Who has attended the Orange Party?

[oaktreerb]

Have attended a White Party on both Azamara and Seabourn which was a real occasion with live entertainment,  dancing, and food and drink and hosted by officers.  These were held in the early evening and were lots of fun.  My last HAL cruise had an Orange Party but it was after the late show.  We didn’t even consider attending because of the time and a lack of promotion by the ship staff.  

 

For those who have attended the Orange Party....Which ship were you on?  .What time did they have it?  Where on the ship did they have it?   Was there entertainment?  Is it worth purchasing something orange that I will never wear again?

[SilvertoGold]

Noordam, Eurodam, Westerdam In the Queens' Lounge, usually 8:30 or 9:30 pm. BBKings band.  Some fancy drinks, lots of nibbles, cookies and savories. 

 

What happens and the level of participation mostly seems to depend on the ship and the HD/CD, I guess.

 

Surprisingly a lot of orange showed up, especially on the two Alaska cruises (4 weeks total, so 4 parties). 

[Gigi1977]

It was after BB King last set onboard Zuiderdam in July In the BB King venue.  Not well promoted or attended.   We went by and left.   They had a special bar set up so you could purchase ‘orange’ drinks and music playing.   No group or DJ.  Just music.  i thought it would be an ‘event’.  It was not.  

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

On the Zuiderdam cruise of Sept 27th to Oct 9th, the Orange Party was at 8:15PM in the BB Kings Lounge . Some officers and staff were lined up outside and waiters passed cookies. The BB King band was so loud ,  you  could not talk or hear. We did not stay more than 10 minutes. Don't know if anything other than the loud band music occurred. I thought at least an officer would say something about what was being celebrated.

[kazu]

Your experience can really vary depending on the ship.

 

When we had it on King’s Day, there was much ado on the Prinsendam and it was a blast.

 

The second time was the ‘regular’ Orange Party and it was nice in the Crow’s Nest, munchies, etc. ( but you get those anyways at happy hour) and a few staff in orange.  It was nice but nowhere near as fabulous as the previous one.

 

IME only, if you are sailing on the real “orange” day (King’s day), it’s quite special.  On the scheduled Orange parties, it’s been nice but nowhere near what the other celebrations were.

 

It’ll be interesting to see what it is next year since we will be on board for King’s Day again 😉 

[Aquahound]

3 hours ago, oaktreerb said:

Have attended a White Party on both Azamara and Seabourn which was a real occasion with live entertainment,  dancing, and food and drink and hosted by officers.  These were held in the early evening and were lots of fun.  My last HAL cruise had an Orange Party but it was after the late show.  We didn’t even consider attending because of the time and a lack of promotion by the ship staff.  

 

For those who have attended the Orange Party....Which ship were you on?  .What time did they have it?  Where on the ship did they have it?   Was there entertainment?  Is it worth purchasing something orange that I will never wear again?

 

A couple weeks ago on Eurodam, it was held in the BB King lounge during their last set.  On a good note, it was the only night it felt like there was any life on the ship.  On a bad note, it was way too crowd in that little lounge.  Not only was it crowded to begin with, but it also coincided with the last stop of the pub crawl.  Bar service was shut down so the bartenders could set up a cascading booze display for the pub crawlers.

 

If they would hold the party on the lido like the other cruise lines, it would be much better.  

[Petronillus]

If y'all will permit me to stray a bit off topic . . .

 

I raised this question a while ago, of whether, from a marketing standpoint, HAL was venturing into perilous waters by promoting the color orange. I was thinking of how in the bad old days of the 20th century the partisan divide in Ireland was marked by opposing factions wearing green and orange, respectively. Yes, yes, I know about the Battle of the Boyne and all that, but a whole lot of people in the U.S. (at least) proudly claim Irish heritage and proudly display green on St. Patrick's Day. And any man who walks into an Irish bar on St. Patrick's Day wearing orange is likely to be thrashed as a provocateur. Does it make sense for HAL to risk offending the Irish population?

