Flying to your cruise’s embarkation port is not an uncommon practice. Unless you live within driving distance of the cruise port, you’ll most likely be heading to the airport at the start of your vacation.
If you’re flying domestically to your cruise embarkation port, this is typically uneventful. However, it’s always recommended to arrive one day before your cruise departs in case of unexpected delays or cancellations. If you’re flying a few hours to the port, you won’t need to worry about many of the logistics of long-haul international travel, such as the dreaded onset of jet lag.
Those flying across the pond - or further - will need to adjust to huge time zone changes, which can be difficult and disruptive. While Taylor Swift famously said, “Jet lag is a choice” during last year’s Super Bowl (after traversing from her concert in Tokyo to attend the big game in Las Vegas), most would beg to differ.
Because our bodies are very routine, it’s nearly impossible to avoid jet lag entirely when traveling across continents. Nonetheless, learning how to best prepare and combat jet lag will ensure your cruise vacation begins smoothly.
I consider myself to be well-traveled internationally, so I have a few successful strategies to handle jet lag before embarking on a cruise. This year alone I flew to Africa, Europe, and Australia for cruises, so I’m no stranger to jet lag. If you fail to adjust to your cruise’s new time zone, you risk ruining part of your vacation with fatigue and continuously poor sleep.
I recently traveled way down under to Australia from Florida for my cruise onboard Celebrity Solstice. Although I’ve traveled to Asia before, this 18-hour difference would be the most drastic time change that my body has dealt with. Even worse, I booked a cheap economy seat for the 15-hour flight from LAX to Sydney, Australia.
Here’s why you need to prepare appropriately for jet lag to ensure your next cruise isn’t ruined, including a few successful strategies I recently tried on my trip to Australia.
Why fighting jet lag is important
Jet lag is your body’s natural response to extreme time zone changes when your internal clock does not align with the local time zone. Because our bodies operate on a 24-hour circadian rhythm of being awake and sleeping, any big change in routine can throw off your body’s schedule.
According to WebMD, jet lag is technically a sleep disorder that occurs after traveling quickly (usually flying) across two or more time zones. Jet lag will only go away once your body adjusts to a new local time. It can lead to excessive fatigue and poor sleep while your body struggles to adjust to a new time zone.
You might be wondering how exactly jet lag might ruin your cruise. Well, if you fail to adjust to a new time zone, you’ll be tired during the day and struggling to sleep at night during your cruise. This could impact your ability to enjoy the ship’s activities, entertainment, and dining options. No one wants to feel tired for their entire vacation.
With jet lag, you might feel sluggish all day, making it hard to enjoy your cruise’s ports of call. You might find yourself more moody and irritable with a lack of proper rest. Jet lag can even cause bouts of brain fog, which could impact your perspective on intellectual, historical, or cultural experiences.
Even worse, you could get run down from lack of sleep and end up sick on your cruise. With a lack of sleep, your immune system is weakened. This makes you more susceptible to illnesses that might circulate on your cruise.
With this in mind, you’ll want to set yourself up for success so jet lag doesn’t come between you and a fantastic cruise. While you should anticipate some adjusting to a new time zone, don’t let the change overtake your entire cruise.
Preparing for an international flight
International flights traveling east typically take off in the evening from the United States and arrive the following morning. Those traveling in other directions might find themselves flying during the day and arriving at their destination at night.
This is the best-case scenario, as you’ll be tired from a long day of travel and sleep usually without issue. However, arriving in the morning at your destination is difficult.
This was my first time visiting Australia, so I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of travel and jet lag. Because we left in the evening from LAX and arrived early in the morning, I planned to sleep as much as I could on the plane. This would allow me to hit the ground running in Sydney for sightseeing.
Not everyone can sleep on planes, but one of the best things you can do on your long-haul flight is to rest as much as possible. This is especially important if your flight lands in the morning and you want to make the most of your day.
Unless you’re enjoying a lie-flat bed on your long-haul flight, you’ll be sleeping upright in a cramped economy seat. Knowing my flight would be 15 hours long to Australia, I was honestly dreading the international trek.
Even though my sister was also flying in economy, the plane’s configuration (3-4-3) meant one of us would have to sit in a middle seat if we wanted to sit together. Nobody wants a middle seat for 15 hours, so we booked an aisle seat and window seat in the same row, hoping our middle seat would remain empty. Unfortunately, we were randomly assigned a passenger to sit between us because the flight was full!
I knew I wanted to sleep as much as possible on the flight, so I chose the window seat, which meant I could lean up against the plane to sleep. My sister prefers to stretch her legs throughout the flight, so the aisle worked best for her.
Additionally, we planned to arrive two days before our cruise departed. This is something that I always plan to do when traveling internationally, as it allows for extra time to adjust to the new time zone. Because we had to travel so far for this cruise, we wanted to make the most of our vacation time.
I highly recommend planning a few days in your embarkation port when traveling internationally, if possible. This also helps you fight jet lag before you even board your cruise.
Successful long-haul flight strategies
The night before our long day of travel, I made sure to go to bed early. There is nothing worse than going into a long travel day already feeling exhausted! In fact, it’s pretty much guaranteed you’ll get run down if aren’t well-rested for your travels.
Unfortunately, I had anything but a simple travel route. I flew on my preferred airline Delta from Destin, Florida to Atlanta, Georgia (1 hour) and then Atlanta to Los Angeles, California (5 hours) before my 15-hour flight to Sydney, Australia.
