Rare QuattroRomeo Posted Sunday at 05:04 AM #101 Share Posted Sunday at 05:04 AM 7 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said: I hear ya. That said, I had very good service in PG on Volendam. I chose the banquette side of the table, rather than face the wall. When the waiter removed the other place setting, he rearranged the vase, candle, and salt and pepper to fill some of that space so it didn't look, well for want of a better word, so it didn't look lonely. I thought that was a kind gesture. That waiter is a class act! I've had a similar experience in the MDR. It just makes for a more pleasant meal. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave JS Posted Sunday at 12:33 PM #102 Share Posted Sunday at 12:33 PM When do the Specialty Restaurants open for booking on HAL ships, PInnacle class ships in particular? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 3rdGenCunarder Posted Sunday at 03:23 PM #103 Share Posted Sunday at 03:23 PM 10 hours ago, QuattroRomeo said: That waiter is a class act! I've had a similar experience in the MDR. It just makes for a more pleasant meal. I made a point of remembering his name for the survey. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Roz Posted Sunday at 07:26 PM #104 Share Posted Sunday at 07:26 PM Back in the day, I worked as a waitress to put myself thru college. Maybe serving standards have changed, but this is the way I was trained: Good service is promptly refilling a water glass or coffee cup when requested by the customer. Excellent service is noticing the empty glass or cup, and refilling before the customer asks. Good service is bringing the customer a cup of coffee or tea when they ask for it, after you've put down the dessert plate. Excellent service is asking the customer if they want coffee or tea when you take the dessert order, and asking if they take cream and/or sugar with it. I could give 10 other examples, but I think you get the point. I could sit in the Pinnacle or DR all night and request things - bread, bread, water, S&P, ketchup, coffee, etc., but it's not relaxed or attentive service. 13 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BermudaBound2014 Posted Sunday at 07:59 PM #105 Share Posted Sunday at 07:59 PM 7 hours ago, Dave JS said: When do the Specialty Restaurants open for booking on HAL ships, PInnacle class ships in particular? It’s totally random. Unlike other lines with very specific timeline (ex 90 days prior to sailing), I can’t find a pattern with HAL. My January cruise on Oosterdam and February cruise on Kdam opened on the same day about 5 months prior to the Jan trip and 6 months prior for the Feb trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badtwin Posted Sunday at 08:55 PM #106 Share Posted Sunday at 08:55 PM Roz I totally agree and was taught the same. I expect and have usually received excellent service in Pinnacle and am sorry others have not. I hope for and have often received excellent service in the MDR (and a couple of bars too). Usually the service is at least good. But if I am not getting the service I want, I will either move to another table (this more in the lido or in a bar) or say something. If the bread people had to ask for bread every night I could definitely see their point and would hope they reported it on the exit survey. But to complain they didn't get any bread for seven nights when they never asked is just silly. 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow 123 Posted Sunday at 11:52 PM #107 Share Posted Sunday at 11:52 PM On 9/25/2024 at 9:36 PM, BermudaBound2014 said: To the OP- Thanks for sharing your experience. It helps us all keep expectations in line. If HAL surpasses, great. If not, disappointment may be lessened. @Hlitner I hesitate to say this out loud, but on pinnacle class the Ny Deli has an awesome lime basalmic. By the end of 35 days I was getting my salad in the lido and walking it upstairs for dressing. Good to know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChinaShrek Posted yesterday at 12:10 AM #108 Share Posted yesterday at 12:10 AM On 9/28/2024 at 11:38 AM, Blackduck59 said: I'm not sure how many posts have have accused anyone of being "greedy". I think some of the complaints have been "petty" (feel free to quote me on that). If you didn't get a bread basket, ask for one (don't complain on CC after the fact). If you feel that half a baked potato is cheaping out, ask for another. I'm going to come to OPs defense here. You are assuming that someone comes back to check on you after bringing your food. You are assuming there is someone to talk to near your table who cares. My last meal at the PG had fairly poor service. I ordered all of my courses from the waiter. Someone else brought my mushroom soup and left. A different person arrived 15 minutes later and dropped off my filet minot. They didn't ask me how the soup was or if I wanted more bread. He never asked me how the steak was. It was fine. And yes, I received the half-baked potato that was lukewarm and over done. Baked potato should be hot to the touch, fluffy, and white. Steam should be seen frothing in the air from the potato. None of this was present and the person who left the baked potato was not seen again until the baked Alaska arrived. Also, three small beets? What's up with that? Again, who was I supposed to ask? No one was around and no one returned. Life can be lonely in the PG at 5pm. