Unfair Sanctuary Practice

[DallasGuy75219]

21 minutes ago, capriccio said:

That's interesting.  Do you know how they managed the process?  Did they have a map of available loungers and just mark them off as they were booked (thus replicating the on-board process)?

I didn't experience it personally, just stating what others reported in the VIP lounge thread.

 

However I imagine the lounge would have to be connected to whatever reservation system they use onboard.  Otherwise they'd wind up double booking the spots available. 

Edited May 4, 2023 by DallasGuy75219

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, MissP22 said:

Which they just recently did. 

People are more accepting when prices are gradually raised. 

 

Nothing gradual about a 30% increase.

Edited May 4, 2023 by ldtr

[capriccio]

Just now, DallasGuy75219 said:

I didn't experience it personally, just stating what others reported in the VIP lounge thread.

 

However I imagine the lounge would have to be connected to whatever reservation system they use onboard.  Otherwise they'd wind up overbooking the number of spots available. 

It's been a year since we used the Sanctuary (on a cruise out of Fort Lauderdale) but at that time the 'reservation system' was a piece of paper mapping all the lounges and cabanas for each day and time (morning or afternoon) and as each was reserved, the lounge/cabana was noted (by highlighting it) as unavailable.  The passenger was then given a handwritten receipt noting the day(s), shift(s), and lounge number and the amount paid. 

[Guest ldtr]

Summary of topic

 

If you get want you want system is fair, if you cannot get what you want the system is unfair.

 

There is no such thing as a totally fair system.

Edited May 4, 2023 by ldtr

[DallasGuy75219]

1 minute ago, capriccio said:

It's been a year since we used the Sanctuary (on a cruise out of Fort Lauderdale) but at that time the 'reservation system' was a piece of paper mapping all the lounges and cabanas for each day and time (morning or afternoon) and as each was reserved, the lounge/cabana was noted (by highlighting it) as unavailable.  The passenger was then given a handwritten receipt noting the day(s), shift(s), and lounge number and the amount paid. 

I've never used (or even tried to book) the Sanctuary, but I don't see the manual system being an option if they're simultaneously taking reservations in two locations. 

[capriccio]

1 minute ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

I've never used (or even tried to book) the Sanctuary, but I don't see the manual system being an option if they're simultaneously taking reservations in two locations. 

I agree.  But as someone who has reserved the Sanctuary on Caribbean cruises when we are traveling alone, I don't see how they could go to a general reservation system similar to a restaurant because the location of all the lounges is not equal.  The most important difference is that some have more shade, some have no shade, etc.

[Musky Ike]

57 minutes ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

I've never used (or even tried to book) the Sanctuary, but I don't see the manual system being an option if they're simultaneously taking reservations in two locations. 

Me either, unless it is phoned in from the VIP lounge as it is being reserved.

[voljeep]

what is the passenger capacity of the Sanctuary? - then discuss a pre-cruise 

'lottery' to determine your order of picking loungers.  Cut off the lottery and announce the results about 3 days prior to your cruise. Maybe even put up a 'deposit' to enter the lottery - returned to your form of payment if you are not one of the  'chosen few ... When you board, you will know in advance

your 'place in line' - takes away the advantage of the b2b and running to the Sanctuary 

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

During the trial of the suite holders VIP lounge in Ft. Lauderdale, people were/are able to book the Sanctuary before boarding.  So that ability could expand in the future.

True.  AFAIK, this is a Port Everglades thing right now, which of course is the launch port for the most voyages with super-high demand.  Most of those Suite folks would never beat me to the Sanctuary reception, but I cannot in truth begrudge them this extra perk.  Much.  😉

 

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

I've never used (or even tried to book) the Sanctuary, but I don't see the manual system being an option if they're simultaneously taking reservations in two locations. 

But they aren't because the guests checking in at the special off-site location are getting these bookings before the rest of the guests have boarded.  Once general boarding has commenced, it wouldn't make sense to show up at the off-site location and I don't believe it was going to be in operation all day long.  That said, the person at the off-site can always call the Sanctuary mgr on the phone and get information exchanged on available loungers.  Also, the person at the off-site handling it has to call the ship to discuss bookings made ahead of boarding in any case so that the diagram is update prior to other guests coming aboard and the off-site person probably knows which chairs are already gone to B2B'ers.  Just my figuring on the situation.

