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Why jet lag might be the best thing on a northern lights cruise

Waking in the middle of the night can be an advantage.

The northern lights from aboard a Havila ship.

By Louise Goldsbury

Updated April 8, 2025, first published April 6, 2025

Nobody mentions that jet lag ruins the first few days of an overseas cruise. While it sounds like a relaxing way to recover from a long flight, the truth is your afternoons are exhausting and your nights are sleepless.

This isn't a problem on a northern lights cruise, when waking in the middle of the night is an advantage.

I am writing this column at midnight, sitting in my cabin aboard Havila Castor in northern Norway, after witnessing the glorious aurora borealis for the first time.

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I had just woken from a post-dinner snooze when the captain made an announcement. Pulling open the curtains, I saw a grey mist, which is how "the lights" often appear to the naked eye. A quick photo on my iPhone revealed a blurry green haze across the horizon.

I raced up to the top deck for a clearer view. The different light was noticeable but more colourfully visible in my photos. Glowing shades of emerald and magenta lit up the starry sky in blurry clouds, beaming rays and streaking ribbons. It was magical, especially so given I was wide awake for it.

Night-time snowmobile adventures.

Tomorrow, I have a snowmobile excursion departing at 2am. This would be a crazy notion on a normal day, but it fits in perfectly with my abnormal sleeping patterns.

Jet-lagged Aussies are the ideal candidates for once-in-a-lifetime polar night adventures. An afternoon nap and we're ready to go. We can go back to bed after breakfast, as there's nothing to do the next day.

Havila Voyages has almost no entertainment or activities on its fleet of four coastal ships, except for facilities such as saunas and hot tubs. It's all about lazy days, reading books or admiring the fjords from the observation bar.

I'm thrilled I don't have a busy schedule or full-day tours. Once or twice a day, the crew conduct talks about the local sights, but most people skip them. The most excitement is an impromptu party on the promenade deck, dancing and waving flags when we pass another Havila ship.

The line's hybrid vessels follow a ferry route, stopping every few hours to pick up passengers or supplies. If I'm up at 3am or 4am, I peer out the window, enchanted by snow-covered fishing ports or fairytale villages in the dark, hoping that I might see the northern lights again.

Finally, jet lag has its rewards.

MYTHBUSTER: Water is not safe to drink on cruises

The tap water in your cabin's bathroom is clean, filtered and safe to drink. And no, it is not recycled toilet water. Most cruise-ship water is desalinated sea water, which has been processed through an onboard filtration system. Some ships use reverse-osmosis for desalination, while other systems involve steam evaporation to turn saltwater into distilled water. If preferred, you can buy bottled water at the bars or bring your own in sealed bottles. Ice is also made onboard from the treated drinking water and monitored to the same health standards as food on the ship.