Do you sleep a lot on cruises?

[dexter]

I guess it's time I address a problem I have always had on cruises. I cannot stay up late at night. After dinner and the show, I get so sleepy I have to go to my cabin and let the motion of the ocean rock me to sleep. Our last cruise on the Zuiderdam I went to sleep during the show (in the front row, even). Now, on this last cruise my wife has taken up my habit. She slept all afternoon on most days. Maybe our bodies are just catching up since we work so hard the rest of year. Do you have sleepy issues on cruises?

[Sailure]

I LOVE resting and sleeping on cruises. I love the idea that you can be as active or as inactive as you want to be when you want to be.

One of the reasons I book suites is because I spend alot of time in my room relaxing. ;)

[lka1012]

On one of my cruises, my table mates kidded me because I could not stay up past 9:30 to 10. And at 45, I was by 20 years the youngest at the table. I also want my afternoon nap also.

[Orcrone]

One reason we booked early dining is because DW is not a late night person. She figures that by the times the show starts for late dining, she's ready for bed. I like staying up late, but DW does not like going to bed alone (even at home). So on a cruise you have me trying to keep DW out late and her trying to drag me back to the room before I'm ready to go to sleep.:D

We're both early risers, so I guess we don't really sleep a lot. I just love the freedom to do what we want when we want.

[Spot]

Normally I'm the night owl and sleep in mornings but on a cruise I get up early and stay up until 11ish. I love the mornings and evenings on my verandah.

Napping during the day depends on the temperature in our cabin and the comfort of the bed, if it's very cool and the bed (and bedding) is wonderful, you will find me catnapping without doubt.

I think my issues with sleep are the sounds of the sea, the rocking of the ship (a gentle rock is the best), the amount of food I eat throughout the day, and the fresh sea air - for me this spells SLEEP.

[Roboat]

My first cruise was about 2-3 years ago on the Celebrity Millenium, a beautiful ship. I was traveling single in an inside cabin, and I loved it because it was so dark! I slept 'til noon twice! Mighty expensive sleeping, though, since I had to pay double for the cabin.

I fall asleep easily. It has nothing to do with being bored or not. I fell asleep in Apocolypse Now.

My daughter never lets me forget the time when I took her to a play in London and I fell asleep during a most dramatic scene, as the main character wept for the loss of his marriage. I had been chewing gum, and the gum rolled out of my mouth and plopped loudly onto the program in my lap. As I awoke, my daughter and others were staring at me in shock. When she saw the embarrassed look on my face, she had to stifle a laugh, which of course set me off trying not to laugh out loud. We actually had to leave the theater.

[RevNeal]

Unless we're on a long shore excursion, or unless something else is going on that demands my attention, I take an hour or so nap in the late afternoon. I'm normally a night owl, and would prefer to sleep late, but on a cruises I like to get up early and enjoy the breakfast and port arrivals, etc; hence, if I'm going to manage to stay up late I have to get a little sleep in the day. About an hour between 5 and 6 pm is enough to give me the stamina to stay awake until midnight or 1 am and still be able to wake up and be at breakfast by 7:30 or 8 am.

[traveller333]

I actually sleep less on a cruise....I don't want to miss anything!

[TriGirl]

I can never stay up late when I'm cruising. I always have the best intentions and it never works out. I also seem to get really sleepy during the day and doze off when I'm sitting out on the deck with my book. It just feels like I get a sleeping disease or something and I can't seem to get enough. I never sleep as much at home as I do on a cruise.

[the2ofus]

Okay, I admit it! I am one of those folks you see "reading" in the lounge chairs on Lower Prom. I enjoy lying there listening to the waves and feeling the gentle breezes, and before you know it I am in la-la land. I read a chapter, snooze awhile, read, snooze and suddenly discover it's time to get ready for dinner. Then I can stay awake for shows and dancing until about midnight.

I think I sleep better on shipboard than anywhere else on earth. I wake feeling rested every morning.

[jhannah]

I have never had sleep issues on cruises. Of course, I generally don't have any on land, either. ;) We don't stay up terribly late, and have sometimes fought to stay awake during the later shows. But we both like to get up early in the morning for the same reasons Revneal mentioned. DW is more inclined to nap during sea days than I am.

[Krazy Kruizers]

DH sleeps a lot - whether it is at home or on a cruise.

This is due to all the medications he takes. Thus we always book early dinner and rarely go to a show - he'll fall asleep through it anyway.

