Just when I thought there was nothing else to cut

[BermudaBound2014]

When I read the title of this thread I was expecting to find out complimentary room service had been cut. I believe HAL is one of the last of the main stream lines to offer this perk. Hoping it can hang on for a few more months. 
 

 

Edited July 28 by BermudaBound2014

[sunviking90]

9 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

When I read the title of this thread I was expecting to find out complimentary room service had been cut. I believe HAL is one of the last of the main stream lines to offer this perk. Hoping it can hang on for a few more months. 
 

 

Shhhhh……

[cccole]

@doublebzz What was offered in the Ocean Bar from @5-8pm?  We were on a 21 day cruise in January and had everything that @St Pete Cruiser mentioned.  Many also enjoyed the live pianists in the evening.  And, I'm sort of a chocolate snob so the chocolates that were left were collected for our grand children.  Our cruise was not considered a grand or legendary cruise.  Sorry for your disappointment.  Cherie 

[doublebzz]

2 minutes ago, cccole said:

@doublebzz What was offered in the Ocean Bar from @5-8pm?  We were on a 21 day cruise in January and had everything that @St Pete Cruiser mentioned.  Many also enjoyed the live pianists in the evening.  And, I'm sort of a chocolate snob so the chocolates that were left were collected for our grand children.  Our cruise was not considered a grand or legendary cruise.  Sorry for your disappointment.  Cherie 

We had pre-dinner cocktails in the Ocean Bar every night.  A martini was $12.98; sometimes good, sometimes watered down.  The music was a 3 piece modern jazz group which we enjoyed very much.  The server addressed me by name after the 2nd night and knew what I was drinking which again speaks well for HAL staff.  I could care less about the chocolates except to highlight how miserly this cruise line has gotten.  I mean, really, is this really a big cost reduction in terms of their other operational expenses. There was a single pianist who had the worst singing voice I've ever heard - no more dueling pianos.

[BermudaBound2014]

20 minutes ago, sunviking90 said:

Shhhhh……

You know it’s coming 😞 

[POA1]

42 minutes ago, taxmantoo said:

Totally agree BUT the Capital Grill does not have a $5,000 to $10,000 a week cover charge for two nor does it advertise the best fine dining at sea 🙂  We should compare apples to apples ...

I'm not the one who compared the Pinnacle Grill to land based restaurants. The OP did. I just took a local steakhouse, that's part of a small national chain to make the comparison. My post addresses the point.

 

I also did not throw in our mortgage, maintenance, property taxes, and insurance. I can if you want. We have ocean views and a balcony and everything. That would be more apples to apples. After all, your throwing the whole cost of the cruise with one meal. (Probably need to put the cost of the car and valet parking on my side of the ledger, since we can't walk to the restaurant.)

 

In all seriousness, the OP said that the PG is approaching the cost of a land based restaurant. I simply chose a comparable restaurant with comparable service. The I took a comparable set of courses. DW reminded me that the Capital Grille calculation doesn't include the Clothesline Bacon we usually share. However, the Capital Grille doesn't have anything to compare with the "meat curtain."

[doublebzz]

1 minute ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

You know it’s coming 😞 

Maybe not because its a tip generator.

[BermudaBound2014]

1 minute ago, doublebzz said:

Maybe not because its a tip generator.

It was a tip generator on NCL, Celebrity, Royal, Princess, etc…

 

If HAL follows the others (read “when” HAL follows), they will still offer room service, but it will come at an additional charge. Some lines charge per item. Some lines just have a set delivery fee. 
 

It will still be a tip generator, but no longer complimentary 

 

[cccole]

@doublebzz  So happy you enjoyed your pre dinner drinks in the Ocean Bar. On our cruise it became more crowded as the cruise went on and people heard about the fabulous entertainment.  Getting a martini where we live for $12.98 would be less than a happy hour price.  It seems like the vocalists and pianists vary ship to ship but I am unable to sing or play the piano, although I do everyday with the doors and windows closed, so I enjoy them.  Happy cruising to you on a different cruise line.  Cherie

[sunviking90]

23 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

You know it’s coming 😞 

Yes. If so, they need to expand the Lido hours. There are times on all but the Pinnacle class when the only option is a dive in burger or room service. Of Princess, Celebrity and and HAL, HAL is the only one that has the Lido shut down for 2 hours in the afternoon and again at 8pm. Not at all my favourite place to eat, but sometimes, I just want to grab some cheese or fruit.

