Gala Night Dining

[ccmo]

My husband and I will be on our first HAL cruise this February on the Rotterdam. Was looking to book our Gala Night restaurant. That would be the first sea day, correct? Was looking to reserve Pinnacle Grill that night. Do most prefer MDR or specialty restaurant on Gala Night?

[Roz]

There are 2 gala nights on a 7-day cruise.  I find the gala night menus in the MDR to be rather uninspired.

[kazu]

Yes, that should be your first Gala night.  

A lot of people like to do the Gala night in the MDR and a lot prefer the PG.

 

The first Gala night is the least of the 2 (or 3 if you are on a longer cruise).

 

If you have a good PG you will have a very nice dinner 👍 

[rkacruiser]

40 minutes ago, Roz said:

I find the gala night menus in the MDR to be rather uninspired.

 

36 minutes ago, kazu said:

The first Gala night is the least of the 2 (or 3 if you are on a longer cruise).

 

These posters experience is what I usually find as well.  There are always some choices that I enjoy.  A reservation at a specialty restaurant for that night might be a better choice.  If Rudi's Sel de Mer stand alone restaurant is on your ship, I would recommend you consider that venue.  

[Florida_gal_50]

While the food used to be good several years back on formal now gala night it’s meh now.  

[ccmo]

Thank you. All replies have been very helpful.

[Hlitner]

15 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

While the food used to be good several years back on formal now gala night it’s meh now.  

If it is “meh” on Gala nights when is it not “meh?”  Some recent posts have us considering canceling a future 42 night booking.  While the Pinnacle is usually decent we do not see ourselves Dining there on most nights.  HAL Meatloaf and priced add ons in the MDR is just not our preference.  Different strokes for different folks kind of thing but we find ourselves trending towards Seabourn, Oceania, Azamara and MSC Yacht Club.  Times do change many things including cruise lines.  It seems that the HAL of today is but a shadow of its wonderful past.

 

Hank

[Florida_gal_50]

1 minute ago, Hlitner said:

If it is “meh” on Gala nights when is it not “meh?”  Some recent posts have us considering canceling a future 42 night booking.  While the Pinnacle is usually decent we do not see ourselves Dining there on most nights.  HAL Meatloaf and priced add ons in the MDR is just not our preference.  Different strokes for different folks kind of thing but we find ourselves trending towards Seabourn, Oceania, Azamara and MSC Yacht Club.  Times do change many things including cruise lines.  It seems that the HAL of today is but a shadow of its wonderful past.

 

Hank

I find the day to day offering to be fine. What I don’t like is that they pretend that the gala night is something special.  It’s just not.  I’m not defending hal but every line you are mentioning has a much higher price generally speaking.  I’m not talking about the one offs where you might find a deal if you obsessively look for it.

[Evilmuffin]

19 hours ago, Roz said:

There are 2 gala nights on a 7-day cruise.  I find the gala night menus in the MDR to be rather uninspired.

Im on b2b cruises in December and there is only one on the 10 day cruise and none on the 7 day cruise that I can see.   

[atexsix]

30 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

If it is “meh” on Gala nights when is it not “meh?”  Some recent posts have us considering canceling a future 42 night booking.  While the Pinnacle is usually decent we do not see ourselves Dining there on most nights.  HAL Meatloaf and priced add ons in the MDR is just not our preference.  Different strokes for different folks kind of thing but we find ourselves trending towards Seabourn, Oceania, Azamara and MSC Yacht Club.  Times do change many things including cruise lines.  It seems that the HAL of today is but a shadow of its wonderful past.

 

Hank

HAL's MDR room was once our joy, the memories we'd reminisce the most about.  Sadly it wasn't the case for us this year.  It wasn't just the lack of interesting menu choices.  The upselling, while not unexpected given what we'd heard from everybody else, was still a turn off nonetheless, and it wasn't just from our waiters.  A couple of times they walked from table to table peddling those waters in the aluminum cans.  The magic tricks were another thing we could have done without.  We were there to dine, not watch a carnival sideshow.  The interruptions were not welcome, every time we'd get our conversation going again, someone else would come by..."where were we" was a constant refrain.  The piped in music was blah, but that was an issue throughout the ship, for us at least.

 

The MDR's elegance is long gone.  

