Club Orange upgrade offer

[RocketMan275]

35 minutes ago, GrammieK said:

 

 

Twenty knots, Thats my my question too!  We will be on the Nieuw Amsterdam in October and one of our favorite perks is breakfast in the Pinnacle. By PCC says no worries, club Orange is not getting the praise that HAL hoped for and may not even be in existence by then!  We will see what we will see!  Certainly not a deal breaker, just a step backward in my humble opinion. Well still have a great cruise!

Club Orange would be a step forward on the Pinnacle Class ships.

Club Orange, giving up the Pinnacle Grill breakfast for breakfast in the MDR, would be a step backwards. (IMHO).

[*Miss G*]

2 hours ago, PandaBear62 said:

Nieuw Statendam. 

 

CO on the Pinnacle class is awesome.  I hope you enjoy it too!

 

2 hours ago, GrammieK said:

 

 

Twenty knots, Thats my my question too!  We will be on the Nieuw Amsterdam in October and one of our favorite perks is breakfast in the Pinnacle. By PCC says no worries, club Orange is not getting the praise that HAL hoped for and may not even be in existence by then!  We will see what we will see!  Certainly not a deal breaker, just a step backward in my humble opinion. Well still have a great cruise!

 

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

Club Orange would be a step forward on the Pinnacle Class ships.

Club Orange, giving up the Pinnacle Grill breakfast for breakfast in the MDR, would be a step backwards. (IMHO).

 

^^This seems to be the general consensus at the moment.  I loved CO on the Koningsdam and am waiting to see what it’s like when it’s rolled out to the rest of the ships before I form an opinion.

 

@GrammieK, CO is getting all kinds of praise and is now being rolled out to the rest of the ships.  It doesn’t seem as if your PCC is in tune with what’s going on.  No wonder you’re confused!  I do hope you will give it a chance.  We loved it.

[RocketMan275]

5 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

^^This seems to be the general consensus at the moment.  I loved CO on the Koningsdam and am waiting to see what it’s like when it’s rolled out to the rest of the ships before I form an opinion.

I've been to the MDR so I don't need to wait to form an opinion.  If CO is part of the MDR, it is a step down from the status quo. 

[kazu]

21 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

  I loved CO on the Koningsdam and am waiting to see what it’s like when it’s rolled out to the rest of the ships before I form an opinion.

 

 CO is getting all kinds of praise and is now being rolled out to the rest of the ships.  It doesn’t seem as if your PCC is in tune with what’s going on.  No wonder you’re confused!  I do hope you will give it a chance.  We loved it.

 

CO on the Pinnacle Class where you experienced it is going to be completely different from CO on the Vista and R & S class ships.

 

the “praise” CO is getting is from the Pinnacle Class. How much “praise” they are really receiving is debatable.  HAL tends to write things in words that suit them .  It will not be the same on the rest of the fleet and the PCC may be more accurate than you or I know.  No one knows.  I do know that I have some serious trepidation about this on the non Pinnacle ships.

 

 

[Copper10-8]

3 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

 

CO on the Pinnacle class is awesome.  I hope you enjoy it too!

 

 

 

^^This seems to be the general consensus at the moment.  I loved CO on the Koningsdam and am waiting to see what it’s like when it’s rolled out to the rest of the ships before I form an opinion.

 

@GrammieK, CO is getting all kinds of praise and is now being rolled out to the rest of the ships.  It doesn’t seem as if your PCC is in tune with what’s going on.  No wonder you’re confused!  I do hope you will give it a chance.  We loved it.

 

 

With you 100% on the Club Orange experience on the K-dam. Were not very happy when its manager told us on the afternoon of Day 1 that we were going to be having dinner there as opposed to our MDR reservation however, it turned out to be a very positive experience with excellent food and personal service! The jury is still out how it's going to work on the non-Pinnacle class ships since CO will be taking place in a portion of the MDR a la Canaletto in the Lido. Time will tell

[PandaBear62]

3 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

With you 100% on the Club Orange experience on the K-dam. Were not very happy when its manager told us on the afternoon of Day 1 that we were going to be having dinner there as opposed to our MDR reservation however, it turned out to be a very positive experience with excellent food and personal service! The jury is still out how it's going to work on the non-Pinnacle class ships since CO will be taking place in a portion of the MDR a la Canaletto in the Lido. Time will tell

 

So I'm a little confused. With Club Orange, you no longer dine in the regular dining room? Your reservation moves to the Club Orange Dining room?  We have anytime dining. Does that mean we will be assigned a specific time, or will we still choose when we dine?

