Transform Your Cruise Cabin Into A Sanctuary For Light Sleepers With An Easy Curtain Hack

Cruises can be amazing experiences. You're cut off from the rest of the world for a while and out on the open ocean. You want to take advantage of the experience as much as you can. What happens, however, if you can't get some shut eye? Light sleepers know that unfamiliar noises, light from the windows, and rustling from another person in your cabin can lead to insomnia or early waking, and that puts a damper on your vacation. There is, however, a great curtain hack that can turn your cruise cabin into a little sanctuary. TikTok user HappyGoLiving posted the solution she found when she was on a cruise with a friend with different sleeping habits. When packing for her cruise, she included magnetic hooks with attached carabiner clips to put on the ceiling, as cruise cabins are made of metal. She also brought blackout curtains with grommets to attach, and created her own space that blocks out light. 

Magnetic hooks have been used as a cruise cabin hack forever to help organize small spaces, giving you spots to hang hats, coats, robes, wet bathing suits, small bags, and more. This is just an extension of that. You can find magnetic hooks with carabiner clips on Amazon, like a pack of four from MIKEDE that hold up to 200 lbs. Amazon also has Joydeco Blackout Curtains with grommets that are 90 inches long and 52 inches wide, which would fit most cruise cabins from floor to ceiling. Cruise cabins are typically 90 inches high. It's worth contacting your cruise company to see if there are any variations in size. 

This blackout curtain trick is also a great hack if you're sharing a cabin with a baby or small child who goes to sleep earlier than you do. While it's going to take up some room in your luggage, it's worth it if sleep is elusive for you or you wake easily. You can see the process in the TikTok below.

@happygoliving

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That isn't the only hack you can use to help you catch your ZZ's. You may not realize that you can request a mattress topper and extra pillows from your cruise line. (It's not a bad idea to contact them about it beforehand.) Bring your favorite pillow if that helps you sleep, or a stuffed animal you love (we absolutely are not judging). A traditional sleep mask and ear plugs can help you wind down, but you can also pick up a mask like the LC-dolida Sleep Headphones 3D Sleep Mask that has wireless Bluetooth speakers to either play white noise, or listen to music or a podcast. Along with that, download the White Noise Lite app for free for Android and Apple devices to listen to a range of sleep sounds to drown out other passengers or a cabin mate that snores. 

You can also choose your cabin location wisely. Try not to get one that is above, below, or next to louder spots like gyms and child-focused areas. You can even ask the cruise line if they have a recommendation for the quieter areas on their particular ship. Skip that glass of wine or cocktail if sleep is elusive, as it can cause you to wake up in the middle of the night and mess with your REM sleep. Finally, a towel rolled up along the bottom of the door can help keep out the light from outside. Sweet dreams!