Club Orange Dining

[KAKcruiser]

Does anyone know where Club Orange will be located in the main dining room?  Ships services was only able to tell me that it will be located on the lower level but not much else.  

[Moriah]

5 hours ago, KAKcruiser said:

Does anyone know where Club Orange will be located in the main dining room?  Ships services was only able to tell me that it will be located on the lower level but not much else.  

 

Which ship are you asking about? The newest ships have dedicated Club Orange dining rooms. 

[kazu]

6 hours ago, KAKcruiser said:

Does anyone know where Club Orange will be located in the main dining room?  Ships services was only able to tell me that it will be located on the lower level but not much else.  

 

Uggh.  Lower level is noisier IMO.  

 

It will be interesting to hear more of  where and how it works on the Vista & S & R ships.

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

I hope that the ships that are adding the Club Orange don't put it on the lower level of the dining room.  We have eaten lunch there on embarkation day for years.  And when we used to go to the Mariner's brunch, it was also held down there.

 

Very noisy!!  And poor views.

[SeaSharp]

Totally agree, DO NOT want to see it on lower level.  

[RocketMan275]

2 hours ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

I hope that the ships that are adding the Club Orange don't put it on the lower level of the dining room.  We have eaten lunch there on embarkation day for years.  And when we used to go to the Mariner's brunch, it was also held down there.

 

Very noisy!!  And poor views.

That's probably a deal killer for us.  We do not enjoy the MDR.  We'll stick to the Lido instead.

[KAKcruiser]

My understanding is that Club Orange is already added to the Oosterdam in the main dining room and the rest of the ships will be added in August and September.  But, I can't understand why there is no information from HAL about this. 

[taxmantoo]

I am all for putting it on the anytime dining lower level and not taking any reserved space away from the upper level.  Taking prime space away from the upper level is not the way to go!

[kazu]

1 hour ago, taxmantoo said:

I am all for putting it on the anytime dining lower level and not taking any reserved space away from the upper level.  Taking prime space away from the upper level is not the way to go!

 

I don’t disagree with you, but if Neptune Suites are supposed to eat in Club Orange, that’s a horse of a different colour.  They are supposed to have preferred dining.

 

Hopefully, they don’t have to eat there at dinner and their dining choices will be honoured.

[taxmantoo]

23 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

I don’t disagree with you, but if Neptune Suites are supposed to eat in Club Orange, that’s a horse of a different colour.  They are supposed to have preferred dining.

 

Hopefully, they don’t have to eat there at dinner and their dining choices will be honoured.

I am really having trouble with this and I imagine people in Seattle are going through the same struggle.  I don't believe they thought this out before announcing that part of the MDR would be reserved for Club Orange.

 

There are approx 60 SC, SB, SA and Pinnacle Suites on the Signature ships (i.e. Eurodam).  Assuming double occupancy, that would be 120 chairs reserved for them on a nightly basis plus a whole lot more chairs reserved for folks who would buy the privilege of "Club Orange".  Taking those seats away from regular passengers who prefer the traditional dining style would be a disaster.  

[kazu]

Just now, taxmantoo said:

Assuming double occupancy, that would be 120 chairs reserved for them on a nightly basis plus a whole lot more chairs reserved for folks who would buy the privilege of "Club Orange".  Taking those seats away from regular passengers who prefer the traditional dining style would be a disaster.  

 

Agree.  AND, not everyone in Neptune Suites do Fixed Dining nor Anytime dining.  And, some people never (or rarely) eat in the MDR. 

No matter how they do it, they are not going to make a lot of people happy whether they are Neptune Suite or non Neptune Suite passengers.

 

It was fine on the Pinnacle Class ships as it was a separate room but this takes away space for others in the MDR unlike on the Pinnacle Class and more importantly, some of that space will most likely not be used.  Wasted while non NS/Code Orange people are thwarted from dining when they like.

[semibeater]

I did the back to back Can-NE on Zaandam July6 and the CO people (1 couple) sat at our table by the windows. These tables are given to fixed diners in groups of 4 or 6. (we were 6) The CO couple was given a different menu (white cover) with one extra entree on it.  They were clearly uncomfortable with this but they wanted company during dinner. I was offered CO when boarding but declined.  We had a A level suite with no chance of upgrade as ship was full.

[taxmantoo]

1 hour ago, semibeater said:

I did the back to back Can-NE on Zaandam July6 and the CO people (1 couple) sat at our table by the windows. These tables are given to fixed diners in groups of 4 or 6. (we were 6) The CO couple was given a different menu (white cover) with one extra entree on it.  They were clearly uncomfortable with this but they wanted company during dinner. I was offered CO when boarding but declined.  We had a A level suite with no chance of upgrade as ship was full.

Even more of a mess than I could have imagined if they are sitting CO and non-CO people at the same table in the hopes of getting CO up and running before it is ready to be rolled out properly.  

[kazu]

All I can say is that I have serious concerns now.

I want to dine with my friends, not in Club Orange.  

I don’t want to have them upset (although they wouldn’t have an issue).

I hope HAL clarifies this soon - otherwise I may have to change my cabin category 😞. 

I’ll wait and see what happens but this whole scenario doesn’t bode well as far as I am concerned.

[RocketMan275]

3 hours ago, taxmantoo said:

There are approx 60 SC, SB, SA and Pinnacle Suites on the Signature ships (i.e. Eurodam).  Assuming double occupancy, that would be 120 chairs reserved for them on a nightly basis plus a whole lot more chairs reserved for folks who would buy the privilege of "Club Orange".  Taking those seats away from regular passengers who prefer the traditional dining style would be a disaster.  