[taxmantoo]

23 minutes ago, POA1 said:

I'm not the one who compared the Pinnacle Grill to land based restaurants. The OP did. I just took a local steakhouse, that's part of a small national chain to make the comparison. My post addresses the point.

 

I also did not throw in our mortgage, maintenance, property taxes, and insurance. I can if you want. We have ocean views and a balcony and everything. That would be more apples to apples. After all, your throwing the whole cost of the cruise with one meal. (Probably need to put the cost of the car and valet parking on my side of the ledger, since we can't walk to the restaurant.)

 

In all seriousness, the OP said that the PG is approaching the cost of a land based restaurant. I simply chose a comparable restaurant with comparable service. The I took a comparable set of courses. DW reminded me that the Capital Grille calculation doesn't include the Clothesline Bacon we usually share. However, the Capital Grille doesn't have anything to compare with the "meat curtain."

I do not disagree with your comparison or your logic.  My point was simply that a Pinnacle Grill meal does not cost ONLY $50 per person or $100 per couple.  You have alread paid for a dinner in the MDR and, food can be subjective, but a lot of people would argue that a Pinnacle dinner is not worth $50 above an MDR dinner.  To each their own, as they say.  In my case, I would much rather have dinner at the Capital Grille than the Pinnacle Grill as I think the quality of the food and the quality of the service is well worth the additional cost.  And I am not counting the plane fare to get there 🙂 

[BermudaBound2014]

5 minutes ago, sunviking90 said:

Yes. If so, they need to expand the Lido hours. There are times on all but the Pinnacle class when the only option is a dive in burger or room service. Of Princess, Celebrity and and HAL, HAL is the only one that has the Lido shut down for 2 hours in the afternoon and again at 8pm. Not at all my favourite place to eat, but sometimes, I just want to grab some cheese or fruit.

 

I agree completely. The Lido hours on HAL are not at all competitive with the rest of the mainstream market. 

[TRLD]

2 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

I was able to search for legendary cruises in incognito mode:

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/find-a-cruise?dealId=LEGENVOY&csvFileName=multi_LEGENVOY_1.csv

 

 

Shoot, doesn't look like incognito mode will let me link. But try going to this page in incognito mode. It pulls up all the legendary voyages. Click "view cruises" and a list of 24 cruises comes up. I believe the list is inclusive thru March 2026.

 

 

Hope that helps you 🙂 

If I read this right it is a separate page outside of the normal search criteria?

[BermudaBound2014]

5 minutes ago, TRLD said:

If I read this right it is a separate page outside of the normal search criteria?

 

No, I don't believe that is correct.

 

In order for me to get the 'view cruises' button to work I needed to be in incognito mode. Sadly, i need to use incognito for much of my surfing on HAL. Their website is the worst in the industry. Carnival's sight is seamless, so not sure why HAL can't get it together in tech; but that's a different subject. 

 

Go to Hal Site in incognito mode (three dots top right of screen)

in the search bar (magnifying glass) type 'legendary cruise'

That will bring up the screen shot I posted.

If you click on view cruises it will link properly in incognito mode (if not in incognito mode I get a dead end at that point).

 

 

Edited to add for clarity:

If you search for "legendary cruises' on HAL's site you will get this page. If you are not in incognito mode and click 'view cruises', the page is a dead end. When you are in incognito mode you can click 'view cruises' and it will take you to a list of legendary cruises into 2026.

 

Edited July 28 by BermudaBound2014

[cccole]

So funny how those of us who have read and responded to this thread have different opinions.    20% of thread was about entertainment and 80% was about food.  There's so much food on a ship.  I'm not on my private yacht, if I had one, so I assume that cruising with 1500 of my best friends means that I need to be flexible.  HAL never asks when I want the Lido open, or what to serve in the MDR, wish they did.  So, if I want fruit and cheese in my room I pick it up at the Lido or oder from room service.  I'd be willing to pay for it.  But it can also be brought back onboard at many ports.  Why worry about something that is not a problem?  If we want a butler and private concierge we need to book a line other than HAL.  JMO. Cherie  

Edited July 28 by cccole

[Guinness1000]

I watched a YT video by Gary Bembridge about repositioning cruises. He said most people don't realize that they are inexpensive because the purpose of them is to move the ship to a new area. Their aim is not to give guests the best time ever. Port stops are mostly for replenishing supplies and such. I have never been on one myself, but it made sense when I watched it. I want to do a transoceanic cruise, but my expectations will be lower than a regular cruise. Hope you still managed to enjoy yourself.  🙂

[TRLD]

11 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

No, I don't believe that is correct.

