Do you think the $30 charge per person is worth it?

[watchdiva]

JTL513 - You lose your bet.......Whenever we've dined at PG, we've paid for it ourselves; we've even hosted a dinner party there with another couple from our roll call and yes, we paid for that as well.

[Sprocket]

After my recent experiences on the Westerdam, I would not go back to the PG on that particular ship. However, if they replace the maitr'd that may entice me to go back.

 

Many people go for special occasions, and expect the evening to be special, and many times it just isn't. Just because the TA paid for it, doesn't make it any less disappointing.

 

Bev

[arzz]

Having now done it -- I do not feel it is worth $20pp let alone $30.

 

We never felt that it was necessary to eat any better than we have done in the HAL dining rooms (after all how much can one person eat?).

 

In June we got a Pinnacle meal gratis from our travel agent on our Westerdam Alaska cruise.

 

Let me just say, been there, done that -- I felt like we were eating in the corridor as the restaurant is open to the atrium - not a quiet location (advertisement for their money maker? -- the atmosphere would, admitedly have been better on an R or S class ship) -- though good, we did not feel that we got anything at that meal that was all that special -- not even the steaks. The service may have been a little better but they certainly communicated that they wanted us out so that the next group could come and use the facilities -- I had thought that the original concept was one meal per table per evening.

 

To us it was a disappointment

[arzz]

Sorry, double post -- let's hear it for technology!

[stanford's girl]

We ate in the Pinnacle on the Oosterdam last October and it was awful. This October we ate there on the Westerdam and it was better. Both were gifts from our TA.

 

But we wouldn't eat there unless it was a gift from our TA. We have been in the restaurant business for over 30 years and I don't think the Pinnacle food or service is any to write home about. For us to pay an extra $30pp, it should be worth that value to us and it just isn't.

 

Sorry HAL but I'll stick to the dining room, where we've had great food and service every time.:)

[jtl513]

JTL513 - You lose your bet.......

 

Hardly. I said a majority, not 100%. We ate in two PGs. First one we paid for ourselves, and said we wouldn't go back. Second one was from a TA. We'll only go back a third time if we get another freebie that we can't turn into an OBC.

[kryos]

Rita,

 

I do know that part of the reason for putting the price up is 'crowd control'.

 

Can you answer this? What is the point of having a restaurant on board that is basically there as a 'revenue earner' then trurn around and give away free dinners, through TA handouts, and then try to limit the number of passengers willing to pay? Someone is paying for all of those TA vouchers.

It is still a revenue earner. Those free dinners are incentives that are given to the TA's for steering their clients towards HAL (as opposed to Costa, NCL, etc.) If the other cruise lines are also offering incentives, but HAL offers more (or even something perceived as more), then by giving the TA's these packages to offer (and the packages include more things than just the Pinnacle ... vouchers for the cruise DVD, a photo or two ... a wine package for the stateroom, etc.), then HAL increases bookings ... and thus revenue. So, while the vouchers are free to the cruiser ... i.e., they don't have to part with the $30 each for their dinner in the Pinnacle that night ... it is still generating income for the cruise line in that it got that couple onboard ... the cost of their cruise AND everything else they are spending while onboard that week.

 

Also, note the discussion regarding wine, etc., in the Pinnacle. People are getting their dinner for free ... and that perceived "deal" they are getting may very well encourage them to order a bottle of wine with their dinner ... perhaps a bottle they would not have ordered in the main dining room.

 

So, believe me, the Pinnacle is generating a ton of revenue for HAL ... even if not one diner in there pays for their meal on a given cruise.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

We ate in the Pinnacle on the Oosterdam last October and it was awful. This October we ate there on the Westerdam and it was better. Both were gifts from our TA.

I guess I've just been lucky. EVERY time I've eaten in the Pinnacle (onboard both the Amsterdam ... four times on my January cruise at $20 pp ... and once on my recent cruise ... freebie, plus a couple of times on the Zuiderdam back in 2004) the meal and the service has been excellent. True, I waited a bit for my iced tea, whereas in the dining room it was always waiting for me, but that could have something to do with how beverage service is set up in the Pinnacle.

