Dave JS Posted July 15 #26 Share Posted July 15 On 7/9/2024 at 8:08 AM, terrydtx said: 100% agree and this has been our experience as well. Several questions about CO. Within the Same category means within VISTA Suite or within NEPTUNE suite, correct? Does it make a difference if you have refundable or nonrefundable deposit? Is there any interaction with the All IN one fares, or do you just buy a drink package from the basic fare with CO? Thanks, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave JS Posted July 15 #27 Share Posted July 15 On 7/7/2024 at 10:28 AM, Sea42 said: I loved our Oceania cruise but since they started the mandatory Simply More program I'm not interested. I'll book with HIA on Holland America if we have a lot of sea days where we'll want WiFi and drinks and dinning inclusions. But for a Med cruise with many ports, I don't need those things and certainly don't want to pay for excursions that I really don't want. Do you use Both HIA and CO for your bookings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave JS Posted July 15 #28 Share Posted July 15 On 7/6/2024 at 9:10 PM, terrydtx said: After 7 post covid Celebrity Cruises in Sky Suites we are done with them. They have priced us out and we can now book Oceania for less per day. We now for the future are cruising with Oceania and HAL. And that doesnt include the consideration that the SKy Suite package that is delivered during the cruise will likely be lesser than the one you thought you bought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea42 Posted July 15 #29 Share Posted July 15 6 minutes ago, Dave JS said: Do you use Both HIA and CO for your bookings? It has varied depending on the itinerary. If there are very few sea days we don't purchase HIA. The less time that we're on the ship, the less value the drinks, Wi-Fi and speciality restaurants have for us. We've only taken one cruise with CO, so far. We found that a good value for the cabin upgrade on that cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cbr663 Posted July 15 #30 Share Posted July 15 1 hour ago, Dave JS said: Several questions about CO. Within the Same category means within VISTA Suite or within NEPTUNE suite, correct? Does it make a difference if you have refundable or nonrefundable deposit? Is there any interaction with the All IN one fares, or do you just buy a drink package from the basic fare with CO? Thanks, Dave Yes, complementary upgrades are within the same meta category. Book say the lowest category veranda cabin and you can upgrade to the highest category veranda cabin. Just a couple of things to keep in mind - what HAL considers the highest category within a meta may not the upgrade that you desire and CO is not available for purchase on Neptune Suites and Higher as these cabins receive most of the CO perks already. Yes, it makes a significant difference whether your deposit is refundable or nonrefundable. The charge for CO is added to your cruise fare as part of the fare. This means that the payment for CO is actually added as part of your deposit. So, if your deposit is nonrefundable then your CO cost is also nonrefundable. I don't know what the All In One Fares are so I assume that you are referring to Have It All (HIA). HIA is a separate bundling of amenities and hasn't anything to do with CO. CO is a different bundling of amenities. You should be able to add the HIA promo to your booking with CO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave JS Posted July 15 #31 Share Posted July 15 TA was told that CO is not available for Feb 2026 11 day cruise. Is it likely to become available in future? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted July 15 #32 Share Posted July 15 (edited) 9 minutes ago, Dave JS said: TA was told that CO is not available for Feb 2026 11 day cruise. Is it likely to become available in future? One thing that usually works with HAL reps is to plead ignorance. In that regard, have a deck plan close by to choose your desired CO upgrade, credit card at hand, and call HAL Ship Inventory. If you choose to give it a try, please let us know if you were successful. "Once a guest has booked their cruise, they or their travel advisor can add Club Orange by contacting Holland America Line Ship Inventory at 1-888-628-8107 or 206-626-7381." Edited July 15 by Crew News 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare terrydtx Posted July 16 #33 Share Posted July 16 (edited) 4 hours ago, Dave JS said: TA was told that CO is not available for Feb 2026 11 day cruise. Is it likely to become available in future? HAL only sells a limited number of CO per cruise, once they are sold out that is it unless they have cancelations of booked cruises. CO is even more limited in the Pinnacle class ships as the CO dining rooms are small and limited in capacity. Edited July 16 by terrydtx 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare terrydtx Posted July 16 #34 Share Posted July 16 5 hours ago, cbr663 said: You should be able to add the HIA promo to your booking with CO. This is correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave JS Posted July 16 #35 Share Posted July 16 I was able to get CO by dealing directly with HAL. What do folks consider as the best Veranda Cabin? