Kids Eat Free In Pinnacle ??

[cruz chic]

Why would you think it's different for most parents now? Because a few don't do their jobs well?

 

My husband and I do the same with our girls. We live very frugally so we can travel. We don't eat out much, and expect good behavior from our girls when we do. Every one of my friends is the same way. Please don't assume that most parents are absent from their duties as parent.

 

If it was a few that would be wonderful. Maybe things are much different were you live.

[cruz chic]

The amount of money you are paying for a cruise does not give you the right to disrespect families with children. All families with children DO NOT allow their kids to be loud and unruly. . .

 

See my point? One poster mentions that SOME old people are hard to deal with and gets flamed (even though I think that part of the post was tongue in cheek). Every other post on this thread talks about unruly kids and their AWFUL parents. Can't you see how this might make those of us who are actually GOOD parents feel?

 

My husband and I are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary on our next cruise. We love our girls. We also want to celebrate our love for each other WITH our girls. If we choose to dine in the Pinnacle Grill, shouldn't that be an option for us? If our girls are only given the MDR menu, should we have to pay $29 per girl for food we already paid for in our hefty booking fee? Every. single. restaurant. we've been to has a children's menu and it is always much cheaper than main courses for adults. 1*-5* restaurants, it doesn't matter.

 

My husband and I made the decision to save and spend our money on travel. If some parents chose to spend their money on camping I do NOT judge them for it. However, if we book our travel with a line that's trying to attract families I would hope we would be welcome in any public space on that ship instead of being discouraged from utilizing it.

 

I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. If I see kids, I don't expect them to be unruly and I hope that their parents are attentive. If I see older people, I don't expect them to be crabby and/or slow. And if they are slow, so what? I'm on a cruise! I've got time. I've made many many wonderful friends in ALL walks of life this way. This thread has made me a bit nervous about our reception in August.

 

Edit to add: I know I'm probably going to be flamed, but I can't help but feel like a pariah now on this board. Which is really sad, because I've loved this board for 8 years now.

 

Please quote my post where i said you should not cruise or take your girls to the pinnacle grill. You seem to be upset with me for some other reason. I'm just speaking about what my experience is in Calgary. I don't think that you live here and maybe never visited so I'm not sure how you can discount how i feel. I will not return to this thread because it seem i cant win. There is no expressing an opposing view.

[ETinCA]

Our kids have enjoyed it and don't cause a problem. Most families I've seen on Hal aren't an issue anyway. We love the Tamarind where the same pricing applies

 

 

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[CowPrincess]

One poster mentions that SOME old people are hard to deal with and gets flamed (even though I think that part of the post was tongue in cheek). Every other post on this thread talks about unruly kids and their AWFUL parents.

 

That certainly was not and is not my impression of the posts in this thread. After reading your comment, I went back and re-read the thread. I still do not see where every other post is talking about unruly kids and "awful" parents. As a matter of fact, there are lots of posts in support of kids being on cruises.

[chrispb]

Seems like every parent posting here has perfectly behaved kids;)

 

So who do those other kids belong to?:D

[candbgirl]

Beauty(and behavior) is in the eyes of the beholder.

 

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[AlohaPride]

Seems like every parent posting here has perfectly behaved kids;)

 

So who do those other kids belong to?:D

 

No one ever said that, but we do PARENT our children.

 

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy

[Mytime2014]

No one ever said that, but we do PARENT our children.

 

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy

 

you seem sensitive - I don't think anyone here is addressing your children.

 

I'm sure as a parent you have seen children in environments where your children would be controlled and well behaved and other children were not so attended. IMO, those are the parents/children that make you shudder to think they will be sitting next to you in a fine dining environment. Or, I'll say it - at IHOP or McDonalds - you don't even want to be next to them there.

Same with rude adults - no one wants to think they'll have to endure the drunk a-hole who feels entitled to shout/swear/belittle the entire time you try to enjoy your meal.

 

I imagine your children can be appropriate for the environment or you would not so state in a forum where people are able to recognize you on the next cruise you will take them on.

 

Unless you are taking on the burden of being the spokesperson for all the parents in the world who have children......

