Advance Specialty restaurant reservations

[cruisegirl]

 I know I saw a thread on this yesterday but I can’t find it. We sail 12/4/21 on the Nieuw Amsterdam.  I cannot find a way to make advance reservations for any of the specialty through HAL’s  app. What am I doing wrong? We have made our final payment. Is it too early or am I missing where to do this. When I click on one of the restaurants all I get is the menus. I can book shore excursions and spa treatments but not dining. Your answers and  help will be most appreciated.  Thanks. 

 

[PSR]

Error, sorry.

[Crazy For Cats]

1 hour ago, cruisegirl said:

 I know I saw a thread on this yesterday but I can’t find it. We sail 12/4/21 on the Nieuw Amsterdam.  I cannot find a way to make advance reservations for any of the specialty through HAL’s  app. What am I doing wrong? We have made our final payment. Is it too early or am I missing where to do this. When I click on one of the restaurants all I get is the menus. I can book shore excursions and spa treatments but not dining. Your answers and  help will be most appreciated.  Thanks. 

 

I would recommend trying their website instead of the app.  It is possible that the dining reservations are unavailable at this time and the website will state that very clearly.  The app is hit or miss for far too many.

[Chickadee910]

Holland site my bookings then click dining on left side

[zgscl]

7 hours ago, cruisegirl said:

 I know I saw a thread on this yesterday but I can’t find it. We sail 12/4/21 on the Nieuw Amsterdam.  I cannot find a way to make advance reservations for any of the specialty through HAL’s  app. What am I doing wrong? We have made our final payment. Is it too early or am I missing where to do this. When I click on one of the restaurants all I get is the menus. I can book shore excursions and spa treatments but not dining. Your answers and  help will be most appreciated.  Thanks. 

 

I believe dining reservations are only available within a couple months. Not sure the exact cutoff but just keep checking back and it should appear one day. Seems to be within 2-3 months of departure. 

[Sebbiesgrammy]

I was on the phone with HAL rep to reserve a cabana last week and asked about the dining reservations issue and the notice, in red letters, saying the function wasn't available at the present time.  She said they were aware, were fixing, and that it should be working soon.  I have to wonder if it's an intentional delay due to the number of bookings that now include at least one free specialty dining per sailing?  Imagine if everyone on a sailing wanted their free night at Pinnacle Grill?  Other lines limit the number of days before sailing for reserves based on cabin category.  HAL usually doesn't operate that way in my experience.

[zounds]

We're on 12/4 also and made our Pin. Grill reser. on 8/22 on the web site.  Good luck.

[Sharon in AZ]

I've always used the website by logging in and going to my bookings.  I don't think there is even an option to reserve on the Navigator app until you are actually onboard.

[SSKJ572]

I just made reservations today for The Pinnacle for our Jan 2nd cruise. I checked off “complimentary” as we do receive one free specialty restaurant, but now there’s a pending charge on my card. I’ll call them tomorrow. 

[cruisegirl]

Thanks  for all the help. I used the web site and everyone was right. The possibility to book was there. However even though it seemed to recognize we had “complimentary dinners” the amounts showed up to the tune of over $130 dollars with a request for a credit card. I chickened out at that point. Should I have gone ahead and booked them?  Maybe I should call HAL first. Have any of you run into this?  
 

[cruisegirl]

4 hours ago, SSKJ572 said:

I just made reservations today for The Pinnacle for our Jan 2nd cruise. I checked off “complimentary” as we do receive one free specialty restaurant, but now there’s a pending charge on my card. I’ll call them tomorrow. 

Please post what you find out as the same thing happened to me. 

[CafeBruno]

3 hours ago, cruisegirl said:

Thanks  for all the help. I used the web site and everyone was right. The possibility to book was there. However even though it seemed to recognize we had “complimentary dinners” the amounts showed up to the tune of over $130 dollars with a request for a credit card. I chickened out at that point. Should I have gone ahead and booked them?  Maybe I should call HAL first. Have any of you run into this?  
 

Here’s my experience. We are booked on the Koningsdam 10/17 – 10/24/21 on the Have it All promoting, which includes 1 free dinner in a specialty restaurant. In August, on the HAL website for our booking, it showed the free dinner as available, but whenever I tried to book the dinner, it showed up as full price in the shopping cart rather than free as it should have, so I did not complete the dinner booking. Then on Aug. 28 I tried again and at checkout, for the first time there was a “complimentary” box in the checkout screen that I could check, and once I did, the dinner then showed up as $92, less $92 promotional credit, for a net cost of -0-, which I completed, and i received this confirmation email with the -0- net cost:.

