NCL Solo Inside OR Solo Studio

[AtlDave W]

Am solo traveler and am looking at booking Solo Inside OR Solo Studio.  Any experience with either?  And would one be better than the other?  Thanks.

[zqvol]

Solo studio is smaller and the bathroom is configured completely differently. Solo inside is a regular inside cabin, with a regular bathroom and about 35% more space. 

[FLAHAM]

Go for the studio.  It’s laid out better, is less claustrophobic, has access to the studio lounge and is in a protected area of the ship.

[Pookie2u]

I think this would depend on your ship and of course your personal preferences.  Yes, you get more space with the solo inside but you can weigh out the price difference to see if that space is worth it.  Some ships have studio areas in great locations on the ship, central to about everything.  Do you plan to meet other solo travelers?  Of course being in the studio area is where most are.  I also find the studio areas to be much more peaceful.  I've done both and I like both, I'd lean toward studio on a ship with a good solo setup.

[hallux]

5 minutes ago, FLAHAM said:

has access to the studio lounge

A 'solo inside' would also have this.

 

I was just in a Family Inside on the Bliss - the closet was HORRIBLY small!  I almost would have preferred a Studio.  The only positive about the cabin was the larger size 'desk'...

[Smitheroo]

16 minutes ago, FLAHAM said:

Go for the studio.  It’s laid out better, is less claustrophobic, has access to the studio lounge and is in a protected area of the ship.

It's laid out better? The toilet is in its own walled off area, the shower stands alone and the sink is on another wall.  the inside cabin has a regular bathroom, all 3 things in one room, with shelves.  The thing that makes the studio work is that it is just for one person

Edited February 27 by Smitheroo

[Bulk-head]

Both have access to the studio lounge. Solo insides provide more room and mini refrigerator. My preference is for the inside cabin, if I find the location and pricing acceptable. My experience is on Prima class and Epic class ships.

[Smitheroo]

The studio doesnt have a refrigerator

[Smitheroo]

17 minutes ago, Pookie2u said:

I think this would depend on your ship and of course your personal preferences.  Yes, you get more space with the solo inside but you can weigh out the price difference to see if that space is worth it.  Some ships have studio areas in great locations on the ship, central to about everything.  Do you plan to meet other solo travelers?  Of course being in the studio area is where most are.  I also find the studio areas to be much more peaceful.  I've done both and I like both, I'd lean toward studio on a ship with a good solo setup.

I agree with you about the location of the studio. On the Getaway the studio section was a short distance down the hall from one of the lobbies.  It was very peaceful also., with interesting lighting. But I only saw one or two people in the studio lounge at one time.  Someone told me that was because there was a solo meetup elsewhere on the ship.

[shof515]

the only thing i hate about studio cabin is the toilet is in the narrow room. depending on your size it can be a tight fit

[Davechipp74]

I believe with the inside cabin you have to pay the double occupancy, which the studio does not have, or at least that's how it used to be. 

[www3traveler]

6 minutes ago, Davechipp74 said:

I believe with the inside cabin you have to pay the double occupancy, which the studio does not have, or at least that's how it used to be. 

A Solo Inside is a fairly new category of a cabin.  It is priced for a solo passenger.  There are also now a Solo Oceanview and a Solo Balcony. 

[hallux]

8 minutes ago, shof515 said:

the only thing i hate about studio cabin is the toilet is in the narrow room. depending on your size it can be a tight fit

Nobody else is in the room, I just leave the door open and take up as much room as I want.

7 minutes ago, Davechipp74 said:

I believe with the inside cabin you have to pay the double occupancy, which the studio does not have, or at least that's how it used to be. 

The solo inside category (new for sailings starting Jan. 2, 2024) are more than each passenger in a room with two people booked in it, but supposed to be lower than the full double-occupancy rate.  Consider it a discount on the solo supplement.

[dbrown84]

not having the fridge in the studio would suck for me.  I stayed in a solo inside on my last cruise.  I was a few decks below the studio lounge, but it was no problem going there when I wanted.  I was disappointed that the coffee machine didn't do just coffee, but there was a nice selection of teas.

[yakcruiser]

I would probably prefer solo inside but it would depend on cost and location of solo inside.

[jcscv]

I've done both and prefer the solo cabin.  Yes, it's smaller, but the layout makes the best use of the space.  The solo room seems to have more storage space. I think with either room, you get access to the solo lounge now too. Depending on the ship, the shower and sink are out in the room, (Prima & Viva have a separate bathroom) which is a little weird. 

[zqvol]

2 hours ago, Davechipp74 said:

I believe with the inside cabin you have to pay the double occupancy, which the studio does not have, or at least that's how it used to be. 

Not any longer with a solo inside

[Menocchio]

The Studios have a better location, at least looking at the deckplans. The Studios are by themselves, surrounded by other cabins on every side. It seems they like to stick the Solo Insides under the main stage. There are exceptions (on some ships), but you need to pick carefully. With the studios the the only real possible pitfall is that some cabins have connecting doors which could let noise through from the next cabin. But since the other cabin is also a solo studio, that's somewhat less likely to be a problem than with other cabin types. 

[Viajera7]

I have been in a studio cabin on the Epic and on the Viva and of course insides in different ships which is what we are comparing here. The design of the racks for clothing on the Viva was excellent and lots of space for storage. The bathroom is a separate area and the only thing missing is the refrigerator. I take a tumbler that keeps my water cool and if I run out of water the studio on the Viva has cold water too. So for my next solo cruise it will depend on the price of it.

[AtlDave W]

Excellent advice! My Main takeaway is the studio does not have a refrigerator. And solo inside is bigger room. 

[reeinaz]

Look at the location of the solo inside cabins vs the studio cabins and factor that into your decision. So far, I have found the new solo cabins to be in less than desirable locations (no location that I would've picked).

 

 

[AtlDave W]

Am leaning towards the "solo inside" as like the fridge option.  Several mentioned location.  Which location is best? My last cruise had location that required lots of walking, which was fine by me as need the exercise.  Is location based on access to restaurants/atrium OR less turbulent with the ship in heavy seas? Thanks.

[hallux]

6 hours ago, AtlDave W said:

Several mentioned location.  Which location is best?

You won't get much selection of location for a 'solo inside'.  When someone mentioned it before, I looked it up for the Bliss - the solo inside cabins were ALL on deck 5 forward, under the theater.  If you can afford the little bit extra, the Studio or a regular inside might be a better option for the location.

[Asawi]

20 minutes ago, hallux said:

You won't get much selection of location for a 'solo inside'.  When someone mentioned it before, I looked it up for the Bliss - the solo inside cabins were ALL on deck 5 forward, under the theater.  If you can afford the little bit extra, the Studio or a regular inside might be a better option for the location.

Yeah... I have looked at solo insides and oceanviews on Star and Dawn and they really are more or less the least attractive rooms on the ships. Those ships don't have studios, so it's either those "not so good" solo rooms or pay more for a non-solo.
I'll be on Bliss i April and really look forward to trying a studio!

 

Edit: Had to check out Bliss's solo insides and apart from bad location there were quite few of them.

Edited February 29 by Asawi

[crazycatlady82]

If location didn't matter, I'd say solo inside for the bigger room. However, I echo others saying look at the location. If you are a night owl, being under the theater or other space like that may not matter. I do like the studios--but it depends on what is important to you.