New Club Orange

[philbob84]

any menu's?

[EDLOS]

So many posts.!  Was the question ever answered whether 4 and 5 Star members have access to CO for the $60,000 plus  I have spent to reach 4 Star status just allows me to peek in the door.?????

Interesting, dining in the MDR seems to be headed toward "Steerage Class" on the old cruise liners. Also some one once posted here " That if you are sailing on cruise ships for true Gourmet  cuisine, you are in the wrong place"

[twodjs]

No access for Mariner * levels, only Neptune Suites and above and OC members. Ironic since some perks 4 star Mariners, like you and I have waited for years to receive are being given to OC members with their $50 per day fee - no loyalty required! 😠

[frankc98376]

My guess is that problems will start when they sell so many CO packages that NS people won't be able to get in or worse given a beeper and an hour wait  Going to be a lot of comped PG dinners for unhappy NS people.

 

Supposedly the thermal suite packages have a limit on people.  I asked one of the spa staff I ran into ashore how many they are allowed to sell.  She said "as many as we can- we say there is a limit to pressure people into buying or be left out"

[twodjs]

I have never heard any specific number of OCs to be sold, only a "limited number". What exactly is that number? Come on, HAL, full disclosure.

[terrydtx]

7 minutes ago, frankc98376 said:

My guess is that problems will start when they sell so many CO packages that NS people won't be able to get in or worse given a beeper and an hour wait  Going to be a lot of comped PG dinners for unhappy NS people.

 

Supposedly the thermal suite packages have a limit on people.  I asked one of the spa staff I ran into ashore how many they are allowed to sell.  She said "as many as we can- we say there is a limit to pressure people into buying or be left out"

According to the information from HAL only a limited number of CO memberships will be sold for each cruise so only time will tell if the CO gets over crowded. 

 

[kazu]

43 minutes ago, frankc98376 said:

My guess is that problems will start when they sell so many CO packages that NS people won't be able to get in or worse given a beeper and an hour wait  Going to be a lot of comped PG dinners for unhappy NS people.

 

Supposedly the thermal suite packages have a limit on people.  I asked one of the spa staff I ran into ashore how many they are allowed to sell.  She said "as many as we can- we say there is a limit to pressure people into buying or be left out"

 

Bolding is mine.  That's interesting, Frank.  When we were on the Westerdam I asked the question as well.  They told me the number  and it was indeed limited to a very small number.  

 

It will be interesting to hear how CO goes.  Hopefully it doesn't impact NS people.

[sail7seas]

On 12/18/2018 at 1:41 PM, OlsSalt said:

 

Chairs have reasonable back support at two key pressure points. Not sure I  even use a back rest that much when I am sitting and dining - more leaning forward. College dorm or edgy restaurant yes- but after all table cloths are now deemed bad for the environment - water, energy, chemicals, waste water, cotton farming depletes soil - etc, etc.  One sees them less and less. And less.

WE  see, expect and Want our table cloths in  the Boston restaurants one would exped them.  Thank goodness,  California is  across the country from us.  ;  if you wish to eat off  'undresesd tables'  Good.  Enjoy your selves.   

 

[sail7seas]

4 hours ago, EDLOS said:

So many posts.!  Was the question ever answered whether 4 and 5 Star members have access to CO for the $60,000 plus  I have spent to reach 4 Star status just allows me to peek in the door.?????

Interesting, dining in the MDR seems to be headed toward "Steerage Class" on the old cruise liners. Also some one once posted here " That if you are sailing on cruise ships for true Gourmet  cuisine, you are in the wrong place"      

 

 

I believe   that is a giant.  No.

 

And I would happily stand beside you and show them a   copy of my  'cruise record'   as  they tell   me to leave. 

 

 

 

I'll match that record with just about anyone's.

 

 

I am so fed up; wi th this nonsense.   tHAT,   For  the first time  in more than 100 cruises,  I am sailing my next two HAL cruises in a small er than Neptune Suite.   my  'STATEMENT.'       I booked a Vista Suite on a R class ship, and told my PCC my     why.    If he wished to pass along  my ' statement'  Okay  🙂     Somehow, I suspect I a m not the only  FrEQUENT,  VERY Many  Times  regular Neptune guest who said   No, not this time. 

Edited December 23, 2018 by sail7seas

[frankc98376]

Main benefits of CO is priority boarding, priority tendering, a NS bathrobe and the CO restaurant.  As a 4* I already have priority boarding and tendering.  If the extended the CO restaurant to 4 and 5 star what would they do on the cruises that are very heavy with high star mariners?  Who decides which guests get to eat in the roped off CO section of the MDR?  Perhaps a doorman at the velvet rope deciding like a New York nightclub. Doesn't like they way you are dressed- no special dinner for you

 

Edited December 23, 2018 by frankc98376

[taxmantoo]

13 minutes ago, frankc98376 said:

 Doesn't like they way you are dressed- no special dinner for you

 

 

Never mind the roped-off area, I wish they could find a way to increase that to the entire Dining Room 😉

Edited December 23, 2018 by taxmantoo

[jkadventures]

21 hours ago, PSR said:

"I am a little puzzled about how this works. Are suite passengers automatically assigned to this dining room and expected to show up there unless they make other arrangements? (This is the case on Celebrity with the Luminae suite dining rooms.)" per Caribbean Chris

 

"Yes, Suite passengers are automatically assigned.  They will check your card/room # the first day and then they will ever after know who you are. " per Miss G 

 

 

 

So, this could be a problem if you are traveling with a non-Suite passenger....

