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It's Happening!


JamieLogical
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I finally pulled the trigger and booked my first solo cruise! I was already booked on the NCL Bliss for 3/22 out of NYC with my SO, my parents, my brother, and his SO. I had a dream after returning from my 12-day sailing last month that I turned this upcoming sailing into a back-to-back doing the extra leg solo. After waking up from that dream, I just couldn't let the idea go and now it is going to be a reality! I booked the week prior to the family cruise in a Studio cabin.

 

I get two more weeks of vacation time than my SO and it's always tough figuring out what to do with it. Last year I used one of the weeks to take my sister on a cruise, but I am excited to be doing a solo cruise. Looking forward to not having to worry about keeping anyone else entertained. When I cruise with my SO alone (unlike this upcoming family cruise), it's usually pretty chill. We are both good at going off and doing our own things and don'd have to be joined at the hip. But we do always do meals together and see main theater shows together, so it will feel strange doing those by myself.

 

I am both excited and apprehensive. I'm still concerned about my SO driving to NYC by himself (I will fly for my solo leg and then we will drive home together after the family cruise), because I am the one that usually drives. He's never driven in NYC before and I am worried about him navigating on his own. I am also a little concerned about the logistics of the B2B part of it, having never done a B2B before and it being complicated by me trying to meet up with the rest of my family for that second embarkation day.

 

But the solo cruising part itself, I am just straight-up excited about. I can't wait!

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Ah, Bliss... you'll have a great time. Such a beautiful ship and so much for a solo to do. Or not do. I mostly lounged around in the Observation Lounge and on the Waterfront.

 

Caveat: Unless you like an extra firm bed, ask your steward to add an egg crate mattress pad. Other than that, I thought the Studio cabin was perfectly comfortable for one person. There's plenty of storage and my 28" rolling duffel fit just fine under the bed.

 

There is orange juice available in the Studio Lounge. Convert that free bottle of sparkling wine into free mimosas!

Edited by coastcat
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3 hours ago, bhsolo said:

Congrats!
 

The NYC port is a right turn into the parking garage off the west side highway so no real having to drive through NYC. 

 

Oh, I know, we have sailed out of NYC a bunch of times. But even driving NEAR the city is much more hectic than we are used to at home.

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Have a great time, take a couple of books to entertain yourself with during alone time. I am in the same position - I have far more leave than my SO, and I have found cruising is definitely a very easy (and safe) solo travel options 

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Enjoy your solo cruise.  Like @coastcat I found the studio cabins to be quite cozy.  I found the camaraderie among the solo cruisers to also be pleasant if/when I went to socialize in the lounge, though on both of my cruises most of them were 10+ years older than I was, in my late 30's. 

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2 hours ago, hallux said:

Enjoy your solo cruise.  Like @coastcat I found the studio cabins to be quite cozy.  I found the camaraderie among the solo cruisers to also be pleasant if/when I went to socialize in the lounge, though on both of my cruises most of them were 10+ years older than I was, in my late 30's. 

 

I'll be just shy of 41 when I sail (birthday is the following week on the family cruise), but I always am comfortable talking to people of all ages, except children. Really happy I won't have to worry about any kids in the studio lounge!

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34 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

but I always am comfortable talking to people of all ages,

Did I say I was uncomfortable?  I sometimes feel like my views align more with an older generation than my own or the younger folks.  However, as an actual single I was a little disappointed that there wasn't someone my age.

 

Yes, the lack of kids (including in the halls of the Studio "complex") was refreshing.  That's one thing that really makes the solos feel special - that's one of only two areas on the ship that (for the most part) only those staying in that section can access.

 

Is your cabin on the "interior" or is it against the public hall?  I was in 12545, I felt it was actually a "perfect" Studio cabin - it was relatively mid-hall but forward so it wasn't too close to an entry door or the crew area and it was in the center of the ship so it didn't share the wall with the public hall, plus it didn't have the commotion of the lounge being on the same floor or the noise of the lounge above it.

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10 hours ago, hallux said:

Did I say I was uncomfortable?  I sometimes feel like my views align more with an older generation than my own or the younger folks.  However, as an actual single I was a little disappointed that there wasn't someone my age.

