When most people think about cruising they think about the experiences they will share with others, whether it be family or friends, often times cruising can be about making memories with loved ones.
However, there is a growing trend amongst the cruise line industry: solo cruising! More and more cruise lines are beginning to jump onboard (pun intended) with the solo traveler trend and offer either solo cabins designed specifically for one passenger, or offering special discounts to individuals traveling alone.
In addition to an increase in the amount of travelers taking to the high seas alone, the cruise line industry is seeing an incline in the amount of young adult cruise travelers. A combination of these two factors is sure to see an even further rise in the amount of individuals potentially interested in booking one of these solo or studio staterooms.
In my personal opinion, one of the major cruise lines that is really exceeding in this new way of cruising is Norwegian Cruise Line. I just returned from a 4-night sailing with Norwegian Cruise Line in which I tried out the solo cruiser experience for the first time with the cruise brand.
Come along with me as I review this adventure onboard on Norwegian’s newest ships, Norwegian Encore, staying in one of the exclusive Studio Staterooms!
Stateroom Design and Comfortability
The design of this stateroom cabin is very modern and features light wood and cream accents throughout. Before setting sail on the Norwegian Encore, when I was doing research for this trip, I had read online that people sometimes refer to these solo cabins as “space pods” due to their small size and modern aesthetics.
While these rooms are relatively small, and definitely designed with one passenger in mind, I found my cabin to be very comfortable. Officially called ‘Studio’ staterooms by Norwegian Cruise Lines, these rooms are designed to be solo travelers’ cozy home at sea.
I found the design of this room to be very cozy indeed and fell asleep quickly each night. I did notice that it was easy to hear when other passengers were out in the hallway, however it seemed that all of the studio guests on my particular voyage were relatively quiet as I never heard any late night commotions or noises.
All-in-all this room was actually bigger than I had initially imagined. There was plenty of room under the bed to store my luggage, making moving into this room for the cruise very easy. I never personally felt claustrophobic or that I needed more space during my cruise.
Read more: Why an inside cabin is the best choice for a cruise
Stateroom Features and Amenities
This stateroom came equipped with absolutely everything that a solo traveler might need for either a short trip away or a long adventure traveling the world.
This room had plenty of storage, which I was pleasantly surprised about. There was a small closet complete with hangers on either side of a large TV. As well as storage shelving in the bathroom portion of the room near the sink space.
The bed was very comfortable and came with two plush pillows and a soft comforter. I would describe this bed as about the size of a twin bed. There was also a reading light above the bed for guests to enjoy a book by as they are rocked to sleep by the ship.
One of my favorite features of the room was the live camera feed screen ‘window’. This little ‘window’ is a live camera feed that allows studio guests to be able to ‘see’ the outside. While fake, I still felt that this little window was a cool feature, and a neat thing to see that is exclusive onboard to passengers staying in studio cabins with Norwegian Cruise Line.
Another one of my favorite features of this room was what I called the ‘cozy lighting’. This room was equipped with standard overhead, brighter lighting, and then also had a secondary lighting option that allows guests to turn on a back-lit lighting from behind the bed and bathroom mirrors. This secondary lighting setting was by far my favorite, I felt it made the little room even more cozy which I loved, and after discovering it I used this lighting almost exclusively in my room.
The modern and up-to-date TV in the room came complete with the daily ship schedule, some free Norwegian Cruise Line cruise videos, the weather, and so much more. I enjoyed the updated look and function of this TV, as it appeared to be a little more modern due to how the Norwegian Encore ship is still relatively new, being built in 2019.
One of my favorite features on stateroom TV was the ability to track exactly where the ship was located. This was especially helpful when we were sailing into Vancouver BC’s ship port, so I could see from my room exactly where we were and when would be a good time to go up to the outside decks in order to capture the beautiful views.
There was even a small ottoman in the room which was nice to either sit on or to use as a nightstand, which is what I used it for during my voyage.