 

I think the food is excellent there and borderline worth it at $20 pp. But at $30 pp it has simply gone above what I would be willing to pay for a meal ... and thus I can't see that I would ever book it again on my own nickle. But, then ... that might be exactly what HAL wants.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

Perhaps a TA could chime in here.

 

Does HAL give the TA the coupons or is the TA giving up a cut of commission to provide them to clients?

 

Face it, it costs HAL way less than $30 to serve dinner there. Even if the place is loaded with ``freebies,'' it would appear HAL is still making a buck, especially with wine sales.

And, let's face it ... do you honestly think the Cruise DVD is worth $40 something per pop? But that's the stated value of that voucher. :) I think the photo voucher ... for one free 8 x 10 photo ... is considered worth something like $22. Now, come on ... one lousy photo $22?

 

Clearly HAL's actual cost for these items is far less than the retail value of the vouchers.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[duck tune]

In anticipation of our Dec 16 cruise DH and I were talking about this very subject today at breakfast. We first ate in the PG on the Rydam in 12/2003 on the first night of the cruise when it was 2 fo 1 or $10 PP. We thought the food and service were excellent and it was a deal. After that we made the effort to eat in the PG once each cruise and saw the quality of food and service decrease as the cost increased. On the Oosterdam this March we were having lunch in the Lido after embarkation and a waiter from the PG was going around trying to get people to make dinner reservations for the first night - again at the 2 for 1 rate - so we went as this was our first cruise on the Vista class ship. We ended up eating in the PG twice on that cruise and then once on the Zaandam in June where it was only an "OK" experience. We have never gotten a free PG meal. The PG was booked solid the night of the Chef's Dinner on the Zaandaml. However, now that the price has increased we are not going to plan on eating in the PG for dinner. DH still recalls how wonderful those first few meals were and is disappointed that times have changed. We may try lunch but it will take something out of the ordinary to get us to go to dinner again in the PG.

[mariner]

Frankly, we enjoyed it more when it was Marco Polo. If there was one thing that HAL (read Dutch, Austrian, German) chefs never did well, it was Italian.

 

When it was Marco Polo (and no extra fare), it was a chance to have some nice Italian food. The chef, being Italian, would come out for his accolades.

 

Living near NY, we're spoiled by some of the best steak joints in the world. Prime USDA. Not sterling, or whatever the heck they call it.

 

That said, have eaten in PG twice. Once, I paid. The second time, the captain paid.

 

Both meals were very enjoyable, the captain's more so because he also had some very nice bottles of wine. We don't rush dinner and found the service to be to our liking and relaxing. Was something different.

 

$30? Given our expenses, $60 isn't a make-or-break deal. Our feeling is we shouldn't have to pay extra for food. But the bigger the discounts on fares, we expect the line will try to generate revenue in another area.

 

Funny thing is, when NCL started this extra-tariff thing on NORWAY, pax loved it. When it was tried on upscale lines, pax hated it.

[BZEKE]

Just payed $30 on Noordam, will not do it again nothing special there. It was a great deal at $10 and you got more. Staff are robots.

[E91]

Hey Rita:

As expressed in my initial message, I did not want to offend. The main dining room is fine. My wife and I usually find a menu (Caribbean Night on some ships) that is completely unappealing. Therefore, we book that “bad menu night” in the optional restaurant.

We usually do one trip per year. It’s usually a cruise. When we’ve already spent a small fortune on the cruise, the additional charge really doesn’t matter to us. We aren’t shore excursion people, and the spa is a rare luxury. So, the Pin meal is a small perk for us.

You indicate that you eat out frequently. We maybe eat out for dinner twice a month. We are not fans of “chain” family-style restaurants, but we will take our young son once a month to some casual ma-and-pa joint for a family dinner out. My wife and I go out for a nice dinner for two at a more elegant place once each month. If the two of us get out for $100, we’re lucky. We enjoy a drink before dinner and share a bottle of wine.

