Virtopia Posted February 25, 2013 #26 Share Posted February 25, 2013 You also have to factor in that breakaway is a brand new ship, so they can charge a premium and jewel is almost 10 years old. Since you spend lots of time in the cabin the studio concept might not work for you. I love the southern Caribbean out of san juan and will probably squeeze in jewel or adverture this fall before Breakaway. Yeah, I was thinking that was the reason for the price difference as well. I'll give it a couple years for the Breakaway prices to drop. This will be my first time sailing out of San Juan. Any tips? Looking forward to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virtopia Posted February 25, 2013 #27 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Jewel...Been there, done that. Much less activities on the smaller older ship. I had a Balcony on the Jewel, the space for one was great and personally spending time in my room alone was great! But having a studio on the INCREDIBLE BREAKAWAY will definitely force me out of my room to engage in fun and meet fellow cruisers! I will definitely consider a sailing on there for the future; please let me know how your cruise goes in December and post lots of pictures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjsanto Posted February 25, 2013 #28 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Im also booked in a studio on breakaway. Im curious about location. I booked a room right by the lounge, wondering if that is a good choice or if its better to be further away. Any previous Epic studio dwellers want to weigh in? I was on the epic in November and had the first room past the lounge on the 2nd floor. It was fabulous. I am an early riser so I had no issues with the supply closet next to me and just walked down the stairs to get a drink in the lounge. I would get the same room again without question. Sara Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lvnmylife85 Posted February 25, 2013 #29 Share Posted February 25, 2013 I was on the epic in November and had the first room past the lounge on the 2nd floor. It was fabulous. I am an early riser so I had no issues with the supply closet next to me and just walked down the stairs to get a drink in the lounge. I would get the same room again without question. Sara Thanks for the info Sara! I have a studio room booked on the Breakaway adjacent to the lounge and was wondering about this myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUEST080219 Posted February 25, 2013 #30 Share Posted February 25, 2013 I have booked a studio room for the first rotterdam -> southampton cruise but booked an inside for the transatlantic because of the price. I would not worry about the reduced amount of studios. Even on the Epic many of those 128 studios were not booked by solo travelers but by groups of friends or extended family members. With the higher price I suspect that the amount of real solo travelers paying the higher fare because of the lounge, snacks and real coffee machine stay the same. On the med cruise there were somewhat around 14 to 18 solo cruisers on the first solo meeting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lvnmylife85 Posted February 25, 2013 #31 Share Posted February 25, 2013 I have booked a studio room for the first rotterdam -> southampton cruise but booked an inside for the transatlantic because of the price.I would not worry about the reduced amount of studios. Even on the Epic many of those 128 studios were not booked by solo travelers but by groups of friends or extended family members. With the higher price I suspect that the amount of real solo travelers paying the higher fare because of the lounge, snacks and real coffee machine stay the same. On the med cruise there were somewhat around 14 to 18 solo cruisers on the first solo meeting. Oh wow thats not a lot of people at all! :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowardK Posted February 25, 2013 Author #32 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Oh wow thats not a lot of people at all! :-( That's my chief concern about the breakaway, on average people have reported 14-25 solos gathering, so statistically we could expect 7-12 on the Breakaway. My plan is to read the first 6 reviews before committing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUEST080219 Posted February 26, 2013 #33 Share Posted February 26, 2013 Solo gatherings have nothing to do with the type of cabin. For the official solo gatherings solo travelers from non studio cabins are invited as well. And do not forget there are even solo cruisers like myself that do prefer to dine alone and skip those meetings and dinner events. The nicest persons I met on cruises where part of couples or group of friends. So I do not worry about the amount of studios and you should not as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twinkstarr Posted February 26, 2013 #34 Share Posted February 26, 2013 I sailed in a studio on the Epic right after Thanksgiving. Loved it! Plenty of people to have dinner with every night. Their was probably a core group of 6-8 people, some nights we had more(Fernando split us between 2 tables on night). My favorite was the mother who sailed in the studio to give her time to get away from her daughter and her family. She was a lot of fun. I wouldn't hesitate on booking the Breakaway, but that FL/Nassau itinerary really puts me off, so I'll be looking at Bermuda. Though personally I'll be looking at next year for that ship. Looking to do Alaska for this year's "mom get away". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lvnmylife85 Posted March 12, 2013 #35 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Solo gatherings have nothing to do with the type of cabin. For the official solo gatherings solo travelers from non studio cabins are invited as well. And do not forget there are even solo cruisers like myself that do prefer to dine alone and skip those meetings and dinner events.The nicest persons I met on cruises where part of couples or group of friends. So I do not worry about the amount of studios and you should not as well. I'm looking forward to the solo gatherings, this will probably be the highlight of my trip as I'm looking forward to meetings and doind things with other solo travelers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowardK Posted March 12, 2013 Author #36 Share Posted March 12, 2013 I'm looking forward to the solo gatherings, this will probably be the highlight of my trip as I'm looking forward to meetings and doind things with other solo travelers! That was the best part. Even better than the ship itself. Booked my hotel for NYC yesterday was pricey at $325 but close to the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveL00 Posted March 12, 2013 #37 Share Posted March 12, 2013 I'm going on the EPIC next week and if I enjoy it plan to book a studio on the Breakaway. I'm interested to hear reviews once people get on it too. I'm personally not worried about the number of other solos on the cruise as that's not a priority for me in booking a cruise. I'm sure you'll get a better feel for the age group of the people on the ship once people have experienced the ship and written reviews about it. It's important to note that they are probably reducing the amount of studios on the Breakaway because they weren't often selling out of the studios on the EPIC. Hopefully some solos that are going on the Breakaway soon will let you know what the demographic was like on the ship. Ditto. I'll see how my first cruise goes starting this Saturday. If the solo Epic experience is positive, I'll definitely look into the Breakaway. Being only 2 hours away is a big plus also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laney219 Posted March 13, 2013 #38 Share Posted March 13, 2013 That was the best part. Even better than the ship itself. Booked my hotel for NYC yesterday was pricey at $325 but close to the ship. Are you definitely keeping your sailing on the Breakaway or still going to wait for the reviews? What sailing are you reserved on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lvnmylife85 Posted March 13, 2013 #39 Share Posted March 13, 2013 That was the best part. Even better than the ship itself. Booked my hotel for NYC yesterday was pricey at $325 but close to the ship. :eek:325?!!!! You could've booked a nice room at the Wingate by Wyndham for about half and just paid a $15-$25 taxi ride to the port. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowardK Posted March 13, 2013 Author #40 Share Posted March 13, 2013 :eek:325?!!!! You could've booked a nice room at the Wingate by Wyndham for about half and just paid a $15-$25 taxi ride to the port. :rolleyes: @hotchibonnie Where is the Wyndham? I will defintely look at it- I can always cancel my reservation. Sounds like not a bad thing thanks for mentioning @Laney- I am still going to read reviews but am at 85-90% certainty- I am looking forward to Bermuda. I actually wish I was going in May- I'll have t wait though @Dave- looking forward to your review. I am 20 minutes outside Philly and found it was totally worth flying to Miami for the Epic; it will nice being able to go on a similar ship from NYC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lvnmylife85 Posted March 14, 2013 #41 Share Posted March 14, 2013 @hotchibonnie Where is the Wyndham? I will defintely look at it- I can always cancel my reservation. Sounds like not a bad thing thanks for mentioning @Laney- I am still going to read reviews but am at 85-90% certainty- I am looking forward to Bermuda. I actually wish I was going in May- I'll have t wait though @Dave- looking forward to your review. I am 20 minutes outside Philly and found it was totally worth flying to Miami for the Epic; it will nice being able to go on a similar ship from NYC Wingate by Wydham is on 35th Street between 7th and 8th avenues. You can google to t their contact information. Stayed there xmas of 2011, rooms were about 120/night...Although I did book through Expedia. Check it out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcl_cruiser Posted March 27, 2013 #42 Share Posted March 27, 2013 I have booked a Studio room on the Breakaway for June 8th, 2014. I am hoping to meet some people prior to that to get to know and maybe hook up with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveL00 Posted March 27, 2013 #43 Share Posted March 27, 2013 . I have booked a Studio room on the Breakaway for June 8th, 2014. I am hoping to meet some people prior to that to get to know and maybe hook up with. I just returned from the Studios on the Epic for my first cruise and had a superb time. I met two great people prior on the forums which was the start to an ever expanding group of new friends. Everything just fell into place and I feel fortunate. I don't know if it's that easy every time. It looks like you've had some experience with this in the past. Good luck in your search. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richs52 Posted March 29, 2013 #44 Share Posted March 29, 2013 I will be in a studio for the 9/16 sailing. Loved the Epic and hoping to love the Breakaway as much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tralfie Posted April 1, 2013 #45 Share Posted April 1, 2013 It's worth noting that solo cruisers aren't necessarily only going to be in the solo suites. For example, I'm booked to sail on the Breakaway on March 2, 2014. I'm traveling solo, but booked an aft-facing balcony room for myself. Yes, it was more expensive, but I wanted a balcony. Plus, since it's both my very first cruise AND I'll be celebrating my 50th while at sea, I figured, "What the heck. Let's go all out." Richard/Tralfie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamr Posted April 2, 2013 #46 Share Posted April 2, 2013 Heyyy everyone! I just booked a studio on Breakaway today! I'll be on the October 26th sailing... which means Halloween cruise! So excited! Talking about pricey hotels... for my upcoming January cruise from Miami, airfare for my dinky little hour and a half flight is nearly $400 and I haven't been able to find a decent hotel for less than $250! Yes, that even includes the Holiday Inn! (For comparison... I paid $127+tax for the Intercontinental in November.) Meanwhile, flying to NYC is HALF the cost... for the same length flight. So I'll likely be able to get airfare AND a hotel in NYC for about the same cost of JUST my airfare to Miami. It's so crazy. lol Anyway, I'm looking forward to meeting other solo cruisers on the Breakaway. My last Epic trip was awesome! Made a lot of new friends and LOVED staying in the studios! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcl_cruiser Posted April 4, 2013 #47 Share Posted April 4, 2013 . I just returned from the Studios on the Epic for my first cruise and had a superb time. I met two great people prior on the forums which was the start to an ever expanding group of new friends. Everything just fell into place and I feel fortunate. I don't know if it's that easy every time. It looks like you've had some experience with this in the past. Good luck in your search. Yes, I do have a little bit of experience! I am also not shy, so I am hoping it won't be a problem. I have done one solo cruise before but it was only a 4 day. So who knows!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowardK Posted April 5, 2013 Author #48 Share Posted April 5, 2013 Heyyy everyone! I just booked a studio on Breakaway today! I'll be on the October 26th sailing... which means Halloween cruise! So excited! Talking about pricey hotels... for my upcoming January cruise from Miami, airfare for my dinky little hour and a half flight is nearly $400 and I haven't been able to find a decent hotel for less than $250! Yes, that even includes the Holiday Inn! (For comparison... I paid $127+tax for the Intercontinental in November.) Meanwhile, flying to NYC is HALF the cost... for the same length flight. So I'll likely be able to get airfare AND a hotel in NYC for about the same cost of JUST my airfare to Miami. It's so crazy. lol Anyway, I'm looking forward to meeting other solo cruisers on the Breakaway. My last Epic trip was awesome! Made a lot of new friends and LOVED staying in the studios! -I am finding something similar! (Yet in the opposite direction :) The hotel I am staying at is $325 (Comfort Inn-10-15 minute walk from the Pier) vs. 2 nights at the Doubletree in Biscyane. I think what I spent on airfrare/hotel in Miami from Philly was almost the amount of the cruise. However- it was worth it as it was a greater sense of detachment and being on vaca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamr Posted April 5, 2013 #49 Share Posted April 5, 2013 Well, my airfare and hotel in Miami added together is about what I'm paying for my cruise, too. And I'm not as far away as you are! I'm pretty much right in the middle of Miami and New York, since both flights are approximately 2 hours. $363 (airfare) + $277 (hotel) = $640 That's not much less than a studio cabin on the ship for a week. And that's without all of the taxi rides to and from the airport/ship! Craziness, I tell ya! lol And even crazier? I booked the JW Marriott Marquis in Miami... for $5 LESS than the Holiday Inn. XD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarlett123 Posted April 7, 2013 #50 Share Posted April 7, 2013 Just booked a mini suite on the Breakaway Sept 15,2013. My first solo cruise and first to Bermuda. A bit nervous but I'm sure I'll be OK. LOVE LOVE LOVE READING THE EXCELLENT ADVICE AND PAST EXPERIENCES ON CRUISE CRITIC ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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