Breakaway Solo Studio - how small is small?

[LizG12]

just how small are the studios? I know it says 99sq feet, but it's kind hard to tell how tight a fit that is from the pictures...is it "stand on the bed to open the closet" kind of small? or is there enough space to move around without tripping over your own feet?

 

I don't spend a lot of time in the room, so I don't need space to hang out in, but I don't want to be so cramped it's like playing tetris just to figure out how to open the door without moving the bed. :)

[dreamr]

I haven't been on the Breakaway, but I have been on the Epic. From what I've heard, the studios on the Breakaway and the studios on the Epic are practically identical.

 

I loved my studio. I wasn't cramped at all. I had plenty of room to open my closet without even hitting the bed. The doors slide open sideways, instead of swinging out. :P

 

I think the square footage of the room is misleading, because it's more about how the room is laid out. NCL really did a good job making a small room not feel so small, in my opinion.

 

Btw, I believe someone said that the studios don't have the desk that is in most insides, so that makes up for some of the footage difference. They do have a desk, but it's in a different place than the desk in the inside rooms. Again, it all comes down to how the room is laid out, not the square footage.

[HowardK]

I thought it was decent- but I have never been in a suite nor balcony. For me, I didn't really spend any time in the room other than sleeping.

[tjncanada]

I quite enjoyed the studio on the Epic. Yes, it is small but the layout and placement of features of the room is clever and efficient making it perfectly comfortable for one person. The bed takes up a good part but it was easy to access the storage areas. Having the use of the private lounge and opportunity to meet up with other solo travellers was a big plus too.

[kylenyc]

Pictures of the Breakaway studio cabin

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1834773&page=4#79

 

I found it very comfortable and plenty of room to move around. It's very space efficient smart design. You won't bang open drawers ... there aren't any :P Closet doors don't bag open against the bed because they slide out and sideways. The only tetris game was figuring out where to put the ottoman (under the phone) to get the closet open all the way... then problem solved :D

 

Toilet stall felt a little claustrophobic (think slightly bigger than portable outdoor john... not by much). There is space under the bed for a full size suitcase and carry-on. The studio experience is very nice with the solo gathering every night and an informal meetup the mornings for coffee in the atrium. Hostess Meaghan also plans out daily activities like group dinner in dining room and trip to the ice bar.

 

Space between bed and closet ... ~1.5 to 2 feet? Again closet slides sideways and doesn't swing outward.

Will try to dig up more pics of the entry way but plenty of space to wake around. Never felt cramped except in the toilet room :p

[Bonzy49]

I have just come off Epic and had a studio.

The designer was a designer or caravans apparently so it has a very good lay out and a full length mirror which adds depth to the room.I never felt cramped at all...and I am not a teeny weeny person either!

[LizG12]

Thanks for the info everyone! I'd seen the pictures, but it's hard to tell really how cramped it is/isn't. I'll be booking a studio this weekend :)

[calliopecruiser]

You can test it at home........measure your bedroom to see how many square feet it is, and compare that to the size of the studio cabin. Or another room in your home might be a better fit. You could easily map out a 10' x 10' space on the floor, but if you can compare it to a room with walls, you'll get a better feel.

 

I did that before booking my last cruise (compared the size of my bedroom to the size of the cabin I was wanting to book), and decided that I'd be fine with that cabin size even if I was ill and had to stay in there for a few days. (FYI, that wasn't a studio cabin, but the concept is the same.)

[kylenyc]

I dug up some more pictures of the studio... you can use the width of the cabin door as a frame of reference. The length of the cabin is at least 14 feet long. Best guess 14 x 7. The door and entryway being about 3 feet wide, which then widens to 5 to 7 feet from foot of the bed to shower and connecting door/mirror. Very comfy.

 

[LizG12]

You can test it at home........measure your bedroom to see how many square feet it is, and compare that to the size of the studio cabin. Or another room in your home might be a better fit. You could easily map out a 10' x 10' space on the floor, but if you can compare it to a room with walls, you'll get a better feel.

 

yeah, I have a bedroom that size... and with the bed, nightstand, and dresser, I can't imagine staying in that room INCLUDING a bathroom and a closet in that square footage (there's a closet in the bedroom, but I don't count it as part of the 100sq ft because it's recessed in the wall).

 

Figuring out the size of 100sq ft (well, 99sq ft in the studio according to ncl's site, but what's one foot more or less?) isn't hard, imagining that space filled with a closet, bathroom, bed, desk, nightstand (under the telephone in one of the pics) and still having space to move around without tripping over the furniture? That's harder for me to visualize :)

[LizG12]

I dug up some more pictures of the studio... you can use the width of the cabin door as a frame of reference. The length of the cabin is at least 14 feet long. Best guess 14 x 7. The door and entryway being about 3 feet wide, which then widens to 5 to 7 feet from foot of the bed to shower and connecting door/mirror. Very comfy.