 

 

Edited October 17, 2021 by atexsix

[AV8rix]

45 minutes ago, atexsix said:

We were there to dine, not watch a carnival sideshow.  The interruptions were not welcome, every time we'd get our conversation going again, someone else would come by..."where were we" was a constant refrain.  The piped in music was blah, but that was an issue throughout the ship, for us at least.

 

The MDR's elegance is long gone.  

 

 

Seriously, Bruno?  You mean that HAL is now playing music throughout the ship?  Like the bottom-feeder lines?  That's what I used to love about HAL.  You could sit and read or talk to friends just about anywhere in the (formerly?) quiet public spaces.  And many places to go for music when you were in the mood for that, as well as YOUR choice of what type of music you wanted to hear.

 

And all of the other bad news about the MDR -- that has been posted by others and confirmed by you --  is why this former devotee of the S-class and R-class ships is now switching to Pinnacle-class for all of my upcoming cruises.  My long-time PCC was surprised when he asked me if I wanted my usual late-seating traditional dining reservation that I have ALWAYS had in the past and I told him to just leave me at open seating as I intend to eat at the surcharge venues most evenings, and there are more of those on the humungoudams. 

 

Edited October 17, 2021 by Av8rix

[Hlitner]

31 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I find the day to day offering to be fine. What I don’t like is that they pretend that the gala night is something special.  It’s just not.  I’m not defending hal but every line you are mentioning has a much higher price generally speaking.  I’m not talking about the one offs where you might find a deal if you obsessively look for it.

The price issue is quite interesting and a topic unto itself.  We are currently on the Seabourn Odyssey where our normal verandah suite would compare to a Signature Suite on HAL.  Our price on SB is truly all inclusive and we pay for nothing onboard.  So you need to consider we get unlimited top shelf booze and unlimited caviar.  There is no charge for alternative dining and no add ons.  At the end of our cruise we will have spent zero dollars on the ship.  Our OBC was adequate to cover all our excursions, and some high priced wines and we are trying to find a way to spend our remaining few hundred of OBC.

 

Our cost for this was slightly less than $400 per passenger day.  Consider what a Signature Suite would cost including tips, premium drink package, a generous OBC, etc.  While on this cruise we booked  a 27 day future cruise for about the same cost per day and they tossed in $2000 of OBC which will be difficult to use up.  Again compare to a 27 day HAL cruise in a Signature Suite with all the extra expenses.  I would add that we have 130 passengers here with 360 crew.  Pretty good ratio.  In normal times there would be about 400 passengers which is still a terrific ratio.

 

When looking at the small ship luxury lines folks should be careful to consider what is included as compared to mass market lines.  The one negative here for some HAL cruisers would be that dinner does not even start until 7pm.  But we do have wonderful small cast production shows, no movies (except on suite TVs), two live bands and an excellent piano bar player/singer with entertainment until midnight.

 

Hank

 

 

 

[atexsix]

6 minutes ago, Av8rix said:

Seriously, Bruno?  You mean that HAL is now playing music throughout the ship?  Like the bottom-feeder lines?  That's what I used to love about HAL.  You could sit and read or talk to friends just about anywhere in the (formerly?) quiet public spaces.  And many places to go for music when you were in the mood for that, as well as YOUR choice of what type of music you wanted to hear.

 

And all of the other bad news about the MDR -- that has been posted by others and confirmed by you --  is why this former devotee of the S-class and R-class ships is now switching to Pinnacle-class for all of my upcoming cruises.  My long-time PCC was surprised when he asked me if I wanted my usual late-seating traditional dining reservation that I have ALWAYS had in the past and I told him to just leave me at open seating, as I intend to eat at the surcharge venues most evenings, and there are more of those on the humungoudams. 

 

Yes indeed.  We wouldn't have minded it in the MDR if it was dinner music, but it was some type of eclectic variety that would go from soft rock to bluegrass to disco, it was pretty bizarre.  The same channel was also playing in the Ocean Bar, another place it wasn't welcome since so many people, including us, use the venue for reading and puzzles during the day.  

 

Pinnacle was booked solid, but we ordered it for room service twice and it was out of this world!  Truly our best two meals the entire cruise, the steak, along with the presentation of it, was just as good as you'd get in person.  It was also the best deal on the ship, at only a $15 surcharge for the same food, much lower than the Pinnacle itself and the MDR upsell (complete with roaming salesmen). 

