I try to provide all the details whenever I feature a ship or room. Feel free to check out the full Norwegian Epic trip report, if you are interested. Happy cruising to you!
I cruised the Med out of Barcelona a few years ago and stayed in the solo cabin. I LOVED IT.😍😍 I like traveling alone and I usually don't interact or seek out company but I did spend time in the lounge and met several people I liked and had meals with. It was a great trip. The cabin was amazing and well designed. I highly recommend it to any single who wants to cruise.
Went on the Epic out of Barcelona in 2018 and stayed in a solo cabin. Good cabin for one person only. The bathroom and shower was very small and tight. Bed was comfortable. Had a good time on the ship.
I stayed in the solo studio on Breakaway last year. I enjoyed it. I had no problem with the size. This summer, I will be on the Epic. I originally booked a solo studio room. But now that they have solo balconies, I upgraded to one of them.
I travel solo and was in a Studio cabin on the Escape just a few months ago. I added on a leg after my trip on aTransatlantic from NY, I had a balcony for the Transatlantic leg. I didn't like the lack of a refrigerator. That was a big one. I didn't like the sink next to the bed and it was small with no place to hang a hand towel. I wouldn't pick it again. **Note if you are a solo traveler in ANY room you can use the solo lounge. 😊 I went there for the free espresso and to meet up with others when I had the balcony. The Escape had usb ports just next to the reading lights and the wall pocket was great to hold the phone while charging.
Oh P.S. Bring Poo-Pourri whatever size room you have. Your nose will thank you. A visitor will thank you. 😂 And we did not have a bar in the Bliss or Encore bar with dedicated bartender. They would have a bartender stop by during “cocktail hour” hour and take our order. But sometimes they forgot to come by. 😂 The solo coordinator was also …okay, depending on the ship. We had 2 who were fantastic, going above and beyond; and one who we barely saw and was only good for getting us into shows and some dinners.
I stayed in a solo stateroom on NCL Prima last year. I loved the lounge and the amazing coffee every morning, just steps from my stateroom. I didn't participate in many of the solo meetups, but you will inevitably meet other solo guests in the lounge throughout each day. I'm booked in another solo stateroom on a future NCL cruise. Since I didn't spend a ton of time in there, the amount of space was more than adequate for my needs. 🙂
I did the solo cabin on the Bliss in 2023. Loved the cabin. It was functional and had everything I needed. It was quiet in this area because it is separated from the other cabins. You don’t have to worry about kids running up and down the halls. Also liked the solo lounge. You get the chance to meet other solo travelers. Only thing I didn’t like about the lounge is that they didn’t service it as often as they should.
Yes sailed on The Epic numerous times too include three crossings. I am Diamond and almost all of my cruises have been in the Studio. Will be sailing on her next month from Rome to Port Canaveral. As you said The Epic was the first, but you may know the newer ships have some interesting enhancements like The Bliss has virtual windows that are really cool. Good video!
I've stayed in the NCL Studios as well as their balcony cabins. Price generally determines which one I choose for a particular itinerary, but i enjoy either one. The most important thing for me is I'm on vacation on an NCL ship.
Now I did a solo cabin for my 15-day Panama Canal cruise. The cabins by then had undergone a massive improvement over the ones I had on the Escape in 2017. They had reconfigured the square footage just a teeny bit, so that we didn’t have to sit on the floor (unless we wanted to) in order to get our luggage out from under the bed. The Bliss solo also has TWO ways of looking outside - your TV got a ship’s channel and we had a monitor dedicated to showing the ship from where your cabin was located. So you kind of felt like you were in an ocean view. 😀 We had formed groups on both Cruise Critic and Facebook; many of us had studio cabins so we often met in the lounge or dined together. Our lounge from what I heard, had also been reworked from the one on the Epic, so the design was welcoming, the coffee WAY better than the regular coffee elsewhere. I did one solo meetup on the Epic. I went down to the lounge during a solo get together, and although I’d been upgraded to an inside, was still warmly greeted. The lighting was very nice. I brought magnetic hooks and a small collapsible for storage. And the Bliss and Encore both had USB chargers by the bed and other outlets. I’m guessing the Epic was a template on how to do the solo cabins and improve off that. I’m not saying it was like staying at the Ritz 😂 but it was comfortable and my little home away from home for over 2 weeks. Since the Bliss, I’ve managed free upgrades or went ahead and paid for a better cabin, realizing I’m paying double occupancy when I score a balcony. I’m splurging on a balcony mini suite because I’m doing Alaska. I want to go all-out. But would I do a solo cabin again? 🤷🏽♀️ Maybe. Since I now have a few issues from a stroke I suffered a year ago, I doubt they’d be able to put a shower chair in THAT shower. 🤣 But you are SO right about that shower. 😂 I’m 5’2” and it was ALWAYS an adventure.
