The 1-item upgrade for a better cruise ship cabin experience (it’s already in your house)

Cruise ship cabins are smaller than traditional land-based hotel rooms, and while they may try and pack as many essentials and conveniences into the limited space, there’s a chance that they will fall short of meeting all of your needs.

Whether you are staying in an inside cabin or splurging on a suite, there’s one common household item that you should bring to upgrade your stateroom experience: a night light. 

Even if you have an expansive suite or balcony, the ocean is pitch-black at night, and you won’t be able to rely on any natural light to guide you from your bed to the ensuite bathroom. 

While you can leave the bathroom light on, this sometimes emits more brightness than some would prefer when trying to sleep. 

A night light is a great workaround since it will illuminate your stateroom without potentially waking any sleeping cabinmates. Plus, some children (and adults) might not be fans of sleeping in total darkness. 

Read more: 30 Cruise cabin hacks that cruisers love

Bringing a night light on your cruise means you will not have to worry about tripping over a stray cord or pair of shoes in the middle of the night

If you are staying in an ocean view room or above, your stateroom will slowly brighten up as the sun rises in the morning, meaning that you’ll only have to worry about having minimal light at night. Inside rooms, however, go dark as soon as you turn off the lights, even if that’s at 12:00pm. 

Night lights will ensure that even these windowless rooms are never pitch-black. As someone who travels in inside cabins more often than not, it can be pretty disorientating to wake up to a completely dark room, even if it’s in the middle of the night to use the restroom. 

I’ve found myself relying on my phone’s flashlight to avoid accidentally stubbing my toe or running into the vanity. While this is not a bad option, the light can be pretty bright, so this is not ideal when I am sharing the room with someone else. 

Battery-powered tea lights work, too, as they can be placed next to your bed on the nightstand, on the vanity, or in the bathroom without having to worry about using a plug to illuminate the room. Since a single tea light is so small, it’s easy to carry with you to the bathroom, too. 

Depending on which night light you have, tea lights might take up less space in your luggage, giving you more room for souvenirs, toiletries, etc. 

One drawback of traditional night lights is that they will take up one of your outlets at the vanity

The majority of cruise ship bathrooms don’t have standard plugs in them, so you’ll have to use the outlets at the vanity for your hairdryer, straightener, curler, etc. With some older rooms only having two American plugs, you might not want to sacrifice your phone’s health for a night light. Navigator of the Seas, for instance, only has two standard American plugs, in addition to a single European one. 

While newer ships tend to have more charging options, they usually come in the form of USB ports, rather than extra outlets. If you are like me and only have USB-C chargers, these are not too useful; I rely on the actual outlets to charge all of my devices. 

Thankfully, there are night lights out there that are battery-powered. For less than $25, you can purchase one that is also motion sensored! With over 2,000 four- and five-star reviews, it’s a great investment for your next cruise that you can also use when you return home. 

It can be stuck anywhere in the cabin, so you aren’t limited to using it just at the vanity. This means that you can place it in your stateroom’s bathroom, so you do not have to turn the light on at night. Coming from a pitch-black room, the bathroom’s light can be pretty blinding, even if you’re prepared for it. 

Please note that we’ve linked items on Amazon in the article, which contains an affiliate link. This affiliate link costs you absolutely nothing extra, but Royal Caribbean Blog makes a small commission if you purchase the item through the link.

Read more: The clever reason to bring a European power adapter on your cruise ship

What are some other cruise cabin hacks to make your stateroom more functional?

While a night light is a must-have on cruise ships to help better the cabin experience, there are some other items you may want to consider purchasing ahead of time to help make your stateroom as comfortable as possible, even if you only plan on using it as a base to rest and recharge for the next day. 

A shoe organizer, for instance, will help you organize toiletries, shoes, jewelry, and more. If you’re going on a short weekend cruise, you might not find this too useful; however, those on longer voyages will appreciate the additional storage space. 

Plus, it’s easy for staterooms to get messy a few days into the trip. An organizer will help ensure that everyone keeps their belongings in the correct place. 

Wrinkle-release spray is another must for me, especially since steamers and irons are prohibited onboard Royal Caribbean ships. Note that if you try to bring either of these items with you, it’ll be confiscated on embarkation day. You will be able to retrieve it once you disembark. 

I hate walking around in wrinkled clothing, so I travel with a travel-sized bottle to help get out some of the bigger wrinkles. A small bottle is key, as I do not want to take up too much storage space. 

After spraying the item down, I’ll usually place the article of clothing that I want to wear in the bathroom while I shower to help de-wrinkle it as much as possible. 

Finally, packing cubes are a great investment for your upcoming cruise if you don’t already have them. They are truly the packing tool that keeps on giving since you can reuse them for future vacations, whether it’s a weekend trip to the beach or an extended European holiday. 

Not only will they help keep your suitcase organized, but packing cubes will also help reduce the amount of time you spend unpacking. Upon receiving your luggage, simply pull the cubes out and place them inside of drawers or on the racks in the closet. 

The less time you spend unpacking, the more time you get to spend enjoying all of the embarkation day festivities!