 

But since then DW & I have had occasion to spend time in the Netherlands in advance of our Baltic Sea cruise, and there I observed a profusion of orange. For the first time I understood how much the Dutch identity is associated with the color orange. To any of my Irish friends who take exception, I say, "Cool it! After all, it is HOLLAND America Line!"

[Petronillus]

1 minute ago, Petronillus said:

DW & I have had occasion to spend time in the Netherlands in advance of our Baltic Sea cruise, . . .

 

I was astonished to learn how many places in the Netherlands are named after Holland America Line ships!

 

Travel is so broadening.

[sevenseasnomad]

10 minutes ago, Petronillus said:

 

I was astonished to learn how many places in the Netherlands are named after Holland America Line ships!

 

Travel is so broadening.

It's the other way around.  The dam ships are named for places/rivers in the Netherlands.

[NordicPrince]

44 minutes ago, sevenseasnomad said:

It's the other way around.  The dam ships are named for places/rivers in the Netherlands.

Really?? Really??? Thank you for straightening me out on this.

[SilvertoGold]

3 hours ago, kazu said:

 

 

IME only, if you are sailing on the real “orange” day (King’s day), it’s quite special.  On the scheduled Orange parties, it’s been nice but nowhere near what the other celebrations were.

 

It’ll be interesting to see what it is next year since we will be on board for King’s Day again 😉 

 

Agree, on King's Day itself,  HAL really goes all out, especially on the Rotterdam! An all-day party, with many events.  Loved this every time we've sailed on King's Day.

[Hlitner]

3 hours ago, SJSULIBRARIAN said:

On the Zuiderdam cruise of Sept 27th to Oct 9th, the Orange Party was at 8:15PM in the BB Kings Lounge . Some officers and staff were lined up outside and waiters passed cookies. The BB King band was so loud ,  you  could not talk or hear. We did not stay more than 10 minutes. Don't know if anything other than the loud band music occurred. I thought at least an officer would say something about what was being celebrated.

Why on earth would they plan a party when many on the ship are still earing dinner?  We are seldom out of the MDR before 9:30!

 

Hank

[Dulciana8]

I’m curious about these Orange Parties also... I sense that there is great potential here for something fun. But from what I’ve read here and there the execution of the parties isn’t uniform. For example, we haven’t received any information on an Orange Party for our upcoming trip? Or is this something that’s done word of mouth once onboard? 

[SilvertoGold]

3 minutes ago, Dulciana8 said:

I’m curious about these Orange Parties also... I sense that there is great potential here for something fun. But from what I’ve read here and there the execution of the parties isn’t uniform. For example, we haven’t received any information on an Orange Party for our upcoming trip? Or is this something that’s done word of mouth once onboard? 

 

If it is on King's Day, it is a big deal and HAL generally sends out notice. If you experienced King's Day, you would know you are correct that it has potential for some fun.  On other cruises, it is the latest "event" to do and different ships do it with more or less enthusiasm.  A ship with a lot of Dutch Hotel officers/staff often do more than the norm, from what we have seen.

[Dulciana8]

3 minutes ago, SilvertoGold said:

 

If it is on King's Day, it is a big deal and HAL generally sends out notice. If you experienced King's Day, you would know you are correct that it has potential for some fun.  On other cruises, it is the latest "event" to do and different ships do it with more or less enthusiasm.  A ship with a lot of Dutch Hotel officers/staff often do more than the norm, from what we have seen.

It would be interesting if HAL could somehow transfer the enthusiasm from the true King’s Day celebration into a regular Orange Party— maybe they’re attempting to do so in a half attempt (not really working)— but if they could notify passengers in advance, build enthusiasm, similar to other cruise lines with themed parties... maybe the potential could grow. Personally I like the idea and am intrigued by it (and would love to see a real King’s day celebration!).  Just my random musings 😊

 

Thank you for your insight! 

