Specialty vs MDR

[bebe08]

We are booked on an upcoming cruise and dressy nights are finally showing in the app.  Turns out we have already booked specialty restaurants for both nights.  What are we missing by not being in the MDR on dressy night?  We have only sailed HAL twice and don't remember if there is a special menu.  If so perhaps we should switch our specialty restaurants to other nights.

 

Also does the MDR menu show in advance on the app or onboard?  The app currently just shows a sample menu

 

TIA 😊 

Edited September 5, 2022 by bebe08
Title

[colin v]

I’m my opinion you aren’t missing much.  The menu will show up in the app when onboard. The food is excellent (we are currently on Rotterdam for 21 days). We will be in the Pinnacle Grill tomorrow night on our 5th and final dressy night. 
 

Enjoy your vacation. 

[Florida_gal_50]

I agree with the previous poster.  You aren’t missing anything.  It used to be special but for the last few years not so much.  I pretty much eat every night in specialty restaurants.

[Roz]

The last few years I've found the Gala Night menus to be rather uninspired. If I were you I would just keep the specialty restaurant reservations.

[HAL4NOW]

I have never been disappointed in the MDR, but the specialty restaurants also do a good job.

[rkacruiser]

1 hour ago, Roz said:

The last few years I've found the Gala Night menus to be rather uninspired

 

My opinion as well, but, sometimes, there has been a slightly different selection.  On a Volendam holiday cruise in 2019/2020, a Spanish Cheese appetizer was offered and that was new.  I tried it and I enjoyed it.  

 

I'd suggest the OP read the menus before as best they can and decide what they want to do.  

[crystalspin]

@bebe08 For your research, may I provide a link:

 

https://rogerjett-photography.com/

 

The page should show the latest additions. The week's worth of MDR menus indicate which nights were Gala; you can compare to see if they seem any fancier. Other (older) menus can be accessed by click-and-hold-and-drag on the banner title "HAL Menus and More".

 

I think the new additions dated 12/28/22 were actually taken 12/28/21 and uploaded in 2022 -- What say you, @Crew News? 

[vswan]

I have been on 3 HAL cruises within the past year. I would say that the gala menus in the MDR were better than the menus of the other days - not that they were great, but better. If you are only going to a specialty restaurant twice, I would do on non-gala days. That way you would get "the best" of the MDR menus on two days and two days of specialty restaurant menus.

[Crew News]

31 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

@bebe08 For your research, may I provide a link:

 

https://rogerjett-photography.com/

 

The page should show the latest additions. The week's worth of MDR menus indicate which nights were Gala; you can compare to see if they seem any fancier. Other (older) menus can be accessed by click-and-hold-and-drag on the banner title "HAL Menus and More".

 

I think the new additions dated 12/28/22 were actually taken 12/28/21 and uploaded in 2022 -- What say you, @Crew News? 

Menus were downloaded from my Navigator app and posted from my 12/28/22 pending Rotterdam Caribbean cruise and supersede the menus dated 2021.  These new menus will probably start with the Caribbean season in October

 

Changes to the Tamarind menu include the deletion of both the chicken lollipops and the passion fruit cloud (my fave).  The addition of Matcha cake and Japanese ice cream comes to the available desserts.

Edited September 6, 2022 by Crew News

[crystalspin]

1 minute ago, Crew News said:

Menus were downloaded from my Navigator app and posted from my 12/28/22 pending Rotterdam Caribbean cruise.

Hah, I couldn't wrap my head around the pre-dated timeline! Guess I should update my Navigator and log in to my 12/29/22 sailing -- see what I can learn!

[Crew News]

2 hours ago, bebe08 said:

We are booked on an upcoming cruise and dressy nights are finally showing in the app.  Turns out we have already booked specialty restaurants for both nights.  What are we missing by not being in the MDR on dressy night?  We have only sailed HAL twice and don't remember if there is a special menu.  If so perhaps we should switch our specialty restaurants to other nights.

 

Also does the MDR menu show in advance on the app or onboard?  The app currently just shows a sample menu

 

TIA 😊 

HAL has three Gala Night menus that are common throughout the fleet with the first being Silver and the last being Gold.  For some 10/11-day cruises, there is a blue menu served on the first Gala Night.

 

The menus from April 2022:  Silver Gala Night Menu      Gold Gala Night Menu

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

As a solo traveler, I also eat pretty much every night in a specialty restaurant. Or if not hungry grab a salad from the Lido.

[Crew News]

16 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

Hah, I couldn't wrap my head around the pre-dated timeline! Guess I should update my Navigator and log in to my 12/29/22 sailing -- see what I can learn!

I wish I knew the exact implementation date rather than just my cruise date.

 

FWIW So far, no changes indicated in Canaletto , Rudi's Sel de Mer, or  PG Gala menus.

[bebe08]

Thank you so much this has been really helpful!

 

One quick question: for Gala nights is it strictly the Gala menu or can you also order off the "everyday menu".  I can't remember how it works with HAL but with Celebrity there are some standard menu items called Classics that can be ordered every night.  DH might find some of the Gala menu items a bit too fancy lol.

 

Thanks again all!

[Florida_gal_50]

Just now, bebe08 said:

Thank you so much this has been really helpful!

 

One quick question: for Gala nights is it strictly the Gala menu or can you also order off the "everyday menu".  I can't remember how it works with HAL but with Celebrity there are some standard menu items called Classics that can be ordered every night.  DH might find some of the Gala menu items a bit too fancy lol.

 

Thanks again all!

You should be able to order off the everyday menu.

[vswan]

Might just be the ships I was on, but they didn't offer an everyday menu - they did have several items that were offered often, but not daily. The New York steak was offered about half the time, but not daily. One day I tried to order one of these items and was told that it wasn't available that day. They did offer Caesar salad daily even if it wasn't on the menu. Of course the upsell items were available daily.

[albingirl]

I enjoy it all.  I'm such a lazy bean that I don't even check when the gala nights are.  I just book specialty restaurants based on how busy we are that day in port. If it's a busy day in port, we don't want to be tied down with reservations.  We like the MDR then, since we can just show up whenever we want.

[canadarocks]

On 9/5/2022 at 8:46 PM, Crew News said:

I wish I knew the exact implementation date rather than just my cruise date.

 

FWIW So far, no changes indicated in Canaletto , Rudi's Sel de Mer, or  PG Gala menus.

@Crew News is your Navigator showing the Canaletto Friday night special as Veal Florentine  Cannelloni? 

[Crew News]

32 minutes ago, canadarocks said:

@Crew News is your Navigator showing the Canaletto Friday night special as Veal Florentine  Cannelloni? 

Indeed it does.