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I Tried the Fancy Sanctuary Collection on Sun Princess. Here’s What I Found!
Aug 2, 2025
I cruised on Sun Princess to experience snd test out the new Princess Cruises SANCTUARY COLLECTION. This video shares my thoughts on if the SANCTUARY SUITE , Sanctuary Club deck, Sanctuary Restaurant and other perks and benefits included in the fare to see if it was all worth it. Here's my verdict and thoughts For bonus & exclusive content (including videos, articles, eBooks and more) become a channel member or patron: --------------------------------------------------- * Patreon Patron: https://www.patreon.com/tipsfortravellers * YouTube Channel Member: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_qE-Obs2ocdmPXY0TIU-cw/join Check out my cruise-themed T-shirts and products: --------------------------------------------------- * TeePublic Store: https://tipsfortravellers.dashery.com * Teespring Store: https://tips-for-travellers-youtube.creator-spring.com * Fourthwall: https://gary-bembridge-1-shop.fourthwall.com Book Cruise Port Excursions * Venture Ashore: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/excursions * Shore Excursions Group: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/shoreexcursions My social media: --------------------------------------------------- * Blog: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com
View Video Transcript
0:00
After slipping behind the competition
0:01
who introduced luxurious private access
0:04
areas for their sweet guests a while
0:06
ago, Princess Cruisers are finally
0:08
trying to catch up with the launch of
0:10
Sanctuary Collection on their new 4,300
0:13
passenger Sphere class ships, Sun
0:15
Princess and Star Princess. Having tried
0:17
all those other line premium areas, I
0:20
was eager to try theirs to compare. So,
0:22
I booked a seven night Mediterranean
0:24
cruise on some Princess to find out how
0:26
it stacks up. This is what I found. good
0:29
and sorry to say not so good. Welcome
0:32
aboard. I'm Gary Benbridge and as always
0:33
to ensure an unbiased and balanced
0:35
review, I booked to pay for the cruise
0:37
at the going rate through my usual
0:39
travel agent. I will discuss later about
0:41
what it actually cost me. It didn't come
0:43
cheap and also if I think it's worth it,
0:45
especially versus what that fair could
0:47
have bought me on other lines. But
0:49
first, let me explain what the Princess
0:52
Sanctuary collection is and is not.
0:55
First of all, it's only offered on their
0:57
sphere class ships, Sun Princess and
0:59
Star Princess. It aims to match and
1:01
compete with premium spaces on other
1:03
lines like Celebrity Retreat, Kunard
1:06
Grills, Norwegian Haven, MSE Yacht Club,
1:08
and the Caribbean Royal Suites
1:10
Experience. Secondly, there are three
1:12
cabin types aimed at different cruiser
1:14
budgets included in that Sanctuary
1:17
collection. There's 80 suites, 123 mini
1:19
suites, and 12 premium deluxe balcony
1:23
cabins. Now unlike Norwegian Haven and
1:25
MSE Yach Club, the Sanctuary Collection
1:28
is not a ship within a ship because the
1:30
cabins and the venues are not all in one
1:33
dedicated area behind a controlled
1:35
access door. There are a collection of
1:37
restricted access VIP firstass venues
1:40
spread around the ship as you will hear.
1:43
Now, to test everything out, I booked an
1:45
S4 Vista Suite because there are some
1:47
differences in the Sanctuary Collection
1:49
areas that you can access and the perks
1:51
based on whether you're in a full suite
1:53
or a mini suite or premium balcony. Now,
1:56
I counted five venues or perks,
1:58
including one that I found added a lot
2:00
to my cruise as this new ship class has
2:03
a big floor, and this perk got around
2:05
that. More on that later. So, what
2:08
exactly are the venues and perks? I have
2:12
to admit my first impression arriving at
2:13
the port was not great because there was
2:15
no priority imbarcation unlike say MSE
2:18
yacht club there was no dedicated
2:20
luggage drop point. There was no fast
2:22
track through security. There was no
2:23
dedicated check-in area and there was no
2:25
escort onto the ship and into the
2:27
lounge. Now many of the other lines with
2:29
premium offerings do some or all of this
2:32
as well. My check-in was though fast
2:35
thanks to Princess getting us to do much
2:36
of the check-in via their app. So it did
2:39
make the process rather speedy. What
2:41
they did have though was priority
2:44
disembarkation. Sanctuary Club
2:46
disembarkation started just 5 minutes
2:48
after self disembark. So I was able to
2:50
get off the ship at about 5 7 in the
2:52
morning to collect my luggage and I was
2:54
actually then one of the first in the
2:55
taxi line. And so that meant I could
2:57
book an early flight home from Naples.