Thanks

[Copper10-8]

9 minutes ago, PandaBear62 said:

 

So I'm a little confused. With Club Orange, you no longer dine in the regular dining room? Your reservation moves to the Club Orange Dining room?  We have anytime dining. Does that mean we will be assigned a specific time, or will we still choose when we dine?

Thanks

 

You can always opt out of Club Orange and go back to the MDR. On Koningsdam back in March, they were really trying to promote CO, but if we would have decided to forego it and eat in the MDR, that would have been our choice. They can't force you against your will to eat in CO and being led there in handcuffs, besides it's kinda hard to eat with them on . Hope that makes sense; the choice as to where to break bread will always be yours

[PandaBear62]

22 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

You can always opt out of Club Orange and go back to the MDR. On Koningsdam back in March, they were really trying to promote CO, but if we would have decided to forego it and eat in the MDR, that would have been our choice. They can't force you against your will to eat in CO and being led there in handcuffs, besides it's kinda hard to eat with them on . Hope that makes sense; the choice as to where to break bread will always be yours

 

Okay, thanks. So it's kind of like any other diving venue....you always have an assigned location in a dining room, but can go to specialty dining, the Lido or Club Orange. I thought maybe Club Orange became your new dining assignment!

 

I appreciate the info.

 

[Caribbean Chris]

5 hours ago, PandaBear62 said:

 

Okay, thanks. So it's kind of like any other diving venue....you always have an assigned location in a dining room, but can go to specialty dining, the Lido or Club Orange. I thought maybe Club Orange became your new dining assignment!

 

I appreciate the info.

 

 

Club Orange room IS your default assigned dining room assignment on K-Dam and N-Stat if you are in a Neptune suite (or bought the Club Orange amenity package pre-cruise). If you don’t want to eat in Club Orange during the cruise, just go see the main dining room manager the first day, who can switch you to MDR anytime dining. He’ll advise the Club Orange manager of your preference.

 

From a Club Orange dining assignment, sure, you can choose to go to specialty restaurants or the Lido some nights.

 

We thought the CO staff was outstanding on our April N-Stat Caribbean cruise. Breakfasts were great, with various entrees, waffles, etc made to order at the grill there—so nice to have them hot and freshly cooked, delivered to your table—plus complimentary mimosas.  Dinners had the full MDR menu but also included a chef’s specialty each night cooked there, too. We liked it a lot, and ended up eating there every night.

 

Yes, you can arrive in Club Orange any time during serving hours. We ate around the same time every night, liked a certain table location, and the Maitre d’ had it waiting for us every night.

 

[PandaBear62]

4 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

 

Club Orange room IS your default assigned dining room assignment on K-Dam and N-Stat if you are in a Neptune suite (or bought the Club Orange amenity package pre-cruise). If you don’t want to eat in Club Orange during the cruise, just go see the main dining room manager the first day, who can switch you to MDR anytime dining. He’ll advise the Club Orange manager of your preference.

 

From a Club Orange dining assignment, sure, you can choose to go to specialty restaurants or the Lido some nights.

 

We thought the CO staff was outstanding on our April N-Stat Caribbean cruise. Breakfasts were great, with various entrees, waffles, etc made to order at the grill there—so nice to have them hot and freshly cooked, delivered to your table—plus complimentary mimosas.  Dinners had the full MDR menu but also included a chef’s specialty each night cooked there, too. We liked it a lot, and ended up eating there every night.

 

Yes, you can arrive in Club Orange any time during serving hours. We ate around the same time every night, liked a certain table location, and the Maitre d’ had it waiting for us every night.

 

 

Thanks for your very informative post. I get it now! I think this will be great for my mom (and myself, of course). I am glad I upgraded. 

[nattiegirl]

Hi all, Sorry it took me so long to respond. As far as breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill, the Oosterdam does not have a designated dining area yet for the Club Orange so I assume they were still offering breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill for Suite passengers. I am not sure what they are planning in the future. Our breakfast in the dining room was the same as other passengers with the addition of one or two more choices of entrees. Same with the dinner menu. For me, the value was in the priority seating as the Alaska cruise I was on was packed and lines were long for anytime dining. I just can't stand that long. 

