I Cruised in a Studio Stateroom onboard Norwegian Escape: Here’s my Full Review.
I cruised in a Studio stateroom (a cabin designed for just one passenger) onboard Norwegian Escape. Welcome to my full review of this experience. I’m going to show you my cabin, the Studio Lounge, and I’m also going to share with you whether or not I’d recommend this experience.
Before we begin, full disclosure - I’ve actually cruised on this ship in this cabin type TWICE. My first ever cruise was onboard Norwegian Escape, but I didn’t capture any content at that point because I didn’t have a website, nor did I have a YouTube channel - if only I’d known at that point what this innocent vacation trip was going to become…!
Speaking of YouTube, please support my content by coming over and checking out some of my videos over there. You can find a link below to one of the videos from this cruise, or you can click here to go to my overall channel. Subscribing to my channel (it’s totally free!) massively helps me to reach more people with my content, so thank you in advance to anyone who hits that magic button!
Where are the Studio Cabins and Studio Lounge located onboard Norwegian Escape?
On this ship, there’s a really healthy volume of Studio cabins - you’ll find them spread across THREE decks! You’ll find them on decks 10, 11 and 12, with the Lounge being on deck 11. They’re all within a fully ‘locked off’ and exclusive section of the ship, meaning that only those staying in one of these cabins will be able to unlock access to this part of the ship.
All of the Studio cabins are interior (or inside) cabins, meaning that none of them have windows or balconies. Don’t worry though - they’re really not claustrophobic spaces - I’ll show you inside shortly. At this point, I should add that Norwegian Cruise Line also offers a small number of regular cabins for solo occupancy per cruise on their larger ships. At the point of writing this review, there were inside cabins, oceanview cabins and even balcony cabins designed for two passengers that are allocated for single occupancy. Yes, you’ll usually need to pay a much higher solo supplement to cruise in one of these cabins, but they’re a great option for those hoping to cruise solo but wanting a larger space than a Studio stateroom can offer.
What does a Studio Stateroom look like onboard Norwegian Escape?
Let’s now take a look inside my cabin…
Let’s start by addressing the most obvious point, shall we? Let’s talk about the size of these cabins. They’re much smaller than most other cruise ship cabin types that you’ve probably seen until now, measuring just 9-metres squared. However, it doesn’t take too long for you to realise that this space has been incredibly well designed.
Would you believe that they’ve managed to pack everything from a standard stateroom into this tight space? The only thing I could really see that they’ve missed is a mini fridge, and this is something that I’d love to see them re-think in the future. Personally, I do find it a pet peeve to have to drink room temperature drinks while I’m in my cabin, especially when I know that my neighbours just across the hall have a fridge to keep things nice and cool…
As you walk in, you’ve got your bed to your left in this cabin, and then all of your storage directly infront of you with a small built-in sink.
The bed’s a double bed, which is a huge plus-point to these cabins - after all, how many solo travellers do you know that would actively choose to sleep in a single bed when they’re at home? I don’t know any!
The bathroom’s an interesting one - you can see in the above images that your shower is on one side of your cabin, with your toilet in a very small enclosure on the other. Separating these two units allows for a full-length mirror to be housed between them, which does really help to make the room feel a little bigger than it would if the wall was slightly further forward with the toilet and shower in a bathroom.
My only call-out here is that the toilet cubicle is pretty tight, so you may not be able to close that door while you’re in there. That said, if you’re in this cabin as a solo passenger (which you would be), do you really need to close the door?!
To the side of the bed is a frosted window that ‘looks out’ (you can’t see anything other than shadows) into the corridor, and on the other side is a television sandwiched between two wardrobes with rolling doors. You can use this television to watch a wide range of channels, including a webcam on the exterior of the ship that will keep you updated with the conditions and the views outside!
There’s a television directly beside the bed, sandwiched between two rolling wardrobe doors.
There’s a webcam on the ship’s exterior that shows you the view outside - perfect when cruising ‘on the inside’!
Another nice feature in these cabins is colour-changing lighting. You can choose from a variety of colours, which allows you to change the mood in your cabin at the touch of a button.
I’m sure you can already tell that I’m a huge fan of this type of cabin. I always love how quirky the Studios feel on Norwegian ships, but the room itself isn’t what I love most about cruising in this category of cabin. Let’s move down the hall to look at the Studio Lounge!
What’s the Studio Lounge, and what does it look like?
Okay, it’s time for the best part. When you book to cruise in a Studio stateroom, you’ll unlock access to the Studio Lounge, a private lounge reserved only for those cruising solo. In other words, everybody in this lounge is quite literally ‘in the same boat’ (pardon the pun) - no awkward interactions when people realise you’re cruising solo!
Here’s a few shots of the overall space…
This Lounge is open 24-hours a day, all through the cruise, making it a great place to meet new friends.
There’s more to this lounge than just a space to hang out. On every cruise, there’s a dedicated solo host, who is ultimately responsible for an entertainment schedule specifically benefitting solo cruisers. Think things like a Scavenger Hunt, Trivia sessions, reserved seats in the theatre (if requested and possible), solo meal tables (again, if requested) - there’s lots going on!
In order to facilitate communication across the solo audience onboard, you’ll often find a whiteboard and pens in this space. Feel free to grab a pen and leave a message. Perhaps you’d like to share your favourite joke, or invite anyone who’d like to join you for a coffee - it’s entirely up to you!
You’ll find communications and activities for solo passengers within the Studio Lounge.
There’s often a whiteboard in this space, allowing you to write your own message!
Another perk of this lounge space is that refreshments are available all day and all night. In the morning, you’ll find freshly baked pastries are available in here, and then these are exchanged for cakes and fruit as you leave the breakfast service behind.
It’s not just snacks that you’ll find in the lounge - there’s also drinks on offer, too. There’s complimentary iced water and sometimes also lemonade, and there’s a coffee machine. When you cruise with NCL, ‘bean to cup’ coffees and barista coffees aren’t included in your cruise fare. However, they’re completely free of charge in this lounge!
You’ll also find alcoholic drinks in here, too. You can pour from any of the taps in this venue, but you’ll be billed to your cabin account - they’re not included!
There’s a coffee machine inside the Studio Lounge, and it’s completely included in your cruise fare!
You’ll find a wide range of teas and all of the extras for your hot drinks in here, too!
Fancy some iced water or fresh lemonade? You don’t have to travel far - both are available in the Studio Lounge!
So, would I recommend you consider cruising in a Studio stateroom onboard Norwegian Escape?
I reckon you’ll already know what my answer to this one is going to be… YES!
Not only do these cabin types offer you the ability to avoid a solo supplement what you cruise, but they also grant you access to the Studio Lounge. I genuinely feel as though the Studio concept on NCL turns the experience of cruising solo into such a luxury - I’d recommend to anyone to consider giving it a try!
If you’ve enjoyed this post below, let me show you around more of Norwegian Escape. In the YouTube video below, I’ll show you every single venue onboard the ship, starting from the bottom decks and working out way all the way up to the top! You’ll also find lots more of my Norwegian Cruise Line content in the posts below, too!