 

Not so. Just off the inaugural FLL sailing of the Nieuw Statemdam and we spoke with the CO manager. He stated a suite passenger can certainly reserve a main dining room table or eat in the CO dining room as one desires. This venue does replace Pinnacle Grill breakfast for suite guests. Room at first seemed a bit “cold” decor-wise and it was not very busy,  but with the on-site kitchen at least your food will be hot. We may try it next year. 

[PSR]

2 hours ago, jkadventures said:

 

Not so. Just off the inaugural FLL sailing of the Nieuw Statemdam and we spoke with the CO manager. He stated a suite passenger can certainly reserve a main dining room table or eat in the CO dining room as one desires. This venue does replace Pinnacle Grill breakfast for suite guests. Room at first seemed a bit “cold” decor-wise and it was not very busy,  but with the on-site kitchen at least your food will be hot. We may try it next year. 

 

Thank you for the information about dining in the regular MDR with non-suite diners--good to know.

[*Miss G*]

16 hours ago, PSR said:

 

We are going to be traveling with 2 friends who in the past we don't usually join for breakfast since they are VERY early birds, but are traveling in a Neptune this time, so no problem there. However, they are being joined by a friend of theirs traveling solo in a balcony, so $100/day could be a stretch for that person. We will be on the Westerdam in August 2019, so not sure when the ship will get the CO, if ever, so guess we will worry about the whole strategy as needed.....

 

Thank you and Cruisinsusan2 for your comments.

 

 

 

@Crew News confirmed that the cost to solo travelers is $50/day.

[*Miss G*]

2 hours ago, jkadventures said:

 

Not so. Just off the inaugural FLL sailing of the Nieuw Statemdam and we spoke with the CO manager. He stated a suite passenger can certainly reserve a main dining room table or eat in the CO dining room as one desires. This venue does replace Pinnacle Grill breakfast for suite guests. Room at first seemed a bit “cold” decor-wise and it was not very busy,  but with the on-site kitchen at least your food will be hot. We may try it next year. 

 

Yes of course they can eat in the MDR if they choose.  I apologize for not making that clear.

[PSR]

15 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

@Crew News confirmed that the cost to solo travelers is $50/day.

 

Thank you for reminding me about that earlier statement by CN. That still be a little steep though; my husband and I do not know the 3rd person we will be cruising with. Will wait to get the CO announcement for our particular voyage to see what she may want to do.

Edited December 24, 2018 by PSR

[BeccaLT]

My husband and I just finished our first cruise ever on the Nieuw Statendam to the Bahamas from Ft. Lauderdale and purchased Club Orange with our Vista Suite. 

 

We would buy it again on a future cruise if we don’t go with a larger suite, although it is likely we would just book a Neptune Suite for the extra room so we don’t trip over each other.

 

Why? Because we much prefer eating in Club Orange than the MDR. To us, the MDR felt too much like the big company Christmas party dinners of years ago with banquet food arriving slightly less than hot and way too many people. We went on the gala night to give it a try.

 

At Club Orange, we showed up when we wanted (usually between 7-8:30 pm for dinner). The restaurant was about 85% full each time. Service was great and our food was hot and tasted less banquet hall than the MDR. There was not just one extra option- it was the MDR menu plus 4-5 regular CO extras plus a special every evening. And we had tablecloths for dinner, just not breakfast. Not really a big deal for us anyways. The experience was more like going to a good, small  “foodie” restaurant which is our preference on land as well.

 

We also ate at Pinnacle one night and while the meal itself was excellent, the decor was dark and felt dated to us and the service not quite as good. We were also seated next to two screaming toddlers which did not help. Did not try Tamarind or Rudy’s although they looked good.

 

Priority boarding was nice too. Nobody likes to wait in long lines.  I have both TSA Pre and Global Entry for the same reason, although I travel a lot for work so it makes sense.

 

If our only option were the MDR and buffets for food, I am not sure we would book another cruise. I would rather pay extra for smaller venues with better food.

 

 

Edited December 24, 2018 by BeccaLT
Typo

[*Miss G*]

1 hour ago, BeccaLT said:

There was not just one extra option- it was the MDR menu plus 4-5 regular CO extras p

 

Thanks for your review.  I’m glad you enjoyed it also.

 

Per the above, I believe you are referring to the regular options which are always available every night in the MDR as well.  There was only the one daily special in CO.

[BeccaLT]

I’m sure you are correct. We only ate in the MDR on gala night which had a very small set of choices. Sounds like there are more options on other nights.

18 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Thanks for your review.  I’m glad you enjoyed it also.

 

Per the above, I believe you are referring to the regular options which are always available every night in the MDR as well.  There was only the one daily special in CO.