I'm booked on the epic in a solo cabin for the first time in early December leaving from Canaveral in Florida… Going with a couple of other single friends it's nice to have our own cabins… i'm a very social person and looking forward to meeting other Singles but I do not like to share a cabin with friends because I like my privacy! This is a great idea I wish other cruise ships/companies would adopt…
I am doing my first solo cruise on the Sky in August. There's no solo lounge or studio cabins, but they do have solo cabins in all regular categories, and I picked a solo oceanview. It's 149 square feet, so at least I get a little extra room! The solo supplement was 70%. I'd still love to try the lounge and OG studio cabins, but my priority for this trip was a smaller ship.
Doing my first solo cabin on Norwegian Escape this fall. It should be fun! I do hope to meet other travellers, maybe do dinner or shore trips with them.
I have not been on the Epic yet, but I was in a studio cabin on the Bliss in November. It was cozy, but fit my needs just fine. Met several people in the lounge and we had dinners together, which was nice. The money I saved by booking the studio cabin allowed me to take part in some excursions during the trip. I am booked in a solo ocean view cabin, but not until 2026. I will have plenty of time to save up for that one, as it will be sailing around Hawaii on POA. Great video and very helpful!
I'm considering a cruise on the Norwegian Joy in a solo balcony cabin. I need to check into that fridge situation though as I drink a lot of water and really prefer it cold. The solo lounge is pretty cool. If it had even a window to the outside, I'd consider an inside solo.
I ended up using the savings with booking a solo to buy a pass to the thermal suite, which on the Epic also has a lovely balcony. Yeah, the no fridge situation is a tough one to ignore.
I will be doing the solo cabin on the Epic next Summer for 9 days. This will be perfect for me! Thankfully I have cruised before, not sure if I would have tried this if it was my first time cruising.
I'm cruising solo in a studio for the first time in the fall on the Bliss. I love the ship, but have cruised with family and friends usually in a balcony cabin. I'll see how it goes, and maybe book another solo cruise for an extended cruise, like transatlantic or Panama Canal.
I did a solo travel on the Norwegian Joy in a balcony one time. I paid 50%more for the 'second' half of the fare while Norwegian took 50% less for that 'second' half. I thought that was very fair deal for me and Norwegian.
I would cruise more alone, I don't mind meeting new people despite my social phobia. It's actually useful to confront the phobia in this way. What actually stops me cruising more is the cost. I am claustrophobic (as well) so need a balcony cabin. Despite some cruise lines offing a small discount, you are paying for two people. I prefer to dine in the speciality restaurants (at a fee) and I drink the best wines available. Despite this the cabin fees seem unfair. Even when single occupancy cabins are offered the discount is nowhere near 50%. This even applies when flights are involved and the cost does not reflect the whole of one seat.
Thanks for information. I heard that NCL are best solo cruise. I looked at many videos. I love it. Then I heard from several reviews. They didn't like small swimming pool. I found out adult deck and hot tub and maybe swimming are $99.00 per day. Also I don't care about go- kart raceway, water sliding, laser tag and games on upper deck. I would like to go on Princess or maybe HAL ship. I went on NCL Sky in 1999 with my parents. I think it will be better if they build ship without extra stuff and build more swimming pool and an indoor pool. I like indoor pool on Princess and HAL. I hope I will take Alaska or New England/ Canada cruise next time. I saw few beautiful video of night on Princess. I see they have more swimming pools and hot tubs than NCL. I was solo cruiser on HAL's Maasdam last time in 2003 from Tampa. I didn't have many friends there. I don't remember about solo meetup. Sometime I had meals with cruise director in lido and have chat there.
