Princess Cruises is doubling down on the idea that some cruisers will pay extra for a quieter ship within the ship. The line's Sanctuary Collection — a private-club concept first trialled on Sun Princess and Star Princess — is now being added to five Royal Class ships, with the first debut set for January 2027.
Royal Princess goes first: bookings opened Oct. 22, 2026, and the collection launches on a 12-day South Pacific sailing departing Jan. 4, 2027. From there the rollout moves through Regal Princess (debuting on an April 17, 2027 transatlantic from Port Everglades), Discovery Princess (an April 24, 2027 seven-day Mexico cruise from Los Angeles), Sky Princess (a May 29, 2027 14-day Baltic sailing from Southampton) and Enchanted Princess (a June 12, 2027 Mediterranean departure from Civitavecchia). Sales open in stages too — Nov. 5, Dec. 4, Dec. 10 and Dec. 17 respectively.
So what do you actually get? The core is the Sanctuary Club, a guests-only retreat with lounge seating, its own pool, upgraded loungers, poolside food and drink, and cabanas you can rent for a supplement. Add the Sanctuary Restaurant, an exclusive dining room with destination-inspired menus, and you have a private corner of the ship to return to between ports. Rooms span select suites and staterooms, including newly added oceanview cabins, so it's not strictly a suites-only product.
New bookings also bundle Princess Premier, Princess' top-tier package: unlimited premium drinks, specialty and casual dining, fast Wi-Fi, crew gratuities, room service and OceanNow delivery. Suite guests get further perks, including a dedicated concierge and access to a private Suite Lounge.
Caribbean travellers should pay attention to a couple of details. Sky Princess — now sailing from Port Canaveral — and Regal Princess are both familiar ships in the Caribbean market, but the launch voyages listed for the rollout are all outside the region, and the staggered timing means a given sailing may or may not have the collection yet. Check the ship and departure date before booking. If you already hold a Reserve Collection booking on Royal Princess made before Oct. 22, 2026, you'll get the Sanctuary amenities free on applicable voyages — though Princess Premier is not part of that complimentary upgrade.
Princess frames this as the first phase of a multiyear fleet modernisation, so expect the concept to spread further. For anyone who likes the scale and entertainment of a big Royal Class ship but wants a calm, service-heavy zone to retreat to, this is now a realistic mid-priced option across much of the fleet — as long as you time your sailing right.
