I don't think cancellation of Club Orange is allowed unless you cancel the cruise. I also don't think CO had anything to do with the paid upgrade. It would have been offered at the same price regardless. I agree with the strategy of trying to get a Neptune Suite upgrade. At that point your CO fee would be refunded. Keep checking. You never know when one will become available. Good luck.
I know you do the facial recognition but you don't have to fill out forms or answer questions or go through the customs booths. So, no need for Global Entry.
I would take the upgrade offer. $300 pp for a verandah sounds like a good deal. The verandah will be bigger than an inside. I don't think there is much chance you would get automatically upgraded to this category. If you do decide to upgrade, have a deck plan available because they usually let you pick your cabin.
I would question this revised itinerary. The navigator app often has false information. It would be highly unlikely that they would change the itinerary back to it's previous ports.
I wonder if this is accurate information. My understanding was that the Club Orange priority line at the front desk was for Neptune Suites and people who paid for Club Orange. If they added 4 and 5 star mariners, would that include the Club Orange priority line in the dining room and the shore excursion desk? How about the Club Orange dining room? People have paid to get these Club Orange benefits.
I can understand if Key West is limiting the size of ship or how many ships a day. What I don't understand is why the port is put on the schedule in the first place. They must know it is a problem.
No problem getting the lower price. However, if you have any added promotions, you might lose them if they are not currently being offered. I wouldn't wait to call. Prices can change rapidly.
I was on that sailing of the Nieuw Statendam in April 2022. Not only did they replace the seal, but it didn't hold and they had to do it again. We left a day late on a cruise that had already been been shortened by two days due to scheduled maintenance on the azipod.