Gala nights?

Hi,

How do we find out which nights are gala night? I have specialty restaurants booked, but I would love to enjoy the free “fancy” meals. Thanks!

You can call HAL and they can tell you the probable days, or you can tell us what your cruise is and we can make some educated guesses ... but nothing is carved in stone until the cruise sails. We've had dates change or dropped entirely. Once you are on board you will find out on the first day what they will actually be, and you can cancel or change your specialty reservations if necessary.

Hi,

 

 

 

How do we find out which nights are gala night? I have specialty restaurants booked, but I would love to enjoy the free “fancy” meals. Thanks![/

 

 

The number of Gala nights will depend on the length of your cruise, but generally they will be on sea days, so the first Gala should be on the first full sea day. Then based on your itinerary, you can check on other sea days and estimate the other night(s). But no worries! I’d recommend keeping your booked specialty restaurants for now, confirm Gala nights once on board, and change your specialty restaurant reservations accordingly if there is a conflict. We’ve never had an issue rearranging once on board. [emoji483]

I my opinion, the menu in the MDR on gala night is usually not as good as a regular night.

I see that you have now posted on the Eurodam Roll Calls for both Jun 16 and Jun 30. In both cases the itinerary is the same, so IMO the Gala nights will be the first sea day (6/17 or 7/1) and at Ketchikan where you depart at 13:00 (6/21 or 7/5)

I my opinion, the menu in the MDR on gala night is usually not as good as a regular night.

Thanks! I’m getting excited! I’m on the 30th cruise. I will edit the wrong roll call.

I my opinion, the menu in the MDR on gala night is usually not as good as a regular night.

I agree. In recent years the Gala Night food has gone downhill. On some cruises the 'Always Available' option wasn't available, either.

It's a great night to head for the Pinnacle Grill.

I my opinion, the menu in the MDR on gala night is usually not as good as a regular night.

Agree. Not sure why that is. Though it is fun to dress up and see the sparkle for those few evenings. Shame the menu does not sparkle too. Plus it has not changed in years - sadly disappointing and predictable for the efforts we passengers put into it.

I agree. In recent years the Gala Night food has gone downhill. On some cruises the 'Always Available' option wasn't available, either.

It's a great night to head for the Pinnacle Grill.

Makes sense. Might as well spend $10-$20 sur charge in Pinnacle Grill for lobster when its included in the MDR.

Makes sense. Might as well spend $10-$20 sur charge in Pinnacle Grill for lobster when its included in the MDR.

Not everyone wants lobster, or did you not think of that.

I don't mind the meat options; just the sides have gotten too boring and were never that good in the first place. Agree, not everyone likes "surf or turf" but lovely, succulent lamb or pork wins me over with well-prepared and appropriate, flavor-enhancing sides.

You don't like surf & turf?

Not everyone wants lobster, or did you not think of that.

On surf & turf gala night, unless something else catches my eye (nope, sigh) I'll get turf & turf (not a big lobstah fan save for the occasional lobster roll or in a nice bisque). And the beef just wasn't all that impressive, although on most recent cruise, mine definitely looked better than my mother's.

On surf & turf gala night, .... And the beef just wasn't all that impressive, ....

The filet in the dining room is just not very good, especially when compared to the filet in the Pinnacle. Toss in the Pinnacle dinner is free for 5* Mariners, and half-price for 4*, and it becomes a very attractive alternative to Gala night in the dining room.

I think the food on HAL is great! And I do like the food on Gala evenings, especially the escargots! And I’ve come to rely on the recommendations of the waiter for all my meals. They’ve checked everything out and seem to know what is best prepared each night!

The filet in the dining room is just not very good, especially when compared to the filet in the Pinnacle. Toss in the Pinnacle dinner is free for 5* Mariners, and half-price for 4*, and it becomes a very attractive alternative to Gala night in the dining room.

Generally for most ships I agree with you but..

Just off the Prinsendam Ruth and I have to say that the filet was absolutely incredible in the MDR on that ship.

It was tender, tasty and cooked to order. Everyone raved about it after. You could have cut it with a fork.

Food on Gala nights was very good. I had PG dinners booked in advance and no way to know when some of the Gala Nights would be with the sea days and itinerary so it was by chance that I didn't miss the Gala nights.

Hi,

 

How do we find out which nights are gala night? I have specialty restaurants booked, but I would love to enjoy the free “fancy” meals. Thanks!

Although there are some specialty restaurant fans on this board, I believe the majority of cruisers follow your strategy.

Generally for most ships I agree with you but..

 

Just off the Prinsendam Ruth and I have to say that the filet was absolutely incredible in the MDR on that ship.

 

It was tender, tasty and cooked to order. Everyone raved about it after. You could have cut it with a fork.

 

Food on Gala nights was very good. I had PG dinners booked in advance and no way to know when some of the Gala Nights would be with the sea days and itinerary so it was by chance that I didn't miss the Gala nights.

I was on the same cruise and couldn't agree with you more. We had one dinner in the Pinnacle Grill and, frankly, we were disappointed.

There are two problems with these generic comments about quality of food on HAL. Firstly, I find that the quality varies greatly from ship to ship so that no general rule can be accurately applied. More importantly, there is no subject more personal in nature than people's food tastes. At the end of the day, the only opinion that counts is that of each individual.

Just off the Prinsendam Ruth and I have to say that the filet was absolutely incredible in the MDR on that ship.

 

It was tender, tasty and cooked to order. Everyone raved about it after. You could have cut it with a fork.

That's good to know, Jacqui. Thanks for the info; now I can look forward to ordering it in the dining room.

Did they serve Yorkshire pudding with the prime rib this year? Last year they didn't as SOP, and they had generally done it in the past. It was a small disappointment.

One doesn't necessarily have to do Gala Nights in the MDR to enjoy those 'fancy' MDR items. On our last two cruises, Oosterdam and Rotterdam, those 'fancy' dinner items (surf and turf, lobster, etc.) were also available on the buffet.

Lot's to be said about dining there in lieu of the MDR. It's quieter, less crowded, and requires less time.

One doesn't necessarily have to do Gala Nights in the MDR to enjoy those 'fancy' MDR items. On our last two cruises, Oosterdam and Rotterdam, those 'fancy' dinner items (surf and turf, lobster, etc.) were also available on the buffet.

 

 

 

Lot's to be said about dining there in lieu of the MDR. It's quieter, less crowded, and requires less time.

But you have to serve yourself. I’m not a fan of buffets, people up and down at different times. That’s not very relaxing. And I like the fine dining experience, I’m not looking for less time. IMHO. [emoji483]

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Good day.  Any guesses as to which nights will be Gala Nights on this HAL Cruise?  Thanks in advance.