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cccole Posted yesterday at 12:29 AM #109 Share Posted yesterday at 12:29 AM 23 hours ago, badtwin said: You didn't get gist. You ever work service? It's hard. Especially to the seriously entitled. My experience on HAL is service is not always perfect but if you let them know there is a problem or if you like something a certain way, they will do their best to fix it. If you save your whinging for cruise critic, it is too late for them to do any better. Your posts are awesome. It doesn't mean that passengers should accept sub standard service but if you make no attempt to let them solve the problem it's hard to get sympathy. On a HAL ship you are not dining at an elite restaurant in your favorite city. Your are dining at a specialty restaurant on a main line cruise ship that is charging for your experience. It's a first world problem that is easily remedied. I love post #77. When you get a baked potato do you not cut it open so that you can put your favorite toppings in. Well they give you a potato that is ready for your toppings. I do think that anyone who has made their displeasure known and nothing is done should ask for the charge to be taken off of their account. As mentioned, not all Pinnacle managers and staff are exemplary. JMO. Cherie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2inSETexas Posted yesterday at 12:43 AM #110 Share Posted yesterday at 12:43 AM On 9/25/2024 at 6:56 PM, wdw1972 said: Hate to be the bearer of bad news but the Pinnacle lunch menu has changed significantly recently. No more burger. Now it's basically most of the dinner menu, minus the regional specialties and a handful of other things. It was rolled out on Westerdam a couple weeks ago, and it's in the Navigator app for my upcoming Zuiderdam cruise. It might be fleet-wide by now. Dinner has also changed, but to a lesser degree. Some items are gone, and some new items are on there. Sue/WDW1972 If the burger was dropped from the lunch menu, this was a very recent change because it was on the menu and served on our Nieuw Statendam Northern Lights cruise 8/24-9/7. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdw1972 Posted yesterday at 12:51 AM #111 Share Posted yesterday at 12:51 AM 7 minutes ago, 2inSETexas said: If the burger was dropped from the lunch menu, this was a very recent change because it was on the menu and served on our Nieuw Statendam Northern Lights cruise 8/24-9/7. That’s correct - it was shortly after your cruise. Sue/WDW1972 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Gail & Marty sailing away Posted 19 hours ago #112 Share Posted 19 hours ago Our favorite restaurant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Roz Posted 17 hours ago #113 Share Posted 17 hours ago (edited) I can't imagine a steakhouse not serving a good burger 🍔 at lunch. Edited 17 hours ago by Roz 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cbr663 Posted 17 hours ago #114 Share Posted 17 hours ago 13 hours ago, ChinaShrek said: I'm going to come to OPs defense here. You are assuming that someone comes back to check on you after bringing your food. You are assuming there is someone to talk to near your table who cares. My last meal at the PG had fairly poor service. I ordered all of my courses from the waiter. Someone else brought my mushroom soup and left. A different person arrived 15 minutes later and dropped off my filet minot. They didn't ask me how the soup was or if I wanted more bread. He never asked me how the steak was. It was fine. And yes, I received the half-baked potato that was lukewarm and over done. Baked potato should be hot to the touch, fluffy, and white. Steam should be seen frothing in the air from the potato. None of this was present and the person who left the baked potato was not seen again until the baked Alaska arrived. Also, three small beets? What's up with that? Again, who was I supposed to ask? No one was around and no one returned. Life can be lonely in the PG at 5pm. Thanks for this response. My initial response of why not simply asking for bread was, "and who exactly are you suppose to ask?" When PG service is poor it is usually because the wait staff are primarily absent and not attentive. