Pinnacle Grill Reservations

[cruzmaven]

With all the hub-bub about AYW dining, long waits, varied service, etc., and with the, in general, glowing reports about the Pinnacle Grill, I'm thinking why not just make reservations for the Pinnacle Grill for all of or most of the nights of our cruise?

 

Is it difficult to get PG reservations? Are you limited to how many nights you can get reservations for? Is this something we should try to do on line before the cruise? Is there any indication that people are avoiding the dining room altogether and opting for the PG instead.

 

I'm not a buffet person, so I don't consider dinner in the Lido an option.

[6rugrats]

I am guessing more people don't do this because the cost is $30 per person for dinner. They feel they've already paid for their meals, and don't want to pay any additional fee. No, people are not avoiding the dining room altogther. The PG does not hold that many people!

 

You may make reservations on-line before your cruise, and your credit card will be charged in full immediately. We had no trouble making reservations and there was no limit as to how many nights you could reserve.

[DesertDogs]

We have considered this. My DH prefers the PG to the DR. Only problem - an additional $840 for our upcoming cruise. So we just booked a few nights. ;)

[cruzmaven]

Thank you for the responses. I understand about the cost, which for a 7 night cruise is not too outrageous. I'd rather pay a little money and have an enjoyable, no hassle dinner than deal with some of the issues I've seen posted here about AYW dining. I would probably not go to PG all 7 nights but would certainly consider 3 or 4.

 

I was curious about being able to get in multiple nights. On our last cruise on Celebrity, we tried to book a night at the specialty restaurant upon boarding the ship and were told we could only be put on a waitlist. It took several calls over the first 5 days of a 10 day cruise to finally get a reservation. (Later found out that tablemates of ours had dinner at the specialty restaurant the first 5 nights of the 10 day cruise just by walking in and requesting seating. They didn't show up in the dining room for the first 5 nights, we thought they missed the ship. They ended up having dinner at the specialty restaurant 7 or 8 nights of the 10 night cruise.)

 

On Disney cruises I've been on they've limited Palo reservations to one night because of high demand. Given the option on Disney, if I didn't have children with me, I'd go to Palo's every night as it is a minor upcharge (I think it was $10.00pp) and is worlds better than their regular dining rooms.

 

So, I guess I'll play it by ear and try AYW at first to see if its working, and if not, opt for PG as much as possible. Going on vacation to relax and enjoy myself, not to fight with Matre'd's or sit around waiting 30 or 40 minutes to be called for a table. Also, while I don't mind the idea of different servers each night so much, I really don't care for new tablemates every night. The introductory conversations get old to me, real fast. So, my preference would be a table for 2, which seems to be a problem.

[hammybee]

With all the hub-bub about AYW dining, long waits, varied service, etc., and with the, in general, glowing reports about the Pinnacle Grill, I'm thinking why not just make reservations for the Pinnacle Grill for all of or most of the nights of our cruise? /quote]

 

There has always been a hub bub about dining on cruise ships. Some report lines. Others report no waits for open seating. Some report less than great dining room service. Others report wonderful service. No different than the varied reports from the fixed seating dining room. The CC message boards are chock full of contrasting experiences even on the same cruise. Makes sense given passengers have different expectations, preferences and wait staff.

 

There are also varied reports from PG experiences. My favorable experience may not be your good fortune or vice -versa. Assuming the cost of dining in the PG is not an issue, that the menu remains the same would probably deter me from dining there all or most evenings.

[mamaofami]

I've had very good experiences eating in the Pinnacle, but I think I'd get bored eating there every night. On our last 10 day cruise, we ate there twice, and I could probably have done once more. But, that would have been more than enough.

[Cathys Cruising]

So it is possible to make reservations prior to your cruise for the Pinnacle? By calling HAL or online?

 

We'll be on the Oosterdam in October, first HAL cruise for us. :D

 

Thanks,

 

 

 

Cathy

[DesertDogs]

So it is possible to make reservations prior to your cruise for the Pinnacle? By calling HAL or online?

 

We'll be on the Oosterdam in October' date=' first HAL cruise for us. :D [/quote']

 

Yes - You can make your Pinnacle Grill reservations either online or by phone. Check out the HAL Website. You select the day and time you wish to dine and your CC is charged immediately.

 

The advantage to booking online is to get the date and time you want, especially if it is for a special occasion.

 

Hope you enjoy your first HAL cruise. :)

[Cathys Cruising]

Thanks for the clarification DesertDogs. I was given some incorrect information it seems! This is good news.

