Need ideas for "Sail Away" party/luau night before we cruise!!

[gassmandy]

We sail on the Nov. 29th 7 day Eastern and I want to throw a "bon voyage" type dinner party the night before for all of my family--all 22 of us going!!! I have the recipe for the Konk Cooler--courtesy of this board but I need some ideas for decorations, food, etc. Maybe even a cool idea for an invitation??? This is the first time that ALL of us (my parents, my 6 siblings, and the 6 grandkids so far) have been on vacation together so I want it to be fun!!! Any suggestions/ideas are welcomed!! The only thing on my paper in front of me so far is the drink recipe and "shrimp cocktail." And that was my mother's idea! Thank you for any help!!!

 

[Wishing on a star]

I would love to have a big BonVoyage party before we cruise... But, for several reasons. Doesn't look like it is meant to be.

I am just full of ideas though! I would set it up like a 'preview' of the cruise. Get a Disney/ DCL image online to print up your invitations. Or, perhaps they could look similar to a 'Ticket' for the cruise.

Set up your entry to resemble a cruise. Make a large WELCOME sign, with your party's name and cruise date, etc... Perhaps even use ribbon to set up a kind of entry queue....

any PartyStore/PaperFactory/Etc. will have tropical decorations.... If you dont already happen to have real palm type trees (Ohhhh you do live in FL!!!!), you can even get large paper ones to make your deck/patio/or outdoor area look tropical and festive. How about stringing up some lights and/or flags etc to look very nautical and festive.

Set up a large table that would resemble a nice cruise spread, you know, nice tablecloths, etc... with a huge centerpiece or decoration made from things like tropical fruits, etc....

Would you happen to have a friend, a High-Schooler who babysits, or anyone else who would be able to perhaps dress the part and help to 'serve' at your party.... That would be way cool!!!

I would definately have some great music... Depending on your preference, you could go "laVida Mickey", "Low key Caribbean", "Mexican fiesta - (if you were going on the Western...), etc.. We have a 4-nite Bahamas cruise planned - and I am definatley ready to party - so I would crank up "Who Let The Dogs Out!!!" Conga like stuff for sure!

You didn't mention what 'syle' you would prefer. What kind of budget, etc... But I hope this helps get some ideas going for you!

 

[Verandah Man]

How is this for the front of an invitation for a DCL Sail Away Party?

 

[gassmandy]

Verandah Man--how would I be able to print that up??? I'm awful w/ computers!!! It's so cool!!
Wishing on a Star--awesome ideas!!! We are actually doing some landscaping soon(lots of Queen Palms!!) so I'm thinking of stringing some lights.........Loved the ticket type invitation--may have to combine that w/ Verandah Man's graphics!!!
Thanks guys!!!!

 

[Verandah Man]

Originally posted by gassmandy
Verandah Man--how would I be able to print that up??? I'm awful w/ computers!!! It's so cool!!
Wishing on a Star--awesome ideas!!! We are actually doing some landscaping soon(lots of Queen Palms!!) so I'm thinking of stringing some lights.........Loved the ticket type invitation--may have to combine that w/ Verandah Man's graphics!!!
Thanks guys!!!!

Send me an e-mail to me at apwalters55@comcast.net and I will e-mail the design to you. In the subject line write Sail Away Invitation.

 

[MushusRSXtypeS]

oky I'd like to give a shot on this thread

As for an entrance you could always make a balloon arch, they may look complicated to do but its really quite simple. You'll definately need helpers doing this though. The colors of the balloon arch are usually 3 just to so that it looks really nice. And they can range from any size depending on how many balloons you would like to use. And as everyone joins the festivities you could give each one of them leis! Either the plastic ones, flower ones, or you could make candy leis. It's made from cellophane, ribbon, and your favorite candy! Typically the small individually wrapped ones work best and hey if the kids get hungry they can eat them too!

In addition to stringing up lights, you could use tikki torches!

If you have additional party tables you could make small centerpieces for them.
--Such as a small glass bowl with a real live fish inside and balloons tied around the top of the bowl.
--Or you could have a small glass bowl with a real fish and floating candle on top. No worries, the fish will be fine.
-- Or you could use an actual fish bowl, make some blue jello, put it in there to resemble the water. Add some fruit salad to resemble the "rocks", add a small fake fish made of plastic inside and place it back inside the fridge. The fish have to be positioned in a way that the will stay the right way when the jello solidifies otherwise you might have a bowl of jello with all your fish "floating on top."
--Another centerpiece could be a glass bowl with a wide mouth fill it with sand, seashells, and tealight candles. Or if you want it to be edible, use that same glass bowl with a wide mouth add brown sugar to resemble the sand and chocolates that resemble seashells! Keep in mind each of these ideas are meant to be small centerpieces and can be given to your guests as favors too but obviously they can also be done on a much larger scale if you only want one main centerpiece.

You could utilize placecards like labels you can design on your computer and then put on sturdy paper while kids can have decorative cupcakes with a toothpick and their names on a mickey.

Also at the table you could have little favor for your family to take home. Now since this party is right before your cruise, it should be something they could all use right! So why not use bubbles! Get the small ones, like those wedding bubbles. Itll be great for when your cruise begins to leave! If you want to make the bubbles look kind of fancy. Then simply wrap the bubbles in tull at the top with a ribbon and it looks great! You could even add a little tag on it too that says the event, the date and anything else you want.

If you decide to have a punch bowl you could cut fruit such as apples, kiwis, etc "width wise" into the shapes of flowers and they will float! Keep in mind they should be cut thin but not too thin, otherwise it will look for a lack of better words "cheesy."


Finally, throughout the party you could incorporate hidden mickeys!

Well whatever you decide to do, all that really matters is that everyone has fun! Happy Sailing!

 

[gassmandy]

So many great ideas!! The hardest part will be choosing which ones to use!

 

[Favorite Auntie]

I will be cruisin with you! My parents, nephew, and I will be packing while you are partying the night before. Sounds like a great idea and I am sure it will be so much fun, especially with the vacation adreniline flowing through everyone's veins!

 

[MBFergie]

check out www.orientaltrading.com to get some great decorations!

 

[gassmandy]

Thanks MBFergie--that was a great web site!!

 

[izzinmac]

Mandy,
Hope you don't mind! I invited everone from the 11/29/03 post to the party!
Love,
Dad
(Revenge is wonderful-remember all those house parties you had when we were gone!)

 

[Wishing on a star]

LOL!!!!!!

Your history of Disney trips is tooooo funny!

 

[gassmandy]

That's okay dad cause mom just gave me your credit card to use to fund the ENTIRE party!!!!!