Sanctuary Collection on Sun Princess

[dog]

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 

[dog]

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.

[happy cruzin]

3 minutes ago, dog said:

Thanks- great summary 

Agreed!  Thanks dides for the visual!!

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

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!!

[cruisingtheresa]

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.

 

 

[FLAlaska]

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.

[FLAlaska]

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...

[Wishing on a star]

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.

[PensFan1028]

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.

[capriccio]

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.

[CatMom72]

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…

[ngetway]

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.

[TRLD]

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

[Steelers36]

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).

[J18ktleo]

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. 🫤

 

[TRLD]

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.

[mrmarklin]

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

[TRLD]

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

[peder]

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.

[dides]

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

[peder]

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?

[dides]

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

[insidecabin]

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.

[TRLD]

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

[FLAlaska]

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.