[Steelers36]

26 minutes ago, voljeep said:

what is the passenger capacity of the Sanctuary? - then discuss a pre-cruise 

'lottery' to determine your order of picking loungers.  Cut off the lottery and announce the results about 3 days prior to your cruise. Maybe even put up a 'deposit' to enter the lottery - returned to your form of payment if you are not one of the  'chosen few ... When you board, you will know in advance

your 'place in line' - takes away the advantage of the b2b and running to the Sanctuary 

Interesting.  Reminds me of the old way of selling concert tickets when you went to an actual outlet and they would hand out numbered tickets or wristbands and then draw for which number was going to be first in line.  Same idea at some concerts when they have a "pit".  Anyone looking to get there and holding a "pit" ticket gets a numbered wristband on arrival and at a designated time, they draw the number for first in line, so everyone lines up from that number to the max and then from 1 up to the number drawn.  Worst luck would be to have the number that is one less than first-in-line.  The key is they only give out the number of wristbands equal to capacity in the area, so everyone gets in, but may not get their ideal spot.

[Mike45LC]

6 hours ago, caribill said:

 

People also report that they they can't get a reservation for a specialty restaurant.

 

So by your logic, Princess should raise those prices also.

Raise the price until supply and demand are equal.  Basic Econ 101.

[edspec]

I have no intentions of paying extra for the Sanctuary, but Princess really should make these spots available on the cruise planner to make it more equitable.  I also wish they'd do the same with Chef's Table, wine dinners, etc... 

[PescadoAmarillo]

The fact that there really is no “reservation system” in place right now, just a map of loungers and handwritten assignments on a first come first served basis means that there is a huge opportunity here. Princess’s cabin bidding system was outsourced (my understanding is that the same company performs that function for several cruise lines). It would be a great summer job for a high school or college student to set up a bidding system for the Sanctuary and sell it to the cabin bidding company or Princess directly. Bidding solves several issues. Those people who book their cruise late still have an equal access to the most favored loungers in the Sanctuary (highest bids get first choice). People who board later in the day do too. At some time just before or after sailaway, people who have been notified they have a winning bid report to the Sanctuary to claim their lounger.  
 

The most favored loungers will yield a higher revenue for Princess. The total Sanctuary revenue is bound to be significantly higher on warm weather cruises, but on cool weather cruises, people can reserve the loungers for less instead of not reserving them at all, which is what happens at the current static pricing, and the revenue is likely to be higher too. 

[MissP22]

2 hours ago, ldtr said:

Nothing gradual about a 30% increase.

True, but maybe they though 30% was gradual. 😄

 

 

42 minutes ago, Mike45LC said:

Raise the price until supply and demand are equal.  Basic Econ 101.

As long as they don't drive customers to other cruise lines in the process. Once you lose a dedicated customer, they're usually gone for good. 

[XLVIII]

59 minutes ago, Mike45LC said:

Raise the price until supply and demand are equal.  Basic Econ 101.

Thank you

[startedwithamouse]

2 hours ago, edspec said:

I have no intentions of paying extra for the Sanctuary, but Princess really should make these spots available on the cruise planner to make it more equitable.  I also wish they'd do the same with Chef's Table, wine dinners, etc... 

They don't have to make anything equitable. They need to give the highest paying passengers first dibs IMO.

[startedwithamouse]

1 hour ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

The fact that there really is no “reservation system” in place right now, just a map of loungers and handwritten assignments on a first come first served basis means that there is a huge opportunity here. Princess’s cabin bidding system was outsourced (my understanding is that the same company performs that function for several cruise lines). It would be a great summer job for a high school or college student to set up a bidding system for the Sanctuary and sell it to the cabin bidding company or Princess directly. Bidding solves several issues. Those people who book their cruise late still have an equal access to the most favored loungers in the Sanctuary (highest bids get first choice). People who board later in the day do too. At some time just before or after sailaway, people who have been notified they have a winning bid report to the Sanctuary to claim their lounger.  
 

