Is it still very difficult to get a spot in the Sanctuary?

[Dreamer333]

I remember when Princess first introduced the Sanctuary, it was a madhouse to get in (people lining up at 5am, etc). Has the commotion died down at all, or is it pretty much the same?

[chrysalis]

I think that it very much depends on the ship, and especially on the itinerary. Probably hardly used on a north Atlantic journey, for example.

[Mom33]

On our last Regal Caribbean cruise in December, we booked 3 days in the Sanctuary with no line at 2:00pm on embarkation day.😎

[sandyoftheseas]

A little off subject but,  How much should I tip the Sanctuary stewards?  We will be on a 7 day cruise and plan to spend everyday in the Sanctuary. 

[Dreamer333]

21 minutes ago, chrysalis said:

I think that it very much depends on the ship, and especially on the itinerary. Probably hardly used on a north Atlantic journey, for example.

 

That is a good point. I'll be on the Ruby (Mexican Riviera).

[Dreamer333]

10 minutes ago, Mom33 said:

On our last Regal Caribbean cruise in December, we booked 3 days in the Sanctuary with no line at 2:00pm on embarkation day.😎

 

That's great! The last time I attempted (a few years ago) they had already all been snatched up by the B2B cruisers prior to the new passengers even getting onboard.

[Momma Rene]

We will be on the Grand Princess.  Wondering about the daily charge and if any days, like port days, are discounted.

[Coffeeluvr05]

The sanctuary pretty much sold out on the Grand when we were in Alaska. It’s also $60 per day per person on glacier bay day. Not worth it in my opinion. I don’t get the draw of the sanctuary. 

[Mom33]

36 minutes ago, Coffeeluvr05 said:

The sanctuary pretty much sold out on the Grand when we were in Alaska. It’s also $60 per day per person on glacier bay day. Not worth it in my opinion. I don’t get the draw of the sanctuary. 

 

The draw of the Sanctuary for us is the peace and quiet, the comfortable loungers that are assigned to us for the day, and the service. On the Royal and the Regal, the pool is just outside the Sanctuary. No need  to go down a deck. 

[Host CJSKIDS]

They are always sold out on the Caribbean sailings that I am on and there is always a line when I board.  You can see that some of the loungers are already purchased by b2b cruisers.

 

Mama Rene, the days are only discounted if you purchase a pass for the entire sailing.

 

$40 per day if by single day

$20 per half day

$30 per day if purchasing the entire voyage

[envy4u]

In warmer climate there will be more of a demand 

[Musky Ike]

Just got back from the Emerald to Hawaii. After many cruises on Princess we tried the sanctuary for the first time as we had lots of OBC. I never thought it worth the cost otherwise. There was no line an no problem getting a spot on embarkation. There was hardly anybody else using it when we were there or at other times I passed by.  While it was nice, I would not pay for it again. Just not enough value for the cost to us. To each their own.

[Dreamer333]

7 minutes ago, Musky Ike said:

Just got back from the Emerald to Hawaii. After many cruises on Princess we tried the sanctuary for the first time as we had lots of OBC. I never thought it worth the cost otherwise. There was no line an no problem getting a spot on embarkation. There was hardly anybody else using it when we were there or at other times I passed by.  While it was nice, I would not pay for it again. Just not enough value for the cost to us. To each their own.

 

I had a feeling that the mad rushes would die down after a few years. I'll give it a shot on my upcoming cruise.

[ne1travel]

2 hours ago, sandyoftheseas said:

A little off subject but,  How much should I tip the Sanctuary stewards?  We will be on a 7 day cruise and plan to spend everyday in the Sanctuary. 

Our last cruise we tipped $20 for the week.   You really don’t have to but they’ve always done a great job for us and appreciate everything they do.

[boltnut55]

It makes me crazy that I was on the Grand, got a massage, and just learned that I get an hour in the Sanctuary... and no one told me about it when I was there.  I asked for a tour, asked about what other services/perks came with spending money at the spa, etc.  If I knew about it, I might have booked.  I'll be back on the Grand in March for Mexico instead of Alaska.  Maybe I'll book a half day at embarkation...

Edited October 30, 2018 by boltnut55

[Seadog & Sea Hag]

Never seen more than 2 people in there 

[SargassoPirate]

17 hours ago, Coffeeluvr05 said:

 Not worth it in my opinion. I don’t get the draw of the sanctuary. 

 

Same here.  The best sanctuary for She Who Must Be Obeyed and me is the peace and quiet of our own balcony.

 

But then we don't do specialty dining or drink packages either.  We do, however, appreciate those who do go in for all of the up-charge features since they probably help keep the cost of our cruise down.      

 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

The nicer the weather the more it is used. On our last trip we booked 2 days but one day ended up being such bad weather we did want to be outside. I was surprised that they didn’t charge us as we had it prebooked. 

The cushions on the loungers are very comfy, the peace and quiet is great, they have a lovely menu of food only available there ($3 delivery charge, I’ve never had them charge me that more than once for an entire day), and they serve afternoon tea.  They will go to the grill and get you hamburgers or whatever you want and get your drinks from the bar. 

 

The pool is adult only.  It’s an entirely different world and one that I love. 

[compozer]

1. On numberous ta's we have used it the first three or four days before the weather would get too cool.   Hardly anyone else booked it.  Felt sorry for the staff - they had nothing much to do and lost out on their normal tips. 

[MrsKC08]

23 hours ago, Dreamer333 said:

 

That's great! The last time I attempted (a few years ago) they had already all been snatched up by the B2B cruisers prior to the new passengers even getting onboard.

This is one thing that really bothers me. They should only allow so many loungers to be reserved by B2B people because it isn't fair for those that haven't even boarded yet to get a chance to reserve.

[JF - retired RRT]

5 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

The nicer the weather the more it is used. On our last trip we booked 2 days but one day ended up being such bad weather we did want to be outside. I was surprised that they didn’t charge us as we had it pre-booked. 

The cushions on the loungers are very comfy, the peace and quiet is great, they have a lovely menu of food only available there ($3 delivery charge, I’ve never had them charge me that more than once for an entire day), and they serve afternoon tea.  They will go to the grill and get you hamburgers or whatever you want and get your drinks from the bar. 

 

The pool is adult only.  It’s an entirely different world and one that I love. 

For those who don't know...the pool is open to all adults, not just the Sanctuary.

[AF-1]

As I read this thread; I see the Sanctuary use varies from cruise to cruise.  For our Alaska cruise on Emerald;  rarely used;  I would walk by everyday just to see; and no one would be there.  But in the Caribbean I can see it being used more

[tea4ular]

I've not sailed on Princess, so I am clueless about The Sanctuary. Can someone provide details? It's an outdoor space? Not very appealing for an Alaska cruise? I'm booked for Alaska Sept 2019.

[riclop]

It's still difficult especially in the Caribbean.

[caribill]

8 hours ago, tea4ular said:

I've not sailed on Princess, so I am clueless about The Sanctuary. Can someone provide details? It's an outdoor space? Not very appealing for an Alaska cruise? I'm booked for Alaska Sept 2019.

 

See https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/onboard-experience/wellness/