Sun Princess Signature Benefits and Experiences

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

10 hours ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

I usually don't do this, but I recently shared a comparison between MSC's Yacht Club and Celebrity's Retreat that seems particularly relevant here that may be helpful.

 

No pressure to watch, but figured it may be right up your alley!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UddrB3qfv2U

 

Sorry, you can’t use the Equinox as a comparison. It’s an un-revolutionized ship. Those ships are SO out dated. 
 

I will NEVER cruise on a ship with a go-cart race track on it. It took me exactly 3 minutes of research to never step foot on an MSC ship. I’ll stick with X. 
 

But the point of this thread is that Princess is dropping the ball on the suite experience once again. 
 

And the other point is that there are lots of different choices for all of us to enjoy the cruise that we love. 

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

12 minutes ago, Sox Fan Cruiser said:

Sorry, you can’t use the Equinox as a comparison. It’s an un-revolutionized ship. Those ships are SO out dated. 
 

I will NEVER cruise on a ship with a go-cart race track on it. It took me exactly 3 minutes of research to never step foot on an MSC ship. I’ll stick with X. 
 

But the point of this thread is that Princess is dropping the ball on the suite experience once again. 
 

And the other point is that there are lots of different choices for all of us to enjoy the cruise that we love. 

We are sailing in the Retreat on the Apex in November and I'll update following that, but I think it's a fair comparison given the price was 30% higher on the Equinox vs the YC.

 

We love Celebrity but I don't have any bias in my reviews and based on that comparison, the YC was the runaway winner. The things you're seemingly holding against the YC are not even a part of the YC experience (there aren't any go-karts in the YC)... If you can ever get past your own biases you may find yourself pleasantly surprised at just how great the YC can be. 

 

And for what it's worth, many of the things the YC won on were unrelated to the ship (service and amenities like the Thermal Spa not being included in the Retreat).

 

---

 

With all that said - I'm not trying to convince you or anybody else to change your loyalties, but it was relevant to the conversation you were having so I shared it (and others appreciated it).

 

We'll be in a Vista Suite on the Sun Princess the week after we are on the Apex so I'll have a great comparison with the Sanctuary on Princess as well.

 

You can look at my signature below and see... We have no brand loyalty, we love cruising and find things to enjoy about every cruise line and I do my best to always be objective when sharing our experiences.

Edited August 16 by FamilyAtSea.travel

[cricketts]

3 hours ago, Sox Fan Cruiser said:

Sorry, you can’t use the Equinox as a comparison. It’s an un-revolutionized ship. Those ships are SO out dated. 
 

 

I agree that comparing an S Class Celebrity ship to a new MSC ship is not a fair comparison...

However, Equinox has been "revolutionized". We were on her 1st sailing after the dry dock. They were forced to leave off the hot tubs due to time constraints (that's a long story involving a shipyard issue). Luminae is wonderful and the lounge is lovely. The sundeck is quite nice and the service is excellent.

The Retreat was designed for the Edge Class and the M and S class suite experience is not a fair comparison!

[cricketts]

3 hours ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

We'll be in a Vista Suite on the Sun Princess the week after we are on the Apex so I'll have a great comparison with the Sanctuary on Princess as well.

 

 

A worthwhile comparison for sure. 🙂 

However, recognize that Princess is making revisions in October to the dining area for suites. And, there were changes made on Celebrity to the Edge experience on the newer ships after Apex (more passengers and suites) - I'll know more next week after our cruise on Beyond!

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

5 hours ago, cricketts said:

I agree that comparing an S Class Celebrity ship to a new MSC ship is not a fair comparison...

However, Equinox has been "revolutionized". We were on her 1st sailing after the dry dock. They were forced to leave off the hot tubs due to time constraints (that's a long story involving a shipyard issue). Luminae is wonderful and the lounge is lovely. The sundeck is quite nice and the service is excellent.

The Retreat was designed for the Edge Class and the M and S class suite experience is not a fair comparison!

Yeah, my bad. I can’t keep track of the X line. I know everything about every Princess ship but still get confused with Celebrity. 

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

5 hours ago, cricketts said:

I agree that comparing an S Class Celebrity ship to a new MSC ship is not a fair comparison...

