Studio Stateroom

[trbarton]

I’m on my first cruise  with NCL booking an Studio stateroom on the NCL Breakaway. I done a lot of research so I’m aware of what the stateroom looks like. I’m getting a studio on Deck 10 that will be right next to the lounge. Guess I won’t have to go very far to find other solo cruiser's. Looking at videos it seems like there is a staff person just for people in the Studio Stateroom. 
 

I have some questions for anyone that has been in a Studio stateroom. 
 

What was your experience with the Studio stateroom & what did you think?

 

I’ve looked a several videos & didn’t see where you put your suitcase. Will it fit underneath the bed?
 

What was the Studio lounge like? Was there a meeting time each day?

 

Were their options to eat dinner with other people & when was the bar opened?

 

Most of the videos I have seen of the lounge it was empty so I wonder if anyone ever comes there. 
 

Thanks for your comments. 
 

Does NCL give any OBC for being a veteran?
 

Tom😀

Edited April 1, 2022 by trbarton

[coastcat]

2 hours ago, trbarton said:

I’m on my first cruise  with NCL booking an Studio stateroom on the NCL Breakaway. I done a lot of research so I’m aware of what the stateroom looks like. I’m getting a studio on Deck 10 that will be right next to the lounge. Guess I won’t have to go very far to find other solo cruiser's. Looking at videos it seems like there is a staff person just for people in the Studio Stateroom. 
 

I have some questions for anyone that has been in a Studio stateroom. 
 

What was your experience with the Studio stateroom & what did you think?

 

I’ve looked a several videos & didn’t see where you put your suitcase. Will it fit underneath the bed?
 

What was the Studio lounge like? Was there a meeting time each day?

 

Were their options to eat dinner with other people & when was the bar opened?

 

Most of the videos I have seen of the lounge it was empty so I wonder if anyone ever comes there. 
 

Thanks for your comments. 
 

Does NCL give any OBC for being a veteran?
 

Tom😀

 

It's a long-ish thread, but check out this discussion over in the Solo Cruisers forum:

I've only been in the Bliss and Encore version of the Studio area; the cabins are slightly different and the lounges are significantly different than found on the older ships. Here's a good tour of the Breakaway version:

 

The cabins are small but designed to feel more airy and spacious. It's plenty of room for one person. Nevertheless, you'll appreciate having access to the Studio Lounge (and the rest of the ship, really) for chilling out. Storage is a bit limited and you won't have any drawers.

 

Yes, unless you're bringing a massive suitcase, it'll fit fine under the bed. My 28" rolling duffel fit there easily.

 

You'll have a dedicated solo host who will arrange a group MDR dinner every night. Something which annoyed me about Princess was that their daily solo gathering took place after dinner, not before!

 

On Bliss and Encore, the lounge was used mainly for the daily solo meeting and as a place to grab snacks & coffee. It was pretty quiet otherwise. YMMV.

Edited April 1, 2022 by coastcat

[RaftingJeremy]

I have been in the studios 3 times and I find it fantastic.  Suitcase will fit under the bed. 

Meeting time for what?

You can eat dinner anywhere you like with anyone you like.  Go be social.  

The lounge is always open.  in the morning they have fruit and pastry and things like that.  

I have never really just hung around the lounge but do enjoy it for the morning and grabbing a wine while getting ready for dinner

[trbarton]

1 hour ago, RaftingJeremy said:

I have been in the studios 3 times and I find it fantastic.  Suitcase will fit under the bed. 

Meeting time for what?

You can eat dinner anywhere you like with anyone you like.  Go be social.  

The lounge is always open.  in the morning they have fruit and pastry and things like that.  

I have never really just hung around the lounge but do enjoy it for the morning and grabbing a wine while getting ready for dinner

Thanks for your reply. I’ve seen one video where people either met or signed up to have dinner with other single people. It looked like a chance to socialize with other people. I was recently on a Princess Cruise & someone in our CC group arranged a table for 10 each night which gave us a chance to dine with the same people & meet others in a way we wouldn’t have a chance to do. 
 

Was there special hours for the bar?

 

Thanks again. 
 

Tom😀

[alysonofagun]

I've been in studios on the Epic and Escape. Both had daily meet ups (around 5-6pm though, so quite early). The Epic had a bar which was staffed for a couple of hours for the solo gathering, the Escape had a barman come and take drinks orders. 

 

How much 'activity' there is depends on the travellers and also the Solo Host - I've been lucky and had some great ones, but heard that others do the absolute bare minimum. 

