Mariner Discount for Pinnacle Grill Lunch?

[TomAndJane]

Does anyone know if you receive your Mariner Discount for the Pinnacle Grill Lunch? I would assume the answer is yes but just wanted to make sure.

 

Thanks and have a great day,

 

Tom

[avian777]

Yes, based on my experiences. However, since things can change from time to time, I suggest you contact the Mariner Society for the latest info.

Smooth sailing ...

[Krazy Kruizers]

Yes

But do agree -- things change so fast and from ship to ship.

[TomAndJane]

Thanks everyone. The only constant we have in this life is CHANGE... :) Appreciate the fast feedback.

 

Tom

[kazu]

Absolutely :). As per the Mariners' faqs site, the only meals that don't get the discount are the "special" ones like Master Chef Table, Sommelier/Cellar Master Dinner, etc.

[WeRockChalkKU]

We got it last month on the Kdam when we had lunch.

[TAD2005]

We were on the Oosterdam from Nov 25 thru Dec 16. My wife's b-day was right in the middle of the cruise, so I wanted to pre-book, online, a Pinnacle Grill dinner to insure we would get that specific date. I did so and was told by Ship's Services that we would receive our 25% 3-star Mariner discount posted to our onboard account after we had our dinner.

I waited a few days after the dinner, and finally visited the front desk, because I didn't see the credit. They said the credits would be applied to the credit card I used to book the dinners online. I said that was was not what Seattle told me. They would refer this to the Matre'd of the Pinnacle. I questioned him, and he basically said that the 25 % and 50 % Mariner discounts only applied if you booked your dinner while onboard. You were pretty much out of luck if you booked online. I again complained to the front desk, citing what I was told by Seattle. Two days later, I saw the credits appear on my account, and the front desk told me that Seattle told them to apply the credits to my account, and that they will soon have their website setup to apply the Mariner credits when you book online, eliminating all of that back and forth verification between the ship and Seattle. So, check for your Mariner discounts and pay no attention to the Matre'd, at least on the Oosterdam.

[RedmondCruiser]

We were on an Alaska cruise this summer. Prior to leaving I booked to two nights in the Pinnacle. We are five star mariners, therefore two meals were complementary. I thought that we would get credited for the two meals on our statement. On our statement they only listed one credit of $70. I called HAL upon return and asked for the other $70 credit. They said it would take 6 to 8 weeks before they could provide a credit. It took them 7 weeks to credit my card. I was not too happy about the delay. Now I see that some ships will not credit for dates booked on line ??? Sorry but this is not acceptable. If that's the case then they need to inform people who book on line that Mariner discounts may not apply, and do it in big print.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

In my case, the 4 star Mariner discounts have been applied to my 5 star free dinners. On the last cruise, I had to fight for the 2 free dinners and did not get them. The front desk sent me to the PG Manager and the Manager sent me to the front desk. I basically gave up.

 

On my upcoming cruise, I have booked 5 PG dinners - we shall see how the discounts pan out. I am not hopeful. It seems so simple and yet HAL makes it so difficult.

[VennDiagram]

In my case, the 4 star Mariner discounts have been applied to my 5 star free dinners. On the last cruise, I had to fight for the 2 free dinners and did not get them. The front desk sent me to the PG Manager and the Manager sent me to the front desk. I basically gave up.

 

On my upcoming cruise, I have booked 5 PG dinners - we shall see how the discounts pan out. I am not hopeful. It seems so simple and yet HAL makes it so difficult.

 

This is really disheartening :( I would be tempted to make them read the "Benefits" page where the comps and discounts are clearly stated. Or take a screen print of that page and show it to them onboard.

[kazu]

I have always had the 4* discount credited to my on board account except for one cruise. In that case, I approached the issue right away and it appeared a day later.

 

For our 5* dinners (my first time) as I left the PG I simply asked the PG manager to apply my 5* to this dinner and the OBC was on my account the next day. All my PG dinners were booked on line ahead of time on this cruise.

 

The 5* was on the Westerdam. The 4* discounts have been on several ships but primarily the Prinsendam and Westerdam.

