Wishing on a star

I went back and looked at that trip report... And, sorry!!! I was thinking loungers but it was a cabana at the Sanctuary that they wanted to book. Maybe that is a good thing??? Maybe a mistake that somebody thought all cabanas were booked? Or maybe the person thought that they were wanting loungers, and loungers were all booked. I will be one of those who will be following how things go with the Sanctuary.

They mentioned not being able to get availability on a lounger in the Sanctuary, as per the usual First Come First Served... But that, the Concierge was able to get them what they wanted. Did not seem to be a problem at all. If this is true, and I don't know why there would be confusion or anything not true, then this would indicate that there are SOME loungers in the Sanctuary being held back for Suite guests. (Similar to what was originally expected on the SUN, but then became an exclusive, class, ship-within-a-ship setup.) If this is true, then this would seem to be the beginning of some kind of move towards a Suite or SANCTUARY class on these ships. The minute that the announcement was made about this the Sun Princess, some were quick to see this and comment on how easily this could be done on the Royal Class ships. I am already thinking that I need to adjust my one future booking. Couldn't hurt, up until Final Payment.

First, with the announcement of the new SANCTUARY CLASS collection of cabins on the Sun Princess, not sure if the Reserve is much, if anything at all. Basically, it was access to, supposedly, reservation free, and more exclusive dining. If you need more space, then you would have to book a Mini-Suite. Some are regular Mini-Suites, some are Cabana Mini-Suites which are a deluxe balcony with the 'cabana' added on... Some are Cabana Deck Mini-Suites which have the cabana added on, as well as access to the exclusive Cabana Deck on both Port and Starboard... And some are SANCTUARY CLASS Mini-Suites, which have Sanctuary Perks. These will include the Premium Package, so you do not have to buy a 'Package', There I a video I posted, that is being posted here, about the cabin categories... This shows a good basic overview of a Cove Balcony.. I think the Cove Balcony is shown at about 4:10 minutes in.

I am seeing comments where a Suite guest had not been able to get loungers in the Sanctuary, but the the Concierge made the reservations for them. They were able to get loungers as they wanted. Has this been something usual in the past??? Is this new? Of course Princess is not known for being consistent!!! I know that access to the Sanctuary has not been a Suite perk. If this is something new, then I am seeing the signs already posted that Princess will move towards taking the Retreat area and the Sanctuary, and restricting therm to a new SANCTUARY CLASS SYSTEM, like they now have on the Sun Princess. I would almost bet on it. I will say that if these Royal Class ships end up without an adult only area, I will not be sailing with Princess. We have one cruise booked on the Sun, that we are now questioning.... We have another cruise booked on a Royal Class ship, that would also be cancelled if Princess makes these changes.

The ones one Deck 9, with access to the exclusive Cabana Deck should cost a bit more. To complicate things even more, Princess used to have RESERVE mini suites.. with access to a reserve dining room... but seem to be ending that. And now they have Sanctuary Mini Suites that have access to the exclusive SANCTUARY wake view with the pool and bar etc.

Okay, this is very confusing, and Princess has changed around some of these categories in a major way. The Cabana Deck Mini Suites on Deck 9 has access to that special exclusive Cabana Deck. Notice the word DECK in the name of the category. This is great. But, know that if it actually is ON that cabana deck, the privacy on your balcony will be compromised, as others with access to this deck can be right outside your balcony. Know that instead of normal railing, you would be looking over your balcony divider and out thru double-high blue tinted glass (wind breaking???) The Cabana Deck Mini Suites on Deck 9 that are forward or aft of the actual Cabana Deck, (bright pink on the deck plans) of course, have access to the Cabana Deck, but the privacy is not compromised, as they are not ON / overlooking the Cabana Deck. They still have the double-high blue tinted glass. The Cabana Mini Suite on Deck 12 does not have access to that exclusive Cabana Deck. This might be offset by the fact that the ones on Deck 12, which are on the 'Sphere' would have large balconies. A big plus... They have the cabana and the balcony that is larger than the standard balconies on the ship. (which, some can be fairly shallow) Also a plus to these is NO double high blue glass. All of these Cabana Mini Suites have an interior that is smaller than a non-cabana mini-suite. You are either getting the space in the mini-suite, or in the combination of a deluxe balcony interior and the cabana area. So, be aware of this when comparing a Cabana, or Cabana Deck, mini suite with a regular non-cabana mini-suite. These have the larger, full mini-suite interior. There are some photos out there... but I do not have time at the moment to post links for you. Perhaps later. We are actually packing to leave out on a trip soon! Hope this helps!

