New Club Orange

[ski ww]

This looks like it's going to be another hot topic. We have those who love it & those who hate it. At $50pp/per day, we will not partake. We have always enjoyed the MDR & the Lido.   

[frankc98376]

2 hours ago, ski ww said:

This looks like it's going to be another hot topic. We have those who love it & those who hate it. At $50pp/per day, we will not partake. We have always enjoyed the MDR & the Lido.   

According to the information I saw from HAL the rest of the fleet would carve off a piece of the MDR for Club Orange.  I certainly wouldn't pay $100 per day for the privilege of eating in the MDR (even in a roped off section), when I can eat in the MDR any time I like without paying. Oh, that's right one extra dinner special- nope wouldn't do it for me. On the Pinnacle ships I wouldn't pay extra for MDR menu in a venue with bright lighting, no views to outside (great view of everyone walking to MDR), and as reported uncomfortable furniture.  With the lack of carpet, glass wall on one side, and hard surfaces when full this is going to likely be noisier than the MDR.

We are 4 star so priority boarding wouldn't matter. The NS bathrobes aren't all that special. Either another attempt to see the suite amenities package they have had for a long time or an attempt to push Neptune Suite passengers to another line.

[RocketMan275]

15 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

Trending, closed kitchens are coming back - for those of us "pre-War" as in Heritage Sodium, they never left::  what was old is now again new.

 

 

You  might want to watch HGTV.  No one is asking for closed kitchens.  The Open Floor Plan dominates.

[Jade13]

On 10/30/2018 at 12:21 AM, ellieanne said:

I have actually had 5* Mariners try to cut in front of me in the Lido lines, and argue with other passengers that they have priority in the Dive-In Line and at the Front Desk.

Seriously?

Edited December 22, 2018 by Jade13

[Jade13]

On 12/20/2018 at 9:31 PM, chill6x6 said:

I wonder if Club Orange will be on the Nieuw Amsterdam Spring 2020?  I'm certainly willing to give it a try!

I believe what I read on HAL’s web site is that it will be a sectioned off portion of the MDR on most ships.

[*Miss G*]

Club Orange on the Koningsdam was really nice.  The seats were comfortable and the environment was not sterile like the picture shown in an earlier post.  There was very rarely an empty table and I even heard a couple of tables behind me talking to each other about how much they loved this dining room.

 

All meals were prepared in the open kitchen in front of us and they were delicious.  The staff was amazing.  We really enjoyed having a separate dining room from the main during the times we chose to eat there.

 

All in all... a success, we would say.

[Cruisin Kay D]

The concept at $50 pp per day is ABSURD!!!  Orig email on this "deal" came several wks ago which I quickly read & ignored....yesterday another (noticed it was titled "upgrade special" -- oh boy, they are offering this now to me at a lower price?   Wonder if they are throwing in drinks?    So I looked & NO DEAL, it was absolutely NO Different than original email offer.    Wonder how many people they have sucked into this at that price?....VS people in the suites who get it gratis.

[Crusinsusan2]

Excellent! Thanks Miss G. Looking forward to trying it with an open mind for our upcoming. Love the fact that food is prepared in front of you in an open kitchen and served hot/fresh and delivered table side for dinner. Also looking forward to trying breakfast too. We used to love the MDR until we realized that for the most part the same fare was also available in the Lido on most nights but hot and to order off the grill rather than waiting for the formal presentation. (yes we still dress up most nights regardless of venue) Wine steward always available in Lido too. This sounds like it might be a lovely alternative when not opting for our usual specialty venues or MDR.           

[Caribbean Chris]

7 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

Club Orange on the Koningsdam was really nice.  The seats were comfortable and the environment was not sterile like the picture shown in an earlier post.  There was very rarely an empty table and I even heard a couple of tables behind me talking to each other about how much they loved this dining room.

 

All meals were prepared in the open kitchen in front of us and they were delicious.  The staff was amazing.  We really enjoyed having a separate dining room from the main during the times we chose to eat there.

 

I am a little puzzled about how this works. Are suite passengers automatically assigned to this dining room and expected to show up there unless they make other arrangements? (This is the case on Celebrity with the Luminae suite dining rooms.)

 

Or can suite passengers instead have a fixed seating assigned table in the main dining room, and dine in Club Orange only when they “choose to eat there” as if it were a specialty restaurant?

