New to Holland America? This is for you...AKA "HAL For Dummies"

[Benh]

Club Orange sounds good. Anyone here have experience with it?

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/dining/club-orange.html

 

[terrydtx]

2 hours ago, Benh said:

Club Orange sounds good. Anyone here have experience with it?

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/dining/club-orange.html

 

Don't waste your money, unless you are in a Pinnacle class ships (Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam and Rotterdam). All other older ships have a roped off reserved section in MDR for dining with only one entree not on standard MDR menu. Pinnacle class ships do have a dedicated CO dining room, but you still only have the one extra entree item with the standard MDR menus. The one cabin upgrade is only within the category you booked, ie: you do not go from a standard balcony to a Signature or other suites categories. The concierge is totally useless.  Club Orange in MHO is a waste of money. This is HAL's lame attempt to compete with NCL's Haven. MSC's Yacht Club and Celebrity's Retreat.

Edited November 20, 2022 by terrydtx

[tensixmom]

18 hours ago, boeckli said:

 

It should be listed on your boarding pass (it is on mine at least)

Sadly, not on mine.  I did get an updated boarding pass today with my boarding time pushed back (now to 2:30!) but no dining notation.

18 hours ago, Chickadee910 said:

Go to your mail box type in no reply Holland and see if it might be there

Tried that... no luck but thank you.

[KroozNut]

13 minutes ago, tensixmom said:

Sadly, not on mine.  I did get an updated boarding pass today with my boarding time pushed back (now to 2:30!) but no dining notation.

Tried that... no luck but thank you.

 

Page 1 of the booking confirmation for our upcoming cruise. Confirmed dining arrangements noted at the end:

 

Below are the details for your 7-Day Western Caribbean cruise. We look forward to welcoming you on board soon!

CRUISE CONFIRMATION
Booking #:
XXXXXX
Statement Date:
Sep 30, 2022
Booking Status:
Active
PAYMENT SCHEDULE
Currency: U.S. Dollars
Deposit Due:
Paid
Final Payment Due Date:

CRUISE DETAILS
Embark Date:

Ship:
Nieuw Statendam
Voyage:
From Port:
Fort Lauderdale
To Port:
Fort Lauderdale
Duration:
7
Category:
L
Stateroom:

Bed Requested:
Queen Bed

Dining:
Confirmed Early, Request Table for 6

 

 

[Benh]

I read a recent review of a Holland America cruise that claimed that HAL no longer uses butter in making their pastries as a cost-cutting measure. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

[islandwoman]

1 hour ago, Benh said:

I read a recent review of a Holland America cruise that claimed that HAL no longer uses butter in making their pastries as a cost-cutting measure. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

What do they use instead of butter?

[KroozNut]

5 hours ago, Benh said:

I read a recent review of a Holland America cruise that claimed that HAL no longer uses butter in making their pastries as a cost-cutting measure. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

 

I would need more information. Sounds like a statement that needs to provide a source, otherwise should be dismissed as hearsay or unsubstantiated  rumor.

[ski ww]

Do we care what they use as long as it still taste's good. 

[islandwoman]

2 hours ago, ski ww said:

Do we care what they use as long as it still taste's good. 

Yes.  If they use bacon fat or lard, some people (like me) can't eat it.

[Benh]

My first time sailing on HAL is coming up in May, with a dream cruise to Alaska with my dear old Mom. We booked that early late October, and so far in advance. Our deal seemed fairly good and included OBC. Still happy with the booking and am looking forward to it.

 

Since then I've been waisting some time fantasizing about other possible cruises, looking at the routes and rates on HAL's site. One thing I noticed, that I suppose is obvious, is that there are some really good rates on cruises that are about to sail but aren't yet full. 

 

What are the pros and cons of booking only a few weeks before sailing? One negative I can think of right away is that the savings on the cruise might be eaten up by higher plane fares. Any other pros or cons?

[terrydtx]

19 hours ago, islandwoman said:

What do they use instead of butter?

If this is true, I would think there are many good margarines that would be just fine.

[Mary229]

4 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

If this is true, I would think there are many good margarines that would be just fine.

Some people don’t like to use hydrogenated oils so they (me) would object to falsely labeling margarine as butter.  In cooking kitchens generally substitute various oils for butter but not margarine 

Edited November 21, 2022 by Mary229

[terrydtx]

46 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Some people don’t like to use hydrogenated oils so they (me) would object to falsely labeling margarine as butter.  In cooking kitchens generally substitute various oils for butter but not margarine 

For some people who are lactose intolerant not using butter is preferable. 

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

For some people who are lactose intolerant not using butter is preferable. 

Yes but I am speaking of mislabeling.  If I ask for butter at dinner they shouldn’t give me margarine.  A lactose intolerant person would not ask for butter.  

[terrydtx]

10 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Yes but I am speaking of mislabeling.  If I ask for butter at dinner they shouldn’t give me margarine.  A lactose intolerant person would not ask for butter.  