He naps for a couple of hours every afternoon, at least an hour after dinner and is in bed by 9 - 9:30.

[EbayCruiser]

We had late setting in the dining room - not by our choice. Because of that we only ate in the dining room two out of the seven nights (both formal). We liked eating earlier and seeing the early shows. Just can't seem to stay up late on a cruise ship.

The beds are so comfortable and my DH and I both slept like babies. We also took an afternoon nap each day.

[cactuslady]

I took my first cruise at the age of 48 and became so exhausted I had to cancel a couple of shore excursions. First, I was so excited that I couldn't sleep for the week before the cruise. Then I couldn't sleep because I didn't want to miss a thing on board. I still have to tell myself to relax and pace myself.

The antidote, of course, is any teak steamer chair, which works as well and quickly as anesthesia for me.

[gizmo]

Like the Rev, I take a nap and have no problem staying up late. I have been known to be one of the last to leave the Crows Nest more than once. I very seldom sleep late in the morning. :)

[Ziggy7]

I'm the late night owl and usually sleep in mornings at home, but on a cruise I like to get up early and enjoy coffee one the verandah and port arrivals, I get up early and stay up until midnight, DH gets up early and goes to bed at 10pm. I love the mornings and evenings on our verandah (aaawww the sunrises and sunsets)! The main reason we book early dining is because DH is not a late night person. He is ready for bed by the time the show starts.
I thought staying up late was hard to do the first 3 nights cause we are fron the west coast so the 3 hour time change was a bit getting used too.

[elmorejj]

We have closed up the Ocean bar on many occasions!! But, we have to have our afternoon nap, usually a couple of hours from 3-5, wake up and raring to go again.....jean :cool:

[Nasmas]

I don't sleep a lot but my husband is the master of naps. One after breakfast (somestimes one before breakfast), one after lunch, another before dinner. He never did this until he retired. He used to always say he couldn't take a nap. Now he has to have his nap(s)

[mhshapiro]

In a word "yes". One of the thinks that I love about sea days is that I can turn the alarm off and sleep in.

For some reason the motion of the ship seems to make it easier to sleep soundly.

[RuthC]

IRL just give me a flat surface and ten minutes and I'm asleep. Since I'm still a working stiff I go to bed early and I'm up by 6:00 A.M.

But put me on a ship and I'm the Energizer cruiser! Someone has to be the last passenger to call it a night---me! (Although I'm usually in bed by 2:00 A.M.) Then I'm up by the crack of... O.K.---I try to make it before buffet breakfast closes at 10:00, but I'm not always successful.
If it weren't for a good nap in the afternoon I wouldn't have the energy to burn the candle at both ends. I figure I've spent too much $$$ to miss anything.

[Slinkiecat]

On a cruise or at home, I am ready for bed at 10 or 11 and up at 7 or 8. As I recall, on our Mediterranean cruise we had to be ready to leave on excursions at 7 or thereabout, so we got up early every morning. We only got to see the stage show once because we had late (8:30) seating at dinner.

Slinkie

[dakrewser]

I don't believe in naps, but I have developed the ability to read and watch television with my eyelids down. THis allows me to rest the eyes themselves while not missing anything that's going on around me. Really. It's true!


My wife doesn't believe me either...:o

[gizmo]

I don't believe in naps, but I have developed the ability to read and watch television with my eyelids down. THis allows me to rest the eyes themselves while not missing anything that's going on around me. Really. It's true!


My wife doesn't believe me either...:o
LOL :D Mr. Gizmo has this same ability. "He rests his eyes".

RIGHT..................

[ger_77]

I'm an early riser and my DH is a night owl - however, on cruises we both nap. I LOVE napping on a cruise ship - there's just enough motion to put me at rest, and a little while later I awaken refreshed and ready to go for another 8 hours! Initially DH complained about me getting him "hooked on napping", but now he just gives in to the feeling, lays down and enjoys it!

On our last cruise we had one at-sea day where we didn't order room service, and woke to find it was 10:30AM - a huge sleep-in for me, but what a way to luxuriate on a vacation! Even after a busy itinerary, we always return from a cruise refreshed and relaxed - unless, of course, we have to fly Lufthansa ... another story for another time.

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[cruzincurt]

Nope, plenty of time to sleep at home. Leave the casino about 2:00 am then up at 8:00 am. That's 6 hours of sleep!

Based on say $125 per day, 6 hrs x $5.20 that's $31.20 of the cruise fare per day spent sleeping. Pretty steep bed rental per day.

