Club Orange

[KAKcruiser]

Does anyone know when Club Orange will be added to the ships that don't already have them?

[SeaSharp]

I for one hope never.  

[3rdGenCunarder]

I don't think CO is worth $50 per day. And if/when it appears on other ships, I don't know where they will put it. If, as has been suggested on other threads, it will be a section of the MDR reserved just for CO passengers, that makes it worth even less. Because it's in the former ATK space on K and NS, it has cooking facilities right there, and so breakfasts were cooked to order--never had waffles arrive so hot before! I can't think of a space on the other classes of ships that could easily be converted to that. So if it's part of the MDR, it will be the same MDR food, not cooked "a la minute."

 

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

I can't think of a space on the other classes of ships that could easily be converted to that. So if it's part of the MDR, it will be the same MDR food, not cooked "a la minute."

 

The Tamarind would be perfect for a suites only lounge and dining.

[taxmantoo]

4 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

The Tamarind would be perfect for a suites only lounge and dining.

Not perfect if it prevents 90% of the passengers from enjoying that space without paying a surcharge. 🙄 And it is only on 4 ships.

[RocketMan275]

1 minute ago, taxmantoo said:

Not perfect if it prevents 90% of the passengers from enjoying that space without paying a surcharge. 🙄 And it is only on 4 ships.

You mean like the Neptune Lounge?

[Krazy Kruizers]

I certainly don't want to see HAL try to find a space on the other ships for Club Orange.

 

I don't like watching someone make my meals.

[taxmantoo]

1 minute ago, RocketMan275 said:

You mean like the Neptune Lounge?

No problem with the Neptune Lounge.  It is a space for those who book suites at a higher basic fare than other passengers and they are getting what they paid for without taking anything away from anybody else.

The Tamarind is now available to ALL guests regardless of type of stateroom.   Closing it down and only allowing entry to suite occupants or those willing to pay a surcharge would deprive the general population of a great space they currently have access to.  A backward step if you ask me.   

[RocketMan275]

Just now, taxmantoo said:

No problem with the Neptune Lounge.  It is a space for those who book suites at a higher basic fare than other passengers and they are getting what they paid for without taking anything away from anybody else.

The Tamarind is now available to ALL guests regardless of type of stateroom.   Closing it down and only allowing entry to suite occupants or those willing to pay a surcharge would deprive the general population of a great space they currently have access to.  A backward step if you ask me.   

The Tamarind is only available to those who are willing to pay for the experience so it isn't really available to all other passengers.  Making it a 'suites only' lounge and dining wouldn't change a thing.  Holland needs to upgrade the perks available to suites passengers.  Adding a suites only lounge and dining area would be one of the best ways to do so.   

 

So what do you think about roping off a portion of the MDR for Club Orange as Holland has indicated it will do?

[twodjs]

Can't believe I actually agree with ronbe65 on this one! Club Orange has been a rotten idea from to beginning. Bad for so many reason. It has to go away!

[Despegue]

Book a  Neptune suite for the extra space, NOT for getting access to private spaces like a class system! If you want that, go cruise X and their class society vessels or the Stiff Upper Lips at Cunard, but leave HAL to those who want a one class environment where every passenger has access to all facilities onboard (albeit with a surcharge for some items) and can enjoy the same, excellent service.

The neptune lounge is just a small, windowless space that does not remove space from other guests by the way.

[taxmantoo]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

So what do you think about roping off a portion of the MDR for Club Orange as Holland has indicated it will do?

If it takes away space now available to regular passengers, I am against it.  

Getting back to making Tamarind into Club Orange, only available on 4 ships, I would suggest to turn the much underutilized Gallery Bar (now on Vista ships and later)  into Club Orange.  I have never seen the Gallery Bar busy at anytime.  It is underutilized on most ships and as much a wasted space as the disco was.  It could be an ideal space for Club Orange.

[Caribbean Chris]

Perhaps HAL will create a small dining venue with private entrance using a portion of the MDR on one level as Celebrity did for their existing older ships when they created Blu and later Luminae. There were kitchen stations added at the time for those new rooms. There was a hue & cry, of course, by long-time X cruisers, but the process was fairly quick and now one would never know those venues weren’t purpose-built at the yard. It didn’t “take anything away” from other people. The suite passengers we’re already part of the head count and dining somewhere onboard anyway.

 

Club Orange has surprised me during our current Nieuw Statendam cruise as a better suite benefit than I expected. We were prepared to move to the MDR, but never did. This is a big ship (and quite different than HAL’s lovely small ships), so a smaller dining venue provides a lot of added value (much more than the Neptune Lounge space does IMHO).

 

Contrary to some early reports, the Club Orange tables have always been filled close to capacity at breakfast and dinner. It is hardly a ghost town. People are returning daily for both meals, an indication they are satisfied. The chef’s cooking station (not in my line of sight, but DH likes seeing what she is doing in there) is a welcome feature for nightly specials and freshly-cooked breakfast choices served hot.

 

The staff is very attentive, per HAL’s tradition, and often more professional than some I’ve seen elsewhere, such as in Celebrity’s Luminae. 

 

There’s a view of the sea through the frosted glass wall (even from the far wall), and the passers-by don’t have any impact. Now if they can carpet the room and switch out the chairs for something more comfortable, I think it will be a winner.

[retafcruiser]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

So what do you think about roping off a portion of the MDR for Club Orange as Holland has indicated it will do?

