princess cruise sanctuary

[bad973]

Sorry, only full cruise reservations can be made upon embarkation. Half-day resv. can only be made on the day of...and as I understand, you have to be in line to sign up VERY early! (I've only booked full cruise in the Caribbean and it's worth every $$$$:D

Barbara

[tenmile]

We are cruising in early Oct. on the Star Princess. Will the weather still be warm enough to warrant use every day? I guess I want to know how protected the Sanctuary is from the wind? For those of you who have experienced this, please advise.

Also, am I correct that there is a service charge for the food served, but not for the food on the menu itself? Are bar drinks at regular charge plus a $3 service charge? Thanks for clarifying.

Linda

[cruisedad521]

We are cruising in early Oct. on the Star Princess. Will the weather still be warm enough to warrant use every day? I guess I want to know how protected the Sanctuary is from the wind? For those of you who have experienced this, please advise.

Also, am I correct that there is a service charge for the food served, but not for the food on the menu itself? Are bar drinks at regular charge plus a $3 service charge? Thanks for clarifying.

Linda

 

I can't answer the question about the weather where/when you are going but the area on the Ruby was protected from the wind. That said, on a windy day everything was blowing around, same as other areas of the ship.

 

The food items on the menu were 'free' but the $3 service charge applied. I believe it was per order, so when my wife and I ordered different items at the same time I am pretty sure I was only charged $3.

 

The drinks from a bar were charged as usual with the service charge applied, not a $3 sanctuary delivery fee. The citrus and cucumber waters the sanctuary supplied were completely free and they came around fairly often.

[MM42]

On the CB Princess, we booked with the serenity steward at the Sanctuary. They will show you a map of the seats that are left.

 

Look up before you book to see how much sun the seat gets before you sign up.

 

Are you saying that I would get the same chair at the exact same place for the whole week? That's not what I want... :(

[vickie_bernie]

Are you saying that I would get the same chair at the exact same place for the whole week? That's not what I want... :(

 

Usually when you book for the entire cruise you choose a location and that location will be reserved for you for the entire cruise. I am sure if you wanted to move locations on a particular day and the space was available they would have absolutely no problem accommodating you. I've have shown up in the Sancturay and settled in the sun for a few hours, only to move into the shaded area for the remaining time. I have even taken food I have ordered and enjoyed it in a chair and side table then returned to the lounger when done.

[Host CJSKIDS]

Are you saying that I would get the same chair at the exact same place for the whole week? That's not what I want... :(

 

Yes, if you book the cruise for the entire week you are assigned a lounge chair and that chair is yours for the entire week. Exact chair, exact same place.

[MM42]

I've have shown up in the Sancturay and settled in the sun for a few hours, only to move into the shaded area for the remaining time. I have even taken food I have ordered and enjoyed it in a chair and side table then returned to the lounger when done.

 

That's exactly what I would like to do. I'll ask before I purchase something.

[crosbystreet]

Are you saying that I would get the same chair at the exact same place for the whole week? That's not what I want... :(

 

Yes, you get the same chair in the same space with the same steward for the whole week. I loved it -- saw it as a great luxury, especially with all the chair-hogging.

[crosbystreet]

That's exactly what I would like to do. I'll ask before I purchase something.

 

On our Caribbean sailing, all the lounges and even the chairs were sold out every day. The Sanctuary itself was far from full, but people "owned" all the chairs.

[ottmar]

On our Caribbean sailing, all the lounges and even the chairs were sold out every day. The Sanctuary itself was far from full, but people "owned" all the chairs.

 

Is the Sanctuary the only 'adults only' place on the Crown, on the whole ship, and it is pay per sit?

[DeRon]

I wonder how the Sanctuary compares to HAL's Retreat Cabanas? Which experience was more pleasurable? Anyone here done both?

[kimgoblue]

DH and I reserved Sanctuary loungers for the entirety of our 7/20 cruise on the CB. We thought it was worth every penny, even though some days we used it only for an hour or two. My DH could justify the cost by looking at the Sanctuary like it was a shore excursion.

[Colo Cruiser]

I agree they are excellent. :)

[cruise crew member]

we did get an assigned chair but at certain times there may have been too much sun and we were allowed to go off and sit at an empty chair in the shade if not being used... the wind did wip :p:(:confused::mad::D:Dound a little but not unbearable.. i also brought a small parasol with me if the sun was to much for an hour or so..... don't fret about your seating no matter where you are it's so worth it....... we were the last to book for the week and were told only 2 seats were left 4 of us...mR. sILVER MANAGER WAS such a professional he made an exception and extended the reserve seats 2 more to accomadate us..

[Jennygirl]

I just got off this cruise on the Caribbean Princess as well. I purchased a seat for the entire sailing as soon as we got on the ship. I was really glad I did it. Friends who didn't reserve for the entire sailing had to wake at 5:30 a.m. and be in line by 6 a.m. to get a Sanctuary seat. Not my idea of a vacation.

 

As Cruise Crew said, there were some loud people in the spa pool at times during our sailing. But it is still a relatively quiet escape with a high level of service. If you are looking for a quiet escape, I really encourage you to treat yourself to the Sanctuary.

 

I took some photos and will post them soon.

 

Hi !! Looking forward to the pictures. I am so happy to see my new "friends" posting. I miss seeing the back of your head every day. L0L

 

The Sanctuary was one of my favorite places on the ship and in my opinion, worth the extra $$$. You might not use it every single day especially if you are in port most of the time and it closes at 5:30 but just knowing you have a secure, quiet, comfortable place instead of fighting off chair hogs and noise (for the most part) worked for me.

 

:)

[dis2cruise]

Is there some sunny areas on the ruby?

[caribill]

Is there some sunny areas on the ruby?

 

 

Yes, in both the Sanctuary area and elsewhere assuming:

 

a) it is not night time

b) it is not cloudy

[shellita98]

Do any of the other cruise lines have anything comparable to the Sanctuary on the Princess ships?

[Hunter22a]

I thought I read somewhere that full suite passengers got complementary access> Does anyone know if this is true?

[R,D,W]

I noticed on the Princess website that some itineraries have a scenic sanctuary package. We are sailing on the Island Princess to the Panama Canal in March of 2015. The Panama Canal was listed as one of the itineraries. However, I can not find any information describing what the Scenic Package entails or the cost. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank You

[Host CJSKIDS]

I thought I read somewhere that full suite passengers got complementary access> Does anyone know if this is true?

 

they do not. Full Suite passengers get access to the Thermal suites in the Spa unless they have changed that recently.

[Pam in CA]

I noticed on the Princess website that some itineraries have a scenic sanctuary package. We are sailing on the Island Princess to the Panama Canal in March of 2015. The Panama Canal was listed as one of the itineraries. However, I can not find any information describing what the Scenic Package entails or the cost. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank You

If you book the Sanctuary for a Panama Canal cruise, it does not include Canal day. That's sold separately at a greatly inflated price. Used to be @ $75/pp for the day. Don't know what the current cost for Canal day is. When I did it, the views were spectacular and it was a great way to see the Canal since you could literally see in all directions from pretty high up. I don't remember anything special other than having a great place for the Canal. Afternoon tea was served as usual.