Club orange- worth it?

[OVgirl]

We booked CO on Rotterdam this winter. For 7 day cruise we were charged $233CAD per person.

 

We went from VH to VB aft on deck 4. Was hoping for an aft-facing VS on deck 5 or 6 but they were all booked. 

Edited November 17, 2021 by OVgirl

[bobjoek]

We just booked a CO on the Rotterdam for a 14 day cruise in March 2022.  Charge was $15/p/day, or $420 total.  Was moved from a Vista Suite guarantee to an aft facing Vista Suite.  We are happy campers.

 

Bob

 

[MisterBill99]

2 hours ago, bobjoek said:

We just booked a CO on the Rotterdam for a 14 day cruise in March 2022.  Charge was $15/p/day, or $420 total.  Was moved from a Vista Suite guarantee to an aft facing Vista Suite.  We are happy campers.

 

Where were you able to book it for that price this early? I thought that the regular price was like $50/person/day until they give you a discounted offer. Aft-facing is available for my Rotterdam sailing in a couple of weeks and for that price I could be convinced to do it since I'm still waiting for my cabin assignment.

 

I guess the downside would be no sharing a table with other CC folks unless they also upgraded.

Edited November 18, 2021 by MisterBill99

[BigMattT]

The steak and eggs and lobster bennie were additional charges for Club Orange guests on the Oct 24 Koningsdam sailing.

 

Mimosas were free.
 

Theo, the Club Orange morning bar runner, said they had a good spicy Bloody Mary… and it turned out to be one of the best I’ve ever had.

 

Club Orange definitely worth it for us to go from obstructed verandah to V. 

[YYC F/A]

We just returned from Koningsdam as a group of 5 cabins all in Club Orange.

 

We already had selected and paid in full for the highest Veranda categories and received no adjustment on pricing or any benefit for the upgrade.

 

Overall I felt the experience was oversold and under delivered.  Some specific examples from the benefits list:

 

Premium Room Service Breakfast: Club Orange and Neptune Suites now get the exact same significantly cut back breakfast menu as everyone else, including having to pay for Eggs Benny and only one complimentary hot breakfast option which is limited. The only singular difference is that you can order a mimosa. This is poor. The fact that even Neptune Suites and Club Orange can’t even order egg dishes without a la carte fees is tacky and up selling gone too far.

 

Dedicated Club Orange Concierge: while the marketing speak says they can assist with any and all needs, the reality is different.  When my mother (whom is legally blind) asked the “concierge “ for assistance booking either a taxi or car service for an early morning pick up from port to get to a certain address in the city, she was abruptly told that unless you’ve purchased a HAL excursion that day, they have been told they cannot provide any assistance for ground transportation, car service bookings etc and would not assist her. This is lame, and what exactly is the Concierge benefit when it applies only when booking a HAL tour that day?? HAL needs to read up on what the definition of a Concierge is, this was just poor.

 

Club Orange robes and slippers etc: Despite three requests because some of the cabins were getting the “normal” breakfast menu and being charged for the mimosas, and some were not given the “Premium plush robes”, two cabins out of our five never did get the robes or slippers in the end. 
 

Club Orange Restaurant: I have mixed feelings on this. We dined here for dinner on two occasions and on both at our table for four they didn’t get our orders correct and some dishes just never came and we gave up on that. I did prefer the more intimate environment but staffing is a big issue. The decision to have bar team members have to run back and forth to a bar to order tiny 250ml bottles of Perrier one at a time for those that prefer sparkling water was absurd as it could take 20 minutes to get another 250ml of water at dinner. Poor processes onboard that are inefficient and impact guest experience.

 

The monetization and nickel and diming of guests more generally has gone too far on what’s supposed to be a premium line, not MSC or Carnival.  When we saw the poor beleaguered bar staff having to hawk bingo cards around the pool and open decks, my friend remarked “wow, HAL has actually become the Ryanair of the cruise world!” (referencing how flight attendants on Ryanair also have to hawk bingo and scratch cards to a captive audience).  Hardly the moniker I think HAL would like, but someone in the ivory Seattle towers is making poor decisions here that don’t align with the Holland America brand and experience guests expect. 

 

Edited November 18, 2021 by YYC F/A

[MisterBill99]

5 hours ago, YYC F/A said:

We just returned from Koningsdam as a group of 5 cabins all in Club Orange.