 

Purchase Summary

Your reference number for this transaction for credit card number ending with '' is : xxxxxxxx
Charge Amount : US$0.00

Booking Number: XXXXXX

Guest 1 : MR BRIAN

 

 

Indulgences    Spa    Dining
Pinnacle Grill Dinner - 7:30 pm
Guest  1	Oct 17, 2021, 07:30 PM Meal : DINNER, Quantity: 2	US$92.00 US$0.00
Total in US$		US$0.00
Promotional savings applied		US$92.00

 

In other words, it took several weeks before I could book the dinners for free; prior to that, the site was going to charge me full price. So, my advice it to keep trying every few days or so but do not complete the checkout unless at the checkout it shows you a box to check for the complimentary dinner. Only then will it end up showing as free in your HAL shopping cart. Hope this is helpful.

[Cruise Suzy]

I had the same experience as @CafeBruno Those who are paying for the specialty dining can make reservations before those who are booking complimentary meals. The specialty dining does not appear until a few months before the sailing. Then it is another period of time before complimentary dines can be booked. The normal cost of the specialty dining is crossed out in my e-mailed receipt.

 

I made complimentary reservations on 8/18 for specialty dining during our November 20 cruise. A week later I was able to reserve times in the MDR - we have Anytime Dining.

[DaveOKC]

9 hours ago, CafeBruno said:

Here’s my experience. We are booked on the Koningsdam 10/17 – 10/24/21 on the Have it All promoting, which includes 1 free dinner in a specialty restaurant. In August, on the HAL website for our booking, it showed the free dinner as available, but whenever I tried to book the dinner, it showed up as full price in the shopping cart rather than free as it should have, so I did not complete the dinner booking. Then on Aug. 28 I tried again and at checkout, for the first time there was a “complimentary” box in the checkout screen that I could check, and once I did, the dinner then showed up as $92, less $92 promotional credit, for a net cost of -0-, which I completed, and i received this confirmation email with the -0- net cost:.

 

Purchase Summary

Your reference number for this transaction for credit card number ending with '' is : xxxxxxxx
Charge Amount : US$0.00

Booking Number: XXXXXX

Guest 1 : MR BRIAN

 

 

Indulgences    Spa    Dining
Pinnacle Grill Dinner - 7:30 pm
Guest  1	Oct 17, 2021, 07:30 PM Meal : DINNER, Quantity: 2	US$92.00 US$0.00
Total in US$		US$0.00
Promotional savings applied		US$92.00

 

In other words, it took several weeks before I could book the dinners for free; prior to that, the site was going to charge me full price. So, my advice it to keep trying every few days or so but do not complete the checkout unless at the checkout it shows you a box to check for the complimentary dinner. Only then will it end up showing as free in your HAL shopping cart. Hope this is helpful.

Does anyone know if this will work if your complimentary meals are for being 5 Star?  Also, what do we do to book 4 meals, 2 of which are complimentary due to 5 Star?

Edited September 20, 2021 by DaveOKC

[SFO Peter]

2 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

Does anyone know if this will work if your complimentary meals are for being 5 Star?  Also, what do we do to bbok 4 meals, 2 of which are complimentary due to 5 Star?

====

book your dining reservations and pay "in full" now to reserve your spots.    When you get on board tell the dining room that you want to apply your complimentary meals and credit your account with OBC for the payments.  Staff Incentives (Gratuities) will probably use up your OBC.

 

Peter

[kazu]

3 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

Does anyone know if this will work if your complimentary meals are for being 5 Star?  Also, what do we do to book 4 meals, 2 of which are complimentary due to 5 Star?

 

I wouldn’t bet on it 😉 

 

3 hours ago, SFO PETER said:

====

book your dining reservations and pay "in full" now to reserve your spots.    When you get on board tell the dining room that you want to apply your complimentary meals and credit your account with OBC for the payments.  Staff Incentives (Gratuities) will probably use up your OBC.

 

Peter

 

Exactly - that’s what we have always done.  We get refunded on board by OBC and don’t risk not having availability in the PG.

