Royal Princess Sanctuary - Jan 12-19 2014

[Richmond]

Just back and just a couple minutes but wanted to share the following as it is radically different than on other Princess ships and what I had read posted here before we left. I did hear it changed with the new year, but who knows. At any rate....

 

The staff says there are 50 seats. That's probably about right. Full week reservations are only done for 10% of the seats. For those who are not good at math, that's 5, which probably is 6. I am Platinum and boarded early and literally ran up to the 17th floor as soon as I got on around 12. There were actually probably 8 people ahead of me. After we stood out in the blazing sun for about 15 minutes, we were told about the 10% and that they were taking reservations for tomorrow only. This was done throughout the cruise - you could come the morning before for the next day's reservation. I was told (not by staff but by a passenger) that the 10% end up being reserved by people from the previous week doing back to backs so there is no real opportunity for a one week passenger to reserve for the week.

 

Also the price jumped significantly. It is now $40 per chair for full day, $20 for half day. The manager (nice and handsome fellow) said this was from customer feedback - make it more expensive and the morning wait will be shorter.

 

We actually did one full day on Tuesday and 1/2 day on Thursday and it was quiet and lovely as always. I actually forgot to go up early Wed morning and went around 845 and was able to reserve the half day morning for Thursday. There were apparently several on our particular cruise who only wanted 1/2 day afternoon and would wait. Per the staff, one hour half, to reserve for the afternoon.

 

Hope this is helpful.

[Ellipooh]

Not surprised to hear that Princess is now limiting the number of weekly reservations. From what I've read, the current system leaves many loungers empty most of the time, and a lot of disappointed passengers every day. But having said that,10% of 50 loungers seems way too few. Something in the range of 60-75% would be better, leaving 25-40% of the loungers available for daily rental.

 

I had heard about the B2B pax taking all of the full week reservations on other ships. This seems terribly unfair to me, and I think they should limit B2B to just half of the week-long reservations available.

[JimmyVWine]

The staff says there are 50 seats. That's probably about right. Full week reservations are only done for 10% of the seats. For those who are not good at math, that's 5, which probably is 6.

 

This seems downright silly. If that is the case, then they should just scrap the weekly rentals and do it daily only. I've never liked the whole "early boarders get to run up and sell the place out before others board" idea. The Sanctuary is a feature available to all passengers, so all passengers should be able to compete for a spot with an equal opportunity to book a slot. But one cannot compete if one is not on the ship. Especially where they enforce (or at least recommend, which to a naive rule-follower, is the same as "enforce") staggered boarding times.

 

At least if they do it "day of", (or the day before), 100% of the people who might want a slot are on the ship and have the option of waiting in line. If Princess wants to build a special area for Suites, Platinums and Elites to call their own, I am all for it. But as long as the Sanctuary remains a feature advertised and available for all passengers, it shouldn't get sold out exclusively to back-to-back passengers, Suite passengers, Platinums and Elites.

Edited January 20, 2014 by JimmyVWine

[Balloon Man]

Why anybody wants to pay more for this beats me. On our last Diamond cruise it was empty most of the time and often closed through lack of interest.

[lovevacadays]

Goodness! I want to book the Sanctuary for the full week on my next couple of cruises. If the percentage they allow is that small my changes are nil!:eek::eek::eek: I guess I am somewhat lucky in that I am a very early riser so could feasibly go up each day and book for the day or next day whichever it might be. I hope this is not the case on all ships!

[Jetswdo]

Princess policy is very unfair. As one poster said, the Sanctuary is advertised as available to all adult passengers. I keep thinking that perhaps a law suit from passengers who wanted to book it and couldn't, due to Princess ridiculous policy, should happen. There really should be a consumer complaint. I'd love to see what would happen. This is the reason that frankly, I prefer Celebrity. The adult only section is included with cruise fare and that is that. I didn't have to run on board like a maniac to try to reserve a lounge. Dh and I are going on the Royal for the ports for the 1 week we are able to go in April. We are already assuming that we wont be able to use the sanctuary for that week (already are totally annoyed) but are resolved to having an enjoyable cruise any way. But, if Celebrity Silhouette that week had 3 full port days (we just snorkel), they would have had our business due to the Sanctuary insanity on Princess., which is a shame. I love that Princess has self serve washers and dryers. I like that you don't have to pay for their excursions/spa treatments until on the ship, but you can reserve a spot. I also like that their soda packages and restaurants are much cheaper than Celebrity. But lact of access to the Sanctuary is a big deal to us.

[nimiq]

I also think they should never have people pay for the sanctuary. I personally will never par it should be included in the price but reserve for adults only.

