PG first night

[dakrewser]

We often go to the Pinnacle Grill on the first night of a cruise (it's free for Amex platinum holders) but usually wait until we board to make a reservation. Since it's almost 3 years since our last HAL cruise I need to ask - can you still get a same day reservation for the PG, or is it almost always full from pre-bookings?

[DAllenTCY]

Why take the chance? You can book online ahead of time and choose the seating time that you desire. You can cancel without penalty up until the day before.

David

[jtl513]

Why take the chance? You can book online ahead of time and choose the seating time that you desire. You can cancel without penalty up until the day before.

David

Can you make advance reservations for free dinners? Or if you make reservations in advance (and pay) can you get the money refunded for AmEx freebies once on board?

[travelnap]

We often go to the Pinnacle Grill on the first night of a cruise (it's free for Amex platinum holders) but usually wait until we board to make a reservation. Since it's almost 3 years since our last HAL cruise I need to ask - can you still get a same day reservation for the PG, or is it almost always full from pre-bookings?

I was on the Rotterdam in November and also had the Amex Dinner certificate and I went to the PG on the first night. There was not a problem getting a reservation once I boarded the ship. I actually went to the PG a couple of hours before they opened and made the reservation. I had forgotten that I had used my Amex Card to pay for the trip so it was a pleasant surprise when I got to my cabin. Dinner was excellent.

[iriemon]

It really depends on how many have the same idea as you do. We usually go there first night also because the dining room tends to be a little crazy, but we always make our reservations in advance, don't want to take chances.

[PathfinderEss]

We often go to the Pinnacle Grill on the first night of a cruise (it's free for Amex platinum holders) but usually wait until we board to make a reservation. Since it's almost 3 years since our last HAL cruise I need to ask - can you still get a same day reservation for the PG, or is it almost always full from pre-bookings?

You can take a chance that there will be space for you, but if your worried about getting a reservation, do it on-line. You will have to pay the 25 dollar per person charge but it will be reimbursed when you come get on board. Besides just think you'll have a head start on paying your shipboard bill for all the fun you will have with drinking, shore excursion, spa services, etc.

[Riversedge]

Please explain the free Amex dinner. Is this any American Express card or only the one connected with HAL? I've never heard of this before.

Thanks,

Linda

[jtl513]

Please explain the free Amex dinner. Is this any American Express card or only the one connected with HAL? I've never heard of this before.

Thanks,

Linda

The card connected with HAL is a Barclay Bank Visa.

[bcnvcanada]

Amex Plat-Cent. cards give a free dinner in a speciality dinning resturants on the first night of a cruise, however, if it is to crowded they the resturants will give it to you on another night.

[Riversedge]

Sorry, still confused here. What is a Plat-Cent card? I'm assuming Plat stands for Platinum but don't know what Cent means. How do I know if my card qualifies?

[travelnap]

Sorry, still confused here. What is a Plat-Cent card? I'm assuming Plat stands for Platinum but don't know what Cent means. How do I know if my card qualifies?

Lauren, Don't know if this will help much, but I believe the cruise has to be paid for with your Amex card to qualify for the dinner. When I booked my TA on the Rotterdam last November I used my Delta Sky Miles card to pay for the trip And the Delta card was a platinum card, so I was pleasantly surprised when I got to my cabin and the complimentary dinner was there waiting for me. As far as the Cent card, I believe that is a higher card than the platinum level with AmEx, but I may be mistaken.

[Riversedge]

Lauren, Don't know if this will help much, but I believe the cruise has to be paid for with your Amex card to qualify for the dinner. When I booked my TA on the Rotterdam last November I used my Delta Sky Miles card to pay for the trip And the Delta card was a platinum card, so I was pleasantly surprised when I got to my cabin and the complimentary dinner was there waiting for me. As far as the Cent card, I believe that is a higher card than the platinum level with AmEx, but I may be mistaken.

 

Did you have a certificate in the cabin that you could use for the free dinner? I did pay with an Amex Card (Citi Bank AA card). If dinner were free we'd go the first night. Otherwise we have one free one from our TA and would probably do that a different night.

[travelnap]

It was a little card in an envelope and it was waiting on the desk in my cabin along with a letter of explanation. I did not know anything about it so it was a nice surprize. I don't know if it was a promotion they were doing last summer when I booked the cruise, or if it is something they do all the time. I used it the first night without any problem.

[Viesczy]

We tend to avoid PG the first 2 or 3 nights because K's a little prone to motion sickness and those are the days when she is most apt to fee a little :(.

 

Plus on the 1st night I'm so AMPED to actually be on vacation I'm just carbing up breads and such in the lido buffet the entire time it is open. :o

 

Derek

[sail7seas]

Please explain the free Amex dinner. Is this any American Express card or only the one connected with HAL? I've never heard of this before.

Thanks,

Linda

 

 

The card that provides the free Pinnacle dinner is American Express Platinum. It has to be the one that has membership fee of something like $300.... DH pays the bill and I'm not sure what it is up to now.

 

Any of the AmEx combination cards with some other entity, do not apply for this offer.

 

You must make all payments for your cruise using that credit card to be eligible.

[PRWeezer]

Sorry, still confused here. What is a Plat-Cent card? I'm assuming Plat stands for Platinum but don't know what Cent means. How do I know if my card qualifies?