 

Either way, you will enjoy yourself I'm sure!

[www3traveler]

No OBC for Veterns   Usually the Freestyle Daily will show a Veterans Gathering at one of the bars.

 

I have sailed a number of times in Studios on The Getaway.  I found that the Lounge was empty most of the day except for early morning coffee drinkers and the Gathering late afternoon (5:30 P.M. or so which is open to all solo passengers).  

 

Enjoy the Breakaway and your cruise.

[hallux]

There's usually a 'dedicated solo host' from the Cruise Director's staff, but that just means they run the evening gathering and arrange a couple activities, plus bring the group to dinner.  On my recent cruise on the Joy the evening gathering was self-led, no solo host.

 

I liked my Studio cabin on the Bliss, and access to the lounge was nice.  As has been noted by others - the beds are tall enough for a suitcase to fit under, just as with a standard cabin.  On a ship such as the Bliss there were PLENTY of other venues to hang around where I wasn't locked in to sitting in the studio lounge in order to get out of my room.  The Breakaway has some of those, but not all.

 

While I liked the studio cabin, if I can get a deal on a balcony (as I did on my next 2 cruises) I'd take it in a heartbeat.  You can still go to the solo meet ups, you just need someone to open the door to get to the lounge since your card won't let you in.

[kochleffel]

My experience on the Epic (twice) was that the bar in the studio lounge was open for about two hours a day, beginning around 5:00 p.m. Drinks aren't free, but any beverage plan that you have can be used. The solos' host, from the cruise director's staff, holds a gathering around that time as well, and escorts those who want to dine together to one of main dining rooms. The solos' host may also organize groups for specialty dining. Usually they lead a trivia game or something during the gathering.

 

BTW, anyone traveling solo is welcome at those gatherings, even if not booked into a studio, but it may be necessary to knock (loudly) on the door of the studio lounge. That even includes passengers who aren't traveling alone but aren't trying to be with their cabin partners. On one cruise there were sisters who were sharing a cabin but quarreling, and they came to the solo gatherings on alternate nights. When I was on the Breakaway in October, the solo gatherings were all held in the Bliss Lounge. The bar in Bliss doesn't open that early, so anyone who wanted a drink got it at another bar and brought it with them.

 

On most of my cruises, the solos' host didn't organize a dinner group for embarkation night. If I have a specialty dining plan, I try to book one of the specialty restaurants for that night, because the MDRs sometimes get slammed and the specialty restaurants are underutilized. This doesn't tend to happen on any other night of a typical cruise, but on embarkation day the sequence of boarding and muster seems to throw everyone onto the same schedule.

 

A packing tip: as noted above, there are no drawers in the studios, only shelves. It's convenient to use packing cubes and leave things in them, that is, using them as trays or bins, making it easier to find things on the shelves.

 

 

[trbarton]

31 minutes ago, kochleffel said:

My experience on the Epic (twice) was that the bar in the studio lounge was open for about two hours a day, beginning around 5:00 p.m. Drinks aren't free, but any beverage plan that you have can be used. The solos' host, from the cruise director's staff, holds a gathering around that time as well, and escorts those who want to dine together to one of main dining rooms. The solos' host may also organize groups for specialty dining. Usually they lead a trivia game or something during the gathering.

 

BTW, anyone traveling solo is welcome at those gatherings, even if not booked into a studio, but it may be necessary to knock (loudly) on the door of the studio lounge. That even includes passengers who aren't traveling alone but aren't trying to be with their cabin partners. On one cruise there were sisters who were sharing a cabin but quarreling, and they came to the solo gatherings on alternate nights. When I was on the Breakaway in October, the solo gatherings were all held in the Bliss Lounge. The bar in Bliss doesn't open that early, so anyone who wanted a drink got it at another bar and brought it with them.

 

On most of my cruises, the solos' host didn't organize a dinner group for embarkation night. If I have a specialty dining plan, I try to book one of the specialty restaurants for that night, because the MDRs sometimes get slammed and the specialty restaurants are underutilized. This doesn't tend to happen on any other night of a typical cruise, but on embarkation day the sequence of boarding and muster seems to throw everyone onto the same schedule.

 

A packing tip: as noted above, there are no drawers in the studios, only shelves. It's convenient to use packing cubes and leave things in them, that is, using them as trays or bins, making it easier to find things on the shelves.