[Rosethorn40]

They charge because A) They can because people are willing to pay, and B)Crowd Control. When the Sanctuary debuted on the Crown Princess there was no charge, and reports of fights breaking out over disputes regarding loungers.

 

I was reading reviews of the Carnival Sunshine, which has a nice adult FREE area and there were reports of people camping out overnight to reserve a place. According to the reviews I read you had to be up there no later than 6 AM to get any spot at all.

 

I think what this illustrates is that many adults are desperate to get some peace and quiet while on vacation, and will go to great lengths and expense to do so. While there are a few lines, that due to their prices would be mostly kid free, they are out of reach for the average vacationer. I suppose Princess will experiment with policies and prices for the Sanctuary until they find the combination that seems to work best.

[caribill]

I also think they should never have people pay for the sanctuary. I personally will never par it should be included in the price but reserve for adults only.

 

The Sanctuary has room for about 40 passengers. A ship can have over 2000 adults.

 

How would you pick who would be the lucky 40?

[dorisis]

If one has a balcony cabin, what is the advantage of the Sanctuary. Is it at the front of the ship on the Royal? I would think it would be very windy while at sea.

[Richmond]

If one has a balcony cabin, what is the advantage of the Sanctuary. Is it at the front of the ship on the Royal? I would think it would be very windy while at sea.

 

Yes, the Sanctuary is at the front of the ship. One day it was windy/loud though not in my chair and it didn't affect me; the other day it was silent without wind. I can not fathom a way that two people would sit all day on a Princess regular balcony. You don't have full length chairs, for one, and while two people can sit there comfortably, reclining/relaxing are not really possible.

 

And yes, as others have mentioned, when I am on vacation, I love quiet time to read a book and relax. The rest of the time I am on the ship with 3000+ passengers there is plenty of activity.

[jackyfromwyk]

According to the princess website the price is $10 per period, am or pm.

Was the price of $40 per day for a single lounger or a double lounger?

[Richmond]

According to the princess website the price is $10 per period, am or pm.

Was the price of $40 per day for a single lounger or a double lounger?

 

$40 per day per lounger; $20 per half-day per lounger. We had two loungers both times we went. Tuesday full day at $80, Friday half-day (8:30-1) at $40. This pricing is Royal-specific, apparently and "at passenger request".....

Edited January 21, 2014 by Richmond

[awinte2]

Just back and just a couple minutes but wanted to share the following as it is radically different than on other Princess ships and what I had read posted here before we left. I did hear it changed with the new year, but who knows. At any rate....

 

The staff says there are 50 seats. That's probably about right. Full week reservations are only done for 10% of the seats. For those who are not good at math, that's 5, which probably is 6. I am Platinum and boarded early and literally ran up to the 17th floor as soon as I got on around 12. There were actually probably 8 people ahead of me. After we stood out in the blazing sun for about 15 minutes, we were told about the 10% and that they were taking reservations for tomorrow only. This was done throughout the cruise - you could come the morning before for the next day's reservation. I was told (not by staff but by a passenger) that the 10% end up being reserved by people from the previous week doing back to backs so there is no real opportunity for a one week passenger to reserve for the week.

 

Also the price jumped significantly. It is now $40 per chair for full day, $20 for half day. The manager (nice and handsome fellow) said this was from customer feedback - make it more expensive and the morning wait will be shorter.

 

We actually did one full day on Tuesday and 1/2 day on Thursday and it was quiet and lovely as always. I actually forgot to go up early Wed morning and went around 845 and was able to reserve the half day morning for Thursday. There were apparently several on our particular cruise who only wanted 1/2 day afternoon and would wait. Per the staff, one hour half, to reserve for the afternoon.

 

Hope this is helpful.

 

 

Hello Richmond

 

I told my sisterinlaw your story and she is sailing on the Royal in February . She nearly flipped when I told her the prices so she telephoned Princess right away and after 2 people said they did not know the answer she insisted on getting someone who could answer her question. Not only did Princessrep give her the info but also emailed her the pricing to take with her on the ship so there would not be a problem.

The daily charge for the sanctuary is indeed 25.00 for a full day and 15.00 for half a day.

It sounds to me they overcharged you and added the 25 plus the 15 to equal 40.

It is sad and if I were you I would request a refund or some type of credit on your next cruise.

It is strange that every Princess ship has different pricing for the Sanctuary

and it is up to us to keep on top of everything. It is also sad that you can call Princess and get 3 different answers to the same question.

[Jetswdo]

included for everyone in price of cruise. When on their huge ship, Reflection, there was no fighting over the comfortable lounges in there and yes there were 3000 guests on board. We never had problems finding a lounger.

