Question about The Sanctuary

[RNRcruisers]

35 minutes ago, Froufie said:

As asked above can you wander about freely during the transit and take pics wherever?  Did you book for morning only?  (can you?) or better to do all day?

 

We did this last month on the Caribbean. It was for all day, I don't think a partial day was available but not positive. Yes you can wander around for that day. A normal day in the Sanctuary you have chosen spots and pretty much stay there but for the Canal day everyone was walking around checking out different views. For me, the biggest disadvantage was the tinted windows. I would rather see it without the glass but it was great to see it without the crowds at the front of the ship. Later I did go out and view from other spots.

 

Here are a few pics from that day. The first is the view below us. The second was the view behind and above us. The third is from the Sanctuary.

[dides]

14 minutes ago, lx200gps said:

The Sanctuary is usually booked IMMEDIATELY upon boarding, and the best loungers are snapped up very quickly. Yes, you actually reserve your specific lounger for the period you are reserving, and it's yours, no one else can use it while you have it booked. IOW it's not a free-for-all like the pool deck.  When booking, you will "...wander about.." as the Sanctuary manager shows you the remaining available loungers from his/her list.

 

They have an old-skool planner which they colour in and add booking notes on for each day of the cruise. I grabbed a pic of one from Enchanted Princess last year:

 

Edited March 15, 2023 by dides

[lx200gps]

1 hour ago, dides said:

They have an old-skool planner which they colour in and add booking notes on for each day of the cruise. I grabbed a pic of one from Enchanted Princess last year:

 

Exactly right, that's the one I remember from the Enchanted last September. It makes it pretty obvious how bad the current layout is, with that hot tub and those "sofas" taking up valuable real estate that could be used for more loungers. All the more so given that the area they occupy is prime shade area, while the loungers on the outsides are often in sun.

[ghgeckos]

On 3/13/2023 at 9:06 PM, cruisingcasual said:

 

Do you recall the price on these?  We are sailing on Regal soon and this looks like something we might try.

Yes, They were $80 a day back in October. 

[trbarton]

14 hours ago, Froufie said:

What did you mean by 'my mistake not going there ASAP, once on the ship as some of the 'best ones' were already taken'?

 

Do you mean spots?  Loungers?  When you 'reserve' the Sanctuary do you need to pick a lounger/spot?  or can you  wander about and/or pick and choose where you want to sit/stand once there?

 

Yes, The loungers are first come first served & require a reservation any day that you want to go & that’s why you go there first  so when I went there later the best ones, not in the sun were already reserved. Mine was in the sun & too hot to sit there for very long. There were other places to sit that weren’t loungers. On the Canal day every lounger was reserved. 

From my experience, if I wanted a lounger in the Sanctuary, I would arrive for check in as soon as I could be let into the terminal & since I’m Elite, hopefully I would be in the 1st group to board, & be able find the most direct way to get to the Sanctuary as other people have mentioned the best loungers can go very quickly. 
 

Hope that this helps. 
 

Tom😀

Edited March 16, 2023 by trbarton

[Perky1]

On 3/15/2023 at 1:09 PM, ghgeckos said:

Yes, They were $80 a day back in October. 

Is that the cost of 1 lounger for the day? $80. @ghgeckos

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, Perky1 said:

Is that the cost of 1 lounger for the day? $80. @ghgeckos

No.  The poster must have been thinking as a couple.  Loungers are $40/day.  $20/half-day.  Higher charges for Panama Canal and Glacier Bay.

[FrankieJayIII]

I guess this is where I should post this...   Alaska Glacier Bay-  Sanctuary... yes or no? 

[Perky1]

Thank you @Steelers36

[helovestrains]

We will be on the Sky Princess latter part of August on a Norwegian Fjords cruise.  Would we be better off viewing the fjords from the Sanctuary or our balcony? 

[ghgeckos]

14 hours ago, Perky1 said:

Is that the cost of 1 lounger for the day? $80. @ghgeckos

The cabana with 2 loungers next to the retreat pool was $80 a day. We had all the perks of the Sanctuary but were poolside by the Retreat pool on the Regal.