Sanctuary prices shocked!!

[chrysalis]

We agree, but friends were on the Royal just last week and people were lined up on embarkation day to get in the Sanctuary and were willing to pay the price.

 

Just curious, how many people are willing to pay the extra?

 

Princess doesn't need to "fill it", they just need to make more money from it than they did before. If they can't, then one would assume that the prices will drop.

[Loonbeam]

Exactly, if they only sell 80 percent of the chairs, but t 2x the price, that's still a gain.

 

Also, the higher price allows them to discount the rates on cruises where it doesn't sell well (Port day Sanctuary Special! $15/$30!) People will book it because it's a 'deal'.

 

We're not booking it on our next cruise, not because of the price, but because it's port intensive and Canada in October, which I suspect will be a bit chilly. Considering the Enclave instead for this run.

 

 

 

 

 

Princess doesn't need to "fill it", they just need to make more money from it than they did before. If they can't, then one would assume that the prices will drop.

[cjmayes51]

20 total days on the Emerald since 2009 and at the most any day I saw 4 people in the Sanctuary. Wife and I always used the pool as it was always close to being empty, but I think any price increase is to try and generate some cash as I don't think it is widely used.

Charlie

[Loonbeam]

As said before - do not assume empty = unsold. It also really depends on the itinerary. I am sure the Panama Canal itineraries run much higher book rates than perhaps Canada/New England or Alaska in Sept.

 

The lower the temp and the more port intensive the route will probably correlate to lower Sanctuary sales, but with the higher base rate they can discount in those cases.

 

20 total days on the Emerald since 2009 and at the most any day I saw 4 people in the Sanctuary. Wife and I always used the pool as it was always close to being empty, but I think any price increase is to try and generate some cash as I don't think it is widely used.

Charlie

[chamima]

As said before - do not assume empty = unsold. It also really depends on the itinerary. I am sure the Panama Canal itineraries run much higher book rates than perhaps Canada/New England or Alaska in Sept.

 

The lower the temp and the more port intensive the route will probably correlate to lower Sanctuary sales, but with the higher base rate they can discount in those cases.

 

 

If they start discounting in the middle of a cruise I foresee problems with the people that booked for the whole cruise.

If it's a cold weather cruise and they discount from the beginning that's a different story but they'll have a lot of screaming and yelling if, in the middle of a cruise where people have paid $30 or $40 a day, they suddenly start selling them for $10 or $20.

[Loonbeam]

I don't forsee that, but I could see single day being reduced to the pre-book rate.

 

If they start discounting in the middle of a cruise I foresee problems with the people that booked for the whole cruise.

If it's a cold weather cruise and they discount from the beginning that's a different story but they'll have a lot of screaming and yelling if, in the middle of a cruise where people have paid $30 or $40 a day, they suddenly start selling them for $10 or $20.

[caribill]

But at least that gives everyone an equal shot. Don't let people book for the entire cruise only by the day and those 50 spots can now be x 7 or x 10 etc.

 

Not an equal shot if you book a cruise a year in advance only to discover that the slots are all taken by those who booked the cruise before you.

[Cruise Junky]

Not an equal shot if you book a cruise a year in advance only to discover that the slots are all taken by those who booked the cruise before you.

 

They could open sanctuary bookings 60 days prior to sailing, not rocket science

[Carla3]

We are going on a 15 day Hawaiian cruise out of vancouver. 10 sea days. We will probably book the sanctuary for the full trip. This holiday is a wedding celebration ( no kids) and we want to spoil ourselves. Everyone has different thoughts about how they want to spend here money. There is no right or wrong answer. I would like the opportunity to pre-book so that here is no disappointment. 2nd alternative is hubby gets out of bed early each morning to reserve us a lounger, not his ideal scenario.

 

 

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[caribill]

They could open sanctuary bookings 60 days prior to sailing, not rocket science

 

And the first 25 people to be on their computer at Midnight California time that day would get all the spots.

 

If you were asleep on the east coast or in the middle of the Atlantic on a cruise or on an airplane at that time you would not get a spot by the time you could get adequate access to the Internet.

[LewesBeach]

20 total days on the Emerald since 2009 and at the most any day I saw 4 people in the Sanctuary. Wife and I always used the pool as it was always close to being empty, but I think any price increase is to try and generate some cash as I don't think it is widely used.

