Zawmer

I just got off the Viva where I had a Thermal Suite pass for the whole cruise. I don't think there was a version of the pass that included scrubs, but when I got a massage, the massage therapist brought up salt scrubs as an option, and then mentioned a DIY Scrub kit for $50. (That includes 3 scrub kits.) She made it sound like I could apply it in the salt room of the Thermal Suite! I bought it, but quickly realized that it would be weird and gross to use those in any of the Thermal Suite areas, so I packed them and brought them home & haven't used them yet.

Ship - Epic

Deck - 12

Stateroom # - 12507

Stateroom Category - Studio

Starboard or Port - N/A

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) - Yes

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No

Balcony View (Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue) - N/A

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - N/A

Was wind a problem? - N/A

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - N/A

Any specific problems with this cabin? - Soap/shampoo dispenser in shower fell apart at the slightest errant touch; motion controlled light in the WC was irritatingly unreliable.

Any other comments? - This was my first interior stateroom (though not my first studio) and I loved it enough to book my next two cruises in essentially identical staterooms on the Breakaway and Encore. So dark! Quiet and cozy!

I just got the last Studio Cabin on the NCL Breakaway Baltic Cruise on June 25,2018. Its my 30th birthday present to myself. My 2nd solo cruise (1st was NCL Epic Mediterranean over 2 years ago) and 15th overall.

You're gonna have a great time! I absolutely loved my Baltic Sea cruise four years ago. Although I didn't travel solo that time, my friend and I mostly went our separate ways at the ports because I love random urban exploration.

Assuming you're stopping in St Petersburg, be prepared for things to be... not ideal?

I've done a solo cruise on RCCL's Ovation of the Seas and on HAL's Koningsdam. My third will be on the Epic next year, so let me know if you have any tips! :D:D:)

Sadly, not until February 25th. But do let us know how it is. I have recently heard some very negative things about cruising solo on Anthem. Enough that I am considering cancelling. So I'll be interested to hear about your experience.

 

Anne

I'm also surprised to hear about negative buzz about the solo cruising experience on Anthem. Last year I was on a 14-night repositioning on Ovation, which is Anthem's sister ship, and it was a good enough experience that I wouldn't hesitate to book a solo cabin on Anthem.

I want to follow this thread as people hopefully start relaying their direct experiences with Koningsdam's solo cabins. I booked OO 1009 for the June 2017 Norwegian Fjords itinerary; it's very expensive compared to what I'm normally in the market for and I'll be particularly interested in how much noise we get from the theater directly above.

Thanks again Dave, great seeing all the pictures really building my excitement :)

 

Did you notice how much the internet was, I don't know whether to book now or wait until I'm on board ?

They are introducing a differently-tiered internet plan which will be cheaper for those who book in advance. Specifically, 30% cheaper.

I'd read elsewhere that others were seeing the new Voom offerings in the Cruise Planner. But I wasn't seeing it. Yesterday morning it showed the old prices of $20 per day for a single device, $30 per day for two devices. But then in the evening I checked again... and it had changed. There were now different prices for plans with video streaming vs. no-streaming. And all plans were 30% off if booked & paid for in advance. So I paid for mine at $12.99 per day.

Look again.

It is a corridor along the starboard side of the Music Hall.

 

I don't speak German, but he does literally say "Music Hall" at 19:03.

Back the the question of Kung Fu Panda Noodle Shop... so will that be a cover charge instead of a la carte? How much would the cover be?

Port availability is probably a serious consideration; Summer Solstice is probably when the most cruise ships are sailing up that way.

Hope it's not bad forum manners to resurrect a several-month-old thread, but it's on point - I'm in the market for a solo cruise to Alaska this summer 2016. I've narrowed it down to Princess and NCL, Memorial Day weekend departures for itineraries that include Glacier Bay. (I'm thinking the Norwegian Sun's cruise from Vancouver to Seward or the Coral Princess from Seattle to Seward.)

 

I do hope one of Norwegian's ships with its studio cabins will someday be located somewhere other than the Caribbean. I'm not a big "beach cruise" person, and the single supplements do put quite a dent in the budget.

I know what you mean. I'm excited to try those new NCL solo cabins, but I don't have much interest in traveling solo to the Caribbean. The new HAL ship, Koningsdam, has solo cabins and that has itineraries to Norway during the summer, so I made an early reservation on that ship for June 2017! Unfortunately, it's much, MUCH more expensive than an NCL solo cabin in the Caribbean. My solo cabin is a whopping 172 square feet, and is oceanview. But it's on the lower deck, all the way forward.

But... fjords! :)

So to clarify, the fares for your son and daughter are already paid for, and you're wondering if there would be any additional fees incurred if one of them just doesn't show? I should certainly hope not, but you might want to make sure they don't bill for the gratuities for your son.

They only offer guarantees when they are having trouble selling rooms of a certain sort. As the Ovation SB cabins have already sold out for your cruise you will keep your cabin unless you end up being upgraded (depending on your upgrade preferences). The fact that the Quantum class only has 12 SB cabins and they (and the solo interiors of which there are a similar number) are much cheaper than any other room for solo cruisers they probably always will sell out fairly quickly.

Thanks for the reply, tomato! That's a relief.

I'm booked on an SB on Ovation of the Seas for May/June of 2016. That's a Super Studio Oceanview with Balcony, like they have on Quantum and Anthem. My fare was comparable to what it would have been if I were sharing a double-occupancy oceanview stateroom with someone. So, totally reasonable.

Some of the posts in this thread, and others I'm reading, talk about booking a "guarantee". That word never came up when I booked. Am I not guaranteed my cabin? I don't have anything to worry about, do I? I am booked in 6252 for this cruise.

I just booked my first solo cruise; I kept my eye out for some of the newer ships from Norwegian and Royal Caribbean that have solo cabins, so no solo supplement. I'm in a studio stateroom, with balcony, on Ovation of the Seas sailing in May/June 2016. Super excited!

The problem is, if you're looking at ships with solo cabins, that limits your destination options.

My pre-cruise visit to Dubai will not be for 13 months, but I'm still excitedly thinking about how to get the most out of my day-and-a-half.

My ship departs on Day 2 of the itinerary, giving me the first day to check out Dubai. But flights from my part of the world generally arrive in the evening. So I figured I'd fly in on the night before Day 1 of my cruise and get the cheapest hotel I can find, just for that night. Then the next day, rent a car for the day. Spend that day checking out the city (taking some time to check into my solo cabin on the boat), and possibly driving to Abu Dhabi because I really want to try out that World's Fastest Rollercoaster over at Ferrari World.

My limited searching suggests that renting a car for a day in Dubai is a reasonable budget item - anyone have any experience doing that there? (Also, which side of the road do they drive on?)