Have you ordered from the HAL "onboard gifts" selection? And "Pinnacle Grill"?

[CowPrincess]

DH has never cruised before, and we seldom get away on vacation. So our cruise is a big event :) I've looked at the HAL onboard gift selection, and it seems

 

1. limited

2. expensive

3. poorly described

 

Have you ordered from them, and what has been your experience?

 

Also, is the Pinnacle Grill experience worth the upcharge?

 

Thanks in advance!

[wdw1972]

I ordered myself a wine card, which appears to be a good value except that I've heard they tend to pour a half glass alot of the time. I also ordered a shipboard credit, basically pre-paying to cover the gratuities. My cruise isn't for another couple of weeks, and this is the first time I've ordered anything in advance (besides shore excursions).

 

I agree some of the stuff seems very overpriced, and not impressive at all.

 

As for Pinnacle Grill, the food & service is excellent, but I can't justify $60 plus tips when I've already paid for my dining room dinner in my cruise fare. I've done Pinnacle when it was much cheaper and enjoyed it, but not enough to do it again at the current price.

 

Sue/WDW1972

Veendam 3/09/08

[localady]

DH has never cruised before, and we seldom get away on vacation. So our cruise is a big event :) I've looked at the HAL onboard gift selection, and it seems

 

1. limited

2. expensive

3. poorly described

 

Have you ordered from them, and what has been your experience?

 

 

Also, is the Pinnacle Grill experience worth the upcharge?

 

Thanks in advance!

I ordered the Pinnacle dinner for my DH for Valentines day. It was a nice evening, and both of us agreed worth the price. :D

I also order flowers onboard many times since I love to have fresh flowers in our cabin. I have never had a problem with the arrangements, they are always lovely, albeit a bit expensive.

[cage keeper]

I ordered flowers for DH's birthday and the PG for two nights. Also put 700 dollars on a shipboard account so I now only have to worry about money for the ports. I think it's a great idea.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I CALL ship services and order the Pinnacle -- very worth while!! We eat there at least twice on 7 and 10 day cruises.

 

As for the other items -- we don't order anything else.

[jtl513]

The P.G. experience can be very good or very bad. We had an excellent dinner the on the Statendam, and a terrible one on the Westerdam, where the service was bad and the food poorly prepared. At today's prices, we'll only go again if it's a gift.

[lola's mom]

We have eaten at the Pinnacle Grill on the Maasdam and the Zuiderdam. Loved it both times. Are you sure the tip isn't included in the $30 pp?

[jtl513]

Are you sure the tip isn't included in the $30 pp?

I'M absolutely POSITIVE. :)

[RuthC]

Are you sure the tip isn't included in the $30 pp?

 

Absolutely POSITIVE. :)

Agreed.

The $30 charge is for the food. The stewards in the Pinnacle do get pennies from the $10/day service charge' date=' but none of the Pinnacle charge. [/color']

[ljnunley]

Ate at the PG on Zuiderdam last week...it's well worth the extra charge, I'll eat there at least half the nights on my next cruise. We did tip above the $30 charge. Some of the gifts are overpriced but I got my wife a dozen roses on V-day for about $40 and a bottle of rum for about $30 (750ml) so it wasn't too bad.

[airlink diva]

With my various sailing on HAL, both my parents and myself have ordered from the onboard gifts.

On my last cruise, my parents had a bottle of wine and a wine card in my cabin.

I have also order stawberries and Pinnacle Grill for myself.

For my upcoming sailing, I'm placing my OBC a month prior for all my expenses.

The pricing is on par with what the other cruiselines charge. I look at this service as something that's less than a hassle than bringing on board myself.

As for the wine card, I always had a full glass of wine.

It's just a personal choice on using it.

Happy sailing!!

 

 

Second time around on the Maasdam!!

10/24/08-11/07/08 14 day cruise!!!

[candbgirl]

I have always sent my sister and her husband wine when they cruised. Last time I opted for the wine card and they loved it. In fact they plan to always get a wine card now. As far as cost you pay for convenience.

[newmexicoNita]

the pricing for bon voyage gifts are similar on all lines and yes, it is fun to have something in your cabin or an OBC. As for PG, everyone has his/her opinion on this one. We were not terribly impressed. Luckily we did it just before the price went up to $30. I don't think we would pay $30 plus tip. The food was not much different from the main dining room but the atmosphere was nicer. We, unfouturitely had a waiter that choose to use a phony French accent. It didnt' help make our experience a positive one, but it did leave a lasting impression.

 

Nita

[videogeek]

DH has never cruised before, and we seldom get away on vacation. So our cruise is a big event :) I've looked at the HAL onboard gift selection, and it seems

 

1. limited

2. expensive

3. poorly described

 

Have you ordered from them, and what has been your experience?

 

Also, is the Pinnacle Grill experience worth the upcharge?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

I love the Pinnacle and think the extra is worth every penny if you go on off nights. Going on lobster night in the main dining room for example kind of defeats the purpose. The beef is FAR superior to anything you will get in any other venue on the ship. I love private, quiet dining with great service so I am willing to pay for it. If you are going to go, make your reservation as soon as you get on the ship and be specific on the kind of table you would like. They may tell you that they can't guarantee the table but they will make a note of it and if you insist the kind of table you get is important to you, they will often listen and respond.

The gift packages are primarily there for friends and family to have something to buy you for your trip and, to be honest, are not really worth the expense to buy for yourself.

The line allows you to bring your own wine on board. If you have time before your cruise, go to a local liquor store. Have them pack the bottles in a shipping box or, if you are already at your port city you can carry it on with you. DO NOT pack it in your luggage! They often throw and mistreat your bags and it is too far a risk to have all your cloths ruined for the cruise. HAL charges a $15 corkage if you take it to the table for dinner or you can drink it in your room for no charge. If you are going to buy your own wine, do yourself a favor and buy some decent stuff. $12 - $35 per bottle makes it worthwhile. Paying $6 for a bottle of wine and then a corkage fee on top of that does not make economic sense. If you have an outside cabin there is nothing better than sitting in your stateroom having a nice glass of wine before dinner. You can even go out on deck with your wine and enjoy it there.

I have also purchased wine cards in the past and find them to be a very good value. They serve the “house” wine so it is nothing to write home about but enjoyable just the same. If you cruise a lot or plan to go back soon they will honor the card on the next trip if you do not finish it.

[caviargal]

the pricing for bon voyage gifts are similar on all lines and yes, it is fun to have something in your cabin or an OBC.

 

I agree with Nita that all lines are overpriced for gifts as well as spa services, photos and a host of other ala carte offerings. This is how they compensate for keeping fares competitive.

 

As for the PG, we always dine there just as we use the specialty dining on any cruise we take. IMO, it offers the quality of food and service that used to come standard but no longer does on the mass market lines. On certain lines, we pay for the extra charge restaurants every night to avoid the main dining room. On HAL, we often have room service once or twice, enjoy the PG a few times and use the dining room the rest of the time.

 

It is worth it for us:)