Does HAL have a dining room just for suites?

[Lizzie68]

I'm just curious to know why there should be any freebies or further enticements thrown in at all. You pay for and get a larger cabin and a couple of perks to go along with that - PG breakfast and Neptune Lounge. When you pay for a first class flight, you get what you pay for and some additional comforts thrown in. Not sure why there should be anything more. If you want to pay less, you pick a cheaper cabin. We like HAL and will continue to cruise on HAL, therefore building our Mariner days. Perhaps I am totally missing the point but that's the way I see it.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I'm just curious to know why there should be any freebies or further enticements thrown in at all. You pay for and get a larger cabin and a couple of perks to go along with that - PG breakfast and Neptune Lounge. When you pay for a first class flight, you get what you pay for and some additional comforts thrown in. Not sure why there should be anything more. If you want to pay less, you pick a cheaper cabin. We like HAL and will continue to cruise on HAL, therefore building our Mariner days. Perhaps I am totally missing the point but that's the way I see it.

 

I don't book a cabin based on perks. I book the cabin I want, and if it has good perks, that's a nice extra. But many passengers look more closely at perks than I do. With other lines offering so much more in the way of suite perks, HAL will need to do something to look competitive.

[avian777]

I'm just curious to know why there should be any freebies or further enticements thrown in at all. You pay for and get a larger cabin and a couple of perks to go along with that - PG breakfast and Neptune Lounge. When you pay for a first class flight, you get what you pay for and some additional comforts thrown in. Not sure why there should be anything more. If you want to pay less, you pick a cheaper cabin. We like HAL and will continue to cruise on HAL, therefore building our Mariner days. Perhaps I am totally missing the point but that's the way I see it.

 

IMO you are not totally (or even partially) missing the point - good post!

[Randyk47]

I'm just curious to know why there should be any freebies or further enticements thrown in at all. You pay for and get a larger cabin and a couple of perks to go along with that - PG breakfast and Neptune Lounge. When you pay for a first class flight, you get what you pay for and some additional comforts thrown in. Not sure why there should be anything more. If you want to pay less, you pick a cheaper cabin. We like HAL and will continue to cruise on HAL, therefore building our Mariner days. Perhaps I am totally missing the point but that's the way I see it.

 

Actually there didn't used to be any or at least not many perks other than maybe priority boarding or tendering back in the day. My first S category suite was in 1995 and there was no PG or Neptune lounge. Might argue that HAL ought not to have added the various amenities over the years but they did and they marketed the upper suites as having those special and exclusive amenities. I don't remember the exact progression over the years but a lot of the existing amenities came about during the advent of the Signature of Excellence program that started around 2003.

[Tom O.]

I never have had a suite, and I probably never will. My philosophy is that I can cruise almost twice as many days in a regular balcony room as I could in a suite.

But I believe those who do pay extra for a suite should have a special dining experience for dinner. It is not much different than two people going to a restaurant, one ordering a steak and the other ordering a hamburger. The guy who orders the steak has to pay more, but gets a premium meal.

[avian777]

... But I believe those who do pay extra for a suite should have a special dining experience for dinner. It is not much different than two people going to a restaurant, one ordering a steak and the other ordering a hamburger. The guy who orders the steak has to pay more, but gets a premium meal.

 

Spot on!!!

[melissasimon]

There have been times when we have wandered around the Lido with our trays looking and looking for a place to sit. I have no problems with the food or service, but for me, the difficulty of finding seating at peak times in the Lido can be an aggravation. On some other cruise line we have sailed (Princess? Royal Caribbean? sorry- can't remember) there was a separate room off the Lido where suite passengers could sit. There was no special food or service, just adequate seating without having to wander and look. That would be nice. Or even better, more seating for everyone. :)

[sherilyn70]

There have been times when we have wandered around the Lido with our trays looking and looking for a place to sit. I have no problems with the food or service, but for me, the difficulty of finding seating at peak times in the Lido can be an aggravation. On some other cruise line we have sailed (Princess? Royal Caribbean? sorry- can't remember) there was a separate room off the Lido where suite passengers could sit. There was no special food or service, just adequate seating without having to wander and look. That would be nice. Or even better, more seating for everyone. :)

What trays? How long ago was this? We haven't dined in the lido much other than for breakfast, but when we do we always find a table first and a server gets us drinks. We wander off after we have drinks in the table.