 

We already had selected and paid in full for the highest Veranda categories and received no adjustment on pricing or any benefit for the upgrade.

 

I'm not sure how much you paid for CO, but the cabin upgrade is one of the big perks, so that should have been a clue not to sign up for it. Getting an adjustment on the pricing should not have been expected.

 

The problems you encountered were unfortunate.

[Florida_gal_50]

5 hours ago, YYC F/A said:

We just returned from Koningsdam as a group of 5 cabins all in Club Orange.

 

We already had selected and paid in full for the highest Veranda categories and received no adjustment on pricing or any benefit for the upgrade.

 

Overall I felt the experience was oversold and under delivered.  Some specific examples from the benefits list:

 

Premium Room Service Breakfast: Club Orange and Neptune Suites now get the exact same significantly cut back breakfast menu as everyone else, including having to pay for Eggs Benny and only one complimentary hot breakfast option which is limited. The only singular difference is that you can order a mimosa. This is poor. The fact that even Neptune Suites and Club Orange can’t even order egg dishes without a la carte fees is tacky and up selling gone too far.

 

Dedicated Club Orange Concierge: while the marketing speak says they can assist with any and all needs, the reality is different.  When my mother (whom is legally blind) asked the “concierge “ for assistance booking either a taxi or car service for an early morning pick up from port to get to a certain address in the city, she was abruptly told that unless you’ve purchased a HAL excursion that day, they have been told they cannot provide any assistance for ground transportation, car service bookings etc and would not assist her. This is lame, and what exactly is the Concierge benefit when it applies only when booking a HAL tour that day?? HAL needs to read up on what the definition of a Concierge is, this was just poor.

 

Club Orange robes and slippers etc: Despite three requests because some of the cabins were getting the “normal” breakfast menu and being charged for the mimosas, and some were not given the “Premium plush robes”, two cabins out of our five never did get the robes or slippers in the end. 
 

Club Orange Restaurant: I have mixed feelings on this. We dined here for dinner on two occasions and on both at our table for four they didn’t get our orders correct and some dishes just never came and we gave up on that. I did prefer the more intimate environment but staffing is a big issue. The decision to have bar team members have to run back and forth to a bar to order tiny 250ml bottles of Perrier one at a time for those that prefer sparkling water was absurd as it could take 20 minutes to get another 250ml of water at dinner. Poor processes onboard that are inefficient and impact guest experience.

 

The monetization and nickel and diming of guests more generally has gone too far on what’s supposed to be a premium line, not MSC or Carnival.  When we saw the poor beleaguered bar staff having to hawk bingo cards around the pool and open decks, my friend remarked “wow, HAL has actually become the Ryanair of the cruise world!” (referencing how flight attendants on Ryanair also have to hawk bingo and scratch cards to a captive audience).  Hardly the moniker I think HAL would like, but someone in the ivory Seattle towers is making poor decisions here that don’t align with the Holland America brand and experience guests expect. 

 

Hal never seems to update their info which would be so easy.  Agree with the last poster.  The upgrade is the biggest perk.  The service was haphazard for my first week November 7 -14.  It’s greatly improved this week.

[DaveOKC]

3 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Hal never seems to update their info which would be so easy.  Agree with the last poster.  The upgrade is the biggest perk.  The service was haphazard for my first week November 7 -14.  It’s greatly improved this week.

For me, the value is 1) cabin upgrade (in some situations) and 2) Club Orange dining option if you are on one of the Pinnacle class ships that has the separate dining area.  Especially valuable IMO if you are in a verandah guarantee and can move up to a V or VA.

[Caribbean Chris]

5 hours ago, YYC F/A said:

We just returned from Koningsdam as a group of 5 cabins all in Club Orange.

 

We already had selected and paid in full for the highest Veranda categories and received no adjustment on pricing or any benefit for the upgrade.

 

Overall I felt the experience was oversold and under delivered.  Some specific examples from the benefits list:

 

Premium Room Service Breakfast: Club Orange and Neptune Suites now get the exact same significantly cut back breakfast menu as everyone else, including having to pay for Eggs Benny and only one complimentary hot breakfast option which is limited. The only singular difference is that you can order a mimosa. This is poor. The fact that even Neptune Suites and Club Orange can’t even order egg dishes without a la carte fees is tacky and up selling gone too far.

