   I look forward to trying some of the specialties in the MDR.  All past comments here and elsewhere lead me to believe it will be the same food as in Pinnacle without the "experience".  

 

To all who want to flame me, this is my personal, consumer opinion.  I am not on the board of directors😁

[kazu]

1 hour ago, caviargal said:

 

I feel the same!  We booked specialties for 5 of the 7 nights, and even THOSE now have upcharges!

 

The specialities have had upcharge items for some time - B.C. (Before Covid).  The caviar in the Pinnacle Grill and the shellfish appetizer at pop up Sel de Mer has always been well done in our experience.

[Florida_gal_50]

If I’m going to pay extra it will be in the specialty restaurants where they are not cooking for a large amount of people at once.  I tend to go to specialty restaurants several nights.

[Hlitner]

We have mixed emotions about any kind of MDR add-on.  It is a slippery slope that may soon have us dealing with ala-carte menus in the MDR.  Also consider that when you are in a much smaller specialty venue (such as the Pinnacle) there is a much smaller galley footprint where each order can get some special attention.  In the MDR with hundreds of meals being cranked out at the same time, that kind of attention will not happen.  

 

One other comment!  We are 5 Star Mariners so obviously enjoy HAL.  However, recently we have been cruising on Seabourn (almost operated like a sister company of HAL) which is truly an all-inclusive cruise line.  The quality of food served in their MDR is as good (and sometimes better) then many of the meals we have had in the Pinnacle.  And the truth is that if you compare the cost of SB with the cost of HAL (in comparable accommodations) SB often comes out as the better value (please not I said "value" and not cheaper).

 

Hank

[MikeD4134]

1 hour ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

If I’m going to pay extra it will be in the specialty restaurants where they are not cooking for a large amount of people at once.  I tend to go to specialty restaurants several nights.

You think they have a separate kitchen to prepare meals for the specialty restaurants?

[Florida_gal_50]

38 minutes ago, MikeD4134 said:

You think they have a separate kitchen to prepare meals for the specialty restaurants?

Yes, for sure the tamarind and sel de mer (stand alone) and I believe the pinnacle does as well.  What makes you think they don’t?

[atexsix]

 

1 hour ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Yes, for sure the tamarind and sel de mer (stand alone) and I believe the pinnacle does as well.  What makes you think they don’t?

I think there's this outdated idea that it's all the same food coming from the same place and maybe back in the day it was, long before the specialty restaurants became the new thing.

[atexsix]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

We have mixed emotions about any kind of MDR add-on.  It is a slippery slope that may soon have us dealing with ala-carte menus in the MDR.  Also consider that when you are in a much smaller specialty venue (such as the Pinnacle) there is a much smaller galley footprint where each order can get some special attention.  In the MDR with hundreds of meals being cranked out at the same time, that kind of attention will not happen.  

 

One other comment!  We are 5 Star Mariners so obviously enjoy HAL.  However, recently we have been cruising on Seabourn (almost operated like a sister company of HAL) which is truly an all-inclusive cruise line.  The quality of food served in their MDR is as good (and sometimes better) then many of the meals we have had in the Pinnacle.  And the truth is that if you compare the cost of SB with the cost of HAL (in comparable accommodations) SB often comes out as the better value (please not I said "value" and not cheaper).

 

Hank

Yes it IS a slippery slope and I've been worried about it ever since the rumor began floating around (pun intended) a few years ago.  DD for one might refuse to cruise, the food included has always been his main point when trying to sell the cruising concept to family/friends; all of whom have yet to try it, in part because I think ships and cruise lines are going in the wrong direction, but that's a discussion for another time. 

 

I'm more open to the idea of a la carte restaurants, but I darn well expect something in return like lower fares which is what I think someone said NCL does, which they offset with sales from the pay restaurants or something like that.  

 

But it saddens me at the same time, of the menus posted, I don't think jumbo shrimp ever appeared in the free section, something that was once a staple of the gala night menu.  

[MikeD4134]

1 hour ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Yes, for sure the tamarind and sel de mer (stand alone) and I believe the pinnacle does as well.  What makes you think they don’t?

I have taken the tour of the kitchen facilities on 2 different HAL ships, neither of which had separate facilities for specialty restaurants.  The expense to do so would be far beyond the the upcharge for the restaurants.

[atexsix]

4 hours ago, kazu said:

 

The specialities have had upcharge items for some time - B.C. (Before Covid).  The caviar in the Pinnacle Grill and the shellfish appetizer at pop up Sel de Mer has always been well done in our experience.

Really?!  Upsells on the upsells, LoL.  OMG.  You can tell I don't dine in them all that often.  

 

3 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

If I’m going to pay extra it will be in the specialty restaurants where they are not cooking for a large amount of people at once.  I tend to go to specialty restaurants several nights.

Which is exactly where I'm going with this.  Although we enjoy the atmosphere of the MDR.

 

4 hours ago, Mary229 said:

I think bringing the specialty in the main dining room should in the long run improve service overall.  I think the proliferation of high service restaurants has spread the hospitality crew thin.   I look forward to trying some of the specialties in the MDR.  All past comments here and elsewhere lead me to believe it will be the same food as in Pinnacle without the "experience".  

 

To all who want to flame me, this is my personal, consumer opinion.  I am not on the board of directors😁

I would hope nobody here would flame, this is a friendly discussion.  But I get it.  The other day I visited the Carnival forum and somebody got ripped just for posting about a dislike of the layout on the Mardi Gras.  

 

As to the experience, somebody recently posted about having a steak in Canaletto that could put the Pinnacle to shame.  I seriously want to get up there to try it now😁

[Florida_gal_50]

5 minutes ago, MikeD4134 said:

I have taken the tour of the kitchen facilities on 2 different HAL ships, neither of which had separate facilities for specialty restaurants.  The expense to do so would be far beyond the the upcharge for the restaurants.