Edited November 17, 2015 by sherilyn70

[ellieanne]

There have been times when we have wandered around the Lido with our trays looking and looking for a place to sit. I have no problems with the food or service, but for me, the difficulty of finding seating at peak times in the Lido can be an aggravation. On some other cruise line we have sailed (Princess? Royal Caribbean? sorry- can't remember) there was a separate room off the Lido where suite passengers could sit. There was no special food or service, just adequate seating without having to wander and look. That would be nice. Or even better, more seating for everyone. :)

 

This is just a step away from separate suite seating everywhere, and what happens when the suite passengers are not using their separate seating but there is a lack of seating in the non-suite areas? Would the suite passengers who are not occupying those seats object to someone else using it? Should it be reserved to the exclusive use of those passengers who are having meals on their balconies, eating in another dining venue, or not partaking in that meal service at all?

 

Where do we draw the line? Where do we just give it up and say everything is only for suite passengers. How dare steerage passengers want to have a place to sit that's not in their cabins?

[cruz chic]

There have been times when we have wandered around the Lido with our trays looking and looking for a place to sit. I have no problems with the food or service, but for me, the difficulty of finding seating at peak times in the Lido can be an aggravation. On some other cruise line we have sailed (Princess? Royal Caribbean? sorry- can't remember) there was a separate room off the Lido where suite passengers could sit. There was no special food or service, just adequate seating without having to wander and look. That would be nice. Or even better, more seating for everyone. :)

 

It's not on princess and Hal hasn't had trays for years.

[cruz chic]

This is just a step away from separate suite seating everywhere, and what happens when the suite passengers are not using their separate seating but there is a lack of seating in the non-suite areas? Would the suite passengers who are not occupying those seats object to someone else using it? Should it be reserved to the exclusive use of those passengers who are having meals on their balconies, eating in another dining venue, or not partaking in that meal service at all?

 

Where do we draw the line? Where do we just give it up and say everything is only for suite passengers. How dare steerage passengers want to have a place to sit that's not in their cabins?

 

Why get upset about something that hasn't happened or likely won't happen? I'd be interested to hear if this actually happens on any line or if it's simply confusion.

[avian777]

This is just a step away from separate suite seating everywhere, and what happens when the suite passengers are not using their separate seating but there is a lack of seating in the non-suite areas? Would the suite passengers who are not occupying those seats object to someone else using it? Should it be reserved to the exclusive use of those passengers who are having meals on their balconies, eating in another dining venue, or not partaking in that meal service at all?

 

Where do we draw the line? Where do we just give it up and say everything is only for suite passengers. How dare steerage passengers want to have a place to sit that's not in their cabins?

 

Why get upset about something that hasn't happened or likely won't happen?

 

... do you think OP may have been pulling your chain with a bit of tongue-in-cheek hyperbole? :confused:

[cruz chic]

... do you think OP may have been pulling your chain with a bit of tongue-in-cheek hyperbole? :confused:

 

Op means original poster so I'm not sure why you quoted the person above. No, I don't think the poster that you quoted is pulling anyone's chain.

[SonarSonarSonar]

I'm waiting for them to bring back servant rates. :eek:

 

 

 

 

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Edited November 17, 2015 by SonarSonarSonar

[scamper]

This thread doesn't have quite the same amount of vitriol that the one I created on the same subject a couple of months ago, thankfully. However, some people are really going over the top.

 

For those of you who object to a private suite dining room, try looking at it this way: since no one seems to have any objection to paying extra to have lunch and/or dinner in Pinnacle, think of a private dining room for suite passengers as perk for those who have already paid the extra fee to use. Let's say someone chose to have every lunch or dinner in Pinnacle and that the fee for lunch in Pinnacle is $20 and dinner is $30. That's $50 for two meals a day if someone chose to do so. Now, let's say the suite fares have the same $50 per person, per day fee already integrated into their fare to cover meals in their own dining room. Would that be a problem?

 

And, by the way, it has less to do with "class" and more to do with capitalism.

 

Bottom line is, most all mass market lines ("premium" lines like Celebrity included) are starting to create private spaces for their higher paying customers--NCL, RCCL, MSC, X, etc. It's becoming common. Whether HAL ever offers a similar perk to their suite passengers remains to be seen. They certainly aren't the sort of line that creates trends.

[Flatbush Flyer]

This thread doesn't have quite the same amount of vitriol that the one I created on the same subject a couple of months ago, thankfully. However, some people are really going over the top.

 

 

 

For those of you who object to a private suite dining room, try looking at it this way: since no one seems to have any objection to paying extra to have lunch and/or dinner in Pinnacle, think of a private dining room for suite passengers as perk for those who have already paid the extra fee to use. Let's say someone chose to have every lunch or dinner in Pinnacle and that the fee for lunch in Pinnacle is $20 and dinner is $30. That's $50 for two meals a day if someone chose to do so. Now, let's say the suite fares have the same $50 per person, per day fee already integrated into their fare to cover meals in their own dining room. Would that be a problem?