 

Dedicated Club Orange Concierge: while the marketing speak says they can assist with any and all needs, the reality is different.  When my mother (whom is legally blind) asked the “concierge “ for assistance booking either a taxi or car service for an early morning pick up from port to get to a certain address in the city, she was abruptly told that unless you’ve purchased a HAL excursion that day, they have been told they cannot provide any assistance for ground transportation, car service bookings etc and would not assist her. This is lame, and what exactly is the Concierge benefit when it applies only when booking a HAL tour that day?? HAL needs to read up on what the definition of a Concierge is, this was just poor.

 

Club Orange robes and slippers etc: Despite three requests because some of the cabins were getting the “normal” breakfast menu and being charged for the mimosas, and some were not given the “Premium plush robes”, two cabins out of our five never did get the robes or slippers in the end. 
 

Club Orange Restaurant: I have mixed feelings on this. We dined here for dinner on two occasions and on both at our table for four they didn’t get our orders correct and some dishes just never came and we gave up on that. I did prefer the more intimate environment but staffing is a big issue. The decision to have bar team members have to run back and forth to a bar to order tiny 250ml bottles of Perrier one at a time for those that prefer sparkling water was absurd as it could take 20 minutes to get another 250ml of water at dinner. Poor processes onboard that are inefficient and impact guest experience.

 

The monetization and nickel and diming of guests more generally has gone too far on what’s supposed to be a premium line, not MSC or Carnival.  When we saw the poor beleaguered bar staff having to hawk bingo cards around the pool and open decks, my friend remarked “wow, HAL has actually become the Ryanair of the cruise world!” (referencing how flight attendants on Ryanair also have to hawk bingo and scratch cards to a captive audience).  Hardly the moniker I think HAL would like, but someone in the ivory Seattle towers is making poor decisions here that don’t align with the Holland America brand and experience guests expect. 

 

I’m really sorry to know your group had such a bad experience with Club Orange on Konigsdam. The main reason we book CO is for the small dining room and I can report that we had excellent dining room service on the Rotterdam two weeks ago and on Nieuw Statendam pre-Covid. Fingers crossed for Konigsdam in January.
 

We did receive the slippers and plush robes although we didn’t use them, and almost never order room service so didn’t focus on the cutbacks of the menu. 
 

You are right that the term concierge is inaccurate and it shouldn’t be used so randomly in the service industry. Only once have I seen a true concierge on a ship in recent years (in Celebrity’s suite lounge) and she was outstanding in fulfilling needs. She wore the crossed-keys lapel pin signifying membership in Les Clefs d’or.

[Hlitner]

9 hours ago, YYC F/A said:

We just returned from Koningsdam as a group of 5 cabins all in Club Orange.

.......................................

The monetization and nickel and diming of guests more generally has gone too far on what’s supposed to be a premium line, not MSC or Carnival.  When we saw the poor beleaguered bar staff having to hawk bingo cards around the pool and open decks, my friend remarked “wow, HAL has actually become the Ryanair of the cruise world!” (referencing how flight attendants on Ryanair also have to hawk bingo and scratch cards to a captive audience).  Hardly the moniker I think HAL would like, but someone in the ivory Seattle towers is making poor decisions here that don’t align with the Holland America brand and experience guests expect. 

 

I would completely disagree with your mention of MSC!  Lets be very clear that those who book MSC's Yacht Club will be treated much better then even Neptune Suite folks on HAL.  Consider that the Yacht Club is a secure key carded section of the ship with its own expansive lounge, sun deck, pool, restaurant, concierge, etc.  While the large suites on HAL are certainly much larger cabins, nothing we have seen on HAL compares to the service we have received in MSC's Yacht Club.  But if you book outside the Yacht Club (the normal ship) it is akin to RCI or Carnival.  And by the way, within the Yacht Club there is no such thing as an "add-on" unless one wants to order a very expensive type of booze (like XO Cognac).   And unlike the Neptune Lounges on HAL, the Yacht Club lounge is huge, offers a wide view of the bow, and includes just about any top shelf booze as well as a small buffet of snacks that changes several times a day.

 

One problem with HAL is that the amenities that come with the top suites is terribly lacking when compared to many other lines such as MSC, Celebrity, NCL, and even RCI.

 

Hank

[YYC F/A]

15 hours ago, Hlitner said:

 

One problem with HAL is that the amenities that come with the top suites is terribly lacking when compared to many other lines such as MSC, Celebrity, NCL, and even RCI.

