Pinnacle Grill Experience

[pamcdon]

We will be taking our first Holland America cruise on the Zuiderdam leaving January 29, 2005.

Can anyone give me some info on the Pinnacle Grill? I know we have to pay $20.00, but what is this for? Is it just for the experience of eating there? Also, is our dinner included or is that extra also?

Thanks for any info you can give.

[Theresa04]

My first cruise will be this August. But, as I understand it, the price you pay is for your reservation. After that, the meal is included. If you make a reservation for the first night of your cruise, the cost of the reservation is only $10/per person.

[Giorgi-one]

We thought the Pinnacle Grill was well worth the extra $20 charge and was a steal at $10 for the first night. I beleive that you have to book the first night in advance by phone thru HAL Guest Services. They money is charged to your credit card and shows up as a credit on your room bill.

[Krazy Kruizers]

:)

If you call Ship Services at 1-800-541-1576, you can make reservations to eat at the Pinnacle Grill on the first night of the cruise for $10 per person. Have ready your booking number, ship name, date of sailing, and your credit card number. You pay for this ahead of your cruise on your charge card. Take a copy of your charge card billing statement just in case there would be any problems once you get on the ship.

The $20 per person if you go on any other evening covers everything. You will get a choice of appetizers, soup, salad, entree, vegetables, desserts. You can't beat it for the price. Alcoholic drinks as are tips are extra.

:)

[vjb223]

If you use a plat. american express card the dinner (first nite only) is free.

[Krazy Kruizers]

:)

You have to book and pay for your cruise with the platinum American Express card.


:)

[doone]

HIGHLY recommend this restaurant. Its well worth the $20 and an excellent bargain at $10 if you eat there the first night.

[sail7seas]

When we boarded Rotterdam in March, there was notice in our suite telling us which extension to call if we wanted to have our dinner that night in Pinnacle. It would be free only on embarkation night and would be the regular $20 charge any other night of the cruise.


When we boarded Maasdam last week, there was no such notice. We did not wish to dine at Pinnacle that first night so we never inquired why the notice was missing.

If you use a TA other than Am Ex Platinum Travel, your TA must call Platinum Travel to get a tracking number to submit to HAL.

AS to the original question, the $10 charge for the first night or te $20 pp charge for every other night is for your dinner. It includes a number of courses and a full enough menu (which has been posted on this board recently) for most people to find a choice that appeals to them. The food is excellent and the value is wonderful. A similar dinner at places such as Ruth's Chris, Morton's, The Palm all cost at least $200 w/ a moderate wine.

[vjb223]

hate to add a sour note but, on our last cruise on the maasdam the pinnacle grill was awful. We did it on the Amsterdam and it was the best steak I ever had so was dissapointed. The first steak they brought out was the wrong cut of steak not rib-eye, the second one was so tough you needed a saw, the third try was not any better. Mushrooms, side dish were burnt. Told the waiter and he said they buy the best beef individually wrapped, I said that's what the problem was they forgot to take off the plastic before cooking. They usually have great food and will try again. Still would recommend the grill, maybe I will order something else, tried to order lobster only even small one no steak and they said only served on top of steak, does that make sense? I just asked for it on the side, oh well don't think we will go hungry. Wish I could eat chocolate the volcano sounds yummy.

[apfra.]

We despised the Pinnacle Grill. Some people do not appreciate the food in the specialty restaurants in Celebrity. For some, it is overdone. That is fine, many prefer the more traditional American-cuisine of the Pinnacle Grill (I hesitate calling this cuisine). We hated it so much we demanded a refund but even the hotel manager refused to give us one.

First of all, the restaurant manager did not speak fluent English, which made it difficult to communicate with him. When we were escorted to our table, the waiter just left, leaving us to sit ourselves (he did not pull out the chairs, put the napkin in our laps, etc.) We were disappointed with our table, and since the restaurant was almost empty, we asked the foreign restaurant manager for a change. This request was not accommodated. After waiting 8-minutes for our menus, we finally decided to order. Our order was placed without a problem.

Then, two women with two young children came and sat near us. The children made much noise and, well, just acted like children. On Celebrity you must be 12 to dine in the specialty restaurants. At the Pinnacle Grill, the service was in general not attentive, which is unacceptable for this "outstanding" restaurant, especially when they were not busy. The waiters elected to converse amongst themselves. We accidentally spilled a glass of Champagne, and the waiters just starred, not knowing what to do. I finally had to ask for assistance.