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted July 16 #36 Share Posted July 16 42 minutes ago, Dave JS said: I was able to get CO by dealing directly with HAL. What do folks consider as the best Veranda Cabin? For photos, aft facing verandahs are my favorite since you can see both sides of the ship from your balcony while still in your pajamas. Side-facing staterooms require you to get dressed to go to the other side of the ship to see what is happening. Aft-facing staterooms are a short elevator ride to both the Lido Market and MDR. It also means that Room Service food will be hot since the Room Service kitchen is just a short elevator ride up to aft-facing verandah staterooms. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare terrydtx Posted July 17 #37 Share Posted July 17 2 hours ago, Crew News said: For photos, aft facing verandahs are my favorite since you can see both sides of the ship from your balcony while still in your pajamas. Side-facing staterooms require you to get dressed to go to the other side of the ship to see what is happening. Aft-facing staterooms are a short elevator ride to both the Lido Market and MDR. It also means that Room Service food will be hot since the Room Service kitchen is just a short elevator ride up to aft-facing verandah staterooms. The aft facing verandah cabins are usually the first to get booked for the reasons you mentioned. Getting one with a CO upgrade is not very easy to snag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crystalspin Posted July 17 #38 Share Posted July 17 8 hours ago, Dave JS said: I was able to get CO by dealing directly with HAL. What do folks consider as the best Veranda Cabin? If you are sailing on the Koningsdam | Feb 14, 2026 | 11-Day Eastern Caribbean (or another Pinnacle ship, Rotterdam or Nieuw Statendam), an aft verandah will put you elevator-close to the Tamarind restaurant and bar. I've practically talked myself into one! But really, I am booked for a mid-ship verandah on the NS, Gershwin Deck 5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave JS Posted July 17 #39 Share Posted July 17 6 hours ago, crystalspin said: If you are sailing on the Koningsdam | Feb 14, 2026 | 11-Day Eastern Caribbean (or another Pinnacle ship, Rotterdam or Nieuw Statendam), an aft verandah will put you elevator-close to the Tamarind restaurant and bar. I've practically talked myself into one! But really, I am booked for a mid-ship verandah on the NS, Gershwin Deck 5. There are Aft Veranda cabins but all on 8th deck which seems to have a pool deck overhang and noise issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crystalspin Posted July 17 #40 Share Posted July 17 9 hours ago, Dave JS said: There are Aft Veranda cabins but all on 8th deck which seems to have a pool deck overhang and noise issue. That's a hard call. The noise people relate is not people noise as much as the lounge chairs being dragged around in the wee hours for cleaning and re-positioning. If you are a deep sleeper or can sleep with earplugs, you might get by! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petronillus Posted July 18 #41 Share Posted July 18 On 7/16/2024 at 8:59 PM, terrydtx said: The aft facing verandah cabins are usually the first to get booked for the reasons you mentioned. Getting one with a CO upgrade is not very easy to snag. I can attest to that. I just booked us for the 35-day Hawaii/Tahiti/Marquesas cruise in February **2026** and was disappointed that all of the aft-facing cabins were already taken. DW & I enjoyed a midships aft-facing cabin on Deck 4 of the Westerdam on our most recent Asia cruise. We were graced with a picture-postcard-perfect view of Mt. Fuji. Another prime memory is seeing the full moon hang over the ship's wake. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare terrydtx Posted July 19 #42 Share Posted July 19 2 hours ago, Petronillus said: I can attest to that. I just booked us for the 35-day Hawaii/Tahiti/Marquesas cruise in February **2026** and was disappointed that all of the aft-facing cabins were already taken. DW & I enjoyed a midships aft-facing cabin on Deck 4 of the Westerdam on our most recent Asia cruise. We were graced with a picture-postcard-perfect view of Mt. Fuji. Another prime memory is seeing the full moon hang over the ship's wake. We got lucky and snagged the very last aft facing cabin on our Koningsdam cruise last November We added CO when we booked and there was not a higher meta category cabin to upgrade to, so instead of the upgrade we got from HAL, $100 OBC which was gravy, we booked CO for the CO dining room which we absolutely loved. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave JS Posted August 2 #43 Share Posted August 2 (edited) On 7/16/2024 at 7:17 PM, Crew News said: For photos, aft facing verandahs are my favorite since you can see both sides of the ship from your balcony while still in your pajamas. Side-facing staterooms require you to get dressed to go to the other side of the ship to see what is happening. Aft-facing staterooms are a short elevator ride to both the Lido Market and MDR. It also means that Room Service food will be hot since the Room Service kitchen is just a short elevator ride up to aft-facing verandah staterooms. It appears the workers in my TA office don't want to get into all the Club Orange mechanics and just say not available. Have it all plus and Club Orange makes the package competitive with some of the premium lines at 50 to 60 percent of the cost. Edited August 2 by Dave JS typo 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave JS Posted August 2 #44 Share Posted August 2 On 7/18/2024 at 5:43 PM, Petronillus said: I can attest to that. I just booked us for the 35-day Hawaii/Tahiti/Marquesas cruise in February **2026** and was disappointed that all of the aft-facing cabins were already taken. DW & I enjoyed a midships aft-facing cabin on Deck 4 of the Westerdam on our most recent Asia cruise. We were graced with a picture-postcard-perfect view of Mt. Fuji. Another prime memory is seeing the full moon hang over the ship's wake. What do you consider the aft facing cabins? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted August 3 #45 Share Posted August 3 2 minutes ago, Dave JS said: It appears the workers in my TA office don't want to get into all the Club Orange mechanics and just say not available. Call Ships Inventory yourself. Find qualifying stateroom(s) via a dummy booking on the HAL website, have your booking number and a deck plan at hand, as well as your credit card. Doesn't hurt to try. "Once a guest has booked their cruise, they or their travel advisor can add Club Orange by contacting Holland America Line Ship Inventory at 1-888-628-8107 or 206-626-7381." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave JS Posted August 3 #46 Share Posted August 3 2 minutes ago, Crew News said: Call Ships Inventory yourself. Find qualifying stateroom(s) via a dummy booking on the HAL website, have your booking number and a deck plan at hand, as well as your credit card. Doesn't hurt to try. "Once a guest has booked their cruise, they or their travel advisor can add Club Orange by contacting Holland America Line Ship Inventory at 1-888-628-8107 or 206-626-7381." I was able to book Club Orange via HAL PCC. My TA said that was not available. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare terrydtx Posted August 3 #47 Share Posted August 3 1 hour ago, Dave JS said: I was able to book Club Orange via HAL PCC. My TA said that was not available. If my TA told me that, she would no longer be my TA. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave JS Posted August 3 #48 Share Posted August 3 1 hour ago, terrydtx said: If my TA told me that, she would no longer be my TA. I do not do business with her any more. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Gail & Marty sailing away Posted August 3 #49 Share Posted August 3 5 hours ago, Dave JS said: It appears the workers in my TA office don't want to get into all the Club Orange mechanics and just say not available. Have it all plus and Club Orange makes the package competitive with some of the premium lines at 50 to 60 percent of the cost. That might be the problem. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobby3333 Posted August 3 #50 Share Posted August 3 We have been on the Rotterdam twice and had Club Orange. Great experience both times. We just got off the Sun Princess two weeks ago and had their suite dining room. It was nice and the service very good good but we preferred Club Orange dining on the Rotterdam. We are booked for July 2025 on the Rotterdam and have Club Orange. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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