Sky Princess´ Sanctuary

[lucas34]

 

Does anyone know what Sky's Sanctuary full-day passes include; drinks, snacks, etc.? Do we make a reservation on board or in advance?

[jdacombe]

We did a half day pass a couple of years ago on Regal.

We were treated to afternoon tea, and had several staff come around asking if we wanted drinks.

I believe the only way to book is in person on the ship, but be very quick to do it as it can get fully booked very quickly.

[lx200gps]

The Sanctuary pass includes the dedicated lounger, a lunch menu and afternoon tea. There is full time very attentive service for food and drink delivery, but you would have to either have a drink package or pay for the drinks.  Drinks are not automatically included with the Sanctuary pass. When you order a drink, the Sanctuary staff will head to a nearby bar to pick it up for you.

 

No pre-booking, you have to RACE upstairs the moment you board, and expect all the best loungers to be gone by the time you get there on a warm-weather trip, it's extremely popular. Our last trip on the Sky, as Elites we were among the very first folks to board and were still completely shut out of booking the Sanctuary due to the massive number of B2Bers who boarded just before us.  Of course, sea days will be much more popular than port days.

[Nicole&Pete]

Just now, lucas34 said:

 

Does anyone know what Sky's Sanctuary full-day passes include; drinks, snacks, etc.? Do we make a reservation on board or in advance?

Just a warning, we did the sanctuary last year on a cold weather cruise and it was very exposed up there as there is not much protection from wind, rain etc.

 

In a hot place it would be great!

[LeeW]

No shady spots either.  They added a bunch of cabanas on this ship.

[dides]

Here are the standard Sanctuary menus:

 

 

[Hlitner]

Count me among those who are underwhelmed by the Sanctuary.  We have our "spots" on the ship where we can usually get loungers in the shade (hard to get in the Sanctuary).  If we want drinks we can order them on the app and they are delivered to our loungers...or I will stop at one of the bars at my leisure,  At lunch we have our choice between the lido, outdoor grill, pizza, etc.  

 

While we do like the nicer loungers in the Sanctuary, we prefer to be closer to the pool/grill/pizza area and have an opportunity to choose our loungers (on a daily basis) based on the position of the sun, shade, etc.  We also cannot get excited by the special drink menu in the Sanctuary since we can get just about any drink via our package.  The idea of paying $30+ a day for a lounger in the sun, rain, etc, is just not our thing.  And the hassle of rushing up to try and secure Sanctuary space on embarkation day is just not our style.

 

Hank

[Nicole&Pete]

Just now, Hlitner said:

Count me among those who are underwhelmed by the Sanctuary.  We have our "spots" on the ship where we can usually get loungers in the shade (hard to get in the Sanctuary).  If we want drinks we can order them on the app and they are delivered to our loungers...or I will stop at one of the bars at my leisure,  At lunch we have our choice between the lido, outdoor grill, pizza, etc.  

 

While we do like the nicer loungers in the Sanctuary, we prefer to be closer to the pool/grill/pizza area and have an opportunity to choose our loungers (on a daily basis) based on the position of the sun, shade, etc.  We also cannot get excited by the special drink menu in the Sanctuary since we can get just about any drink via our package.  The idea of paying $30+ a day for a lounger in the sun, rain, etc, is just not our thing.  And the hassle of rushing up to try and secure Sanctuary space on embarkation day is just not our style.

 

Hank

You talk about nicer loungers, actually on the Sky they don’t have the really thick cushions, they are just regular cushions so it’s no different from loungers you find in other parts of the ship.

[Hlitner]

5 hours ago, Nicole&Pete said:

You talk about nicer loungers, actually on the Sky they don’t have the really thick cushions, they are just regular cushions so it’s no different from loungers you find in other parts of the ship.

We have yet to cruise on the Sky (that will happen later this year).  But that would be another reason to keep us away from the Sanctuary.  Seabourn is the one line where they make their Sanctuary very inviting.  They have a group of Cabanas with each offering a shaded inside and a sunny area outside.  Inside there is a large big screen TV, DVD Player (with plenty of movies available), fridge, an iPad and nice chairs.  Outside they have large well padded loungers, table, and some other amenities including a bottle of decent French Champagne.  There is a decent menu, great service, and no add-ons.  At lunch the staff sets up your area and serves your menu choices.  These Cabanas are expensive on a ship that is all-inclusive, but quite popular because of the attractive layout and perks.

 

Hank

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

Afternoon tea is the best. If you can only get half a day, pick the afternoon. As someone who HATES the main pool, I love the sanctuary.  But on the Royal class ships it’s very small and usually sells out by the B2Bers before us Elites get onboard. Mostly only Cabanas are left and much more expensive. But they do include a (small) bottle of booze and fruit. I really wish they didn’t have a TV. The is the last thing I want in a quiet secluded place. We were some of the first cruisers on the Discovery and they didn’t have headphones yet. Like I really want to listen to you watching TV!  I think that’s been fixed on all ships. 

[lucas34]

Thank you so much for all this help.

It will be "cold weather cruise" so maybe the Enclave´s hydro-therapy pool would be better choice?

[Nicole&Pete]

Just now, lucas34 said:

Thank you so much for all this help.

It will be "cold weather cruise" so maybe the Enclave´s hydro-therapy pool would be better choice?

I definitely think so, I remember looking over at my husband covered in blankets freezing, whereas the enclave is all inside. You can also book that before you embark which is nice. When we went on the Sky and saw it on the first day it looked really nice but by that time we couldn’t get booked in, the whole cruise bookings were full and the only other thing we could do was book for one day but they only do one day passes on port days.

[Bizzie07]

We didn't use the Sanctuary last week (too cold)but went in to have a look so I've attached a couple of pics.  

 

We were less than impressed with the Enclave.  Paid for the week but cancelled on our first visit. 

DA7D3296-4ED6-4799-AC2A-B88044289AA9.heic 782CC661-7BE7-463C-9B28-1B4C6E77D3FE.heic

[Nicole&Pete]

Just now, Hlitner said:

We have yet to cruise on the Sky (that will happen later this year).  But that would be another reason to keep us away from the Sanctuary.  Seabourn is the one line where they make their Sanctuary very inviting.  They have a group of Cabanas with each offering a shaded inside and a sunny area outside.  Inside there is a large big screen TV, DVD Player (with plenty of movies available), fridge, an iPad and nice chairs.  Outside they have large well padded loungers, table, and some other amenities including a bottle of decent French Champagne.  There is a decent menu, great service, and no add-ons.  At lunch the staff sets up your area and serves your menu choices.  These Cabanas are expensive on a ship that is all-inclusive, but quite popular because of the attractive layout and perks.

 

Hank

That sounds really nice, especially the lunch part