Sanctuary on Crown Princess

[PrincessPete]

When we got up this morning we had no cruises booked and nothing was further from our mind, for obvious reasons.

Then a look at the paper showed an advert for Crown Princess Round Britain cruises next year and by mid-morning we had booked the 23 September 2021 sailing. Fingers are crossed, of course. Absolutely amazing prices and only £50pp deposit. The drinks, gratuities and WiFi package was also very reasonable and it is a definite plus having that. Although it is a very port intensive cruise we don't drink (alcohol) during the day so are not "missing out" by being off the ship during most of the days. The evenings are a different matter though 😊.

We have been on numerous Princess Cruises (the first was on "The Love Boat", Pacific Princess, back in 1988) and the last was a Far East cruise in 2013 on the Diamond Princess. On there we spent a few days in the Sanctuary on the top deck and enjoyed the privacy and space. Does anyone have any experience of The Sanctuary on the Crown? I guess it is the same or similar but wondered how fully booked it gets - we had to reserve a place many days in advance on the Diamond cruise. It really was a delightful way to spend a day at sea with great forward looking views as well.

Just asking out of interest - any other comments about the Crown would also be gratefully received. It will be our first cruise with the Ocean Medallion - know nothing about that so will have to do some reading up! Also our first Princess cruise from Southampton but living along the coast only 40 miles away now it could not be more convenient. Kind regards. Peter

Edited August 1, 2020 by PrincessPete
Spelling

[skynight]

"Just asking out of interest - any other comments about the Crown would also be gratefully received. It will be our first cruise with the Ocean Medallion - know nothing about that so will have to do some reading up!"

We were on the Crown in February 2020. The ship was in good condition. Didn't see any issues or areas that badly required repairs. It is a fully medallion class ship. New comfy beds. Great crew at the time. In hopes that a vaccine will bring the virus under control we are using our FCD's to book the Crown for February/March 2022, 29 days b2b. Hopefully we will sail.

 The Crown's layout is similar to P&O's Azura. If you have been on the Azura you should be able to find your way around the Crown. The medallion is basically a higher tech replacement for the cruise card. You scan it to enter and exit the ship and to purchase anything on the ship. It opens your cabin door as you approach. It allows you to locate your cruising partners on the ship and allows ship staff to locate you if necessary. Medallion Class is an optional app that you can load on a smart device. The app has many functions which you can use or not use, your choice.

I didn't use the Sanctuary but normally you have to go there in person on boarding day to reserve your days and select your lounge.

Edited August 1, 2020 by skynight

[Steelers36]

5 hours ago, PrincessPete said:

n there we spent a few days in the Sanctuary on the top deck and enjoyed the privacy and space. Does anyone have any experience of The Sanctuary on the Crown? I guess it is the same or similar but wondered how fully booked it gets - we had to reserve a place many days in advance on the Diamond cruise. It really was a delightful way to spend a day at sea with great forward looking views as well.

Popularity of The Sanctuary varies by itinerary and part of the world.  Out of PE, FL, for the Caribbean, you need to arrive early and get up there quickly to book.  Out of the UK, I would think not so much.  IMO, the CROWN/EMERALD/RUBY/CARIBBEAN ships have about the best The Sanctuary can offer.  Could be similar to what you had on Diamond as I would need to check location of the feature.  You can view the Deck plans to see the location, but it is forward.  Good mix of shade and sun zones - lots of shade zone.  One of the worst I have seen is on ISLAND where there is basically no shade at all and is aft.. 

 

[Travlin grrl]

I'm not sure if you are going north or south, but it seems if you are going south like the Mediterranean those sanctuary's book up faster. Sometimes they are easy but sometimes they are hard to get. I know once when I was doing Mexico which is not port intensive there was a line on embarkation day to reserve your chair. We had to book the chair where we wanted to sit and the days. Another time we didn't have to book our chair, just the time. Sometimes they sell out. I love when they serve "afternoon tea" in the sanctuary! Also I like to order of the fresh menu when I get there. I usually get their salted almonds and they have this avocado seafood thing. The portions are small which I love. And it's soooo quiet. Boy do I miss cruising.