Price of Studio Cabins

[latebuyer]

I was looking at a Pacific Coastal and was surprised how much the studio was. A sail away inside was $500 canadian, a regular inside 700 and a studio 869. Is it common for a studio to cost more? Does a sail away inside refer to a guaranteed cabin?

[www3traveler]

2 minutes ago, christinand said:

I was looking at a Pacific Coastal and was surprised how much the studio was. A sail away inside was $500 canadian, a regular inside 700 and a studio 869. Is it common for a studio to cost more? Does a sail away inside refer to a guaranteed cabin?

Yes, sometimes Studios are more expensive.  Sometimes a promotion is run where a Solo passenger in a Inside Cabin is less expensive than a Studio.  A Sail Away cabin is the cheapest priced cabin available and does NOT come with any of the promotional perks.  If you book a Sail Away, you have NO say in where the cabin is located.  Sometimes they are in a good location, other times not.

[cliffd64]

24 minutes ago, christinand said:

I was looking at a Pacific Coastal and was surprised how much the studio was. A sail away inside was $500 canadian, a regular inside 700 and a studio 869. Is it common for a studio to cost more? Does a sail away inside refer to a guaranteed cabin?

 

Typically, if a single books a regular inside room, it will cost roughly double the fare listed because you have to pay for double occupancy.  In that light...  the studio cabin is less for a single person than a double occupancy inside cabin would be.  "Sail Away" is a cabin assigned before the cruise like a guarantee but with no "free"-at-sea offers.

[billslowsky]

41 minutes ago, christinand said:

I was looking at a Pacific Coastal and was surprised how much the studio was. A sail away inside was $500 canadian, a regular inside 700 and a studio 869. Is it common for a studio to cost more? Does a sail away inside refer to a guaranteed cabin?

I haven't seen many studios discounted.  Traveling solo, the regular inside can be a great deal.  I've done well with sailaway, I can't justify the hundreds more for the drink package. 

 

Or, I'm better off not trying to.

 

I have also bought sailaway inside and been able to upgrade via bidding.  Inside to oceanview was pretty cheap.

[Langham1865]

Simple supply and demand... If certain stateroom types are selling, or are not selling, they will change pricing... often the really good deals go fast, so if you see one, JUMP ON IT!!!!  and most importantly enjoy your cruise! 

[Megalyn]

There are two other "benefits" to booking a studio.  They are in a separate section of the ship, behind an additional locked door.  It's similar to some countries that have a "single ladies wing" in their hotels.  It's considered extra security because less people are wandering around that could push in when you open your door to enter/exit.  The other piece is the studio lounge.  Concept was great...in my experience the execution was less so.  NCL originally planned on having solo events in the lounge, but since many solo's booked their own non-studio rooms they had to move everything to a public area.  That kept the lounge empty on my voyage.   I didn't consider either of those pieces a real benefit to me, so I don't plan on booking studios in the future unless there is an excellent deal.

[sanger727]

When the inside is $500 are you accounting for the single supplement? Very often the studio is more than the price listed for the inside; but the price listed is charged twice for a single to account for the single supplement. So that $500 room suddenly becomes $1,000.

[Nic6318]

55 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

When the inside is $500 are you accounting for the single supplement? Very often the studio is more than the price listed for the inside; but the price listed is charged twice for a single to account for the single supplement. So that $500 room suddenly becomes $1,000.

 

Hi

 

It would seem apparent that the pricing difference is due to the fact that the sail away rate does not include any freebies. The studio cabins are rarely "cheap" in relation to the inside cabin, at least from what I have seen.

[smplybcause]

If you exclude sailaway rates (which is the only way you can do apples to apples), before final payment it's rare to see an inside solo rate for cheaper than a studio. After final payment a non studio could be cheaper based on supply or reduced solo supplement. Though that's not necessarily cheaper than studios have been. For example on an upcoming cruise I'm on insides are about $80 cheaper than studios if you booked now - but I booked my studio far in advance and it's currently still 40 cheaper than the current inside rate. 

 

 

Sailaway cabins are a whole different animal. If you don't drink and are flexible you can find some great deals with them. But you have to be flexible as I've seen sailaway actually be higher for some reason or only a small difference (that makes the cabin roulette less worth it).

[billslowsky]

55 minutes ago, smplybcause said:

ISailaway cabins are a whole different animal. If you don't drink and are flexible you can find some great deals with them. But you have to be flexible as I've seen sailaway actually be higher for some reason or only a small difference (that makes the cabin roulette less worth it).