Finally, our food arrived. My steak was overdone, and they offered to replace it, but I did not want to wait another 20 minutes. I ate it, and it was not even that great. Another person in our party ordered a special order of salmon. It was not a big thick fillet like we expected. It was the same fillet as the dining room. Just people it is a special order they cheapened out on it. So at the end, we asked to be at least partially credited, which was refused. We told them that we would come back for lunch another day to give them another try.

When we came back for lunch, it was not much better. The same problems as before--- poor service. The menu was exactly the same as the dining room. They could not get my order of no bacon on my hamburger right. I sent it back, asking for a new burger cooked without bacon (the taste and fats get into the burger). They just took the bacon off. I asked again, and they gave me a new burger, but the same fries, which still tasted like bacon. I did not bother. I must comment that the illuminated fruits on the wall lowered the ambiance of the restaurant to an upscale coffee shop.

So when you say that food in the Pinnacle Grill is better than the SS United States or her sister restaurants, I assume you are referring to a different Pinnacle Grill other than on Westerdam. My friend who is a veteran HAL cruiser dined with us, and he said that it could not compare to the Odyssey on the Rotterdam.

[sail7seas]

We dined in Pinnacle several times during our March cruise on Rotterdam. It was faultlessly delicious each time we were there. There were at least 6 people in our party and we all were very pleased each time.


We LOVE Pinnacle on Zuiderdam. We have cruised Zuiderdam four cruises and have dined in that Pinnacle at least 10 times. Never one disappointing meal.

Zuiderdam and Rotterdam's meat was on a par with restaurants such as The Palm, Ruth's Chris, Morton's etc Definitely as good.....

We dined in Pinnacle several times on Maasdam last Thanksgiving during b-to-b cruises. Pinnacle had just been built and they had some initial problems there. Our dinners got better but they were not as good as they should have been.

We just returned from Maasdam last week where we dined in Pinnacle twice.
It was good, we had very pleasant evenings there, but it was not as good as Zuiderdam's and Rotterdam's. IMO

[Sunviking]

On the Statendam in October 2002 we ate in the Pinnacle Grill on 2 nights because we enjoyed it so much the first time. We had what my DH and I agree was one of the finest filet mignon either of us had ever eaten. The Sterling beef was so tender it practically melted in our mouths and it was cooked to perfection, medium rare as we had ordered. The service was outstanding as well. We're looking forward to the same kind of experience on the Zuiderdam in September.

[mattR]

Can you order 2 steaks?

[peaches from georgia]

I think when you see the size of several of the steaks you can order you will understand there is no need to even ask that question. There is at least one you would have trouble finishing, much less ordering 2. There are more than enough sides and other courses to satisfy the largest appetite if one steak by itself is not enough, and I'm sure it will be. :D

[sail7seas]

Would you order two steaks at The Palm, Ruth's Chris , Morton's or other like restaurants? I do not think you would wish to order to at Pinnacle.


Ruth's Chris and the other restaurants I mentioned would charge you for both steaks if you were to order two, so I would think that Pinnacle would/should do the same.

Just my opinion, or course.

[Roadwork]

Can you order 2 steaks?
Peaches from Georgia gave some good advice. The size of the steaks can be very large. If you really think you need 2, check ahead of time.

[steelcity5044]

Hey you're gonna be on the same sailing as us!!! We booked for first night (paying $10pp) and I alraedy made reservation. I think we picked 7:30 as our dining time.

[pamcdon]

Now that I'm looking at my book, I think the speciality restaurant on the MS Zuiderdam is called the Odyssey Restaurant. It look like it's an Italian cuisine restaurant.

Can anyone confirm this for me?

Also, do I have to wait until I've paid for my cruise in full before I can make a reservation?

Thanks.

[digby]

We ate at the Westerdam's Pinnacle Restaurant two nights in May and had a great time. The food was wonderful and the service was near perfect. The restaurant manager was not American and had an accent but spoke FLUENT English and could not have been more helpful.

[auj1fan]

I ate there last Friday the 23rd and it was awesome. All of the food was great. Well worth the $20.00 each. The service was a little slow thou. But I was in a group of 11. I think we were there for like 3 hours!