[Florida_gal_50]

@HlitnerGood if you drink continuously and love caviar.  It’s not something I enjoy.  I know you love to belittle people that do go to bed early.  At home I get up for work between 3:45 and 4 am.  It’s hard for me to get off that schedule and I don’t do mid day baby naps so 7 is on the later side of when I like to eat.  I realize other might enjoy it.

Edited October 17, 2021 by Florida_gal_50

[Hlitner]

1 minute ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Good if you drink continuously and love caviar.  It’s not something I enjoy.  I know you love to belittle people that do go to bed early.  At home I get up for work between 3:45 and 4 am.  It’s hard for me to get off that schedule and I don’t do mid day baby naps so 7 is on the later side of when I like to eat.  I realize other might enjoy it.

Please give me a break.  I never said a word about folks going to bed early!  Simply pointed out that on SB ( a sister company of HAL) dinner is not available until 7pm.  The only exceptions are cabin service or the reservations-only Thomas Keller Grill which does open at 6pm.  
 

Hank

[atexsix]

21 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

The price issue is quite interesting and a topic unto itself.  We are currently on the Seabourn Odyssey where our normal verandah suite would compare to a Signature Suite on HAL.  Our price on SB is truly all inclusive and we pay for nothing onboard.  So you need to consider we get unlimited top shelf booze and unlimited caviar.  There is no charge for alternative dining and no add ons.  At the end of our cruise we will have spent zero dollars on the ship.  Our OBC was adequate to cover all our excursions, and some high priced wines and we are trying to find a way to spend our remaining few hundred of OBC.

 

Our cost for this was slightly less than $400 per passenger day.  Consider what a Signature Suite would cost including tips, premium drink package, a generous OBC, etc.  While on this cruise we booked  a 27 day future cruise for about the same cost per day and they tossed in $2000 of OBC which will be difficult to use up.  Again compare to a 27 day HAL cruise in a Signature Suite with all the extra expenses.  I would add that we have 130 passengers here with 360 crew.  Pretty good ratio.  In normal times there would be about 400 passengers which is still a terrific ratio.

 

When looking at the small ship luxury lines folks should be careful to consider what is included as compared to mass market lines.  The one negative here for some HAL cruisers would be that dinner does not even start until 7pm.  But we do have wonderful small cast production shows, no movies (except on suite TVs), two live bands and an excellent piano bar player/singer with entertainment until midnight.

 

Hank

 

 

 

This is what we're struggling with.  Do we book a Neptune on HAL?  Or sail at a lower category on an all inclusive line?  We're even considering a suite on Celebrity which seems to offer way more than HAL.  We've sailed Neptunes in the past, but they seem to be lacking now to justify the price when compared to similar lines.  Wasn't it the King's Room on the smaller ships we were able to dine in?  And what the heck happened to the fruit bowls?  It wasn't until we got home that it dawned on me. 

 

NCL's haven class has been highly recommended, but we're not sure their ships are for us.  The double deck wrap around lounge holds the largest appeal, but we're critical of the amusement park aspect to them, we're not there to be amused, we're there to relax. 

 

 

[Roz]

1 hour ago, Evilmuffin said:

Im on b2b cruises in December and there is only one on the 10 day cruise and none on the 7 day cruise that I can see.   

 

Then that is a big change from previous HAL cruises I've taken.  I apologize if I gave wrong or misleading information.

[Florida_gal_50]

11 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Please give me a break.  I never said a word about folks going to bed early!  Simply pointed out that on SB ( a sister company of HAL) dinner is not available until 7pm.  The only exceptions are cabin service or the reservations-only Thomas Keller Grill which does open at 6pm.  
 

Hank

Not in this post but I’m sure I could easily find 100 that you have said that people are in bed by nine without breaking a sweat 😛

[Roz]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

If it is “meh” on Gala nights when is it not “meh?”  Some recent posts have us considering canceling a future 42 night booking.  While the Pinnacle is usually decent we do not see ourselves Dining there on most nights.  HAL Meatloaf and priced add ons in the MDR is just not our preference.  Different strokes for different folks kind of thing but we find ourselves trending towards Seabourn, Oceania, Azamara and MSC Yacht Club.  Times do change many things including cruise lines.  It seems that the HAL of today is but a shadow of its wonderful past.

