Club orange- worth it?

[NCTribeFan]

There's a long thread here with lots of details and comments. That's what convinced me to give it a try starting in a couple of hours on Eurodam.

 

If i decide its "worth it" (which is totally subjective, of course), I'll do it again on my Alaska B2B this summer. 

[AncientWanderer]

9 hours ago, SumoCitrus said:

We were in a Neptune Suite on Koningsdam in 2019 that came with "Club Orange" as a Neptune perk. I really enjoyed the meals at the Club Orange dining area but they were just larger, more dressed up versions of the the MDR menu - maybe with one addition. I wouldn't pay a separate charge for it.

 

It probably depends who the CO chef is onboard, but we found the extra entrees to be very good.  We enjoyed watching the chef work in the open kitchen and enjoyed the special meals that resulted.  They were delicious.  The "worth it" question is tough, though, because we didn't have a chance to try too many CO extra menu items, as we ate in specialty restaurants so often.  We were in there every day for breakfast, though, so that's another thing to weigh in -- one's breakfast habits.

Edited November 16, 2021 by AncientWanderer

[hmorrow]

11 hours ago, roxybear135 said:

You would get upgraded to the highest room available in your category (so an unobstructed balcony if one is available).  We paid for club orange on an upcoming cruise on the Koningsdam and were able to get a category V balcony room (because of club orange) even though we had booked a fully obstructed balcony.  We're excited to try the private club orange dining room.  You also are supposed to get priority boarding and tender boarding with club orange in case that's important to you.  We thought the cost of club orange was worth it for the room upgrade alone, but it's really up to you as to whether you think it's worth the cost or not

Yes- we agree about the cabin upgrade- worth it....

[hmorrow]

10 hours ago, twoparsecs said:

If you've been anchored at home for almost two years like most everyone else, then it's time to give yourself a treat!

 

Go for it, and don't look back.

Yep- I agree 

we got home from Australia/New Zealand in March 2020- just as the ~%£*
hit the fan!

really can’t wait for Nov 28!!!

[Florida_gal_50]

26 minutes ago, NCTribeFan said:

There's a long thread here with lots of details and comments. That's what convinced me to give it a try starting in a couple of hours on Eurodam.

 

If i decide its "worth it" (which is totally subjective, of course), I'll do it again on my Alaska B2B this summer. 

I’m not sure that will give you the full picture.  There will be no separate dining room on the eurodam so it’s not quite the same as the pinnacle ships.

[mcrcruiser]

We are booked for a 18  night Hawaii cruise  aboard Koningsdam  in a VH handicap .From what we read here it is possible to get to a V cat Handicap  by upgrading to club Orange ,correct ?   If so then what are the extra perks now for   paying the upgrade  ?  Can you dine all meals in club Orange Dining room ?as a example  plus priority boarding ,tendering ie 

 TIA

[DaveOKC]

4 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

We are booked for a 18  night Hawaii cruise  aboard Koningsdam  in a VH handicap .From what we read here it is possible to get to a V cat Handicap  by upgrading to club Orange ,correct ?   If so then what are the extra perks now for   paying the upgrade  ?  Can you dine all meals in club Orange Dining room ?as a example  plus priority boarding ,tendering ie 

 TIA

One thing to do IMO - when you call HAL to order Club Orange, be sure to get confirmation as to the cabin you will be upgraded to.  Most times this is a great deal for Verandahs, but not always.  Ask first!

[Florida_gal_50]

25 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

We are booked for a 18  night Hawaii cruise  aboard Koningsdam  in a VH handicap .From what we read here it is possible to get to a V cat Handicap  by upgrading to club Orange ,correct ?   If so then what are the extra perks now for   paying the upgrade  ?  Can you dine all meals in club Orange Dining room ?as a example  plus priority boarding ,tendering ie 

 TIA

I believe the highest you can go is a va but I may be wrong plus of course it depends on availability.  Club orange is  not available at lunch but you can have your breakfast and supper in there.

[DaveOKC]

26 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I believe the highest you can go is a va but I may be wrong plus of course it depends on availability.  Club orange is  not available at lunch but you can have your breakfast and supper in there.

My relative got an upgrade to a V on the Nieuw Statendam by purchasing Club Orange.  Plus it is on deck 7 right next to the Neptunes - great location IMO.

[mcrcruiser]

Wow did I get a shock .Club  Orange for us would be $279 each  per day  . This was quoted to us by a HAL  representative .Apparently ,the $25 extra was if a pax had booked into a Neptune suite 

We have a huge balcony ,although we are partially blocked  in our VH handicap ,we can see out 

[KAKcruiser]

That can't possibly be right.  There is no extra charge for Club Orange if you are in a Neptune suite.  Call back and talk to someone else.  

[DaveOKC]

10 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

Wow did I get a shock .Club  Orange for us would be $279 each  per day  . This was quoted to us by a HAL  representative .Apparently ,the $25 extra was if a pax had booked into a Neptune suite 

We have a huge balcony ,although we are partially blocked  in our VH handicap ,we can see out 

No way this is right!  Call back and try again IMO.  And, as already mentioned, Neptunes get Club Orange for free (I know as I am in a Neptune in a few weeks and actually tried to buy CLub Orange and they would not let me do it - I was trying to get an upgrade this way from my guarantee).

 

[mcrcruiser]

2 minutes ago, KAKcruiser said:

That can't possibly be right.  There is no extra charge for Club Orange if you are in a Neptune suite.  Call back and talk to someone else.  