Lunch out for the three of us is once per weekend at a sports bar that my son loves. Regards weekdays, we both brown bag from home and pack our son’s lunch.

Long story short, we prefer to save our money for “special” things like an annual cruise and dine at home.

I have no idea what made you think that we can afford to fine dine on a regular basis? You don’t know me/us. How can you put forward such a generalization?

Blue skies to you – whatever that means.

 

True, the Pinnacle is not that expensive at $30 per person plus tip ... IF you were dining there on land. Don't forget, on the ship you've already paid for a meal each night in the dining room, including tip. So, the actual cost of your Pinnacle dinner has now gone up substantially from $30 to what? $50 or so, plus tip.

 

I don't know what you are used to spending for a dinner out, but I eat out quite a bit ... and I know that it is only on a rare special occasion that I will spend $50 per person, exclusive of liquor, for a dinner in a restaurant. I can get a perfectly good meal at several places in my neck of the woods for less than $25 per person ... and even some "family style" restaurants for about $15 per person. So, a restaurant would have to be offering me something pretty special to motivate me to spend anything in the neighborhood of $50 per person.

 

Of course, I am sure there are some people ... such as yourself ... who may be able to afford that kind of money on a regular basis. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. I'd prefer to dine in less fancy surroundings and use the money saved for other pleasures ... such as taking more cruises. For this reason, I will no longer be dining at the Pinnacle when on a HAL ship ... unless, of course, my TA gives me a free voucher.

 

Different strokes for different folks, I guess ...

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[PRINSENDAM]

It is still a revenue earner. Those free dinners are incentives that are given to the TA's for steering their clients towards HAL (as opposed to Costa, NCL, etc.)

 

 

--rita

 

 

 

Rita,

 

I was discussing the above with DW and she remined me of a conversation we had with a Pinnacle maitr'd a few months ago. I had completely forgotten the conversation. I was told that the pinnacle dinners were sold to TAs at a discounted price.. something like $17 per dinner. The maitr'd was wondering what what the discount would be as the charge for dinner was going up to $30. As I said, someone is paying for the dinners and it isn't given away as an incentive.

 

Stephen

[AAAAmerican]

Where are the Yum Yum people when ya need them?

 

With the newly added FIFTY PERCENT (50%) Increase in the Additional Rates for the Pinnacle Grill (Steak House) BOTH Lunch and Dinner seatings...and adding new Main Dishes and Starters.. but not one mention of adding the Proper Staff thats Trained in the Profession... WHY? Why not?

 

Having Proffessional Wait Staff Members should be a priority. Other Cruise lines have them.

Granted Carnival has the pay as you Eat Premium Eateries wait staff as the Trainies.. But HAL as in the X and CCL as in RCL ....ratios...

 

But HAL should have the very Best especially be called by itself a Premium Cruise Line and a FIVE STAR Dinning Experience..

 

When is HAL going to get Proffesional Waiters in the Pinnacle Grill Steak Houses aboard?

 

Isnt it a Service Business and paying a premium would make ya think the Staff would at least serve well and treat the Cruise Guests well with Professional Methods, Training and Knowledge.

 

Ask your next Pinnacle Waiter or Staff member what is in the dish(es) your ordering... I think the content is more important than the China, Flatware and/or Stemware....

:rolleyes:

Thats should be so very basic as it really does not change much.. even with the new main dishes and starters too...

[heavenly]

Hi Rita,

 

I wonder how 'free' those vouchers are? After all, the TA must pay HAL for the passenger they give the voucher to. I don't think it is the full amount ie $30 less a discount. But at the end of the day it is still the passenger who is paying.... might not be upfront but they are still paying.

 

$30 is 5% of a $600 fare. That is a fairly large chunk out of a TA's commission.

 

Stephen

 

Stephen,

 

You hit the nail right on the head! Agencies do not get those kind of perks to give away anymore. We did quite often pay for our clients to dine in the Pinnacle on the first night when it was $10 but can't really afford it at $30 per person for just the reason you stated.

