Booked an Inside Sailaway...but was assigned a studio?

[PortFees45]

Isn't the rule that you don't get assigned a category lower than the Sailaway category you booked?

 

I booked a Sailaway Inside (IX) and was just assigned a STUDIO room (T1). 

 

I'm calling to complain, but can anyone confirm that this has happened to them? Is a studio considered a HIGHER category than an INSIDE? 

[Tinyturtle22]

I was told a while back that studios were being reclassified to be a higher category than insides. Maybe they actually did it contrary to what the revised 2020 deck plans indicate. However if you paid a double occupancy rate I don’t see how they could do that. You are going to have to call them.

[PortFees45]

The way the categories are arranged on NCL.com, Studios are obviously classified as the separate (and lowest) category. 

[smplybcause]

Separate category, yes. Lowest? Maybe? It comes with lounge access which is more than any of the non-Haven categories get. Depending upon the ship the room might have features NCL considers better than inside (ie Bliss' virtual window). 

 

Though the fact that you got assigned one means that NCL either considers it an inside cabin or better than an inside cabin. 

[PortFees45]

5 minutes ago, smplybcause said:

Separate category, yes. Lowest? Maybe? It comes with lounge access which is more than any of the non-Haven categories get. Depending upon the ship the room might have features NCL considers better than inside (ie Bliss' virtual window). 

 

Though the fact that you got assigned one means that NCL either considers it an inside cabin or better than an inside cabin. 

Or they just oversold the cruise and hoped I wouldn't complain. 

 

The SMALLEST inside stateroom is larger than a Studio. Every bathroom in an inside is larger than a Studio. The website clearly indicates studios as being a lower category than an Inside. I'm pretty claustrophobic and an Inside was going to be bad enough. I would have NEVER booked a Studio, or an IX if I thought there was any chance of landing in a Studio. I expected lowest Inside category or higher. 

 

I booked direct through NCL.com, so I'm coming up on 30 minutes on hold "waiting for a supervisor."

[hallux]

4 minutes ago, PortFees45 said:

The website clearly indicates studios as being a lower category than an Inside

Is it ACTUALLY a lower category, or just lower-priced than an inside as a single paying the single supplement?

 

As noted - the Studio cabins have the dedicated lounge and exclusive access to their area of the ship (except during the solo meet every night), features only available in the Haven.

[smplybcause]

4 minutes ago, PortFees45 said:

Or they just oversold the cruise and hoped I wouldn't complain. 

 

The SMALLEST inside stateroom is larger than a Studio. Every bathroom in an inside is larger than a Studio. The website clearly indicates studios as being a lower category than an Inside. I'm pretty claustrophobic and an Inside was going to be bad enough. I would have NEVER booked a Studio, or an IX if I thought there was any chance of landing in a Studio. I expected lowest Inside category or higher. 

 

I booked direct through NCL.com, so I'm coming up on 30 minutes on hold "waiting for a supervisor."

 

I'm assuming you mean the bathroom in an inside is larger than a bathroom in a studio? The shower & sink open up to the room in the studio - so you have more 'walking around' space in the bathroom area of a studio than an inside room. Also, I believe the smallest inside is about 20sf larger than a studio - with most of that going towards closing off the sink & shower into the bathroom (thus removing that additional sf from the rest of the cabin) as well as the 'hall' running from the door past the bathroom to the main room (which studios don't need because of their open floorplan of the sink & shower in the main room). 

[PortFees45]

1 minute ago, hallux said:

Is it ACTUALLY a lower category, or just lower-priced than an inside as a single paying the single supplement?

 

As noted - the Studio cabins have the dedicated lounge and exclusive access to their area of the ship (except during the solo meet every night), features only available in the Haven.

I don't care about some interior room lit with flourscent lights and a plate of stale cookies kicked down from the buffet. The SMALLEST inside cabin can accommodate two people. A studio cannot. The NCL website has the categories clearly arranged lowest (studio) to highest (Haven). 

[hallux]

1 minute ago, smplybcause said:

Also, I believe the smallest inside is about 20sf larger than a studio - with most of that going towards closing off the sink & shower into the bathroom (thus removing that additional sf from the rest of the cabin) as well as the 'hall' running from the door past the bathroom to the main room (which studios don't need because of their open floorplan of the sink & shower in the main room).

Not to mention that the bed in a standard inside room is larger than that in a Studio, taking up more room.

[PortFees45]

2 minutes ago, smplybcause said:

 

I'm assuming you mean the bathroom in an inside is larger than a bathroom in a studio? The shower & sink open up to the room in the studio - so you have more 'walking around' space in the bathroom area of a studio than an inside room. Also, I believe the smallest inside is about 20sf larger than a studio - with most of that going towards closing off the sink & shower into the bathroom (thus removing that additional sf from the rest of the cabin) as well as the 'hall' running from the door past the bathroom to the main room (which studios don't need because of their open floorplan of the sink & shower in the main room). 

It's still a normal room. The studios are horrific padded cells. Literally. 

 

This isn't my first rodeo. I know what I'm doing with Sailaway bookings. Bait and switch gets thrown around way too much on these boards, but this very much meets the definition. They overbooked a 4th of July cruise and just hoped I wouldn't mind. I do mind. 

[PortFees45]

1 minute ago, hallux said:

Not to mention that the bed in a standard inside room is larger than that in a Studio, taking up more room.

Exactly...it has a bigger bed because it's a higher category. 

[smplybcause]

Just now, PortFees45 said:

It's still a normal room. The studios are horrific padded cells. Literally. 

 

This isn't my first rodeo. I know what I'm doing with Sailaway bookings. Bait and switch gets thrown around way too much on these boards, but this very much meets the definition. They overbooked a 4th of July cruise and just hoped I wouldn't mind. I do mind. 

 

Lol! Because they have the wall padded that the bed is next to so you don't bash yourself into a metal wall. It's not a "padded cell".

[hallux]

1 minute ago, smplybcause said:

Because they have the wall padded that the bed is next to so you don't bash yourself into a metal wall

Actually, I think it's more so there's an "alcove" for the virtual window TV, so you don't bash your head on it if you sit up in bed.

 

By saying this I'm kind of making the point for the OP though.  I didn't much mind it, I thought it was nicer than the Studio cabin on RCI's Anthem.  Despite being listed as the same size it felt more roomy than RCI's offering.

[smplybcause]

4 minutes ago, hallux said:

Actually, I think it's more so there's an "alcove" for the virtual window TV, so you don't bash your head on it if you sit up in bed.

 

By saying this I'm kind of making the point for the OP though.  I didn't much mind it, I thought it was nicer than the Studio cabin on RCI's Anthem.  Despite being listed as the same size it felt more roomy than RCI's offering.

 

The padded walls exist in the other ships that don't have a virtual window there. They do have a porthole in the wall, you wouldn't think they'd need to build it out for that? And the Getaway has a recessed shelf in the padding at the head of the bed for magazines and such. I've been in 3 ships studios and each is slightly tweaked differences. 

[PortFees45]

5 minutes ago, smplybcause said:

 

The padded walls exist in the other ships that don't have a virtual window there. They do have a porthole in the wall, you wouldn't think they'd need to build it out for that? And the Getaway has a recessed shelf in the padding at the head of the bed for magazines and such. I've been in 3 ships studios and each is slightly tweaked differences. 

I've now been on hold with NCL waiting for "a supervisor" for coming up on an hour. My phone is almost too hot to touch.

 

I've never had a pre-cruise booking issue with NCL before. Is this par for this course? 

[WickedRed]

I have heard of solo sailaway cruisers getting assigned a studio before.  I've done a studio and loved it.  Didn't feel like I was in a padded cell at all.  Personally I don't see them as a lower category but equal to and maybe better than the lowest inside rooms.  If you paid for a sailaway, with a solo discount, then the studio was probably more money making it a higher category in a sense.  To each their own.  Best of luck and enjoy your cruise either way.

[sprint180]

How did you turn out?

[PortFees45]

3 minutes ago, sprint180 said:

How did you turn out?

After 90 minutes on hold, they switched me to an ID inside. Not great, but within the realm of what I knew to expect when booking.

[careyayn22]

We were on hold waiting for a supervisor for an hour when they messed up my food and beverage package. 

 

Glad it somewhat worked for you. 

[beerman2]

PortFees45

 

I certainly hope you can enjoy your cruise. Your posts on 2 threads indicates otherwise. Negativity will get you nowhere.

 

Joined 17 hours ago , 32 posts with nothing good to say!  SMH !

[PortFees45]

2 minutes ago, beerman2 said:

PortFees45

 

I certainly hope you can enjoy your cruise. Your posts on 2 threads indicates otherwise. Negativity will get you nowhere.

 

Joined 17 hours ago , 32 posts with nothing good to say!  SMH !

I'm sorry for not being sufficiently psyched about being assigned to a lower category than stated in the terms when I booked (a mistake NCL acknowledged after 90 minutes on hold to correct)

[FLAHAM]

1 hour ago, PortFees45 said:

Or they just oversold the cruise and hoped I wouldn't complain. 

 

The SMALLEST inside stateroom is larger than a Studio. Every bathroom in an inside is larger than a Studio. The website clearly indicates studios as being a lower category than an Inside. I'm pretty claustrophobic and an Inside was going to be bad enough. I would have NEVER booked a Studio, or an IX if I thought there was any chance of landing in a Studio. I expected lowest Inside category or higher. 

 

In my opinion, studios are far, far less claustrophobic than insides. With one full-size bed, studios have a generous amount of open floor space.  The two bathroom "halves" are as large as an inside bathroom.   Again in my opinion, absolutely no reason (other than possibly cost) for a solo to book an inside rather than a studio.

Edited June 24, 2019 by FLAHAM

[Tinyturtle22]

15 minutes ago, FLAHAM said:

In my opinion, studios are far, far less claustrophobic than insides. With one full-size bed, studios have a generous amount of open floor space.  The two bathroom "halves" are as large as an inside bathroom.   Again in my opinion, absolutely no reason (other than possibly cost) for a solo to book an inside rather than a studio.

Studios are excluded from the upgrade program.

[zqvol]

OP would have been better off staying in the studio instead of an inside, but he/she will figure that out. There is much less usable space in an inside than in the studio because there are oof everything, plus the bathroom takes a lot more square footage.

[smplybcause]

9 minutes ago, Tinyturtle22 said:

Studios are excluded from the upgrade program.

 

I do wish they'd let us do the upgrade program, but I suspect it's because it's harder to book studios and they don't want to slash prices on those rooms.