However, Equinox has been "revolutionized". We were on her 1st sailing after the dry dock. They were forced to leave off the hot tubs due to time constraints (that's a long story involving a shipyard issue). Luminae is wonderful and the lounge is lovely. The sundeck is quite nice and the service is excellent.

The Retreat was designed for the Edge Class and the M and S class suite experience is not a fair comparison!

My feeling there is if Celebrity doesn't want them to be compared, then they shouldn't charge the premium they do for it. 

 

When the Retreat on the Equinox costs 30% more than the YC, I think that makes it a fair and reasonable comparison.

 

Much of it was unrelated to the ship as well. As an example, the Retreat Director (or whatever the title was) was never present and never took the time to introduce themselves. On MSC, the YC Director plays an important role in the experience finding time every day to talk with YC guests and finding ways to make their experience special.

 

I also think they should swap locations of Blu and Luminae on the Equinox. Blu was not only a significantly nicer venue with beautiful and expansive views, it's also in close proximity to the Retreat Lounge. 

 

As is - I wouldn't pay for the Retreat on an S-class ship again... Aqua-class is good enough at a significant savings (though I won't go into the disaster the Persian Garden on the Equinox is... Worst thermal spa we've ever experienced, they really need to fix things in there and clean it up).

 

With all of that said, we had a fantastic sailing on the Equinox, it just had nothing to do with it being in the Retreat. We'd happily sail on it again outside the Retreat. 

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

5 hours ago, cricketts said:

A worthwhile comparison for sure. 🙂 

However, recognize that Princess is making revisions in October to the dining area for suites. And, there were changes made on Celebrity to the Edge experience on the newer ships after Apex (more passengers and suites) - I'll know more next week after our cruise on Beyond!

Everything I've read about the Retreat from X fans is that the Retreat on the Apex/Edge is quite a bit better than the Ascent/Beyond as it's a bit smaller and way less crowded as there are less Retreat guests. 

 

We are doing these sailings in November so it will be with whatever the most updated changes on the Sun Princess are (though it seems like they'll be negative changes based on what we've all read in this thread).

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

5 hours ago, cricketts said:

I agree that comparing an S Class Celebrity ship to a new MSC ship is not a fair comparison...

However, Equinox has been "revolutionized". We were on her 1st sailing after the dry dock. They were forced to leave off the hot tubs due to time constraints (that's a long story involving a shipyard issue). Luminae is wonderful and the lounge is lovely. The sundeck is quite nice and the service is excellent.

The Retreat was designed for the Edge Class and the M and S class suite experience is not a fair comparison!

Also - would you mind sharing more about why they didn't add the hot tubs?

 

I really thought they were going to at a bar to the sundeck because they were pictures on the celebrity website when reserving the retreat on the Equinox that should have bar up there... I don't know if that was just false advertising or if something happened with adding a bar as well.

[vjmatty]

10 hours ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

We are sailing in the Retreat on the Apex in November and I'll update following that, but I think it's a fair comparison given the price was 30% higher on the Equinox vs the YC.

 

We love Celebrity but I don't have any bias in my reviews and based on that comparison, the YC was the runaway winner. The things you're seemingly holding against the YC are not even a part of the YC experience (there aren't any go-karts in the YC)... If you can ever get past your own biases you may find yourself pleasantly surprised at just how great the YC can be. 

 

And for what it's worth, many of the things the YC won on were unrelated to the ship (service and amenities like the Thermal Spa not being included in the Retreat).

 

---

 

With all that said - I'm not trying to convince you or anybody else to change your loyalties, but it was relevant to the conversation you were having so I shared it (and others appreciated it).

 

We'll be in a Vista Suite on the Sun Princess the week after we are on the Apex so I'll have a great comparison with the Sanctuary on Princess as well.

 

You can look at my signature below and see... We have no brand loyalty, we love cruising and find things to enjoy about every cruise line and I do my best to always be objective when sharing our experiences.

