Why is specialty dining on last night still so popular?

[bUU]

Back in the day, I suppose some people would do specialty dining on the last night as a way of avoiding handing out cash tips (back when handing out tips in cash was SOP), but those days are gone. Perhaps the answer is the obvious (i.e., "last night, so let's make it extra special"), but if not I'm curious why last night specialty dining is still so popular.

[dvcmember]

We always start and end our cruise with Pinnacle Gril. Makes it so much more memorable. Plus, we love to enjoy and 2 - 3 dining experience with wine pairings and stellar service.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We also like to start and end our cruise with a lovely meal.

We would give our extra tips to our waiters and wine steward on the next to the last night and tell where we would be eating. So we weren't skipping out of tipping them like some people did.

[Alberta Quilter]

HAL used to have the Master Chef's (?) Dinner in the MDR, on the last night, with the dining stewards prancing about drumming on large plastic salad bowls and twirling napkins. I believe most people tried to avoid the spectacle by booking the PG. HAL did change it and dropped the prancing about. I didn't mind the "round the world" (my term, not their's) menu as I was always able to find something I liked but others disliked it and booked specialty dining for the last night. In my last few cruises, the dinner was focused on the Culinary Council and offered more unusual selections. I much prefered the "round the world" menu over the Culinary Council one. I haven't cruised for some time so don't know if it's changed again. I'd be interested to know as that may help me decide to book specialty dining for one of the two last nights of my B2B.

[DaveOKC]

We like to end our cruise with a special meal. Also, most times the final night menu has not been to our liking (although lately this trend seems to be changing). We also are sure to provide a tip envelope the next to final night for the dining servers and inform them that we will not be there the next night (so as to not hold up the rest of the table service).

[3rdGenCunarder]

We often go to the Pinnacle on the last night. We started because we hated the silly long meal with the waiters juggling rolls. Now we avoid the last night because there's something odd about the Culinary Council menu. It's the only night we have trouble finding something we really like, and it always seems to end up to be a strange combination of courses.

 

They still do a crew appreciation thing at the end of the meal, which is OK. I think a lot of lines do some version of this. IIRC, on Cunard they bring out the chefs, on HAL they have representatives of all departments, not just kitchen staff.

 

One holdover from the Master Chef's Dinner is that many passengers wave their napkins during the crew parade. I think passengers waving napkins is disgusting--it's the end of the meal, who knows what has fallen into your napkin??? This is a dining room, not a Steelers game, people!!!

[sail7seas]

We started going to Pinnalce the last night when HAL sttartde the 'flying salad bowls' as e we cal ed lit and the menu many of us thought 'lackingwas poffered every cruise . My DH NEVER, NOt efver, failed to t go to mDR and tip our stewards. I woudl say thank you and good bye to them, the second to last night. We didn't lik r the MDR menu and dancing and prancing that HAL introduced. WE and manyother s avolided MDR when HAL added thast awful noisr and dancing. last night but WE always were sure to tip.

Edited April 10, 2018 by sail7seas

[ithaca gal]

I think it is a combination of two things:

 

(1) From what I've heard (and believe myself), the menu is absolutely NOT interesting at all on the final night.

 

(2) Although many people do make it a point to give their tips on the next to the last night if they are not dining in the MDR, MANY people do not have the nerve to dine there and stiff the waitstaff (they do have SOME PART of a conscience? Not enough to give a little something extra to their servers but just enough to know that they shouldn't show their face and then skip out?) so they dine elsewhere.

 

One time I tipped our servers on the second to last night and said "I just wanted you to know that we won't be here on the last night but it isn't because we didn't want to tip you" and he looked surprised and said "You know about that?!", so it definitely is "a thing".

 

It's lovely to hear that many people do what we do ..... tip on the second to last night and then dine elsewhere on the last night.

[sail7seas]

We often go to the Pinnacle on the last night. We started because we hated the silly long meal with the waiters juggling rolls. Now we avoid the last night because there's something odd about the Culinary Council menu. It's the only night we have trouble finding something we really like, and it always seems to end up to be a strange combination of courses.

 

They still do a crew appreciation thing at the end of the meal, which is OK. I think a lot of lines do some version of this. IIRC, on Cunard they bring out the chefs, on HAL they have representatives of all departments, not just kitchen staff.

 

One holdover from the Master Chef's Dinner is that many passengers wave their napkins during the crew parade. I think passengers waving napkins is disgusting--it's the end of the meal, who knows what has fallen into your napkin??? This is a dining room, not a Steelers game, people!!!

 

 

 

I really dislike the napkin wainvg in a dining room. An awful way to expose eveyrone to who knows how many air borne germs.

[ithaca gal]

I really dislike the napkin wainvg in a dining room. An awful way to expose eveyrone to who knows how many air borne germs.

 

I know it's really cheesy but I liked it -- the crew seemed to appreciate it, too.

 

Since it occurs on the last night of the cruise, those few minutes of airborne germs are the last ones you have to worry about. Unless you wore gloves and put your bare hands on nothing (including every item in your room, elevator buttons, staircase rails, etc, etc, etc), you've already been exposed to millions (gazillions?) of germs every other day ... and don't get me started about those from the port visits!

