dog Posted April 26 #201 Share Posted April 26 3 hours ago, dides said: I love a table so just dropping this on the 215 staterooms that now form part of the Sanctuary Collection: Category Name prior to October 14 2024 Sanctuary Collection Name Total Number of Staterooms S9 Signature Suite Signature Suite 30 S4 Penthouse Suite Vista Suite 36 S2 Owner’s Suite Grand Suite 10 S0 Sky Suite Sky Suite 4 M1 Reserve Collection Mini-Suite Sanctuary Mini-Suite 83 M2 Reserve Collection Mini-Suite Sanctuary Mini-Suite 40 D0 Premium Deluxe Balcony Sanctuary Balcony 12 Note sure of the dining destination for everyone but the Signature Restaurant has a capacity of 124 and the Reserve Collection Restaurant can cater for 180 guests at a time. Thanks- great summary 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dog Posted April 26 #202 Share Posted April 26 4 minutes ago, coco2/27 said: What does “GRANDFATHERS CABANA INDICATOR” mean on my C2 Sun and Star Princess bookings? Do I still have Reserve Collection restaurant? I see that my Sun Princess M2 booking now has “SANCTUARY CLASS INDICATOR” added. I’m getting confused by all these changes… Thanks for any clarification 🙏 I also have Sanctuary Class indicator- it means we get access to the sanctuary and private dining room. Since we booked before April 23/24 we do not get the premium package or get to use suite lounge unless we have a Full Suite. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy cruzin Posted April 26 #203 Share Posted April 26 3 minutes ago, dog said: Thanks- great summary Agreed! Thanks dides for the visual!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sox Fan Cruiser Posted April 26 #204 Share Posted April 26 I love how they said "Private dinning room with no waiting". Tell that the folks currently in Reserve Collection. There was waiting every night. That's what made the Wheelhouse bar so crowded! And kudos to the bar staff there! I've never seen Princess bartenders serve drinks so fast. They are the best on the ship!! 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisingtheresa Posted April 26 #205 Share Posted April 26 One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is access to the private breakfast dining for suite guests. This is one of our favorite perks. Has that changed in any significant way? It seems to be missing from all the documentation I'm reading. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLAlaska Posted April 26 #206 Share Posted April 26 1 hour ago, coco2/27 said: What does “GRANDFATHERS CABANA INDICATOR” mean on my C2 Sun and Star Princess bookings? Do I still have Reserve Collection restaurant? I see that my Sun Princess M2 booking now has “SANCTUARY CLASS INDICATOR” added. I’m getting confused by all these changes… Thanks for any clarification 🙏 They are removing the reserve from the C1 and C2 for future bookings. Existing bookings are being grandfathered in so you can still use the Reserve dining rooms. But all future C1 and C2 will just be regular mini suites. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLAlaska Posted April 26 #207 Share Posted April 26 Just now, cruisingtheresa said: One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is access to the private breakfast dining for suite guests. This is one of our favorite perks. Has that changed in any significant way? It seems to be missing from all the documentation I'm reading. I had a call from Princess yesterday . They told me that the dining had still not been fully rolled out. and there was still more to come on that. Go figure... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wishing on a star Posted April 26 #208 Share Posted April 26 1 hour ago, Sox Fan Cruiser said: I love how they said "Private dinning room with no waiting". Tell that the folks currently in Reserve Collection. There was waiting every night. That's what made the Wheelhouse bar so crowded! And kudos to the bar staff there! I've never seen Princess bartenders serve drinks so fast. They are the best on the ship!! Exactly... with this many new SANCTUARY guests... there is no way the Signature restaurant could begin to. handle that many. As mentioned before, I clearly see the RESERVE category disappearing, and that dining room being designated as a SANCTUARY. dining room. There are no more RESERVE bookings being taken... Princess will find a way to phase this out and change that restaurant over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PensFan1028 Posted April 26 #209 Share Posted April 26 The best thing I learned from this thread is that MSC matches loyalty benefits! We have been cruising with Princess primarily, on the first half of our May B2B we will be elite.... the benefits have been completely depleted at this point that loyalty means nothing. Some of MSC's voyages and new ships look like they are worth a try, thanks for the push Princess! While I understand that none of this (should) change until October, We have a mini-suite (ME) booked for our upcoming trip and have bids in on Reserved Mini and Signature Suites as I liked the additional perks. I was already