I’ve never understood the whole “if a ship has a such and such I’ll never set foot on that ship” mentality. People say that about something minor, like a rock climbing wall.  RC’s Enchantment, one of the smallest ships, has one but you’d never know it as it’s in the back and can’t even be seen from the aft balconies.  Most passengers avoid ships because what they don’t have.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of water parks on deck, especially near the pool area as Carnival ships all seem to have now, but if you’re doing ship within a ship I think the attractions you aren’t interested in are easily avoided.  I myself can’t stand casinos, bingo, or art auctions but even the most refined ships will have them so I’m out of luck 🤷🏻‍♀️

[vjmatty]

2 hours ago, Sox Fan Cruiser said:

Yeah, my bad. I can’t keep track of the X line. I know everything about every Princess ship but still get confused with Celebrity. 

Same here. And I still can’t find my way around S class lol

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

5 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

I’ve never understood the whole “if a ship has a such and such I’ll never set foot on that ship” mentality. People say that about something minor, like a rock climbing wall.  RC’s Enchantment, one of the smallest ships, has one but you’d never know it as it’s in the back and can’t even be seen from the aft balconies.  Most passengers avoid ships because what they don’t have.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of water parks on deck, especially near the pool area as Carnival ships all seem to have now, but if you’re doing ship within a ship I think the attractions you aren’t interested in are easily avoided.  I myself can’t stand casinos, bingo, or art auctions but even the most refined ships will have them so I’m out of luck 🤷🏻‍♀️

Well said and I completely agree!

[trulaker9]

This thread has gone off the rails from its original intent.  Can we please keep the posts specific to the topic and not talk about other cruise lines/ships.  I understand why it happened at first, but can we please refocus.

[chamima]

25 minutes ago, trulaker9 said:

This thread has gone off the rails from its original intent.  Can we please keep the posts specific to the topic and not talk about other cruise lines/ships.  I understand why it happened at first, but can we please refocus.

 

 

OK - so original topic is Sun Princess Signature benefits.

We booked the Sun for a New Years cruise in a Signature Mini Suite, which , by then, will be a Sanctuary mini suite. I got this from Princess today. We have the Plus package, which is enough for us.

I've already contacted our TA and she said to just ignore it . But the missteps on this ship just continue to happen. We've been sailing with Princess for about 50 years and have NEVER seen this incompetence before.

 

EDIT: I do have one question. Will ALL of the mini suites now be aavailable to upgrade to Sanctuary? I imagine a nightmare scenario of crowds in the dining room and the Sanctuary pool area. ??????

 

Dear Karen, We are excited to welcome you on your Caribbean sailing on Sun Princess on 12/28/2024. Take this opportunity to be one of the first to experience our new Sanctuary CollectionSM at a special limited time rate. For one week only, you have an exclusive chance to upgrade your Mini-Suite to our premium Sanctuary Collection experience for an additional $138/day per person - a value of 16% off off the current price. That's not all, included in this price is our all-inclusive Princess Premier package! Transform your Mini-Suite stateroom with the Sanctuary upgrade and enjoy exclusive benefits only the Sanctuary gives you access to: The Sanctuary Club, an adult-only, top-deck retreat with a pool and private cabanas available for reservation A private restaurant offering a custom chef's menu – no reservations required Exclusive wellness activities and special events   With your Sanctuary experience, you will also enjoy our highest all-inclusive Princess Premier® package – a value of $90 per day! In addition to all Plus package perks, Premier benefits include: Our fastest MedallionNet Max Wi-Fi for up to 4 devices Unlimited Premier beverages: Top-shelf spirits, specialty coffee, and juice bar Included gratuities: $17 per day Unlimited digital photos (with up to 3 prints) – $89 value Unlimited specialty and casual dining Included reserved theater seating (production shows only) Chances to win prizes like wine tasting, onboard credit and more — simply by opening your stateroom door For the full list of benefits, click here   To upgrade, call 1-888-602-1647 and mention your personal code to unlock this special deal: Offer expires: August 23, 2024 at 7pm ET – 1 week from today. Click on the link  to learn more. Secure your Sanctuary Collection experience now – this exclusive offering is limited. Upgrades are subject to availability and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to join us in the Sanctuary, where it’s always zen

Edited August 16 by chamima

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

2 minutes ago, chamima said:

 

 

OK - so original topic is Sun Princess Signature benefits.