Charlie

 

On the contrary, they are raising the prices BECAUSE it is widely used and people are willing to pay. Every warm weather cruise we have taken, the Sanctuary was sold out - including the last 2 in Feb/March when the prices were raised. Elites boarding first to line up for the full cruise spots. Other people, me included, got up early & stood in line to book the remaining day spots. By 8 am every day it was sold out. It looked 1/2 empty at any given time, people coming and going. No one showed up all day for the 2 chairs beside me, but they were sold. As others have said, the Alaska, Canada, Northern Europe cruises may be a different story.

[Rosethorn40]

We are going on a 15 day Hawaiian cruise out of vancouver. 10 sea days. We will probably book the sanctuary for the full trip. This holiday is a wedding celebration ( no kids) and we want to spoil ourselves. Everyone has different thoughts about how they want to spend here money. There is no right or wrong answer. I would like the opportunity to pre-book so that here is no disappointment. 2nd alternative is hubby gets out of bed early each morning to reserve us a lounger, not his ideal scenario.

 

 

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You will have no problem getting the Sanctuary on a R/T to Hawaii. When we went several years ago we raced to the Sanctuary in order to secure our spots. We need not have bothered. It was so little used that we were able to switch spots from day to day depending on weather conditions and whim.

 

The first two sea days out, and the last two returning are often cold and windy. When we went to Hawaii they offered a 6-day package that covered the first 4 sea days and the first two port days. Like fools we fell for it. The first sea day was sunny but very cool. I sat up there all day wrapped in 3 or 4 blankets. The next day was cloudy, windy, cold and occasional mist. I sat up there all day wrapped in blankets (By golly I paid for it I was using it!). The last 2 days were lovely, but we didn't use it much on the two port days. Coming back we wised up. We got afternoon passes on the 3 nice days of the last 4 sea days. We had already tipped the stewards so they were very accommodating letting us go in a little earlier than 1:00. There was no getting up early either. I would show up at 10 or 11 and still get two spots in the sun.

 

Have a lovely cruise. Hawaii was one of my favorites.

[Cruise Junky]

And the first 25 people to be on their computer at Midnight California time that day would get all the spots.

 

If you were asleep on the east coast or in the middle of the Atlantic on a cruise or on an airplane at that time you would not get a spot by the time you could get adequate access to the Internet.

 

Like I said, not rocket science so I'm not sure why you're making it that way. Open it like they do their bookings, 11:00 PST

[mikran]

We just finished a week aboard Caribbean Princess and were surprised by Princess Cruises' aggressive 100% rate increase for The Sanctuary. We can also confirm that the rates are $20-half day, $40-full day, $30 x # of days for full cruise.

 

Service in The Sanctuary was mediocre. Even on sea days it was not full, however, staff were often standing around chatting vs. walking about and checking if guests needed anything. We were also informed that Princess was no longer serving scones with afternoon tea, however, after several guests asked they "made an exception" and served the scones.

 

We also had to ask the maintenance crew to stop varnishing the handrails as the odour was strong and giving us headaches. As if that wasn't enough of an inconvenience, the maintenance crew also decided the last 2 sea days were ideal (to them maybe) for closing and repairing/ repainting the Lotus Pool!

 

We filed a complaint at Passenger Services and were credited for 1 day for the inconvenience.

 

While we completely understand that Princess is testing the supply & demand economics by doubling their fees, we would strongly recommend they also dramatically improve their service standards in The Sanctuary at the same time.

[chamima]

We just finished a week aboard Caribbean Princess and were surprised by Princess Cruises' aggressive 100% rate increase for The Sanctuary. We can also confirm that the rates are $20-half day, $40-full day, $30 x # of days for full cruise.

 

Service in The Sanctuary was mediocre. Even on sea days it was not full, however, staff were often standing around chatting vs. walking about and checking if guests needed anything. We were also informed that Princess was no longer serving scones with afternoon tea, however, after several guests asked they "made an exception" and served the scones.

We also had to ask the maintenance crew to stop varnishing the handrails as the odour was strong and giving us headaches. As if that wasn't enough of an inconvenience, the maintenance crew also decided the last 2 sea days were ideal (to them maybe) for closing and repairing/ repainting the Lotus Pool!

 

We filed a complaint at Passenger Services and were credited for 1 day for the inconvenience.

 

While we completely understand that Princess is testing the supply & demand economics by doubling their fees, we would strongly recommend they also dramatically improve their service standards in The Sanctuary at the same time.

 

 

Sorry you had that experience.

