No, it’s not exactly a prison sentence, but taking a cruise in one of the smallest cabins at sea can make anyone feel a little cooped up.
That’s exactly what I just did, and I’m here to tell you all about it. The good, the bad, and the just plain different about sailing in a cabin that most people will never see… and even fewer will actually cruise in.
How I Ended Up in One of the Smallest Rooms Ever
When most people sail solo, they face a big hurdle. Cruise cabins are sold based on double occupancy. So if a normal cabin has a fare listed for $800 per person, it’s actually double that amount even if sailing alone. That can mean travelers taking a cruise by themselves get a raw deal.
But some cruise lines have actually rolled out the red carpet to these passengers. Cruise lines like Virgin Voyages and NCL offer solo cabins. With these rooms you don’t have to pay double for one person, but you also get a lot less space.
Just before the Christmas holiday, I found a good deal aboard Norwegian Escape on a 7-day cruise to the western Caribbean. And with the kid in school and most people not able to take offer just before the Christmas break, I had a choice — sail solo or don’t sail at all. On Norwegian Escape, that meant a room listed at just 99 square feet. Compare that to a normal cabin that’s listed around 200-300 square feet aboard the ship.
So I took the leap and booked the trip. All told, this cruise, including the gratuity charges and port fees, cost me around $1,000. Considering it would be almost double that to sail in a normal room, it’s a pretty significant savings. But then again, they also say you get what you pay for.
Meet the 99 Square Foot Cruise Cabin
I’ve actually sailed in a solo cabin before, so I feel like I was somewhat prepared for the size of the room. But let me tell you, it was still a bit of a shock and different than anything else I’ve sailed.
First, this isn’t just a regular cabin that’s smaller. On Escape (and other NCL ships), the solo rooms — also known as “studio” cabins — are actually in their own little pod. They are grouped together and behind their own door. This means you have to be staying here to access the area.
Inside there is a lounge for all the solo passengers where you can relax, grab a snack, drink, or coffee. There are also solo events happening nightly for all the passengers here to meet up and get to know each other.
In that way, it actually felt a lot like a college dorm, minus the keg stands and the RA.
Walking into the actual room for the first time, two things jumped out at me. Of course, the first was the size, which I’ll get to, but also the décor.
With white cabinets, bedding, and headboard, the room looks futuristic. I thought it felt like something out of a Japanese hotel. When I sent pictures to friends, one of them said it looked like I was staying on a space station. It’s definitely not a style that I’ve seen anywhere else.
Now lets get to the room itself. There are definite some interesting aspects I wasn’t expecting. First, it’s obviously smaller than the average room and yes, it felt small. If you’ve ever been to IKEA, then you know how they setup those model rooms that are all cozy and you think “I could live in this”? It felt like that. Nicely appointed and it felt comfy… at least at first.
It offers everything you need and most things that come with a normal cabin. The bed is the same size as a traditional cruise ship bed. But because it was tucked up under the headboard, my feet would hang off. I ended up having to pull the bed out every night so I could use the full thing. Every day my steward would come back and push it back where it was before.
Next to the bed was my absolute favorite feature of the room, the LED accent lighting. At the push of a button I could turn the room blue, or red, or yellow. Or I could have it rotate between colors, bathing the room in literally any color imaginable.
Window? This was one of the funny things about the room. Just next to the bed were two sliding doors that moved away and revealed a mini-blind in a large circular window out into the hall. On the edge of the headboard was a knob you turn to open and close the blind, but you couldn’t raise it.
But the window is just frosted glass out into the hallway. You can’t see a thing out of it, but if you go into the hallway, the room is lit to where you can see the shadows of what’s going on inside. Let’s just stay the window stay closed.
There’s the traditional entertainment center and dresser, complete with a safe, a tiny desk that’s not even big enough to open up a laptop on and hangers for clothes. But the storage isn’t near as much as you might be used to. I packed a carry-on suitcase and a backpack. I had to store items under the sink just to have enough space to empty my bags.
And then, you head to the bathroom.
I think the biggest shock to me is that cabin’s bathroom and bedroom are all in one space. There’s a sink at the foot of the bed where you have to be careful where you brush your teeth or you’ll end up with toothpaste on the floor.
Turn around and there is a water closet with the toilet. It’s absolutely cramped and your toes would touch the wall when you’re sitting down. Since it was just me, I always kept the door open just to give myself a little more room.
And then there is the shower. If this were a honeymoon suite, having an in-cabin shower would be a big selling point. In this cabin, it was funny to be taking a shower and staring at your own bed.
Cruise showers are always small, but this one felt a little more cramped than usual. Turning around, I would bump the walls, and I couldn’t really reach my feet without some effort. Occasionally I would make the mistake of accidently touching my back against the freezing cold glass and it would feel like an electric shock.
My Thoughts on This Room After a Week of Sailing
So what was it like to sail for a week in this size cabin? My idea of it definitely changed as the days went on. At first, I was in love with the space. It’s cozy. It’s efficient. It has everything you need (except an outside view) and nothing you don’t.
But as time went on, it felt as if the walls were closing in on me some. On longer cruises, I like to spend some time in the cabin. With days on end of people everywhere, it’s nice to recharge in a quiet room. This solo cabin made that more difficult. With no real window, it started to feel even smaller. The lounge was always an option, but that’s also windowless (they do have screens setup with nature views to mimic a window). I found myself instead searching for out-of-the-way places around the deck with fewer people and some fresh air.
There were some comfort issues as well. As I write this, I’ve set up camp in the ship’s internet café. In the room, there is a small desk ledge, but it’s not large enough to actually work at given it’s about the depth of an airline tray table. The only alternative is to work laying down on the bed, which gets old quickly.
And if you’re not a tidy person, then be prepared. With a small room like this, clutter has a way of making it feel even smaller. I had to pick up the room regularly just to keep some sense of order with things.
So would I book this type of cabin again?
On a cruise of five days or fewer, absolutely. For a shorter cruise, I think it’s actually perfect. It was those last few days of a 7-day cruise where the size started to weigh on me a bit. Don’t get me wrong — it wasn’t some disaster. I lived two years in a college dorm, so having small space is no big deal. But that dorm also has windows and I could be outside in a few steps.
I likely would sail it again given the value it offers to not have to pay double occupancy to sail solo. But if I did that, I would likely sail how I noticed a lot of other people booking these rooms did. They had a solo cabin, but were actually sailing with others also in solo cabins. So a mother and adult daughter or two older friends that each wanted their own space would be able to cruise together but not have to actually sleep in the same room.
That seems like the best of both worlds.
Kind of interesting…I would consider the solo pod and then get the Spa Thermal Suite pass, and use that for showering in a larger space (in addition to the relaxing and soaking you can do in the Thermal Suite).