Club Orange questions

[DaveOKC]

4 hours ago, kazu said:

 

Thank you kindly, Dave.  I really appreciate it.

No problem - glad I could help!

 

I have some in-laws that live in NB - near Moncton I think.  Are you near there?

 

[kazu]

39 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

No problem - glad I could help!

 

I have some in-laws that live in NB - near Moncton I think.  Are you near there?

 

Depending on where around Moncton they are, we’re probably 1.5 - 2 hours away.  Bay of Fundy area.  Moncton has the Tidal Bore and we have the Reversing Falls not far from here and the highest tides in the world.

[DaveOKC]

6 minutes ago, kazu said:

Depending on where around Moncton they are, we’re probably 1.5 - 2 hours away.  Bay of Fundy area.  Moncton has the Tidal Bore and we have the Reversing Falls not far from here and the highest tides in the world.

We have been in the area of the tides - huge change in a matter of hours.  Very nice area and people.  We stopped (on a ship tour) in a very small village and had the best bowl of lobster chowder ever!

 

[kazu]

9 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

We have been in the area of the tides - huge change in a matter of hours.  Very nice area and people.  We stopped (on a ship tour) in a very small village and had the best bowl of lobster chowder ever!

 

 

Lobster chowder here is pretty dam good.  I’m trying to figure out where you were.  St Martin’s (if you went to the Caves) or St. Andrew’s maybe?

It’s pretty rare to get a bad lobster chowder around here unless someone is skimping on the ingredients. 😉 

 

Glad you enjoyed your time in our area.

[DaveOKC]

2 hours ago, kazu said:

 

Lobster chowder here is pretty dam good.  I’m trying to figure out where you were.  St Martin’s (if you went to the Caves) or St. Andrew’s maybe?

It’s pretty rare to get a bad lobster chowder around here unless someone is skimping on the ingredients. 😉 

 

Glad you enjoyed your time in our area.

I think it was St Martin.  Saw lobster boats there and were way below the dock.  I think it also had two covered bridges.  Our HAL tour guide lived there - nice lady.

[kazu]

4 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

I think it was St Martin.  Saw lobster boats there and were way below the dock.  I think it also had two covered bridges.  Our HAL tour guide lived there - nice lady.

 

If it had 2 covered bridges & a lighthouse you were definitely there 🙂 

[aliaschief]

11 hours ago, aliaschief said:

Besides Club Orange being included for Neptune and Pinnacle Suite guest is there a limit on how many guest can elect Club Orange?

 

Does Club Orange dining get overwhelmed at times and what is average wait time for a table on Pinnacle Class ships?

Still have this question? Anyone know? Thanks.

[SusieKIslandGirl]

Found this in the 2019 announcement. Don't know if has changed since then but at that time at least it was capacity controlled:

 

Club Orange is available to purchase for a limited number of non-suite staterooms on each sailing, and features stateroom upgrades within the category booked and a special “Captain’s Choice” onboard event. Guests in Neptune and Pinnacle suites will also receive all of the benefits of Club Orange at no additional charge (excluding the stateroom upgrade and onboard event). All Club Orange guests are privy to extra privileges — from priority seating for dining to priority services and a dedicated concierge hotline.

[Crew News]

2 hours ago, aliaschief said:

Still have this question? Anyone know? Thanks.

With the exception of one breakfast where I accepted the community-shared table, I never waited for a table in the morning. Within seconds of sitting, a platter of warm pastries were presented and my beverage order taken.

 

From my observation during my usual dining Club Orange time between 5:45 and 6:00 PM, the only waiting happened around 6:30 PM when incoming diners were offered beepers.  In 14 days, this happened only four of those days and some refused the beepers.  Most beepered diners were seated within 20 minutes

 

I must caveat that on one 7-day portion, there was a large group aboard that ate together in the MDR.  This might have lessened the waiting time for Club Orange.  It is certain that my chosen dining time seemed to have open tables on all but two occasions when I accepted a community-shared table.

 

Of course the experiences of others may vary.

Edited May 29, 2021 by Crew News

[Crew News]

7 minutes ago, SusieKIslandGirl said:

Found this in the 2019 announcement. Don't know if has changed since then but at that time at least it was capacity controlled:

 

Club Orange is available to purchase for a limited number of non-suite staterooms on each sailing, and features stateroom upgrades within the category booked and a special “Captain’s Choice” onboard event. Guests in Neptune and Pinnacle suites will also receive all of the benefits of Club Orange at no additional charge (excluding the stateroom upgrade and onboard event). All Club Orange guests are privy to extra privileges — from priority seating for dining to priority services and a dedicated concierge hotline.

The attached photo shows the capacity of Club Orange with the first table on both left and right being the community-shared tables.

 

[johnnyswitzerland]

Renderings of Rotterdam VII's Club Orange dining room and the new Half Moon Bar right outside (replaces Blend on The K and NS).  These spaces look vastly improved.  Makes Club Orange that much more appealing.

[jimgev]

8 minutes ago, johnnyswitzerland said:

Renderings of Rotterdam VII's Club Orange dining room and the new Half Moon Bar right outside (replaces Blend on The K and NS).  These spaces look vastly improved.  Makes Club Orange that much more appealing.

That looks so much more appealing. The photos of Club Orange on Nieuw Statendam are not all that appealing. The chairs on NS don't look particularly comfortable.