Wow I never knew it didn’t have a fridge in the solo cabins! No one has ever mentioned this. Good to know. I am also surprised there are no usb! Omg your neighbour was using the ❤ button 😅 if you can get a latte etc in the solo area could you skip the starbucks package?
@@clyster3000 he sure did 🤭 and you certainly could. It’s all in how much a variety of coffee options means to you. I up leveled my drinks package in general and it included all the Starbucks.
It's too bad there's no natural light or view of the ocean from the solo lounge. If I ever go on such a cruise, I would want to enjoy the views as much as possible. I wouldn't want to be stuck inside the solo lounge.
Have you ever done a solo cabin on a cruise? What did you like/dislike??
Thanks for this review. This is the most comprehensive review of this cabin I have seen. I'll be on this ship in January 2026.
I try to provide all the details whenever I feature a ship or room. Feel free to check out the full Norwegian Epic trip report, if you are interested. Happy cruising to you!
Excellent tip & advice re showers. Thanks!
You bet. Worked for me.
I cruised the Med out of Barcelona a few years ago and stayed in the solo cabin. I LOVED IT.😍😍 I like traveling alone and I usually don't interact or seek out company but I did spend time in the lounge and met several people I liked and had meals with. It was a great trip. The cabin was amazing and well designed. I highly recommend it to any single who wants to cruise.
What a wonderful endorsement! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Went on the Epic out of Barcelona in 2018 and stayed in a solo cabin. Good cabin for one person only. The bathroom and shower was very small and tight. Bed was comfortable. Had a good time on the ship.
Thank you, I really enjoyed your review!
Thanks to you for watching and taking time to share your thoughts.
I stayed in the solo studio on Breakaway last year. I enjoyed it. I had no problem with the size. This summer, I will be on the Epic. I originally booked a solo studio room. But now that they have solo balconies, I upgraded to one of them.
Woohoo! Let me know what you think of the balcony version.
I understand Norwegian now has solo balcony cabins in the 2F category. I’m eager to see a review of this new class for Norwegian.
FYI: If you're in an NCL solo cabin of any kind you have access to the Studio Lounge.
I travel solo and was in a Studio cabin on the Escape just a few months ago. I added on a leg after my trip on aTransatlantic from NY, I had a balcony for the Transatlantic leg. I didn't like the lack of a refrigerator. That was a big one. I didn't like the sink next to the bed and it was small with no place to hang a hand towel. I wouldn't pick it again. **Note if you are a solo traveler in ANY room you can use the solo lounge. 😊 I went there for the free espresso and to meet up with others when I had the balcony. The Escape had usb ports just next to the reading lights and the wall pocket was great to hold the phone while charging.
@@barbarahallowell2613 excellent insight. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Oh P.S. Bring Poo-Pourri whatever size room you have. Your nose will thank you. A visitor will thank you. 😂 And we did not have a bar in the Bliss or Encore bar with dedicated bartender. They would have a bartender stop by during “cocktail hour” hour and take our order. But sometimes they forgot to come by. 😂 The solo coordinator was also …okay, depending on the ship. We had 2 who were fantastic, going above and beyond; and one who we barely saw and was only good for getting us into shows and some dinners.
I stayed in a solo stateroom on NCL Prima last year. I loved the lounge and the amazing coffee every morning, just steps from my stateroom. I didn't participate in many of the solo meetups, but you will inevitably meet other solo guests in the lounge throughout each day. I'm booked in another solo stateroom on a future NCL cruise. Since I didn't spend a ton of time in there, the amount of space was more than adequate for my needs. 🙂
Great to hear. And yes, you’ll inevitably meet solos. Wishing you a happy future cruise. Where is that next cruise taking you?
How did you like the new layout of the cabin?
Thanks for posting this! I have mine booked for a Greek Isles trip next May - I'll be on deck 12 too! Looking forward to it!!
@@monaaumair8078 what a great itinerary that cruise is. Have a blast!
Loved the Solo Studio Cabin on the Encore and I’ll be doing the same on the Escape in three weeks.
Awesome! Happy cruising.
I did the solo cabin on the Bliss in 2023. Loved the cabin. It was functional and had everything I needed. It was quiet in this area because it is separated from the other cabins. You don’t have to worry about kids running up and down the halls. Also liked the solo lounge. You get the chance to meet other solo travelers. Only thing I didn’t like about the lounge is that they didn’t service it as often as they should.
