Pinnacle Dining - Extra Charges for Appetizers and Entrees - Isn't the upscale the reason you purchased the Pinnacle Dining?

[TiogaCruiser]

1 minute ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I wholeheartedly agree with this. Lumping what used to be 3 separate courses (Soups, Salads, Appetizers) into a single course is really dumbing down the menu. At a minimum people should be allowed to order two within that broad category without an extra upcharge...

 

Agreed.

 

One other reason they might be limiting the included “starter” is it decreases time in the PG, and they likely can turn more tables, and therefore move more people through. I’m sure the demand for PG has increased with HIA.

[MikeD4134]

4 hours ago, Sea42 said:

It looks like the lobster would be $25, not $15.

get better glasses, the menu says $15

[MikeD4134]

speak with your money, do not eat there.

[Sea42]

16 minutes ago, MikeD4134 said:

get better glasses, the menu says $15

Yes, when I enlarge the photo I see that, but there's no need to be rude.

[Florida_gal_50]

3 hours ago, iceman93 said:

I have mixed feelings on this one.  On the one hand, I agree with the OP that we're already paying for food on our cruise, so paying more for a specialty restaurant REALLY should elevate the experience.  Nickel-and-diming on top of that doesn't sit well.

 

On the other hand, I don't mind when up-up-charges (like adding a lobster tail or having the delmonico) are offered and clearly delineated.  That can be a way for people to elevate their experience even further, and the rest of us who don't want those items don't have to subsidize those who do.  As an example, my wife and I started with the caviar one night on our last cruise--should that rather extravagant extra simply be included in the price?

 

But to bring it full circle, I really don't like charging people extra for ordering a salad and an appetizer.  In my mind, the extra charge for ordering multiple items is there simply to discourage the practice (that I'm sure we've all seen) of people ordering all kinds of things and just taking a bite or two because they wanted to try a lot of things, or because "I paid a lot to come here so I'm going to get my money's worth".  I would think that a patron who just does like the OP, orders and consumes a reasonable amount of food, should have that extra charge waived.

 

Finally, if they're going to make that a hard-and-fast rule that applies to everyone, then I absolutely agree with a previous poster who says the waitstaff should politely but clearly point out when the order is placed that it's going to result in an extra charge.

I doubt that anyone has a problem with the upcharge for lobster, caviar or a delmonico steak.  It annoys the heck out of me to charge for a second appetizer although I rarely do have a second in the pinnacle.  I'm just worried this is going to spread to the tamarind where I almost always have a second app.  Its cheap and cheesy as heck.  I've yet to see anyone take a few bites of anything in the MDR or the pinnacle just to see what it was like.  If people do that they should be charged. As a matter of fact I have seen this printed on a menu where I live that if you do this you will be charged.  The place is quite pricy too.

[Florida_gal_50]

1 hour ago, SilvertoGold said:

We saw a guy in the MDR order 3 appetizers, 2 entrees and 3 desserts. He did eat it all, amazingly.  Should he have been charged? I think it would have been fair to charge for something there because that must be unusual and quite overboard.  But ordering 2 of the starters is not outlandish, especially now that HAL's entrees tend to be on the smaller side. 

I could easily see some people doing this.  The portions are pretty tiny and if someone is forty instead of 80 and isn't filling up on burgers, fries, cookies and cakes all day it would be totally possible.  Should hal start saying you had burgers, fries and cookies for lunch.  We will have to charge you for dinner.

[Riversedge]

We board tomorrow and I was aware of the extra charge but it does not sit well with us.  We are already paying for a meal that night (dining room or lido)  in the cost of the cruise.  So, if I want to upgrade my experience I have to pay extra.  I get that.  I see no reason to be charged extra if I want a soup and salad.  I loved the days when it was appetizer, soup, salad, entree and dessert.  The portions are smaller too.  So, we have decided to skip the Pinnacle and make note of it on a survey as a manner of protest.   The whole Pinnacle experience is not what it used to be in regards to service so we won’t feel we are missing anything.  

[VMax1700]

I think I will just go up to the Lido and get my own freshly tossed salad with balsamico and ask the PG for two plates. (or are plates an additional charge too??)

[3rdGenCunarder]

5 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

I think I will just go up to the Lido and get my own freshly tossed salad with balsamico and ask the PG for two plates. (or are plates an additional charge too??)

