Cruise Countdown Ideas

[Livabeth]

Hi everyone,

 

We leave for our first family cruise in about 75 days (and counting)!! I want to start a countdown with my two girls (age 9 and 5) to create excitement and have some fun.

 

Does anyone have any ideas and suggestions for countdown fun?? I have heard of the chain idea that many going to Disney have used, but I'm looking for something different since we used this 2 years ago for our Disney trip. Something with a cruise theme would be great ... but I will take any suggestions!!

 

Thanks.

[crusinmama06]

I design a 30 countdown calendar with the girls. It literally just starts with day 30 and on the cruise day, the picture is a ship or Mickey or something like that.

 

You can have the girls cut out pictures and make their own calendar.

 

You can draw the square and blocks that make up the calendar or you can do what I do and use my computer to draw that part.

 

Every morning they wake up and put X's on their own calendars.

[szubieta]

75 days out and lots to do. We are under 63 days and found that our son (5yr old) gets board just crossing off days on the calender, so I vamped it. Every thing I can think of for the cruise is listed every few days or so. Like looking for toys to take, going shopping for decorations for our stateroom, clothes shopping, snack shopping and so on. We even had my sisters Alaskan cruise and VBS week on it. He still gets a little board though. I know when it get down to find toys to take and packing on the calendar, he'll really perk up.

Have a great cruise!

[sunandseagirl617]

We use a "kitty calendar" for my 8 yo. It starts at 45 days and its sticker themed.....typically "Princess stickers" because thats what we usually cruise...

 

This year its Independence and Freedom so we found red, white, and blue stickers (left over from 4th of July). Each week we schedule a red, white, and blue task for the cruise, such as tape, streamers, bathing suits, markers or colored paper!

 

Right now, she gets either red, white, or blue sticker for a chore, such as making her bed, feeding the cats, hanging her towel, walking the dog...?:D Loading the dishwasher...OK, I know but if I have to work so hard to cruise, the kids can too!:)

[Livabeth]

Hi everyone,

 

I thought I would update everyone on the Countdown Idea that I am using with my two girls. Using a diecutter I cut out 30 images of ships, suitcases and an airplane. On each image I put the date and how many days before we cruise. On the back of each image, there is fun info regarding things we have planned or need to do to get ready for the cruise. On some images I have put challenges for the girls to do to get "cruise dollars" that they can spend while away. (such as clean you room, read for 20 minutes, etc.). We have posted the images in our office/temporary "cruise prep/packing" room. The girls are having so much fun and look forward to removing each picture and counting down.

 

I find the time planning and getting excited before a vacation is almost as fun (in a different way) than the vacation.

 

Livabeth

 

P.S. I've never posted a picture before, so I apologize for the small size.

[mcfam5]

I love the diecut countdown idea! Very, very cute! We are about 65 days out for our next adventure on the seas so I may be stealing your idea!

 

:)

[tammyrs]

I havent even started to think about this yet...

However, with your suggestions,

I think I will print an 8x10 or larger, and make 30 to 45 squares, so they can pull a square off as the days pass.

 

That way, when the ship is all visable: We are cruising!

[Giggles2007]

I am looking at all of your ideas and thought about my own crew. Since this will be their first cruise, I thought about trying to make it exciting. I believe that I am more excited than they are. Sometimes I see a commercial or something in a store and find myself having what we call a "cruise moment". Where I am going on and on about the cruise. The kids don't get as excited so I need an idea to build up the excitement.

[ncmomof2]

For preteen and teens

 

While I have no trouble getting my preteen excited about a cruise (she takes after her mom :p ), I might think about all the "extras" preteens and teens might be interested in (sodas, virgin drinks, smoothies, spa treatments for girls, etc -- just what depends on the cruise), mention them to get them interested, tell them they'll have an expense account of $XX.XX and if they want more than that they can earn it between now and then. And reward them with "coupons" for various extras for whatever make sense to you -- doing chores, going above and beyond regular chores, getting good grades, displaying less attitude than usual :rolleyes:... Or whatever pieces of the above make sense to you...

 

I know my preteen loves looking at port and excursion info, pix of the ship, etc with me -- but like I said, she's already in to it. But maybe yours would be more interested in port info/choosing excursions than ship info?

 

I hope something in there helps!

[SanzD]

I use something like a Christmas ADvent calendar for my 3yr old. I went to the local scrapbook store and found a bag of vacation/beach die cuts. Put them in pockets attached to a 12x12 card stock paper. Each day my son would pull a shape from the calendar and we would glue it (I used a sticker type backing that he would peel off) to the outer edges of the 12x12 paper. Then when we returned home from the ship we blewup a picture of him from vacation and put it in the middle of the art project we created and hung it.

 

Now he has a kid-made frame and corresponding picture from vacation. he loves it!