Cabin Review

I was excited to see what a 100 sq ft solo stateroom would feel like compared to a regular inside cabin and was really looking forward to enjoying the dedicated studio lounge.

I found it extremely comfortable to have a full sized bed and so much storage. Hopefully, the refurbishment planned to make the beds smaller to allow for more floor space won't make this choice in ALL the studio staterooms. Perhaps there can be two categories in the future. I would opt for the large bed.

There were a ton of electrical outlets and the wi-fi worked well. I found the multi-coloured lighting annoying so I closed it off whenever the stateroom attendant employed them at turn-down. The fake porthole looking into the hallway is useless and you have to close the shutters at night to have darkness anyway. Once I shut them, I never bothered to open them again. I would definitely like the improvement of a virtual reality window display instead.

Although the room was comfortable it was never quiet. I'm sure the adjoining cabin suffered a great deal listening to my snoring and persistent coughing as I listened to their toilet flushes and whatever private sounds they made. There was a lot of banging and slamming of doors as the crew moved their cleaning equipment, trolleys and vacuums around. They liked to call out to each other in a loud voice rather than a quiet one and it always seemed like someone was scolding the other.

The shower and water-closet were cozy but not too small to use. Some suggestions would be to add a small shelf in each section. It would be nice to have a place to put a book, a phone or some hygiene products near the toilet but not on the floor. Also, a peg or hook to hang up a bathrobe or towel on the door would make sense. The shower needs a shelf for a razor and the hair products that I brought from home. Ladies would appreciate a little toe-bar to support the raised leg while shaving as it's nearly impossible to bend over in the shower cabinet. The sink and surrounding cabinets, drawers and cubbies were really efficiently designed. I was even able to launder some socks and undies and dry them on the clothes line. My wetsuit and snorkel gear were washed every night and dried by morning.

I have to say that my cabin attendant was sweet and friendly and did her best but again, she seemed overwhelmed by the volume of work. I could hear her mobile phone ringing almost constantly out in the hallway. She was always communicating with her colleagues and supervisor as well as passengers. She sometimes missed a turndown and didn't always deliver my daily ship's planner so I had to use the online version on the app.

I had to ask her to clean the bench in the studio on the first day because there was a smear of what appeared to be menstrual blood on the cushion. It was kind of a big thing to miss but she was very apologetic.

The best part of staying in the Studio complex was definitely the Lounge. The convenience of having free espresso, cappuccino, ice-water, juice, tea, coffee and snacks just a few metres away from my room was priceless. There were friendly people to chat with if you wanted or you could scurry back to your privacy with an apple and a cookie to munch on as you pleased.