[iluvcruzin]

Dexter.. I had to giggle when I read the thread title. I confess, if I have early dining I tend to be zonked out early. I have every intention of doing something after the shows but I end up falling asleep. What helps for me is taking a late afternoon nap. This way, I awake, have 2nd seating dinner and have no problem staying up. When it's an early dinner - between a day in the sun and a full stomach.. I can't help but sleep.. zzzzzzz...

[Himself]

Not being a nite owl I am in bed between ten and eleven most evenings unless I have something pressing that forces me up later. Normally I go to bed relatively early and I can't I will take a nap. Like one of the posters, I too find that if it is a bit rocky, I get rocked to sleep--a sound sleep.
Himself

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I had not read this thread till tonight and decided to read it because DH said it sounded like us. Yes, I must confess that we like to get up early on the cruise,(I get up and go to the gym) I sometimes take a little nap in the afternoon on Sea days. We have early dinner and make it to a few shows but most of the time end up going to bed fairly early. We like to go back to the cabin get comfy and read the Dailey Program and Shopping Guides before lights out. While cruising in warm climates we like to sit out on the balcony and talk and relax.
At home I NEVER take a nap but there is just something about cruising that totally relaxes me and I wind way down:)

[dexter]

After I posted this sleep thing, I remembered an incident involving my wife a couple years back. We went cruising with another couple and we were all sitting side by side in the theatre on one of the formal nights. About a half hour into the show my friend leaned over and whispered to me to look at my wife. She had fallen asleep and had her head resting in the lap of the lady next to her. I woke her up and she turned redder than the dress she was wearing. We all still laugh about that one.

[Vicar]

One of the reasons we prefer late dinner seating is so we can fit in a nap for a few hours in the late afternoon, especially after a shore excursion.

Fiance and I are normally night people , We defiantely are not morning people *LOL*.

Of course on port days we are up early, but even on sea days we are up fairly early , even if we are just loungeing around on deck or wandering around the ship.

[Sue's Mom]

I miss all the shows, I just "zonk" out after dinner. Could have something to do with the pre-prandial of a gin and tonic followed by a glass or two of something red with dinner. :D

[cruisinjudy]

I guess it is the motion of the ocean, I sleep like a baby. Then of course there is nap time. Then early dinner, show where I often fall asleep......oh well. I have good intentions, I don't want to miss anything, but oh that ocean motion!

[a1moty]

On our Alaskan Cruise in late July, my Honey and I both started the cruise taking Bonine, hoping to ward off motion sickness. We both noticed that we were sleeping our cruise away and stopped taking the pills on about the 3rd day.
We had no trouble with either motion sickness or nodding off for the rest of the trip. It was either that, or maybe we just finally adjusted to the change in altitude.(We are from the mountains of UT) LOL Either way, the rest of the cruise was fabulous!! PS: At night, we slept like babies!! The soft ocean motion complimented the the super comfy beds.:rolleyes:

[RevNeal]

My attitude tends to be "I can sleep later ... there are only so many hours on this cruise, and I want to enjoy them all." At least, that's what find my self THINKING. Now ... my body does like to nap. Hence, if I get about 5-6 hours at night, and another hour in the afternoon, I'm good to go. :)

I've been known to roam the ship late at night ... it's quiet, an no one is around. :) I've had some nice conversations with staff and crew that way. :D

Hey ... I'm just 7 days away from departing on my Zaandam cruise!!!!!! Yippie!

[Randyk47]

At home we very rarely stay up until after 10 PM on work days and normally not much past 11 PM on Friday and Saturday. On a cruise.....no way.....we closed the Crow's Nest 4 out of 7 nights on our last cruise. It's not that we're party animals, it's because we're having fun. At the same time I love to get up early in the morning, especially those mornings we're slowly slipping into port, and watch the sun rise on a new location. There's something about the morning air, the smell, the gentle movement of the ship, that is a magical part of the cruise that I don't want to miss. We probably get less sleep on a cruise than during a typical week at home but I don't recall ever getting off a cruise tired or exhausted.

[Lynzchat]

What a great thread! I thought my fiancee was the only one who NAPPED all the time. He loves to sleep and I'm afraid he'll be asleep most of the cruise. It's his first 'fancy' cruise, and he doesn't want to miss anything, but he does love being asleep.

I, on the other hand, prefer to be up all hours of the night, and I do not nap. I hope to be able to wander the ship, and find things to do!