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How "disruptive" is the light aspect of summer Norway cruising?


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I know that the scenery, etc. is wonderful, but I'm somewhat concerned about the whole circadian rhythm situation. E.g. I'm a particularly bad jet-lagger, and my husband is in his late 80's and needs regular sleep. Neither us has been able to sleep very well with eye-masks. I'm wondering whether the disorientation of having day-light for so many hours will be uncomfortable or unhealthy for us. I intend to ask my physician as well, but am also interested in getting feedback from those of you have experienced this kind of travel.

 

Thank you.

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Well it may be different from what you are used to but it is certainly not "dangerous". And it really depends on how far north you go. In the south of Norway you will still have the simmer dim. After all remember 100 of thousands of people live in areas where it does not get completely dark during the summer. I would more concerned if you were going during the winter when it never gets light.

 

If you can nap during the day it would be just the same although that being said even for me it was quite strange when we had three days of daylight during my cruise up past the Artic circle.

 

Maybe it's because what I am used to but it's not a big issue. So much so I could NEVER have an inside cable as it being dark all the time freaks me out.

 

If you are that concerned would an Inside cabin be an option?

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Inside cabin is pitch dark, so no problem at all there. I've never used an outside so I don't know how thick the curtains are.

 

Alternatively, travel in September. (Or March, but September's warmer.) On September 21st, the daylight hours are the same as they are at home.

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I appreciate the replies.

 

Inside cabin not an option on Regent (nor would I want one; I'm a bit claustrophobic.) It's a different situation for people who live in that kind of environment; one becomes accustomed. Have never been able to nap during the day-- wish I could! We'll be above the Circle and in northern Norway (as well as more south).

Actually, the disruption in circadian rhythms can be dangerous (and of course sleeplessness as well). I had potent hallucinations coming back from Australia/New Zealand one time (other times were ok). As I'm nearing 80, with health less than stellar, these things give me more pause. Haven't gotten around to asking physician yet....

 

The itinerary on Regent (not interested in trying another cruise line at this point) is late June, early July.

 

At approaching age 90, the last thing my husband needs is to get out of his comfort zone; enjoyed doing that kind of thing back in the day.

 

Really do appreciate the input. Thank you.

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We love the long days. In London in the summer it gets dark around 22.00, but in Norway it doesn't get really dark until around 01.00.

 

We have been to southern Norway twice in mid June and Iceland and Arctic Circle in July. We enjoyed eating our dinner around 20.30 and it was still light two hours later when we were finishing off.

 

We had a balcony cabin this year in Norway and we weren't bothered at all.

 

 

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For most of us on these Boards, it's likely not an issue but when you have difficulty sleeping and other health challenges, it could be a different story for you and your husband. Having said that, I personally think the long transatlantic flight is likely to be more disruptive than the long days/short nights. However, I think you're wise to check with your doctor and see what he/she advises. Good luck and hope you're able to take the cruise. It's a beautiful part of the world.

 

Susan

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The curtains in the outside cabins are usually black-out curtains, but depending on the ship and furnishings, you may end up with some light leaking in around the edges. It could be a problem if you're extremely light-sensitive, but I find that most ships' curtains do a fairly good job.

 

I'm not really sure that people really become accustomed to the light concerns. We just find ways to deal with it. Even here in Oslo, which is far south of the Arctic Circle and its promise of 24-hour daylight, many people (including native Norwegians) do struggle with light issues. The bigger problem is dealing with the winter darkness and seasonal affective disorder, so there are a lot of light therapy options available. The daylight tends to be less of a problem, because it's more easily solved by putting up black-out curtains in the bedroom. I used to have some issues with the early summer sunrise (especially when getting over jet lag), but it stopped being much of a problem once I put up some light-blocking curtains.

 

Since the cabin likely already has them, the bigger issue will be that you can't tell the time of day by the sun. It becomes easy to stay up too late, and the sunlight tricks your brain into thinking it should keep going. Always keep an eye on the clock in the evening, and be sure that you turn in at a reasonable hour. If you find that you're having trouble adjusting, consider spending the last few hours of the evening in your cabin with the curtains drawn or in a windowless part of the ship (e.g. the theater, casino, interior lounge, etc).

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I know that the scenery, etc. is wonderful, but I'm somewhat concerned about the whole circadian rhythm situation. E.g. I'm a particularly bad jet-lagger, and my husband is in his late 80's and needs regular sleep. Neither us has been able to sleep very well with eye-masks. I'm wondering whether the disorientation of having day-light for so many hours will be uncomfortable or unhealthy for us. I intend to ask my physician as well, but am also interested in getting feedback from those of you have experienced this kind of travel.

 

Thank you.

I cannot sleep on planes and am always jet-lagged when I arrive to wherever. I frequently travel to Russia and have no issues with the light - I just cannot adjust to the time differential. I take ambien which helps me adjust to the time change and get some much needed sleep. Perhaps you can ask your physician about a sleep aid for this cruise?