2:59
After embarking the ship, I headed to
3:01
the signature suite lounge which only
3:03
those in a full suite have access to.
3:06
It's a two-level lounge on deck 15 and
3:08
deck 16 at the rear. Now, before going,
3:11
I'd seen that all sanctuary collection
3:13
venues were at the rear of the ship. And
3:15
I recommend that like me, bear this in
3:17
mind when booking a cabin location and
3:20
deck. Now, I chose 15631,
3:23
which meant I was just a few doors down
3:25
from the lounge. And as you will hear
3:26
shortly, it's really easy to access
3:29
other venues, too, if you're at the rear
3:30
of the ship. This is a big ship and many
3:32
of the sanctuary collection cabins were
3:34
a good walk, several decks or elevator
3:37
rides away. The lounge has incredible
3:40
views thanks to the two-level windows
3:42
over the wake of the ship. Beautiful
3:44
views. It was quiet during the cruise
3:46
itself, which made it a good escape from
3:48
the bustle and noise in the public areas
3:50
and the pool decks on this busy mega
3:53
ship. The lounge was open from 7:00 in
3:56
the morning until 10:00 p.m. at night.
3:59
This is different to the Sweet Concier
4:01
lounge on other Princess ships like Sky
4:03
Princess that was on just three weeks
4:05
before this. That lounge was open 24
4:08
hours. Now, some Princess regulars were
4:10
unhappy with this time difference
4:12
because they missed going in at any time
4:14
to make a coffee or relax there. I think
4:16
it could be because the coffee machines
4:18
on some Princess were barista style and
4:20
not the self-s serve machines that they
4:22
had on Sky Princess. The lounge has a
4:25
concierge available from 7:00 in the
4:26
morning till 8:30 p.m. at night who
4:28
could sort out dining excursions, answer
4:30
questions, and deal if any issues arose.
4:33
There was a bar with that coffee machine
4:35
I mentioned. There were snacks relevant
4:36
to the time of the day. Not enough for a
4:38
whole meal, but it was really handy for
4:40
snacking. The crew were so helpful. They
4:43
would remember my drinks, like I had
4:45
decaf coffee with cold skin milk. They
4:47
brought these little chocolate balls I
4:48
loved even when they weren't out at
4:50
whatever time of the day I was there.
4:52
They also had special events in there.
4:54
There was a happy hour between 5 and 7
4:56
at night with a pianist playing. Uh
4:59
there was an office reception one night
5:01
as well. The next venue I want to cover
5:03
is one that all sanctuary collection
5:06
cabins had access to, the dedicated
5:09
restaurant. The sanctuary restaurant is
5:10
on deck 8 again at the rear of the ship.
5:13
It's a large venue because a total of
5:15
215 sanctuary collection cabins have to
5:18
dine in there. The restaurant is stacked
5:20
above the two other main dining rooms
5:22
for non-sactory collection guests. Now,
5:24
this stack location of the main dining
5:26
rooms is really important and I will
5:28
explain why shortly. I liked that the
5:30
restaurant was open for imbulcation day
5:32
lunch. So, it was great to head there
5:33
and avoid the crush and busy informal
5:36
dining venues on the pool deck, the
5:37
outside prominard deck, and in the
5:39
buffet, which is called the ery on the
5:41
ships. I also liked, of course, that
5:43
it's anytime dining in the evenings. I'd
5:46
really liked that they tried to seat
5:48
guests at the same table or at least in
5:51
the same section for every single meal.
5:53
I had the same serving team. I got to
5:55
know them really well. They got to know
5:56
me really well. They were soon
5:58
personalizing my service. It absolutely
6:00
elevated the experience. I liked it was
6:02
open every day for breakfast from 7:00
6:04
to 9:30 a.m. On C days, it was open for
6:07
lunch for a couple of hours and then in
6:09
dinner it was open from 5:30 to 900 p.m.
6:12
So, what was more mixed about the
6:14
restaurant? Well, unlike the competition
6:16
like Celebrity Retreat, Lumini, Kunard
6:18
Grill's restaurants, MSE Yacht Club
6:20
restaurants, and even Royal Caribbean's
6:22
Coastal Kitchen, which have dedicated
6:24
menus and dedicated kitchens. This
6:26
doesn't seem to be the case for the
6:28
sanctuary restaurant. Now, as I
6:29
mentioned, the main dining rooms are
6:31
stacked above each other and appear to
6:33
use the same kitchen and broadly serve
6:36
the same menu in all of them. Now,
6:39
comparing the dinner menus, most nights
6:41
it was 90 to 95% the same as in the
6:44
other main dining rooms each evening.