If you have not received any notice of a room assignment, have you double checked your booking? I have heard that the room number can show up there well before any notice is received.

Yes, we do understand! As bits of info have been offered. I just edited this post, because I looked, just out of curiosity, and it seems that this cruise is now showing Sold Out. You might have had more opportunities to get another cabin if you had known this earlier, before Final Payment. I do not know if you will have any luck with your bidding? As nobody knows. Your chances are probably slim if the system is set to only upgrade to another accessible cabin. (It is awful that any accessible cabin would have metal railing, as somebody probably couldn't see over when seated. I think you still have a 50/50 chance of getting one of those cabins, on the higher deck, that does have glass. And, you can always go to Customer Service upon boarding, and see if there is any chance that they can help you.

Exactly... any comparison with the SUN to any other ship that does still have an open Adult Area is very very misguided... Apples to Oranges. We have a contact in with our TA to see if our $500. Goodwill Future Cruise Credit (which would technically be expired, last month) can be applied to a booking on Enchanted. Not sure if we will keep our booking on the SUN, or not. The draw of that booking was seeing the new ship.... (not itinerary) And, sadly, this new ship, for me, is already losing it's luster.

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.

Wow... that really is my only response.

Sometimes numbers do not lie....

"Your real complaint should be that Princess got rid of those other areas on the new class of ship, which again I don't think has anything to do with the conversation here. " The two are almost inseparable. ...You guys can question and mis-quote all you want.... but, it is all very clear. Most every ship has an adult area.... an open access adult area... NOT just the exclusive 'Sanctuary'.... Carnival has open adult areas. The Sun princess, does not.... Not at all. No adult only option for the majority of guests. That is a huge 'MISS' Questioning and throwing comments and doubts does not change that. Again, we certainly did not book this cruise, months ago, for the Ports.... The biggest draw was the new ship. Now that the light of day is shining, and the veil has been lifted... It seems that there is no adult area for guests (non-Sanctuary) onboard. And it also seems that the ship has a totally different vibe, with a lot of large open spaces.. flashing screens, etc... That is not what we have enjoyed while cruising Princess. And, the things we might have looked forward to are no-more. For us, there are other options out there, and we will be considering whether we will cancel our booking. Anyone is free to have a different opinion. No need to go after any other person who is commenting.

Glad that you are back to having a great cruise!!! (or it seems so) We all hope that you are having a great time! I am glad to hear that the odds are in our favor when docking STT... We have a port side room booked, with a larger balcony for dining!

Just to clarify... that is not an 'adult area'... that is a very exclusive area, that is not available to most guests. There is no open and available adult area onboard.

I could be reacting too quickly, but the more I am seeing here with this new ship, I am seriously second guessing our booking. No adult area, No opportunity to book a Sanctuary..... THESE are the things that we enjoy when cruising... not all of the 'Screens' and glitz... And a class system, that as many had complained, might seriously take away from our enjoyment of the cruise. Seeing " Sanctuary CLUB " with the word CLUB could be the straw that seals the deal. Not sure if we will keep this booking.

We would be heading to a beach, and not hanging out around Charlotte Amalie...Does anyone think they could make a bushwhacker on the ship???? Wishful thinking! Ohhh, also just curious... Did the ship pull in or back in??? Which side is overlooking the harbor. Hoping that she pulls in and PORT is overlooking the harbor... But, I am quite sure the Captain would be oblivious to my request!!! Hahaha!