[beaming90]

On 6/14/2019 at 8:34 PM, kevingastreich said:

We got that same offer today for a 7 day Alaska cruise EXCEPT is is only $25/day pp. It is on the Oosterdam.

We got it too and turned it down for our cruise in a couple weeks... We are in Signature Suites already

Edited July 19, 2019 by beaming90

[aledomom]

@BSinPNS  Sorry to bump this old thread all the way forward but I was searching for information and I think you might be able to help since you experienced CO on the Nieuw Statendam.  We just upgraded to Neptune Suite today for our September cruise and I'm trying to figure this out.

Our reservation was originally marked for MDR at 8pm for reserved dining.  How does CO factor in to all of this?  It looks like a very small space on the NS.  Do you have reserved dining there or is it a come whenever you want to be seated? 

We generally eat breakfast in our cabin and it appears that we will have the CO menu in our room each day to order breakfast from including the no additional charge for mimosas and nicer coffees? 

Don't know if you can answer any of that but I would truly appreciate any insight you might be able to pass on regarding dining at dinner time.

Edited August 6, 2019 by aledomom

[BSinPNS]

We really enjoyed CO on our cruise.  It is anytime dining, but I never saw anyone waiting.  If they ran out of two-tops, they seated us at a four and removed the other place settings.  Unlike the MDR, there was lots of space between tables.  Waitstaff and sommelier were outstanding.  Food is always served hot as CO is right next to the galley.  Many items were prepared by the chef while we watched.  I would encourage you to try breakfast there as the chef does all the cooking.  Glas to answer other questions about NS and/or CO.  

[QuangFre]

I tried CO on the Koningsdam last month and below is a summary of my experience

 1) Having breakfast and dinner in a more private dining room with slightly better food ( mimosa for breakfast and one extra entry for dinner). Usually dine anytime with minimal wait time.

2) No specialty coffees offered unlike previous reports.

3) Slightly faster customer response.

 

Hope this helps.

[aledomom]

19 minutes ago, BSinPNS said:

We really enjoyed CO on our cruise.  It is anytime dining, but I never saw anyone waiting.  If they ran out of two-tops, they seated us at a four and removed the other place settings.  Unlike the MDR, there was lots of space between tables.  Waitstaff and sommelier were outstanding.  Food is always served hot as CO is right next to the galley.  Many items were prepared by the chef while we watched.  I would encourage you to try breakfast there as the chef does all the cooking.  Glas to answer other questions about NS and/or CO.  

Thank you for  your quick response.  I'm sure we will try breakfast there one morning but it's hard to pass up breakfast in your PJ's in the cabin.  But I know the day we do an excursion in Geiranger we will need to be up and out early so we will eat breakfast there for sure!

I think the only thing disappointing about CO is from the picture it doesn't look as nice as the MDR.  Seems a little odd to "dress up" to eat there.  But I'm sure we will adapt to it quickly.  The MDR seems a little loud at times.

We have only sailed HAL one other time (May 2018) and we were signature suite on that trip.  I wouldn't even know where to begin with asking questions about NS.  Do you have anything you feel is good to pass on to a newbie?  We are celebrating our 30th anniversary with this cruise which is why we took the plunge and did the upgrade.

[BSinPNS]

We thought the ports on our Norway trip were some of the most interesting that we have visited.  CO has a nice casual ambiance which we enjoyed.  Like the MDR, it is casual dress even on Gala nights.  We got excellent upgrade deals on our last two HAL cruises.  It is somewhat dangerous in that it can become addictive.  🙂  The Neptune Lounge offers a very nice place to grab a few snacks throughout the day.  Unlike Celebrity, you are charged for all drinks (unless you have a drink package).  Enjoy your 30th.  

[kazu]

14 minutes ago, BSinPNS said:

The Neptune Lounge offers a very nice place to grab a few snacks throughout the day. 

 

So it sounds like you were upgraded/upsold to a Neptune Suite.

 

Just to point out that club Orange does not get Neptune Lounge privileges unless they are in a Neptune Suite.  If I am wrong, please do correct me 😉 

 

I think you have been on Pinnacle Class ships (Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam) which have separate dining rooms for this class.