 

I'm positive we'll enjoy the HAL experience! :D

 

 

 

 

Cathy

[AAL]

Yes - You can make your Pinnacle Grill reservations either online or by phone. Check out the HAL Website. You select the day and time you wish to dine and your CC is charged immediately.

 

The advantage to booking online is to get the date and time you want, especially if it is for a special occasion.

 

 

Where on the HAL does one go to make PG reservations? I haven't found that place.

[cage keeper]

With all the hub-bub about AYW dining, long waits, varied service, etc., and with the, in general, glowing reports about the Pinnacle Grill, I'm thinking why not just make reservations for the Pinnacle Grill for all of or most of the nights of our cruise?

 

Is it difficult to get PG reservations? Are you limited to how many nights you can get reservations for? Is this something we should try to do on line before the cruise? Is there any indication that people are avoiding the dining room altogether and opting for the PG instead.

 

I'm not a buffet person, so I don't consider dinner in the Lido an option.

 

We booked two nights of our 10 night cruise ahead of time at the Pinniacle. It's under "order Gifts". But I don't understand the problem with the dining. We were on the 3-19 Noordam and our friends who got AYW went to the dining room on the second day and requested early fixed for the remainder of the cruise. They were given what they wanted as well as the other six people at their table. When you get on board just tell them you want fixed dining.

[CrystalLady]

On my Zaandam cruise on March, there were Chef's selections that changed every night - in addition, of course, to the regular Pinnacle Grill menu.

 

I suppose it might depend upon ship/itinerary, but I have rarely seen the PG completely full at dinner, and I have yet not been able to get a reservation. If it's last minute, you might have to compromise on the time of your meal - but I really doubt you'll have a problem reserving for each night of your cruise if that's your wish.

 

Bon appetit!

[Mary Ellen]

Where on the HAL does one go to make PG reservations? I haven't found that place.

Go to the 'for booked Guests' then 'Onboard Gifts'. After logging in, you can choose 'Pinnacle Grill Reservations'. You'll need your booking number. If you don't have it handy, you can find it on-line.

[O2B@C]

... I'm not a buffet person, so I don't consider dinner in the Lido an option.

 

In case you didn't know this: Dinner in the Lido isn't entirely buffet style. You pick up your own appetizers and desserts, but your main course is cooked to order and brought to your table.

 

Also, of course, ordering room service dinner from the dining room menu is an option - and much cheaper than the PG, even if you tip generously!

[AAL]

Go to the 'for booked Guests' then 'Onboard Gifts'. After logging in, you can choose 'Pinnacle Grill Reservations'. You'll need your booking number. If you don't have it handy, you can find it on-line.

 

Thanks! Even with your directions, it took me a bit to figure out that the button at the bottom of the page was for purchasing gifts/making reservations. (It's just not intuitive to be in the "onboard gifts" section and then need to hit another button labelled "onboard gifts".) But eventually I got to the right place and our reservations are made! There is actually a lot of information there on the details of the wine packages, etc. Good to know.

[cage keeper]

Thanks! Even with your directions, it took me a bit to figure out that the button at the bottom of the page was for purchasing gifts/making reservations. (It's just not intuitive to be in the "onboard gifts" section and then need to hit another button labelled "onboard gifts".) But eventually I got to the right place and our reservations are made! There is actually a lot of information there on the details of the wine packages, etc. Good to know.

 

They redid their website a couple of months ago and it's not as easy to find things.

[Cathys Cruising]

In case you didn't know this: Dinner in the Lido isn't entirely buffet style. You pick up your own appetizers and desserts, but your main course is cooked to order and brought to your table. /quote]

 

 

That's why I love this board! You keep reading enough and you pick up all sorts of interesting and sometimes need to know information. I've also heard they have the linen table dressings as well. A nice touch from what we've experienced on other lines.

 

Got our Pinnacle Grille reservations made online for our group today too! Thanks for all the info. :D

 

 

 

Cathy

[George W. Bush]

If there's a "code red" Norovirus outbreak, don't expect table service in the Lido.

 

Its just about a given that there will be an outbreak of Norovirus so . . .

[Solo Cruiser]

I was apprehensive about my first ever "assigned dining" when I took my HAL cruise this past October but I must say I loved it. The PG was an elegant and welcome surprise too. If I had AYW instead of assigned on my next cruise or didn't like my tablemates, I would opt for 1 or 2 nights at the PG and spend the rest dining in my cabin I think. But my experience with HAL, as far as dining and everything else was concerned, was first rate so rest easy and have a super cruise.