 We had sent a e-mail to our TA ,who is very experienced  .We will await his information  .Seems to us that   there are many new people answering HAL's inquiries ;thus ,imo ,better left to our TA to advise us   .At $279 each we could book a suite lol

[DaveOKC]

7 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

 We had sent a e-mail to our TA ,who is very experienced  .We will await his information  .Seems to us that   there are many new people answering HAL's inquiries ;thus ,imo ,better left to our TA to advise us   .At $279 each we could book a suite lol

I would call HAL directly and ask them.  I think you can do this for Club Orange upgrades.  Try Ships Services.

 

[Florida_gal_50]

24 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

I would call HAL directly and ask them.  I think you can do this for Club Orange upgrades.  Try Ships Services.

 

Good advice.  I suspect the $279 is for the entire cruise as its longer so less money per day. Whatever hal is smoking they need to pass it ;). Even when hal brought it out originally I think it was only $50 pp.

[Crew News]

1 hour ago, mcrcruiser said:

Wow did I get a shock .Club  Orange for us would be $279 each  per day  . This was quoted to us by a HAL  representative .Apparently ,the $25 extra was if a pax had booked into a Neptune suite 

We have a huge balcony ,although we are partially blocked  in our VH handicap ,we can see out 

Here is the number to the office that assigns the Club Orange staterooms:

 

"Once a guest has booked their cruise, they or their travel advisor can add Club Orange by contacting Holland America Line Ship Inventory at 1-888-628-8107 or 206-626-7381."

Edited November 16, 2021 by Crew News

[Caribbean Chris]

That $279 quoted previously is a misunderstanding of some sort.
 

We liked Club Orange in 2019 when we were on Nieuw Statendam in a Neptune. (No extra charge for Neptune passengers.) Open for breakfast and dinner only.

 

So we added Club Orange and paid $25 pp/per day for the short Rotterdam first US departure on November 5. We were upgraded to a Vista suite A (from a Vista B). The person at the HAL Club Orange reservation line gave us a couple of other options on the phone before I picked the midship one I liked on Deck 5. It  was confirmed almost immediately in writing as our new cabin # by our TA. There was no special event for CO on this little 5-day cruise.
 

Price varies by length of cruise. We are booked on a 17-day Konigsdam Hawaii cruise and in the summer paid $15 pp/per day to add CO. On that cruise we were already in a Vista A, so were given a $200 OBC, which reduced the cost down to about $300, a total bargain. (Others have also reported getting a shipboard credit if they already were at the top of their meta-category.)

 

Our two experiences so far with CO have been excellent, with top notch dining room service. I requested a specific table the first day and the Manager in both cases confirmed it instantly for us to enjoy the entire time. No waiting for coffee or anything else. I like that it is more intimate and somewhat quieter than the MDR. The mimosas are nice and we ordered the daily chef’s special sometimes and liked it. For me, it was quite similar overall to the Luminae dining room on Celebrity where we’ve been on numerous cruises.

 

Your embarkation time for CO stays the same as stated on the boarding pass. But at the pier there is a dedicated line for Neptunes, 4&5*, and CO. Your disembarkation is also similar - with independent plans, tags are delivered to you, and you decide the time you want to disembark between 7:30 and 9:30. We were off at about 7:30 last week in FLL and in our car leaving the garage by 8 a.m. 

 

Of the three ships, Rotterdam’s Club Orange was purpose-built as a private dining room (not as America’s Test Kitchen) so had some improvements including carpeting and a nicely-designed divider wall. I enjoyed a good sight line through the divider wall out the nearby window during breakfast every day. The “Blend” bar near CO on the other two ships is the Half Moon Bar on Rotterdam. 
 

Would I do it for a non-Pinnacle ship? Doubtful, since it’s the small dining room that appeals to me most.

 

 

Edited November 16, 2021 by Caribbean Chris

[Caribbean Chris]

The divider wall between Club Orange and the Half Moon Bar seating area by the window.

[Caribbean Chris]

Inside Club Orange dining room, you can see the divider and windows opposite. That evening the HAL President was bringing family & friends to dinner at the long table to the right.

[MTAK]

The Rotterdam CO looks much nicer. We might have to consider this on our upcoming voyage.

[Caribbean Chris]

The artwork is different on Rotterdam than on the other two Pinnacles which I believe still have the food-oriented art from America’s Test Kitchen days, along with the addition of carpeting.

[VermeulT]

17 hours ago, roxybear135 said:

We thought the cost of club orange was worth it for the room upgrade alone, but it's really up to you as to whether you think it's worth the cost or not

 

I just posted about this.  My PCC booked us in the lowest Vista cabin category, added Club Orange for $150/pp for our 7 day cruise and the we chose any 'A' category cabin that was available.

Not only did this get us a better cabin, but it used all our FCC which we couldn't have gotten through other means.

[hmorrow]

Hi all,

I have tried to post several times today, to no avail, Trying again....

We upgraded to the club orange, and got a great upgrade from an obstructed  view balcony vf, to a vq spa balcony.  we're happy.....and don't forget the mimosas! lol

Thanks for all the input.

Helaine

[Florida_gal_50]

2 minutes ago, hmorrow said:

Hi all,

I have tried to post several times today, to no avail, Trying again....

We upgraded to the club orange, and got a great upgrade from an obstructed  view balcony vf, to a vq spa balcony.  we're happy.....and don't forget the mimosas! lol

Thanks for all the input.

Helaine

Excellent! Yeah cruise critic is being a bit finicky for me today too.

[hmorrow]

Just now, Florida_gal_50 said:

Excellent! Yeah cruise critic is being a bit finicky for me today too.

So you might see the post 4 more times, if they get their act together.....