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A strongly worded Sel de Mer review - short version, don't bother

MogeyMan

By MogeyMan,
in Holland America Line

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vicd1969

vicd1969

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, Mary229 said:

The specialty dining explosion went too far.  I now see HAL renovating their dining room menu and offering more upcharged items in the MDR. IMHO that is a better model, the staff is not stretched so thin.  

It's the same trend in land-based restaurants nowadays. With increased menu prices and higher pressure for large tips, a lot of restaurants in Washington DC are struggling to get diners in the door.

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OlsSalt

OlsSalt

Posted
Posted

At one time they tried to turn the Pinnacle into a high frou-frou experience - flaming kabobs etc. The menu improvements were greatly appreciated, the fuss and showmanship was too over the top. So it passed into the memory banks too.

 

Looks like Pinnacle is still a specialty restaurant searching for an identity. Last Noordam Pinnacle dining was excellent at every levels. Hope this continues.

 

Konigsdam Pinnacle a few months prior, was terrible at every level - food, presentation, decor, seating, noise, staffing and overall ambiance.

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Mary229 "Live from...." Rare

Mary229

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

At one time they tried to turn the Pinnacle into a high frou-frou experience - flaming kabobs etc. The menu improvements were greatly appreciated, the fuss and showmanship was too over the top. So it passed into the memory banks too.

 

Looks like Pinnacle is still a specialty restaurant searching for an identity. Last Noordam Pinnacle dining was excellent at every levels. Hope this continues.

 

Konigsdam Pinnacle a few months prior, was terrible at every level - food, presentation, decor, seating, noise, staffing and overall ambiance.

The one reason and only reason we go to the Pinnacle is for the Prime beef, it is a few grades above the grade A in the MDR.  Well that and if it is free to us😉. We do like their lunch much better now that we have achieved 1/2 price.  I have always disdained pretentious service and the Pinnacle has plenty of that.  So many times I have talked to sophisticated cruisers who have far more travel experience than myself who have said they will never go back to the Pinnacle as they felt snubbed and these were people I totally believed.

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  • 2 weeks later...
kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, Grandma7 said:

Have you always had to pay extra for the Dover sole muenier? I had reservations for today on NS but with the increased price along with paying $15 for the Dover sole I think I will cancel. Not much interest me otherwise.

 

No, previously the Dover Sole was part of the regular menu with no surcharge.

 

It changed late last or early this year to have the surcharge IIRC

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Bostonjetset Great Review Rare

Bostonjetset

Posted
Posted
19 hours ago, Grandma7 said:

Have you always had to pay extra for the Dover sole muenier? I had reservations for today on NS but with the increased price along with paying $15 for the Dover sole I think I will cancel. Not much interest me otherwise.

There was no surcharge for it on K’dam this past August. It was wonderful but not sure it would sit well with me if they added a surcharge to it as the meal is already pricey. 

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oakridger

oakridger

Posted
Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, Bostonjetset said:

There was no surcharge for it on K’dam this past August. It was wonderful but not sure it would sit well with me if they added a surcharge to it as the meal is already pricey. 

 

I hope people let HAL know their dissatisfaction about the extra charge on top of the raised cost of the meal.  Some of previous HAL "experiments" later got cancelled when passengers raised a stink about them!

 

~Nancy

Edited by oakridger
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Ready2go11 Great Review Rare

Ready2go11

Posted
Posted
On 11/28/2023 at 3:33 AM, Grandma7 said:

Have you always had to pay extra for the Dover sole muenier? I had reservations for today on NS but with the increased price along with paying $15 for the Dover sole I think I will cancel. Not much interest me otherwise.


I am pretty sure the lobster and sole up-charge started at the beginning of September 2023 when they also raised the price of some venues and changed caviar and fruit de mer prices. At the same time they removed the extra appetizer charges as an offset in the speciality venues. 
 

An increase in the base price plus up-charges for some dishes does seem a bit much, especially with inconsistent experiences in food and service.  And has been mentioned on other threads, if you eat at a speciality restaurant they are saving the food costs of you not eating a full meal in the MDR
 

 

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Grandma7

Grandma7

Posted
Posted

I might still keep one of the reservations just to get the Dover sole. I had the Morimoto epic lobster 2 nights ago in the MDR. Oh Lord it was so good! It was the four tails with some flavorful butter sauce. It was too much, but I forced myself to finish it...don't like to waste food😅

I plan to order it again next week towards the end of the cruise. I will try to remember to post a picture of it!

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