Cool way to suprise the kids for Christmas?????

[happycruiser1942]

we have booked a cruise for next summer (June 2010) for our 4 teenage kids for Christmas this year. This will be the first cruise for all of them. Looking for ideas on ways to surprise them with it Christmas morning

[flounder315]

Buy each of them a bathing suit, snorkle, mask & fins, summer hat, sunglasses, all that kind of stuff and wrap them individually. Then after they are all opened, have the kids unwrap one big present toether (maybe a picture of the ship you will be sailing on, with the dates) :D

[Kunane]

Not sure what your budget is...but this is very cool.

http://www.handcraftedmodelships.com/carnival-destiny-model-cruise-ship.php

 

Apparently there are lots of ships you can get. Just google it. The link I provided is just an example.

[ronirp]

We did the same thing a few years back - we planned a disney cruise and a disney vacation - each child got a book. They were so disappointed when they saw the wrapped gifts (a book is not a fund gift) - but we gave one child the cruise book and the other the disney park guide - that is how they found out and they had the tools to plan their vacation!

You should have seen their faces when they discovered what those books were and figured it out! My teen daughter started screaming! It was a very memorable holiday.

[Rockportgirl]

I surprised DH with tickets for his birthday one year. I bought a blow up Fun Ship Freddie, taped the tickets in an envelope to his hands and wrapped it. His face opening that box was priceless.

 

Then they'd have a Fun Ship Freddie to look at until the trip... :rolleyes:

[Jods00]

Buy them some small gifts like above post, include underwater disposable camera for each. Then for the big present a countdown clock. Remember when the were young they would count down to Christmas. Now they can count down to Cruise. along the countdown you can have mini milestones, such as holidays, birthdays, spring break, last day of school, etc.

 

Have this be like the christmas countdown calendars, but put a little money in each days pocket that will go towards their spending on the cruise. Wish I would have taken a pic of our countdown to Disneyland calendar. hopefully you get the idea. The kids loved this because not only did they get a vacation but they also got their own spending money.

[Sherrybaby412]

I surprised DH with tickets for his birthday one year. I bought a blow up Fun Ship Freddie, taped the tickets in an envelope to his hands and wrapped it. His face opening that box was priceless.

 

Then they'd have a Fun Ship Freddie to look at until the trip... :rolleyes:

 

Funship FReddy scares me. :eek: I'd be scared looking at him.lol

 

These are good ideas. I like the idea of cameras and snorkels. Our next cruise is no surprise but I'm buying my daughter snorkeling gear for Christmas.

[Rockportgirl]

Just for you, Sherrybaby :D

 

[Jods00]

forgot to add the money was not put in the pockets all at once it was added on a weekly basis as time went by. Also motivated the kids to do well in school and behave. If they were not good no money went in the pockets that week. Some of the pockets can be filled with fun stuff/ items as well.

[LorrieB]

I love all these ideas. I wish I could surprise my husband with a cruise but he is pretty observant to everything and anyway, I can't keep a secret!!!!!!!!! :eek:

[LorrieB]

Just for you, Sherrybaby :D

 

Hey Rockport Girl..... will miss you on the Conquest when we go in November. Boy was the last one an interesting and fun cruise, Hurricane Ike Cruise!!!!!!!!!

[Rockportgirl]

Hey Rockport Girl..... will miss you on the Conquest when we go in November. Boy was the last one an interesting and fun cruise, Hurricane Ike Cruise!!!!!!!!!

 

Yes, the Hurricane Ike cruise. The reason we're not going until AFTER hurricane season this time. LOL

 

Have a great time and take care of her for us! :)

[Sherrybaby412]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

 

[Keithww]

I created a video that contained all the big information about our cruise. I included Deck plans, videos of the rooms, Pics of ports, hotels for pre and post cruise stays. Santa left it and we watched in Christmas morning.

[minnesotalady]

Funship FReddy scares me. :eek: I'd be scared looking at him.lol

 

These are good ideas. I like the idea of cameras and snorkels. Our next cruise is no surprise but I'm buying my daughter snorkeling gear for Christmas.