8 minutes ago, johnnyswitzerland said:

 

[aliaschief]

10 hours ago, Crew News said:

With the exception of one breakfast where I accepted the community-shared table, I never waited for a table in the morning. Within seconds of sitting, a platter of warm pastries were presented and my beverage order taken.

 

From my observation during my usual dining Club Orange time between 5:45 and 6:00 PM, the only waiting happened around 6:30 PM when incoming diners were offered beepers.  In 14 days, this happened only four of those days and some refused the beepers.  Most beepered diners were seated within 20 minutes

 

I must caveat that on one 7-day portion, there was a large group aboard that ate together in the MDR.  This might have lessened the waiting time for Club Orange.  It is certain that my chosen dining time seemed to have open tables on all but two occasions when I accepted a community-shared table.

 

Of course the experiences of others may vary.

Thanks again. Always appreciate your many contributions to our Cruise Critic community.

[Caribbean Chris]

Thank you JohnnySwitzerland, for posting those renderings of Club Orange on Rotterdam VII recnelty.

 

We booked not long ago on the November 3 sailing, just four days from Ft. Lauderdale to the Bahamas & Key West in a Vista. I believe it is the inaugural departure from the US?, though I didn't realize that until after we had booked. 

 

We liked Club Orange on the Nieuw Statendam in a Neptune two years ago, so DH called our TA today and asked about it. If anyone's interested, price quoted was $25 per person/per day. For $200, worth it to us for the quieter atmosphere and flowing mimosas at breakfast! So he confirmed with our TA.

 

He called 1-888-628-8107 later and got an instant upgrade from a Vista B to an A in the third location offered. Very good customer service.

 

Glad to see that the Rotterdam version will be more carpeted and elegant (and less like what some described on the NS as resembling a Denny's restaurant).

 

 

Edited June 9, 2021 by Caribbean Chris

[zgscl]

Curious if anyone is planning to purchase for the upcoming Alaska season. 

[KAKcruiser]

Club Orange would be so much nicer with windows.  I wonder if they will make that change on future ships.

[twodjs]

2 hours ago, KAKcruiser said:

Club Orange would be so much nicer with windows.  I wonder if they will make that change on future ships.

Not likely, unless they move it to a completely different part of the ship. Club Orange needs fo be adjacent to the kitchen and the public path needs to remain from the main dining room and elevators to the forward part of the ship. The current layout, although not ideal, does work. Cutting off the public flow to gain window access for CO would be a huge mistake. 

[KAKcruiser]

I agree.  But, if they want to be competitive, it would be better.  Celebrity's suite restaurant has windows.

[rucrazy]

On 5/26/2021 at 8:02 PM, zelker said:

unless you're on a ship that has the dedicated Club Orange restaurant, we don't think it's worth it

I must concur!

[twodjs]

I agree also that unless you are on a Pinnacle Class ship with a completely separate Club Orange dining space, any upgrade charge isn't worth it. The rendering of the new Rotterdam does look like an upgraded venue. But the Club Orange offerIng was never meant to compete with the Celebrity product which has an exclusive restaurant with a unique menu (and an ocean view), an exclusive bar with included beverages and an exclusive indoor/outdoor lounge and hot tub or small pool area. And Celebrity isn't open to anyone who wants to pay $25 per day. Definitely an "apples to oranges" comparison. 😉

[Caribbean Chris]

15 minutes ago, twodjs said:

I agree also that unless you are on a Pinnacle Class ship with a completely separate Club Orange dining space, any upgrade charge isn't worth it. The rendering of the new Rotterdam does look like an upgraded venue. But the Club Orange offerIng was never meant to compete with the Celebrity product which has an exclusive restaurant with a unique menu (and an ocean view), an exclusive bar with included beverages and an exclusive indoor/outdoor lounge and hot tub or small pool area. And Celebrity isn't open to anyone who wants to pay $25 per day. Definitely an "apples to oranges" comparison. 😉

I concur that it’s only worth paying a surcharge for Club Orange on P class. You made valid points about Celebrity’s Suite offerings - and they begin with the least expensive Sky Suite. The private lounge on Celebrity is an especially good benefit with very good-to-excellent concierges present.
 

Still, I enjoyed the dedicated Club Orange dining room on HAL when we sailed in a Neptune. HAL might want to consider complimentary beverages including wine, bottled water, etc. in the Neptune Lounge.

Edited June 14, 2021 by Caribbean Chris

[LawDog61]

Are two seaters readily available in club orange?

[Crew News]

7 minutes ago, LawDog61 said:

Are two seaters readily available in club orange?

If I remember correctly, all of the tables were 4-seaters or more but there was no problem seating a solo or two people at a 4-seater. 

 

With two exceptions, I was always seated at a 4-seater.  On two occasions, all of the 4-seaters were occupied and I opted for the community tables.  I could have opted to receive a beeper and be notified when a 4-seater became available.

Edited June 16, 2021 by Crew News

[pkpon]

I am booked on the Rotterdam for 35 nights next April. I have recently upgraded to Club Orange for the $12 a night promotion.

 

I am travelling solo and I am starting to get a bit nervous now that I will feel like the ‘wallflower’ as the restaurant seems to be geared for couples. Any feedback from solos who have been in the Club Orange restaurant?

[KAKcruiser]

Is the $12 a night promotion for Club Orange just for your sailing or is it for all sailings?  I have not heard of this.