[TrolleyGirl]

My DH doesn't care for mushrooms. He swears that every entrée on the last nights menu contains mushrooms. I'm not so sure every entrée on the menu had them listed but a huge portion did. So off to a specialty restaurant we go.

 

I too have heard that some avoid the MDR to avoid tipping. I was STUNNED!

[ithaca gal]

My DH doesn't care for mushrooms. He swears that every entrée on the last nights menu contains mushrooms. I'm not so sure every entrée on the menu had them listed but a huge portion did. So off to a specialty restaurant we go.

 

I too have heard that some avoid the MDR to avoid tipping. I was STUNNED!

 

I've heard they put mushrooms in the fruit crisps just to spite him!

[cbr663]

I have never noticed that specialty dining is more popular on the last night.

[ithaca gal]

I have never noticed that specialty dining is more popular on the last night.

 

If we've waited to book until we are on the ship, it has been difficult to get a reservation in the PG or Tamarind on the last evening, to our experience.

[sail7seas]

I have never noticed that specialty dining is more popular on the last night.

 

Where do you dine the last night of your HAL cruises? MDR or Alternative restaurants?

[Stratheden]

We both dislike the Culinary Council menu. We really have difficulty finding something we like. There have been a lot of posts over the years saying the same thing. You would think HAL would have done something about it by now wouldn't you.

[jenp123]

I really dislike to menu from the final night.

[Cruise_More_Often]

We both dislike the Culinary Council menu. We really have difficulty finding something we like. There have been a lot of posts over the years saying the same thing. You would think HAL would have done something about it by now wouldn't you.

I had forgotten about that menu. Whatever night it's offered, that's the night I'll order the steak, a baked potato and Caesar salad. Absolutely nothing on the Culinary Council menu has ever appealed to me. And, yes, I have mentioned it on my surveys.

 

Waving the napkins has never appealed to me. We had been on several NCL cruises (where that's just not part of the dining experience) when we went on our first RCI cruise. I don't know whether the staff likes prancing through the dining room while people clap and wave their napkins, but I was embarassed for them. I thought I'd never see that on a HAL cruise. My mistake. :o

[cruisemom42]

With so many negative comments, I'm curious -- can't recall this specific menu being so terrible. Can someone post a link to the current version?

[Old As Dirt Mom]

With so many negative comments, I'm curious -- can't recall this specific menu being so terrible. Can someone post a link to the current version?

 

I don't think the Culinary Council menu on the last night is so terrible. I hope Roger Jett doesn't mind that I've taken the liberty of linking to his menus. This is a 7-day menu from the 2017 Alaska season. Day 7 has the Culinary Council menu in the main dining room. Scroll down past the Lido and lunch menus:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2/specifc-cruise-lido-and-mdr-menus/hal-7-day-alaska-2017-menus/

[Stratheden]

I don't think the Culinary Council menu on the last night is so terrible. I hope Roger Jett doesn't mind that I've taken the liberty of linking to his menus. This is a 7-day menu from the 2017 Alaska season. Day 7 has the Culinary Council menu in the main dining room. Scroll down past the Lido and lunch menus:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2/specifc-cruise-lido-and-mdr-menus/hal-7-day-alaska-2017-menus/

 

 

 

"Tonight’s menuwill feature two dishes from each of our council chefs, highlighting whothey are as a chef and together create a unique culinary experience. "

This is quote from the Culinary Council menu. I'm afraid is doesn't show anything great about any of them.

[cruisemom42]

I don't think the Culinary Council menu on the last night is so terrible. I hope Roger Jett doesn't mind that I've taken the liberty of linking to his menus. This is a 7-day menu from the 2017 Alaska season. Day 7 has the Culinary Council menu in the main dining room. Scroll down past the Lido and lunch menus:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2/specifc-cruise-lido-and-mdr-menus/hal-7-day-alaska-2017-menus/

 

Thanks -- I recall a couple of these.

 

You're right, not terrible at all.

[ithaca gal]

Thanks -- I recall a couple of these.

 

You're right, not terrible at all.

 

It’s certainly a matter of taste

but definitely not a favorite of most.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

The napkin waving and twirling in the MDR on ANY ship has always skeezed me out!!!!! I always have a fear I'm going to get pelted in the head by chewed up spit out food, or even worse a pair of dentures :eek::eek::eek:

 

I remember the days of the Master Chefs "Disaster" as many called the last night dinner when that was thing (tossing fake food, beating on sale bowls, etc), and agree the Culinary Council menu currently in use is no great shakes, so as others have said, booking specialty the last night is an appealing option.

 

As others have stated, if I elect to dine specialty the last evening, I will give any supplemental tips (over the standard daily hotel service fee) on the last evening I intend to dine in the MDR, and advise my staff of my intent to dine elsewhere on the last night.

[bUU]

It’s certainly a matter of taste

but definitely not a favorite of most.

Impossible to say. Anyone who is basing the determination on their own on-board experience is likely to be biased toward thinking that their own opinion is the norm and if you instead do a meta-analysis of all the feedback you can find online you'll find big pockets of negative comments and big pockets of positive comments, and no definitive consensus. It's almost as if people sitting next to each other were given completely different menus and served completely different meals.

 

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