 

I drink plenty and have found the sailaway rate to be a tremendous bargain.  NCL does a good job for solo travelers with their listings of cruises without single supplement.  Right now there's a six night Pacific Coastal where the Studio cabin is shown at $649 while Inside Sailaway is $374.  You an get the unlimited drink package "free" with the studio for only $119 extra, bringing the price on the Studio to $768 - almost $400 more than the Inside cabin.

 

That's like 7 drinks per day including day 1.  If I can cut back to a mere 4 drinks per day, for 6 consecutive days at about $10 each, it's only $240.  Bigger room, lower price.

[smplybcause]

7 minutes ago, billslowsky said:

 

I drink plenty and have found the sailaway rate to be a tremendous bargain.  NCL does a good job for solo travelers with their listings of cruises without single supplement.  Right now there's a six night Pacific Coastal where the Studio cabin is shown at $649 while Inside Sailaway is $374.  You an get the unlimited drink package "free" with the studio for only $119 extra, bringing the price on the Studio to $768 - almost $400 more than the Inside cabin.

 

That's like 7 drinks per day including day 1.  If I can cut back to a mere 4 drinks per day, for 6 consecutive days at about $10 each, it's only $240.  Bigger room, lower price.

 

Your math is wrong unless you only drink beer. Or maybe you're forgetting the 20% gratuity charged on each drink? A $10 min for drinks (only beer is less with maybe one or two exceptions) means $400 will only buy 33 drinks after factoring in the gratuity - less than 6 drinks a day. But there's not a ton at that price, my go to drinks are the full $15 limit - which means $400 will buy less than 4 drinks a day. 

 

Drinking only 4 a day will save you either ~$100 or could cost you more at sailaway rate. Unless you're just drinking beer. 

[MeHeartCruising]

This type of odd solo cabin pricing is common on cruises they are trying to fill near sail date.  Supply and Demand can pay off nicely if you can travel on short notice.  Right now, you can get the following single passenger pricing on the September 23rd 9-day Scandinavia, Russia & Baltic cruises on the Getaway from Copenahagen.

 

Studio - $1399

Inside - $599

Oceanview - $1798

Balcony $949

 

These are indeed only for "sailaway rates", so they don't get any of the free perks. But, I'd sure choose the Sailaway Balcony over the Studio in this case.  You don't need to wait until the week before to see this type of pricing though, you may start to see it about 2 months out if the cruise isn't selling to expectation.

 

Edited September 16, 2019 by MeHeartCruising

[latebuyer]

Thanks for the replies. I guess my question would be is there still value to the studios if they end up costing more then an inside room?

 

Good to know there are some options for solo travellers on NCL.

[billslowsky]

22 minutes ago, christinand said:

Thanks for the replies. I guess my question would be is there still value to the studios if they end up costing more then an inside room?

 

Good to know there are some options for solo travellers on NCL.

Go to the cruise discounts tab on the ncl site and see what's available for solo cruisers.  Where studio cabins are available, it's not unusual to find great deals on inside and oceanview cabins at the sailaway rates.  Unless you plan to be drunk the entire cruise, you will do better.

[billslowsky]

43 minutes ago, smplybcause said:

 

Your math is wrong unless you only drink beer. Or maybe you're forgetting the 20% gratuity charged on each drink? A $10 min for drinks (only beer is less with maybe one or two exceptions) means $400 will only buy 33 drinks after factoring in the gratuity - less than 6 drinks a day. But there's not a ton at that price, my go to drinks are the full $15 limit - which means $400 will buy less than 4 drinks a day. 

 

Drinking only 4 a day will save you either ~$100 or could cost you more at sailaway rate. Unless you're just drinking beer. 

How many drinks is enough for most people?  I'll take the 4 plus my savings, thank you.  

 

And for many people, there's the bottle of cheap wine in the room.  Plus you can bring bottles of wine on board for $15 each (if they even collect it).  We bring bottles even with a drink package to have in the room.

 

Sailaway is a much better deal.

Edited September 16, 2019 by billslowsky

[MeHeartCruising]

28 minutes ago, christinand said:

Thanks for the replies. I guess my question would be is there still value to the studios if they end up costing more then an inside room?

 

Good to know there are some options for solo travellers on NCL.

 

The studios are great for singles when they are the lowest price solution.  I, however, would take an inside cabin (or higher) any time over a studio simply for the additional space.  The Studio Lounge and more isolated location isn't of any "value" to me.  For some it might be, I guess.