 

Yes, the lack of kids (including in the halls of the Studio "complex") was refreshing.  That's one thing that really makes the solos feel special - that's one of only two areas on the ship that (for the most part) only those staying in that section can access.

 

Is your cabin on the "interior" or is it against the public hall?  I was in 12545, I felt it was actually a "perfect" Studio cabin - it was relatively mid-hall but forward so it wasn't too close to an entry door or the crew area and it was in the center of the ship so it didn't share the wall with the public hall, plus it didn't have the commotion of the lounge being on the same floor or the noise of the lounge above it.

 

 

Sorry, didn't mean to imply you had been uncomfortable talking to people older than you. I just thought you brought it up because you were concerned the age disparity might be something *I* would be uncomfortable with.

 

Unfortunately, I did not get to be choosy about my room location. Studios had actually sold out on my sailing while I was still trying to decide whether or not I wanted to do it. As soon as they sold out, I was bitterly disappointed , because I felt the decision had been made for me. But then two days later, one Studio opened up so I jumped on it. It's 10531, which is the furthest end from the Studio lounge and *does* share a wall with the public hallway. Oh well, at least I was able to get ANY Studio!

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3 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

But then two days later, one Studio opened up so I jumped on it. It's 10531, which is the furthest end from the Studio lounge and *does* share a wall with the public hallway. Oh well, at least I was able to get ANY Studio!


Don’t worry about that too much. I was in 10535 - the one that connects to your cabin! I didn’t notice any significant noise from anywhere, and despite being at the end of the hall it’s still a short hall. It’s a quick walk to the Studio stairs and then up to the free espresso.

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12 minutes ago, coastcat said:


Don’t worry about that too much. I was in 10535 - the one that connects to your cabin! I didn’t notice any significant noise from anywhere, and despite being at the end of the hall it’s still a short hall. It’s a quick walk to the Studio stairs and then up to the free espresso.

 

I assume the connecting rooms weren't an issue?

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1 minute ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I assume the connecting rooms weren't an issue?

Not at all. Of course, if my neighbor had been a wild party animal cranking up the music, I would have noticed... But without actually looking at the door, I never would have noticed it was a connecting room. 
 

The water closet is a bit cramped so I just left the door open when using it. That’s one of the little luxuries of being solo - privacy! lol

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13 minutes ago, coastcat said:

Not at all. Of course, if my neighbor had been a wild party animal cranking up the music, I would have noticed... But without actually looking at the door, I never would have noticed it was a connecting room. 
 

The water closet is a bit cramped so I just left the door open when using it. That’s one of the little luxuries of being solo - privacy! lol

 

Does the water closet door open into the space where the connecting door is? In the videos I have seen there is a full length mirror in that space. Is there a mirror on the back of the connecting door?

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18 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Does the water closet door open into the space where the connecting door is? In the videos I have seen there is a full length mirror in that space. Is there a mirror on the back of the connecting door?

If you face the connecting door, the WC will be on one side, the shower on the other. There’s a full-length mirror on the door plus two wall pegs for hanging towels, jackets, etc.

 

By the sink you’ll have the standard liquid soap dispenser, with the usual body wash and conditioning shampoo dispensers inside the shower. There’s also a soap dish which kind of gets in the way. It’s a metal ring with a separate dish that fits inside, and for a few days I had no idea what it was because the dish had been removed! I always travel with a mesh loofah and the ring was the perfect place to store it, so next time I’ll remove the dish again. 
 

While you can watch the bow view camera on any cabin’s TV, the virtual window in a Bliss Studio gives you a view without the annoying music! 

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42 minutes ago, coastcat said:

If you face the connecting door, the WC will be on one side, the shower on the other. There’s a full-length mirror on the door plus two wall pegs for hanging towels, jackets, etc.

 

By the sink you’ll have the standard liquid soap dispenser, with the usual body wash and conditioning shampoo dispensers inside the shower. There’s also a soap dish which kind of gets in the way. It’s a metal ring with a separate dish that fits inside, and for a few days I had no idea what it was because the dish had been removed! I always travel with a mesh loofah and the ring was the perfect place to store it, so next time I’ll remove the dish again. 
 