Zaandam was great!

Kim

[tammar]

sail7seas thank you so much. we have reservations for three nights at the Pinnacle on the Z and now you have me excited. anyone that has sailed on the Z as many times as you have and eaten at the Pinncale, is a good test of judgement. I well melt right into one of their chairs and enjoy every minute of it.

[Orcrone]

It sounds like I may avoid the Pinnacle on the Maasdam and wait until the Zuiderdam. Of course, if I hear that things have improved in the meantime, I'll reconsider.

[HeatherInFlorida]

How about the Oosterdam? Anyone tried the Pinnacle on the Oosterdam? Sounds like the quality may vary from ship to ship.

[travler153]

We had our 20 year old son on the Zuiderdam. He asked for two steaks at the Pinnacle Grill but was told that he could have as many courses as he liked, but only one entree. It was big enough, even for him. The dinner was wonderful.

[jocelysue]

Sorry to post such a question. However, I was given the run-around by HAL today when I tried to reserve the upper dining room on the Veendam. Was told I had to pass through my TA. Explained to them that my TA had left the company where he was working and had not yet been replaced so we were in Limbo. Have not yet been able to reserve the Pinnacle Grill and don't know how to go about it. Help please!

In the course of our conversation, the HAL representative told me there have been changes in dining times for the Alaska cruises at least. Apparently each ship in now free to determine whether the upper or lower dining rooms will be seated and served first. Right now, most ships seem to have opted to serve the lower dining room first in direct contradiction to most of the posts on this board.

I also inquired about HAL's policy of shipboard credit and was told by JULIE, the HAL representative, that HAL did not grant any shipboard credit on its own because it has contracts with TA. These , according to her, are the only persons authorized to grant a shipboard credit unless the PX has bought his/her cruise directly from HAL. She said that various TA granted different amounts of shipboard credit but that this was a field entirely within their own purvue and prerogative. Somehow or other, I have the distinct feeling she was simply trying to get rid of me. she repeated mant times that HAL could issue no credit.

I must admit that our conversation was totally unsatisfactory; our characters simply didn't seem to click. Perhaps I was abrupt but, IMO, Julie was totally disinterested.

Would appreciate receiving tips on how to go about making the reservations/changes we would like. BTW, since the rules do not allow us to mention TA's by name, suffice it to say that I reserved through an online cruise company . Received great service until my TA left. Now, there is no one specific who looks after our file although I was told that we would be assigned a TA for "future bookings". We are leaving in 3 weeks and have not yet received our travel documents. Isn't that cutting a rather fine line or am I being too pickY? How long should we wait? We know that we are paid up because both Princess and HAL told us we were but have nothing to prove it except our paidup visa billls.Any advice as to how to proceed?

[HeatherInFlorida]

Jocelysue, I can't help you about the credit although I do know that generally you do have to go thru your TA for that. I would suggest at this late date (after final payment) that it's doubtful you'll get a credit, but you never know.

I'm puzzled about the rest of your post. I spoke with Ships Services 2 days ago. They couldn't have been nicer. I asked about reserving the Pinnacle and she told me I could do that anytime between now and a week before the cruise. I could have done it that day but hadn't made up my mind for sure. So you shouldn't have had any problem with that.

Also, I would think you'd have your documents and you should contact your TA about it. You can mention internet agents on this Board; it's just brick and mortar you're not supposed to mention.

When you booked your reservations didn't you also request a dining time? Generally they take that at the time of your reservation. But you certainly can request it now. My advice would be to first call or email your TA and tell them nicely you want to know when to expect your docs and also tell them what time you want to dine.

Then I would call Ships Services back (1-800-541-1576) and speak with someone else. Don't mention you called before. Just be as friendly as possible and ask to make your Pinnacle reservation. Maybe Julie was having a bad day. Good luck.:D

[localady]

Jocelysue-

I understand your dilemna, I had the same situation on our last cruise. I used ***********, then had the agent either leave or never answer my call, subsequently, I was unable to deal with the new dining time requests because my TA wasn't making them and they "own" the reservation. :eek: It sure sounds like you were talking to Customer Service/Reservations, and their hands are tied by their agreements with the Travel Agents, when your agent "goes South". I would call back, explain your problem and ask to talk to the supervisor calmly if they say they can't help you, as I did this with success!

