New Specialty Restaurant Pricing

[ottahand7]

Back to caviar.  I recall in 2018 on the Konigsdam it was $70.  When on the Volendam in February we enjoyed it in the PG but my enjoyment was tempered by seeing RUS on the top of the jar.   I called it "blood caviar". It was $50 so we celebrated not knowing this when we ordered in advance. I thought that importation of Russian caviar is no longer allowed to the US.  I asked the chef at a chef's table and he hemmed and hawed and said Siberia.  Is the caviar on HA Russian?   I understand before the  ban producers exported sturgeon fingerlings to grow the product elsewhere.  I am sure the price drop was due to lack of demand but "revenge travel" may again be increasing demand therefore the price hike. 

[*Miss G*]

1 hour ago, alwaysfrantic said:

my boarding pass says 2:00 pm embarkation.   I guess that’s an assigned time and not actually when boarding begins.  
 

Sounds like I’ll be out of luck on lunch unless the Neptune concierge can get something for us or we show up earlier to board (can we do that?!)

 

Neptune Suite passengers have priority check-in so you can arrive whenever you  like.  Boarding usually begins at 11:30am (+/-) for the priority passengers.

[CaptJerry51]

I just went online and booked Pinnacle Grill for the evening of 9/25 on my Alaska sailing and the price showed as $46 - the new increased price.  Since I booked prior to 9/1 I would have expected to see the current price of $39.  Perhaps it will be adjusted.

[Haljo1935]

12 minutes ago, CaptJerry51 said:

I just went online and booked Pinnacle Grill for the evening of 9/25 on my Alaska sailing and the price showed as $46 - the new increased price.  Since I booked prior to 9/1 I would have expected to see the current price of $39.  Perhaps it will be adjusted.

That was my experience yesterday.

Edited July 30, 2023 by Haljo1935
Typo

[WriterOnDeck]

8 minutes ago, CaptJerry51 said:

I just went online and booked Pinnacle Grill for the evening of 9/25 on my Alaska sailing and the price showed as $46 - the new increased price.  Since I booked prior to 9/1 I would have expected to see the current price of $39.  Perhaps it will be adjusted.

The $46 is what they have charged all year. They have added the 18% service charge, which makes it $46.02 (maybe they drop the $0.02). So you are paying the current, not the soon-to-be-higher, fee.

[kazu]

32 minutes ago, CaptJerry51 said:

I just went online and booked Pinnacle Grill for the evening of 9/25 on my Alaska sailing and the price showed as $46 - the new increased price.  Since I booked prior to 9/1 I would have expected to see the current price of $39.  Perhaps it will be adjusted.

 

24 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

That was my experience yesterday.

 

Remember all purchases made pre-cruise like specialty dining and wine packages have the service charge included.

 

22 minutes ago, WriterOnDeck said:

The $46 is what they have charged all year. They have added the 18% service charge, which makes it $46.02 (maybe they drop the $0.02). So you are paying the current, not the soon-to-be-higher, fee.

 

Agree and they saved a whole 2 cents 😆 

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, kazu said:

 

Post #111 is absolutely correct.  As long as you keep the Crew Incentive in place, the crew are free to keep any additional tips you wish to give them.  If you remove/decrease them any tips they receive must be turned into the pool.

 

Despite what one person is asserting who has not sailed HAL yet, the policy on HAL is known on our board.  We  have the benefit of HAL officers or past officers on  who have  explained many things 👍 and other CC members have actually posted the page of the crew manual confirming the arrangement.  It’s actually on the internet 🙂 

 

You know for sure that the employment contracts and policies haven't changed, as is my experience, they are constantly evolving and never to the benefit of the crew members. Any information on policy & procedures previously posted is uncontrolled, so is not updated as changes are made. Therefore, the information is only valid the day it was posted and is less likely to be accurate as time marches on.

 

I believe you previously posted that they changed the policy as recently as Feb 2023, by adding service charges to the Specialty Restaurants. Individual changes are rarely made, so what other changes were made to the policy, at that time, and how did the changes cascade and impact other parts of the policy.

 

By providing a definitive answer to the question of whether crew retain cash provided, at this time, I assume that you have seen the entire controlled document posted since the changes to the policy in Feb 2023?

 

I may not have sailed with HAL before, but have worked in the industry for too many years and know how often it evolves, and it is rarely to the benefit of the crew. The hotel crew can probably keep cash provided, if DSC/HSC isn't changed, but as I posted before, without having access to the latest policy document and crew contracts you cannot provide a definitive answer.