 

For the rest of this ships, it’s in the MDR and from what has been reported in the lower dining room which is the loudest area of the dining on the ship IMO.   Not my cup of tea (I’m on a Vista class ship next) and speaking only for myself, I prefer to dine on the upper level where it is quieter with friends.  

 

 

[aledomom]

2 hours ago, BSinPNS said:

 The Neptune Lounge offers a very nice place to grab a few snacks throughout the day.  Unlike Celebrity, you are charged for all drinks (unless you have a drink package).  Enjoy your 30th.  

If you’re a light eater could you get a small something in the Lounge and skip the chaos of the Lido for lunch?

[3rdGenCunarder]

36 minutes ago, aledomom said:

If you’re a light eater could you get a small something in the Lounge and skip the chaos of the Lido for lunch?

 

Yes. The lounge has very nice "small somethings." Quite small, IIRC, but you can have more than one of something if you wish. 

 

[BarbarianPaul]

6 hours ago, BSinPNS said:

We thought the ports on our Norway trip were some of the most interesting that we have visited.  CO has a nice casual ambiance which we enjoyed.  Like the MDR, it is casual dress even on Gala nights.  We got excellent upgrade deals on our last two HAL cruises.  It is somewhat dangerous in that it can become addictive.  🙂  The Neptune Lounge offers a very nice place to grab a few snacks throughout the day.  Unlike Celebrity, you are charged for all drinks (unless you have a drink package).  Enjoy your 30th.  

 

We’re currently on the Nieuw Statendam for three weeks, to Norway, Uk, Scotland and Iceland. For me, the Club Orange design is unsuccessful. It looks like a small, awkwardly situated quick dining/coffee shop kind of place. The wood seating and tables look severe and uncomfortable, and the glass wall (the only way to get natural light into the space) allows everyone to walk by and watch you eat. 

The place never looks busy. On the plus side, I guess there’s no wait, but there isn’t in the MDR either, which for us is more lively, comfortable and fun, with huge picture windows looking out to sea.

In my opinion, the place is kind of a silly cash grab that doesn’t have much value.

[BSinPNS]

As others have said, you can get lite bites in the Neptune Lounge. The Neptune Lounge concierges were willing to help resolve any issue and were quite upbeat and outgoing, particularly Paulo.  To us, CO dining on the NS was a major perk.  From various posts on the boards, it appears that the majority of passengers who have used it really liked it. .  

[RocketMan275]

4 hours ago, BarbarianPaul said:

 

We’re currently on the Nieuw Statendam for three weeks, to Norway, Uk, Scotland and Iceland. For me, the Club Orange design is unsuccessful. It looks like a small, awkwardly situated quick dining/coffee shop kind of place. The wood seating and tables look severe and uncomfortable, and the glass wall (the only way to get natural light into the space) allows everyone to walk by and watch you eat. 

The place never looks busy. On the plus side, I guess there’s no wait, but there isn’t in the MDR either, which for us is more lively, comfortable and fun, with huge picture windows looking out to sea.

In my opinion, the place is kind of a silly cash grab that doesn’t have much value.

You're bothered by people walking by seeing you eat, yet you have no issues with people watching you eat in the over-crowded MDR?

The windows in the MDR are mostly looking out to darkness during dinner.

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, BSinPNS said:

As others have said, you can get lite bites in the Neptune Lounge. The Neptune Lounge concierges were willing to help resolve any issue and were quite upbeat and outgoing, particularly Paulo.  To us, CO dining on the NS was a major perk.  From various posts on the boards, it appears that the majority of passengers who have used it really liked it. .  

I think we'd like CO on the Pinnacle Class ships where it is a separate venue.  We would have problems with CO crammed into a section of the MDR.

[BarbarianPaul]

4 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

You're bothered by people walking by seeing you eat, yet you have no issues with people watching you eat in the over-crowded MDR?

The windows in the MDR are mostly looking out to darkness during dinner.

 

Exactly! I have zero problems in the MDR. Sure, it’s big, but I think that kinda goes with cruising, no? And as I said in my post, we’re in the North Sea, where it’s light until 10:30, and the ocean views in the MDR are beautiful.

 

i do love the BLU dining room for aqua class on Celebrity. Like CO, it’s smaller and more intimate, but the menu is completely different than the main dining room and higher in quality. That’s not true with CO, and I just don’t find the space appealing.