 

The Pinnacle is filling up primarily to groups on board. As a part of the group package you can choose Pinnacle dining as one of the options and many do. Other groups will select a night for the group to dine in the Pinnacle with the understanding each guest is responsible for payment, either way, it really works in there. We used the second option for our group in October and had about 35 people in there for 2.5-3 hours.

 

The latest news I have is that 54% (on average) of any given HAL sailing is groups! This is up from 15% just two years ago.

[Brad1185]

Review after review are giving Pinnacle Grill the thumbs down. Especially with the increase to $30 PP forget it.

[heavenly]

Review after review are giving Pinnacle Grill the thumbs down. Especially with the increase to $30 PP forget it.

 

I wouldn't really give it a thumbs down per se, but I wouldn't go out of my way to pay the $30 per person... The quality is not what I have found it to be in the past.

[heavenly]

Rita,

 

I was discussing the above with DW and she remined me of a conversation we had with a Pinnacle maitr'd a few months ago. I had completely forgotten the conversation. I was told that the pinnacle dinners were sold to TAs at a discounted price.. something like $17 per dinner. The maitr'd was wondering what what the discount would be as the charge for dinner was going up to $30. As I said, someone is paying for the dinners and it isn't given away as an incentive.

 

Stephen

 

I wish we got a discounted price, the fact of the matter is that we don't.:( We also do not receive a commission or any other source of revenue from anything other than the basic cruise fare that could in any way be interpreted as a discount. This is true for the Pinnacle, shore excursions, spa appointments and any other item your TA might book for you with the cruise line.

[Mariner05]

My wife and I with many other friends celebrated an anniversary in the restaurant. It was a disaster. Certainly not worth the money to be insulted by the waiters and have food delivered to the table in the wrong sequence. We were more than happy with the food and service in the Main dining room which was on the Rotterdam . We have never had that experience particularly in the old days when it was an Italian restaurant. The room is inviting but the food and service were not worth it. We mentioned it to the head waiter in the main dining room. Others had the same complaint. The head waiter in the Pinnacle was rude as well. That's why they are empty on most cruises. It would have been lovely had they maintained the same service and food as before .

[inai]

We would never spend $60.00 per couple to have an excellent meal in the Pinnacle when we received excellent service and a great meal every night in the main dining room. I expect excellent service and an excellent meal every night. I'm paying for that, aren't I?

[griswalds]

I vote no...all is does is water down the service for the rest of us.

 

Griswalds

[Pilot70D]

At the beginning of this week I called ship's services to place an order for some items we wanted on our upcoming December 3rd cruise on the Vollendam. The person that I spoke with was very helpful and before hanging up I mentioned this thread to her.

 

We discussed the poll and specifically the causes and repercussions of such an overewhelmingly negative perception of the PG. I read several of the responses to her along with the poll result as it was at that time. She told me that HAL management does look at these posts from time to time. She was completely unaware of this thread though and the problems that several people wrote about.

 

She did tell me that she was personally going to bring this thread to the attention of her manager the following day. The bottom line - maybe all these responses will have some impact and may possibly be the catalyst for change if HAL management does decide to make changes in the PG.

 

Hopefully this thread will do some good. Everyone have a great day out there.

[ANSalberg]

Do you think the $30 charge per person is worth the special dining room?

 

The bottom line is it doesn't make any difference what I think- the HAL set-up is for several venues to offer meals to "guests" on their ships -IF you choose you may eat at your restaurant of choice for a small fee or at the base price -YOU have choices. What you can't chose is to destroy one of trhe venues simply because you think it costs too much -the choices are eat there or NOT! Whatever.

[Brad1185]

Hopefully we can change this. If people simply would not go to the Pinnacle then I would hope one of two things happen, the price is lowered or the place is closed up. Either way, its better than the $30 charge. We can do it, if we work togther. We can call and write to HAL to tell them the price vs the value is too high.