 

Shh! Don't give them ideas!

[TotallyCruzin]

i brought up this subject back in September after doing an Alaska cruise on the Westerdam that someone else called the "Testerdam" because it seems that this ship is one of the test ships for HAL.  I didn't like the $7 dollar upcharge then and I don't like it now.  However, when we were on the Westerdam Singapore roundtrip on Feb 3rd last month the waiter politely told me there was a $7 dollar upcharge per additional appetizer; although I already knew this from the previous Westerdam cruise,  it was thoughtful for him to mention it because the note of the upcharge is in the smaller type writing on the bottom.  I asked the food and beverage manager about this upcharge during the cruise and he said 80% of the diners at the Pinnacle usually order only 1 appetizer so the higher ups made a decision to charge all the others if they order more than 1; Poor excuse but he was only the messenger.  This is unfortunate and I don't agree with the decision for the charge ; however I was not going to let that $7 dollar upcharge ruin or taint my holiday on HAL.  It still was a great cruise.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I can see charging for a second main course, but not an appetizer. I wanted two appetizers, but I was NOT going to pay $7 for three strips of bacon.

[Riversedge]

4 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

I can see charging for a second main course, but not an appetizer. I wanted two appetizers, but I was NOT going to pay $7 for three strips of bacon.

I wonder how many people actually order the bacon now?  It’s not filling enough to be my only appetizer and I’m not willing to pay $7 for 3 strips of bacon.  My husband would want at least one of them.  At least if I order soup I don’t have to share!

[macaroni]

Maybe you should bring a salad in with you to dinner from the Lido? We usually ordered the bacon to share…..

on Celebrity in January we experienced all the cutbacks and up charges. Left a bad taste in our mouths. Just add $100 more to the cruise price and don’t upcharge me for the little things.

[Florida_gal_50]

2 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

I think I will just go up to the Lido and get my own freshly tossed salad with balsamico and ask the PG for two plates. (or are plates an additional charge too??)

I will personally pay you to do that 😛. I know other posters have said this and I love the idea.  I went to the pinnacle for lunch only on my last cruise because the upcharge annoys me so much.  It’s the first time I haven’t had a dinner there in as long as I remember.

[Florida_gal_50]

2 hours ago, Riversedge said:

I wonder how many people actually order the bacon now?  It’s not filling enough to be my only appetizer and I’m not willing to pay $7 for 3 strips of bacon.  My husband would want at least one of them.  At least if I order soup I don’t have to share!

I love bacon but that appetizer leaves a lot to be desired to me.  It’s the only way you can ruin bacon in my mind.

[jenp123]

I don't think it is unreasonable to allow guests who pay $39 for a meal to order 4 courses for dinner.  Just change the printing of the menus to have 4 distinct categories and you can have 1 from each included and you pay extra if you double up in any category. 

 

Soup/salad

Appetizers 

Entrées 

Dessert

 

It would be very little extra food cost for a small salad or soup and make people feel like they were getting better value for their money.  

 

[fellswoop]

We were on Koningsdam last month. First I will say the portion sizes now are smaller all around....even in Pinnacle. We ordered an appetizer and salad in Pinnacle and were told about the upcharge. But there are soooo many new people and even subbing into specialty dining so I can see if someone overlooked explaining the up charge in Pinnacle for 2nd app. They also had the same steak and lobster upcharge items in Club Orange as is available in MDR. They have a hole to climb out of post covid and it has to be spread out fleetwide. Reading a CC thread from someone currently on a HAL world cruise the hotel manager told him frankly it will be 2 yrs for supply chains for food and staff shortages to have a turn around. They are definitely trying to prevent food waste due to cost and insecure food supply chains in some areas. So we will have the right expectations to avoid disappointment and know we will still never leave hungry from any dining room.

[Iamthesea]

9 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I agree that the dinners aren't free. The value of HIA depends on how much you use the offers. The biggest variable is if you can drink your money's worth on the beverage plan. I'm not a big drinker, and because HAL cancelled a tour for HMC and there was nothing else good available, I'd say I didn't come out ahead. So yes, I paid for my dinners. (Ironically, when I tried to calculate the value of HIA, I forgot that my specialty dinners are half price because I'm 4*.)

