Princess Cruises is widening access to its premium Sanctuary Collection, the suite-and-stateroom tier that has so far only existed aboard Sun Princess and Star Princess. Five Royal Class ships — Royal Princess, Discovery Princess, Enchanted Princess, Regal Princess and Sky Princess — will get the treatment as part of a multiyear fleet modernisation programme.
So what do you actually get? Sanctuary guests can use private lounges and a dedicated pool deck with upgraded loungers (cabanas cost extra), plus poolside food and drink service. There's a dedicated Sanctuary Restaurant with menus inspired by wherever the ship is sailing that week. Suites come with a concierge who handles dining and onboard bookings, priority reservations, in-room amenities and daily programming — the kind of setup you'd expect at a small luxury resort, but floating. Oceanview staterooms are joining the collection for the first time, so you don't need a full suite to buy in.
Bookings also bundle in the Princess Premier package, which is worth noting because it covers a lot of the extras that normally inflate a cruise bill: premium drinks, specialty and casual dining, high-speed Wi-Fi, crew appreciation, room service and OceanNow delivery.
The rollout starts with Royal Princess, whose Sanctuary staterooms go on sale October 22, 2026, with the first sailing a 12-day South Pacific voyage departing January 4, 2027. After that, sales open on November 5, 2026 for Regal Princess (launching with a transatlantic crossing from Port Everglades on April 17, 2027), December 4, 2026 for Discovery Princess (a seven-day roundtrip Mexico cruise from Los Angeles, April 24, 2027), December 10, 2026 for Sky Princess (a 14-day Baltic voyage from Southampton, May 29, 2027) and December 17, 2026 for Enchanted Princess (a seven-day Mediterranean sailing from Civitavecchia, June 12, 2027).
One detail worth flagging if you've already booked: anyone holding a Reserve Collection stateroom on one of these ships as of October 22 will be upgraded into the Sanctuary amenities free of charge — just not the Princess Premier package.
Why does this matter? Princess president Gus Antorcha frames it as bringing resort-style privacy to a big-ship cruise, and that's essentially the pitch: semi-exclusive spaces and concierge service without giving up the theatres, multiple restaurants and itinerary breadth of a large vessel. It also reflects where mainstream cruising is heading — lines are building increasingly granular accommodation tiers between a standard balcony and a full suite, and this is Princess's answer. For travellers who like Princess itineraries but want a quieter corner of the ship and fewer à la carte surprises, a Sanctuary fare could simplify the maths, since drinks, Wi-Fi and specialty dining are included upfront. If any of those 2027 launch sailings appeal, mark the booking dates: premium inventory on popular itineraries like the Baltic and Mediterranean runs tends to move first.