They will only need to reserve 118 chairs on our next cruise on Nieuw Amsterdam.  We won't be dining in the MDR regardless of whether they call it Club Orange or not.  We will notify the concierge to release our chairs.  We might try breakfast there but I doubt it will be more than once.  We certainly intend to make our displeasure known.  (FWIW, we think the MDR is too crowded, too noisy, and too pretentious.)

[SilvertoGold]

3 hours ago, semibeater said:

I did the back to back Can-NE on Zaandam July6 and the CO people (1 couple) sat at our table by the windows. These tables are given to fixed diners in groups of 4 or 6. (we were 6) The CO couple was given a different menu (white cover) with one extra entree on it.  They were clearly uncomfortable with this but they wanted company during dinner. I was offered CO when boarding but declined.  We had a A level suite with no chance of upgrade as ship was full.

 

 

Please clairify: this was set dining upstairs?

[semibeater]

21 minutes ago, SilvertoGold said:

 

 

Please clairify: this was set dining upstairs?

 

21 minutes ago, SilvertoGold said:

 

 

Please clairify: this was set dining upstairs?

Yes, Deck 5 Port side corner window table of 6. 5:15 seating

[SilvertoGold]

1 minute ago, semibeater said:

 

Yes, Deck 5 Port side corner window table of 6. 5:15 seating

 

Thanks. So, there was no separate area at all for CO in the MDR?  These pax were mixed with everyone else?

[mfanderso]

I am interested in how this is handled also.  Princess has Club Class Dining for those in Suites and some mini-suites.  It is very nice.  It is in a separate section of one of the dining rooms and most nights we had the same table and waitstaff.  Before we boarded we had confirmed early dining for 4 but when we go on board they had moved us to Club Class.  This was ok since the friends we were traveling with were in a suite also.  It was my understanding if you were traveling with people that were not part of Club Class, you could still get Traditional dining with your friends.  I had assumed HAL would handle it the same way, but from some of the reports coming in, it doesn't sound as organized as Princess.

[semibeater]

17 hours ago, SilvertoGold said:

 

Thanks. So, there was no separate area at all for CO in the MDR?  These pax were mixed with everyone else?

Yes as far as I saw in MDR. It looked like NS, PS and VS guests with 3,4,5 * had best tables.  No special CO seating area. Just different menus. That may vary on the larger ships? I think NS and above get automatic CO benny's?

[kazu]

13 minutes ago, semibeater said:

Yes as far as I saw in MDR. It looked like NS, PS and VS guests with 3,4,5 * had best tables.  No special CO seating area. Just different menus. That may vary on the larger ships? I think NS and above get automatic CO benny's?

 

Thanks.  I noticed you sailed prior to the CO conversion for that ship where supposedly a separate area of the MDR is cordoned off.

 

Time will tell how this is all going to work out (or not 😉 ) I guess.

[RocketMan275]

15 minutes ago, semibeater said:

Yes as far as I saw in MDR. It looked like NS, PS and VS guests with 3,4,5 * had best tables.  No special CO seating area. Just different menus. That may vary on the larger ships? I think NS and above get automatic CO benny's?

Other than one additional entree, there are no "CO benny's" to those in a NS or PS suites unless they are sailing on a Pinnacle Class ship where CO is a separate facility not a part of the MDR.

[sevenseasnomad]

Yes, a mess.  I'm willing to wait and see how it plays out.  Gone are the days when one could request a certain table, I suppose.  If a regular passenger requests a certain table, who knows whether he/she will receive it, as it may be designated CO.  Not a good way to build a loyal clientele, especially if a passenger is cruising for the first or second time with HAL.  We kept returning because almost all our requests were honored.  Can the newbies say the same?

 

[sevenseasnomad]

Forgot to add that it also appears that this new system would be confusing to the wait staff as well.  Of course, they are professional enough to know how many CO tables they would be serving, I believe.  Do the CO tables get priority service over the regular tables?  If so, how do the other passengers react?  What does everyone think?

[3rdGenCunarder]

On 7/27/2019 at 11:42 AM, taxmantoo said:

I am really having trouble with this and I imagine people in Seattle are going through the same struggle.  I don't believe they thought this out before announcing that part of the MDR would be reserved for Club Orange.

 

There are approx 60 SC, SB, SA and Pinnacle Suites on the Signature ships (i.e. Eurodam).  Assuming double occupancy, that would be 120 chairs reserved for them on a nightly basis plus a whole lot more chairs reserved for folks who would buy the privilege of "Club Orange".  Taking those seats away from regular passengers who prefer the traditional dining style would be a disaster.  

 

(bold is mine) I'd be willing to bet good money on that. Like so many of HAL's "bright ideas," this one just doesn't work well on all ships. 

 

 

On 7/27/2019 at 11:46 AM, kazu said:

 

Agree.  AND, not everyone in Neptune Suites do Fixed Dining nor Anytime dining.  And, some people never (or rarely) eat in the MDR. 

No matter how they do it, they are not going to make a lot of people happy whether they are Neptune Suite or non Neptune Suite passengers.

 

It was fine on the Pinnacle Class ships as it was a separate room but this takes away space for others in the MDR unlike on the Pinnacle Class and more importantly, some of that space will most likely not be used.  Wasted while non NS/Code Orange people are thwarted from dining when they like.

 

FWIW, I was on K'dam this winter, when CO was fairly new. I was traveling solo, and CO is mostly set up for 2's and 4's. I could see myself alone at a 2-top or, worse, added to a couple at a 4-top who didn't really want a "third wheel." (I had one awkward breakfast like that)  I spoke to the concierge and got what I had originally booked, early fixed dining at a large table. There was no argument about making the change. I hope they continue to honor guests' preferences.