Club Orange or not

[LJanet]

Planning our 2025 7 day inside passage on KDam.  We want to book Tracy Arm excursion and read there are very few seating available. We certainly don't want to stand 3 hours nor be out on the deck.  If we purchase Club Orange, will we have priority tender to board catamaran for better chance of securing a seat.     

 

[oakridger]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!  The excursion is not run by HAL.  Club Orange will get you priority tender to the excursion.  That said, I really think you should be able to get a seat inside the excursion boat.

 

Have fun!

 

~Nancy

[rollie]

If you are thinking of doing Club Orange, do it fast, it sells out.

 

Rollie

[Mehroswitha]

My memory is that we boarded the catamaran in Tracy Arm directly from the ship--no tender involved. (It's been a while, so someone please correct me if that's not right or if procedure has changed in the interim.) It's operated by a third party, and we booked it exactly as we did shore excursions that actually went on shore. Capacity is quite limited, and it's a popular excursion, so book as early as possible if you want to do it. Great experience!

 

Club Orange is, in my opinion, also worthwhile, and it often does sell out quite early. Having it or not having it, though, would have no impact on catamaran.

[oaktreerb]

You need to book the excursion to Tracy Arm.  All who book the excursion will be transferred from the ship to the catamaran and will have a seat onboard.  You will be able to move around the boat.

 

Club Orange is a totally different experience.  If you have tender ports you will have priority tendering to shore, you will not have to pick up a tender ticket but may have to stand in line to disembark.  Club Orange is primarily a private dining experience.

[LJanet]

32 minutes ago, oaktreerb said:

You need to book the excursion to Tracy Arm.  All who book the excursion will be transferred from the ship to the catamaran and will have a seat onboard.  You will be able to move around the boat.

 

Club Orange is a totally different experience.  If you have tender ports you will have priority tendering to shore, you will not have to pick up a tender ticket but may have to stand in line to disembark.  Club Orange is primarily a private dining experience.

Can we be the first in line to board cataraman without CO?  

 

[REOVA]

Where does the tour meet prior to tendering (if tendering direct from the ship). If they meet as a group, they won't want you in line. 

 

CO doesn't get you in front of the line if 4 and 5 star are waiting in line. And of course others like to crowd the tender line even if they don't have priority, which HAL handles with futility. They all will act negatively toward you jumping ahead. The greatest benefit of CO is upgrade ability within a Meta category, priority check in, separate restaurant and service lines. Tendering gets lost in the benefits sometimes. 

[Petronillus]

2 hours ago, oaktreerb said:

Club Orange is primarily a private dining experience.

I hope I'm not quibbling but my primary incentive to purchase the Club Orange option is that at the time of booking, with Club Orange you select the lowest-cost cabin available in your category (verandah, ocean view, etc.) and then upgrade to any other available cabin in the same category at no additional charge (i.e., other than the fare for the initial choice and the extra cost of Club Orange).

For DW & me, all the other CO perqs are gravy.

[LJanet]

We booked standard verandah.  With CO, what kind of cabin would be an upgrade in the same category other than aft.  

Just now, Petronillus said:

I hope I'm not quibbling but my primary incentive to purchase the Club Orange option is that at the time of booking, with Club Orange you select the lowest-cost cabin available in your category (verandah, ocean view, etc.) and then upgrade to any other available cabin in the same category at no additional charge (i.e., other than the fare for the initial choice and the extra cost of Club Orange).

For DW & me, all the other CO perqs are gravy.

 

[YourWorldWithBill]

2 minutes ago, Petronillus said:

I hope I'm not quibbling but my primary incentive to purchase the Club Orange option is that at the time of booking, with Club Orange you select the lowest-cost cabin available in your category (verandah, ocean view, etc.) and then upgrade to any other available cabin in the same category at no additional charge (i.e., other than the fare for the initial choice and the extra cost of Club Orange).

For DW & me, all the other CO perqs are gravy.

I think that's the overwhelming motivation for those of us who do CO, but we found that the other benefits are great to have, particularly the separate dining rooms on the Pinnacle class ships. As @REOVAsaid, having CO really doesn't make much difference boarding or disembarking for the excursions.

[crystalspin]

2 minutes ago, LJanet said:

We booked standard verandah.  With CO, what kind of cabin would be an upgrade in the same category other than aft.  

 

Vs and VAs are the highest verandah cabins. VH is usually the lowest. Anyway it's in order of alphabet, with VQ (Spa Verandah) being the exception -- they are often as costly as V/VA!

[LJanet]

9 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

Vs and VAs are the highest verandah cabins. VH is usually the lowest. Anyway it's in order of alphabet, with VQ (Spa Verandah) being the exception -- they are often as costly as V/VA!

Does spa verandah VQ, come with thermal suite pass?  We’ve done aqua class with Celebrity and thermal pass and dining at Blu was inclusive with aqua class

[crystalspin]

1 minute ago, LJanet said:

Does spa verandah VQ, come with thermal suite pass?  We’ve done aqua class with Celebrity and thermal pass and dining at Blu was inclusive with aqua class

No spa benefits except location. Originally the spa rooms had some vitamin water, the USE of a yoga mat, a iPod cradle, and a little water-feature (desk-top fountain). I think the last two benefits, have all broken and are no longer billed!

 

Pre-being christened Spa Verandahs, these were among the lowest balcony cabins, due to the seasick factors of being high & forward, and often with smaller balconies. Clever marketing and fewer cruisers who remember that!

[LJanet]

3 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

No spa benefits except location. Originally the spa rooms had some vitamin water, the USE of a yoga mat, a iPod cradle, and a little water-feature (desk-top fountain). I think the last two benefits, have all broken and are no longer billed!

