This Clever Cruise Hack Offers Instant Privacy For Fussy Kids Who Have To Share A Room

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Sometimes, kids just need space. They want their own rooms, their own books, their own headphones to seal out the world. Some kids have no desire to share or participate, even on vacation, while others may just need an extended break from family obligations. Grade-schoolers want to plug into Minecraft and not be bothered. Teens want to lie around and decompress. Above all, they just want to untether themselves from their siblings, who can be so annoying. At home, families tend to work these needs out — providing separate rooms, scheduling screen-time, and sending kids outside to get some fresh air.

On a cruise ship, separating siblings gets a little more complicated. Even the best cabins can feel confined, and some are downright cave-like. Nothing feels private or secluded, and "going outside" means stepping into a well-trafficked hallway, which leads to a crowded deck or common space. The same amenities that liberate adults — bars, dance floors, lounging under the sun with a smoothie in hand — are basically meaningless to children, and even the family-friendliest cruises can overwhelm younger passengers. Cruises often come with jet lag, strange foods, boring adults, sunburns, and seasickness, and all a kid may want is to veg out with a favorite stuffy.

One solution: Use a curtain to divvy up the cabin and create personal space. One traveler on TikTok, @travelwisefamily, advises using magnetic hooks, which stick to the cabin's ceiling. The ceilings in cruise ship cabins often have steel frames, attracting magnets. Once the hooks are affixed, you can hang your curtain and cordon off a separate "room." You could easily add this to a list of hacks cruise passengers use to acclimate to a ship.

A curtain isn't exactly soundproof, and some are nearly transparent, but just the hint of a partition can be a huge relief for kids. They can feel some control of their "rooms," sorting through their belongings and souvenirs however they like. Like a favorite blanket, this kind of enclosure may help them fall asleep as well. Resting is a crucial element of staying on a cruise ship that can make or break your trip, and that goes for kids and adolescents as well as grown-ups.

Speaking of grown-ups, the curtain works both ways: You can separate feuding siblings, and you can also get a hint of alone time. Family members have a little more room to change clothes or groom themselves without fighting over the cabin's bathroom. If someone wants to read or watch a movie late into the evening, some thicker curtains will soften the light and sound.

Magnetic curtain hooks, such as this Grtard 10 Pack from Amazon, are extremely affordable, and inexpensive curtains are easy to find as well, in just about any color or size. Now, will the cabin have magnetic surfaces in exactly the right parts of its ceiling? Hard to say. If you like the concept but want to play it safe, a bed tent may also do the trick. This is just one guideline for surviving cruises with kids.