 

 

 

No, we cannot drink our money's worth.  And that's including bottled water, hot chocolate, specialty coffee's, etc.  We are definitely not getting our Specialty dinners "free".

 

 

[Florida_gal_50]

14 minutes ago, fellswoop said:

We were on Koningsdam last month. First I will say the portion sizes now are smaller all around....even in Pinnacle. We ordered an appetizer and salad in Pinnacle and were told about the upcharge. But there are soooo many new people and even subbing into specialty dining so I can see if someone overlooked explaining the up charge in Pinnacle for 2nd app. They also had the same steak and lobster upcharge items in Club Orange as is available in MDR. They have a hole to climb out of post covid and it has to be spread out fleetwide. Reading a CC thread from someone currently on a HAL world cruise the hotel manager told him frankly it will be 2 yrs for supply chains for food and staff shortages to have a turn around. They are definitely trying to prevent food waste due to cost and insecure food supply chains in some areas. So we will have the right expectations to avoid disappointment and know we will still never leave hungry from any dining room.

I simply don’t understand the supply chain issue.  It’s an easy out.  I live in fairly large city.  I would say for the first six months there was supply problems.  After that hardly anything except for Lysol wipes.  Surely carnival corporation must have more pull than grocery store.  I’m not buying the supply chain issue.  Cruise lines had no tougher go than any other industry.  In Canada we had restaurants and theatres close for a long time (especially theatres) and you don’t hear them complain like hal does.  It an easy excuse that some are quick to lap up.  All the better for hal.

[Florida_gal_50]

5 minutes ago, Iamthesea said:

No, we cannot drink our money's worth.  And that's including bottled water, hot chocolate, specialty coffee's, etc.  We are definitely not getting our Specialty dinners "free".

 

 

Same, they win with me on the hia.  So you are not one of these people that ask when it cuts off for the next day 😛😉?  That just floors me.

[islander47]

I am confused. Are you saying HAL lets you have several appetizers in the MDR for no extra charge but not in a specialty restaurant?

[Florida_gal_50]

1 minute ago, islander47 said:

I am confused. Are you saying HAL lets you have several appetizers in the MDR for no extra charge but not in a specialty restaurant?

Yup.

[mcrcruiser]

Well this thread just convinced us to not dine at Pinnacle  . Just too much padding the bill . It is not that we could not afford a dinner there but the policy charging  if you have soup & a salad . This is nickel & dimeing  & imo just stinks .Penny wise & loose face.

Edited March 4, 2023 by mcrcruiser

[*Miss G*]

39 minutes ago, jenp123 said:

I don't think it is unreasonable to allow guests who pay $39 for a meal to order 4 courses for dinner. 

 

 

This is the thing for me.  I can go to my favourite Zagat-rated Tuscan Italian fine-dining restaurant and pay basically the same price for a superior product and experience.  I am offended by an additional charge in the Pinnacle Grill for an inferior soup or salad as compared to what I can get onshore.  It is especially offensive when my previous visits included appetizer, soup or salad, entrée, and dessert…. Just like I can get in the MDR.  (And that doesn’t even take into consideration the fact that this is in place of my main meal in the MDR, which is already covered in my fare.)

 

I understand paying extra for an additional entrée; that makes sense.  But the Pinnacle Grill is not a fine-dining experience, even if they promote it as such.  It is an attempt, but nothing further.  This reflects poorly on the Holland America image.

[3rdGenCunarder]

 

50 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I simply don’t understand the supply chain issue.  It’s an easy out.  I live in fairly large city.  I would say for the first six months there was supply problems.  After that hardly anything except for Lysol wipes.  Surely carnival corporation must have more pull than grocery store.  I’m not buying the supply chain issue.  Cruise lines had no tougher go than any other industry.  In Canada we had restaurants and theatres close for a long time (especially theatres) and you don’t hear them complain like hal does.  It an easy excuse that some are quick to lap up.  All the better for hal.

 

Supermarkets around me have signs up warning about supply issues. Last week it was one of the specialty milks. Before that, frozen French fries were in low supply. It's always something.

 

 

47 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Same, they win with me on the hia.  So you are not one of these people that ask when it cuts off for the next day 😛😉?  That just floors me.

 

I can't stay up late enough to find out when the cut-off is!