Studio Cabins

[realnice46]

My sister is considering joining us on a Greek Isles cruise in 2024 and I would like input from those of you that have stayed in these cabins.

[www3traveler]

21 minutes ago, realnice46 said:

My sister is considering joining us on a Greek Isles cruise in 2024 and I would like input from those of you that have stayed in these cabins.

As a solo passenger, I love the Studio Cabins.  Just big enough for one person.  Lots of closet and storage space.  All of the cabins are in an enclosed area of its own.  Need a key card to enter.  There is a Studio Lounge for coffee, pastries, cookies.  Bar service only a few hours a day.  These are Inside cabins.  There is a window with lots of covering looking out into a very brightly lit corridor.  I can turn the shades for privacy and still have enough flitered light to use as a nightlight.  The toliet and shower are separate just about two steps from each other with the wash basin in the main cabin.  In the Studios, I have had there has been a door size mirror.  Might not be for everyone but it works for me.

[hallux]

Like the previous response - I've really liked them.  On most of the ships with them there is also the Waterfront, which is a great substitute for a balcony (unless she wants to step on her balcony in her sleepwear).  

 

On my last cruise I used my Studio room just for sleeping, showering and changing clothes.  The Studio is a great way to get on the ship at a lower cost and enjoy the amenities of the ship to their fullest.

[1025cruise]

My advice would be to compare the cost to an inside cabin at double occupancy just to make sure there is a savings with the studio.

[eileeshb]

I’ve been in studio cabins numerous times and tried a regular inside cabin on Epic. I think the studio cabin is a better setup, there’s more sockets in useful locations and despite it being smaller it doesn’t feel that way because the interior is all white whereas the interior cabins have dark fittings. The studios don’t have a mini fridge or decent desk/table if you wanted to work on a laptop or get room service . You can always use the lounge for desk space as it tends to be pretty quiet in there except for the daily meet-ups. You can also turn the tv in the cabins to be the view from the bridge camera if you want a view of the sea while in the cabin.  The newer ships have a virtual porthole but it’s still just a tv showing a view from a camera.

[AK Dreaming]

I liked the studios so much, my sister and I got adjoining Solo cabins one cruise instead of sharing a balcony.  

[lepidoptera]

Just adding my thoughts to everyone else’s:

 

In my opinion the layout is better than an inside cabin. Since the bed is off to the side instead of in the middle of the cabin you can move around easily versus having to shuffle around. The bed does not have the crack down the middle of mattress since it cannot separate. I know some people think they are too small to cruise in but I find them incredibly well designed and preferable to a regular inside or ocean view. I like that people have to key card into the studio area. It keeps it  quieter since there aren’t as many people passing through and having drunken conversations at 2 am. 

 

Depending on what ship you are sailing on they may have a virtual porthole. I thought that was a little nicer than tuning the tv to the bridge cam since it was a side view. 

 

When comparing pricing make sure you are comparing apples to apples. Whenever I have booked a studio, free at sea is selected automatically where for the inside it is not automatically so initially it looks cheaper. Once you add on free as sea it on to an inside, often it become more expensive than the studio fare.

 

Studio lounge. I generally do not spend a ton of time here. It does have a nice coffee machine that can make lattes etc. On my pre-covid cruise very often the officers on the ship came and made their coffee there. Also has nice snacks. On early port days I would just grab food from the lounge instead of fighting my way through the buffet. 

[Rivercat]

I haven't stayed in one yet--booked in October on Bliss--but I watched a lot of YouTube videos showing the studios on different ships before deciding to go for it. Suggest looking to see if there are any recent ones for the ship you'll be on so there aren't any surprises.

[hallux]

I have been in the Studios on the Bliss and the Escape.  I prefer the Studio lounge area on the Bliss as it has wood paneling rather than the "sterile" white that the Escape and some earlier ships have.  I believe the Encore has wood as well.  Bliss and Encore have the virtual porthole that @lepidoptera mentions, Prima and the upcoming Viva may have it as well.  I liked some of the features in the Escape's Studio cabins compared to those in the Bliss (the mood lighting on the Escape was a neat touch and the bed may be SLIGHTLY bigger, which does reduce the walking space between the bed and wardrobe/closet).

