Yesterday I walked through where Princess is putting the Sanctuary Collection on its Royal Class ships, starting with Royal Princess. Today I want to answer the question I’ve been getting ever since: should you book it?
It’s a fair question. Princess now has Standard, Plus and Premier fares, and the Sanctuary Collection sits on top of all of them. It’s easy to get confused, so here’s my honest advice.
When It’s Coming to Each Ship
The Sanctuary Collection is rolling out to five Royal Class ships:
- Royal Princess: On sale now, onboard starting January 4, 2027, with preview sailings beginning October 30, 2026
- Regal Princess: On sale November 5, 2026, onboard starting April 17, 2027
- Discovery Princess: On sale December 4, 2026, onboard starting April 24, 2027
- Sky Princess: On sale December 10, 2026, onboard starting May 29, 2027
- Enchanted Princess: On sale December 17, 2026, onboard starting June 12, 2027
Keep those dates handy. They matter more than you’d think, and I’ll explain why in a minute.
First, Know What You’re Actually Buying
The Sanctuary Collection isn’t a package like Plus or Premier. It’s a group of cabins. You book one of those rooms and the perks come with it.
What you get:
- Princess Premier, already built into your fare
- The Sanctuary Club, a private adults only pool deck with its own bar and food service
- The Sanctuary Restaurant, open only to Sanctuary guests, with no reservations needed
- Priority access, in-room amenities and dedicated service
- A Suite Lounge and a dedicated concierge if you’re in a suite
So think of it this way. It’s Premier, plus a private pool and a private dining room. Cabanas in the Sanctuary Club still cost extra, though.
How the Options Compare
Here’s a quick side by side on the Royal Class ships:
Prices shown are pre-cruise and reflect the $5 a day increase that started with October 13 sailings. You’ll pay another $5 a day if you wait and buy onboard. On Sun Princess and Star Princess, everything runs $5 a day higher.
The Big Change You Need to Know About
On Royal, Regal, Discovery, Sky and Enchanted Princess, you won’t be able to buy a Sanctuary day pass anymore. Princess says day passes, loungers and cabanas stop being sold once The Sanctuary becomes the Sanctuary Club.
That’s a big deal. For years, many would book a regular balcony and pay for The Sanctuary on a sea day or two. That little trick going away on these five ships. It’s either a Sanctuary Collection cabin or nothing.
It goes further than that. The Retreat Pool is becoming the Sanctuary Pool, so there’s no free adults only pool left for everyone else. Princess says the Sanctuary Club will be the only adults only retreat on board, and it’s pointing everyone else to the Lotus Spa, the quieter corners of the top decks and the aft views from the Wake View and Horizon Terrace. That’s not quite the same thing.
And if you’re traveling with friends or family in regular cabins, they can’t join you in the Sanctuary Club. If your group wants to spend the afternoon up there together, everyone has to book into the collection.
How to Figure Out If It’s Worth It
Since you can’t buy The Sanctuary by the day anymore, it’s price shop your sailing two ways:
- A regular balcony or mini-suite with Princess Premier added for both of you
- A Sanctuary Collection cabin on the same sailing
The difference is what you’re really paying for the private pool and restaurant. Everything else is Premier, which you’d be buying in the first option anyway.
To give you an idea, Premier for a couple on a seven night cruise is $1,470. On a 12 night South Pacific cruise like Royal Princess’ first Sanctuary sailing, it’s $2,520. That’s all baked into the Sanctuary fare.
Now compare that to what The Sanctuary used to cost. A full day lounger generally ran around $40 per person plus a service charge, depending on the ship. If you and your partner spent three sea days up there, you were looking at roughly $280.
So if the gap between your two prices is a few hundred dollars, I’d book the Sanctuary Collection without thinking twice. You’re getting a private restaurant on top of the pool. If the gap is a few thousand, you’re paying a lot for a pool chair.
One more thing. This math only works if you’d buy Premier anyway. If you usually go with Plus or no package at all, the real upcharge is a lot bigger than it looks.
Book The Sanctuary Collection If…
- You buy Premier anyway. Then you’re only paying extra for the private spaces, and that’s where it can be a real bargain.
- Your cruise has lots of sea days. The Sanctuary Club pays off on days you’re on the ship. Regal Princess debuts it on an April 17 Transatlantic from Port Everglades, and Royal Princess starts with a 12 night South Pacific voyage. Those are exactly the kind of cruises where it makes sense.
- You hate the lounger hunt. If fighting for a chair on the main pool deck ruins your sea days, this solves that problem.
- You loved The Sanctuary. If it was the highlight of every Royal Class cruise you’ve taken, this is now the only way to get it on these five ships.
Skip The Sanctuary Collection If…
- You don’t drink much. A big part of Premier’s value is the drinks. If you have a glass of wine at dinner and that’s it, you’re paying for a lot you won’t use.
- You’re in port most days. Sky Princess debuts it on a Baltic cruise and Enchanted Princess on a seven night Mediterranean. If you’re ashore from breakfast to sail away, you’ll barely see the Club.
- You’re traveling with kids under 16. They get the other perks, but they can’t use the Sanctuary Club, so you’d be paying for a pool your family can’t enjoy together.
- Your group is split across cabins. Friends in regular rooms can’t join you, so you’ll end up splitting up every afternoon.
- Plus covers what you use. A standard balcony with Plus is going to be the much better deal.
Still Want The Sanctuary the Old Way?
You’ve still got a few options, at least for now.
- Sail before the switch. Remember those dates? Before them, you should still be able to buy day passes on Regal, Discovery, Sky and Enchanted Princess. Royal Princess starts preview sailings on October 30, 2026, so that window’s basically closed. I’d double check with Princess or your travel advisor before planning around it.
- Pick a different ship. Majestic Princess isn’t on the list, and nothing’s been announced for the rest of the fleet. Those ships still have The Sanctuary the old fashioned way. Just know Princess is calling this the first phase of a multi year plan, so I wouldn’t count on that lasting forever.
- Don’t expect a loophole on Sun or Star Princess. The Sphere Class ships never sold Sanctuary Club day passes, so the same math applies there.
Already Booked on Royal Princess?
If you booked a Reserve Collection room before October 22, good news. You’re getting the Sanctuary Collection experience at no extra cost.
The catch is that Premier isn’t included in that upgrade, so you’ll want to decide whether to add it.
I’d also log in and check your cabin category. As I mentioned yesterday, a lot of rooms are being reshuffled on Royal Princess, so make sure you know what you’ve got.
Booked on one of the other four ships? Princess hasn’t said anything about existing bookings yet, so keep an eye out as each ship opens for sale.
