Tipping at the Pinnacle Grill

J

Judi

Guest
BSea,

There are several things I like about the Pinnacle Grill, not the least of which is the ambience. It's obviously a much smaller dining area and there's virtually no noise as the waiters/waitresses go about catering to your every need. When Michael and I sailed alone in May, 2003 on the Rotterdam, I think we ate in the Pinnacle 5 or 6 times! :grin

I should put a caveat here.....the ambience is somewhat less subdued on the Volendam when the Head Quack and all her Duckies are there! =lolgang

If you like good beef, I would definitely recommend a trip to the Pinnacle Grill. I'm not a seafood eater, so I can't comment on that, but I've had consistently excellent beef done the way I like it.
 
B

BSeabob

Guest
Hey Judi !


I saw "The Grill" on our recent trip on the Oosterdam; had it been a longer stay on board we may have dined there. It looked like a great spot (I was mesmerized by the weight of the chairs) We have "Done" the Specialty restaurant on Celebrity and I am sure that the service and food (give or take a duck roast or two) are likley comparable. My point is only that it seems a shame that we have come to the point where it's extra to do this or that and particularly, dine... and then there's the tipping on top or included or whatever it is on the particular cruise line you happen to be on. Celebrity charges more and says you don't have to tip. HAL charges less and it is implyed that you shud. But you have those tips aready on your onboard account ..... or not and then they are pooled...... and/or they're not.
Get my drift.

Here's a tip. Book the Grill on the first night out and it's half price. (On the extra) but I bet you all knew that didn't you.

cheers...
 
V

viet630

Guest
To all
I for one have taken my last cruise with automatic gratuitys. I had been on the Zuiderdam prior to the new policy and the service was very good. Now that I have tried it since the new policy I can see a definate lack of quality service. Anytime you have automatic gratuitys you will have a certain amount of slackers. They know they don't have to do anything and are still going to get paid. I am all for tipping for good service and over the years have given more than the suggested amount for good service but I DO NOT LIKE DONATING TO SOME ONE WHO DOES NOT PULL THIER WHIEGHT! I have seen it happen on cruise line after cruise line. I will avoid these lines that have the automatic system in the future.
VIET630
PS VOTE BUSH!!!!!
John I still remember your going before the Senate when you got back from your 4 month tour in Viet Nam. I am not a war criminal as you stated that we all were.You also might remember it was another Democrat with the initials JFK that put us in there in the first place!
 
B

bookworm

Guest
This is a CRUISE board, not a political message board. Please remove the above post, moderator.
 
W

wendyandbarry

Guest
I think that you should always tip at the Grill, and no less then $100.00 per person, this way you would make sure that they would get what they deserve for a tip, and as you know they would share this with the rest of the Grill staff
If you cannot afford this amount, then you should eat in the main dinning room, and leave more space for us.

Barry.
 
N

nu2cruisin

Guest
I asked while I was there...do you tip or don't you and the Maitre'd (is the spelled right?) said that the staff was included in the $10/pp/day automatic tipping, but that we were welcome to tip on exceptional service if we cared to.
 
A

asctony

Guest
wendyandbarry Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think that you should always tip at the Grill,
> and no less then $100.00 per person, this way you
> would make sure that they would get what they
> deserve for a tip, and as you know they would
> share this with the rest of the Grill staff
> If you cannot afford this amount, then you should
> eat in the main dinning room, and leave more space
> for us.
>
> Barry.

Maybe I am confused at reading your suggestion. Tip no less than $100.00 per person? Do you really think that those people are really worth $100.00 per person tip? What do you think that the meal is worth if you were to buy the same meal on land? 'As for, if you cannot afford this amount then you should eat in the main dining room and leave more space for us.' Maybe you need to be more considerate of others who cannot afford your lifestyle. Let us know where you eat and tip so extreme. Maybe you could help those who need a job.
 
S

sail7seas

Guest
I know Barry is able to speak for himself, but.........

I think his message may have been a bit of 'tongue in cheek'. Speaking for myself, I do not think he was serious. I know that we always tip additional but certainly not $100 and I don't think that Barry does either.


I am certain he will correct me if I am mistaken.
 
E

Einstein

Guest
Received the same answer on the Maasdam last week as nu2cruisin. Guess it falls in the same general category as anything in regards to tipping if U think the staff went above and beyond then tipping additional might be wise. Business was a bit slow in the Pinnacle on the Maasdam last week as they had the staff poolside trying to drum up some business. Guess I fall into the merit vs reward category as I always seem to feel a bit more sentimental for those cabin stewards and bar stewrds / stewardesses working their way up the ranks and probably getting a smaller percentage of the pot. They always tend to get a bit more of my tips as they always seem to be running their behinds off. =shrug

.
 