We booked the Sun for a New Years cruise in a Signature Mini Suite, which , by then, will be a Sanctuary mini suite. I got this from Princess today. We have the Plus package, which is enough for us.

I've already contacted our TA and she said to just ignore it . But the missteps on this ship just continue to happen. We've been sailing with Princess for about 50 years and have NEVER seen this incompetence before.

Dear Karen, We are excited to welcome you on your Caribbean sailing on Sun Princess on 12/28/2024. Take this opportunity to be one of the first to experience our new Sanctuary CollectionSM at a special limited time rate. For one week only, you have an exclusive chance to upgrade your Mini-Suite to our premium Sanctuary Collection experience for an additional $138/day per person - a value of 16% off off the current price. That's not all, included in this price is our all-inclusive Princess Premier package! Transform your Mini-Suite stateroom with the Sanctuary upgrade and enjoy exclusive benefits only the Sanctuary gives you access to: The Sanctuary Club, an adult-only, top-deck retreat with a pool and private cabanas available for reservation A private restaurant offering a custom chef's menu – no reservations required Exclusive wellness activities and special events   With your Sanctuary experience, you will also enjoy our highest all-inclusive Princess Premier® package – a value of $90 per day! In addition to all Plus package perks, Premier benefits include: Our fastest MedallionNet Max Wi-Fi for up to 4 devices Unlimited Premier beverages: Top-shelf spirits, specialty coffee, and juice bar Included gratuities: $17 per day Unlimited digital photos (with up to 3 prints) – $89 value Unlimited specialty and casual dining Included reserved theater seating (production shows only) Chances to win prizes like wine tasting, onboard credit and more — simply by opening your stateroom door For the full list of benefits, click here   To upgrade, call 1-888-602-1647 and mention your personal code to unlock this special deal: Offer expires: August 23, 2024 at 7pm ET – 1 week from today. Click on the link  to learn more. Secure your Sanctuary Collection experience now – this exclusive offering is limited. Upgrades are subject to availability and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to join us in the Sanctuary, where it’s always zen

Is the issue here that mini suites already get all of these things? 

 

I'm not sure what amenities mini suites get vs full suites. 

[chamima]

Just now, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

Is the issue here that mini suites already get all of these things? 

 

I'm not sure what amenities mini suites get vs full suites. 

 

No, in the past (as I'm not sure of what they're doing now) only the mini suites designated as Reserve (now Sanctuary) got them (and paid a premium over other mini suites).

 

[trulaker9]

3 minutes ago, chamima said:

 

 

OK - so original topic is Sun Princess Signature benefits.

We booked the Sun for a New Years cruise in a Signature Mini Suite, which , by then, will be a Sanctuary mini suite. I got this from Princess today. We have the Plus package, which is enough for us.

I've already contacted our TA and she said to just ignore it . But the missteps on this ship just continue to happen. We've been sailing with Princess for about 50 years and have NEVER seen this incompetence before.

Dear Karen, We are excited to welcome you on your Caribbean sailing on Sun Princess on 12/28/2024. Take this opportunity to be one of the first to experience our new Sanctuary CollectionSM at a special limited time rate. For one week only, you have an exclusive chance to upgrade your Mini-Suite to our premium Sanctuary Collection experience for an additional $138/day per person - a value of 16% off off the current price. That's not all, included in this price is our all-inclusive Princess Premier package! Transform your Mini-Suite stateroom with the Sanctuary upgrade and enjoy exclusive benefits only the Sanctuary gives you access to: The Sanctuary Club, an adult-only, top-deck retreat with a pool and private cabanas available for reservation A private restaurant offering a custom chef's menu – no reservations required Exclusive wellness activities and special events   With your Sanctuary experience, you will also enjoy our highest all-inclusive Princess Premier® package – a value of $90 per day! In addition to all Plus package perks, Premier benefits include: Our fastest MedallionNet Max Wi-Fi for up to 4 devices Unlimited Premier beverages: Top-shelf spirits, specialty coffee, and juice bar Included gratuities: $17 per day Unlimited digital photos (with up to 3 prints) – $89 value Unlimited specialty and casual dining Included reserved theater seating (production shows only) Chances to win prizes like wine tasting, onboard credit and more — simply by opening your stateroom door For the full list of benefits, click here   To upgrade, call 1-888-602-1647 and mention your personal code to unlock this special deal: Offer expires: August 23, 2024 at 7pm ET – 1 week from today. Click on the link  to learn more. Secure your Sanctuary Collection experience now – this exclusive offering is limited. Upgrades are subject to availability and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to join us in the Sanctuary, where it’s always zen

