Sweet Slumbers: How to Sleep Well on Your Cruise

"Bed, bed! I couldn't go to bed
My head's too light to try to set it down
Sleep, sleep! I couldn't sleep tonight
Not for all the jewels in the crown…”

 – “My Fair Lady,” Alan Jay Lerner / Frederick Loewe

Having trouble sleeping on a vacation seems counterintuitive, right? But there are plenty of reasons the z’s may elude you.

You’re excited, keyed up. Maybe you’re up late, dancing the night away.

Or you know you’ve got to be the first off the ship at 8 a.m. to make your excursion.

Whatever the reason, if you find it a challenge to get the nods you need, I’m here to help with a few tips:

Head rest. Celebrity’s Concierge and Aqua Class, and Disney’s Concierge level offer a pillow menu. Don’t want to spring for the upgraded rooms? Bring your own pillow. We do. Always.

Get thin. You’re going to the Caribbean and yet your bed has a heavy blanket. The first thing we ask the room steward for when we get onboard is a thin one.

Hit the gym. The experts say exercise is great for a good night sleep. Just don’t do it too close to turning in, or it will have the opposite effect, says WebMD.

Sweat then wet. A how-to-sleep-better wheel left in our room on the Royal Princess says that taking a hot shower 90 minutes before bed can help you relax. You might turn on the TV while you’re on the Royal, too—its “Sleep Channel” has ocean sounds “proven to help lull you to sleep.”

Star light, sleep tight. We’ve gotten into the habit of sitting on the balcony before bed. Something about the quiet, the darkness and the stars bring us back down after an adrenalin-rush day.

Turn up the noise. Every night, we plug in the noise machine. With the outlets clear across the room, we need a long extension cord and have to be creative in where we string it. But it’s invaluable for blocking out noise—even most PA announcements.

Light up your throne. If you do get insomnia, having a portable reading light you can bring into the bathroom or over to the desk chair can help you read until you get sleepy.

Stay inside. Someone recently wrote on a cruisecritic forum that not knowing whether the sun had come up caused her to sleep one day until 1 p.m. An inside cabin can keep you in the dark—and deliver a great night sleep.

Darken the night. If you have a balcony room, keep the curtains closed tight to keep out the light. Duct tape—or even towel clips—can do the trick.

But, you may ask, is it really that important to get a lot of shut-eye on your cruise? Well, you don’t want to sleepwalk through it all. And then when it’s over, you may just feel like you dreamed the whole thing.

Musing’s Top Tip: Check out this section of Princess’ website to see what else the cruise provides onboard to give you the best sleep experience. And if you want to reproduce it at home, you can even buy their award-winning beds. Carnival too allows you to recreate your experience when you get home with their bedding.

Musing’s Top Tip Too: Like these tips and quips? Find more at Musing About Cruising on Facebook and Instagram!