G

ginnylou

Guest
Here is my 2 cents. Just got off the Zaandam on Saturday. Had a wonderful dinner in the Pinnacle Grill Friday night but when signing the slip I asked manager where I should add the tip and he said that I could not. The service was wonderful and food outstanding. I didn't bring cash with me to dinner and so left no tip. Hope they didn't think I was cheap but I got the impression from the manager that I wasn't to tip. So now I am feeling really bad and will have to book another cruise and tip double. :) MPB
 
S

sail7seas

Guest
I'm not suggesting you should have done this but anyone who wished, could always stop by Pinnacle the next day when they had some cash with them to tip the stewards who served them......Not like it was a restaurant many miles away etc We have seen people do this. Having been on the ship a number of days and having signed bar slips they were aware there is no place to write in a tip but had forgotten to bring cash with them to Pinnacle. They easily 'rectified' their discomfort.
 
W

wendyandbarry

Guest
"I know Barry is able to speak for himself, but.........

I think his message may have been a bit of 'tongue in cheek'. Speaking for myself, I do not think he was serious. I know that we always tip additional but certainly not $100 and I don't think that Barry does either.


I am certain he will correct me if I am mistaken."

(Posted by: sail7seas (Explore, Dream, Discover))



My tongue is always in my cheek.

I have tip more then that, but not per person. On last year's Alaska Cruise, we had a small party of 14 eating at the Grill.

As for eating in the Grill more then 3 or 4 times on a cruise, it would get boring on the food selection, unless you are on a 15 day or longer cruise and can space out your nights eating at the Grill.

Barry.
 
P

Pita817

Guest
The actual working staff of HAL sees very little of the $10.00/day. I just came from the Zuiderdam and had wonderful service in the Pinnacle Grill from Eko who was the first Indonesian to be promoted from the dining room to the Pinnacle Grill. I tipped him because he gave us great service. Since the change in ownership of HAL, there are plenty of unhappy employees. They have taken a definite cut in pay. They are not allowed one mistake....one mistake and they are gone! We befriended several of the diningroom staff and cabin stewarts and they seem willing to work out their contracts but will be looking to move to another cruise line after their time off. People might say they were saying how much of a cut they took because they were looking for additional tips - not - I tip all the service personnel that attend to me on my cruise on day 2. Those are the people who can make or break my cruise. I'm not rich by any means but I know I make more money than they do and they work a heck of alot harder than I do. They deserve to be rewarded for a good job done! It is amazing the service hasn't suffered. HAL seems to forget they are the backbone of the company. Some big wig in Seattle doesn't influence my cruise expereince...the actual working staff does.
 
S

ShipMaven

Guest
Not quite following your comment about "since the change in ownership of HAL, there are plenty of unhappy employees"...

HAL was acquired by the Carnival Corporation about 15 years ago at a time when it (HAL) was floundering financially. Yes, there have been changes of late, especially since their "Signature of Excellence" initiative was announced - some changes definitely for the better, some are controversial, and the success of some remains to be seen. Most (if not all) of the employees whom you claim are unhappy have not been with HAL for 15 years, so I'm not sure where you're getting your "facts". BTW, my first trip with HAL was in 1952....

There's no question, however, that those who help make our cruises so pleasant deserve to be adequately tipped for their services, and deserve to receive adequate pay. But one of the main reasons cruise lines fly "offshore" flags is precisely because the pay scale is much lower than in the United States. That's another issue for another day...

The below-decks working conditions (long hours, little time off, etc.) would stagger the minds of those of us who live in countries that are more prosperous than the home countries of most crew members on most cruise lines.
 
P

Pita817

Guest
ShipMaven:

I should have been more precise...they have had a change in leadership - those who control all the happenings on the ships as far as the employee issues.....sorry
 
S

sail7seas

Guest
Mr. Stein Kruse has been with HAL for five years if that is who you are referring to.
 
L

lurlineman

Guest
I sailed recently on the Ryndam. I had dinner in the PG four times and tipped the waiters. I also tipped the head waiter in both dining rooms along wiht my dining room steward and my room steward. I allot so much for tipping because I know I will get good service. You use to tip at the end of the voyage or on a long curise weekly. But I've found that tipping your room steward when you board gurantees very good service and he's on call. I've read too many reviews of people who complained about service. A $20 upfront changes that fast. .
 


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