 

Hank

I completely agree. After experiencing Celebrity Apex, and seeing the amazing Retreat for suites and the fantastic offering, the HAL Neptune Lounge offering hasn’t really evolved in over two decades and pretty much every other cruise line - even mass market lines - have a superior offering for suite guests these days.

 

The value in Club Orange is clearly for the stateroom upgrade and ironically the cost of the CO daily charge is often less than just paying for those higher categories outright.  So from that perspective I guess one could argue that all the other benefits are just gravy. Because we were using FCCs from a previously suspended voyage, none of our group got any upgrade benefit, but to be honest I don’t think any of us will sail again on HAL anyway - certainly not in next couple of years, so we will just be forfeiting the rest of our credits anyway I think. 
 

The Club Orange skip the line for Guest Relations was probably the benefit I used most, largely because it took 3 days of multiple visits to finally straighten out all the errors HAL had made with not assigning prepaid grats, not applying beverage packages correctly, for one person in our group they were overcharged over $700 in first 3 days of cruise alone. So I guess that was something! 😒🧐

 

One thing I really did appreciate on HAL however (and I still don’t know if this is an exclusive for Club Orange?) was being able to retain the stateroom until 10am on disembarkation day. We all had afternoon flights and the extra 2 hours relaxing and packing up final things and going out for breakfast was a much more civilized end to our trip than being booted out the room at 7.30am-8am like the other lines 🙂

[RuthC]

3 hours ago, YYC F/A said:

One thing I really did appreciate on HAL however (and I still don’t know if this is an exclusive for Club Orange?) was being able to retain the stateroom until 10am on disembarkation day.

Everyone (except the disabled needing assistance) get that benefit. Even those in the lowest inside have that perq. 

[zgscl]

Now that I have actually sailed in Club Orange I will add my more educated two cents. I had it included with my Neptune Suite on Nieuw Amsterdam and Koningsdam. On the Pinnacle Class Ships it is fantastic. While the menu is the same as the MDR, the food was prepared (or finished) right then and there and was consistently piping hot and flavorful. Everyone in the Club Orange restaurant was friendly and knew me by name. It is sort of like having the best features of fixed seating with the flexibility of open seating. Several folks I spoke with got amazing cabin upgrades (though it helps that the ship is only 49% full). I actually cancelled several specialty dining reservations because I wanted to have more meals in C.O. 

 

On the Nieuw Amsterdam it did nothing for us (except we did get the very nice tote bag). The dining room staff had no idea you had it and frankly anyone could have asked for the club orange entree and gotten it. Our food was no different than anyone else's and all came out of the main galley. Unless getting it for the stateroom upgrade I don't really think it is worthwhile on non-Pinnacle class ships. 

[vicd1969]

Thank you for all the feedback about Club Orange in this thread. You definitely helped convince me to purchase it for an upcoming Norway cruise on the Rotterdam. We were able to upgrade from VH obstructed balcony to V standard balcony, and also get a couple of interconnecting cabins for a family in my travel group. Appreciate all the details about your experiences with Club Orange.

[Texaggie]

So this thread has been so helpful. A couple of questions on how this works. You make your reservation for the lower end balconies through websight, travel agent etc. once you have your reservation number, can you call and sign up for CO or do you have to wait until closer to time? We are considering a cruise to Hawaii in Feb of 23, so that seems like a long time for them to give a premium cabin for the obstructed view one. I can see lots of category V available. Can you request a particular room?

Thank you everyone for your insights!

[Crew News]

52 minutes ago, Texaggie said:

So this thread has been so helpful. A couple of questions on how this works. You make your reservation for the lower end balconies through websight, travel agent etc. once you have your reservation number, can you call and sign up for CO or do you have to wait until closer to time? We are considering a cruise to Hawaii in Feb of 23, so that seems like a long time for them to give a premium cabin for the obstructed view one. I can see lots of category V available. Can you request a particular room?

Thank you everyone for your insights!

Make your reservation and deposit before calling.

 

"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."

 

You can choose your stateroom when you call.

[zgscl]

2 hours ago, Texaggie said:

So this thread has been so helpful. A couple of questions on how this works. You make your reservation for the lower end balconies through websight, travel agent etc. once you have your reservation number, can you call and sign up for CO or do you have to wait until closer to time? We are considering a cruise to Hawaii in Feb of 23, so that seems like a long time for them to give a premium cabin for the obstructed view one. I can see lots of category V available. Can you request a particular room?