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

1 hour ago, Dulciana8 said:

I’m curious about these Orange Parties also... I sense that there is great potential here for something fun. But from what I’ve read here and there the execution of the parties isn’t uniform. For example, we haven’t received any information on an Orange Party for our upcoming trip? Or is this something that’s done word of mouth once onboard? 

The friends I traveled with on the Zuiderdam received a notice before the cruise but they didn't remember how. I, a 5 star Mariner, received no notification. An announcement was made in the Where and When, a couple of days before, encouraging passengers to go to the shops to buy the orange T-shirt (which in my opinion is the ugliest shirt I have ever seen).

[Kona921]

We attended the Orange party on the Nieuw Statendam.  It was packed and super fun.  Lots of Dutch goodies. I agree the orange party shirt sold on the ship is hideous so I would suggest bringing your own, or a tie or some beads...it’s just a fun excuse to celebrate the heritage of the cruise line and The Netherlands.

[lstrong]

We received advance notice in our email from HAL 30 days before the cruise, but really didn’t know what it was other than be sure and bring something orange to wear....

[twodjs]

On both the Eurodam and our recent Oosterdam cruise, the Orange party was in BB King. To answer the question about buying something orange - they do have orange clothes in one of the shops. I might suggest a quick stop at your local Goodwill store. Plenty of orange this time of year. But orange is definitely NOT required! (Some people wore peach - I'll give them points for effort, especially with no pre-cruise warning!) The size of the venue does restrict the number of people who can attend. And the level of celebration does vary from ship to ship. On the Eurodam, the most enthusiasm occurred around 9:30, when the pub crawl group arrived. Lots of fun and wall-to-wall people on the dance floor. On our 6 night Oosterdam coastal cruise, no pub crawl, but still a fun evening with the energy of the BB King band.

 

[Dulciana8]

1 hour ago, SJSULIBRARIAN said:

The friends I traveled with on the Zuiderdam received a notice before the cruise but they didn't remember how. I, a 5 star Mariner, received no notification. An announcement was made in the Where and When, a couple of days before, encouraging passengers to go to the shops to buy the orange T-shirt (which in my opinion is the ugliest shirt I have ever seen).

Thanks for the extra information! I may toss something orange into my suitcase for “just in case...”

[oaktreerb]

On 10/13/2019 at 2:59 PM, Aquahound said:

 

 

 

If they would hold the party on the lido like the other cruise lines, it would be much better.  

 

From the comments received here, I think you have a great solution for the Orange Party location.  We were on a Westerdam Panama Canal cruise, before HAL’s Orange Party idea, and the CD hosted  a deck party on the Lido with live music and the entertainers took part in the festivities.  There is plenty of room around the covered pool area outside the Lido.  

[Riversedge]

On our Voyage of the Vikings this summer it started while many people were still at dinner.  It was really a non event. There was a second one later in the cruise and we didn’t even bother to go. Very loud music, crowded, and an excuse to sell drinks.  Most people left after the first set.  I wouldn’t even bother to pack something orange next time.  They tried to sell orange items in the gift shop but hardly anyone bought anything and they were ugly. I’ve been to the white parties on Azamara.  They were so much fun. No comparison. 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We went to 5 of them on the Niew Statadam

Very well done.😀😗

Edited October 17, 2019 by Gail & Marty sailing away

[Hlitner]

This Orange Party thing has me thinking that the real shock would be if a BB King group actually played some real BB King music.  We normally enjoy the BB King groups (we take ear plugs which help) but our experience has been that they play just about anything but BB King hits.  On the Zuiderdam they seemed to be more fixated with playing old disco music (including Irene Cara hits) which pleased the European teens who were aboard but had many of the older passengers shaking their heads.  I once asked the leader of the BB King group why they were called the "BB King" group if they didn't play a lot of his music.  He told me that they knew his music but it was not what HAL wanted.

 

Hank

[Billthekid]

We went to our local dollar store and bought some orange plastics/paper boutonnieres to wear in a button hole on our shirts.  Wore to dinner and the Orange Party was held while we were eating so never did make it to the "party".  Felt foolish with an orange flower sticking out of my shirt.