 

I think they're referring to the AMEX Centurion card, otherwise known as the black card. Unless their process has changed, you have to be invited to get one based on past spending levels of 6 figures + annually (one recent report said it was $250,000+).

 

We're also thinking about PG for our first night. Our cruise leaves in 5 1/2 weeks and I just checked, reservations look to be available for any seating still. If the main dining room tends to be hectic, maybe we'll start off in a quieter setting.

[mearsfansinboise]

We tend to avoid PG the first 2 or 3 nights because K's a little prone to motion sickness and those are the days when she is most apt to fee a little :(.

 

Plus on the 1st night I'm so AMPED to actually be on vacation I'm just carbing up breads and such in the lido buffet the entire time it is open. :o

 

Derek

 

This sounds exactly like us. I feel it the first night or 2.... And my husband is carbing it up while the littles are ice-creaming it up. Thanks for the reminder to NOT book it those first 2 nights.

[sail7seas]

I think they're referring to the AMEX Centurion card, otherwise known as the black card. Unless their process has changed, you have to be invited to get one based on past spending levels of 6 figures + annually (one recent report said it was $250,000+).

 

We're also thinking about PG for our first night. Our cruise leaves in 5 1/2 weeks and I just checked, reservations look to be available for any seating still. If the main dining room tends to be hectic, maybe we'll start off in a quieter setting.

 

 

It may apply to Black as well but it has been for years on the American Express Platinum card....... the one issued just by Am Ex and not a joint card with Costco or other entitites. If you pay the approximately $300/year membership for your card, chances are you are using the card which provides this benefit. The black card may, also, but those of us using Platinum and pay for our cruise with that card get the benefit.

 

[PRWeezer]

It may apply to Black as well but it has been for years on the American Express Platinum card....... the one issued just by Am Ex and not a joint card with Costco or other entitites. If you pay the approximately $300/year membership for your card, chances are you are using the card which provides this benefit. The black card may, also, but those of us using Platinum and pay for our cruise with that card get the benefit.

 

 

Thanks for the info, I was trying to clarify the earlier poster's question of what did "Cent" mean. I see where there could be confusion as there are so many different types of cards. For one, I have a Platinum Delta SkyMiles AMEX & a Business Platinum AMEX. The latter gets good perks, but my accountant would frown on using it to pay for a cruise that's not a business trip. Doesn't sound like it would apply for this benefit anyway.

[Riversedge]

The card that provides the free Pinnacle dinner is American Express Platinum. It has to be the one that has membership fee of something like $300.... DH pays the bill and I'm not sure what it is up to now.

 

Any of the AmEx combination cards with some other entity, do not apply for this offer.

 

You must make all payments for your cruise using that credit card to be eligible.

 

Good explanation. Guess my card with it's $85.00 yearly fee won't qualify! I wondered how they would have room for all the people that had booked with AmEx and now I know. There probably aren't a huge number.

[travelnap]

Good explanation. Guess my card with it's $85.00 yearly fee won't qualify! I wondered how they would have room for all the people that had booked with AmEx and now I know. There probably aren't a huge number.

Lauren, I don't know if your card will qualify or not. If it is a platinum card it might. The Delta Sky Miles Card I used lost year in November has a $95.00 annual fee, and I received the promotion on my TA on the Rotterdam. It is not the regular Amex Platinum card but it is a platinum card. As I mentioned before I didn't know about the perk until I boarded the ship. A very pleasant surprise. Its possible that the perk might have been something Delta was doing with Amex last summer, so it may or may not be available any longer. Have a good trip.

[igraf]

Wow! Why would anyone pay such a high fee? Our credit cards are free, and one pays me about $300 per year (which puts me ahead $600 compared to that AMEX card). Thanks, but we will just pay for our own Pinnacle dinners.

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

 

... If you pay the approximately $300/year membership for your card, chances are you are using the card which provides this benefit. ...

 

[PRWeezer]

Wow! Why would anyone pay such a high fee? Our credit cards are free, and one pays me about $300 per year (which puts me ahead $600 compared to that AMEX card). Thanks, but we will just pay for our own Pinnacle dinners.

 

igraf

 

My Business Platinum AMEX has a lot of perks we use that help justify the annual fee. Just one basically covers it - we get free airline club access & use it in the Delta SkyClub frequently ($400+ 'value' there). There are other benefits we use, some we don't, but overall I think I get enough out of the card vs what I'm paying for it.

 

That being said, I'm about to drop an ATM/debit card on my business bank account because the annual fee is going up without any evident improvement in perks that are of value to me.

[sail7seas]

Wow! Why would anyone pay such a high fee? Our credit cards are free, and one pays me about $300 per year (which puts me ahead $600 compared to that AMEX card). Thanks, but we will just pay for our own Pinnacle dinners.

 

igraf

 

 

There are benefits to that card that make it more than worth it for us. It isn't for everyone and if you wouldn't get enough use from the benefits that go along with it, then it wouldn't make sense to get it. For us, having had the card for a very long time, we have never felt we didn't make enough use of the features to substantiate the fee.

 

We all live different lives with different needs. :)

 

[Typhoon1]

The PG is relatively empty on the first night.

 

Make a reservation as soon as you board the ship and there should not be a problem. There's a podium in the Lido for reservations or pick up the nearest phone and dial 88.