[chamima]

Hello Richmond

 

I told my sisterinlaw your story and she is sailing on the Royal in February . She nearly flipped when I told her the prices so she telephoned Princess right away and after 2 people said they did not know the answer she insisted on getting someone who could answer her question. Not only did Princessrep give her the info but also emailed her the pricing to take with her on the ship so there would not be a problem.

The daily charge for the sanctuary is indeed 25.00 for a full day and 15.00 for half a day.

It sounds to me they overcharged you and added the 25 plus the 15 to equal 40.

It is sad and if I were you I would request a refund or some type of credit on your next cruise.

It is strange that every Princess ship has different pricing for the Sanctuary

and it is up to us to keep on top of everything. It is also sad that you can call Princess and get 3 different answers to the same question.

 

 

 

I'm going to take your advice and call Princess.

Could you ask your sister-in-law if she just called the general number and spoke to whoever answered or if she called a specific department?

Thanks!

[ringdingman]

We were on the same cruise and when we went up to the Sanctuary on Sunday around 1:00 PM, there were a few chairs left for the next day at the $40/20 rate but none for the week. We decided to pass.

 

What we ended up doing was to go to the Retreat Pool which is directly in back of the Sanctuary. You have to walk through the Retreat pool area to get to the Sanctuary.

 

We found this area considerately quieter than the main pool area and it was a nice alternative. There was music in the background but it was much more mellow and quitier than what was playing at the main pool

 

In addition, the Retreat pool has 6 cabanas with two padded chaise loungers in each. The cost was $50 for a half day and $80 for the full day. We were told that you have to sign up for them the morning before so Thursday AM at 7:30 we signed up for Friday. IMO, it was worth every penny. It was a sea day so that meant no need to rush up and get a chair, We could come and go as we pleased without worrying whether the chair would be available when we returned. We decide to do it again for the Saturday sea day. We went to sign up Friday around noon and had no trouble getting it for Saturday.

 

It turned out that Saturday was cloudy, windy and cool and no one was using any of the pools or cabanas. We went up to question whether we would be charged and were told we would not.

 

There were regular lounge chairs at the Retreat pool and we used these on the days we came back from from St Thomas and St Martin.

[SeaCBear]

When we were on the Royal over New Years, NONE of the passengers - including the first Elite's who boarded on December 29, were able to book full a full week, as all had already been reserved by the previous back to back passengers.

 

We were able to get two loungers for the first full day of the cruise, and we loved it. We were right at the front (we wanted shade) and the view was beautiful.

 

When I went back a few days later, at 8:30 a.m. (I thought that would be early enough - they start taking reservations at 9:00), there were already 20 people ahead of me. They started lining up at 6:30 a.m. that day. We settled instead for a 1/2 day in a Retreat Cabana, which is quite a bit more expensive and other than proximity to the pool, not as nice.

 

The manager was charming (and yes, very good looking :) ), and exasperated. He told me that every morning he's subjected to verbal abuse for a couple of hours. The couple ahead of me swore at him, and were really abusive and obnoxious. But the manager told me he doesn't make the rules, and we felt he did a good job managing the area.

 

They need a different reservation system - I don't know what the solution is, but what they have now really doesn't work. Most of us don't want to get up at 6 a.m., and then line up for 2 1/2 hours, to pay for a lounge chair.

Edited January 24, 2014 by SeaCBear

[pablo222]

enger)

Also the price jumped significantly. It is now $40 per chair for full day, $20 for half day. The manager (nice and handsome fellow) said this was from customer feedback - make it more expensive and the morning wait will be shorter.

 

They need to keep raising the price, until the rush onboard is

no longer necessary. There is obviously over-demand at the

current higher price.

 

As (part of) a public company, Princess has a duty to maximize

shareholder value.

 

It is better to sell four seats at $100, leaving two open,

than to sell six at $40.

[janetz]

This is a very interesting thread. I really think I can find a lounger in a quiet spot without having to stand in a line for hours and paying extra for it. Good gosh, it sounds so silly to pay extra for a lounger in a certain spot, as nice as it may be. I can just imagine the cost for the 10 day repo. :)

Edited January 24, 2014 by janetz

[Loonbeam]

You certainly can. There is a service element as well, of course.

 

I would never do it for a port intensive run, but for something like a TA I would in a hearbeat. There is nothing quite like walking in and having your dose of midmorning fruit punch show up 3 minutes later.

