Sell me on a solo NCL cruise. Never cruised solo.

[NolaZach]

I have cruised a few times with Carnival.  Twice with NCL on short cruise to no wheres but no long actual NCL cruise.   NCL and Carnival have ships in my hometown so getting on is cheap and easy.  I sort of like the idea of the solo cabin but not sure if it's the right way to go. It looks like the larger room is the same price.   I would just do a 7 day cruise.  I'm open to whnevever.   Flying to Fort Lauderdale or another large port isnt out of the question.  I sort of hate sailing through the Mississippi river but it's just the easiest for me. 

 

  Today is the first day of planning for the trip.  It's been a few years since I was active here but have been a prt of some meet and greets in the past from Cruise Critic. 

[smillerholmes]

Just to be clear - you have never cruised alone or you have never cruised in a solo cabin?

[yakcruiser]

58 minutes ago, NolaZach said:

I have cruised a few times with Carnival.  Twice with NCL on short cruise to no wheres but no long actual NCL cruise.   NCL and Carnival have ships in my hometown so getting on is cheap and easy.  I sort of like the idea of the solo cabin but not sure if it's the right way to go. It looks like the larger room is the same price.   I would just do a 7 day cruise.  I'm open to whnevever.   Flying to Fort Lauderdale or another large port isnt out of the question.  I sort of hate sailing through the Mississippi river but it's just the easiest for me. 

 

  Today is the first day of planning for the trip.  It's been a few years since I was active here but have been a prt of some meet and greets in the past from Cruise Critic. 

First of all, NCL actually wants your business unlike some lines such as Celebrity which has stated in a roundabout way they do not want solos on their line. NCL also has a solos coordinator who will help organizing dinners, entertainment and the like. And personally I would get a regular inside solo cabin if the price was close because NCL now gives you access to the studio lounges on the ships that have them.

[complawyer]

price would be my sole criteria.

[stinkyharriet]

NCL has added some regular inside, ocean view & balcony cabins to their solo offerings.  They are regular cabins but they have just now designated them for one person.  Remember when looking at cabins that unless it says solo, the price you see is per person based on double occupancy.  The regular cabins they have moved to solo only are generally not in the best locations so keep that in mind.  The studios are small but they have everything you need except no view.  Some ships have a studio lounge that has an espresso machine, tea and snacks.  There’s a bartender there from 5-7pm.  If you want someplace quiet, having access to lounge is nice.

 

I did my first solo last month on the Getaway, in a studio cabin, and loved it.  I went to the daily solo meetups.  The solo host arranged for tables in the MDR for everyone who wanted to eat there.  Many solos made their own specialty dining plans with each other.  Cruising solo is great because you can be as social as you want or you can just go off and do your own thing without needing to compromise.  

[MeHeartCruising]

If the solo cabin price and a standard cabin price is the same, I would pick the standard cabin.  The solo cabins are fine, but smaller.  I prefer the space over being in the dedicated "solo cabin" area.  Other's will have a different opinion since some people really like the solo lounge area.  I didn't find it added value to my experience.

[Liljo22]

14 minutes ago, MeHeartCruising said:

If the solo cabin price and a standard cabin price is the same, I would pick the standard cabin.  The solo cabins are fine, but smaller.  I prefer the space over being in the dedicated "solo cabin" area.  Other's will have a different opinion since some people really like the solo lounge area.  I didn't find it added value to my experience.

 Just to be clear, this is the studio cabin not the solo cabin.  Solo cabins can now be insides, oceanviews and balconies.  The studio cabin is the smaller one person cabin mentioned in this post.  

[Maanio]

I'm 28 and cruised 8 times solo already. I love my freedom and my choice of when to meet new people. 

I also like getting to know the crew at bars etc.

Last cruise was in middle east on the dawn and it was fantastic.

[Sailing12Away]

You've got lots of options now with NCL. There are some ships that offer the solo cabin - it's a very small inside cabin, but come with some 'perks' for being in there. There's a central lounge for solo travelers to gather in and make new friends.

 

But to me, even better is that NCL is now offering solo rates for other cabin classes from regular inside (larger than the solo studio rooms), oceanview, and even a solo rated balcony room. So you can get a balcony cabin without having to pay double the price. 

 

As a solo traveler you are welcome to go to any of the solo meet ups around the ship if you wanted to make a friend or find someone to share a meal with. Or you can just ignore the formal stuff and walk and wander on your own.

