Pinnacle Dining - Extra Charges for Appetizers and Entrees - Isn't the upscale the reason you purchased the Pinnacle Dining?

[Longwood50]

Currently on the Westerdam.  Like most cruise lines you are starting to see additional charges for items that once were included.  However, this one shocked me.  We dined in the Pinnacle.  The cost is $39. 00 extra per person plus 18% gratuity.  Now if you order a delmonico steak it is an extra $20 and a lobster an extra $15.00.  

I thought the reason for the upscale dining was to get the more expansive and better quality meal in the first place. I then noticed a bill of $16.52 on my statement, and when I inquired I was told it was because we ordered both a salad and soup which are two appetitizers.  The notice of the extra $7 per appetizer plus 18% gratuity is buried in the small print, at the bottom of the menu that I found later. 


Now mind you for the same $15.00 I could upgrade my meal in the Main Dining Room and get lobster and I could order 5 appetizers if I wanted to at no additional charge.  So exactly what do you get for your "upgrade" except for the upgraded bill. 

Edited March 3, 2023 by Longwood50

[Laminator]

8 minutes ago, Longwood50 said:

Currently on the Westerdam.  Like most cruise lines you are starting to see additional charges for items that once were included.  However, this one shocked me.  We dined in the Pinnacle.  The cost is $39. 00 extra per person plus 18% gratuity.  Now if you order a delmonico steak it is an extra $20 and a lobster an extra $15.00.  

I thought the reason for the upscale dining was to get the more expansive and better quality meal in the first place. I then noticed a bill of $16.52 on my statement, and when I inquired I was told it was because we ordered both a salad and soup which are two appetitizers.  The notice of the extra $7 per appetizer plus 18% gratuity is buried in the small print, at the bottom of the menu that I found later. 


Now mind you for the same $15.00 I could upgrade my meal in the Main Dining Room and get lobster and I could order 5 appetizers if I wanted to at no additional charge.  So exactly what do you get for your "upgrade" except for the upgraded bill. 

This has been discussed ad nauseum on this board!

[Bruinboy]

6 hours ago, Laminator said:

This has been discussed ad nauseum on this board!

Yeah, but buried in past posts. I agree with OP. 

 

[DaveOKC]

I think the reason for these extra charges is twofold:

First, HAL is trying to increase profits wherever they can to make up for the Covid losses.

Second, since HAL is giving away so many free meals in the Pinnacle, they need to raise revenue in there and also avoid people taking advantage of this "freebie".

 

[Sea42]

6 hours ago, Longwood50 said:

Currently on the Westerdam.  Like most cruise lines you are starting to see additional charges for items that once were included.  However, this one shocked me.  We dined in the Pinnacle.  The cost is $39. 00 extra per person plus 18% gratuity.  Now if you order a delmonico steak it is an extra $20 and a lobster an extra $15.00.  

I thought the reason for the upscale dining was to get the more expansive and better quality meal in the first place. I then noticed a bill of $16.52 on my statement, and when I inquired I was told it was because we ordered both a salad and soup which are two appetitizers.  The notice of the extra $7 per appetizer plus 18% gratuity is buried in the small print, at the bottom of the menu that I found later. 


Now mind you for the same $15.00 I could upgrade my meal in the Main Dining Room and get lobster and I could order 5 appetizers if I wanted to at no additional charge.  So exactly what do you get for your "upgrade" except for the upgraded bill. 

It looks like the lobster would be $25, not $15.

[cbr663]

I find it crass.  I also feel the same away about having to request amenities that you have paid for in your fare.  

[vicd1969]

I understand Royal Caribbean effectively does the same thing for a few of their premium restaurants. But they are more transparent by making the restaurant a la carte and if you have the dining package then you can only order a fixed number of appetizers and entrees/tapas. That’s easier to stomach than what HAL is doing.

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, DaveOKC said:

I think the reason for these extra charges is twofold:

First, HAL is trying to increase profits wherever they can to make up for the Covid losses.

Second, since HAL is giving away so many free meals in the Pinnacle, they need to raise revenue in there and also avoid people taking advantage of this "freebie".