So the tamarind is on the 10 or 11th floor, I can’t recall.   The galley is on 2 or 3.  So they are carting food up the elevator I guess.  That makes total sense 😂.

[Florida_gal_50]

3 minutes ago, atexsix said:

Really?!  Upsells on the upsells, LoL.  OMG.  You can tell I don't dine in them all that often.  

 

Which is exactly where I'm going with this.  Although we enjoy the atmosphere of the MDR.

 

I would hope nobody here would flame, this is a friendly discussion.  But I get it.  The other day I visited the Carnival forum and somebody got ripped just for posting about a dislike of the layout on the Mardi Gras.  

 

As to the experience, somebody recently posted about having a steak in Canaletto that could put the Pinnacle to shame.  I seriously want to get up there to try it now😁

The Canaletto was exceptional on the n statendam in nov of 2019.  I’ve never been a fan so it’s hard for me to admit.

[atexsix]

5 hours ago, caviargal said:

 

I feel the same!  We booked specialties for 5 of the 7 nights, and even THOSE now have upcharges!

Since I'm going to be cruising this Saturday maybe I should try one of the upsells in the MDR and report back.   

 

2 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

So the tamarind is on the 10 or 11th floor, I can’t recall.   The galley is on 2 or 3.  So they are carting food up the elevator I guess.  That makes total sense 😂.

🤣 Your posts crack me up, and I mean that as a compliment.  The only restaurant I wondered about was the Pinnacle since it's location is on the other side of the main galley on most deck plans, so it at least appears like they could share some of the same resources.  I really hate the way the deck plans now just show one large space, I liked the more detailed ones that depicted all the tables and chairs and even galley layout.

[Cruising-along]

4 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

The Canaletto was exceptional on the n statendam in nov of 2019.  I’ve never been a fan so it’s hard for me to admit.

I agree!  We were aboard the Nieuw Statendam for 26 days Sept-Oct 2019.  I had never been a fan of the Canaletto before that. 

[atexsix]

3 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

The Canaletto was exceptional on the n statendam in nov of 2019.  I’ve never been a fan so it’s hard for me to admit.

I'm going to have to try it.  I'm full blooded Italian so Italian food doesn't exactly blow me away, LoL.  When I'm on a ship I want to enjoy meals I would not have the opportunity to cook at home, not without great effort anyway. 

[Florida_gal_50]

10 minutes ago, atexsix said:

I'm going to have to try it.  I'm full blooded Italian so Italian food doesn't exactly blow me away, LoL.  When I'm on a ship I want to enjoy meals I would not have the opportunity to cook at home, not without great effort anyway. 

I’m not Italian so your yardstick is likely higher than mine.  I’m not a pasta lover so I’ve never tried any of them.  I’ve tried the fish, lamb and some of the specials.  All were excellent.

[MikeD4134]

22 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

So the tamarind is on the 10 or 11th floor, I can’t recall.   The galley is on 2 or 3.  So they are carting food up the elevator I guess.  That makes total sense 😂.

You asked me a fair question that I answered. So here is a fair question for you.  Why do you think there are separate facilities for specialty restaurants?  Have you seen them, do you have any communication from HAL documenting their existence, etc.

Edited August 29, 2021 by MikeD4134

[MikeD4134]

1 minute ago, MikeD4134 said:

You asked me a fair question that I answered. So here is a fair question for you.  Why do you think there are separate facilities for specialty restaurants?  Have you seen them, do you have any communication from HAL documenting their existence, etc.

Just trying to learn something new today, not looking for argument.

[caviargal]

4 hours ago, kazu said:

 

The specialities have had upcharge items for some time - B.C. (Before Covid).  The caviar in the Pinnacle Grill and the shellfish appetizer at pop up Sel de Mer has always been well done in our experience.

It's been well over ten years since I have been on a mass market cruise line, and even longer since my last HAL cruise.  There were no surcharges in the MDR and none in Pinnacle when I last cruised and I am seeing quite a few extra costs that did not exist in the past.    A sign of the times, I suppose. 

I'm a fan of river cruising and small ships that are inclusive and have far fewer passengers. 

[caviargal]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

 However, recently we have been cruising on Seabourn (almost operated like a sister company of HAL) which is truly an all-inclusive cruise line.  The quality of food served in their MDR is as good (and sometimes better) then many of the meals we have had in the Pinnacle.  And the truth is that if you compare the cost of SB with the cost of HAL (in comparable accommodations) SB often comes out as the better value (please not I said "value" and not cheaper).

 

 

 

Agreed!  Even Oceania, which is not fully inclusive, includes far more than HAL and similar "premium" lines.  It's well worth it to me personally.

[kazu]

48 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

So the tamarind is on the 10 or 11th floor, I can’t recall.   The galley is on 2 or 3.  So they are carting food up the elevator I guess.  That makes total sense 😂.

 

Tamarind has it’s own kitchen which is why it’s only on certain ships.

[kazu]

20 minutes ago, caviargal said:

It's been well over ten years since I have been on a mass market cruise line, and even longer since my last HAL cruise.  There were no surcharges in the MDR and none in Pinnacle when I last cruised and I am seeing quite a few extra costs that did not exist in the past. 

 

Take a look at the cost of cruising on a line like Holland America a decade or so ago and now.  It partially explains the onboard extra charges.  They make the bulk of their money from on board spending not from the booking itself.

[caviargal]

2 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

Take a look at the cost of cruising on a line like Holland America a decade or so ago and now.  It partially explains the onboard extra charges.  They make the bulk of their money from on board spending not from the booking itself.

 

I get it but it is not my preference.  I prefer to pay more and not get nickel and dimed constantly.