Hal - Pinnacle Grill/free-style Dining

[sail7seas]

Sounds like a pretty great family to me, "ekerr". ;)

 

 

I dislike being categorized.... particularly when it isn't accurate. There is such variety in Lifestyles today and composition of households, that categorizing is near impossible. IMO

 

[barbon2]

Could not agree with you more Sail. As I stated before, just returned from the Oosterdam where they had the leisure dining. It was fine. We had to be at the lower dining room between 8 and 9 pm. HOWEVER, when we booked the Noordam this past Friday for August, we were informed that A, the upper dining was booked for a large group, and we had to do the new freestyle dining on the lower level. (At time of booking we were told upper dining was available, but my TA received an e-mail from HAL yesterday.) We are also in the empty nester group, and DO NOT care to dine this way. We like a set table with the other couple we are traveling with. And as for large groups, we had this on the Oosterdam where not only did 600 people (many who never adhered to the dress code) overtake the Crow's Nest for the entire cruise, it sealed our decision to try and find out if future cruises had large groups. Turns out that when our dining request was turned down due to a "large group", we ended up changing our sailing date today so that we were able to get a confirmed upper dining time. Celebrity has always been our favorite line, but we have done 3 HAL cruises, the Alaska for Aug. will be number 4. We happen to like their itineraries and larger suites. We found that the service and perks for the SB suite on the Oosterdam were mediocre and that the concierge service was non existant. Not that I am sure if HAL even cares, but we have booked an SY for Alaska, a perfect example of HAL losing a suite booking due to what I feel is a downgrade in services and food. I hate to make a broad statement like this, but I think the Carnival product is quickly making its way into the HAL brand. I am hoping that our Alaska cruise changes our opinion of HAL and perhaps if they see their customer base change, they may re think some of what they have done.

[ekerr19]

Sounds like a pretty great family to me, "ekerr". ;)

 

 

I dislike being categorized.... particularly when it isn't accurate. There is such variety in Lifestyles today and composition of households, that categorizing is near impossible. IMO

 

 

Well, thank you Sail! This reminds me of one of our first cruises with the kids - we booked a large table, late dining (back in the day when there were only two dining times, lol) and towards the end of our cruise, our tablemates told us that initially, when they discovered there would be kids at the table, they wanted to switch tables. They were two couples from Canada traveling together and were skeptical about having kids at the table. They told us they had the best time with our kids (who really can hold their own in conversations) and enjoyed the experience thoroughly.

 

Because of this, we always try to keep an open mind when it comes to tablemates - for the most part we've been super lucky and enjoyed meeting many new people. So I guess I am trying to keep an open mind regarding this dining change as well - as I said, if it's anything like what we've already experienced - there were definite benefits. :)

[kryos]

No....I cannot agree with your division of HAL's market into two groups. There really are many of us 'empty nesters' out here who are not a young family with small children. Nor are we senior citizens with loads of free time to take 30+ day cruises.

[/b]

It's not my division ... it's exactly what was told to us on a Q&A session aboard the Amsterdam ... conducted by the cruise director when just this question was raised. Someone asked him why HAL seemed to be abandoning their longtime Mariners in favor of the "glitzy" ships catering to families. His response was that HAL is certainly not abandoning longtime Mariners and will always offer the special voyages on the smaller ships that they so much favor. But he also said that HAL must look toward the future, and that is the reason they are trying to attract the family market ... the younger cruisers ... and yes, even the "boomers" with shorter itineraries and larger ships. He said that those "boomers" and families will then hopefully become the longtime Mariners as they grow older and can see their way clear to sail the longer voyages.

 

No one is "tossing aside" the boomers ... and yes, there will always be exceptions to every rule ... you and your DH among them. Of course, there are some young families who prefer the traditional HAL, but who can only sail seven to ten-day itineraries right now. That's why those other ships do a selection of them as well. But you can't argue with the fact that HAL has to attract younger cruisers lest they find themselves without a customer base ten years from now when many of their loyal Mariners have grown too old to cruise any longer.

 

For what it's worth, I ... too ... am an exception to HAL's marketing strategy. I am relatively young by HAL standards ... 50 ... and I am in the unique position right now of being able to sail some longer itineraries. I have a job where I've been for the past 28 years and I earn a goodly amount of vacation time every year, and am of the salary level now where, with careful financial planning, I can afford to cruise some of the longer voyages. Do I think I am not a part of HAL's "grand scheme" of things? Heck no. But I also realize I am in the minority and not a direct beneficiary of their marketing approach. I don't like seven-day cruises ... so I don't sail them. I do like longer voyages, so I sail with a much older group of folks than perhaps I would fit in with. But, the bottom line is that I sail HAL ... where I find things to my liking. I assume that's why you and your DH do the same, right?

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Love to cruise from NJ]

I just returned from 10 day on Noordam to Eatern Caribbean. They did have the "Freestyle" dining but it was just a very simple change from the norm. We had the 8PM dining - so we were allowed to arrive there for a certain window after our assigned 8PM. This was nice because we arrived a little late each night, meaning we did not have to wait on line while they opened the doors. We DID have the same table and same waiter. I don't think it was much different than the normal way.

 

We also went to the pinnacle grill and I didn't think it was worth the extra $. We got it "free" because of a promotion. Glad I did it, nice change, but I'd never pay the extra $30 pp. It never dawned on me to give a tip to the wait staff. I also think we got as good or even better service from our regular waiters in the main dining room.