 

Sherrybaby, good idea. We leave Christmas Day afternoon for Orlando, 12/26/2009 on the Dream. Not a big surprise but am going to buy our daughter snorkeling gear for Christmas. She can put right in her suitcase. Thanks!

[busymama3]

Just for you, Sherrybaby :D

 

LOL, that really is kind of creepy!

[yogi2929]

Buy them some small gifts like above post, include underwater disposable camera for each. Then for the big present a countdown clock. Remember when the were young they would count down to Christmas. Now they can count down to Cruise. along the countdown you can have mini milestones, such as holidays, birthdays, spring break, last day of school, etc.

 

Have this be like the christmas countdown calendars, but put a little money in each days pocket that will go towards their spending on the cruise. Wish I would have taken a pic of our countdown to Disneyland calendar. hopefully you get the idea. The kids loved this because not only did they get a vacation but they also got their own spending money.

 

forgot to add the money was not put in the pockets all at once it was added on a weekly basis as time went by. Also motivated the kids to do well in school and behave. If they were not good no money went in the pockets that week. Some of the pockets can be filled with fun stuff/ items as well.

 

It can be made out of an over the door shoe holder that can then be used on the cruise! Wow! I'm usually not this creative:).

[Crazy4Koko]

we have booked a cruise for next summer (June 2010) for our 4 teenage kids for Christmas this year. This will be the first cruise for all of them. Looking for ideas on ways to surprise them with it Christmas morning

 

 

 

How about making some sign and sail cards to depict the ones they will get?

 

 

Maybe wrap up some towel animals in some boxes?

[MoreMilesPlease]

Why not design them t-shirts they can wear till the cruise. A good gift and cruise related.

 

http://carnival.victorydyo.com/

[BaseballMomof4]

We did that for our first cruise as well. I bought each kid a piece of luggage and put swim trunks, sun block, that kind of stuff inside the luggage along with their "ticket" and wrapped the luggage and had them all open their gift at the same time.

[smileyone]

One Christmas, we received a cruise as a surprise (3 of us). It started out as one very large wrapped present that was to one person from Santa. That person opened it and found another wrapped box inside with someone elses name on it. He passed it to that person and they opened it to find another wrapped box inside with someone else's name on it. It when on like this for about 20 boxes. The names were never in the same order. Sometimes the same person would be named on the next box. It was really fun because we didn't have a clue what was going on or who's name would come up next. The last box had all our names on it and contained some homemade cruise tickets.

[imsulin]

Maybe some kind of scavenger type hunt? Our five kids thought they were getting a puppy for Christmas, , so we put "clues" into each stocking, picture of cute puppy directing them to go to look under a particular bed- found second clue Milkbone directing them to look in dirty laundry basket, where they found third clue dog collar with clue directing them to look in basement under the couch. Found dog bowl directing them to go across the street to the neighbor's garage (we'd pre-arranged with them) where they found the world's cutest mutt pound-rescue puppy ALONG WITH a big pile of Disneyland T-shirts, posters, Disney stuffed animals, and a big stuffed Mickey holding a hand-made sign saying "Disneyland this summer!". Now, this was in 1987, pre-internet, 18 hour drive to LA, and had to order Disney stuff by phone. They'd gotten so worked up by the puppy anticipation, that they were completely surprised by the Disney trip! It really was fun!

[Jods00]

OK I LOVE ALL THESE IDEAS!!! I am going to have to steal some. to the original poster, you will need to tell us what you end up doing.

[Ave43]

What a fun idea! There's no way for me to keep a cruise a secret at this point from my kids. I am here and on other cruising pages too much, they would notice.

 

BTW, Funship Freddy is creepy, but not as much as the Burger King dude.....:eek:

 

Enjoy planning the surprise!

 

 

Ave

[Muumuu]

For Christmas every year I book a cruise for myself, 2 daughters and 2 grandsons. It is no longer a suprise. However, just today booked a new route for the Miracle. That will suprise them.

Good thing about this besides to calm my addiction, is one call and ALL my holiday shopping is done. DONE!!!!!!!! I love it.