3rd March 2025

Love a good lie in?

Whether your head hits the pillow and you’re out for the count, or you wake up more than a kid on Christmas Eve, there’s no denying that sleep (and lots of it) is crucial to our health and wellness.

Cruise lines take your sleep seriously

As luck would have it, cruise lines got the memo when it comes to the importance of a good night’s sleep. From scientific-backed bed design to using exclusive mattress materials, there's nothing they won't do (short of herding in actual sheep for you to count).

Princess Cruises

Developed with board-certified sleep expert Dr. Michael Breus, Princess made a significant investment when it came to designing their beds – and they really have thought of everything. Including a plush two-inch thick pillow top, individually-wrapped coils (that make sure you’re not disturbed if your partner is a wiggler) and electronically tempered springs that enhance support under compression for all body types. Plus, Princess also offer an extensive pillow menu. That’s what we call nap-pily ever after!

See Princess Cruises

Holland America Line

A mainstay whether you’re in a stateroom or a suite, some go as far as saying the Signature Mariner's Dream™ bed and plush Euro-Top mattresses combination from Holland America Line is as close as you’ll come to sleeping on a cloud. Okay, perhaps a slight exaggeration, but the fact it’s also available for home purchase tells you a lot. With shrink-resistant fibres to reduce body impressions, it’s not just the waves rocking back and forth that are responsible for your restful night.

See Holland America Line cruises

Carnival Cruises

Proof that a restful night doesn't need to come at a cost, Carnival’s Comfort Beds are manufactured in Europe exclusively for the cruise line. Throw in some custom pillows, duvets and sheets that are all hypoallergenic and made with ring-spun satin, and you’ll see why so many cruisers rate their sleeping experience – especially when you consider the reasonable cost of a Carnival cruise.

See more Carnival cruises

Sweet, suite sleep

If you have the urge to splurge on a truly extravagant place to snooze, look no further than select suites on Silversea and Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ luxury ships. Brought to life by luxury British bed-maker Savoir (who make fewer than 1,000 a year and started out making beds for The Savoy), they design bespoke mattresses using only top-quality natural materials, like horse's hair, Mongolian yak’s wool and cashmere, and are entirely handmade by highly skilled craftsmen.

Uniworld also partnered with Savoir for their fleet of European river ships, with every suite and stateroom onboard housing one of the sumptuous, handmade beds.

And it's not just the extra sleep that's good for you...

Burn some energy or unwind at the spa (or both)

Virgin Voyages host a huge amount of ways to workout, from Yoga classes to HIIT sessions, before winding down in their award-winning redemption spa, while Fred. Olsen invite guests to join their ‘walk a mile’ programme each morning. You’ll find spa facilities, state-of-the-art gyms and exercise classes are commonplace on mainstream cruise lines, giving plenty of opportunity to keep up healthy habits (or start new ones!)

Vitamin Sea

Aside from all the incredible facilities at your fingertips, there’s one commodity that puts a cruise front and centre when it comes to wellbeing: the sea. There’s several science-backed benefits of time spent by the water, ranging from the beautiful blue colour (which promotes feelings of calmness and relaxation) to the soothing sound of the waves, nature’s very own white noise machine (which stimulates the production of feel-good chemicals in our body). Not to mention that sea air can actually help you sleep better!