[pmd98052]

We took our kids (8 and 6) on a 41 night Seattle to Auckland cruise on the Oosterdam last fall and were delighted that Pinnacle Grill didn't charge for the kids. Nor did they have to eat from the kids menu. They both ordered adult meals and deserts.

 

We ate their once for lunch and twice for dinner on that cruise - wish we had gone more.

[cbr663]

We just returned from Alaska on the Volendam and thought I would share these two experiences:

• on 2 occassions we watched as 2 small children ran throughout the Lido. One child thought it was great to run between the space between the tables (on the side where there is a table for 4, a small space, and then a table for 2) throughout the meal. For me, this is a health and safety issue, and
  
• again in the Lido, while waiting for the couple in front of us to sit to their table with their meals, a child of about 7 years actually elbowed my DW in the side to get around her.
  

[CowPrincess]

No one ever said that, but we do PARENT our children.

 

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy

 

No one, not one poster, has said you don't PARENT your children.

 

The overall consensus, from what I can see, is that parents should parent, and there are some parents who fail to do so.

 

Would you let your 5 or 6 year old kid run full-tilt and screaming along the cabin hallway, windmilling his or her arms, at a group of older people who were all using canes? I'm thinking you would not permit that. Yet I have seen that exact behaviour (and worse) onboard. And on land. That is a lack of parenting IMHO.

 

I am sorry that comments that are not directed at you are bothering you. I don't see any posts questioning or commenting negatively on you or your children.

Edited May 9, 2014 by CowPrincess

[AlohaPride]

I'm not taking it personally, but the overall generalization that most kids are not well behaved and, thus, should not be welcome in the Pinnacle, is frustrating. What you have quoted here is my direct response to someone saying that everyone posting here has "perfectly behaved children."

 

HAL advertises as a family friendly line. I find it really sad that going into a trip people expect the worst of families with kids. I also find it really sad that some people expect the worst of the older generations.

 

I expect generally decent behavior from everyone and don't let the few bad apples color my impression of the entire group of people. I would like to be judged by my parenting as it stands and not as I walk into a room before being given the chance to behave or not.

 

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy

[cruisin'girl]

We took our kids (8 and 6) on a 41 night Seattle to Auckland cruise on the Oosterdam last fall and were delighted that Pinnacle Grill didn't charge for the kids. Nor did they have to eat from the kids menu. They both ordered adult meals and deserts.

 

We ate their once for lunch and twice for dinner on that cruise - wish we had gone more.

Were the kids served adult portions when ordering from the adult menu and still not charged?

[pmd98052]

Yes the kids had the same adult portions as we did.

 

One of the reasons we ended up liking HAL a little more than Princess was things like this. Made it much easier to go out and eat as a family somewhere other than the MDR - especially on such a long cruise. It was a great change of scene.

 

As another poster more eloquently points out above I find it sad that people don't think children should be allowed into places like the Pinnacle Grill. It is also a shame another poster feels a need to point out how some kids behave badly - No kidding. I could write about how many adult passengers behave incredibly poorly - much worse than the kids!

 

I was really shocked on that long cruise how poorly many adults behaved. It was so bad us and another couple stopped going on ships excurisions (we cancelled the remainder of ours) as so many adults couldn't wait it line to board buses - couldn't wait to get off - would push our kids out of the way trying to get to the tenders. We got separated from our kids twice on the way to the tenders by adults pushing in front of them. Really shocking stuff.

 

Another time I was waiting near passenger services to and saw a guy angrily tap on the bar loudly with his key card to get the bar tenders attention. When that didn't work he tapped louder and shouted "HEY". No "excuse me" no "I'm sorry" no "please" no "Thank you".

 

I've got to say I was pretty shocked at quite a number of adults on the cruise.

 

Can kids behave badly - sure

 

Can adults behave badly - sure

 

Should those kids be refused entry to Pinnacle Grill - perhaps.

 

Should those adults be refused entry to Pinnacle Grill - definitely.

 

Can't behave age 0-15 is one thing - Can't behave at age 15-100 is quite another.