excited to hopefully get our bid accepted for Signature Suite... now I'm happy that maybe I get to experience it before it gets wrecked in October (assuming they don't let if bleed into any upcoming voyages leading up to the roll out). I don't know whether to up the bids to improve our chances or cancel them completely? We have a cruise booked for December 2024 on the Sun.... now may have to convince the rest of the group to take a step back to maybe Regal or Royal. One of our favorite parts of those two ships is the Retreat pool and option to book the Sanctuary should we feel inclined. All things change... not always for the better unfortunately. Cruising was always a value + ever changing scenery draw for us. Food quality has fallen significantly, price has skyrocketed. the few things bringing us back is the quality of service (100% on the talent that Princess hires) and the itineraries... and itineraries are even getting a little bland at this point. Like others here... I'm so confused by the decisions being made. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capriccio Posted April 26 #210 Share Posted April 26 51 minutes ago, PensFan1028 said: The best thing I learned from this thread is that MSC matches loyalty benefits! We have been cruising with Princess primarily, on the first half of our May B2B we will be elite.... the benefits have been completely depleted at this point that loyalty means nothing. Some of MSC's voyages and new ships look like they are worth a try, thanks for the push Princess! Signing up for the Voyagers Club gives you a 5% discount and if early booking an OBC. MSC sales are often 10% or 15% for members of the Voyagers Club. If you are active or retired military, or a federal, state or local employee you are entitled to a 10% discount. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatMom72 Posted April 27 #211 Share Posted April 27 All I can say is that I’m glad both of my suite bookings on the Sun are prior to October 14. I’m not sure I’d be interested in booking a suite after that, especially not at these (much) higher prices. Under the new system, I’d be paying significantly more money for significantly less exclusivity. Not sure what Princess management is thinking here… 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngetway Posted April 28 #212 Share Posted April 28 On 4/26/2024 at 11:57 PM, CatMom72 said: All I can say is that I’m glad both of my suite bookings on the Sun are prior to October 14. I’m not sure I’d be interested in booking a suite after that, especially not at these (much) higher prices. Under the new system, I’d be paying significantly more money for significantly less exclusivity. Not sure what Princess management is thinking here… You are so right! Unfortunately we have a suite booked in October (category S9). The only reason we booked this room over a Reserve mini suite was for the suite perks, which now we would have gotten with the mini suite. I paid to have the exclusivity and to avoid some of the crowds. Now I won't get this. I'm very disappointed. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRLD Posted April 28 #213 Share Posted April 28 (edited) Considering that Princess is only a couple of months into its first try at a class based system, not surprising there are changes taking place. Celebrity had a few issues when it first went this route as well. I expect that it will take a year or so before we get to an approximation of the final product. One thing is pretty certain. One is not going to get a class based suite product for anything close to what Princess used to sell its suites for. Edited April 28 by TRLD 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steelers36 Posted April 28 #214 Share Posted April 28 26 minutes ago, TRLD said: Considering that Princess is only a couple of months into its first try at a class based system, not surprising there are changes taking place. Celebrity had a few issues when it first went this route as well. I expect that it will take a year or so before we get to an approximation of the final product. One thing is pretty certain. One is not going to get a class based suite product for anything close to what Princess used to sell its suites for. Valid points, but it does end up with some folks caught up in the maelstrom of transition having booked prior to a change. The more changes they come up with, the more turmoil. Doesn't affect me, but I sure sympathize with folks who booked under one premise/promise and end up with something else. PCL will find out pretty quickly whether their clients are prepared to pay the huge bucks for this new experience. I would think anyone prepared to continue with Suites on Sun Class would want to see what the Sanctuary will be and not the half-baked thing it is now (well, I suppose you do get fully-baked in the sun). 