Thanks for your perspective. Couldn’t agree more about the Bliss lounge being left to waste most days. It felt like an afterthought, unfortunately.
Yes sailed on The Epic numerous times too include three crossings. I am Diamond and almost all of my cruises have been in the Studio. Will be sailing on her next month from Rome to Port Canaveral. As you said The Epic was the first, but you may know the newer ships have some interesting enhancements like The Bliss has virtual windows that are really cool. Good video!
No interior room for me, some ships now have a solo balcony
Can’t wait to start my solo cruise adventures. Thanks for the information
@@ronaldwalters9488 you’ll love every minute of it. Have a great time.
Thank you for such a complete revie😮w of this studio cabin and lounge... I'm hoping to get a studio balcony on one of the ships that offer that.
I've stayed in the NCL Studios as well as their balcony cabins. Price generally determines which one I choose for a particular itinerary, but i enjoy either one. The most important thing for me is I'm on vacation on an NCL ship.
Sounds like you are quite loyal to them. Glad you enjoy it so much. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Now I did a solo cabin for my 15-day Panama Canal cruise. The cabins by then had undergone a massive improvement over the ones I had on the Escape in 2017. They had reconfigured the square footage just a teeny bit, so that we didn’t have to sit on the floor (unless we wanted to) in order to get our luggage out from under the bed. The Bliss solo also has TWO ways of looking outside - your TV got a ship’s channel and we had a monitor dedicated to showing the ship from where your cabin was located. So you kind of felt like you were in an ocean view. 😀 We had formed groups on both Cruise Critic and Facebook; many of us had studio cabins so we often met in the lounge or dined together. Our lounge from what I heard, had also been reworked from the one on the Epic, so the design was welcoming, the coffee WAY better than the regular coffee elsewhere. I did one solo meetup on the Epic. I went down to the lounge during a solo get together, and although I’d been upgraded to an inside, was still warmly greeted. The lighting was very nice. I brought magnetic hooks and a small collapsible for storage. And the Bliss and Encore both had USB chargers by the bed and other outlets.
I’m guessing the Epic was a template on how to do the solo cabins and improve off that. I’m not saying it was like staying at the Ritz 😂 but it was comfortable and my little home away from home for over 2 weeks. Since the Bliss, I’ve managed free upgrades or went ahead and paid for a better cabin, realizing I’m paying double occupancy when I score a balcony. I’m splurging on a balcony mini suite because I’m doing Alaska. I want to go all-out. But would I do a solo cabin again? 🤷🏽♀️ Maybe. Since I now have a few issues from a stroke I suffered a year ago, I doubt they’d be able to put a shower chair in THAT shower. 🤣
But you are SO right about that shower. 😂 I’m 5’2” and it was ALWAYS an adventure.
Thanks for your excellent feedback. Wishing you a happy Alaska cruise!!
I can do a 7 day... not sure if I could do a 15 in a solo cabin lol
I'm booked on the epic in a solo cabin for the first time in early December leaving from Canaveral in Florida… Going with a couple of other single friends it's nice to have our own cabins… i'm a very social person and looking forward to meeting other Singles but I do not like to share a cabin with friends because I like my privacy! This is a great idea I wish other cruise ships/companies would adopt…
Sounds great!
I am doing my first solo cruise on the Sky in August. There's no solo lounge or studio cabins, but they do have solo cabins in all regular categories, and I picked a solo oceanview. It's 149 square feet, so at least I get a little extra room! The solo supplement was 70%. I'd still love to try the lounge and OG studio cabins, but my priority for this trip was a smaller ship.
Happy cruising!
Doing my first solo cabin on Norwegian Escape this fall. It should be fun! I do hope to meet other travellers, maybe do dinner or shore trips with them.
You'll have a great time. A lot of opportunities for solo meet ups on NCL. Where is the Escape taking you?
I have not been on the Epic yet, but I was in a studio cabin on the Bliss in November. It was cozy, but fit my needs just fine. Met several people in the lounge and we had dinners together, which was nice. The money I saved by booking the studio cabin allowed me to take part in some excursions during the trip. I am booked in a solo ocean view cabin, but not until 2026. I will have plenty of time to save up for that one, as it will be sailing around Hawaii on POA. Great video and very helpful!