Ship Services is an entirely different group. They will be happy to make your Pinnacle reservation, have flowers in your cabin, and reserve a cabana on HMC as well as other things. I too urge you to give them a call if you are interested in reserving the Pinnacle.

[ekerr19]

It sounds like I may avoid the Pinnacle on the Maasdam and wait until the Zuiderdam. Of course, if I hear that things have improved in the meantime, I'll reconsider.

It is so funny - we enjoyed the Pinnacle much more on the Maasdam than we did the Zuiderdam. Our Zui experience was so bad - we had made up our minds we weren't going to bother again on the Maasdam. After reading these boards, we decided to give it another try and were so glad we did.

I guess it can be hit or miss when it comes to the Pinnacle, or maybe just a matter of personal preference. :)

[jocelysue]

Thanks to Heather and local Lady. I did follow your advice and phone Ship Services. they couldn't have been nicer. I was able to make our reservations for the Pinnacle Grill immediately. It is still $10.00 per person for the first night's sailing.

Heather, no wonder you couldn't understand my question about meal sittings. Ihadn't made myself clear. Actually, I had made reservations for the second seating at the tme of booking my cruise. However, my TA had not mentioned that,in addition to two seatings there were also different seating times for the upstairs and the downstairs dining room on the Veendam. I learned about this on this forum and was phoning to request a table in the upstairs dining room based on the fact that PAX on the upper level dining were seated earlier than those on the lower level That is when I was informed that HAL had changed its policy and that each ship could come to an independent decision and that each sailing could be different.

I was also told that if I asked to be put on a "wait" list for the upstairs dining room, second seating2 that my "second seating" reservation would be canceeled and that there was no guarantee that we would get second seating either upstairs or downstairs.

As for ship's credit, well I simply shan't worry about it. Forewarned is forearmed and I'll know about it next cruise. As we had received a good ship's credit on Princess I took it for granted that it was the cruiseline and not the TA who offered this credit. Now I know better.

The TA we used was "The Cruise Web". As stated before, our contact agent left and has not been replaced so we are orphans. Doubt that I'll use them again although we were very satisfied when Steve was there.Now it's a different matter as I've been waiting two days for a phone back about our documents which we still haven't received.

Thanks everyone for your answers and your help.

[Stevesan]

You can mention internet agents on this Board; it's just brick and mortar you're not supposed to mention.[/font]

I can understand this belief because there are so many headline postings and threads naming and recommending various online agencies which are not deleted. However, the CC guidelines do not make any distinction between bricks and mortar or online TAs. I've heard that the guidelines do not apply whenever an agency that advertises on the CC web site is promoted in a thread or Headline posting, but there appear to be many agencies that do not advertise on CC that remain.:confused:
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[Isis]

Seven of us went to the specialty restaurant on the Zuiderdam. Four of us including myself felt it wasn't worth it. The other 3 loved it. Our reservation was messed up. They ended up putting us in a makeshift table in the hallway even though the dining room was more than half empty. I love the specialty restaurants on Celebrity but did not enjoy this one. My advice is to check and recheck that you are getting the correct reservation for the number of people and time and day you want especially if you are going with a group of people.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Stevesan, I should have been more clear. My understanding of the guideline is that we cannot recommend an agent. Clearly Jocelysue wasn't doing that. Guidelines say no advertising and clearly she wasn't doing that either. Still, I understand your point and remain a bit confused on the issue.

Joselysue, so glad you got part of your problem straightened out. We're way off topic here, but just so you know generally speaking it is the first seating that fills up, not the second. If you go on waitlist for the Upstairs Main (2nd), you'll probably get it. But it's your gamble so I wouldn't think of advising you.

Back on topic, based on what I've read here I think we'll skip the Pinnacle on the Oosterdam. I so love getting to know our tablemates that I would almost think we were deserting them for the evening. Should they choose to desert us, that's their call.

[CrabbyHarper]

We ate in the Pinnacle Grill on Maasdam three times on our 10 night cruise in April. It was terrific. The Lamb chops were our favorite. The service WAS slow, though. However, we had no planes to catch or phones to answer so we just kicked back and enjoyed.

Have already booked for first night out on our November cruise. We have requested a table for four in the dining room - we are a small group of four - and we will all eat in the Pinnacle that first night, so hopefully will not offend other tablemates!