A hangover on a ship is a slightly different affair than on land, put bluntly, it's worse. The floor is moving. The corridors are long. Someone nearby has ordered fried calamari at 11am. In the distance, a cheerful cruise director is announcing line dancing class is in 15 minutes.

If you have been slightly over-exuberant at the bar the night before, here are a few tried and tested ways to survive the day after without spending it face down in your cabin.

1. Become serious about water

Your cabin will lie to you. You wake up, feel a bit rough, look at the small bottle of branded room-temperature water by the bed and think “that'll do”. It will not.

Before you even attempt breakfast or conversation, drink a proper amount of water. Refill the carafe. Ask your cabin attendant for extra. Order a jug via room service if you must. Electrolyte sachets are worth suitcase space if you are frequently prone to “just one more” in the lounge.

The aim is to give your body a fighting chance before you introduce coffee, gently rocking staircases or sunlight.

2. Treat your breakfast like physiotherapy

The buffet is both friend and enemy here. If you arrive hungry and fragile, it will cheerfully hand you six rashers of bacon, three pastries and a small portion of regret.

Think in stages. Start with something simple and wet. Fruit, yoghurt, even cereal. Then add protein that is not wearing a visible layer of grease. Eggs in some form, maybe a small portion of beans. Keep your full English instincts on a short leash.

Coffee is allowed, but perhaps not the triple espresso you ordered with confidence the day before. Ease in with a latte, then see if you can still read your own cruise card without shaking.

3. Find your hangover spot on board

Every ship has a place that feels designed for the slightly delicate. Your job is to locate it.

You are looking for somewhere with natural light, fresh air nearby and a horizon you can fix on while your inner ear negotiates with last night's choices. The promenade deck is ideal. So is a quiet corner of the observation lounge with a clear view through big windows.

Avoid loud atriums, enclosed show lounges and anywhere that smells strongly of food. A comfy chair, a long view and a glass of water you did not have to fetch yourself will do more for you than any miracle cure.

4. Move, but do not try to impress anyone

There's always one person who claims that “a good run on the treadmill sorts me out”. Unless you are that person at home, do not attempt to become them at sea.

What does help is gentle, aimless movement. A slow lap or three of the promenade deck. A wander up to the bow to stare at the sea. A short, non-competitive climb up the stairs rather than taking the lift every time.

The ship is going to move whether you like it or not. You might as well move with it in a way that tells your body this is still a normal day, just one with slightly more self-reflection than usual.

5. Book the spa for future you, not last-night you

If your ship has a thermal suite or spa area, this is the moment to use it sensibly. Warm tiled loungers, a quiet whirlpool, a steam room you enter for five minutes rather than forty five. All of these are fine.

What is less wise is signing up for a heroic gym class or a full-body hot stone extravaganza when you already feel as if your head is about to explode. Keep it short, gentle and heavy on the “lying still” segments.

And again, water. You are in may be in a robe, but you are not magically hydrated.

6. Be shameless about tactical napping

One of the underrated luxuries of a cruise is that everything you need is within five minutes of your bed. Use that to your advantage.

After breakfast and a bit of air, give yourself permission to go back to the cabin and lie down with the curtains slightly open. Put the “do not disturb” sign on. Set an alarm so you don't accidentally sleep through to the following day.

You do not get extra points for pushing through every trivia quiz and craft session. Coming back to life at 3pm is far more useful than heroically suffering through a lecture on whales that you're not likely to remember.

7. Help tomorrow you, tonight

The most effective hangover hack is unfortunately the least glamorous. You have to plan for it before it exists.

If you know you have an early excursion, decide in advance how many drinks you are prepared to have, and then try, loosely, to stick to that number. Alternate alcoholic drinks with water. Think twice before combining every cocktail on the menu into one personal tasting flight.

Have (at least) one glass of water before bed, my personal preference is two' leaving a third on the bedside table. If you really want to feel like someone who has life under control, lay out painkillers and take them in the morning with food.

Your future self, blinking at the cabin ceiling as the ship noses into port, will be grateful.

None of this is especially glamorous. It will, however, make the difference between “slightly tender but still functioning” and “On day 2, I saw the inside of my cabin bathroom and nothing else”.

If all else fails, there is always the time-honoured cure: hair of the dog, it might not be a permanent solution, but that's tomorrow-you's problem. You've got to make the most of that drinks package somehow...