 

Just my opinion....

[Sea King]

 

Remember my prediction. Freestyle on at least the Vista ships and within a year or so, optional formal nights on those same ships.

 

Blue skies ...

 

Rita: I'm taking you at your word; I've marked my calendar for a year from today and will make sure I look for the changes;)

 

can't help but be "impressed" by your source for the categories .. the Cruise Director himself .. not quite the GRM, Hotel Manager or Captain but a "key player" nontheless:rolleyes:

 

just curious though: if HAL is "targeting" the family market, what happened to 7 day Carribean summer cruises .. last time I looked, schools were usually out from the end of June through the beginning of September :)

 

then again, who wants to drag the family to St. Thomas if you can head for Kodiak:D

[RevNeal]

 

Remember my prediction. Freestyle on at least the Vista ships and within a year or so, optional formal nights on those same ships.

 

Blue skies ...

 

Rita: I'm taking you at your word; I've marked my calendar for a year from today and will make sure I look for the changes;)

 

Actually, Rita made that prediction back in July. :) She has half a year. :)

There's a drink riding on this in the Ocean Bar on some Damship ... I'll be collecting on Formal Night. ;)

[newmexicoNita]

Hi:

 

Could someone please tell me if the $30 surcharge each for dining in the Pinnacle Grill on HAL cruises also includes the gratuity? If not, what would be the recommended gratuity per person for dinner?

 

Also, does anyone know which two HAL ships will be starting the "Free-Style" dining in 2007? Will this be the only type of dining on these ?two ships?

 

Thank you.

I haven't read the other answers to your questions so I will probably be repeating what you already know. As for the tip, that is up to you: we did leave an extra $5 I think. Normally we leave $10 if the service is good, but ours was just so so. As for the freestyle, no, the upstairs as I understand it will be freestyle and the downstairs traditional. It will start in Jan on the Oosterdam, but I don't remember the second ship. As I understand it, this is just a trial. NMnita

[newmexicoNita]

I just booked another trip on the Noordam 10-20-07, they will be doing the "freestyle" dinning, meaning you can come to the dinning room anytime between 6-9:30 and be seated for dinner. You will not have an assigned seat,nor the same waiters. If you come at a peek time you may have to wait to be seated according to HAL. To me it seems like a dumb idea, but who knows, it may be very popular, just not with me.

capn

this is only part true unless they have changed their minds. You will have a choice between traditional and open dining. As for a dumb idea, don't knock what you haven't tried. This isn't for everyone as we all know, but it is the wave of the future it appears. NMnnita

[newmexicoNita]

That's what I would have thought ... but apparently that's not how NCL does it. You (the single) may be more than happy to dine with others, but you won't be forced down anyone's throat. Unless you make arrangements ahead of time ... I read one post where the woman stationed herself outside the dining room and then asked some folks if she could join their table ... the matri 'd will seat you by yourself. He will apparently assume that parties arriving in the dining room together want to eat together and he won't try to foist the solo off on them.

 

At least that's how it was explained to me. I was asking about it only because I was considering an NCL cruise from my home city port and had concerns about the dining arrangements. The conclusion I came to was that NCL might be a great line ... ONLY if you are traveling with others. But they are not at all single and solo friendly ... either in their dining arrangements or their single supplements ... which are 200%.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

The 200% is what many lines charge; I too think it is way too much, but as for the dining situation, you have it partly correct but not totally. I have spoken with many solo cruisers on NCL who were having a great time. When you arrive at your chosen dining room, you are asked if you want to eat alone or with others? They will place you according to your desires, at least most of the time. Of course there are exceptions to all rules as we know. If you are not asked your preferance all you have to do is tell them you would like to sit with others. I can't speak for the person who said she just parked herself outside the dining room. NMnita

[kryos]

just curious though: if HAL is "targeting" the family market, what happened to 7 day Carribean summer cruises .. last time I looked, schools were usually out from the end of June through the beginning of September :)

LOL ... I can only guess that pulling their ships from the Caribbean in the summertime was as a result of a combination of factors ... a) the absolute bloodbath HAL took in the summer of 2004 ... with a Vista ship getting stuck at sea because Port Everglades shut down, and being stuck entertaining a packed boat full of passengers for 2.5 additional days, collecting zilch for it; b) the shortened cruise following that extended one ... where there were about 600 passengers onboard a ship that holds close to 2,000 ... and most of those passengers were holdovers from the previous cruise who only stayed onboard because they got killer deals to do so; and c) the simple fact that Alaska is a far more lucrative destination than the Caribbean ... so HAL just figured it would be more to their financial advantage to deploy their ships there in those "chancey" summer months in the Caribbean. Also, Alaska is generally an excellent family destination as well ... so they can sail there in the summer months, make more money, and still attract the family market.

 

Makes perfect sense to me, though I know others are not too crazy about the idea.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

Actually, Rita made that prediction back in July. :) She has half a year. :)

There's a drink riding on this in the Ocean Bar on some Damship ... I'll be collecting on Formal Night. ;)

Remember, though ... it doesn't have to be all ships ... just the ones that go to "anytime" dining. Eventually it may wind up being all ships, though. :)

 

And believe me, Rev, however that bet works out, I will be only too happy to buy you a drink ... even on a formal night. :)

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita