islandwoman

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

We even have it on our 11 day Volendam cruise in August. We got a nice cabin upgrade and  we will not have to wait in lines for almost anything, including anytime dining in the MDR with the extra entree CO menu. 

Since the Volendam, along with the Zaandam, is HAL's smallest ship in passenger count, I would hope that Club Orange would not be necessary in order to avoid lines.

18 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

My experience is you have to ask for the OBC if no cabin upgrade is available. My TA knows to ask.

Apparently mine doesn't.  I'll have to remind him.

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

Our TA was told when she booked the CO that we would get the $50pp OBC. It didn't show up until we boarded the ship.

Thanks for the information.  Our TA hasn't mentioned anything about OBC instead of an upgrade.  I'll have to contact him.

Is there somewhere on hollandamerica.com that you can see your OBC?

Can they be used pre-cruise to book packages, shore excursions, etc?

7 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

We got $100 OBC for our Koningsdam cruise last year because we had booked the last AFT facing Verandah cabin and there was not a higher cabin in our Meta-category. However even if we hadn't gotten the OBC, the other advantages of CO, like the CO dining room, far outweighed the $100 OBC value.

How long did it take before you were informed that you had received OBC?  How were you informed?  Is there a place on hollandamerica.com that you can see OBC? 

I certainly agree with you about the CO dining room on the Koningsdam being a great advantage.  The lines,  the crowding, and the hectic service in the MDR on my recent (spring 2024) Koningsdam cruise were enough to make me decide never to sail that ship again.

9 hours ago, KAKcruiser said:

You are only eligible for OBC is there is no other cabin available in your meta category to upgrade you to.

As I mentioned way back on this thread, we booked our cabin exactly where we wanted it before even considering Club Orange.  Not only do we have the highest category (SS) in our meta-category, but at the time we bought Club Orange, all cabins except inside on our cruise were showing "sold out".  We wanted Club Orange mostly for quicker as-you-wish seating in the MDR. After learned posters on this thread told me that they had received OBC when cabin upgrades were not available, we decided to buy Club Orange. 

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and sharing your experience.  I asked my TA to buy us Club Orange for our upcoming and already booked cruise.  The purchase went through without a hitch.  I don't know yet what we'll get instead of an upgrade.  Since we already have the cabin we want, I'm hoping for OBC. Our TA sent us a confirmation updated to reflect the Club Orange purchase, but no mention of additional OBC.  Is there somewhere on hollandamerica.com that I can see OBC for particular cruises?

1 hour ago, oaktreerb said:

You don’t have to actually book the lowest rate cabin.  You can book any cabin in the category and pay the lowest cabin in that category rate if you add CO.  

I can see how that would work.  You'd make a temporary booking for the lowest priced cabin (or your TA would do that for you), buy Club Orange and then immediately upgrade to the cabin you want.  But would it work if there are no lower priced cabins to be had? 

4 hours ago, cruiseaholic78 said:

Are you still looking at separate flights because with the airline they will always( in our case) be way more expensive a KLM single flight is often more expensive than an open jaw return. As there is only 18 days between flights I would wait until you can check return flights and then if F.E. is still much cheaper make your choice.

 

Are you saying that you can book open-jaw on Flight Ease?

3 hours ago, cruiseaholic78 said:

I like to book directly with the airline to eliminate the middle man and let me keep control of my booking.

So do I, but it looks as if Flight Ease will be much cheaper, at least on the outbound flight, than booking directly through the airline.

1 hour ago, CruiserBruce said:

Curious what level you are considering booking. As mentioned, a commonly recommended is to book the lowest cabin in a meta category, thus an upgrade is almost always a financial benefit. How far out is the cruise you are looking at?

I have already booked the SS.  Those were the only Signature Suites showing availability at that time. Actually they were the only cabins above "outside" showing availability.  For several days before that everything was "sold out" except inside, and today again. I only thought about buying Club Orange after I was already booked, mostly for the dining.  But now I'd like to learn what else might come with it.

My cruise is in August, 2024.

55 minutes ago, Cruise Suzy said:

If you are in Signature Suite, any of the Signature Suites would be in your Meta Category - SS, SY, SZ.  If you are in a Verandah stateroom, ANY Verandah would be in your Meta Category. And so on.

So if my cabin is a category SS, and it's the most expensive of the Signature Suite categories (I can't verify that because the site keeps locking up on me), I couldn't get an upgrade?