[reeinaz]

24 minutes ago, MeHeartCruising said:

 

The studios are great for singles when they are the lowest price solution.  I, however, would take an inside cabin (or higher) any time over a studio simply for the additional space.  The Studio Lounge and more isolated location isn't of any "value" to me.  For some it might be, I guess.

The lounge, ability to select my room, and the virtual window have value to me. And the perk that comes with studios. The space in a cabin isn’t a factor for me. I’m small and pack light. I don’t need much room to be comfortable. I’d pick a studio over a sail away or guarantee inside if the difference was less than $300. I pick sailaway balconies over studios if the difference is less than $500. There’s no logic to those numbers.  

[Budget Queen]

Booked farther in advance,  Studios are typically the lowest option.     But-  that can change significantly  with flexibility and late booking.    NCL,   for several years-  runs fire sales -  where the supplement is dropped or reduced.    Most of the time this is late-  10 days or less prior to sailing.    A lot can't manage this option,   so the studios work for them.

 

I am extremely flexible-   but-  clearly itinerary priority.    I'd never sail a crappy itinerary,  just to sail,   but again,    some do.   

 

chasing the bargains is part of my fun as well.    But,   I'll purchase a Sail Away cheap inside every time.    :)   

[IrieBajan54]

I have cruised in a Studio about 3 times. Have no interest in them anymore. Too small when compared to a regular cabin and I have no need for any of the so-called freebies.

 

The pricing doesn't make any sense except maybe for certain people who choose the UBP. Furthermore, the math just doesn't work for choosing one of the other perks. Why pay a premium to get a $50 excursion discount, 250 minutes Internet or a 3-night dining package?

 

For comparison, currently the pricing for the Getaway TA from Copenhagen to New Orleans next month:

 

Studio ........................$3349

Inside Sail Away ........$1198

OV Sail Away .............$1998

Balcony Sail Away .....$2198

Mini Suite Sail Away ..$2998

 

Doing the math, only a heavy drinker would choose the Studio. For me, I would grab the Sail Away balcony and keep $1100 in my wallet.

Edited September 17, 2019 by IrieBajan54
correction

[ColeThornton]

I wouldn't take that Studio price for the TA either but as someone who prices Studios quite often in my opinion those prices are an exception to the pricing rules.  As a matter of fact that's some great prices for that cruise in other cabin classes.

[hallux]

48 minutes ago, reeinaz said:

The space in a cabin isn’t a factor for me. I’m small and pack light.

I'm not small and don't pack light and still didn't find the Studio to be too small.

 

That said - for my next cruise I found that a balcony with NCL's reduced airfare (even though that removed the reduced solo supplement on that cabin) cost me less than $100 more when airfare was factored in on the Studio which made for an easy decision.  I don't drink so I only took 2 of the perks in addition to the reduced airfare.

[zqvol]

7 hours ago, christinand said:

I was looking at a Pacific Coastal and was surprised how much the studio was. A sail away inside was $500 canadian, a regular inside 700 and a studio 869. Is it common for a studio to cost more? Does a sail away inside refer to a guaranteed cabin?

 

One thing to remember is that your insides are usually per person based on double occupancy, so the price is probably double what you are seeing while the studio is for a single person. Having said that there are timies when an inside and even an ocean view is less for a solo passenger than a studio. Remember that there are a lot more insides and OV's than there are studios.

[latebuyer]

Some people think the price i quoted is wrong but i believe when you choose 1 for number of guests it shows the fares for one person. Alas the $500 fare is sold out now. I'll keep an eye on the bliss as it sails out of vancouver. I wouldn't mind trying a studio once.

[billslowsky]

1 hour ago, Budget Queen said:

Most of the time this is late-  10 days or less prior to sailing.    A lot can't manage this option,   so the studios work for them.

The solo cruiser deals advertised right now on the ncl site include cruises as soon as this week and more as far out as January.  Studio costs more than inside.  NCL does a good job making these available to solos.

 

You might get the lowest prices on the September, but there are good deals one can plan for.

[smplybcause]

I don't think it's wrong, it's what happens on cruises when they're less than 60ish days out and it's not selling well. It's just not a guarantee that happens. Nor a guarantee that it's cheaper than what studios were going for earlier.

 

If you're flexible it can be a good game. And even better if you don't drink much. I personally drink a good amount on vacation and would need more than $400 in fare difference to a sailaway to make it a good deal for me. I'd look for $1000 difference given their higher drink prices. However others find sailaway rates good deals. 

 

Ncl offers a lot of options that let people choose what's good for them.