 

But go on their website and price out different options so you get the best cabin for yourself at the price you're comfy with.

[prov2727]

#1 Because Norwegian took steps to make it financially easier for some one to cruise solo: first by building studio cabins but then recognizing that some solos wanted a view or a balcony and added a discount for solo use of those rooms. As YakCruiser said. NCL WANTS us solos.

#2 If you are an introvert solo, "Feel Free" means you don't have to pick a dinner time and sit at a table with 5 strangers. You can sit alone in the dining room and its OK.

[MeHeartCruising]

3 hours ago, Liljo22 said:

 Just to be clear, this is the studio cabin not the solo cabin.  Solo cabins can now be insides, oceanviews and balconies.  The studio cabin is the smaller one person cabin mentioned in this post.  

 

You are correct.  I meant to say studio cabins, not solo cabins.  Thanks for the correction.

[phillygwm]

You raised a good point:  The studio (singles) cabins now cost about the same as a single supplement inside, which will be considerably larger.  I've found NCL to be more "single friendly" than many other lines, even starting to reserve some balcony cabins for singles.  There are singles mixers as well.

 

If you got a studio, you'd have access to the studio lounge.  Only did that once and found it underwhelming but that was on the Epic, the first ship with studios, when it was new.

 

Personally, I would opt for the additional space if it were about the same price as a studio.  Or if you can splurge for a balcony, that's often worthwhile.

 

 

 

[zqvol]

1 hour ago, Sailing12Away said:

You've got lots of options now with NCL. There are some ships that offer the solo cabin - it's a very small inside cabin, but come with some 'perks' for being in there. There's a central lounge for solo travelers to gather in and make new friends.

 

But to me, even better is that NCL is now offering solo rates for other cabin classes from regular inside (larger than the solo studio rooms), oceanview, and even a solo rated balcony room. So you can get a balcony cabin without having to pay double the price. 

 

As a solo traveler you are welcome to go to any of the solo meet ups around the ship if you wanted to make a friend or find someone to share a meal with. Or you can just ignore the formal stuff and walk and wander on your own.

 

But go on their website and price out different options so you get the best cabin for yourself at the price you're comfy with.

All ships offer solo cabins, you ment to say some ships have studio cabins. 

[stinkyharriet]

3 hours ago, phillygwm said:

 

Personally, I would opt for the additional space if it were about the same price as a studio.  Or if you can splurge for a balcony, that's often worthwhile.

 

I have my second solo cruise booked on the Joy which doesn’t have studios or a studio lounge but they do have some regular cabins newly designated as “solo”.  I booked an inside cabin but if the Joy had studios I would have opted for that.  I really liked my studio on the Getaway.  There were some people who had booked solo cabins in other categories.  They had access to the studio lounge.

 

I saw so many reviews about the studio lounge on various ships and pretty much every one of them said nobody used it, nothing happened there.  On my Getaway cruise it was never packed but there were often people in there hanging out and talking.  It was nice having a quiet space that only a limited number of people had access to.  Not having to go all the way to the buffet if you wanted coffee, tea or water was great.  I wish the Joy had a lounge but I’m sure I’ll have fun on the cruise without it.

[zqvol]

I’ve sailed in a studio cabin 3 times. I won’t ever do it again. Too small, and too cramped. 

[Ellis1138]

I might be the only one who really liked being in a Studio Cabin. Not just for the Studio Lounge, but I loved the "pod" feeling, like I was on a space ship. It helped that I'm only 5 feet tall, so I fit in the little toilet room and shower on the Escape Studio. I also liked being able to change the lighting colors to red instead of white. 

 

But yeah, if a regular inside is the same price AND also would give lounge access, I would consider that.

[crow99]

I've cruised NCL 'solo' three times - in the past eighteen months.
Cabin 1 - Aft Balcony, due to some upgrades and booking issues

Cabin 2 - Standard Balcony, having bid on a upgrade from a inside - the inside was the same price as the Studio

Cabin 3 - Studio - Which was my first cruise out of about 9 where I didn't have a Balcony.

 

I don't tend to do much more than sleep / shower in my cabin when cruising solo, so found the Studio perfect. The modern decor, mood lighting and 'studio vibe' was nice and the layout worked well. I'm 6ft and average build but could see why some might find it a bit tight.

