Number of studios available RCCL vs NCL - does this add up??

I was looking at booking the Harmony of the Seas for the TA repositioning for 2016 and was happy to see that they were including some solo studio options.

However when I looked up the total number of studio cabins available I was shocked to see that there's only 15 total studio cabins - 3 being inside and 12 being OV, and NO studios with balcony a la Quantum/Anthem (with the OV apparently squeezed in between the Grande Restaurant and the casino, when you look at the floorplans). So the possible passenger total is showing 5,488 (numbers from the CC page about Harmony) but there's only specific accommodation for 15 solo travellers!!

When I looked, on the first day booking was available (and only available to C&A members), the studio insides were already sold out for the TA, and the next day the studio OVs were heading that way. (For the repositioning TA on the Harmony I believe all the solo options may have sold out before the booking even opened for non-C&A members, and as I had to wait for RCCL to convert the currency of my FCC open bookings, all the studios were gone by the time they had completed that conversion! So guess I have to wait for the Ovation to open up for bookings – at least IF Ovation is heading to China it might have some interesting longer repositioning routes!)

The upcoming Ovation is a little better in that it has 28 studio cabins, a mixture of studio insides and studio balconies - and on the CC website shows a possible total of 4,180 passengers, so that percentage is a little better, but still not great!

For comparison, I just looked up the numbers for NCL – for NCL Epic, pax total of 4,100 with 128 studios and for NCL Getaway, pax total of 4,028 with 59 studios. I do prefer the RCCL product to the NCL one, but when it comes to solo options, they seem to do a better job!

I’m sure someone will say that us solos are lucky to have any options – which is more or less what one of the RCCL reps just said to me on the phone - and while I certainly don't expect a large percentage of the cabins to be made "solo" it would be nice to have a reasonable number of cabins available so that they don't sell out as soon as the cruises become bookable!

I applaud RCCL for making some solo accommodation, but when you look at the numbers, it seems to a very small "accommodation"...

I am still looking at RCCL anthem but think as you said the NCL %'s are much better + there are a few other factors:

NCL has the scheduled solo gathering every evening. From my experiences about 20%-25% of the people show up. Also, there are solos who book balconies, insides and they show up as well.

I found on my last cruise that the solos would meet non-solos and incorporate them into our activites as well.

I probably will stick with NCL. Also, I met people at different music venues that people would revisit.

There is lots of room for solo passengers.......just not a lot of places that are limited to only solo passengers. And I don't blame them; they can't afford to travel with any empty cabins. You can still sail as a solo on any ship you want - you're not limited by the number of solo cabins unless you want to be.

I just don't see the appeal of these solo cabins, so I don't feel badly about there being just a few available.

The name of the game for soloers is - if you got the cash, go for it! Doesn't matter if it RCCL, NCL or even Carnival brand - if you have the cash as a soloer to get any room you like, then book it. The reason why all the studios on NCL is interior is similar to why RCCl studios are interiors / OV - most soloers just want a room to sleep, take shower, and change clothes because the ship just takes them to port A to B while the rest of the ship is their quarters to play in.

I prefer NCL setup for soloers as well - You decide if you want to dine with group, do activities with them or not; its your choice. I also like that if you pay a cruise fare months in advance and prices drops badly for that sail date, they will upgrade your room for little or no charge and/or give you OBC for it - Got a guarantee mini-suite due to the price dropping from $879 to $400 for my trip, best birthday week ever so far. :)

most soloers just want a room to sleep, take shower, and change clothes because the ship just takes them to port A to B while the rest of the ship is their quarters to play in.

That has not been the feeling of most solo cruisers I've met across several lines......maybe it's an age thing?

There is a demand for solo cabins and they sell out quickly, so it's best to book early.

I booked a studio a week and a half ago on the Norwegian Escape leaving Nov. 11, 2015 and the NCL website is showing that the studios are now sold out. The keyed access into the studio cabin area and the studio lounge seem like pluses to me. I'm trying the NCL studio on this short cruise to determine if I'd like to book a longer cruise on NCL in a studio.

Would consider a studio balcony with Royal if I liked the itinerary.

That has not been the feeling of most solo cruisers I've met across several lines......maybe it's an age thing?

No its a passenger thing - same situation with couples / family picking interiors vs. Balconies. Some prefer interiors because it allows them to save money, travel more, don't need the windows has the rest of the ship to explore/use, and/or need a room to just change /shower/ sleep in. Not really much of difference except soloers are by themselves and thus have to decide what good for them / their personal preferences.

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I liked the studio set up on Epic, but NCL is not a favourite line. I have a studio on Brilliance otS in May, but there are only four. I am not concerned about the size of the cabin, but am concerned about the location on deck 4. I have been looking at sailings on Harmony, but those of us in the UK can't see everything.

most soloers just want a room to sleep, take shower, and change clothes because the ship just takes them to port A to B while the rest of the ship is their quarters to play in.

Completely disagree. As a solo traveler, I want the same thing that non-solo travelers want, I just don't want to pay twice as much :) That said, different travelers want different things. I love a balcony, but I know it's going to cost me double.

I'm definitely intrigued by anything that can allow me to cruise more (i.e., lower prices). I understand that NCL has better pricing for solos. I just wish I enjoyed sailing with them. My one experience with them wasn't awful, but wasn't in my top few. I very well might try them again just to try out the solo cabins (and try to compensate for those areas I wasn't thrilled with). We'll see!

Completely disagree. As a solo traveler, I want the same thing that non-solo travelers want, I just don't want to pay twice as much :) That said, different travelers want different things. I love a balcony, but I know it's going to cost me double.

 

I'm definitely intrigued by anything that can allow me to cruise more (i.e., lower prices). I understand that NCL has better pricing for solos. I just wish I enjoyed sailing with them. My one experience with them wasn't awful, but wasn't in my top few. I very well might try them again just to try out the solo cabins (and try to compensate for those areas I wasn't thrilled with). We'll see!

My first experience with NCL was variable. I was on Jade, and didn't think much of the food. Also, there was little provision for solo travellers. There was a meet-up on the first night, but nothing after that. I few of us agreed to meet up in the bar if we wanted company for dinner.

I didn't like having to sit on my own in the restaurant if I happened to go alone. The staff didn't fill tables, which is the norm on RCI.

I tried Epic on a transatlantic last October, as it came up as a good deal. I still found the food to be not as good as other cruise lines, but did like the studio concept.