The butter comment by the poster had nothing to do with what they serve with your meals, it was that they supposedly are not using butter in their pastries. For lactose intolerant people, using real butter in pastries means they cannot eat the pastry. My dear granddaughter is so lactose intolerant, on a scale of 1 to 10, she is a 12 and she cannot safely eat most breads and pastries. When she travels with us it is real challenging to find what she can eat.

[Mary229]

Just now, terrydtx said:

The butter comment by the poster had nothing to do with what they serve with your meals, it was that they supposedly are not using butter in their pastries. For lactose intolerant people, using real butter in pastries means they cannot eat the pastry. My dear granddaughter is so lactose intolerant, on a scale of 1 to 10, she is a 12 and she cannot safely eat most breads and pastries. When she travels with us it is real challenging to find what she can eat.

You should ask then.  Many pastries are made with coconut oil and trans oils.  Margarine is not used in commercial baking. Lard would be cheaper and more healthful than either coconut or trans oil.  

[tensixmom]

On 11/20/2022 at 8:04 AM, KroozNut said:

 

Page 1 of the booking confirmation for our upcoming cruise. Confirmed dining arrangements noted at the end:

 

Below are the details for your 7-Day Western Caribbean cruise. We look forward to welcoming you on board soon!

CRUISE CONFIRMATION
Booking #:
XXXXXX
Statement Date:
Sep 30, 2022
Booking Status:
Active
PAYMENT SCHEDULE
Currency: U.S. Dollars
Deposit Due:
Paid
Final Payment Due Date:

CRUISE DETAILS
Embark Date:

Ship:
Nieuw Statendam
Voyage:
From Port:
Fort Lauderdale
To Port:
Fort Lauderdale
Duration:
7
Category:
L
Stateroom:

Bed Requested:
Queen Bed

Dining:
Confirmed Early, Request Table for 6

 

 

I was able to get it resent to me.  Looks like I have late dining which I am reading may cause an issue seeing any of the shows due to the MDR being slower than usual... we shall see!

Thank you all!

[ski ww]

8 hours ago, islandwoman said:

Yes.  If they use bacon fat or lard, some people (like me) can't eat it.

Yes, but then it would not taste good.

[KroozNut]

1 hour ago, ski ww said:

Yes, but then it would not taste good.

 

IMHO, it would taste better!

[SKCruiser007]

6 hours ago, tensixmom said:

I was able to get it resent to me.  Looks like I have late dining which I am reading may cause an issue seeing any of the shows due to the MDR being slower than usual... we shall see!

Thank you all!

If you have late (main) dining, you can easily see the show first, and have time to arrive just in time for dinner. I actually prefer this.

[KroozNut]

1 hour ago, SKCruiser007 said:

If you have late (main) dining, you can easily see the show first, and have time to arrive just in time for dinner. I actually prefer this.

 

Depends on how one defines 'just in time' for dinner. IMHO, if you're not at least 5 minutes early for your set time, you're late. 😉

[tensixmom]

10 hours ago, SKCruiser007 said:

If you have late (main) dining, you can easily see the show first, and have time to arrive just in time for dinner. I actually prefer this.

OK we will try this!  Thank you!

[mwj]

On 11/19/2022 at 7:37 PM, terrydtx said:

Don't waste your money, unless you are in a Pinnacle class ships (Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam and Rotterdam). All other older ships have a roped off reserved section in MDR for dining with only one entree not on standard MDR menu. Pinnacle class ships do have a dedicated CO dining room, but you still only have the one extra entree item with the standard MDR menus. The one cabin upgrade is only within the category you booked, ie: you do not go from a standard balcony to a Signature or other suites categories. The concierge is totally useless.  Club Orange in MHO is a waste of money. This is HAL's lame attempt to compete with NCL's Haven. MSC's Yacht Club and Celebrity's Retreat.

This is NOT necessarily the case. On a tender-port intensive cruise there is value in club orange. More importantly, there is value in the room upgrade. We have successfully booked a lowest cost balcony room, and then upgraded to a more desired balcony room. We saved more money in the room upgrade than club orange cost.

[lavictoria]

On 11/20/2022 at 7:26 AM, Benh said:

I read a recent review of a Holland America cruise that claimed that HAL no longer uses butter in making their pastries as a cost-cutting measure. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

I kinda doubt it but, hey, times are tough. If anything they would use a mixture of butter and shortening since removing all the butter would change the taste too much. To the people suggesting lard - commercial kitchens don't use lard since that excludes vegetarians as well as anyone who keeps halal or kosher from eating the pastries.

[KroozNut]

9 minutes ago, lavictoria said:

I kinda doubt it but, hey, times are tough. If anything they would use a mixture of butter and shortening since removing all the butter would change the taste too much. To the people suggesting lard - commercial kitchens don't use lard since that excludes vegetarians as well as anyone who keeps halal or kosher from eating the pastries.

Being from Canada, you've probably never experienced real Mexican food. That being said, the use of lard in tortillas is (unfortunately) banned in countries other than Mexico, but you can really tell the difference in the taste. Mexican tortillas are 100% better than anything north of the border.