Genuinely curious question, are you saying you expected those benefits as a part of your mini-suite package?  I was just on the Sun Princess in a Signature Suite and these were the benefits minus the Premier Package (I had the Plus package) available to suite guests.  Mini-Suite guests did not have access to the  Siganature Restaurant, the Signature Lounge, or the Sanctuary Deck Area on my sailing.

[trulaker9]

2 minutes ago, chamima said:

 

No, in the past (as I'm not sure of what they're doing now) only the mini suites designated as Reserve (now Sanctuary) got them (and paid a premium over other mini suites).

 

On our sailing mini-suite guests had the Reserve Restaurant instead of the MDR option, and like I stated, full suite guests had the Signature restaurant. 

[chamima]

7 minutes ago, trulaker9 said:

Genuinely curious question, are you saying you expected those benefits as a part of your mini-suite package?  I was just on the Sun Princess in a Signature Suite and these were the benefits minus the Premier Package (I had the Plus package) available to suite guests.  Mini-Suite guests did not have access to the  Siganature Restaurant, the Signature Lounge, or the Sanctuary Deck Area on my sailing.

 

As I said, we booked a Signature Mini-suite , and paid a significant premium over a regular mini suite.

(The designation has changed from Club Class to Reserve, to Signature to Sanctuary. )

This is not a new category of cabin. It's been around for years.

Edited August 16 by chamima

[dog]

1 minute ago, chamima said:

 

As I said, we booked a Signature Mini-suite , and paid a significant premium over a regular mini suite.

This is not a new category of cabin. It's been around for years.

Is it a S9?

 

or D0-aft?

[chamima]

Just now, dog said:

Is it a S9?

 

or D0-aft?

M2

[trulaker9]

I understand.  I was simply stating what I observed on my sailing.  Were the Signature mini-suite benefits explained up front and this is now a bait and switch?

[chamima]

1 minute ago, trulaker9 said:

I understand.  I was simply stating what I observed on my sailing.  Were the Signature mini-suite benefits explained up front and this is now a bait and switch?

 

No, according to our TA we still get everything we expected.

This is either an attempted money grab (to fool us into thinking we have to pay extra) or just a huge mistaken email.

Either way I'm disappointed in Princess.

[dog]

2 minutes ago, trulaker9 said:

I understand.  I was simply stating what I observed on my sailing.  Were the Signature mini-suite benefits explained up front and this is now a bait and switch?

Announcements were made many months after  many of us booked.

The reserve cabana mini suites and D0-aft were included in Sanctuary collection. As of October 14/24.

[CalTexCruiser]

1 hour ago, chamima said:

 

 

OK - so original topic is Sun Princess Signature benefits.

We booked the Sun for a New Years cruise in a Signature Mini Suite, which , by then, will be a Sanctuary mini suite. I got this from Princess today. We have the Plus package, which is enough for us.

I've already contacted our TA and she said to just ignore it . But the missteps on this ship just continue to happen. We've been sailing with Princess for about 50 years and have NEVER seen this incompetence before.

 

EDIT: I do have one question. Will ALL of the mini suites now be aavailable to upgrade to Sanctuary? I imagine a nightmare scenario of crowds in the dining room and the Sanctuary pool area. ??????

 

 

LOL.  What's next, they offer a Sanctuary Package for ALL cabins?

 

 

 

 

 

[cricketts]

5 hours ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

Also - would you mind sharing more about why they didn't add the hot tubs?

 

I really thought they were going to at a bar to the sundeck because they were pictures on the celebrity website when reserving the retreat on the Equinox that should have bar up there... I don't know if that was just false advertising or if something happened with adding a bar as well.

I'm happy to share some background information for the Equinox "revolution" dry dock in May of 2019. But, in the interest of staying on topic for Sun Princess, please email me directly at cricketts108@hotmail.com - Deedee