Thank you everyone for your insights!

You should call right away to book CO after booking the cruise so that you get the best selection of upgrade staterooms. 

[waiting2retire]

I knew the specific cabin I wanted to be upgraded to, so I contacted my PCC and he booked the lowest category, added CO and upgraded to my cabin of choice all at once. Nothing else for me to do. When factoring in the cost of CO, I ended up with the cabin I wanted and the CO benefits for about CDN $350 pp less than if I had booked my preferred cabin without CO. Well worth it for me!

[Woofbite]

I inquired about Club Orange on the 21 day Spitzbergen next June and it is only $315 but the HAL agent said there wasn't an upgrade promotion available for my reservation.

[DaveOKC]

24 minutes ago, Woofbite said:

I inquired about Club Orange on the 21 day Spitzbergen next June and it is only $315 but the HAL agent said there wasn't an upgrade promotion available for my reservation.

What cabin category are you in?  Sometimes that makes a difference.  Also, cabin avialibility may be an issue.

[NCTribeFan]

For my non-Pinnacle class Club Orange on Eurodam (disembarked yesterday) - I feel it was "worth it" for me simply for the cabin upgrade.  I love the cabin I selected (1049).  It's perfect for me.  I love the location and it feels huge compared to other inside cabins.

 

I had room service several mornings just to get my mimosa.  I had breakfast in the MDR one morning and asked if it was available there and was told no.  I also had read on these boards that steak and eggs was no charge, but that is not how it's shown on the in-room dining.  I wouldn't have ordered it anyway.

 

I only had the MDR selection one night - it was duck and was quite good.  The other offerings didn't appeal to me.

 

We only had about 800 pax, so priority anything wasn't a big deal.  I stopped at the service desk twice and there was no line anyway.  I did appreciate the Black 1 luggage tag since I had an 11:05 flight.  It was nice to be able to put my big bag out and still be able to be off the ship before 8 and at my gate by 9 (on a major travel day).

 

I'm going to consider adding it to my Alaska B2B simply because those are "free" casino inside guarantee cabins and I want my large inside.  If my preferred cabin isn't available, I'll probably skip it.

[Florida_gal_50]

19 minutes ago, NCTribeFan said:

For my non-Pinnacle class Club Orange on Eurodam (disembarked yesterday) - I feel it was "worth it" for me simply for the cabin upgrade.  I love the cabin I selected (1049).  It's perfect for me.  I love the location and it feels huge compared to other inside cabins.

 

I had room service several mornings just to get my mimosa.  I had breakfast in the MDR one morning and asked if it was available there and was told no.  I also had read on these boards that steak and eggs was no charge, but that is not how it's shown on the in-room dining.  I wouldn't have ordered it anyway.

 

I only had the MDR selection one night - it was duck and was quite good.  The other offerings didn't appeal to me.

 

We only had about 800 pax, so priority anything wasn't a big deal.  I stopped at the service desk twice and there was no line anyway.  I did appreciate the Black 1 luggage tag since I had an 11:05 flight.  It was nice to be able to put my big bag out and still be able to be off the ship before 8 and at my gate by 9 (on a major travel day).

 

I'm going to consider adding it to my Alaska B2B simply because those are "free" casino inside guarantee cabins and I want my large inside.  If my preferred cabin isn't available, I'll probably skip it.

Thanks for reporting on your experience on a non pinnacle ship.  That post about the steak and eggs is a thing of the past I believe but maybe it differs by ships.  I think I would still do club orange on non pinnacle ships for the upgrade as well but it depends on the cost.  

[KAKcruiser]

Woofbite, you should call back and talk to someone else.  The upgrade is part of the Club Orange promotion. It's possible there is no upgrade cabin available but I would check again.

[Sea42]

4 hours ago, Woofbite said:

I inquired about Club Orange on the 21 day Spitzbergen next June and it is only $315 but the HAL agent said there wasn't an upgrade promotion available for my reservation.

It is not available if you are already booked in the top cabin in your category or if all cabins higher than yours within your category are already taken.

Edited November 25, 2021 by Sea42

[Vict0riann]

On the Pinnacle ships can you not get a free mimosa with breakfast in the CO dining room?