 

Pre-being christened Spa Verandahs, these were among the lowest balcony cabins, due to the seasick factors of being high & forward, and often with smaller balconies. Clever marketing and fewer cruisers who remember that!

thank you, I don’t find CO too appealing for us.  We’ve already booked VA cabin.  I think we rather spend money on specialty dining since CO dining is just private dining and menu is no different than MDR

[Crew News]

Welcome to Cruise Critic and the HAL Forum.

 

It is my experience that all excursions in Alaska have a seat for everyone.  Unlike the Caribbean, the catamarans in Alaska will be enclosed and venturing outside is by choice.  As a hobby photographer, I rarely sit, rather I will be dressed warmly and at the railing at the back of the catamaran to get photos of the ice flows and wildlife. 

 

I will be on this excursion in May 2025.

 

 

 

 

[oaktreerb]

2 hours ago, LJanet said:

Can we be the first in line to board cataraman without CO?  

 

yes.  Club Orange is no help here.  You will have a meeting place, maybe the showroom, where your group will meet and you will go as a group to board the catamaran.  You may have an assigned seat.  I would not expect to be first in line but there is no reason to be concerned.  Be there early so you are not left behind.

[LJanet]

1 minute ago, oaktreerb said:

yes.  Club Orange is no help here.  You will have a meeting place, maybe the showroom, where your group will meet and you will go as a group to board the catamaran.  You may have an assigned seat.  I would not expect to be first in line but there is no reason to be concerned.  Be there early so you are not left behind.

thank you so much for this info.  TA and HAL didn't have an answer for this excursion.  Indoor seating is important for us due to weather.  We don't want to be outside in the rain entire excursion. Now, for the weather, we are thinking end of May or end of August. Which month is warmer. 

[oaktreerb]

1 hour ago, Petronillus said:

I hope I'm not quibbling but my primary incentive to purchase the Club Orange option is that at the time of booking, with Club Orange you select the lowest-cost cabin available in your category (verandah, ocean view, etc.) and then upgrade to any other available cabin in the same category at no additional charge (i.e., other than the fare for the initial choice and the extra cost of Club Orange).

For DW & me, all the other CO perqs are gravy.

The ability to upgrade is not primary to me.  I pay for a VH and choose my favorite VB cabin.  I do like the quiet dining room and the dedicated guest services line.  I already have priority tendering.

[oaktreerb]

26 minutes ago, LJanet said:

. Now, for the weather, we are thinking end of May or end of August. Which month is warmer. 

@Crew News can probably answer this question.  I would expect May.  The end of August may have more rain and rougher seas,

Edited March 23 by oaktreerb

[Suncitycruiser1925]

40 minutes ago, LJanet said:

thank you, I don’t find CO too appealing for us.  We’ve already booked VA cabin.  I think we rather spend money on specialty dining since CO dining is just private dining and menu is no different than MDR

We very much enjoyed dining in the Club Orange Dining room on NS this past January.  It is a small dining room with great service from the same few waiters.  We never waited for a table (good timing or luck).  Mimosas and cappuccinos are available for breakfast at no additional cost.  Breakfast and dinner in Club Orange was a relaxing dining experience with great food and service.  We enjoyed it and it was a highlight of our cruise.  

[LJanet]

30 minutes ago, Crew News said:

Welcome to Cruise Critic and the HAL Forum.

 

It is my experience that all excursions in Alaska have a seat for everyone.  Unlike the Caribbean, the catamarans in Alaska will be enclosed and venturing outside is by choice.  As a hobby photographer, I rarely sit, rather I will be dressed warmly and at the railing at the back of the catamaran to get photos of the ice flows and wildlife. 

 

I will be on this excursion in May 2025.

 

 

Those photos are stunning, which month was this taken?  We too are looking into either late May or late August 2025.  We read late May is still iced up to enter Tracy Arm and very cold vs late August or early September.  Can't decide which month to go.  Obviously, late May since we can't wait!

 

 

[Crew News]

24 minutes ago, LJanet said:

Those photos are stunning, which month was this taken?  We too are looking into either late May or late August 2025.  We read late May is still iced up to enter Tracy Arm and very cold vs late August or early September.  Can't decide which month to go.  Obviously, late May since we can't wait!

Photos were taken first week of June.  Tracy Arm has very large ice flows in the water in May which prevent large cruise ships from entering as they cannot maneuver around the big chunks.  OTOH catamarans in May can maneuver quite well and can get very close to the house-size chunks of ice.

 

August is much warmer than May but it is also wetter.  August also features mosquitoes (unofficial state bird).  May is the direst month but also the most scenic with snow on the higher peaks and a chill in the air in the morning.

Edited March 23 by Crew News

[jeh10641]

48 minutes ago, LJanet said:

thank you so much for this info.  TA and HAL didn't have an answer for this excursion.  Indoor seating is important for us due to weather.  We don't want to be outside in the rain entire excursion. Now, for the weather, we are thinking end of May or end of August. Which month is warmer. 

August! I have been to Alaska over 60 times for business (never on a cruise) from Fairbanks to Ketchikan.

Jim

Edited March 23 by jeh10641
missing word

[jeh10641]

I have been debating the value of Club orange with myself for months. I have decided that its costs/options do not warrant the expenditure. We like specialty dining. We like "My Time" dining in the MDR with different folk every night.

Jim

[LJanet]

29 minutes ago, jeh10641 said:

I have been debating the value of Club orange with myself for months. I have decided that its costs/options do not warrant the expenditure. We like specialty dining. We like "My Time" dining in the MDR with different folk every night.

Jim

Agreed.  I think we rather spend toward specialty dining instead.  Rudi de mer which is not included with have it all promotion