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J18ktleo Posted April 28 #215 Share Posted April 28 1 hour ago, ngetway said: You are so right! Unfortunately we have a suite booked in October (category S9). The only reason we booked this room over a Reserve mini suite was for the suite perks, which now we would have gotten with the mini suite. I paid to have the exclusivity and to avoid some of the crowds. Now I won't get this. I'm very disappointed. We are booked in Suites on the Star Jan 2026. I booked this because I LOVE the suite class on Celebrity and was excited to try this on the new Princess ships. We booked in Feb and now what we're paying for suites is the same price as what is being charged for Sanctuary mini's so I guess we got a deal although I'm not excited about the potential of over twice the number of people in these areas. Oh well, we'll try and see. 🫤 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRLD Posted April 28 #216 Share Posted April 28 43 minutes ago, Steelers36 said: Valid points, but it does end up with some folks caught up in the maelstrom of transition having booked prior to a change. The more changes they come up with, the more turmoil. Doesn't affect me, but I sure sympathize with folks who booked under one premise/promise and end up with something else. PCL will find out pretty quickly whether their clients are prepared to pay the huge bucks for this new experience. I would think anyone prepared to continue with Suites on Sun Class would want to see what the Sanctuary will be and not the half-baked thing it is now (well, I suppose you do get fully-baked in the sun). Which why I think that they will follow a simpler model with a single elevated class. Do away with the pay Sanctuary model. Once it settles out. I think they wanted to mix more of the old with new and found that it really did not work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmarklin Posted April 29 #217 Share Posted April 29 (edited) It’s quite surprising to me that Princess is having so many problems adjusting to a Class system. After all, Cunard , its sister line, is discriminatory all the way. They’re both owned by the same umbrella corporation. Three classes on Cunard ships, Britannia, Princess Grill and the pinnacle, Queens Grill. Princess and Queen each have separate dining rooms, with the masses in the large MDRs. The Sun already has separate dining rooms for the Classes, and can control access everywhere on the ship with the medallion. This new Sanctuary thing dilutes any exclusivity, other than the Suite Lounge. Incomprehensible. Edited April 29 by mrmarklin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRLD Posted April 29 #218 Share Posted April 29 (edited) 15 minutes ago, mrmarklin said: It’s quite surprising to me that Princess is having so many problems adjusting to a Class system. After all, Cunard , its sister line, is discriminatory all the way. They’re both owned by the same umbrella corporation. Three classes on Cunard ships, Britannia, Princess Grill and the pinnacle, Queens Grill. Princess and Queen each have separate dining rooms, with the masses in the large MDRs. The Sun already has separate dining rooms for the Classes, and can control access everywhere on the ship with the medallion. This new Sanctuary thing dilutes any exclusivity, other than the Suite Lounge. Incomprehensible. Let's see. 1. Very different ship size and design 2. Very different culture and existing practices 3. Totally independent management teams both front and back office. 4. Princess has some shared back office systems and functions with HAL but none with Cunard Princess up to this point has been a very egalitarian culture and systems. Any extras were pay for and available to anyone, not linked to room class. In other words Princess probably has as much in common with Celebrity as with Cunard when it comes to shared information. Actually they probably have more info on Celebrity since it is more direct competition in the NA adult focused market. Edited April 29 by TRLD 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peder Posted April 29 #219 Share Posted April 29 After sailing in MSC Yacht Club and DCL Concierge, I understand the direction that Princess is going, and I'm excited about this change, especially for future classes of ships. We are currently booked on the Sun Princess, which will be our first time with Princess, eager to see the new ship. We are in a Premium Deluxe Balcony cabin, because we liked the idea of the larger balcony and because we knew Princess had up to this point been a more egalitarian line and we wouldn't need suite benefits. We booked with Premier, and we were planning on buying access to the Sanctuary once onboard. But now with the announcement of the Sanctuary Collection, I'm leaning toward switching to a Sanctuary Collection Balcony cabin. It's only a bit more expensive (since we were already planning on buying Sanctuary passes anyhow). But I am not sure I want to give up the larger balcony... Princess really needs more interesting cabin choices like you can find on Celebrity, MSC, NCL, and Royal. I don't think I should feel regret about upgrading to the best offerings, but I kinda feel like I'll hate having a balcony without loungers. Also, why doesn't Princess have any cabins with their own whirlpool? They're prevalent on MSC. And it really seems like their should be a duplex option on the Sphere ships. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare dides Posted April 29 #220 Share Posted April 29 (edited) 1 hour ago, peder said: We are currently booked on the Sun Princess, which will be our first time with Princess, eager to see the new ship. We are in a Premium Deluxe Balcony cabin, because we liked the idea of the larger balcony and because we knew Princess had up to this point been a more egalitarian line and we wouldn't need suite benefits. We booked with Premier, and we were planning on buying access to the Sanctuary once onboard. But now with the announcement of the Sanctuary Collection, I'm leaning toward switching to a Sanctuary Collection Balcony cabin. It's only a bit more expensive (since we were already planning on buying Sanctuary passes anyhow). But I am not sure I want to give up the larger balcony... But the Sanctuary Balcony category is D0 which IS a Premium Deluxe Balcony - so you will get a large balcony and should get the loungers. Edited April 29 by dides 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peder Posted April 29 #221 Share Posted April 29 1 hour ago, dides said: But the Sanctuary Balcony category is D0 which IS a Premium Deluxe Balcony - so you will get a large balcony and should get the loungers. Oh, that's interesting. When I try to do a mock booking, I only see GTY cabins, so I haven't seen this. They make it seem like that category is just a standard size cabin based on the sq ft and description. Also annoying: if we had chosen one of the aft cabins originally, I'm assuming we would have been upgraded automatically to the Sanctuary Collection? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare dides Posted April 29 #222 Share Posted April 29 (edited) 14 minutes ago, peder said: Also annoying: if we had chosen one of the aft cabins originally, I'm assuming we would have been upgraded automatically to the Sanctuary Collection? Yup! And the Princess press release does call out Premium Deluxe Balconies - we know the 12 are the aft ones only Edited April 29 by dides 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare insidecabin Posted April 29 #223 Share Posted April 29 16 hours ago, TRLD said: Considering that Princess is only a couple of months into its first try at a class based system, not surprising there are changes taking place. Celebrity had a few issues when it first went this route as well. I expect that it will take a year or so before we get to an approximation of the final product. One thing is pretty certain. One is not going to get a class based suite product for anything close to what Princess used to sell its suites for. The issue I see and why Haven & Yacht club are successful, you need everything exclusive behind the magic doors, cabins, restaurants, lounge, bar, deck...... you don't have to go far to get access to everything, restaurants are steps away from your exclusive lounge and bar.. RCI and Celebrity tried to patch up older designs to provide the facilities to try to compete and it took time Why Princess did not take the opportunity to go ship in a ship with a brand new ship is surprising, MSC and NCL are on multiple iterations of the concept while princess is patching up old designs to try to get more exclusive(more $) like others did years ago, what we have is a private sun deck with a lot of suites below it. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRLD Posted April 29 #224 Share Posted April 29 (edited) 11 minutes ago, insidecabin said: The issue I see and why Haven & Yacht club are successful, you need everything exclusive behind the magic doors, cabins, restaurants, lounge, bar, deck...... you don't have to go far to get access to everything, restaurants are steps away from your exclusive lounge and bar.. RCI and Celebrity tried to patch up older designs to provide the facilities to try to compete and it took time Why Princess did not take the opportunity to go ship in a ship with a brand new ship is surprising, MSC and NCL are on multiple iterations of the concept while princess is patching up old designs to try to get more exclusive(more $) like others did years ago, what we have is a private sun deck with a lot of suites below it. Because those lines have a different market focus. NCL Royal and Carnival are NA family focused lines. MSC is a European family focused line. Where as Princess, Celebrity, and HAL are NA adult focused lines. Totally different ship environments. On the family focused lines you need an isolated area because the main areas are far more chaotic. Princess is going more in line with its adult focused competition, Celebrity, while keeping its general feel. Edited April 29 by TRLD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLAlaska Posted April 29 #225 Share Posted April 29 One of the biggest oversight, IMO, with the Sphere class, is that there is no adult only area for non Sanctuary guests. Seems like a big fail. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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