[jcscv]

I'm a big fan of the Studios too.  I prefer them to the regular inside cabins.  The Studios seem to have more room, and storage than a regular inside room.  I also love the studio lounge, it's a great meeting place, and just a good place to relax in quiet. And as others said, there's a great coffee machine, snacks (pastries and fruit), drinks (iced water, orange juice) in there if you just want a bite of something without having to go up to the buffet. Yes, sometimes the studios can cost more than paying the supplement on an inside room, but for me the difference is usually pretty negligible and worth it. 

[FLAHAM]

While the Epic, the first ship with Studio cabins, was nearing completion in the shipyard, NCL publicized them as designed for hipster young couples.  By the time of the maiden voyage, NCL announced they were for solo passengers.  I think they are great—have cruised 3 transatlantics in them and my mild claustrophobia never kicked in.  In my opinion, much nicer than an inside.

[MeHeartCruising]

I’ll join in.  The Studios are great for one person.  I prefer a full-size cabin, but would stay in a studio again if the situation came up.  Do check pricing.  Sometimes, depending on when you purchase, a solo can get a full-size inside cabin for less money than a studio. 

[debenson0723]

As mentioned above, the Bliss and Encore have the virtual window showing the side of the ship...its a feature I enjoy. The Prima does not have this but does have a full bathroom vs the separate shower and W/C of the other studios. Seems like the concept is always evolving but they are great for one person (and my adult son and I also did connecting studios for privacy and 2 showers/toilets).

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 hours ago, hallux said:

On my last cruise I used my Studio room just for sleeping, showering and changing clothes.  The Studio is a great way to get on the ship at a lower cost and enjoy the amenities of the ship to their fullest.

Truth be told, many on the ship only use their rooms for sleeping, showering and changing clothes.  Who goes on vacation to stay in their room?  That said, anybody who ever lived in a crappy college dorm room is likely to be delighted with any studio/inside cabin on a cruise ship.  No room mate?  My own bathroom?  A steward comes by once a day to clean my room?  SIGN ME UP! 😎

[cruiseny4life]

5 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Truth be told, many on the ship only use their rooms for sleeping, showering and changing clothes.  Who goes on vacation to stay in their room?  That said, anybody who ever lived in a crappy college dorm room is likely to be delighted with any studio/inside cabin on a cruise ship.  No room mate?  My own bathroom?  A steward comes by once a day to clean my room?  SIGN ME UP! 😎

If traveling solo (and not wanting a balcony), I would sign up for a studio room. But, the room is my hideaway! I enjoy watching a movie or two, getting some nap time in which is woefully inadequate when I'm not on vacation. And sometimes, I enjoy eating a meal in the room. I may not in a studio, unless I use the toilet as my seat (yea, not happening). I hate eating on my bed! 

 

But yea, I go on vacation to stay in my room sometimes. My husband certainly enjoys his room time watching movies and streaming. It's a great way to spend a couple hours a day, when not in port. 

[StarAFire]

I am on the getaway now in a studio cabin. My sister who is in a BF balcony said she would have preferred the setup of the studio. Personally i am 5ft 2 vertically challenged Asian girl. I find it a tight fit in the toilet area and being able to close the door. The shower is a bit small too. I have my shampoo and conditioner on the floor of the shower in a corner and I swear I bump my head each time when bending to get them. However bed area and the set up of storage space seem ok.  
 

the oddest thing. Lol it’s inside but I swear I can hear like the sound of wind howling at night. I did faintly hear the fog horn as we had to keep using it the first night.

Edited April 12, 2023 by StarAFire

[hallux]

50 minutes ago, StarAFire said:

Personally i am 5ft 2 vertically challenged Asian girl.

Not that I'm proud of it, but I have 9" of height and probably 2.5x the weight on you.