A very ill-conceived idea. The powers that be have completely lost sense of what to do with HAL. 

[Copper10-8]

13 minutes ago, Caribbean Chris said:

Perhaps HAL will create a small dining venue with private entrance using a portion of the MDR on one level as Celebrity did for their existing older ships when they created Blu and later Luminae. There were kitchen stations added at the time for those new rooms. There was a hue & cry, of course, by long-time X cruisers, but the process was fairly quick and now one would never know those venues weren’t purpose-built at the yard. It didn’t “take anything away” from other people. The suite passengers we’re already part of the head count and dining somewhere onboard anyway.

 

Club Orange has surprised me during our current Nieuw Statendam cruise as a better suite benefit than I expected. We were prepared to move to the MDR, but never did. This is a big ship (and quite different than HAL’s lovely small ships), so a smaller dining venue provides a lot of added value (much more than the Neptune Lounge space does IMHO).

 

Contrary to some early reports, the Club Orange tables have always been filled close to capacity at breakfast and dinner. It is hardly a ghost town. People are returning daily for both meals, an indication they are satisfied. The chef’s cooking station (not in my line of sight, but DH likes seeing what she is doing in there) is a welcome feature for nightly specials and freshly-cooked breakfast choices served hot.

 

The staff is very attentive, per HAL’s tradition, and often more professional than some I’ve seen elsewhere, such as in Celebrity’s Luminae. 

 

There’s a view of the sea through the frosted glass wall (even from the far wall), and the passers-by don’t have any impact. Now if they can carpet the room and switch out the chairs for something more comfortable, I think it will be a winner.

 

We had a similar positive experience as you are describing but on Koningsdam. We were told on embarkation day by the CO manager that we would be having dinner (plus breakfast) in his place and weren't happy at all with that kind of switch from a large table/2nd seating in the MDR without being advised beforehand. The place - Club Orange - grew on us however, and it wound up being a very positive experience incl. excellent, personal service and the same menus (plus a daily "special" - "Too early for cheeburger? Look! Cheeburger, cheeburger, cheeburger, cheeburger, cheeburger, cheeburger, cheeburger, cheeburger, Eh? No Coke, Pepsi!") as in the PG (breakfast) and MDR (dinner)

 

The Club Orange staff told us that HAL is planning to put CO in the remaining twelve (not incl P-dam) ships' MDR's by reserving a portion of those restaurants for that purpose, me thinks a la the Canaletto concept in the Lido Market. The jury is still out on that move and there will be those - as evidenced in this thread already - who will not think highly of that plan. My two cents on that move by HAL is that there are not going to be many folks who will spend $50 per person, per day, to break bread in a portion of the same MDR they can dine in for free on the same menu

[*Miss G*]

1 hour ago, taxmantoo said:

would suggest to turn the much underutilized Gallery Bar (now on Vista ships and later)  into Club Orange.  I have never seen the Gallery Bar busy at anytime.  It is underutilized on most ships and as much a wasted space as the disco was.  It could be an ideal space for Club Orange.

 

I love the Gallery Bar!  This area would be perfect for Club Orange.  Great suggestion.

 

As an aside, I loved my CO experience also.

[ski ww]

2 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

The Tamarind is only available to those who are willing to pay for the experience so it isn't really available to all other passengers.  Making it a 'suites only' lounge and dining wouldn't change a thing.  Holland needs to upgrade the perks available to suites passengers.  Adding a suites only lounge and dining area would be one of the best ways to do so.   

 

So what do you think about roping off a portion of the MDR for Club Orange as Holland has indicated it will do?

I think it's the worst idea HAL ever had if they go through with it.

[ski ww]

4 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

I don't think CO is worth $50 per day. And if/when it appears on other ships, I don't know where they will put it. If, as has been suggested on other threads, it will be a section of the MDR reserved just for CO passengers, that makes it worth even less. Because it's in the former ATK space on K and NS, it has cooking facilities right there, and so breakfasts were cooked to order--never had waffles arrive so hot before! I can't think of a space on the other classes of ships that could easily be converted to that. So if it's part of the MDR, it will be the same MDR food, not cooked "a la minute."

 

I've had hot waffles every time I ordered them, made fresh well I watched.

[3rdGenCunarder]

22 minutes ago, ski ww said:

I've had hot waffles every time I ordered them, made fresh well I watched.

 

Do you mean CO or the Lido? 

[Despegue]

Gallery Bar is a nice area and actually quite popular, once again, book a suite for the extra space, not service or private areas!

[3rdGenCunarder]

40 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

I love the Gallery Bar!  This area would be perfect for Club Orange.  Great suggestion.

 

As an aside, I loved my CO experience also.

 

How close is the Gallery Bar to a kitchen? If it can't share an existing cooking space, installing a new kitchen could be difficult, especially for ventillation.

 

[Copper10-8]

21 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

How close is the Gallery Bar to a kitchen? If it can't share an existing cooking space, installing a new kitchen could be difficult, especially for ventillation.

 

 

 

Duplicate

Edited April 12, 2019 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

Just now, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

It's not! The nearest galley is the MDR/PG galley aft plus they're not going to tear down a bar they just spent beaucoup bucks on converting from a disco

 

[RocketMan275]

12 minutes ago, Despegue said:

Gallery Bar is a nice area and actually quite popular, once again, book a suite for the extra space, not service or private areas!

Increased service and reserved areas are valid reason for booking suites.

Increased revenues are valid reasons for HAL to provide special perks for suites.