 

This is a very interesting thread. I really think I can find a lounger in a quiet spot without having to stand in a line for hours and paying extra for it. Good gosh, it sounds so silly to pay extra for a lounger in a certain spot, as nice as it may be. I can just imagine the cost for the 10 day repo. :)

[riclop]

Just back and just a couple minutes but wanted to share the following as it is radically different than on other Princess ships and what I had read posted here before we left. I did hear it changed with the new year, but who knows. At any rate....

 

The staff says there are 50 seats. That's probably about right. Full week reservations are only done for 10% of the seats. For those who are not good at math, that's 5, which probably is 6. I am Platinum and boarded early and literally ran up to the 17th floor as soon as I got on around 12. There were actually probably 8 people ahead of me. After we stood out in the blazing sun for about 15 minutes, we were told about the 10% and that they were taking reservations for tomorrow only. This was done throughout the cruise - you could come the morning before for the next day's reservation. I was told (not by staff but by a passenger) that the 10% end up being reserved by people from the previous week doing back to backs so there is no real opportunity for a one week passenger to reserve for the week.

 

Also the price jumped significantly. It is now $40 per chair for full day, $20 for half day. The manager (nice and handsome fellow) said this was from customer feedback - make it more expensive and the morning wait will be shorter.

 

We actually did one full day on Tuesday and 1/2 day on Thursday and it was quiet and lovely as always. I actually forgot to go up early Wed morning and went around 845 and was able to reserve the half day morning for Thursday. There were apparently several on our particular cruise who only wanted 1/2 day afternoon and would wait. Per the staff, one hour half, to reserve for the afternoon.

 

Hope this is helpful.

Thanks for the info.

[kdkmilwaukee]

Just back and just a couple minutes but wanted to share the following as it is radically different than on other Princess ships and what I had read posted here before we left. I did hear it changed with the new year, but who knows. At any rate....

 

The staff says there are 50 seats. That's probably about right. Full week reservations are only done for 10% of the seats. For those who are not good at math, that's 5, which probably is 6. I am Platinum and boarded early and literally ran up to the 17th floor as soon as I got on around 12. There were actually probably 8 people ahead of me. After we stood out in the blazing sun for about 15 minutes, we were told about the 10% and that they were taking reservations for tomorrow only. This was done throughout the cruise - you could come the morning before for the next day's reservation. I was told (not by staff but by a passenger) that the 10% end up being reserved by people from the previous week doing back to backs so there is no real opportunity for a one week passenger to reserve for the week.

 

Also the price jumped significantly. It is now $40 per chair for full day, $20 for half day. The manager (nice and handsome fellow) said this was from customer feedback - make it more expensive and the morning wait will be shorter.

 

We actually did one full day on Tuesday and 1/2 day on Thursday and it was quiet and lovely as always. I actually forgot to go up early Wed morning and went around 845 and was able to reserve the half day morning for Thursday. There were apparently several on our particular cruise who only wanted 1/2 day afternoon and would wait. Per the staff, one hour half, to reserve for the afternoon.

 

Hope this is helpful.

 

We were on the same cruise! :D We signed up on Sunday for Monday afternoon, as we weren't interested in going onshore to Princess Cays. We got partial shade chairs, no problem. Then, we went at 8:00 am on Thursday morning to sign up for Friday afternoon, and also didn't have a problem getting chairs. We got two in the sun and two in the shade (we were traveling with my parents) to switch it up a bit. Interestingly, both afternoons we noticed quite a few chairs that were never occupied even though the sign outside the Sanctuary said that it was completely booked. Kind of a shame that folks sign up and then never use the chairs (at least for the afternoon) - I'm sure there were plenty of people who would have liked to use them instead. This was our first cruise that we actually went to the Sanctuary, and really enjoyed it!

[caribill]

Interestingly, both afternoons we noticed quite a few chairs that were never occupied even though the sign outside the Sanctuary said that it was completely booked. Kind of a shame that folks sign up and then never use the chairs (at least for the afternoon) - I'm sure there were plenty of people who would have liked to use them instead.

 

Just because you have booked and paid for it does not mean you have to occupy it all of the available time.

 

People who book a suite do not stay in the cabin all day, so it remains unused while they are elsewhere. Same thing for the sanctuary.

[caribill]

Not only did Princessrep give her the info but also emailed her the pricing to take with her on the ship so there would not be a problem.

The daily charge for the sanctuary is indeed 25.00 for a full day and 15.00 for half a day.

 

We were on the same cruise and when we went up to the Sanctuary on Sunday around 1:00 PM, there were a few chairs left for the next day at the $40/20 rate but none for the week. We decided to pass.

 

HQ may not be aware of current pricing for the Royal Sanctuary.