33 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

You can call to have it done, but they will cancel the first flights and rebook. At that time, you're subject to a price increase if there has been one. They don't just add the return leg...🙄

Yikes!

I don't understand what Holland America means by "meta category".  For example, if I am in a Signature Suite, category SS, is that the "meta category"?  What could be "better" (or worse) within that category?

35 minutes ago, oaktreerb said:

I don’t think you should expect any compensation in lieu of an in category upgrade.

That's what it says here:

https://www.hollandamerica.com/content/dam/hal/inventory-assets/activity-types/dining/club-orange/Club_Orange_Benefits.pdf

"What if there is not a better stateroom available for the
complimentary upgrade?
Guests will be upgraded to the best available stateroom
within the meta category at the time of Club Orange
purchase. If a stateroom upgrade is not available at that time,
guests will receive an alternative benefit determined by
our Ship Inventory team."

1 hour ago, CruiserBruce said:

They had been giving OBC. How do you know there aren't any available cabins that could be an upgrade?  .

hollandamerica.com.  Looking for a cabin in that category, shows that few are available to book, none "better".

I am considering buying Club Orange for an upcoming cruise.  I am fairly certain that there will be no cabin in my category available for an upgrade.  hollandamerica.com says, "If a stateroom upgrade is not available at that time, guests will receive an alternative benefit determined by our Ship Inventory team."  What "alternative benefit" could I expect to receive?

Is there a discount for buying a Sommelier Suite wine package pre-cruise? 

I'd rather buy one onboard where I could find out for sure which wines are included, but only being a two star Mariner, I don't expect to get a discount onboard.

I will be departing and returning from different cities, more than 18 days apart.  I once tried to book a return flight on Princess' EZ Air (that looks to be the same as Holland America's Flight Ease), a few weeks after I had booked the departure flight, but the system wouldn't let me without cancelling the departure flight I had already booked.  This time, on HAL Flight Ease, I would like to get my departure flight booked first, and then work on my return flight later.  Can I do that?  And if so, how?

Can I specify a specific type of cabin and location with a waitlist request?  Do we have to book whatever is available in order to get on the waitlist for a different cabin?  Since the cruise is sailing on August 4, is it already too late because guaranteed and upgrade passengers are already being assigned? 

We have an August 4 cruise in mind, but there are no cabins available except inside and one oceanview.  DH won't sail in anything below a veranda and I can't sail in a forward or high deck cabin (sea sickness).  I know: fussy, fussy.

49 minutes ago, ChinaShrek said:

I am not sure which region you are looking to book but the 2025 Europe cruises were advertised in August 2023. 

That's helpful.  I'm looking for Voyage of the Vikings, Tales of the South Pacific, Grand Africa, and a 2026 Eclipse cruise.  Of course I won't be able to book all of those, but it would be nice to know what the choices are before making a decision.

I see that HAL has already posted cruises for the first 5 months of 2026, including the 2026 World Cruise.  When can I expect the cruises for the rest of 2026 to be posted?  I have two long cruises booked for 2025 and would like to move one of them to 2026.  I'm hoping to do that before I have to make final payment, rather than having to cancel one or the other without knowing whether there will be another chance in the following year.

27 minutes ago, RlyLvn said:

Thanks everyone for all the detailed information.  We are seriously considering the Viking World Cruise for January 2025.  We currently have the reservation on hold. 120 days from LA to London.

 

I didn't know that you could put a Viking cruise "on hold".  How long can you "hold" a booking before you have to put down a deposit of which $1,000 is non-refundable?

4 hours ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

Holland does a great job and has a great crew ..

Gail & Marty,  Have you also taken other HAL cruises?  Can you please tell me whether there are any differences between HAL's World Cruise and a shorter one, say around 22 days (other than length of course!) ?

12 hours ago, Jensue9 said:

Forgive me if this is a silly question but we are sailing on westerdam out of Auckland to Sydney. What currency do I tip in? I don’t mean the normal gratuities I mean things like room service etc. Australian dollars? US dollar? NZ dollars? 

Australians don't tip.  When I was in Australia (several years ago, so things might have changed), service workers told me that they considered tips an insult.  I was told that Australian service workers were paid a living wage.  Also, at that time, cruises out of Australia didn't require or suggest tipping.  You might want to ask customer service what the policy is on your Auckland to Sydney cruise before handing out whatever currency. 

If there are any Australians or Kiwis on this thread, please clarify or correct what I've said.