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

1 hour ago, BeccaLT said:

My husband and I just finished our first cruise ever on the Nieuw Statendam to the Bahamas from Ft. Lauderdale and purchased Club Orange with our Vista Suite. 

 

We would buy it again on a future cruise if we don’t go with a larger suite, although it is likely we would just book a Neptune Suite for the extra room so we don’t trip over each other.

 

Why? Because we much prefer eating in Club Orange than the MDR. To us, the MDR felt too much like the big company Christmas party dinners of years ago with banquet food arriving slightly less than hot and way too many people. We went on the gala night to give it a try.

 

At Club Orange, we showed up when we wanted (usually between 7-8:30 pm for dinner). The restaurant was about 85% full each time. Service was great and our food was hot and tasted less banquet hall than the MDR. There was not just one extra option- it was the MDR menu plus 4-5 regular CO extras plus a special every evening. And we had tablecloths for dinner, just not breakfast. Not really a big deal for us anyways. The experience was more like going to a good, small  “foodie” restaurant which is our preference on land as well.

 

We also ate at Pinnacle one night and while the meal itself was excellent, the decor was dark and felt dated to us and the service not quite as good. We were also seated next to two screaming toddlers which did not help. Did not try Tamarind or Rudy’s although they looked good.

 

Priority boarding was nice too. Nobody likes to wait in long lines.  I have both TSA Pre and Global Entry for the same reason, although I travel a lot for work so it makes sense.

 

If our only option were the MDR and buffets for food, I am not sure we would book another cruise. I would rather pay extra for smaller venues with better food.

 

 

 

Thank you for your opinion of Club Orange.

 

Since we always book either the Pinnacle Suite or a Neptune Suite, Club Orange is available to us at no extra charge.

 

However, I would never be able to sit there for any length of time -- chairs have no support.  I have a very bad back.

 

We always enjoy our breakfasts in the Pinnacle Grill and always have dinner in either the Pinnacle Grill or the Tamarind.  Chairs are much better there.

[st.zoomer]

We just returned from a 5 day cruise on the Nieuw Statendam where the Club Orange was offered.  Initially we thought the cost was too high but later decided to give the Club Orange a try and paid the $400.00.  However, before the cruise began we received an upgrade offer for a Neptune suite at a reduced rate--which included the Club Orange perks--so we transferred the $400 we had paid for Club Orange as partial payment on the suite.

 

The initial boarding was a mess and it was a good thing for suite and Club Orange passengers that we had a priority window.  We were able to board quickly, through a separate entrance, instead of standing in line for an hour or two.

 

The main advantage of Club Orange was the private dining area for breakfast and diner which we used for every available meal.  I suppose it depends on how important the experience is to you personally to decide if it is worth the price or not, but we felt it was.  For example, if you like a Mimosa, or two, or three, or more for breakfast, they are all free--as many as you like.  Also, almost all the food is prepared in front of you and it comes from the grill piping hot, not after sitting under a warming lamp. For diner you have the same menu as The Dining Room but with one additional "specialty" entree, otherwise the menu is the same as in the MDR.  

 

The atmosphere in the Club Orange restaurant is very casual since it was initially intended to be an instructional cooking venue, but it was fine for us--I understand that will be changing in the future to a more traditional setting.  Also, the restaurant staff was excellent and, being so small, we soon came to know them all.  

 

For breakfast the restaurant could become crowded but for dinner it wasn't unusual to only see a few passengers eating, it just depended on the particular night and the hour; however, we always had great service and immediate attention.  We only ate one meal, lunch, in the MDR, and I found it extremely noisy--nothing like the Club Orange's much smaller and calmer atmosphere.

 

I talked to a few people who has purchased the Club Orange upgrade and they were all happy with their choice.  I didn't get to see the bag they received but one man told me it was very high quality.

 

I don't think there was an advantage to Club Orange priority debarkation since anyone can get off early; and, the main difference I saw between Club Orange vs. suite passengers perks was that Club Orange people couldn't use the Neptune Lounge.

 

Overall, for us, I would definitely pay for the Club Orange if I didn't have a Neptune or Pinnacle suite--the priority boarding and Club Orange restaurant experience made it worthwhile--for us it made the difference between a good trip and a great trip. However, if those things aren't so important to you, then it probably wouldn't be worth the extra expense.

[DC1979]

Sounds like the atmosphere is better on the Koningsdam than the Nieuw Statendam.  I can see the appeal of wanting to be somewhere other than the main dining room for dining - I’m not really a fan of the atmosphere there.  But then the pricing is crazy.  If I was not booked in a Neptune Suite and get access for free, for $50 per person per day, I’d rather just pay the small difference and upgrade to a Neptune Suite and get the advantage of a bigger room for minimal additional cost, or I’d just alternate eating at Tamardind/Pinnacle/Sel de Mer/Canaletto/Nami and have a better dining experience for about half the price. 

[st.zoomer]

A few pictures of Club Orange restaurant:

 

 

[RocketMan275]

Thanks for the pictures.  Looks like a very viable alternative to the MDR.

[Krazy Kruizers]

2 hours ago, st.zoomer said:

A few pictures of Club Orange restaurant:

 

 

 

 

Thank you for sharing the pictures.