 

Hank

 

I find the non-gala night menus to be better than gala nights.  That's what I meant when I said gala night menus are uninspired, IMO.  I can't afford the lines you mentioned.  If you can, good for you.  Go forth and book them, and leave the meatloaf behind.

[atexsix]

10 minutes ago, Roz said:

 

I find the non-gala night menus to be better than gala nights.  That's what I meant when I said gala night menus are uninspired, IMO.  I can't afford the lines you mentioned.  If you can, good for you.  Go forth and book them, and leave the meatloaf behind.

We noticed that all the menu items formerly associated with gala nights are now mdr upsells: jumbo shrimp cocktail, surf n turf, etc.  I checked the menus ahead of time and noticed that there was nothing at all gala-ish about it.  

 

Funny about the meatloaf, I tried it in the Lido....let's just leave it at that.  I'm pretty picky about meatloaf anywhere mainly because I've discovered people will add anything and everything to it.  Wasn't it in the movie "Misery" that she mentioned adding Spam?  

 

Note: the meatloaf wasn't our most recent sailing, I don't remember when it was exactly.

Edited October 17, 2021 by atexsix

[RuthC]

2 hours ago, Av8rix said:

You mean that HAL is now playing music throughout the ship?  Like the bottom-feeder lines? 

They sure are, and have been for the last several years. The only places I have found where I can get away from it during the daytime is on the promenade, or my cabin. Once in a while it is soft enough by the Lido pool that it fades into the din normally present. 
Even the promenade (on the ships that have seating out there) can be invaded. When the Walk for the Cure is held there is usually music BLASTING, I suppose to get the walkers to try to finish faster to get away from it. 

[Florida_gal_50]

There is far too much music everywhere on hal ships.  Some of us do enjoy silence.

[atexsix]

The only place I didn't hear it much was in the Crow's Nest or at least I didn't notice it there.  It was very loud around the Lido pool.  I know the spa is on a separate system but for some reason it was never in operation in the NA thermal suite.  

 

Like I said earlier, if it was decent music I could maybe live with it if it stayed in the background, but the mix of songs was truly weird on the lower decks and the loudness level was more shopping mall or elevator.  

 

Agree with @Florida_gal_50 there are times when I don't need to hear it with the worst being out on deck as @RuthC stated, nothing like spoiling the ambience of the ocean sounds.  I'm assuming during the cure it was supposed to add more pep to your step.

[StLouisCruisers]

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

The price issue is quite interesting and a topic unto itself.  We are currently on the Seabourn Odyssey where our normal verandah suite would compare to a Signature Suite on HAL.  Our price on SB is truly all inclusive and we pay for nothing onboard.  So you need to consider we get unlimited top shelf booze and unlimited caviar.  There is no charge for alternative dining and no add ons.  At the end of our cruise we will have spent zero dollars on the ship.  Our OBC was adequate to cover all our excursions, and some high priced wines and we are trying to find a way to spend our remaining few hundred of OBC.

 

Our cost for this was slightly less than $400 per passenger day.  Consider what a Signature Suite would cost including tips, premium drink package, a generous OBC, etc.  While on this cruise we booked  a 27 day future cruise for about the same cost per day and they tossed in $2000 of OBC which will be difficult to use up.  Again compare to a 27 day HAL cruise in a Signature Suite with all the extra expenses.  I would add that we have 130 passengers here with 360 crew.  Pretty good ratio.  In normal times there would be about 400 passengers which is still a terrific ratio.

 

When looking at the small ship luxury lines folks should be careful to consider what is included as compared to mass market lines.  The one negative here for some HAL cruisers would be that dinner does not even start until 7pm.  But we do have wonderful small cast production shows, no movies (except on suite TVs), two live bands and an excellent piano bar player/singer with entertainment until midnight.

 

Hank

 

 

 

 

Try stopping by the jewelry shop and spending your OBC there.  I have two nice pieces purchased with OBC on Seabourn.  

 

Dinner at 7 pm never bothered us since we eat main (late) dining on HAL.

[kazu]

Gee, now I’m getting nervous about our upcoming cruises.

We didn’t have any loud music on our last few cruises but they were on the Prinsendam  and Rotterdam.  Soft music at the sea view pool (or Retreat on the Rotterdam) and soft  barely discernible at the Lido.  Don’t remember hearing music throughout the majority of the rest of the ship.