The verdict is in.... Ripples and orange peel both stink.

Ripples are easier to remove from a flat panel but have proven difficult on curved surfaces, where a firm block cannot be used. Unlike orange peel, it needs to be completely removed to look presentable. Orange peel is a bit more tedious, but you can stop sanding once you've arrived at a satisfactory smoothness.

I'll try the foam pad trick on a flat test panel to see how it performs against ripples. If it doesn't work, the most practical solution is to use the roll-and-tip method on flat panels, roller-only method on the curved panels.

Back to the drawing board...