[SilvertoGold]

We have not ever had trouble with the two 5 star complimentary dinners or with the 50% discount with the rest. We do not pre-book these meals, so that could be why......or not.

 

I really would suggest that anyone having a problem with this should contact the Mariner Society by email while on the ship, or when you get home. I am pretty sure they would be willing to look into this for you, as this makes the program look bad and I don't think they don't want that.

Edited December 20, 2016 by SilvertoGold

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Thanks to VennDiagram, kazu, and SilvertoGold for your advice. My next cruise is on the Rotterdam, a ship I have never been on, so I will do all I can to procure the discounts and report back after the cruise. Hoping to be lucky this time and have everything fall into place. Barbara

[Boatdrill]

Have had no problem with receiving the Mariner discount for PG lunch.

 

However, what I will not do again is book spa services online. HAL had offered a promotion for spa services booked online and I took it. Although it was paid for in advance, I was charged again onboard. When spa staff asked me to sign the charge, I explained I had already paid when I made the reservation online. She said that although I had done that, they have to charge me at the time of service, and that in 24 hours, the advance payment will show on my account. A day and half later, I checked my account, and sure enough, the onboard spa charge was there, but no record of advance payment. I raised a fuss at the front desk and showed them my online spa booking confirmation and receipt. They promptly told me to go to the spa and take it up with them. Once there, I was told that the spa manager had to take care of it and a note would be left for her, and she would call me. Next day after not hearing from her, I went back again. The manager apologized and said I had been given misinformation from the start, and she would credit my account right away, which she did.

 

The amount of time spent trying to straighten this out was ridiculous. It took days instead of a few hours.

Edited December 20, 2016 by Boatdrill

[kazu]

Thanks to VennDiagram, kazu, and SilvertoGold for your advice. My next cruise is on the Rotterdam, a ship I have never been on, so I will do all I can to procure the discounts and report back after the cruise. Hoping to be lucky this time and have everything fall into place. Barbara

 

Hope it works out better for you this time Barbara. The Rotterdam has some absolutely fabulous art. Really worth exploring :). Enjoy her - she's next up for us too - haven't been on since they created the "retreat" and despite it we are looking forward to sailing on her again.

[SilvertoGold]

Thanks to VennDiagram, kazu, and SilvertoGold for your advice. My next cruise is on the Rotterdam, a ship I have never been on, so I will do all I can to procure the discounts and report back after the cruise. Hoping to be lucky this time and have everything fall into place. Barbara

 

I hope all goes well on the Rotterdam! There is no reason for having any problem with the Mariner discounts. These have been around for a l-o-n-g time now.

 

Training may be lacking/lagging. I know that when we signed up once for a complimentary cooking class the International Rep at the Front Desk wrote up a charge but we pointed out, for the second time, that we were 5 stars..... so she thought about it, a light bulb went off........

[DaveOKC]

We got it last month on the Kdam when we had lunch.

 

Same here last week. Immediately showed up on the bill.

 

By the way, I really like the new kiosks by the front desk where you can quickly and easily get a copy of your bill. I like to check every few days, so that I can resolve any problems as they occur.

[WeRockChalkKU]

Same here last week. Immediately showed up on the bill.

 

By the way, I really like the new kiosks by the front desk where you can quickly and easily get a copy of your bill. I like to check every few days, so that I can resolve any problems as they occur.

 

Easier than that was to sign on with your smart phone or tablet (no internet required) to look at your bill, see the daily schedule, etc. So glad HAL added that feature on some ships.

 

Additionally, as far as getting Mariner discount, we pre booked and paid full price (as required) for our specialty dining reservations and got our Mariner discount credited back without even having to ask - it automatically was applied the day or so after you actually dined.

[VermeulT]

We were on the Oosterdam from Nov 25 thru Dec 16. My wife's b-day was right in the middle of the cruise, so I wanted to pre-book, online, a Pinnacle Grill dinner to insure we would get that specific date. I did so and was told by Ship's Services that we would receive our 25% 3-star Mariner discount posted to our onboard account after we had our dinner.