 

 

 

And, by the way, it has less to do with "class" and more to do with capitalism.

 

 

 

Bottom line is, most all mass market lines ("premium" lines like Celebrity included) are starting to create private spaces for their higher paying customers--NCL, RCCL, MSC, X, etc. It's becoming common. Whether HAL ever offers a similar perk to their suite passengers remains to be seen. They certainly aren't the sort of line that creates trends.

 

 

Celebrity may be a "wannabe" but it is far from that place where anyone in the cruise industry would consider it "premium."

[cbr663]

...Bottom line is, most all mass market lines ("premium" lines like Celebrity included) are starting to create private spaces for their higher paying customers--NCL, RCCL, MSC, X, etc. It's becoming common. Whether HAL ever offers a similar perk to their suite passengers remains to be seen. They certainly aren't the sort of line that creates trends.

 

It is becoming common. We sailed in AquaClass on X and had our own private dining room. We felt that the premium that we paid for the cabin was because of the extra amenities. Of course, it is easier to do a fair comparison with AquaClass on X as the cabin is the same size as a regular verandah cabin. The difference in price between a regular verandah and AquaClass is the extra amenities.

 

The more important question is not whether HAL should or shouldn't do it, but whether it can do it. If HAL even wanted to have separate dining rooms, where could it possibly eek out the space to create it? Most of the lines mentioned above have significantly more dining options than HAL, many of them speciality restaurants. With HAL's profits restricted to on-board spending, wouldn't it make more sense for HAL to create speciality dining options that everyone can use and thereby increase its profits than another dining room that does not generate extra profit?

[POA1]

The more important question is not whether HAL should or shouldn't do it, but whether it can do it. If HAL even wanted to have separate dining rooms, where could it possibly eek out the space to create it?

 

Celebrity took space from the MDR to create their suite only restaurant, Luminae. While well received, for the most part, by suite guests. For the rest of the passenger contingent, not so much. We have our first Celebrity cruise scheduled, so we're interested to see how good Luminae is. People have compared it to Silversea and Seaborne.

[Bell Boy]

Celebrity took space from the MDR to create their suite only restaurant, Luminae. While well received, for the most part, by suite guests. For the rest of the passenger contingent, not so much. We have our first Celebrity cruise scheduled, so we're interested to see how good Luminae is. People have compared it to Silversea and Seaborne.

 

Oh my goodness, I really can't stop laughing :D:D:D:D:D:D:... Luminae is still Celebrity trying it's best, and is polls apart from Seabourn ....Anyone who has compared it to Seabourn (or even Silversea) has never travelled on either Line

[POA1]

Oh my goodness, I really can't stop laughing :D:D:D:D:D:D:... Luminae is still Celebrity trying it's best, and is polls apart from Seabourn ....Anyone who has compared it to Seabourn (or even Silversea) has never travelled on either Line

I know. We've sailed on Silversea, so I have a basis for comparison. I'm just reporting what I read on the Celebrity board. We have not cruised on Celebrity yet, but as soon as we do, I'll have a comparison.

[CowPrincess]

Personally, I like the idea of a dining room that offers a higher quality of food, that could be comped to the Suite pax, and available for purchase by the rest of us. So DH and I could buy the upgraded dining package for the entire cruise, when we buy the cruise.

[sail7seas]

Isn't that the purpose of these alternative restaurants? Pay extra to get a bit different, more, better?

 

[cruz chic]

Isn't that the purpose of these alternative restaurants? Pay extra to get a bit different, more, better?

 

 

Yes, absolutely. I guess it's a foreign concept to some :D.

[CowPrincess]

Personally, I like the idea of a dining room that offers a higher quality of food, that could be comped to the Suite pax, and available for purchase by the rest of us. So DH and I could buy the upgraded dining package for the entire cruise, when we buy the cruise.

 

Isn't that the purpose of these alternative restaurants? Pay extra to get a bit different, more, better?

 

 

Apparently I didn't explain it quite well enough :) Not a PG, something similar to how the MDR does it, a different menu each night. But better quality, a "step up" (or two ;) ) from the MDR. And have it included for the suites, as an amenity, AND have it available for purchase for the rest of us.

[sail7seas]

Apparently I didn't explain it quite well enough :) Not a PG, something similar to how the MDR does it, a different menu each night. But better quality, a "step up" (or two ;) ) from the MDR. And have it included for the suites, as an amenity, AND have it available for purchase for the rest of us.

 

For HAL to do that, wouldn't they be acknowledging, in fact, the MDR has become inferior and in order to have what many consider more adequate dining, they will have to pay more? Is that an admission they want to make?

 

Edited November 18, 2015 by sail7seas