Yes, there must be more to this story... While deck plans might have been incomplete, the cabins and categories should already be showing when bookings begin. To the OP, I have no idea how you ended up with a guarantee in this category, when there seems to be considerable availability in Deluxe Balconies, and Mini-Suites in different types of perk levels. But, it is past final payment, and this is where you are.... The thing is, Princess just announced a whole new re-categorization of many cabins, with a good number of mini-suites now being SANCTUARY MINI-SUITES. With all of this going on, it is probably throwing a huge screw in the works when it comes to processing these upgrades. As mentioned, perhaps you shouldn't put so much weight on those bid notices you have received. There is availability on the ship.... I would reconsider any bids, and withdraw or change them if you need to. With this kind of availability, there should be no problem with winning your upgrade. Again, it is too bad that the sailing is now past final payment, so you can't simply change to a slightly better Deluxe Balcony category cabin. How much would your cancellation cost you if you were to cancel today, and rebook another available cabin????? At the very least, you have a 50/50 chance of getting one of these cabins on deck 16, and not the ones on the lower deck with the metal railing.

Yes, the above is correct! Boarding will not matter when sail-away is. Everyone from the previous sailing dis-embarks, and they will open the lines in the morning... The early priority boarding could be at, or before, 11:00. I would recommend, if possible, seeing Vancouver before, or after your cruise. Nothing like getting onboard early, before the ship fills up, and getting settled in early!

To the OP, I believe you are on the SUN, next month... And not sure if an accessible cabin is required... Perhaps the problem is that the accessible cabins are all booked. First: Those lowest category Deluxe Balconies (accessible) seem to be located forward on deck 9, and on deck 16. (just behind the Seaview deck and the dome area) Those on deck 16 look huge... And, they do have glass, not metal, balconies. The size of these on deck 16, as well as the location right next to a prime area, could be very nice. So, even if another accessible cabin does not open up, then you have a 50/50 chance of getting a good cabin on deck 16. Also: I am not sure how you booked, or why you thought that there were few options other than the lowest category Deluxe Balcony guarantee? Perhaps the 'accessible' factor? But, even at this date, it looks like there is some real availability for regular deluxe balconies on this cruise. It is too bad that you are now past final payment, which complicates all of this!

It would have to be one of the SANCTUARY mini-suites to have access to all of these benefit.

"some of us who purchased a premiere package might feel slighted as this is now standard. " I can see how that might feel... but, the thing is, there has been no 'slight'.... You have been given access to all these Sanctuary areas... I would be happy and see that as a gift.

Are we sure that the RESERVE dining is gone? Or could it be an (per as usual) error in the IT department. Do not some parts of the web-site still show the RESERVE. I don't know how they can take that away, when guests actually PAID for it. They will have to honor something for these bookings. Yes, I can see this disappearing, upon some tba date, and the RESERVE dining room being changed to another, revenue producing restaurant/venue. OR, with the increase of cabins in the new SANCTUARY category/class... I can see that they will need two dining rooms that are Signarutre/SANCTUARY. If people are worried that the SANCTUARY will now be crowded... try getting into the SANCTUARY/Signature restaurant. So, the Reserve dining room will simply become a second option for SANCTUARY guests.

Dog, since you have already booked the cabin, are you not 'grandfathered in'. That is what I was understanding. While the official SANCTUARY thing begins Oct. 14, and also begins with all bookings made after this announcement... I thought that all existing bookings were granted SANCTUARY access... Just not the included package.

I will make no determination about this new ship-within-a-ship.... Many will abhor it, and many will be excited. What I will pass judgement on is how Princess has handled this. It not only shows complete incompetence, but a lack of respect for all guests who have been booking. Not to mention a complete lack of transparancy. This seems to be another example of how the roll-out on this new ship exposes huge problems and incompetence and shortcomings all the way up to Corporate. NOTE: Those who had booked Signature suites are not benefitting... Those whose cabin has been reassigned just got a 'gift'. I don't understand why those with Suites might not be happy, as they have lost nothing at all. I can't believe I didn't see all of this coming, when watching this roll-out and seeing the confusion about those D0 premium balcony cabins. I am usually pretty perceptive. it seems clear that 'RESERVE' will disappear. Princess could either have two choices of SANCTUARY (signature) restaurants... which might be necessary with all of these new SANCTUARY cabins... Or the Reserve Dining Room will be changed over to a different, revenue producing, restaurant/venue.