6:46
But there were three key differences
6:48
that I noted. First of all, the grades
6:50
or cuts of meats. For example, when the
6:52
sanctuary menu had ribeye steak, the
6:55
other dining rooms had grilled flat iron
6:58
beef steak. Second, in the Princess
7:00
favorites that are available every
7:02
night, there was a carving trolley with
7:04
slow roasted pryan rib and beef filt
7:07
minyong as options, which others did not
7:09
have. And third, the other main dining
7:12
room had upcharge items. So, if they did
7:14
want that fil minyong I mentioned, there
7:16
was a $24 charge. If they wanted surf
7:18
and turf that we had one night, it was a
7:21
$34 upcharge. So there is some elevation
7:24
of the menu but not as much as on the
7:27
other lines based on my experience to
7:29
date. Now let me talk about the
7:31
Sanctuary Club which is also available
7:33
to all Sanctuary collection cabins. This
7:37
is an exclusive pool deck up on deck 18
7:40
again at the rear a couple of decks
7:42
above the signature suite lounge. It can
7:45
be accessed in two different ways. First
7:48
of all, via a glass sided elevator which
7:51
runs in fact from deck 8 where there's
7:53
an infinity swimming pool and bar right
7:55
up to deck 18. The lift door on deck 15
7:58
and 16 is right next to the sanctuary
8:00
lounge entrances. So, it's really handy
8:03
for me. It was also ideal because that
8:04
lift was just a couple of doors down
8:06
from my cabin again that I'd booked at
8:08
the rear of the ship. Now, the second
8:10
access is via the rear staircase on deck
8:13
18. So, if you're staying midship,
8:16
that's the easiest way to get there. The
8:18
Sanctuary Club deck is adult only with
8:20
only 16 and above allowed. So, if you're
8:23
traveling in Sanctuary Collection with
8:24
kids, they cannot use the deck. The deck
8:27
itself is great with a decent sized
8:29
pool, many plush lounges, these funky
8:31
sort of dayb beds, lots of seating
8:33
areas. I've seen some reviewers saying
8:35
that there was limited shaded areas, but
8:37
I found it was okay and I could always
8:39
get a covered spot in the shade. There's
8:41
a bar, but there's so many way to
8:43
surround. I found there was always
8:44
someone on hand to take my order. They
8:48
have a really popular gimmick in the
8:50
afternoon up here. It's a champagne wall
8:52
where you ring a bell and a hand will
8:54
pop through the foliage with a glass of
8:57
champagne. They laid on a small buffet
9:00
lunch on sea days which was
9:01
Mediterranean themed on my cruise. But
9:03
every day there was a relatively small
9:05
menu that you could also order food
9:06
from. It included items like shikuteri,
9:09
chicken wraps, burger, hot dogs, fruit
9:12
and salads. I really like that the food
9:14
comes kind of bento box style. So for
9:16
example, I had a niswah salad. It was
9:18
slightly deconstructed and the serving
9:20
and the bento box format made it feel a
9:22
little bit more elevated, a little bit
9:23
more premium. There was also really
9:26
spacious cabanister book. They were
9:27
looked pretty costly. They're about $500
9:29
a day to higher. They also ran a couple
9:32
of special events on this deck every
9:34
day. There was a fitness class every
9:36
morning at 8:00 a.m. with yoga stretch
9:38
or a fitness workout. They had a DJ
9:40
playing on imbarcation afternoon and on
9:42
the final sea day, one of the groups
9:45
around the ship called Duo Blesimo, they
9:48
played up here for an hour. It was very,
9:50
very quiet on port days. Got a bit
9:52
crowded on sea days, although I could
9:54
still find a place to sit even when it
9:55
was packed. Those are all the venues.
9:58
But what about other key perks? The full
10:01
Princess Premier package is included in
10:04
all sanctuary collection cabin fairs.
10:07
While I'd really like the perk, there
10:09
was that one that made the cruise on
10:11
this new sphere class ship significantly
10:13
better because of a limitation of these
10:15
ships. More on that shortly. First,
10:18
what's included in that premier package?
10:21
Unlimited premium drinks, bottled water,
10:23
coffee, including cocktails up to $20
10:25
each. I also noted that the wine list
10:28
had better wines for premier versus plus
10:30
packages, too. unlimited special dining,
10:33
which is great because unlike the other
10:35
classes of Princess ships with just
10:36
three, there are seven special a
10:38
restaurants on these ships. So, lots of
10:41
options and chances to use that perk.