I was pleasantly surprised to find a large amount of outlet plugs in this room, in fact more than I have ever seen before on a large cruise ship! There were two USB outlets near the bed and by the stateroom phone, as well as one standard USA outlet and one European outlet near the TV, and three additional USA outlets near the bathroom portion of the room.
This means there was a total of seven possible outlets for studio guests to charge their devices! Solo travelers will have no issues charging their phones, camera, kindles, and more in these rooms!
The Studio Staterooms also come equipped with a small combination safe for passengers to secure valuable items should they wish. However, word of advice, make sure to check the safe before disembarking your ship, as guests often forget their belongings in these safes, and you do not want to leave anything behind!
Stateroom Bathroom
Prior to beginning this trip I was very curious to see what the size of the studio stateroom bathrooms would be. I was again quite surprised with how spacious they actually are.
These bathrooms feature a glass walk-in shower, that is almost the same size as the glass walk-in shower in the standard interior staterooms onboard Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Breakaway Plus class ships. It is just slightly smaller, and does not feature a toiletry shelf inside the shower. Other than that, the size felt very similar. The shower comes with the standard wall mounted shampoo & conditioner, and body soap found on most Norwegian Cruise Line ships.
The sink area of the bathroom was larger than I imagined with an under the sink area for the room’s trash can. There were also two cups fixed to the wall near the bathroom mirror for drinking.
As I stated above, the bathroom area of the room had several shelves for storage, as well as one drawer. This meant that there was plenty of room for guests to store items.
The toilet was located next to the shower, and had its own door for added privacy should guests need or desire it.
Something I was pleased to find was a standard hair dryer in the stateroom bathroom. Not all cruise ship bathrooms have hair dryers, however they are becoming more and more common on some newer ships.
Stateroom Functionality
The functionality of the studio stateroom was great. I thought that overall this room was actually larger than I had imagined, and provided a great little home at sea during my 4-day solo adventure.
I appreciated how cozy and peaceful this room was, and how much storage it offered. I would say that this room provided everything a passenger could need and more.
On the small desk area, located under the TV in the room was a small tray with some premium water beverages for purchase. I myself chose not to open these, as these drinks come at an extra cost, but they are there as an option for guests.
Something that is interesting to note, is that it is possible for individuals traveling together to book multiple Studio Staterooms that connect. Some of the Studio Staterooms have adjoining doors. These adjoining doors are usually locked, however if you are two individuals traveling together but choosing to stay in Studio Staterooms, these doors can be unlocked offering access to each others’ rooms.
Read more: Top 10 cruise cabin hacks to make your stateroom more livable
Exclusive Extras
A big bonus to booking a studio stateroom is that guests have access to some exclusive amenities. One of which is access to the Studio Lounge.
The Studio Lounge is located in the middle of the two Studio Stateroom areas, and can only be accessed using a studio cabin stateroom keycard. This lounge is relatively spacious and remains stocked 24/7 with light snacks, water, flavored water, tea and specialty coffee. I was really happy to discover that guests staying in the studio staterooms could enjoy specialty coffee from the Studio Lounge for free throughout their cruise, this included lattes.
I tested out this lounge several times throughout my cruise with Norwegian Encore and will be writing about it in depth in future articles! Make sure to check back with Cruise Blog for more about these unique and interesting staterooms and spaces designed for solo travelers.
Conclusion
Overall, I really enjoyed my experience in Norwegian Cruise Line’s Studio Cabins! I thought my cozy little room was the perfect place to unwind after a day exploring either onshore or onboard.
I think that these rooms would be a wonderful option for travelers looking to set out on an adventure all their own. Cruising is not just for families and friends traveling together, it is for everyone. Cruising solo can be a great experience, and I think that Norwegian Cruise Line creates the perfect space and opportunity for individuals looking to travel the world via cruise ship!
We are looking forward to bringing our readers more content about this awesome solo trip. Make sure to check back here at Cruise Blog for more about Norwegian Cruise Line’s solo staterooms, as well as more about the Norwegian Encore ship. Until next time, here’s to many more smooth sailings!
Hayley Phillips
Hayley Phillips is a military spouse currently living in Florida and loves all things travel and travel planning.