I'm considering a cruise on the Norwegian Joy in a solo balcony cabin. I need to check into that fridge situation though as I drink a lot of water and really prefer it cold.
The solo lounge is pretty cool. If it had even a window to the outside, I'd consider an inside solo.
I ended up using the savings with booking a solo to buy a pass to the thermal suite, which on the Epic also has a lovely balcony. Yeah, the no fridge situation is a tough one to ignore.
Looks good to me!
Well it’s time to book then! 😄
Thank you! I’m going solo on the epic this summer! So excited! I took the pearl solo but they don’t have the studio lounge.
They have solo balcony cabins too!
I will be doing the solo cabin on the Epic next Summer for 9 days. This will be perfect for me! Thankfully I have cruised before, not sure if I would have tried this if it was my first time cruising.
Cruising TA Encore December Solo.
Anyone else? My first NCL, TA, balcony, and more then 7 days!
I'm cruising solo in a studio for the first time in the fall on the Bliss. I love the ship, but have cruised with family and friends usually in a balcony cabin. I'll see how it goes, and maybe book another solo cruise for an extended cruise, like transatlantic or Panama Canal.
Happy cruising to you!
I did a solo travel on the Norwegian Joy in a balcony one time. I paid 50%more for the 'second' half of the fare while Norwegian took 50% less for that 'second' half. I thought that was very fair deal for me and Norwegian.
I'm going on my first solo cruise next May 2025 on NCL Aqua.
Fantastic. Wishing you all the fun for your cruise!
No haven't been on a solo cruise but thinking I would still have to have a balcony room
I can understand that.
I would cruise more alone, I don't mind meeting new people despite my social phobia. It's actually useful to confront the phobia in this way. What actually stops me cruising more is the cost. I am claustrophobic (as well) so need a balcony cabin. Despite some cruise lines offing a small discount, you are paying for two people. I prefer to dine in the speciality restaurants (at a fee) and I drink the best wines available. Despite this the cabin fees seem unfair. Even when single occupancy cabins are offered the discount is nowhere near 50%. This even applies when flights are involved and the cost does not reflect the whole of one seat.
Appreciate you sharing your perspective. That cost does add up for sure.
Thanks for information. I heard that NCL are best solo cruise. I looked at many videos. I love it. Then I heard from several reviews. They didn't like small swimming pool. I found out adult deck and hot tub and maybe swimming are $99.00 per day. Also I don't care about go- kart raceway, water sliding, laser tag and games on upper deck. I would like to go on Princess or maybe HAL ship. I went on NCL Sky in 1999 with my parents. I think it will be better if they build ship without extra stuff and build more swimming pool and an indoor pool. I like indoor pool on Princess and HAL. I hope I will take Alaska or New England/ Canada cruise next time. I saw few beautiful video of night on Princess. I see they have more swimming pools and hot tubs than NCL. I was solo cruiser on HAL's Maasdam last time in 2003 from Tampa. I didn't have many friends there. I don't remember about solo meetup. Sometime I had meals with cruise director in lido and have chat there.
Wow I never knew it didn’t have a fridge in the solo cabins! No one has ever mentioned this. Good to know. I am also surprised there are no usb! Omg your neighbour was using the ❤ button 😅 if you can get a latte etc in the solo area could you skip the starbucks package?
@@clyster3000 he sure did 🤭 and you certainly could. It’s all in how much a variety of coffee options means to you. I up leveled my drinks package in general and it included all the Starbucks.
Was the price based on singke occupacy?
@@MegaAbbydabby yes because it was a solo cabin.
as a claustrophobe, I would lose my my mind in this cabin. I wish I could do it though.
Yeah definitely not for anyone that needs their space to function!
No USB ports?,!!!
I would feel claustrophobic in that room. 😪
It’s not for everyone!
It's too bad there's no natural light or view of the ocean from the solo lounge. If I ever go on such a cruise, I would want to enjoy the views as much as possible. I wouldn't want to be stuck inside the solo lounge.
The EPIC ship as a whole felt very casino like in that there were no real interior spaces with views that were not inconvenient.