 

 

thanks for the pics. I have to admit that the 'padding' on the wall around the bed reminds me of old movies where they show people in 'padded rooms' in an psych ward or 'insane asylum' kind of place :D

[Podie]

This reminds me of my time in the Navy! I might need a Xanax to sleep in that small a space now, but I'm willing to try it!:)

[Okika]

Lucky for me, I live in Vancouver where we are trained to make-do with small spaces because real estate prices are astronomical. My previous apartment was 280sq feet! I can definitely handle these studios for a week.

[kylenyc]

You'll meet lots of nice solo travelers to hang around with and shouldn't be staying in your room much anyways!

 

thanks for the pics. I have to admit that the 'padding' on the wall around the bed reminds me of old movies where they show people in 'padded rooms' in an psych ward or 'insane asylum' kind of place :D

Some people believe I should be in a padded room all the time :p. Sounds like a great theme/Halloween cruise! :D

[kek123]

I dug up some more pictures of the studio... you can use the width of the cabin door as a frame of reference. The length of the cabin is at least 14 feet long. Best guess 14 x 7. The door and entryway being about 3 feet wide, which then widens to 5 to 7 feet from foot of the bed to shower and connecting door/mirror. Very comfy.

 

Thanks for sharing! I am far too claustrophobic to ever try this. But if it works for some and gets them to go on vacation and enjoy themselves, go for it!

[calliopecruiser]

It's all well and good to say that you will "only be in your cabin to shower and sleep" or that "you should be out and about and not in your cabin" so it doesn't matter if it's small, but remember you might not have as much choice in the matter as you think. Just be sure that if it ends up that you're not well or if there's a problem on board, you may be spending more time in your cabin than you anticipate. I thought "if I had to stay in my cabin for 2-3 days straight, would I be OK?" before I decided.

[Lois R]

That is why we are all different people........what works for some

folks, doesn't work for others.

 

I am not claustraphobic but that cabin has no appeal whatsoever to me.

It looks like the bed is coming out of the wall:eek:

 

Different strokes for different folks:)

[HowardK]

It's all well and good to say that you will "only be in your cabin to shower and sleep" or that "you should be out and about and not in your cabin" so it doesn't matter if it's small, but remember you might not have as much choice in the matter as you think. Just be sure that if it ends up that you're not well or if there's a problem on board, you may be spending more time in your cabin than you anticipate. I thought "if I had to stay in my cabin for 2-3 days straight, would I be OK?" before I decided.

 

 

-That is a very good point. I have thought about it and compared to my inside cabin in the Jewel vs the Studio I kind of feel as though I would be extremely upset staying in any room for that long regardless of the type.

 

Not that it is 100% foolproof but I end up taking a bunch of things on board such as those small hand wipes, benadryl, tyelnol, tums, etc..

[HowardK]

You'll meet lots of nice solo travelers to hang around with and shouldn't be staying in your room much anyways!

 

 

Some people believe I should be in a padded room all the time :p. Sounds like a great theme/Halloween cruise! :D

 

 

I think that is the whole point of the studios and agree- I never ended up in the room because I was with people most of the time.

 

I remember in my documentary showing the walls and explaining "Here are the padded walls so people don't go insane"

 

I have to admit though i would love one year to find a last minute cruise with a cheap balcony and spend most of the week on it.

[tgmtgm]

Thanks for sharing! I am far too claustrophobic to ever try this. But if it works for some and gets them to go on vacation and enjoy themselves, go for it!

 

The padded walls/bed looks disturbingly like an oversized open casket! :eek:

 

But I do agree- if it works for someone- more power to them.

 

Tony

[Podie]

MRI comes to mind too!

[watson61]

My first cruise EVER was on the Epic, in a studio. It was fine; I had nothing to compare it to. By far the best part was the Studio Lounge, though we didn't have the morning coffee thing in the Atrium, as someone else mentioned - maybe that's new with the Breakaway?

 

On my last cruise to Bermuda, I stayed in an oceanview and loved it. My upcoming fall cruise will be in the same type of cabin and I'm really looking forward to it. I can't say I'll never again stay in an inside cabin, especially if the price is right, but I really love having a view and natural light.

 

I'd love to try a balcony sometime but I have met people who said it wasn't worth the extra money for them since they were never in their room.

[cybergidget]

I didn't know SOLOs existed! We have a friend who would love to sail with us but his wife is an invalid and he thought it would be too expensive to book as a solo. I'll have to tell him about this. He really needs his "caregiver" breaktime. And I don't think the small space would bother him. He was a Navy blackshoe!

[calliopecruiser]

We have a friend who would love to sail with us but his wife is an invalid and he thought it would be too expensive to book as a solo. I'll have to tell him about this. !

 

Be sure to check the prices carefully and don't assume it's a cheaper way to sail solo.........on some voyages, it's more expensive than sailing solo in a standard cabin.

[cybergidget]

calliopecruiser: That is what I had always been led to believe. At one point he checked into getting an inside on a cruise to Bermuda. Was still more then he wanted to spend although not unreasonable given how expensive Bermuda can be. You just have to consider the ship as your hotel and dining room and use it. Or, maybe he just really did not want to go. I hate trying to figure out other people's angst and not getting paid for it. :rolleyes: