Reservations for Club Orange restaurant?

[mafig]

Are reservations required for the Club Orange restaurant for dinner?

[CruiserBruce]

No.

[HollDoll]

CO doesn't take reservations as far as I know.  

[oaktreerb]

1 hour ago, mafig said:

Are reservations required for the Club Orange restaurant for dinner?

The dining hours for Club Orange are the same as the hours for the dining room.  They don’t accept reservations, just go when you are ready for dinner.  If the CO dining room is full you may have to wait for a table.  The hostess will come to get you when a table is available.  You can wait at the tables just outside the CO dining room or in the bar nearby.

Edited September 8, 2023 by oaktreerb

[Blackduck59]

I thought the whole CO thing was to show up when you want and have priority seating. An enhanced as you like dining experience. If you intend to make reservations then why would you pay for CO?

Edited September 8, 2023 by Blackduck59

[POA1]

1 minute ago, Blackduck59 said:

I thought the whole CO thing was to show up when you want and have priority seating. An enhanced as you like dining experience. If you intend to make reservations then why would you pay for CO.

The tote bag. It's all about the Orange tote bag. 😉

[oaktreerb]

4 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

I thought the whole CO thing was to show up when you want and have priority seating. An enhanced as you like dining experience. If you intend to make reservations then why would you pay for CO?

On Pinnacle Class ships Club Orange has a separate dining room.  It is not big enough to serve everyone at the same time.  Some people come early, some late.  It takes about an hour to finish a meal.  There are a lot of two tops and four tops with only two people dining.  It may be full at times but the wait is generally pretty short and the hostess will come get you when your table is ready.

 

On the older ships where Club Orange diners eat in the MDR there is a dedicated line for Club Orange participants and you shouldn’t have to wait.  Club Orange line gets priority.  In the MDR you “show up when you want and CO has priority seating”.

 

The assumption is that the OP is on a Pinnacle Class ship.  If eating in the dining room on the older ships they could make reservations but it is not necessary since CO entry has priority.

 

CO has other advantages besides the dining arrangements.  They are listed online.

 

 

[Haljo1935]

23 minutes ago, POA1 said:

The tote bag. It's all about the Orange tote bag. 😉

Well, mostly about the tote bag. But for you, we know the orange stripe on room card is numero uno!! 

[Ken the cruiser]

13 minutes ago, oaktreerb said:

On Pinnacle Class ships Club Orange has a separate dining room.  It is not big enough to serve everyone at the same time.  Some people come early, some late.  It takes about an hour to finish a meal.  There are a lot of two tops and four tops with only two people dining.  It may be full at times but the wait is generally pretty short and the hostess will come get you when your table is ready.

 

On the older ships where Club Orange diners eat in the MDR there is a dedicated line for Club Orange participants and you shouldn’t have to wait.  Club Orange line gets priority.  In the MDR you “show up when you want and CO has priority seating”.

 

The assumption is that the OP is on a Pinnacle Class ship.  If eating in the dining room on the older ships they could make reservations but it is not necessary since CO entry has priority.

 

CO has other advantages besides the dining arrangements.  They are listed online.

This is good to know when we’re booked on a non Pinnacle class ship. Are we also able to book Early Fixed Seating for a table for 2 if we have paid for Club Orange on the non Pinnacle class ships so we can sit at the same table, at the same time every evening, with the same servers every night?

Edited September 8, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[YourWorldWithBill]

12 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

Well, mostly about the tote bag. But for you, we know the orange stripe on room card is numero uno!! 

For everyone concerned, I found my CO tote bag. It was behind my chair. We can all relax now.

[Haljo1935]

28 minutes ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

For everyone concerned, I found my CO tote bag. It was behind my chair. We can all relax now.

Oh thank goodness - I was running out of nails to chew!! All is right w/the world again. 🫣

[oaktreerb]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

This is good to know when we’re booked on a non Pinnacle class ship. Are we also able to book Early Fixed Seating for a table for 2 if we have paid for Club Orange on the non Pinnacle class ships so we can sit at the same table, at the same time every evening, with the same servers every night?

You can always ask for early fixed seating at a particular table if you request it when you book your cruise.  You may or may not get it.  With CO I would certainly speak with the maitre’d on the first day to make your request.  Usually it is no problem at early dining if you will be there every evening within the first 15 minutes.  If you will not be there one evening, let them know so they can seat someone else.  

[Ken the cruiser]

34 minutes ago, oaktreerb said:

You can always ask for early fixed seating at a particular table if you request it when you book your cruise.  You may or may not get it.  With CO I would certainly speak with the maitre’d on the first day to make your request.  Usually it is no problem at early dining if you will be there every evening within the first 15 minutes.  If you will not be there one evening, let them know so they can seat someone else.  

Thanks! We recently booked an Apr 2025 Panama Canal cruise on the Eurodam and our TA was able to secure an Early Fixed Seating reservation for a table for 2. We thought about purchasing the CO package. But since we booked an aft-facing veranda cabin, saving any $$$ with the CO upgrade option was a no go, so we passed.

 

However, it sounds like if we weren’t able to get the Early Fixed Seating reservation, purchasing the CO package, if it was still available, might be a good way to improve our chances of getting a table for 2 in the MDR every night when it opens since we would have priority access through the CO entrance. Am I understanding the process correctly?

 

Edited September 8, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[oaktreerb]

20 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Thanks! We recently booked an Apr 2025 Panama Canal cruise on the Eurodam and our TA was able to secure an Early Fixed Seating reservation for a table for 2. We thought about purchasing the CO package. But since we booked an aft-facing veranda cabin, saving any $$$ with the CO upgrade option was a no go, so we passed.

 

However, it sounds like if we weren’t able to get the Early Fixed Seating reservation, purchasing the CO package, if it was still available, might be a good way to improve our chances of getting a table for 2 in the MDR every night when it opens since we would have priority access through the CO entrance. Am I understanding the process correctly?

 

I think you’ve got it.  We always choose early dining and I love just walking into the dining room without checking in at the podium.  With an assigned table you just walk in and sit down at your table.  It is much easier for you and for your dining room stewards, you’ll develop a comfortable, friendly relationship.

Enjoy your Panama Canal cruise on the Eurodam!

[DaveOKC]

21 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Thanks! We recently booked an Apr 2025 Panama Canal cruise on the Eurodam and our TA was able to secure an Early Fixed Seating reservation for a table for 2. We thought about purchasing the CO package. But since we booked an aft-facing veranda cabin, saving any $$$ with the CO upgrade option was a no go, so we passed.

 

However, it sounds like if we weren’t able to get the Early Fixed Seating reservation, purchasing the CO package, if it was still available, might be a good way to improve our chances of getting a table for 2 in the MDR every night when it opens since we would have priority access through the CO entrance. Am I understanding the process correctly?

 

Yes - it worked great (CO desk) on the Eurodam earlier this year.

 

[Kamfish642]

On recent cruise on the Nieuw Statendam, we found that if you will consistently be at the Club Orange restaurant at given time each evening (normally early after opening), the Matre'd would "unofficially" say a table.  However, this was not Princess' policy.  

[Ken the cruiser]

52 minutes ago, Kamfish642 said:

 However, this was not Princess' policy.  

It is if you're booked in a PCL Reserved Collection (formerly Club Class) mini-suite or higher and show up early every night to dine in the Reserve Dining Room.

[alwaysfrantic]

On the ships with a Club Orange restaurant I am guessing Neptunes/CO lose the priority line in MDR?  
 

is the menu the same both places?

[oaktreerb]

Neptune Suites dine in Club Orange dining room for breakfast and dinner on the Pinnacle ships.  The menu and the hours are the same for MDR and CO.  The menu for CO has one extra entree even in the MDR on the non-Pinnacle ships.

Edited September 10, 2023 by oaktreerb

[57redbird]

On 9/8/2023 at 6:12 PM, oaktreerb said:

I think you’ve got it.  We always choose early dining and I love just walking into the dining room without checking in at the podium.  With an assigned table you just walk in and sit down at your table.  It is much easier for you and for your dining room stewards, you’ll develop a comfortable, friendly relationship.

Enjoy your Panama Canal cruise on the Eurodam!

I have to laugh....before CO, we had an assigned table in the MDR so we just walked past the line up at the podium --- a couple of evenings we heard people say "there they go again"....

[57redbird]

Can't answer about the MDR for Neptunes/CO...I would think their priority would still stand.

[MonikaJ42]

We just got off the Koningsdam and no reservations required.  Some days we would show up early and others late and would never have to wait for a table.  There was 5 of us.  Service in the Club Orange dining room was awesome.  We really enjoyed it.