While you can watch the bow view camera on any cabin’s TV, the virtual window in a Bliss Studio gives you a view without the annoying music! 

 

Thanks! So the connecting door is where I suspected it was. Is the soap dish the only "shelf" in the shower? I need somewhere to keep my razor and conditioner.

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42 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

Is the soap dish the only "shelf" in the shower? I need somewhere to keep my razor and conditioner.

I had to look up some videos as my pictures from last April didn't show enough.  It seems the "dish" is the only shelf in the shower.

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5 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Thanks! So the connecting door is where I suspected it was. Is the soap dish the only "shelf" in the shower? I need somewhere to keep my razor and conditioner.

 

Yeah, I usually keep my razor / shaving gel on top of the body wash /shampoo dispensers and a loofah in the soap “dish”. 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 1/20/2020 at 12:13 PM, coastcat said:


Don’t worry about that too much. I was in 10535 - the one that connects to your cabin! I didn’t notice any significant noise from anywhere, and despite being at the end of the hall it’s still a short hall. It’s a quick walk to the Studio stairs and then up to the free espresso.

 

I ended up managing to snag a non-connecting room that opened up today. Had my PCC switch me over as soon as I saw it had become available. It's room 12507, so it's also an "interior" room in that it doesn't share a wall with the public halway outside of the Studio complex. I am pretty excited about it, though there is some white space next to it. Hopefully that white space won't be the source of a bunch of noise at odd hours!

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1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I ended up managing to snag a non-connecting room that opened up today. Had my PCC switch me over as soon as I saw it had become available. It's room 12507, so it's also an "interior" room in that it doesn't share a wall with the public halway outside of the Studio complex. I am pretty excited about it, though there is some white space next to it. Hopefully that white space won't be the source of a bunch of noise at odd hours!

I should check my Encore cabin because I wanted a non-connecting Studio but none were showing. 
 

And yes, I managed to get all excited about the idea of a Studio cabin again, which is why I’m booked on Encore to Bermuda this September. More espresso!

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2 minutes ago, coastcat said:

I should check my Encore cabin because I wanted a non-connecting Studio but none were showing. 
 

And yes, I managed to get all excited about the idea of a Studio cabin again, which is why I’m booked on Encore to Bermuda this September. More espresso!

 

I'm pretty jealous you are going to Bermuda. I was scheduled to go there in April on the Encore until this Bliss March sailing came up due to it being INCREDIBLY cheap and thus my parents and my brother and his girlfriend wanting to do it. I shouldn't complain, though, the money we saved by switching from the April Encore sailing to the Bliss March sailing just about covered the cost of me doing this solo leg on the Bliss to make it a B2B.

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The money I saved from having to cancel my solo balcony on a 14-day NCL Spirit "fall foliage" trip in Japan this November let me book a solo balcony on a 15-day NCL Escape transatlantic as well as the studio for the 5-day Encore trip to Bermuda.

 

It would have been cheaper to book a studio for the TA and I originally did so, but then realized that I might go mad  - not because of the small room but because of 2 weeks with unlimited espresso.

 

Ditch the family and come to Bermuda with me! I haven't told my FIL yet but he's a sailor and will be totally jealous (he's sailed there and loved it).

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by coastcat
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9 hours ago, coastcat said:

Ditch the family and come to Bermuda with me! I haven't told my FIL yet but he's a sailor and will be totally jealous (he's sailed there and loved it).

 

This is very tempting.... I will have enough vacation accumulated again by September that I really could do it. However, I am sailing to Alaska on Princess with my SO on August 29 and have been thinking about trying to make that a B2B with the Bliss the following week. Unfortunately, Studio prices on that Bliss sailing are completely insane right now, so I will definitely have to keep an eye out for a solo cruise around that time.....

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Ugh. I am now experiencing some serious first world problems. After just having gotten my room changed yesterday because a non-connecting Studio opened up, room prices across the whole sailing dropped today. Now a Balcony with perks will only cost me $142 more (plus gratuities on the specialty dining) than my Studio with just the drink package cost me. Should I pay the difference and upgrade? I was looking forward to the Studio experience and the Studio Lounge, but only $142 for a Balcony and specialty dining, wifi, and $50 per port shore excursion credit seems like a really good deal, right?

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