 

 

Thanks for the tips. I’ve been using packing cubes for a long time & they’re a great space savor plus as you said everything is in one place. 
 

Tom😀

[RunBikeCruiseDC]

Sure wish they had this studio cabins back in my single days, I would have done a lot more cruises when I was younger if that was the case!

[poohdreaming]

17 hours ago, trbarton said:

I’m on my first cruise  with NCL booking an Studio stateroom on the NCL Breakaway. I done a lot of research so I’m aware of what the stateroom looks like. I’m getting a studio on Deck 10 that will be right next to the lounge. Guess I won’t have to go very far to find other solo cruiser's. Looking at videos it seems like there is a staff person just for people in the Studio Stateroom. 
 

I have some questions for anyone that has been in a Studio stateroom. 
 

What was your experience with the Studio stateroom & what did you think?

My first cruise was a studio stateroom on deck 10 on the NCL Breakaway. What I think of it: I enjoyed the lounge for it free cappuccino drinks and some cookies whenever I wanted a snack. Do not need to go all the way to the buffet to get snacks. The only thing I did not like was the shower in the room. 

17 hours ago, trbarton said:

I’ve looked a several videos & didn’t see where you put your suitcase. Will it fit underneath the bed? There's a closet next to the bed. You will see it. Plus, if you view the video - it also showed the closet. You can put your suitcase in this closet if it fit or underneath the bed.

 

What was the Studio lounge like? Was there a meeting time each day? 

The Studio lounge is usually quiet unless there is the solo meeting at around 5 pm.

 

17 hours ago, trbarton said:

Were their options to eat dinner with other people & when was the bar opened?

If there's the solo host / gathering for solos on the cruise, then yes you can eat with other cruisers.

 

Most of the videos I have seen of the lounge it was empty so I wonder if anyone ever comes there. 
 

Thanks for your comments. 
 

Does NCL give any OBC for being a veteran? No.

Tom😀

 

[RaftingJeremy]

18 hours ago, trbarton said:

Thanks for your reply. I’ve seen one video where people either met or signed up to have dinner with other single people. It looked like a chance to socialize with other people. I was recently on a Princess Cruise & someone in our CC group arranged a table for 10 each night which gave us a chance to dine with the same people & meet others in a way we wouldn’t have a chance to do. 
 

Was there special hours for the bar?

 

Thanks again. 
 

Tom😀

no worries.  

mon breakaway it was open in the evenings if i remember correctly.   on encore, there isn’t a bar per say.  they have wine on tap.   

[annmarz]

I was in solo cabins on the Bliss and Getaway.  Really just used the lounge for beverages - very convenient.  Ample storage space if you utilize the underbed area and packing cubes. Bring magnetic clips and hooks to hang things from the walls. The ottoman on the Getaway had a removable seat so it was actually a storage cube.  The Bliss one did not open.  Set the tv on mute to the "front of the ship" channel and you will have a nightlite and know if it is daylight when you awake.

[trbarton]

15 minutes ago, annmarz said:

I was in solo cabins on the Bliss and Getaway.  Really just used the lounge for beverages - very convenient.  Ample storage space if you utilize the underbed area and packing cubes. Bring magnetic clips and hooks to hang things from the walls. The ottoman on the Getaway had a removable seat so it was actually a storage cube.  The Bliss one did not open.  Set the tv on mute to the "front of the ship" channel and you will have a nightlite and know if it is daylight when you awake.

You mention things that I also do. I also bring the magnetic clips & hooks. Yes leaving the TV on to the bridge camera is an excellent idea. It’s also been suggested to open the blinds which will let light in. I also use my IPad with the clock app on so I always know the time at night. I have a small clock that I put at the bathroom sink so I always know the time. It came from Amazon. 
 

Did you ever got to the lounge to have dinner with other people?
 

Tom😀

 

 

[annmarz]

I was travelling with a friend in the next solo cabin so we weren't looking for dinner companions. On the Getaway, there was a sign up sheet in the lounge for a group dinner.

[reeinaz]

When I sailed in September, we had a phenomenal Solo host. We gathered in the studio lounge around 5 for some pre dinner drinks and chat, then our host would escort us to the MDR at around 5:30 or so. Some people took this gathering time to plan specialty dinners for later nights. We had several platinum cruisers who were generous enough to share their dining perks. We also had a group that would regularly eat breakfast together. It was a lot of fun. I wish I had attended the solo gathering earlier in my cruise. I only stumbled across it because I was passing through the lounge to grab some cookies after returning from an excursion.