The Sanctuary

[Host CJSKIDS]

@HaveDogWillTraveljust checked my husband's folio from our January Regal sailing and I can see a $3 charge from one of our Sanctuary visits. It's actually billed as a Canapé charge! 
 

mine also has the charge from the other days. Only one of us would order the food so there was only one charge. 
 

 

[SMS43]

Does anyone know how many loungers any one person can reserve? We have a party of 6 and don't know if we all have to sign up individually.

 

[PRINCESS Sweet Pea]

I believe that each person, or at least a person from each cabin, has to show up in person.  I don't know if, even in that case, with the person you are sailing with, if you would even have to have their cruise card.  I would be surprised if even linked bookings could reserve for the other purple.   I don't think a person can book for anyone else.   As always, it has been a while since we cruised, but I think this is correct.

[Crow9]

What are the hours of the sanctuary?  On a future cruise, the glacier viewing starts at 5am, would we be able to book/use it then?

[HaveDogWillTravel]

@Host CJSKIDSthanks for posting that information.  Your sanctuary menu is so different than mine!  Wow. On Princess I sail exclusively from the west coast….San Diego to Vancouver are my departure ports. I have actually never sailed Princess from the east coast or Europe.   I see you are east coast can it be that the sanctuary menu and cost policies are that different?  Seems so strange. Now I have to see if I have any menu pictures from before the pandemic and see of there ever was a delivery fee and what the menu items were. 
 

@SMS43I have reserved multiple loungers for myself & travel companions in different cabins before. This may or may not be the case on every ship however. I mean who knew the menu was different on another ship? Or that another ship charged a delivery fee for food?  Mind blown!  
 

 

[richsea]

Is that $40 charge on your bill for both or just one of you?

[5:00_Somewhere]

13 hours ago, PRINCESS Sweet Pea said:

I believe that each person, or at least a person from each cabin, has to show up in person.  I don't know if, even in that case, with the person you are sailing with, if you would even have to have their cruise card.  I would be surprised if even linked bookings could reserve for the other purple.   I don't think a person can book for anyone else.   As always, it has been a while since we cruised, but I think this is correct.

 

That has been our experience as recently as May on Discovery Princess: they required at least one person from each cabin to be physically present to book Sanctuary reservations. When we were in line, there was one lady who was extremely upset that they would not let her book for travel companions in another cabin. 

 

Also, there are no cruise cards any longer, except upon special request. Otherwise, everyone will have to have their Medallion with them. 

[fpsphil]

When I was on the discovery in April it was a free for all. Some woman in front of me booked 8 chairs and she was only there with 1 other person. Luckily I got the slot and chair I wanted otherwise I was going to say something

[PrincessLuver]

25 minutes ago, 5:00_Somewhere said:

 

That has been our experience as recently as May on Discovery Princess: they required at least one person from each cabin to be physically present to book Sanctuary reservations. When we were in line, there was one lady who was extremely upset that they would not let her book for travel companions in another cabin. 

 

Also, there are no cruise cards any longer, except upon special request. Otherwise, everyone will have to have their Medallion with them. 

 

The three ships we were on this year were also the same.  We could book for our cabin but not our family member's cabin.  It does make sense because it is not far to others who were first/come first serve and I think the folio could be contested if someone wanted to claim that that person doing the booking had no right to charge their folio.  

 

Again it sounds like the famous Princess inconsistency is at work.

[RNRcruisers]

We have only been on two Caribbean cruises with Princess and reserved the Sanctuary one afternoon so not an expert. However, when we reserved it it was not full at all and no one else was there when we made the reservation. It was a shorter cruise so maybe newer cruisers who didn't know about it?

 

Pretty sure we were charged the fee for food delivery.

 

[puggymom]

Last November, on Emerald, I booked the Sanctuary for the full cruise. I ordered food and drink for delivery every day. Sometimes from the Sanctuary menu but mostly from the medallion app and wasn’t charged any delivery fees. 

[PRINCESS Sweet Pea]

Crow9,  for special events like Glacier Bay and Panama Canal transit the Sanctuary will be operated with a special more expensive package.  I have never done those, so I don't know for sure.  I don't know that they would open as early as 5:00 am.  It does take time to actually get up into Glacier Bay to the main glaciers.  Maybe 6:00 am.  Just a guess.  This might be very much in demand, so you would want to be onboard and up to the Sanctuary at the very earliest.

 

Usually it is $40.00 per person per day, but I think it could be more than that, maybe twice as much, for something like Glacier Bay.  I think this can really vary by ship and sailing.   

[Host CJSKIDS]

@HaveDogWillTravelthat's an older photo. And I've never done a West Coast, been wanting to but it's just so easy for me from here. 
My friends are on the Caribbean princess right which is on this coast, I'll ask her to take a picture for me if she can run up there. 

 

 

[SMS43]

Thank you all for your responses. I will be sure that there is 1 from each cabin, if, in fact, all are interested. Having used the sanctuary many times 8n the past, I have to say it is the absolute best on a warm weather cruise.

 

[Steelers36]

5 hours ago, fpsphil said:

When I was on the discovery in April it was a free for all. Some woman in front of me booked 8 chairs and she was only there with 1 other person. Luckily I got the slot and chair I wanted otherwise I was going to say something

Shoulda said it anyway to clarify the policy.

[Steelers36]

4 hours ago, RNRcruisers said:

We have only been on two Caribbean cruises with Princess and reserved the Sanctuary one afternoon so not an expert. However, when we reserved it it was not full at all and no one else was there when we made the reservation. It was a shorter cruise so maybe newer cruisers who didn't know about it?

 

Pretty sure we were charged the fee for food delivery.

 

Was this pre-Covid and before guests could order food from MC App menu and have it delivered to them on the ship for free?  Or, did you order from the Sanctuary menu for which they do charge a fee?  Just trying to eliminate any confusion here for current versus past.

[Steelers36]

5 hours ago, fpsphil said:

When I was on the discovery in April it was a free for all. Some woman in front of me booked 8 chairs and she was only there with 1 other person. Luckily I got the slot and chair I wanted otherwise I was going to say something

 

4 hours ago, PrincessLuver said:

 

The three ships we were on this year were also the same.  We could book for our cabin but not our family member's cabin.  It does make sense because it is not far to others who were first/come first serve and I think the folio could be contested if someone wanted to claim that that person doing the booking had no right to charge their folio.  

 

Again it sounds like the famous Princess inconsistency is at work.

IMO, there ought to be one person from each cabin wanting to book show up live.  Even if one person is fast like the Road Runner and gets up there quickly, the other ought to be able to show up in time to complete the booking before the first person has completed their selection, etc.  Get a move on folks!  Start working out today!!!   LOL.

[Steelers36]

6 hours ago, richsea said:

Is that $40 charge on your bill for both or just one of you?

Since you posted without replying to the post, this may be bypassed.  The charge is obvious to me as two 1/2-day fees.  Why?  Well, the SD charges are posted for two people.  In general, these on-board extras are charged to one or other cabinmates as they only ask for one Medallion tap and not both.

 

$20 per 1/2 day; $40 per full day; $30/day if booked for full voyage.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

4 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Or, did you order from the Sanctuary menu for which they do charge a fee? 

They do not charge a fee for sanctuary food  delivery on all ships. On this thread we’ve had it reported both ways….some (like me on multiple west coast ships post Covid) did not get charged while some have reported being charged $3. (Still a bargain!)

[san diego spartan]

New to Princess.   How much does this cost. Where is it located.  On Alaskan cruise. 

[Steelers36]

12 minutes ago, san diego spartan said:

New to Princess.   How much does this cost. Where is it located.  On Alaskan cruise. 

What ship?  Generally located forward and high up - above Lido deck.  You can find the location by reviewing Deck Plans on Princess.com.  More details on Princess.com if you look up Sanctuary.

 

$20/pp/half-day.

$40/pp/full-day.

$30/pp/full-day - if booking entire voyage.

[RNRcruisers]

15 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Was this pre-Covid and before guests could order food from MC App menu and have it delivered to them on the ship for free?  Or, did you order from the Sanctuary menu for which they do charge a fee?  Just trying to eliminate any confusion here for current versus past.

 

Yes it was pre-Covid and we ordered from the Sanctuary menu.

 

[richsea]

16 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Since you posted without replying to the post, this may be bypassed.  The charge is obvious to me as two 1/2-day fees.  Why?  Well, the SD charges are posted for two people.  In general, these on-board extras are charged to one or other cabinmates as they only ask for one Medallion tap and not both.

 

$20 per 1/2 day; $40 per full day; $30/day if booked for full voyage.

Thanks!

[JF - retired RRT]

12 hours ago, san diego spartan said:

New to Princess.   How much does this cost. Where is it located.  On Alaskan cruise. 

As @Steelers36 states the costs...however, on an Alaska cruise, the charge for Glacier day is more. IIRC it's something in the range of $60 and includes some extras that you don't get on the "regular" days. It could be COLD!! on the day. We booked the Sanctuary for Glacier day on our one and only Alaska cruise and it was so cold we cancelled.

You never know what to expect in Alaska. On our cruise it was cold & rainy the entire time.

[Steelers36]

9 minutes ago, JF - retired RRT said:

As @Steelers36 states the costs...however, on an Alaska cruise, the charge for Glacier day is more. IIRC it's something in the range of $60 and includes some extras that you don't get on the "regular" days. It could be COLD!! on the day. We booked the Sanctuary for Glacier day on our one and only Alaska cruise and it was so cold we cancelled.

You never know what to expect in Alaska. On our cruise it was cold & rainy the entire time.

Same idea when a ship is transiting the Panama Canal.  Premium charge but extra "goodies".  I may or may not have read $75????