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare TiogaCruiser Posted 17 hours ago #115 Share Posted 17 hours ago On 9/28/2024 at 10:00 AM, SilvertoGold said: The Pinnacle lunch menu on my APP for next week's Koningsdam is very similar to the old menu with a few additions. Anyone have the "new" menu mentioned here, both for lunch and dinner? This is what is posted on Navigator for December 7 Zaandam. Note no burger and the lunch full price is listed as $19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilvertoGold Posted 17 hours ago #116 Share Posted 17 hours ago 10 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said: This is what is posted on Navigator for December 7 Zaandam. Note no burger and the lunch full price is listed as $19 I would love to be able to read this menu but it is light blue on a white background and even if I increase the size it is impossibley blurry! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 3rdGenCunarder Posted 17 hours ago #117 Share Posted 17 hours ago 13 hours ago, ChinaShrek said: I'm going to come to OPs defense here. You are assuming that someone comes back to check on you after bringing your food. You are assuming there is someone to talk to near your table who cares. My last meal at the PG had fairly poor service. I ordered all of my courses from the waiter. Someone else brought my mushroom soup and left. A different person arrived 15 minutes later and dropped off my filet minot. They didn't ask me how the soup was or if I wanted more bread. He never asked me how the steak was. It was fine. And yes, I received the half-baked potato that was lukewarm and over done. Baked potato should be hot to the touch, fluffy, and white. Steam should be seen frothing in the air from the potato. None of this was present and the person who left the baked potato was not seen again until the baked Alaska arrived. Also, three small beets? What's up with that? Again, who was I supposed to ask? No one was around and no one returned. Life can be lonely in the PG at 5pm. So the initial waiter took your order and did nothing else? If all his/her job involved was taking orders, then he/she should have had plenty of time to circulate and ask people if everything was all right and if they needed anything. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare TiogaCruiser Posted 17 hours ago #118 Share Posted 17 hours ago (edited) 46 minutes ago, SilvertoGold said: I would love to be able to read this menu but it is light blue on a white background and even if I increase the size it is impossibley blurry! Unfortunately that is all the resolution I can get with a screen shot from my app. Trying here to use the download feature on my iPad. This is what is currently posted as lunch. pinnaclegrill_lunch_navi.pdf This is what is currently posted as dinner on Zaandam. pinnaclegrill_dinner_alaska_navi_1_.pdf Edited 16 hours ago by TiogaCruiser 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted 16 hours ago #119 Share Posted 16 hours ago 46 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said: So the initial waiter took your order and did nothing else? If all his/her job involved was taking orders, then he/she should have had plenty of time to circulate and ask people if everything was all right and if they needed anything. I keep citing some comparisons between HAL and Seabourn, because of the close alignment of the two companies. Seabourn uses an interesting model for service in their Restaurant (main dining room) and Colonnade (lido buffet with some table service). The tables have assigned waiters, just like most restaurants. But, the waiter is primarily an order taker, comes to the table, and inputs the order via wireless tablets. The orders go directly to the galley where the galley staff prepare the orders. The food is actually brought to the tables by servers (different from the waiters) whose station is at the galley. So when food is ready (and hot) it is brought directly to the tables with no delay. The waiters are also responsible for follow-up to check that everything is OK and whether folks need more assistance. Even in Seabourn's MDR, the system is similar. Since the waiters are always in their area of responsibility and near their serving station, the direct interaction between waiters and passengers is excellent. These systems avoid all the lost time when waiters traditionally had to trek to the galley to wait and pick-up their orders. Speaking of restaurant systems, we saw a somewhat different model during a recent trip to Japan. In quite a few venues, there were no waiters/order takers. Patrons were expected to order by using their phones. The tables had a QR Code which patrons scanned. This brought up menus (in various languages) from which the patrons would input their orders. A server would bring the hot food. Payment was usually handled at the register. This model reduced the need for waiters and I suspect it is a model we will see become more common in order to reduce the need for labor. We went to one very busy cafe/restaurant in Tokyo that actually had tablets