Getting a good night's sleep is important, even on a cruise vacation.
I usually sleep very well on Royal Caribbean ships, but admittedly, I prefer a firm mattress.
Everyone has their own personal preference when it comes to beds, so I'm not surprised when some people claim the beds are too firm to their taste.
Longtime cruisers know there's a special request you can make if you need another option, but you need to know to ask for it.
You can ask for a mattress topper
If your cruise ship cabin bed is too hard, you can ask your stateroom attendant for a mattress topper.
There's a limited supply of these, where the stateroom attendant will place one underneath your bed sheets to provide a little more padding.
While it won't transform your bed into a heavenly fluffy pillow, it might help just a little. Cruisers have described them as a very thick quilt, an egg foam mattress topper, or a mattress pad.
Some ships do actually have a memory foam pad. All ships have different toppers sometimes its an egg crate, sometimes its the nice foam ones.
It's been my experience has been if you find the mattress is too hard, asking for a topper has been worth asking for.
The problem is they can run out, so you'll need to act quickly.
There's only a limited supply, and after the first night on the ship, enough people will complain to probably get one.
There's no cost to ask for one, but you need to act quickly.
You can request a mattress topper before your cruise begins
While I've always waited to ask for a mattress topper once onboard, you could submit the request before the cruise begins.
Royal Caribbean has a special needs form that you can fill out up to 30 days before your cruise begins. This form is really meant for medical needs, but it allows for a mattress topper too.
Alternatively, you can email [email protected] with the request.
Their response will be something like this:
"Thank you for contacting the Access Department regarding the accommodations for your upcoming cruise.
To accommodate your back conditions, we will provide a two-inch-thick micro-fiber pillow top at no additional cost. This item will be placed in your stateroom on the day of sailing. Please note, we no longer provide egg crate mattresses for sanitary reasons."
You just need to provide your ship name, sail date, and reservation number.
DIY approach
If they run out, you could make your bed a little more comfortable with a spare comforter.
You can ask your stateroom attendant for an extra blanket to put under the sheet, and that will provide a little extra cushion.
It's a good alternative if they run out of toppers by the time you ask.
Bring one from home
Rather than play a game of roulette with which topper you'll get, some cruisers have begun bringing their own.
"You can bring your own on! I recommend getting a space bag and a hand pump so you can make it really small to fit in your luggage," is what pundromeda recommends.
Another cruiser shared their strategy of bringing their own, "We bring our own (2 twins). The room steward is happy to put it on the bed for us. At the end of the cruise, we just roll them up and put them in their own duffle bag. Ready for next cruise."
While I've never brought my own, many cruisers recommend the Klymit sleeping pad as an option. (Link contains affiliate link, which costs you nothing extra but I make a small commission if you buy it)
You can also ask for a fan
Something else that might help you sleep better is to ask your stateroom attendant for a fan.
A fan can serve two purposes: cooling you down and providing white noise.
Royal Caribbean won't let you bring appliances on a cruise ship for fire hazard reasons, but they do have fans you can borrow.
There's a limited supply of large standing fans that guests can use for the duration of the cruise.
Alternatively, you could bring a USB powered fan, such as this one. (Link contains affiliate link, which costs you nothing extra but I make a small commission if you buy it)
Suite guests get softer mattresses
Something else worth noting is if you're in a suite on some ships, you can expect a better mattress.
As part of the Royal Suite Class benefits available on the Oasis, Icon, and Quantum Class cruise ships, Royal Caribbean includes "Luxury Pillow Top Mattress and Linen" in the cabin.
It's available for Sea, Sky, and Star Class rooms.
