Sanctuary seating questions

[Luckybee]

Will be sailing on Enchanted Princess in Feburary for 10 days in Carib. First time on Princess. Since I'm in a suite I'm presuming because of early embarkation I have a decent shot of getting into the Sanctuary. That said I want to make sure I want to do so.

This is a port intensive cruise and I anticipate most if not all port days I will be hitting a variety of beaches.  I am a sun worshipper, and like to tan.There are 3 sea days and I will definitely want to get out in the afternoon sun on those days onboard. (Note I said afternoon as I am not into early rise and shine on vacation lol).

When I first read about the sanctuary it was an absolute for me to book once onboard but having looked at many youtube videos I am realizing that many/most of the chairs appear to be shaded or covered by netting which I definitely dont want( I realize more people are looking for shade...not what I am seeking). I saw one are where the chairs appear to be partially in the sun but if they were moved back a tad could have full direct sun. Can the lounge chairs be moved ? 

Am I dreaming that on sea days in the afternoon if I dont hit the deck until lunch that I will find a chair in the direct sun for a couple of hours anywhere on board if I dont book the sanctuary for the sailing ? And if I do book the sanctuary for the sailing am I able to let someone else use it for the days Im off the ship? ( I am travelling alone so I dont want to waste it...could I just tell staff I wont be using the chair on x days so they can give it to someone as a freebie who could use ?)

[skynight]

a) once on board you go directly to the sanctuary.

b) You select your lounge and book for half days for the days you wish to use it. Current cos is $20/half day, $40/full day, $30/full day if you book the entire 10 days.

c) Your 10 day cruise will be filled with b2bers that book for 20 days. Those passengers will be able to book the sanctuary the day before turn around day, the day you board.

There is very little shade in the sanctuary. The overhead netting does not really provide shade. You say you are in a suite. If you are in a full suite, not a mini suite, then you will have a decent size balcony. Even some mini suites have nice size balconies. You probably can use the balcony. You may or may not get full sun. It all depends on the ship's direction. 

[DuaneO]

Well, we on the 32 day cruise on the Saphire right now, we booked 5 full days of the Sanctuary, we did that within an hour on board.   The problem you cannot prebook on line - like a spa time.  So once we go up there we managed to get a decent location locked in.  
 

surprising ti us there were many before who locked in places for the 32 days.  And it was told to use the Back 2 backs are generally the first to lock in.

 

but don’t fear, folks change their minds and as today only 20 were booked off and on today. Off and on is AM/PM and there’s entire day. PM had the vast majority.

 

btw I just asked the steward if there is a rate for booking the space for the entire length of the cruise .. the answer is no.

Edited April 20 by DuaneO

[Luckybee]

Thanks for the replies so far. Does anyone know whether the chairs in the Sanctuary can be moved at all ie: direction or pulled back slightly to avoid the lip cover ?

Are lounge chairs in the sun anywhere else available generally( dont care if it is by the pool) ?

[skynight]

6 hours ago, Luckybee said:

Thanks for the replies so far. Does anyone know whether the chairs in the Sanctuary can be moved at all ie: direction or pulled back slightly to avoid the lip cover ?

Are lounge chairs in the sun anywhere else available generally( dont care if it is by the pool) ?

Lounge chairs in the sanctuary can be moved.

There are plenty of lounge chairs on deck 16 around the Lido Pool, on deck 17 above the Lido pool and on deck 16 aft by the Wake View Pool that are in the sun. Very few people sit in the sun. Lounges in the shade are filled early morning. Lounges in the sun remain mostly empty. It's way too hot and way too dangerous with the very strong sun in the Caribbean. Make sure you have some sort of shoes. The decks get so hot you can't really walk on them without shoes. 

[20165]

We are on enchanted now and i will say, there is a lot of shade in the Sanctuary, but im sure you will find some sun, however, if you are looking for a chair directly in the sun, i dont think you will have a hard time in the regular areas. There are a lot of chairs especially on the deck above the main pool.  

Also we are in a suite and although i dont know if that gives us priority, but we put our name on the waiting list that was almost 2 pages long when we boarded and a little before 5, we got a call that we could have any days we wanted. 

[cjpj]

There is a section of the Sanctuary, the very front by the entrance, that is in full sun in the afternoon. No shading in that area other than from walls.

[rebeccac]

If you want full sun that area in front is probably your best bet.  I will say that I need shade (I burn super easily) and even with the screening over top of the chairs, I found that I still had to keep moving around to "chase" the shade.  

[Luckybee]

I'm used to land based holidays more than ship based( only have done a few cruises and many more on land only). Normally I usually spend 1 or 2 hours in the sun then am usually doing something else for the day. For simply r and r I expect I'll simply be on my balcony but wanted to know what my options were for the "at sea" days. Thanks as this info was very helpful :)