Hello NCL faithful Booked on the escape for next year in a studio......

[WhaleTailFlCruiser]

So about all of my cruising experience has been on Carnival ships minus one trip on Symphony of the Seas. I saw a good deal for Escape out of PC for a seven day next year over new years so I grabbed it. Can anyone tell me how the Studio cabins are and how the spaces work? Also I saw that it gave me car and Wifi ext does the open bar include Soda? I honestly don't drink so it is a waste on me lol. 

 

Thank you all :). Can't wait to get back to cruising. 

[BirdTravels]

I have sailed NCL for many years and the never gave me a car.  
 

While the drinks package is free, you have to pay the $20 per day gratuities for it. If you only drink soda, it is cheaper to decline the drinks package and buy a soda package. 

[Yinster]

2 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

While the drinks package is free, you have to pay the $20 per day gratuities for it. If you only drink soda, it is cheaper to decline the drinks package and buy a soda package. 

In the UK the drink package is a steal as everything is paid for including the grats on drinks. However I noticed you are from Florida so Bird travels is totally correct.

 

As for the car, never heard of that offer.

 

Regarding the studio cabin, there's a studio lounge attached where residents of the studio cabins can relax in. The only other time you may have non residents is the social hours in the evening when they invite all solo passengers to gather and meet. Have dinner together. Door is unlocked then. This is optional. But it's a great way to meet other people if that's your thing. Or don't eat dinner alone 

[Daytonasailor]

8 hours ago, WhaleTailFlCruiser said:

So about all of my cruising experience has been on Carnival ships minus one trip on Symphony of the Seas. I saw a good deal for Escape out of PC for a seven day next year over new years so I grabbed it. Can anyone tell me how the Studio cabins are and how the spaces work? Also I saw that it gave me car and Wifi ext does the open bar include Soda? I honestly don't drink so it is a waste on me lol. 

 

Thank you all :). Can't wait to get back to cruising. 

Our GD (23 yrs old) sails with us often. We always get her a studio if available. She is booked for a studio on our Dec, 21 cruise on the Escape. She loves them. Studio is very small but has everything you need as far as the room goes. There is a nice lounge at the front of the cabins and they offer snacks and drinks. They even included a bottle of wine with the room. The front door of the lounge is secured and you must use your room fob to enter. People were sitting in the lounge when we went to visit and it was a friendly group. If I was to go single, I would book a studio.

[hallux]

You can decline the drink package and save the gratuities on that.

 

As for the Studio/lounge - another strong positive review of the concept from me.  I've only sailed the Bliss so I can't speak for the Escape, but I found PLENTY to do that I really didn't feel cramped in the cabin, just using it for sleeping and changing clothes.  The Waterfront is a GREAT place to hang out if you want to feel like you're on a balcony.

 

You can meet some GREAT people in the solo gathering.  On my first Bliss cruise I ended up connecting with a group (they were doing a B2B and had all met on the previous cruise) that had a full table reservation at Cagney's that first night, I ended up dining with them 3 nights during that cruise.

[SSFun]

Pretty sure you made a typo and meant bar, not car. I agree with others that if you do not drink alcohol you should ask to have the "free" drink package (and fees you were charged for it) from your trip. Then, if you are a big soda drinker, buy the soda package. If soda is something you only drink once in a while, you may  be better off just buying each one individually? The soda package looks like it costs $7.95 + 20% gratuities per day. I am not sure how much a soda costs onboard because I am not a soda drinker, but if someone else can tell you that price, you would be able to assess which option would be best for you. Right now, you are paying 20% gratuities on the "free" alcoholic beverage package that normally costs $99/day. So you are already paying $20/day for a package you will not use. Ditch the "free" package and pay for the soda package. You'll actually save money. 

[robcolem]

10 hours ago, WhaleTailFlCruiser said:

So about all of my cruising experience has been on Carnival ships minus one trip on Symphony of the Seas. I saw a good deal for Escape out of PC for a seven day next year over new years so I grabbed it. Can anyone tell me how the Studio cabins are and how the spaces work? Also I saw that it gave me car and Wifi ext does the open bar include Soda? I honestly don't drink so it is a waste on me lol. 

 

Thank you all :). Can't wait to get back to cruising. 

I've stayed in a studio on the Escape and the Epic.  These rooms are sectioned off within the interior of the ship, so you have to enter a keyed door to access the rooms and the solo lounge. For me the studios feel too small at first, especially the shower and toilet, but then I get use to it and spend most of my time elsewhere.  My first studio was on the Epic and there was this purple/blue ambient lighting and I had no idea I could change that. Only on my second studio did I realize there was a switch to change the lighting color. There is no sitting space other than the bed but then as a studio guest you have 24hour access to the studio lounge The lounges include a free fancy coffee machine, snacks (cookies and pastries) and during the meet and greets there will sometimes be a bartender (alcohol drinks not free unless you got the drinks package). There is also a "host" from the ship that helps organize group activities like reserving dining tables at the restaurants and seats at shows for those who want to do these activities as a large group. One thing to keep in mind is if you book a non-studio room and are a solo traveler you still get access to the  the lounge during the meet and greets and can join other solos during the group dinners/shows.

 

The drinks package, as part of the pick X offer/free at sea, includes alcohol drinks, juices, and sodas - you do pay the tax and gratuity on the package.  I've always declined it as I don't drink these so I opt for the specialty dining package. Drip coffee and iced tea are no extra cost and juice is no cost at the buffet. The wifi package is minutes based unless you pay to upgrade, which are tiered as social (i.e. FB and Instagram) or premium, which includes streaming capabilities.

[WhaleTailFlCruiser]

Sorry I didn't mean car meant dining package. I flubbed making my post apologies. 

[SSFun]

40 minutes ago, WhaleTailFlCruiser said:

Sorry I didn't mean car meant dining package. I flubbed making my post apologies. 

That's great that you have the dining package as well! You will love the specialty restaurants!

[TonyFred]

The Escape is a wonderful ship. Sailed on her 4 times and would gladly go again. The outside parties at Spice H2O are a blast. Teppenyaki and Cagneys are 2 of my favorite specialty restaurants at sea. Get to the Atrium area early for the game shows and entertainment. You can sit at the overlook at the Local and munch some great bar food while watching also.  I hope you enjoy her as much as I have.

[boatseller]

Love the Studios.  There's lots of pictures and vidoes about them.

 

You will probably fine the bed unnecessarily large, even if...well...ok then....  They fixed that on Bliss.

 

If you don't drink alcohol, check the cost of the mandatory grats on the adult package vs the soda package.  Maybe it works out, maybe not.  The Soda package ~$10/day.  (Does anyone know if they can sub this?)

 

Use the dining credits as early as possible, otherwise, you risk scrambling on the last nights to use them.