Cost to eat at Club Orange and breakfast at Pinnacle when booked in SA Neptune Suite

[cathydev]

Just booked a Neptune suite on Koningsdam for June 2023.  In reviewing the perks we get priority access to Club Orange private dining venue and breakfast in the pinnacle grill (which is in Club Orange for Koningsdam) my question is do we pay for these meals?  We booked through Costco and the promo gives us a few perks such as one night in a specialty restaurant.  Is Club Orange considered a specialty restaurant with a fee to dine or since our booking is SA category is it free of charge to dine at Club Orange?

 

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[VMax1700]

No payment.  They are included in the cost of the Neptune suite

[DaveOKC]

3 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

No payment.  They are included in the cost of the Neptune suite

Unless you select an optional item such as lobster, where you pay extra for.

 

[twodjs]

A bit of a misunderstanding, since Pinnacle Grille is a specailty reataurant. Club Orange is a venue on a different deck and is reserved for only Suite guests and those who pay extra for Club Orange privileges.  

[cathydev]

Thank you @DaveOKC  and @VMax1700 for answering my question.  Have either of you had experience at Club Orange?  How is it better or different from other specialty dining restaurants?

[VMax1700]

17 minutes ago, cathydev said:

Thank you @DaveOKC  and @VMax1700 for answering my question.  Have either of you had experience at Club Orange?  How is it better or different from other specialty dining restaurants?

I have no experience of it, but need to clarify that Club Orange is not a speciality dining venue.  On Koningsdam (and other Pinnacle class ships i.e. Nieuw Statendam and Rotterdam) it is a dining location that is available to Neptune/Pinnacle suite guests plus guests in other staterooms who purchase the Club Orange upgrade.  So, not everyone in the Club Orange dinning location will be in a Suite.

Breakfast is served there and dinner.  The dinner is basically the same as MDR plus an extra entree that is not available to others.

The other benefits of Club Orange relate to priority boarding - which you would have in a Neptune Suite and priority tender in event of a port that requires a tender.

 

[roxybear135]

35 minutes ago, cathydev said:

Thank you @DaveOKC  and @VMax1700 for answering my question.  Have either of you had experience at Club Orange?  How is it better or different from other specialty dining restaurants?

We have had Club Orange on both the Koningsdam in December 2021 and the Nieuw Statendam in June/July 2022.  On these ships, it's a separate dining room that's only available to people who have Club Orange access either through their suite booking or if they've purchased an upgrade to Club Orange.  It's only open for breakfast and dinner.  We liked it because there was never a wait for a table, the staff got to know you and your preferences, and sometimes the special entree at dinner time was great.  You get the same selections as the MDR except mimosas are complimentary at breakfast and there's an extra entree option at dinner.  Our experience at Club Orange on the Koningsdam wasn't the best (the cruise was very crowded because it was a holiday cruise and they seemed to be short staffed) but was absolutely fantastic on Nieuw Statendam.

[vicd1969]

1 hour ago, cathydev said:

Thank you @DaveOKC  and @VMax1700 for answering my question.  Have either of you had experience at Club Orange?  How is it better or different from other specialty dining restaurants?

As others have said, the menu is technically the same as the regular MDR with an additional entree and appetizer choice that's prepared by the chef onsite in the restaurant. But dinner tends to be served warmer and the wait staff are more accommodating to special requests. Frankly, we found the service to be better than that in the Pinnacle Grille on our Rotterdam sailing. Since you tend to have the same waiter for both breakfast and dinner, you establish a closer and warmer relationship as they get to know your preferences. In the specialty restaurants, unless you are a frequent diner at the place, you won't have the same connection. My nephew and sister couldn't stop raving about our Club Orange waiter after our cruise.

[cathydev]

Thanks everyone!  This is a splurge for us to be in a Neptune Suite.  HAL has special memories for us so we are really looking forward to the trip.... in 290 days!

[DaveOKC]

1 hour ago, vicd1969 said:

As others have said, the menu is technically the same as the regular MDR with an additional entree and appetizer choice that's prepared by the chef onsite in the restaurant. But dinner tends to be served warmer and the wait staff are more accommodating to special requests. Frankly, we found the service to be better than that in the Pinnacle Grille on our Rotterdam sailing. Since you tend to have the same waiter for both breakfast and dinner, you establish a closer and warmer relationship as they get to know your preferences. In the specialty restaurants, unless you are a frequent diner at the place, you won't have the same connection. My nephew and sister couldn't stop raving about our Club Orange waiter after our cruise.

Ditto this and adding that it is alot quieter, which is good for my hearing problems.

 

[willoL]

Also a Nieuw Statendam experience, so maybe that ship is exceptional (because I'm agreeing with @roxybear135), but, this month, the Club Orange specials were some of the favorite dinner entrees we had. We never paid for any of the up-charge items like lobster, either. The veal chop over mushroom risotto on our final evening was simply fantastic.

 

My son also felt the hot chocolate in C.O. was the best on the ship. I think we can safely assume he tried every version of hot chocolate available, from Lido packets to steamed milk at the Grand Dutch Cafe... ☕ 😁

 

Room service toast was cold all but once, but you got warm toast (with spreadable butter) in Club Orange. Service there was also excellent; better than my one paid dinner each at the Pinnacle Grill or Canaletto and equal to Tamarind. I liked having the same waiter most of the time in C.O., like the dining room, but in a more intimate setting. (Yet I still felt there was more space between tables than in the Dining Room, because I remain COVID cautious.)