 

I am asking in anticipation of our April NS sailing in a Neptune because I prefer having a pre-determined table and waiters, and would not like switching to different tables throughout a cruise.

 

Meanwhile, thank you Miss G for your input!

Edited December 22, 2018 by Caribbean Chris

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for sharing your first hand experience Miss G.

[chill6x6]

9 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

Club Orange on the Koningsdam was really nice.  The seats were comfortable and the environment was not sterile like the picture shown in an earlier post.  There was very rarely an empty table and I even heard a couple of tables behind me talking to each other about how much they loved this dining room.

 

All meals were prepared in the open kitchen in front of us and they were delicious.  The staff was amazing.  We really enjoyed having a separate dining room from the main during the times we chose to eat there.

 

All in all... a success, we would say.

Thank you for that!  First hand experience is always nice!

[*Miss G*]

8 hours ago, Crusinsusan2 said:

Excellent! Thanks Miss G. Looking forward to trying it with an open mind for our upcoming. Love the fact that food is prepared in front of you in an open kitchen and served hot/fresh and delivered table side for dinner. Also looking forward to trying breakfast too. We used to love the MDR until we realized that for the most part the same fare was also available in the Lido on most nights but hot and to order off the grill rather than waiting for the formal presentation. (yes we still dress up most nights regardless of venue) Wine steward always available in Lido too. This sounds like it might be a lovely alternative when not opting for our usual specialty venues or MDR.           

 

I think you will love it!  Everyone dressed nicely each evening and the atmosphere lended itself to that with the tablecloths and dimmed lighting.  The wine steward (we had Lester for the majority of the sailing) was always attentive and my glass was never empty.  (Unlike the Pinnacle Grill where I finally had to pour my own. Lol)  They always kept your morning mimosas topped up, as well, if you wanted more than one.

[*Miss G*]

3 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

 

I am a little puzzled about how this works. Are suite passengers automatically assigned to this dining room and expected to show up there unless they make other arrangements? (This is the case on Celebrity with the Luminae suite dining rooms.)

 

Or can suite passengers instead have a fixed seating assigned table in the main dining room, and dine in Club Orange only when they “choose to eat there” as if it were a specialty restaurant?

 

I am asking in anticipation of our April NS sailing in a Neptune because I prefer having a pre-determined table and waiters, and would not like switching to different tables throughout a cruise.

 

Meanwhile, thank you Miss G for your input!

 

Yes, Suite passengers are automatically assigned.  They will check your card/room # the first day and then they will ever after know who you are.  You can choose your own table if you wish.  We let them seat us in different spots until we found one we liked.  I didn’t think I would like one of the high-top tables but it ended up being our preferred choice.

 

All of the servers work together to ensure you are well taken care of, and even the Manager and Assistant Manager are going around making sure you are wanting for nothing.

 

The first evening we ate there I had coffee after dinner.  I noticed that it was more to my preference than the morning coffee from the pot so I asked the young lady who brought it (Nathalie) how I could get one in the mornings.  She told me to ask for an Americano but to catch her eye and she would bring it for me.  Well Nathalie quickly became my favorite server because she always made sure I had my coffee and my sister had her juice.... without even having to ask.  That’s the kind of specialized service I love, and you can get when you’re a regular there.  It was wonderful.

[frankc98376]

Sounds like they were able to smooth out some of the rough edges reported on NS.  The pictures posted by people on the innaugural were pretty sad.

According to the HAL release CO would have the MDR menu with a nightly special- breakfast the MDR menu.  Was this the case on Koningsdam?

[Tennessee Titan]

Mostly empty on the New Statendam Premiere....

[DFD1]

Seems like Smoke and Mirrrors with a $50.00 per day up-charge.

There's a lot of that going around in the cruise business today.

[RocketMan275]

3 hours ago, frankc98376 said:

Sounds like they were able to smooth out some of the rough edges reported on NS.  The pictures posted by people on the innaugural were pretty sad.

According to the HAL release CO would have the MDR menu with a nightly special- breakfast the MDR menu.  Was this the case on Koningsdam?

When suites breakfast was served in the Pinnacle Grill, it was the same menu as was served in the MDR.

[frankc98376]

2 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

When suites breakfast was served in the Pinnacle Grill, it was the same menu as was served in the MDR.