 

In order for me to get the 'view cruises' button to work I needed to be in incognito mode. Sadly, i need to use incognito for much of my surfing on HAL. Their website is the worst in the industry. Carnival's sight is seamless, so not sure why HAL can't get it together in tech; but that's a different subject. 

 

Go to Hal Site in incognito mode (three dots top right of screen)

in the search bar (magnifying glass) type 'legendary cruise'

That will bring up the screen shot I posted.

If you click on view cruises it will link properly in incognito mode (if not in incognito mode I get a dead end at that point).

 

 

Edited to add for clarity:

If you search for "legendary cruises' on HAL's site you will get this page. If you are not in incognito mode and click 'view cruises', the page is a dead end. When you are in incognito mode you can click 'view cruises' and it will take you to a list of legendary cruises into 2026.

 

What I was getting at is that it does not show up as an option in the normal cruise search screen. Unlike grand voyages which is a search option in the destination screen 

[kluv2cruz]

16 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

the page is a dead end.

I thought it was just me!

[POA1]

If you want to get to the Legendary Voyages info without fighting with the HAL website, use these two links.

 

The Legendary Voyages page is here.

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/cruise-deals/legendary-voyages

 

The PDF brochure is here:

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/content/dam/hal/marketing-assets/PDFs/2025-2026-HAL-Legacy-Voyages-Planner-052424.pdf

 

 

 

[BermudaBound2014]

4 minutes ago, POA1 said:

If you want to get to the Legendary Voyages info without fighting with the HAL website, use these two links.

 

The Legendary Voyages page is here.

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/cruise-deals/legendary-voyages

 

The PDF brochure is here:

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/content/dam/hal/marketing-assets/PDFs/2025-2026-HAL-Legacy-Voyages-Planner-052424.pdf

 

 

 

 

When I use the top link I can click on view cruise button but I still get a big cup of nothing unless I'm in incognito mode.

 

The brochure link will be very helpful to anyone searching for Legendary cruises specifically.

 

 

[TiogaCruiser]

2 hours ago, doublebzz said:

There was a single pianist who had the worst singing voice I've ever heard - no more dueling pianos.

That beats what we got a couple of years ago on Zuiderdam- Dueling Pianos and NEITHER could sing.

[cccole]

14 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

That beats what we got a couple of years ago on Zuiderdam- Dueling Pianos and NEITHER could sing.

2 years ago?  Did you go back more than one time?  Possibly those who can play a piano better and sing better than the entertainers should offer to help.  JMO. Cherie

[kevingastreich]

8 hours ago, POA1 said:

Right now, at the Capital Grille in Fort Lauderdale, shrimp cocktail is $20. Lobster bisque is $16 for a cup and $22 for a bowl. A filet in the same size served at the PG is $57. Sides range from $13 - $16 each. Desserts are $14-$17.

 

Thar puts me at about $140 - $150 pp for dinner (2 sides). Cocktails and wine are higher as well. Service expected to be 20%.

 

Reference URL:

 

https://www.thecapitalgrille.com/menu/dinner/

 

 

Our local Subway Sandwich place now wants $14.99 for a footlong!  THREE times as much as it was pre-covid.  

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, TRLD said:

What I was getting at is that it does not show up as an option in the normal cruise search screen. Unlike grand voyages which is a search option in the destination screen 

You know HAL is not allowed to ever change, right?

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, cccole said:

So funny how those of us who have read and responded to this thread have different opinions.    20% of thread was about entertainment and 80% was about food.  There's so much food on a ship.  I'm not on my private yacht, if I had one, so I assume that cruising with 1500 of my best friends means that I need to be flexible.  HAL never asks when I want the Lido open, or what to serve in the MDR, wish they did.  So, if I want fruit and cheese in my room I pick it up at the Lido or oder from room service.  I'd be willing to pay for it.  But it can also be brought back onboard at many ports.  Why worry about something that is not a problem?  If we want a butler and private concierge we need to book a line other than HAL.  JMO. Cherie  

You know HAL is not allowed to change...ever?