I waited a few days after the dinner, and finally visited the front desk, because I didn't see the credit. They said the credits would be applied to the credit card I used to book the dinners online. I said that was was not what Seattle told me. They would refer this to the Matre'd of the Pinnacle. I questioned him, and he basically said that the 25 % and 50 % Mariner discounts only applied if you booked your dinner while onboard. You were pretty much out of luck if you booked online. I again complained to the front desk, citing what I was told by Seattle. Two days later, I saw the credits appear on my account, and the front desk told me that Seattle told them to apply the credits to my account, and that they will soon have their website setup to apply the Mariner credits when you book online, eliminating all of that back and forth verification between the ship and Seattle. So, check for your Mariner discounts and pay no attention to the Matre'd, at least on the Oosterdam.

 

In the past, I've had the discount from pre-booking show onto my onboard account with no issue.

 

Having them apply the discount while booking would be ideal wouldn't it....

 

I can only wonder if they are "forgetting" to apply the 25% or 100% discounts and hoping people don't pay attention &/or complain.

 

Sad. Very Sad.

[SilvertoGold]

 

Additionally, as far as getting Mariner discount, we pre booked and paid full price (as required) for our specialty dining reservations and got our Mariner discount credited back without even having to ask - it automatically was applied the day or so after you actually dined.

 

This is an example of the rampant inconsistency among the HAL ships. I cannot understand why HAL can't get a computer program to handle discounts.

 

My impression is that, given the reports and what I hear on the ships when I cruise, there are often a lot of problems with the Mariner discounts. Is someone doing this accounting manually account by account? Sounds far fetched, but how could a computer do such a bad job of this?

[WeRockChalkKU]

This is an example of the rampant inconsistency among the HAL ships. I cannot understand why HAL can't get a computer program to handle discounts.

 

My impression is that, given the reports and what I hear on the ships when I cruise, there are often a lot of problems with the Mariner discounts. Is someone doing this accounting manually account by account? Sounds far fetched, but how could a computer do such a bad job of this?

 

It must be a manual thing or at least was when we dined last month:

 

On the Kdam - we pre booked 2 nights in both the Pinnacle and the Culinary Arts Center. After our first night in the Pinnacle we were immediately credited with both nights discount for our Pinnacle meals. The Culinary Arts Center gave you your credit a couple of days after each dining there. So, not only does it vary from ship to ship, it also seems to vary based on which restaurant you eat at on the Kdam.

 

How they do it doesn't matter, just as long as I get my discount. I Agree it would be frustrating to have to be the one to make the extra effort to receive it.

Edited December 20, 2016 by beachdreaming
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[kazu]

This is an example of the rampant inconsistency among the HAL ships. I cannot understand why HAL can't get a computer program to handle discounts.

 

My impression is that, given the reports and what I hear on the ships when I cruise, there are often a lot of problems with the Mariner discounts. Is someone doing this accounting manually account by account? Sounds far fetched, but how could a computer do such a bad job of this?

 

Good question. It's not even treated the same way on ships. When we sailed on one cruise (N Amsterdam I believe), we didn't get our discount until after we had dined. Makes it tricky if you are eating the last night in the PG to make sure that you are credited. On the other ships, the obc is applied to my account right away. Usually there on the first day or the following morning at the latest.

 

To me, that is the way it should be on all the ships. We've already paid in advance and full price, so why not refund what shouldn't have had to be paid right away?

[SilvertoGold]

It must be a manual thing or at least was when we dined last month:

 

On the Kdam - we pre booked 2 nights in both the Pinnacle and the Culinary Arts Center. After our first night in the Pinnacle we were immediately credited with both nights discount for our Pinnacle meals. The Culinary Arts Center gave you your credit a couple of days after each dining there. So, not only does it vary from ship to ship, it also seems to vary based on which restaurant you eat at on the Kdam.

 

How they do it doesn't matter, just as long as I get my discount. I Agree it would be frustrating to have to be the one to make the extra effort to receive it.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Manually done it must be, but I am confused why this can't be done in a professional manner (ie: correctly, consistently).

The Marine Star program has been going for years and years: how HAL does not have a system in place to train the appropriate crew is beyond me.

 

You are right: as long as my account is credited correctly, it is all good, but no one should have to fight for these rewards!

Edited December 20, 2016 by SilvertoGold