Just back from Caribbean Princess - sanctuary news

Just wanted to let you all know that the you can reserve the Sanctuary for partial days and full days upon embarkation!! No longer do you have to get up early to book the same day!

Just wanted to let you all know that the you can reserve the Sanctuary for partial days and full days upon embarkation!! No longer do you have to get up early to book the same day!

Thanks for the tip. We've been considering booking the Sanctuary for a day or two on our upcoming voyage on the Caribbean Princess...

Yay! I hope that's fleet wide because we'll be on the Golden Princess next month.

That's great news. I agree, hope it's fleet wide. This means no more getting up early on the days we want to visit the Sanctuary. We just have to make sure we're there early for embarkation.

Thanks for posting!

Thanks for the information. Sounds like it will work out well for most.

Wonderful info, thanks for the update.:)

I hope it's not a case of, "Well, on this ship, we do it the old way".

Let's hope it's fleetwide. The next improvement would be for us to be able to sign up for it ahead of time in the Cruise Personalizer. ;)

What is the sanctuary? I haven't been on Princess in a long time.

Hope it's fleet wide. My DH made comments to the guest services Manager last month that there had to be a better way. She agreed and said they needed to do something

There is one downside to this. If you can't board early for any reason, you now may basically be shut out for the entire cruise, ditto if elites/platinums grab all available spots.

I do think this is a better system but I still believe you should be able to pre-book it online like an excursion, or they should delay signup until after general boarding.

There is one downside to this. If you can't board early for any reason, you now may basically be shut out for the entire cruise, ditto if elites/platinums grab all available spots.

 

I do think this is a better system but I still believe you should be able to pre-book it online like an excursion, or they should delay signup until after general boarding.

I agree with you LB..online would be better. Opens to everyone at the same time...but I do think this is better than queuing at 6:00 am

What is the sanctuary? I haven't been on Princess in a long time.

http://www.princess.com/learn/onboard/activities/daytime_activities/day_sanctuary/index.html

Has anyone found this to be the case on any other Princess ships? It would be great if you could reserve online even if it was just for the entire cruise.

Cynthia

Very cool. That sounds great. Being Platinum and able to board early I'd love to try the Sanctuary for the first time on my Crown cruise next year. Cruised the Crown in 09 but didn' do the sanctuary.

We're on Fridays CB out of Brooklyn. I called Princess and was told if you go to the Santuary as soon as you board you can make your reservations either full or part days for all or part of the week. I'll give it a shot but Im not 100% confident this will hold true. Either way I'm going to try to get a double wide lounge if we do get in. Looks like that might be nice for a couple.

but I would like that option to be on the cruise personalizer - you know...bring it into this century. It's a very popular place on warm weather cruises and I've seen fights break out because of the archaic way they booked. I think, because of the price involved, (which is kinda steep on top of the cost of the cruise for some people - it should be like an excursion in my opinion.

I've been in the Sanctuary for a week but got bored after a few days - I can stand quiet for short periods of time I guess...anyway - I would like the option to book a couple of days online. The rest of the time I would enjoy people watching at the main pool. JMHO

:)

Well, I hate to be a Gloomy Gus (ha, what am I talking about? I love spreading pessimism and consternation!), but I hope they never do move to using the Personalizer. If you think there are a lot of chairs sitting empty in Traditional Dining, just wait until you see the Sanctuary on a cruise when people could book way in advance. At $15/day or $10/day part, there's absolutely no incentive for not blowing it off if something better comes along, or even for remembering you have it booked in the first place (says the queen of senior moments). Plus, I can see someone (no one here, of course!) booking multiple spots on spec, just in case their entire extended family and a few newly-met friends might want to use it one day. I think having it bookable only onboard is perfectly fair with the condition of postponing that until after general boarding is well underway (say, open it up to bookings an hour before muster).

Well, I hate to be a Gloomy Gus (ha, what am I talking about? I love spreading pessimism and consternation!), but I hope they never do move to using the Personalizer. If you think there are a lot of chairs sitting empty in Traditional Dining, just wait until you see the Sanctuary on a cruise when people could book way in advance. At $15/day or $10/day part, there's absolutely no incentive for not blowing it off if something better comes along, or even for remembering you have it booked in the first place (says the queen of senior moments). Plus, I can see someone (no one here, of course!) booking multiple spots on spec, just in case their entire extended family and a few newly-met friends might want to use it one day. I think having it bookable only onboard is perfectly fair with the condition of postponing that until after general boarding is well underway (say, open it up to bookings an hour before muster).

But as long as they pay for it, they can do the same now. There's nothing stopping one person run up there, reserve 10 spots and not show up.

But as long as they pay for it, they can do the same now. There's nothing stopping one person run up there, reserve 10 spots and not show up.

Sure, you're right. But, human nature being what it is, I think it's far more likely to happen if instead of running up 15 decks, all you have to do is push your little mousey thing a few inches and ever-so-slightly depress a forefinger.

Like I said, I'm feeling particularly cynical and curmudgeonly tonight, so . . .

Why are there Facebook symbols on the bottom of my posts?? I don't belong to Facebook; in fact, I have no wish to be associated with Facebook in any way, shape, or form! Have I been inadvertently joined onto it by posting on Cruise Critic? I ask this in only semi-mock alarm.

I also hate to be a Gloomy Gus but that really doesn't seem fair. Again the Elite people are going to get all the spots since they can board early. We have only used the Sanctuary twice and I was bored after a couple hours but might try it again and both times it was almost empty. Most of the chairs were filled with books, etc. I also don't think it is fair that someone can reserve the same chair the entire cruise and in many cases, not there much of the time. There are times that I like the sun but other times I'd like to be in the shade watching the sea go by.

Are there ever any fights over the chairs? As I said, I could see people getting upset that some prime locations go unused for a good portion of the day. Or are most people happy with their system?

Maybe they should do it like the Chef's dinner - a lottery system.

I could never quite figure out why booking the Sanctuary for the entire cruise wasn't the same price on a daily basis as booking it by the day. It seemed to me that having to get up early and stand in line for a chance to choose a leftover lounger made the daily option a lot less desirable, and the whole cruise option a lot more desirable. It's like the Chefs Table...if people are rushing on the ship to get a spot, chances are there's room for a price hike.

And, you're right. Elites are going to grab those sea days right up, IF there are any spots left after the B2B-ers get done making deals at the end of their first cruise.

I forgot about people on B2B cruises.

And didn't I read someplace here that several ships are boarding by deck now? That would put another curve into this.

Most of the chairs were filled with books, etc. I also don't think it is fair that someone can reserve the same chair the entire cruise and in many cases, not there much of the time.

 

Are there ever any fights over the chairs? As I said, I could see people getting upset that some prime locations go unused for a good portion of the day. Or are most people happy with their system?

 

Since the chairs are assigned when you pay for them the entire cruise, it is your chair whether you are on it or not.

You pay for your cabin for the entire cruise and it is still your cabin when you are not in it. Even a cabin in a prime location.