 

 

If HAL wants to avoid people taking advantage of this freebie, then they shouldn't give it away for free so liberally.

 

It seems unfair to change the experience for everyone else based on this!

[mcrcruiser]

8 hours ago, Laminator said:

This has been discussed ad nauseum on this board!

I also agree with the OP .Seems to me there is a policing on these HAL boards that just likes to jab at people

Edited March 3, 2023 by mcrcruiser

[Sea42]

I don't have an issue t=with the charge itself. What I don't like is that it is not more visible on the menu and that the servers aren't informing people when they place their orders.

[mcrcruiser]

12 minutes ago, Sea42 said:

I don't have an issue t=with the charge itself. What I don't like is that it is not more visible on the menu and that the servers aren't informing people when they place their orders.

Yeah Ya Think !!  HAL imo has many problems with the way they are deceiving  people in more than one area of this business 

[DaveOKC]

25 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

If HAL wants to avoid people taking advantage of this freebie, then they shouldn't give it away for free so liberally.

 

It seems unfair to change the experience for everyone else based on this!

Agreed!

[Iamthesea]

I for one love this post!!!  Thank you for bringing this subject up again.  I whole hardily agree that HAL and other lines are going too far on these extra charges.  It's one thing to charge an extra price for a specialty steak in the Main dining room, but when we are paying extra to eat in a specialty dining venue, there should be no extra charges.

 

I'd rather pay one upfront price to have everything included and not nickeled and dimed through the cruise.  The price of cruises has already gone up!  There should be no extra charges.

 

Does anyone know if Club Orange is charging extra for items?

 

BTW- I don't consider the Have It All dinners as being free.  After all, many of us have paid a pretty extra penny to purchase the package.  

Edited March 3, 2023 by Iamthesea

[Gunther1]

I'll probably get burned for my response, but while I agree with some of your post, I would not agree that the notice of additional cost for multiple items is "buried".  
 

Maybe I've just learned the hard way and have gotten jaded  over the years, but I always read ALL "small print" when purchasing something. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

4 minutes ago, Iamthesea said:

I for one love this post!!!  Thank you for bringing this subject up again.  I whole hardily agree that HAL and other lines are going too far on these extra charges.  It's one thing to charge an extra price for a specialty steak in the Main dining room, but when we are paying extra to eat in a specialty dining venue, there should be no extra charges.

 

Does anyone know if Club Orange is charging extra for items?

 

BTW- I don't consider the Have It All dinners as being free.  After all, many of us have paid a pretty extra penny to purchase the package.  

 

I agree that the dinners aren't free. The value of HIA depends on how much you use the offers. The biggest variable is if you can drink your money's worth on the beverage plan. I'm not a big drinker, and because HAL cancelled a tour for HMC and there was nothing else good available, I'd say I didn't come out ahead. So yes, I paid for my dinners. (Ironically, when I tried to calculate the value of HIA, I forgot that my specialty dinners are half price because I'm 4*.)

 

 

 

[Sea42]

12 minutes ago, Iamthesea said:

Does anyone know if Club Orange is charging extra for items?

I believe the upcharge items for dinner are the same in CO as in the MDR.

[iceman93]

I have mixed feelings on this one.  On the one hand, I agree with the OP that we're already paying for food on our cruise, so paying more for a specialty restaurant REALLY should elevate the experience.  Nickel-and-diming on top of that doesn't sit well.

 

On the other hand, I don't mind when up-up-charges (like adding a lobster tail or having the delmonico) are offered and clearly delineated.  That can be a way for people to elevate their experience even further, and the rest of us who don't want those items don't have to subsidize those who do.  As an example, my wife and I started with the caviar one night on our last cruise--should that rather extravagant extra simply be included in the price?

 

But to bring it full circle, I really don't like charging people extra for ordering a salad and an appetizer.  In my mind, the extra charge for ordering multiple items is there simply to discourage the practice (that I'm sure we've all seen) of people ordering all kinds of things and just taking a bite or two because they wanted to try a lot of things, or because "I paid a lot to come here so I'm going to get my money's worth".  I would think that a patron who just does like the OP, orders and consumes a reasonable amount of food, should have that extra charge waived.