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The curtains in the outside cabins are usually black-out curtains, but depending on the ship and furnishings, you may end up with some light leaking in around the edges. It could be a problem if you're extremely light-sensitive, but I find that most ships' curtains do a fairly good job.

 

I'm not really sure that people really become accustomed to the light concerns. We just find ways to deal with it. Even here in Oslo, which is far south of the Arctic Circle and its promise of 24-hour daylight, many people (including native Norwegians) do struggle with light issues. The bigger problem is dealing with the winter darkness and seasonal affective disorder, so there are a lot of light therapy options available. The daylight tends to be less of a problem, because it's more easily solved by putting up black-out curtains in the bedroom. I used to have some issues with the early summer sunrise (especially when getting over jet lag), but it stopped being much of a problem once I put up some light-blocking curtains.

 

Since the cabin likely already has them, the bigger issue will be that you can't tell the time of day by the sun. It becomes easy to stay up too late, and the sunlight tricks your brain into thinking it should keep going. Always keep an eye on the clock in the evening, and be sure that you turn in at a reasonable hour. If you find that you're having trouble adjusting, consider spending the last few hours of the evening in your cabin with the curtains drawn or in a windowless part of the ship (e.g. the theater, casino, interior lounge, etc).

 

To OP - First, do check with your physician, about both of you.

 

kaisatsu has some good suggestions above.

 

About the blackout curtains, just bring some of the good old duct tape (or painters tape, which tends to come off more easily), and plan to tape closed any areas around the edges where light is leaking in. A few spring-type clothes pins can be used to clip the middle if the curtains don't overlap well enough.

 

When we had our Alaska cruise last year (2016), we were there in late May/mid June, so we were near the peak sunlight hours. We personally were not bothered by the "light", but it was pretty remarkable. In fact, we slept with our curtains wide open. We had a forward-facing suite, with a great view, and we didn't want that blocked out at all.

But for someone with any light sensitivity, it really was dramatic (at least for us).

 

In addition to kaisatsu's suggestion about spending mid/late evening time in interior ship areas, or in your own cabin/suite with proper light blocking, perhaps plan to spend some pre-sleep time reading quietly, or doing what you would be likely to do at home. Or start a couple of weeks earlier, with the reading so you are accustomed to it.

 

We also found any significant jet lag to be *very* troublesome, and we now allow 1-2 completely free days at the start of any distant trip, so we can recover. And we use that time to sleep as much as possible, without regard for the "clock". (Yes, we know this isn't the normal recommendation, but we've found it works for us.)

 

We are heading for a 12-night Hurtigruten cruise in mid-March (best chance of Northern Lights, also a special astromomy-themed cruise), so we don't expect "light" problems, either too much or too little.

We haven't been to 24-hour sun light yet, so it's hard to know how we'd actually do in that extreme. But there was enough "light" last year to make things quite different. It seemed like an endless twilight. And then, it was pre-dawn...

 

Just make sure with your physician that medically, you have the "okay" for this trip.

 

Hope you have a great time!

 

GC

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  • 3 weeks later...

We took a 7 day fjord cruise in late June - so we did not go North of the arctic circle. However since it was near the summer solstice, it was quite light (dusk) 24 hours a day (just for a couple of our most Northern nights). Our curtains were complete blackout curtains, but there was a little light around the edges. The suggestion of tape is a good one, you would not need to tape the whole perimeter just a few places to hold the curtain closed, etc.

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I know that the scenery, etc. is wonderful, but I'm somewhat concerned about the whole circadian rhythm situation. E.g. I'm a particularly bad jet-lagger, and my husband is in his late 80's and needs regular sleep. Neither us has been able to sleep very well with eye-masks. I'm wondering whether the disorientation of having day-light for so many hours will be uncomfortable or unhealthy for us. I intend to ask my physician as well, but am also interested in getting feedback from those of you have experienced this kind of travel.

 

Thank you.

 

On our first trip to Alaska (Princess -- circa 1990), I was very aware of the light issues you're worried about. The blackout curtains did an excellent job of completely blotting out the light except around the edges. Think about the way most curtains are hung on rods and you'll realize that the outside light will show around the edges. That line of light rimming the curtains was enough to disrupt falling asleep in the beginning. The first night, I kept getting out of bed to pull back the curtains and check the scene outside. As the cruise wore on, I learned to tune out the going-to-bed light outside, but the light spill in the AM cause me to wake up at first light. I came back from that Alaskan trip exhausted.

 

Fast forward to today. I live in urban locations where there are bright street lights that to a large extent mimics the light conditions we experienced in Alaska. I have learned to sleep with eye shades. Here is the specific brand I recommend. The curvature of the shades over the eyes makes them every comfortable.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LY0PE8N/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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