Edited May 9, 2014 by pmd98052

[Big Dawg CC]

We have two teen girls, and we have enjoyed many meals in the Pinnacle and Tamarind that were either free for them (when they were under 13) or discounted by 50% (after they turned 13). And that discount was in addition to any mariner discount! We understand from HAL that program ended in December 2013, and we have been charged the full amount for our teen-age girls since then (less our four star discount).

[heathriel]

You know, I don't think I've ever seen a *child* on a HAL ship, much less in the Pinnacle Grill. I've even hung out in the deserted "Oasis" because its pretty neat and very empty.

 

Maybe its that I've never been on the shorter cruises?

Edited May 9, 2014 by heathriel

[pmd98052]

There were 8 kids on the 28 night Seattle to Sydney last Fall. They all had a great time and our 2 kids are now regular pen pals with friends in Sydney.

[POA1]

FWIW, we've encountered quite a few well behaved children and a number of poorly behaved adults. You can give a misbehaving child's parents "the stare," usually with good results. It never seems to work on the unruly adults.

[GoHoward]

Just off the phone with HAL Ship Services - the policy was changed in December 2013, and all children age 3 years and above pay full price in all specialty restaurants. No discounts.

 

As we had two evenings booked and had assumed kids were free we now need to rethink some of our plans onboard...

[AlohaPride]

Just off the phone with HAL Ship Services - the policy was changed in December 2013, and all children age 3 years and above pay full price in all specialty restaurants. No discounts.

 

As we had two evenings booked and had assumed kids were free we now need to rethink some of our plans onboard...

 

Same here. Bummer.

 

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Edited June 3, 2014 by AlohaPride

[Krazy Kruizers]

Just off the phone with HAL Ship Services - the policy was changed in December 2013, and all children age 3 years and above pay full price in all specialty restaurants. No discounts.

 

As we had two evenings booked and had assumed kids were free we now need to rethink some of our plans onboard...

 

 

Thank you for this updated information.

[CI66774]

I think everyone should just lay off kids, old people (aka the walking dead), fat people, smelly people, dumb people, etc. We're going to them all (some of us are those people) on our cruises. If someone is misbehaving (talking loudly, burping, climbing on furniture, drunken advances, incontinence, etc.), then report it. Holland American is out to make money (as are the other cruise lines) and families help make it money. If you don't like kids (see the other categories above), then stay home and watch tv (you'll see lots of them on the tube, too). :)

[donaldsc]

Although everyone says that their kids are wonderfully behaved and never annoy other people, we all know that they are parents so they do not know that some kids are obnoxious brats all of the time and all kids are obnoxious brats some of the time. That is what kids do. All of them - even yours.

 

Just what we need in the Pinnacle - a bunch of noisy annoying obnoxious brats.

 

Just so I do not flamed too badly, I have 2 kids (now adults) and we did not take them to adult restaurants until we knew that they would behave properly.

 

DON

[cp556]

Same here. Bummer.

 

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Just remember that the Pinnacle aboard Amsterdam is an interior space, with very formal decor and no windows. It's basically two rooms, one behind the other, and no exterior windows to look out of and enjoy the scenery. I might suggest (if you've not been aboard Amsterdam in the past) visiting the restaurant soon after boarding to decide if it'll be suitable for your three young'uns over the lengthy dinner experience ....

[mrluckycharms]

Although everyone says that their kids are wonderfully behaved and never annoy other people, we all know that they are parents so they do not know that some kids are obnoxious brats all of the time and all kids are obnoxious brats some of the time. That is what kids do. All of them - even yours.

 

Just what we need in the Pinnacle - a bunch of noisy annoying obnoxious brats.

 

Just so I do not flamed too badly, I have 2 kids (now adults) and we did not take them to adult restaurants until we knew that they would behave properly.

 

DON

 

 

 

I see what you mean. But I think the old people can be just as bad. Once at a meal in the Pinnacle, two elderly sisters dining together could not hear each other. It was over an hour of "WHAT? WHAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU! IS YOUR HEARING AID ON? WHAT ? WHAT?" One of the sisters sent back an entree 3 times for whatever reason. The other sister complained about the wine, the portion of the appetizer, and the service was slow. And that was just that night!

 

Just what we need in the Pinnacle........a bunch of noisy, annoying, obnoxious old farts.