[SSKJ572]

I just called HAL. They said it was charged to us in error. They cancelled it and rebooked it. We'll see the credit on our credit card in about 5 days. 

[SSKJ572]

14 hours ago, cruisegirl said:

Please post what you find out as the same thing happened to me. 

Call HAL!  They said it was error on their end. They cancelled it and rebooked and said I'll see the credit on my credit card in about 5 days. Hope this helps. They said the idea is NOT that they charge and you just get onboard credit for that amount!!!  It will happen if you just let it go. But that's not how it was supposed to work. 

[dobiemom]

5 hours ago, SFO PETER said:

====

book your dining reservations and pay "in full" now to reserve your spots.    When you get on board tell the dining room that you want to apply your complimentary meals and credit your account with OBC for the payments.  Staff Incentives (Gratuities) will probably use up your OBC.

 

Peter

YES! One person in our group tried to book her 5* PG dinner while on the cruise. The PG was very full and she was only able to book when on a night we already had plans for the MDR. So our group ate separately. 

[Crew News]

5 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

Does anyone know if this will work if your complimentary meals are for being 5 Star?  Also, what do we do to book 4 meals, 2 of which are complimentary due to 5 Star?

I faced the issue of waiting for online booking for complimentary meals and waiting to board to book the two free Specialty Restaurant.  That translates to six free Specialty Restaurant meals for the occupants of my stateroom. 

 

I avoided the complementary booking issue by booking and paying full price for three meals in my name as the only passenger on the reservations and my traveling partner did the same for three meals on different days as the only name on her reservations.  My traveling partner will join me for each of her three free meals.  I will join her for my three free meals. The 5* Mariner benefit refund should be reflected in OBC for six Specialty Restaurant meals (3 in my name and 3 in my partner's name) on our account.  

 

The same process should work for four meals, you won't have to wait for online booking of complimentary meals, or wait until you board to book your two benefits meals.  In fact, the same process should work when the "Have it all" complementary meals are not involved. 

[PSR]

I booked one rez in the Pinnacle for 2 and one rez in the Tamarind for 2, and paid full price, even though we are newly 5* and expected the refund problem to appear and have to talk to the manager, etc. to get full refunds for both. This is in addition to the HIA complementary dinner offered. This was on the NA that sailed on 8/21/21. Amazingly, when I looked at our online statement on the first or second day (can't remember), all 4 meals had been totally refunded except for the new 18% (I think that's the percent) gratuity now being added. I was totally surprised, since in the past it had been a hassle to make sure we got the 50% back when we pre-booked as 4* to get the dates we wanted. Not sure this will happen with everyone, but glad it did with us!

[kazu]

51 minutes ago, PSR said:

I booked one rez in the Pinnacle for 2 and one rez in the Tamarind for 2, and paid full price, even though we are newly 5* and expected the refund problem to appear and have to talk to the manager, etc. to get full refunds for both. This is in addition to the HIA complementary dinner offered. This was on the NA that sailed on 8/21/21. Amazingly, when I looked at our online statement on the first or second day (can't remember), all 4 meals had been totally refunded except for the new 18% (I think that's the percent) gratuity now being added. I was totally surprised, since in the past it had been a hassle to make sure we got the 50% back when we pre-booked as 4* to get the dates we wanted. Not sure this will happen with everyone, but glad it did with us!

 

Wow!  that’s great new.  thank you 🙂 

[Sharon in AZ]

2 hours ago, PSR said:

This was on the NA that sailed on 8/21/21. Amazingly, when I looked at our online statement on the first or second day (can't remember), all 4 meals had been totally refunded except for the new 18% (I think that's the percent) gratuity now being added. I was totally surprised, since in the past it had been a hassle to make sure we got the 50% back when we pre-booked as 4* to get the dates we wanted. Not sure this will happen with everyone, but glad it did with us!

We were on the August 28th sailing and we also got credited for our one HIA specialty dining which I had prebooked and paid for.

[PSR]

5 hours ago, Sharon in AZ said:

We were on the August 28th sailing and we also got credited for our one HIA specialty dining which I had prebooked and paid for.

 

Hmm...when I booked the HIA dinner online, the cost was automatically deducted before I completed the transaction, but I have read where some people didn't have that opportunity, depending on when you did the dinner booking : earlier or later when the website was updated to do that. Glad to hear that they corrected yours.

Edited September 21, 2021 by PSR