 

I tend to go to the Solo meet (which anyone can go to) to put some face to names, I've never spent any time in the Studio lounge at solo dinners or shows. I found I made plentry of friends on the ship that I could drink and on occasion have dinner with but also my time.

 

That's more around solo experience - having never done a inside, I think I'd book a Studio over a inside if price was equal - but thats more I liked the modern feel of the room and how functional it all was.

[hallux]

On 2/5/2024 at 12:13 PM, phillygwm said:

The studio (singles) cabins now cost about the same as a single supplement inside, which will be considerably larger. 

 

21 hours ago, zqvol said:

I’ve sailed in a studio cabin 3 times. I won’t ever do it again. Too small, and too cramped. 

I'm going to counter that.  I've sailed twice in studio cabins (Bliss and Escape) and I'm currently on the Bliss in an inside (family inside to be exact) for the 15-day Panama Canal cruise, I would MUCH rather have had a Studio cabin.  There's a LITTLE more room in the inside but the storage space is HORRIBLE compared to a Studio.  I don't need a ton of space, most of my time in the cabin is spent with my eyes closed.

[zqvol]

1 hour ago, hallux said:

 

I'm going to counter that.  I've sailed twice in studio cabins (Bliss and Escape) and I'm currently on the Bliss in an inside (family inside to be exact) for the 15-day Panama Canal cruise, I would MUCH rather have had a Studio cabin.  There's a LITTLE more room in the inside but the storage space is HORRIBLE compared to a Studio.  I don't need a ton of space, most of my time in the cabin is spent with my eyes closed.

I won’t stay in an inside either, at this stage of life I’m a balcony only person when solo. 

[vswan]

Returned from my first solo cruise just over a week ago. Was on the NCL Jade in one of the newly designated solo balcony cabins. The price was a bit less than paying the double price for solo supplement, but was still not cheap - but none of the cabins are right now. I love having a balcony that I can spend time on, so was very happy when they added the solo balconies. The Jade does not have a studio/solo lounge, but I was told that as a solo I would have had access to that if it was available.

 

I loved this cruise. I have been on more than 30 cruises over the years as part of a couple. As a widow I still wanted to cruise and decided I could either go or sit home by myself. I went. Every night there was a solo meet up and those that wanted to go to dinner together could. Every night at least one table of solos went to dinner together, not always the same people. Our NCL staff person (Patrick) was great. If several people wanted to go to specialty dining on a certain night, he could arrange it. I booked ship excursions at all the stops. Used the $50 shore excursion credit and since I was only booking for 1, made the shore excursions reasonably priced. Best part, on almost all of them there was another solo who I had already met who I could hang out with - someone to share an umbrella or watch your things when you took a walk along the beach. Age range of solos on our cruise was from mid 30s to mid 80s. A real mix of interesting people.

 

I enjoyed myself so much I have been browsing the website to see when and where to go next.

[AmyJA]

Sailing in a new solo balcony cabin on the Jewel in September. Guess I'll see what the new rooms are about. I usually just bite the bullet and get a balcony and pay the price.  All the newly designated solo room across the fleet are selling this month. Can’t wait to hear about them.

 

https://freestyletravelers.com/blog/ncl-solo-balcony-cabin

[Yesimapirate]

Probably not what you're looking for but my general feeling in life is that if you need strangers on the internet to convince you then you shouldn't do it. 

 

Take the money and do something on your bucket list.

[phillygwm]

4 hours ago, hallux said:

 

I'm going to counter that.  I've sailed twice in studio cabins (Bliss and Escape) and I'm currently on the Bliss in an inside (family inside to be exact) for the 15-day Panama Canal cruise, I would MUCH rather have had a Studio cabin.  There's a LITTLE more room in the inside but the storage space is HORRIBLE compared to a Studio.  I don't need a ton of space, most of my time in the cabin is spent with my eyes closed.

The Inside cabins on the Bliss range from 135-362 sq ft.  A pretty wide range.  Studios are 99 sq ft.  If I got one of the larger insides, I'd much prefer that.  But if it's a smaller one then the benefits of the Studio (lounge etc.) might make it worthwhile.  

[living at the beach]

One wonderful perk of sailing solo on NCL is being able to use the cappuccino/ espresso/ latte machine for free

 

[Lady President]

I'm completely biased because my husband and I met sailing in studio cabins on the Epic. 💕 We'll celebrate our 10th anniversary this year. 

 

Even if you're not looking for a spouse, I like that you can meet other people or have an independent trip with a solo cabin.