at all the tables (and bar) from which patrons would input their orders. These tables were really nice in that they had accurate pictures of all the items which made ordering somewhat easier. I do think we are seeing a revolution in how eating venues function which is the result of rapidly increasing costs of labor. The "name of the game" is to reduce staff which leads to reduce cost. Cruise ships are also moving to similar models. In fact, some lines are now experimenting with robot bar tenders which I suspect is going to quickly become the norm. Hank 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BermudaBound2014 Posted 15 hours ago #120 Share Posted 15 hours ago 18 minutes ago, Hlitner said: In fact, some lines are now experimenting with robot bar tenders which I suspect is going to quickly become the norm. I’ve sailed on several ships with bionic bars. It’s a novelty, fun to watch but I don’t see these replacing bartenders anytime soon. Perhaps for simple drinks like a shot and a beer or rum/coke, but part of the draw to a bar is chatting it up and you just can’t do that with a robot (yet). 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted 15 hours ago #121 Share Posted 15 hours ago 1 hour ago, TiogaCruiser said: Unfortunately that is all the resolution I can get with a screen shot from my app. Trying here to use the download feature on my iPad. This is what is currently posted as lunch. pinnaclegrill_lunch_navi.pdf 1.07 MB · 9 downloads This is what is currently posted as dinner on Zaandam. pinnaclegrill_dinner_alaska_navi_1_.pdf 1.24 MB · 6 downloads Thanks for the links. Navigator for November Caribbean still has the old menus. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted 15 hours ago #122 Share Posted 15 hours ago 42 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said: I’ve sailed on several ships with bionic bars. It’s a novelty, fun to watch but I don’t see these replacing bartenders anytime soon. Perhaps for simple drinks like a shot and a beer or rum/coke, but part of the draw to a bar is chatting it up and you just can’t do that with a robot (yet). I agree and both DW and I enjoy sitting at a nice bar and chatting with the bar tenders and other customers. But have you ever looked at the bars on HAL and counted the number of seats that are actually at the bar? We used to love the Crow's Nest on the Prinsendam (and other ships) because it worked for a bar crowd. But alas, HAL ruined that bar and the number of places to socialize at bars was degraded. On the Vista ships we do sometimes hang-out at the Rolling Stone/BB King (or whatever it is to be called tomorrow) but it is not a good substitute for that ole Crows Nest which had a great atmosphere with a view. In fact, perhaps we should start a new thread on the "best cruise ship bars." We have cruised on over 70 different ships (of 19 cruise lines) and have many thoughts. The Martini/Ice Bar on Celebrity is among the best, but our current favorite are the "Observation Bars" on the Seabourn ships. Ironically, these remind me of what the Crow's Nest USED TO BE. Hank 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare SumoCitrus Posted 14 hours ago #123 Share Posted 14 hours ago (edited) I've never really been happy with PG. My biggest complaint is that the steaks are mediocre. They are clearly not prime but they should be. The service is usually good but I'm there for the food. I the best thing about PG, in my opinion, is the Baked Alaska. Until they ruin it, that is. Tamarind is a much better option for a special dinner. Canaletto is just Chef Boyardee. Edited 14 hours ago by SumoCitrus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 3rdGenCunarder Posted 14 hours ago #124 Share Posted 14 hours ago 16 minutes ago, SumoCitrus said: I've never really been happy with PG. My biggest complaint is that the steaks are mediocre. They are clearly not prime but they should be. The service is usually good but I'm there for the food. I the best thing about PG, in my opinion, is the Baked Alaska. Until they ruin it, that is. Tamarind is a much better option for a special dinner. Canaletto is just Chef Boyardee. I agree about Tamarind. But that's a harsh description of Canaletto. I've had very good dinners there. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilvertoGold Posted 14 hours ago #125 Share Posted 14 hours ago 2 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said: Unfortunately that is all the resolution I can get with a screen shot from my app. Trying here to use the download feature on my iPad. This is what is currently posted as lunch. pinnaclegrill_lunch_navi.pdf 1.07 MB · 13 downloads This is what is currently posted as dinner on Zaandam. pinnaclegrill_dinner_alaska_navi_1_.pdf 1.24 MB · 11 downloads Brilliant!!! Thank you so much! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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