The most favored loungers will yield a higher revenue for Princess. The total Sanctuary revenue is bound to be significantly higher on warm weather cruises, but on cool weather cruises, people can reserve the loungers for less instead of not reserving them at all, which is what happens at the current static pricing, and the revenue is likely to be higher too. 

Pay to play.  Yes, more revenue for Princess, and what the market (ship) will bear. 

[caribill]

1 hour ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

 It would be a great summer job for a high school or college student to set up a bidding system for the Sanctuary

 

Although a summer project by a high school student would no doubt produce a better outcome than the professional folk who have set up the fantastic app, this is not a simple task.

 

Options:

o full cruise morning and afternoon

o full cruise morning only

o full cruise afternoon only

o individual days

o individual mornings

o individual afternoons

o special days such as Glacier Bay or Panama Canal

o if booking full cruise willingness to accept different lounge positions if a single position is no longer available full cruise

 

And for each of those:

o Full shade

o Full sun

o Partial shade/sun

o option of willingness to accept a different choice if first choice of location is not availabile

 

And, of course, waitlists for each of these options and the automatic applying of the waitlists as cancellations are made with notifications to those who get moved from waitlist to confirmed.

 

And, of course, logic to work with the different number of lounges on each ship

 

And add logic to deal with what happens when itineraries get changed in advance of a cruise and sea days become port days and vice versa.

 

The complexity is at least equal to that of the DMW software and we know how well that has turned out.

[caribill]

2 hours ago, edspec said:

I have no intentions of paying extra for the Sanctuary, but Princess really should make these spots available on the cruise planner to make it more equitable.  I also wish they'd do the same with Chef's Table, wine dinners, etc... 

 

Besides the complexity of doing this (see my previous post), with the relatively limited number of lounges available, it is very possible that all spots could be reserved over a year in advance of the cruise.

 

And the Chef's Dinner, with possibly only 15 spots for the entire cruise would definitely be booked up very early in the booking process, possibly on the day that only Elites can made a booking for a cruise.

 

Yes, you could set a day/time much closer to embarkation to be able to make an online booking. But that would mean people worldwide would try at the exact time bookings open for a chance to make a reservation. Much the same as when Taylor Swift fans vie for tickets the moment tickets go on sale.

[startedwithamouse]

Or with the Premier package, each passenger gets one day at sanctuary (voyages 5 days or longer), or exclusive sanctuary booking access. Raise the price of premier for this exclusivity.

Edited May 4, 2023 by startedwithamouse

[mnocket]

6 hours ago, capriccio said:

It's been a year since we used the Sanctuary (on a cruise out of Fort Lauderdale) but at that time the 'reservation system' was a piece of paper mapping all the lounges and cabanas for each day and time (morning or afternoon) and as each was reserved, the lounge/cabana was noted (by highlighting it) as unavailable.  The passenger was then given a handwritten receipt noting the day(s), shift(s), and lounge number and the amount paid. 

That has been my experience as well.

[Guest ldtr]

It will be interesting to see how long the Sanctuary as it currently exists will last once the Sun is finished next year.

 

I expect that if the Sun is a success with its restaurants by cabin class, and the special areas for Suites and Reserve Cabins, then Princess might look at retrofitting some of their older ships, just as Celebrity did went they went the same route. If they were to do so a candidate for such a retrofit would be to change the Sanctuary area to a private area for the two classes, Signature and Reserve.

 

Sun has the space to provide both the Sanctuary and Signature areas. However, Sanctuary is not in the premier location. There is not room on the old ships to provide both a Signature and Sanctuary deck area if they were to retrofit existing Royal class ships.

[donswife]

If they charge more per day to book for the whole cruise rather than less, it would make it a lot less appealing,  and free up lounges for more people. 

[Kay S]

So I guess there is more demand for the Sanctuary than I thought.  What's the attraction?  How is it better than a personal balcony?  How is it worth the extra money?  Never been there, so I am clueless.