51 minutes ago, StarAFire said:

I find it a tight fit in the toilet area and being able to close the door.

The door is more to close that off so you don't have to look at the toilet when you're not using it, I need to stick a leg out the opening.

52 minutes ago, StarAFire said:

The shower is a bit small too.

As a "fluffy cruiser" I had no trouble showering, and there's an even 'fluffier' Youtuber that stayed in one and didn't complain about the size of the shower (I don't really think it's that much smaller than a shower in other standard cabin types.  I found it odd that the shower glass in my Studio cabin on the Escape was frosted in such a way as to provide modesty for the person using the shower.  Because someone else in the cabin might see them?

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

getting some nap time in

Isn't that included in "sleeping?"

[StarAFire]

25 minutes ago, hallux said:

Not that I'm proud of it, but I have 9" of height and probably 2.5x the weight on you.

The door is more to close that off so you don't have to look at the toilet when you're not using it, I need to stick a leg out the opening.

As a "fluffy cruiser" I had no trouble showering, and there's an even 'fluffier' Youtuber that stayed in one and didn't complain about the size of the shower (I don't really think it's that much smaller than a shower in other standard cabin types.  I found it odd that the shower glass in my Studio cabin on the Escape was frosted in such a way as to provide modesty for the person using the shower.  Because someone else in the cabin might see them?

The shower is smaller. Not by a lot but it does appear to me. I can see vs my sister’s and my parents inside cabin and as I haven’t had this issue before. And I saw one of the YouTubers also say it was a tight fit. So when I bumped my head it wasn’t a surprise🤷‍♀️. Been sailing ncl for years on the smaller ships in inside cabins mostly. First time in studio. It’s ok. But nothing to write home about for me. 

Edited April 12, 2023 by StarAFire

[StarAFire]

32 minutes ago, hallux said:

Not that I'm proud of it, but I have 9" of height and probably 2.5x the weight on you.

The door is more to close that off so you don't have to look at the toilet when you're not using it, I need to stick a leg out the opening.

As a "fluffy cruiser" I had no trouble showering, and there's an even 'fluffier' Youtuber that stayed in one and didn't complain about the size of the shower (I don't really think it's that much smaller than a shower in other standard cabin types.  I found it odd that the shower glass in my Studio cabin on the Escape was frosted in such a way as to provide modesty for the person using the shower.  Because someone else in the cabin might see them?

Were you just showering or were you trying to shave too?  That is also where I was having issues maneuvering.  They placed the footrest right under the shower head so it washes off the shaving cream before can use it. I have tried moving shower head left and right but since small stall it doesn’t help much. 

Edited April 12, 2023 by StarAFire

[hallux]

19 minutes ago, StarAFire said:

Were you just showering or were you trying to shave too?

Just showering.

 

[Calicoskies1234]

I stayed in a studio on Breakaway in Feb 2023. I loved it. I enjoyed my privacy. The room had great storage. My bed was 3xtremely comfy, I think it’s a full size mattress, as opposed to a twin.  The lounge was a great perk. I think studio lounge had the best coffee on ship, 2nd only to Starbucks. The private studio hallways were quiet. I wld not hesitate to book another studio room. 

[Ellipooh]

3 hours ago, StarAFire said:

The shower is a bit small too. I have my shampoo and conditioner on the floor of the shower in a corner and I swear I bump my head each time when bending to get them. 

I’m 5’11” so this is a concern. Are there provided shampoo and body wash affixed to the walls? I’m not particular about “my” brand for a 7-day trip, esp if I can avoid bending down and hitting my head. 

[YVRteacher]

Yes, there is a two in one conditioning shampoo and a body wash.

 

I would happily book a studio cabin again.  The coffee machine and goodies in the studio lounge are worth it!

[Debifluff]

The Prima's studio rooms are designed even better than on the previous ships - lots of storage and the bathroom has been redesigned and is very nice!!!   Also the solo lounge has a self-serve soda station, beer & wine station as well as the awesome coffee station.