10:43
The premier package allows up to four
10:45
devices connected to Medallion Net
10:47
Wi-Fi. It was not actually brilliant for
10:50
some tasks like uploading files. I tried
10:52
to run a live stream, it didn't really
10:54
work. Unlimited casual dining is
10:56
included. So that means Alfredo's the
10:58
fantastic pizza restaurant and Ali's
11:00
Irish pub. Also you could have unlimited
11:03
premium desserts, those fancy looking
11:06
sundaes. Premier also covers crew
11:08
gratuitities or fitness classes. Now
11:10
that's a good perk if you do classes
11:11
because the classes cost $30 plus
11:14
service charge if you're buying them at
11:16
hawk. It include a photo package with
11:18
unlimited digital pictures the
11:19
photographers take of you and three
11:23
prints were included. It also enters you
11:25
into princess prizes. So when you return
11:27
to your cabin when the casino's open, it
11:29
enters you into a prize drawer for items
11:31
like onboard credit, discount
11:32
certificates, flowers, and so on. And it
11:34
displays on the cabin screen if you've
11:36
won something. I never won anything.
11:38
Now, the last perk is important for
11:40
these sphere class ships. This is the
11:42
reserved seating for production show
11:44
nights. Princess Arena Theater can only
11:46
hold just under a,000 people, but
11:48
there's at least 4,300 and upwards if
11:51
there's kids on the ship. So, it can be
11:53
really hard to get into the shows.
11:55
Friends of mine went on Sun Princess and
11:57
never got to see a production show and
11:59
other people I know only saw them by
12:01
going an hour before the show started.
12:03
Now, I was able to get a seat within the
12:05
reserve section and they held reserve
12:07
seating until just before the show
12:09
starts. Probably about a quarter of the
12:11
theater was reserved. So, based on all
12:13
of those venues and perks, what did I
12:15
think was good and what was less good?
12:19
First, it is way better than any of the
12:21
other Princess ships premium and suite
12:24
setups. The lounge is a dramatic
12:26
improvement on the small, dark inside
12:29
one on ships like Sky Princess. The
12:31
restaurant is a dedicated one, not just
12:33
a reserve collection space carved out of
12:35
one of the main dining rooms. Of course,
12:37
it has a deck, which the others don't
12:39
have, and includes Premier Plus, which
12:41
the others don't include. Secondly, it
12:44
did feel up market and was a important
12:46
escape and restbite from what are very
12:48
busy and can be very noisy ships. Third,
12:51
for people that want to tap into all
12:53
that big mega ship offers like white
12:57
horse bars, restaurants, shows, music,
12:59
packed daily program events that run
13:01
late into the night. That's all there
13:03
outside the sanctuary collection bubble.
13:05
What is less good as it's not a ship
13:08
within a ship as some lines have and in
13:10
some areas it's not as elevated as a
13:11
competition particularly with dining.
13:14
Others of course have things like
13:15
butlers added touches like daily canopes
13:17
evening sweet treats at bedtime that
13:20
didn't exist on here. So did I think
13:22
this is worth the money? Especially what
13:24
I could get with that fair level
13:27
elsewhere. My seven night sunr cruise in
13:30
that S4 Vista cabin cost a total of
13:32
$9,400. That's £6,970 for two people.
13:36
That's £1,350
13:38
at about £1,000 a night. So, it's really
13:40
costly. For me personally, I didn't
13:43
think it was worth it because
13:44
personally, I don't want all the
13:46
benefits of being on a big ship. I would
13:48
much rather use that money to go on a
13:50
smaller ship experience because things
13:51
like all that choice, the big production
13:53
shows are way less important for me when
13:55
cruising. I'm not looking for a busy
13:57
packed daily program, lots going on. And
13:59
for that fair and less I could cruise on
14:01
lines like Seaborn, Silver Sea, Crystal,
14:03
Explore Journeys, Regent, Viking, those
14:06
kind of small ship experiences. And on
14:08
those I feel the service and dining is a
14:10
bit more elevated, which is actually
14:12
higher on my wish list. But if you want
14:15
luxury with big ship choices, this I
14:18
think would absolutely work for sure.
14:19
Now, if you're one of those, join me
14:21
over in this video where I dive into the
14:23
Princess Sphere class ships and talk
14:24
about what it looks like, the good and
14:26
the less good about that ship, cuz you
14:28
need to know that. See you over there.
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