I recently took my first Mediterranean cruise on board Virgin Voyages’ Valiant Lady in Barcelona.
Within the first hour, I took a four-hour nap in my cabin. It was my biggest mistake on the trip.
The nap left me jet-lagged for days, as I stayed up through the night and napped in the afternoons.
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When I took my first Mediterranean cruise, I expected to make some mistakes. But I didn’t think I’d kick off my voyage with the biggest one.
My cruise on Virgin Voyages’ Valiant Lady ship left out of Barcelona. I flew in from NYC on a red-eye flight two nights prior and spent one night in the Spanish city on a houseboat I found on Airbnb.
This wasn’t my first time visiting Europe, so I knew that jet lag would be an issue since I was six hours ahead of my time zone. I was able to get some sleep on the plane, but the houseboat I stayed in was next to a beach club that blasted music until 2 a.m.
I struggled to sleep that night and arrived on the ship feeling exhausted.
The author arrives in Barcelona after a red-eye fight (L) and struggles to sleep on a houseboat as a beach club blasts music through the night. Joey Hadden/Insider
I took a nap as soon as I got to my stateroom
Typically, I mitigate jet lag by forcing myself to stay up through the day, but once I boarded the ship around 3 p.m. and got to my stateroom, a nap felt necessary. I took a shower, had a meal, and decided to break my jet-lag rule.
“I’ll just take a power nap,” I thought to myself, as other cruisers filled the top deck to watch the ship sail away.
Cut to four hours later — I woke up after sleeping through my alarm that went off 30 minutes after I began my nap. When I opened the balcony curtains in my room to find the sun setting, I knew I had made a huge mistake.
I ended up staying up until the early hours of the morning and slept until almost noon on my second day.
This mistake had lasting effects. For the first few days of my voyage, I found myself taking napping breaks every afternoon. It wasn’t until about halfway through the trip that I finally felt adjusted to the time zone.
Next time I take a cruise with a significant time difference, I’ll drink some coffee on day one and join my fellow sailors on the top decks to make sure I stay awake.
Biggest Mediterranean Cruise Mistake Left Me Jet-Lagged for Days
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