Indeed it was but the lovely table in the window was wonderful. Will they allow custom orders? I've had Nasi Goreng many times in the PG for breakdast when requested the night before.

[PSR]

"I am a little puzzled about how this works. Are suite passengers automatically assigned to this dining room and expected to show up there unless they make other arrangements? (This is the case on Celebrity with the Luminae suite dining rooms.)" per Caribbean Chris

 

"Yes, Suite passengers are automatically assigned.  They will check your card/room # the first day and then they will ever after know who you are. " per Miss G 

 

 

 

So, this could be a problem if you are traveling with a non-Suite passenger....

Edited December 23, 2018 by PSR
Add another quote

[*Miss G*]

10 hours ago, frankc98376 said:

Sounds like they were able to smooth out some of the rough edges reported on NS.  The pictures posted by people on the innaugural were pretty sad.

According to the HAL release CO would have the MDR menu with a nightly special- breakfast the MDR menu.  Was this the case on Koningsdam?

 

Hi Frank.  Yes, it was the same dinner menu as the MDR but they also had a nightly special which was delicious the times I ordered it.  The breakfast menu was the same as in the Pinnacle.  Sorry, I do not know what the MDR breakfast menu is for comparison.  I went there once about 10 years ago and never went back.

 

The pictures of the NS Club Orange do not look as nice as the Koningsdam Club Orange.  Hopefully it’s nicer in person.

[*Miss G*]

4 hours ago, frankc98376 said:

Indeed it was but the lovely table in the window was wonderful. Will they allow custom orders? I've had Nasi Goreng many times in the PG for breakdast when requested the night before.

 

Oh!  You just reminded me!  They had a couple of extra items!  One was a full Asian style breakfast and there was also something else which I can’t recall off the top of my head.  Darn.  Now I wish I’d taken pics of the menu.  Maybe @Crew News did.

 

I think they would go out of their way to fulfill your request for Nasi Goreng.  They were very flexible with our orders but we didn’t order a specialty item that I can recall.  But they really seemed to want everything perfect for everyone so I would definitely at least ask.

 

(P.S.  Please forgive me if the Asian style breakfast was already available pre-CO.  I am pretty oblivious sometimes.)

[frankc98376]

3 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Oh!  You just reminded me!  They had a couple of extra items!  One was a full Asian style breakfast and there was also something else which I can’t recall off the top of my head.  Darn.  Now I wish I’d taken pics of the menu.  Maybe @Crew News did.

 

I think they would go out of their way to fulfill your request for Nasi Goreng.  They were very flexible with our orders but we didn’t order a specialty item that I can recall.  But they really seemed to want everything perfect for everyone so I would definitely at least ask.

 

(P.S.  Please forgive me if the Asian style breakfast was already available pre-CO.  I am pretty oblivious sometimes.)

PG breakfast was always the same menu as MDR

[Crusinsusan2]

2 hours ago, PSR said:

So, this could be a problem if you are traveling with a non-Suite passenger....

 

I would assume it would still be a problem just as it has been with breakfast in the Pinnacle when traveling with non suite guests. We tend to travel with family and/or friends that for the most part are not in a NS.  Main reason why we have not taken advantage of the breakfast in the Pinnacle-so we can all dine and enjoy together.  Looking forward to trying the new OC as it will just be hubs and I traveling this go around.   

[TiogaCruiser]

5 hours ago, PSR said:

 

So, this could be a problem if you are traveling with a non-Suite passenger....

Not as much a problem as NS breakfast in the Pinnacle. The non-Suite pax could buy CO, whereas they could not buy into PG breakfast prior to CO.

[PSR]

2 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Not as much a problem as NS breakfast in the Pinnacle. The non-Suite pax could buy CO, whereas they could not buy into PG breakfast prior to CO.

 

We are going to be traveling with 2 friends who in the past we don't usually join for breakfast since they are VERY early birds, but are traveling in a Neptune this time, so no problem there. However, they are being joined by a friend of theirs traveling solo in a balcony, so $100/day could be a stretch for that person. We will be on the Westerdam in August 2019, so not sure when the ship will get the CO, if ever, so guess we will worry about the whole strategy as needed.....

 

Thank you and Cruisinsusan2 for your comments.