 

Finally, if they're going to make that a hard-and-fast rule that applies to everyone, then I absolutely agree with a previous poster who says the waitstaff should politely but clearly point out when the order is placed that it's going to result in an extra charge.

[BigMattT]

 

At this point, HAL would be better to position it as an a la cart premium experience with a prix fixe option that resembles the current inclusions. 

 

The current way with incidental charges comes off as tacky or penny-pinching… the death knell for any luxury experience.

[killsport]

For a prix fixe menu, it really should be soup or salad AND appetizer AND entree AND dessert. It feels cheap (because it IS cheap) and degrades the experience. All for a net cost of $1 (slightly better ingredients than in the dining room). I get charging for second entrees. I get charging if you want above what a normal prix fixe offers. But gone are the days where we enjoyed each having a salad, sharing three appetizers (I'm happy to pay for one!), and having our own petite filets. 

[OlsSalt]

Prix fixe often sets out the number of expected courses and prices this accordingly.  3-4-5 courses, up front.

 

Then one can juggle two appetizers, one entree but no dessert, or any other numerical combination of courses one choses for each numerical pricing scheme including multiple appetizers and one dessert, with no entree for "small eaters". But not four entrees!

[SilvertoGold]

We saw a guy in the MDR order 3 appetizers, 2 entrees and 3 desserts. He did eat it all, amazingly.  Should he have been charged? I think it would have been fair to charge for something there because that must be unusual and quite overboard.  But ordering 2 of the starters is not outlandish, especially now that HAL's entrees tend to be on the smaller side. 

[HappyInVan]

To be expected as HAL tries to fill its ships at 'special' rates, while trying to maximize revenue.

 

Why should $$$$ pax pay regular rates for the suites when anyone can buy CO, and get priority embarkation and special dining. It won't be nickel and dime anymore. Expect serious charges for anything extra.

 

In fact, I would suggest that Neptune suite pax should be exempt from the extra charges in the restaurants. They're paying 4x the rate for veranda cabins and 8x the rate for inside cabins.

[SilvertoGold]

7 minutes ago, HappyInVan said:

To be expected as HAL tries to fill its ships at 'special' rates, while trying to maximize revenue.

 

Why should $$$$ pax pay regular rates for the suites when anyone can buy CO, and get priority embarkation and special dining. It won't be nickel and dime anymore. Expect serious charges for anything extra.

 

In fact, I would suggest that Neptune suite pax should be exempt from the extra charges in the restaurants. They're paying 4x the rate for veranda cabins and 8x the rate for inside cabins.

I have always felt that the Suite pax are paying for (1) extra real estate given that their staterooms are more or less double the size of Vs, and (2) for the Neptune Lounge which could be turned into more insides to sell, with saving for HAL with no amenities to add to their costs.

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, iceman93 said:

I really don't like charging people extra for ordering a salad and an appetizer.  In my mind, the extra charge for ordering multiple items is there simply to discourage the practice (that I'm sure we've all seen) of people ordering all kinds of things and just taking a bite or two because they wanted to try a lot of things, or because "I paid a lot to come here so I'm going to get my money's worth".  I would think that a patron who just does like the OP, orders and consumes a reasonable amount of food, should have that extra charge waived.

 

I wholeheartedly agree with this. Lumping what used to be 3 separate courses (Soups, Salads, Appetizers) into a single course is really dumbing down the menu. At a minimum people should be allowed to order two within that broad category without an extra upcharge...

 

[Shippy]

Thank you for this post. We sail in 2 weeks.

I am getting used to seeing cruise lines charging extra for lobster but it would never have occurred to me that there would be an extra charge for soup & salad. I do NOT agree with that...

    I am OLD & remember back in the old days when there was no such thing as a pay restaurant. 

You were assigned to a large table with the same people for the whole cruise.

Leisurely 6 course meal with pleasant conversation. Your waiter was the same each night so he knew what drink you wanted , etc....them were the days....