During my layovers, I tried to walk around the airport terminals to get some exercise in. This can help you sleep better at night, and stretching your legs before the long flight is always a good idea. I also downloaded Netflix shows to my iPad, so I had plenty of material to keep me entertained. Visiting the airport lounge, I hydrated with water and ate a nutritious dinner before the 15-hour flight to Australia.
After boarding the flight, I settled into my cramped economy seat before takeoff. I brought an eye mask for sleeping and my AirPods, which I use to play white noise on long flights. I hoped to sleep as much as I could during the overnight flight.
Once I was situated comfortably, I took an extra dose of my nightly sleeping medication right before takeoff. While I have a prescription sleeping medication already, consider bringing some over-the-counter sleep aids such as melatonin, Benadryl, or Unisom for the flight. Check with your doctor before your trip, if needed.
It didn’t take long for the sleeping medication to kick in, as I hardly remember the takeoff. I cozied into the side of the plane with the provided pillow and blanket as I drifted to sleep, missing the meal service entirely. I couldn’t believe when I woke up that I had slept nearly seven hours!
After watching one or two movies, I dozed off again for another two hours. Before I knew it, we were preparing to land in Sydney, Australia. I slept more than I had anticipated, which was a pleasant surprise. The dreaded 15-hour flight was finally ending!
While this certainly wasn’t the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had, mediocre sleep for nine hours is enough for me to feel good for most of the day. To my surprise, I was pretty rested and ready to start the day—with the help of some coffee, of course!
Staying awake after arrival
We landed in Sydney at 8:00am on Thursday morning. As our cruise departed Saturday evening, we had two full days in the city before boarding Celebrity Solstice for our 15-night cruise. I had never been to Australia before, so I needed to stay awake to make the most of my time in the city.
Since we landed early, we couldn’t check into our hotel room yet. Instead, we got ready in the hotel bathroom and made our way into the city for brunch. I grabbed a coffee for a pick-me-up before we visited the Sydney Opera House. I kept mentioning to my family how I felt much more rested than I anticipated. Walking around also helped energize me to fight the jet lag.
As the late afternoon approached, we could feel our bodies starting to get tired. This is natural, as we would normally be fast asleep in the middle of the night back home. It’s important to stay awake as much as you can after arriving at your new destination, as this helps your body adjust quickly to the new time zone.
You might be tempted to sleep after landing, but that’s typically not the best strategy. If you need to take a power nap in the afternoon to make it through your first day, try to stay awake later in the night. This will force your body to adjust to the new time zone before you board your cruise.
We scheduled an early dinner at 4:30pm for the first night in Sydney. Finishing around 6:00pm, we went back to the hotel to unwind and sleep around 8:30pm.
You might automatically assume that you will sleep fantastic after a long-haul flight. While this might be the case for some, I find that I continue to wake up during the first night. Your internal clock will be out of sync for a few days. Because of this, I continue to take an extra dose of sleeping medication to ensure I sleep soundly.
Sticking to a new schedule
Even after your first day of vacation, your body will still be jet lagged for a few days. In the early afternoon, it’s not unusual to start feeling fatigued. Additionally, you might continue waking up earlier than you normally do at home.
It’s important to stick to your new schedule the first few days of your vacation, especially if you want to optimize your time onboard your cruise. If you keep sleeping your days away or cannot stay up later into the evening, you’ll miss out precious time during your cruise. Having a wonky sleep schedule means you might not be able to attend certain events or activities like you want.
Essentially, jet lag could easily ruin part of your cruise if you aren’t prepared. It’s easy to nap whenever you feel like it, but this will prolong the jet lag into your cruise vacation. You might get lucky with a sea day at the beginning of your voyage. If so, use this as an opportunity to rest and continue adjusting to the new time zone.
While I was successful at handling jet lag at the beginning of my cruise, I found myself going to bed much earlier than I normally do as my body continued to adjust. Caffeine was my best friend when I needed to power through the day during my time in Australia. I also love a quick nap while cruising if I need to stay up later for the evening entertainment. However, don’t sleep the day away if you can help it.
Bottom line
If you’re traveling on a long-haul flight across multiple time zones for your cruise, be prepared to fight jet lag so you can make the most of your cruise vacation. Jet lag can easily ruin part of your cruise if you aren’t able to successfully adjust to a new time. Brain fog, fatigue, sleep issues, irritability, and illness can plague your cruise because of lingering jet lag. However, a few simple strategies can help your body adjust quickly to a new local time, allowing you to feel rested and energetic for each day.
Flying 15 hours to Australia was something I was dreading before my cruise. Sleeping on the plane, thanks to sleeping medication, was a winning strategy. The flight went quickly, and I felt rested for the day. Also, forcing myself to stay awake after landing in the early morning helped minimize the impact of jet lag.
Additionally, planning to arrive two days before our cruise allowed me extra time to adjust to a new time zone before even boarding Celebrity Solstice for our cruise. While it’s always recommended to arrive at least one day before your cruise, having two days in Sydney was well worth it
Allie Hubers
Allie Hubers has been cruising since she was a tiny toddler. What started as a yearly vacation with family quickly turned into a passion for travel, cruising and adventure. Allie's been on over 45 cruises all over the world. She even studied abroad on Semester at Sea, sailing the world on a ship while taking courses for college and visiting 4 continents.
