Complimentary Upgrade with Club Orange?

[msmayor]

Just got an offer to upgrade my booking on Eurodam to Club Orange - $25pp per day.  The amenities listed were:

 

• Priority check-in and disembarkation
• Priority line at Guest Services and Shore Excursions
• Priority access to specialty restaurant reservations
• Priority access to tenders
• Complimentary stateroom upgrade
• Dedicated Concierge hotline access
• Welcome glass of sparkling wine at dinner, embarkation day
• Premium bathrobes
• Club Orange key card
• Club Orange tote bag
• Premium in-room dining breakfast menu
• Priority seating in dining room for breakfast/dinner with expanded menu
• Special onboard event

 

I had read about most of these things, but this is the first I've seen "complimentary stateroom upgrade".  I'm already in a VB aft - I am guessing the only upgrade is a VA, but not sure I would want to move out of my deck 7 aft.  

 

 

[canadianbear]

You don’t have to take the cabin upgrade.  I’d love to book an aft but hubby doesn’t bode well in our one aft cabin we had unfortunately.

 

Are you going to take it or thinking about it?

[msmayor]

6 minutes ago, canadianbear said:

You don’t have to take the cabin upgrade.  I’d love to book an aft but hubby doesn’t bode well in our one aft cabin we had unfortunately.

 

Are you going to take it or thinking about it?

 

Just thinking now - It feels like a lot of money for those amenities.  It's almost as much as I paid for an upgrade to a Neptune on Zuiderdam a couple years ago and I felt like that was a lot of bang for the bucks.  Suites are all sold out on the ship so I know there won't be any upsells.

 

I'll sleep on it I guess and decide in the morning.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Accounts of upgrades so far say that the "upgrade" is to a better cabin location in the SAME LETTER category. How cheap is that?!?

[cruzn single]

I am ignoring the offer.  I like my cabin location, and don’t see anything that the “upgrade” would give me.  Maybe I am truly not very bright.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Just now, cruzn single said:

I am ignoring the offer.  I like my cabin location, and don’t see anything that the “upgrade” would give me.  Maybe I am truly not very bright.

 

Not you. I think it's the genius at HAL who came up with this plan who is not very bright.

[canadianbear]

58 minutes ago, msmayor said:

 

Just thinking now - It feels like a lot of money for those amenities.  It's almost as much as I paid for an upgrade to a Neptune on Zuiderdam a couple years ago and I felt like that was a lot of bang for the bucks.  Suites are all sold out on the ship so I know there won't be any upsells.

 

I'll sleep on it I guess and decide in the morning.

Yes I remember your upgrade on the Zuiderdam as we got the same offer.  I was taking my daughter on the cruise so didn’t take the offer.  

 

It’s a hard call for anyone that’s 4* or higher.  Good luck on your decision.  

[Gigi1977]

I just don’t see much benefit in Club Orange to 4*.  A few items on breakfast menu, a special line at desk, a bag??, a ‘special unnamed event’ . . . $50. pp per day . . .on a 10 day cruise that’s $500. pp for not a lot.  No thank you.  

[Krazy Kruizers]

8 hours ago, msmayor said:

 

Just thinking now - It feels like a lot of money for those amenities.  It's almost as much as I paid for an upgrade to a Neptune on Zuiderdam a couple years ago and I felt like that was a lot of bang for the bucks.  Suites are all sold out on the ship so I know there won't be any upsells.

 

I'll sleep on it I guess and decide in the morning.

 

Let us know what you decide.

[3rdGenCunarder]

8 hours ago, Gigi1977 said:

I just don’t see much benefit in Club Orange to 4*.  A few items on breakfast menu, a special line at desk, a bag??, a ‘special unnamed event’ . . . $50. pp per day . . .on a 10 day cruise that’s $500. pp for not a lot.  No thank you.  

 

It obviously didn't sell well at $50 pp pd because it's now $35 on the two Pinnacle class ships and $25 on the rest of the fleet.

[Riversedge]

I honestly can’t imagine why anyone would do Club Orange.  I wouldn’t use most of those things and I don’t need an orange card to label me as “special”.  My friend was offered it for $10.00 per day on her cruise and she declined. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

2 minutes ago, Riversedge said:

I honestly can’t imagine why anyone would do Club Orange.  I wouldn’t use most of those things and I don’t need an orange card to label me as “special”.  My friend was offered it for $10.00 per day on her cruise and she declined. 

 

Wow, $10 is a new low. It clearly isn't selling well. 

[zelker]

We are 4* and unless we were sailing on one of the ships with the dedicated Club Orange restaurant, there's no way I'd pay money for the CO program and I'd only do that because we enjoy a quieter dining experience and assume that's what we'd experience there.   

 

Edited to say that I just did the math and with our 50% specialty dining discount, we could eat lunch and dinner in a specialty dining restaurant every day for less than the cost of CO so it's unlikely we'd even consider it on a ship with the dedicated CO restaurant at $35 pp/day.

 

Silly program.  Suspect it will go away sooner than later.  

Edited October 4, 2019 by zelker

[3rdGenCunarder]

55 minutes ago, Riversedge said:

I honestly can’t imagine why anyone would do Club Orange.  I wouldn’t use most of those things and I don’t need an orange card to label me as “special”.  My friend was offered it for $10.00 per day on her cruise and she declined. 

 

How many cruises had your friend done with HAL? I wonder if HAL is looking at this as something new cruisers or cruisers new to HAL would go for--Oooh! Priority this and priority that! Sign me up!! Most of the people on this board who say they wouldn't bother with CO, including me, are 3 star or higher Mariners. 

 

Just a thought. Since HAL is committed to CO on the two Pinnacle ships, the program may not go away. It doesn't really cost HAL anything except the price of the special tote bag and a glass of wine, so even at $10 pp pd they're coming out ahead. 

Edited October 4, 2019 by 3rdGenCunarder

[AncientWanderer]

We are 4-star and have signed up for CO on two cruises.  My reason for doing this is that they are extremely long and port-intensive cruises.  I would cry Uncle at the end of the day and hit the Lido buffet and bed, but DH can always rally for the MDR.  Our hope is that the CO will enable us to quickly be seated for dinner and enjoy our quiet meal at the time of our choosing -- which will make us both happy.

 

  I would never pay for CO on a shorter or less strenuous cruise.  Zero value for us there.  

[Tyskie]

I have been reading many posts not only about CO but HAL in general.

 

Seriously considering it as we'll have no loyalty perks on our Amsterdam to Rome cruise next year as this with be our first time with HAL.

 

Priority embarkation and tendering would be nice along with the CO dining room.  If they offered it to us at $10pp/day I would jump on it!  Unfortunately, I don't think that would be realistic, lol

 

[msmayor]

Well, I heard back from my PCC to see what the 'complimentary upgrade' would be.

 

She told me it would be to a Spa Veranda and include all the extras that come along with that space,  plus all the Club Orange perks.

 

I've seen pictures of those spa stateroom balconies...I'd be giving up my larger than normal aft balcony for essentially a place to stand outside.  Hard pass on the 'free upgrade' which, IMO, is a huge downgrade.

 

I also realized that priority tendering, while a nice perk when two of the ports we stop at are tender ports, I remembered that in both of those places I have booked HAL excursions so I'm already going to get a tender spot at the appropriate time to make my tours. The ship is Eurodam, so no dedicated dining room for Club Orange.

 

The rest is stuff is nice, but I can live without.  My husband suggested we take the $550 into the casino and try to parlay it into another cruise!

 

So we'll pass on the offer.

Edited October 4, 2019 by msmayor

[canadianbear]

36 minutes ago, msmayor said:

Well, I heard back from my PCC to see what the 'complimentary upgrade' would be.

 

She told me it would be to a Spa Veranda and include all the extras that come along with that space,  plus all the Club Orange perks.

 

I've seen pictures of those spa stateroom balconies...I'd be giving up my larger than normal aft balcony for essentially a place to stand outside.  Hard pass on the 'free upgrade' which, IMO, is a huge downgrade.

 

I also realized that priority tendering, while a nice perk when two of the ports we stop at are tender ports, I remembered that in both of those places I have booked HAL excursions so I'm already going to get a tender spot at the appropriate time to make my tours. The ship is Eurodam, so no dedicated dining room for Club Orange.

 

The rest is stuff is nice, but I can live without.  My husband suggested we take the $550 into the casino and try to parlay it into another cruise!

 

So we'll pass on the offer.

I would not like the spa stateroom either.   I like the way your husband thinks, lol!

[AncientWanderer]

Spa verandah!?  Humpf!!  🤨

[3rdGenCunarder]

10 minutes ago, AncientWanderer said:

Spa verandah!?  Humpf!!  🤨

 

My reaction exactly!

[DaveOKC]

When I called on the Club Orange upsell offer, the upsell person told me that the category upgrade would be within the general category (Vista for example) we were already in.  Since I liked our cabin location better than the higher "rated" Vistas, I quickly passed on that. 

[Krazy Kruizers]

20 hours ago, msmayor said:

Well, I heard back from my PCC to see what the 'complimentary upgrade' would be.

 

She told me it would be to a Spa Veranda and include all the extras that come along with that space,  plus all the Club Orange perks.

 

I've seen pictures of those spa stateroom balconies...I'd be giving up my larger than normal aft balcony for essentially a place to stand outside.  Hard pass on the 'free upgrade' which, IMO, is a huge downgrade.

 

I also realized that priority tendering, while a nice perk when two of the ports we stop at are tender ports, I remembered that in both of those places I have booked HAL excursions so I'm already going to get a tender spot at the appropriate time to make my tours. The ship is Eurodam, so no dedicated dining room for Club Orange.

 

The rest is stuff is nice, but I can live without.  My husband suggested we take the $550 into the casino and try to parlay it into another cruise!

 

So we'll pass on the offer.

 

Thank you for responding back.

 

Definitely would not like the spa cabin.

 

Your husband's idea of what to do with the $550 is a great one.  Hope you win big.

[sevenseasnomad]

On 10/4/2019 at 9:45 AM, Riversedge said:

I honestly can’t imagine why anyone would do Club Orange.  I wouldn’t use most of those things and I don’t need an orange card to label me as “special”.  My friend was offered it for $10.00 per day on her cruise and she declined. 

I once agreed with you.  As a 4* Mariner, I asked why anyone would pay for CO, and I swore I'd never purchase it. 

 

We're cruising New Year's on Nieuw Statendam.  A large group has reserved the entire upper level MDR for early fixed seating.  Since this is the seating we normally use, we were told we could eat downstairs.  If a disability were not involved, that option would be okay, but because of the disability, we need first seating (same table, relatively quiet area without a lot of passengers/waiters walking by).  

 

None of us wanted the hassle of making a reservation or hoping we'd be allowed to dine at the same time or sit at the same table each night in the lower dining room.  After some discussion with HAL about accommodations, we opted for CO as the best way to solve our particular problem.  We were given a discount.  Now, we're eager to try CO, particularly after reading some of the reviews about Nieuw Statendam's CO.  

 

We were likewise offered an "upgrade", which I quickly rejected because, while the cabin was the same size, the balcony was a decided downgrade, not even half as large as the balcony we have now.  The HAL agent agreed with me, telling me that the cabin offer wasn't a deal at all.

 

We'll reserve judgement on whether CO is a good deal for us after we try it.  Stay tuned. . . 

[LMHSRN]

On 10/4/2019 at 11:54 AM, Tyskie said:

I have been reading many posts not only about CO but HAL in general.

 

Seriously considering it as we'll have no loyalty perks on our Amsterdam to Rome cruise next year as this with be our first time with HAL.

 

Priority embarkation and tendering would be nice along with the CO dining room.  If they offered it to us at $10pp/day I would jump on it!  Unfortunately, I don't think that would be realistic, lol

 

No priority embarkation, it's "Priority check-in"