[kazu]

3 hours ago, ottahand7 said:

Back to caviar.  I recall in 2018 on the Konigsdam it was $70.  When on the Volendam in February we enjoyed it in the PG but my enjoyment was tempered by seeing RUS on the top of the jar.   I called it "blood caviar". It was $50 so we celebrated not knowing this when we ordered in advance. I thought that importation of Russian caviar is no longer allowed to the US.  I asked the chef at a chef's table and he hemmed and hawed and said Siberia.  Is the caviar on HA Russian?   I understand before the  ban producers exported sturgeon fingerlings to grow the product elsewhere.  I am sure the price drop was due to lack of demand but "revenge travel" may again be increasing demand therefore the price hike. 

 

We had the caviar on our 2019 Prinsendam cruise.  I don’t recall seeing that it was from Russia.  Quite sure I would have remembered that.  Interestingly enough ours was $50 surcharge.  And it was delicious 🙂 

[POA1]

There was a brief while when caviar was higher than $50. Based on my admittedly hazy memory and the fact that I read the price in someone's post, the $70  figure seems right. As much as I would like to see $50 caviar, I'm not going to kvetch about the new $80 price. It's not like we have to order it. (We will, but we don't have to.)

[Blackduck59]

I find it interesting when people who have "toured" a bridge many times and have hundreds of cruises in your extensive resume, choose to question the knowledge of someone who has been in command on that bridge you toured. That same person you choose to question, counts their sea time not by cruises as passengers but by years in command. The fact is no passenger has any clue how the "crew appreciation" is divvied out, I don't care who they talked to.

[BigMattT]

On 7/27/2023 at 7:25 PM, POA1 said:

Bear in mind that the $80 includes all the accoutrements. (Please make sure you pronounce it a-cou-tre-mohn in your haughtiest French accent.)  It's still a deal and we're definitely getting an ounce each.

It’s interesting how the price change impacts perception of value…

 

We’ve ordered caviar each time… and honestly the accompaniments and service are hit or miss.

 

At $70 on the Koningsdam two times, the blinis were great, the serving ware was correct, and it felt like something special at a great value.

 

At $70 on Eurodam, almost spherical blinis, which had raw batter in the middle, were served to us along with the normal tiny jar, lid still on, floating in an enormous bowl of ice set into the “second floor” of their rack used for seafood towers.

 

At $50 on Rotterdam, same odd ice bowl tower thing, blinis were “ok”, and jar lid removed.

 

At $50 on Zaandam, thank god no crazy bowl suspended above our heads, but blinis were overcooked sponges, and instead of chopped chives… a line of dried parsley flakes. (Someone was clearly trying. The server even chuckled somewhat apologetically.) Caviar was still delish though.

 

Back to that idea of perceived value… I think we were eating the same grade/type of caviar each time. Like the vast majority… I can’t discern between really amazing caviar from merely great caviar. It’s a “sometimes thing” for us.

 

At $70 we had mentioned the odd service… and had the price not subsequently dropped to $50, we probably wouldn’t have ordered it again. “They didn’t seem like they knew what they were doing, and so how good could the caviar be?”

 

At $50, we ate our caviar happily and ignored the shortcomings. Now at $80, if the service isn’t right, we’ll probably stop purchasing it going forward.

 

I’m guessing HAL has a better idea than any of us what their price elasticity in up-charge food demand is… But I’m hoping they understand just how much the value (and expectation) is comprised of the service delivery itself vs the commodity.

[Murray's Pop]

Curious, is the caviar a serving for 1 or 2 at the $80 price?

[kazu]

2 minutes ago, Murray's Pop said:

Curious, is the caviar a serving for 1 or 2 at the $80 price?

 

It’s more than sufficient for 2 IMO.  3 of us shared it last time.  Probably it depends on how much you want to consume but we were content.

[BigMattT]

3 minutes ago, Murray's Pop said:

Curious, is the caviar a serving for 1 or 2 at the $80 price?

Depends if you’re eating with me and how fast you are with a bone spoon 🙂

[POA1]

9 hours ago, Murray's Pop said:

Curious, is the caviar a serving for 1 or 2 at the $80 price?

It's an ounce. It really depends on how much you like caviar. Two people could split it. (Not us two people, but it would be fine.)

[Murray's Pop]

13 hours ago, POA1 said:

It's an ounce. It really depends on how much you like caviar. Two people could split it. (Not us two people, but it would be fine.)

Thanks POA, we both like caviar but at $80 I think we will probably share.

[terrydtx]

1 minute ago, Murray's Pop said:

Thanks POA, we both like caviar but at $80 I think we will probably share.

You can have my share, I have never understood the fascination with salty fish eggs.

 

[Murray's Pop]

4 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

You can have my share, I have never understood the fascination with salty fish eggs.

 

Thanks!  I'll send you the bill.😁

[terrydtx]

1 minute ago, Murray's Pop said:

Thanks!  I'll send you the bill.😁

Put in on my account. LOL