When we were on the Royal. Feb.23 the staff were absolutely wonderful! They were constantly walking around to ask if you wanted anything - cold water, a drink , any food. They also not only served afternoon tea but seemed SO excited to do so and came around for seconds.

They couldn't have been sweeter or more attentive!

[mikran]

Sorry you had that experience.

When we were on the Royal. Feb.23 the staff were absolutely wonderful! They were constantly walking around to ask if you wanted anything - cold water, a drink , any food. They also not only served afternoon tea but seemed SO excited to do so and came around for seconds.

They couldn't have been sweeter or more attentive!

 

We also had a wonderful experience on Royal Princess - Elarion (the Manager) was excellent as was his team.

[LewesBeach]

We also had an excellent Sanctuary experience on the Ruby this February. And they did serve scones with tea in the afternoon. Seems the service depends on the ship?

[Loonbeam]

As with many other things, not so much the ship, but the management on the ship. A good manager=good department in most cases. If the issue is beyond one individual, it is almost always driven from above.

 

We also had an excellent Sanctuary experience on the Ruby this February. And they did serve scones with tea in the afternoon. Seems the service depends on the ship?

[Pam in CA]

As with many other things, not so much the ship, but the management on the ship. A good manager=good department in most cases. If the issue is beyond one individual, it is almost always driven from above.

I agree. Had a great experience in the Sanctuary on the Sapphire in January, mediocre on the Sapphire a couple of weeks ago. Same staff, different manager. The manager who had been there in January was on top of things and made sure everyone was taken care of. She left a week after our cruise on vacation between contracts. Same staff a couple of weeks ago and they remembered me. Once I was set up in the morning, they disappeared. When I wanted to ask for a soda, there literally wasn't anyone there. The only time they came back was at tea time. It wasn't as though they were too busy since only ten loungers were booked for the cruise. For the first time, I didn't tip extra. Edited March 17, 2014 by Pam in CA

[RhondaPerr]

I loved every minute of the Sanctuary. Not having to fight for chairs, not have to stand online for lunch, high tea and goodies brought to us... Cold wash clothes.. Bottled water... Worth every cent, but double the price I struggle with... Guess if there is room, we will make the decision then!

[hsmcruise]

We loved the sanctuary on the island princess during a partial Panama Canal transit. We are now going on the island in the beginning of June to Alaska .

Has anyone used the sanctuary in Alaska. We will be having a balcony, so I'm not sure it would be worth it.

[maggie.1008]

What is offered complimentary ? Food or any alcohol ? For a half day does it begin at 1pm ? Can you stay after 5pm ?

[IECalCruiser]

What is offered complimentary ? Food or any alcohol ? For a half day does it begin at 1pm ? Can you stay after 5pm ?

The only food items that are extra charge are the sandwiches and such for lunch. We had coffee, tea and pastries brought to us in the morning on the Island and the full afternoon tea spread is also complementary. In addition to the coffee and tea, there is ice water with fruit slices available from a dispenser all day. Juices, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages are extra cost. Half day begins at 1:00pm and it is supposed to close at 5:00pm.

 

 

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[IECalCruiser]

We loved the sanctuary on the island princess during a partial Panama Canal transit. We are now going on the island in the beginning of June to Alaska .

 

Has anyone used the sanctuary in Alaska. We will be having a balcony, so I'm not sure it would be worth it.

On most Alaska cruises the only time there are people in the Sanctuary is on the glacier scenic viewing days. There is a significant up charge for those days, however and it is not included in the weekly rate. That is the same as the Panama Canal passage day. That day was $70 versus $20 for the day or $15/day for the length of the cruise. Prices have gone up since January of 2013 :eek:

 

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Edited August 6, 2014 by IECalCruiser

[IECalCruiser]

As with many other things, not so much the ship, but the management on the ship. A good manager=good department in most cases. If the issue is beyond one individual, it is almost always driven from above.

It is so true that a good manager makes the difference. One night in the Bayou Cafe, our server was overloaded with tables. The supervisor stepped in to help out like a Jr. Waiter would and our dinner was flawless when it could have been a disaster. We did a B2B in a WS a couple of years ago. The service at Sabatini's at breakfast was OK the first week. A new supervisor came on board the second week and his enthusiasm was infectious. The staff was much happier and even more efficient. We booked a full suite on one of those 4 day "free" cruises. For whatever reason, Sabatini's only had three servers rather than the standard four. The supervisor appeared like it was the first week on the job and she did little to solve the staff shortfall. It was not the best service and thankfully we only had three days there for breakfast.

 

 

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