Suggestions for surprising my girls?

[lenshanem]

My DD7 has begged to go on a Disney cruise for a few years now. We're surprising her and DD4 at Christmas with our 1/5 cruise.

Any suggestions? I was thinking about wrapping up a countdown chain or calender or making fake "tickets". Any thoughts?

 

[jgalecpa]

I think the countdown calendar, like a so called "Advent" calendar, could be a lot of fun.

Then for the last day have the prize be two "fake" tickets for the cruise.

No matter what you choose, it will the their best xmas ever!!!

Jim

 

[alwayslisad]

How about wrapping up a disney towel - disney bathing suit and other disney items - with the Disney Video of the cruise - and then the fake tickets!

 

[momof2disprincesses]

Just bumping as we too are surprising our 2 dd's (ages 13 & 9) at Christmas with a Jan. 19 cruise.

The countdown chain is a little too "young" for our kids. Any ideas for older kids?

 

[PONYTAIL]

I also want to surprise my DDs 9 and 6. We are going Oct 30th, but since we have have to fly from Quito the day before we´ll have to tell them that day. I was thinking of something like a treasure hunt. We are traveling with some friends so I thought of maybe giving my daughters a key and then the other kids would have a small box, so when they meet they could open the box together, and inside there would be different clues that they would have to solve to know where we are going. Any suggestions?

 

[jgalecpa]

You could give them a piece of luggage for xmas. Which would thoroughly confuse them.

then have them open the pockets and in on have the "ticket"

Jim

 

[graygables]

We are surprising our DDs with our 12/8 cruise on 12/6 (St. Nicholas Day). We always get gifts in our shoes that day anyway, so I bought some sand toys to pack along that I'm putting in their shoes. I also picked up some DCL "coozies" from eBay and am making them t-shirts. I'm "wonder"ing how long it will take it to click!

 

[alwayslisad]

Just bumping as we too are surprising our 2 dd's (ages 13 & 9) at Christmas with a Jan. 19 cruise.

The countdown chain is a little too "young" for our kids. Any ideas for older kids?

How about a scavenger (sp?) hunt - hide some clues and at the end of the hunt is fake tickets ? ! ? !

 

[westjones]

I wanted to surprise my twin DDs on the ship, so I brought along tiaras that I bought ahead of time. Then on formal night I 'crowned' my little princesses. They felt SO special. It was cute.
DJ

 

[lenshanem]

Thanks for all the ideas!

I love the scavenger hunt idea. Now anyone wanna help me think of some clues?

 

[TNTcruise]

Great minds think alike! I too, am surprising my DD11 and one of her friends with the 1/5/06 cruise for Xmas. I ordered 2 Disney cruise brochures online so I can wrap it up with "fake tickets" to open as a present. The brochure has a great CD included so you can see all of the wonderful things you will have in store on the cruise. I like the scavenger hunt idea too. I might have to include it in my plans.

 

[lenshanem]

TNTcruise, that is funny!

I think there might be alot of happy kids on our cruise.

Our county is out of school until 1/10 this year. I was talking to a co-worker about the surprise and she said there was a large group from her neighborhood doing the same cruise and also surprising the kids at Christmas!

Oh and yes, we do have great minds!

 

[imlazar]

My DD7 has begged to go on a Disney cruise for a few years now. We're surprising her and DD4 at Christmas with our 1/5 cruise.

Any suggestions? I was thinking about wrapping up a countdown chain or calender or making fake "tickets". Any thoughts?

On the ship they sell small die-cast versions of the ship itself, it would be great if you could get one of those in advance and wrap it for her.

 

[DIS NURSE]

We, too, are surprising our kids (DD 8 and DS 6) with a 7 night Eastern DCL cruise in November. I have to tell them something the night before to fly all the way across the country or I'll never get them out of bed at 4:30 in the AM! "We are surprising you two with a great vacation to the Florida coast!" ....and we are leaving it at that.

Two days later we will take them to the highest floor of the Ron Jon Caribe Resort and show them the Magic that will have just pulled in on Sat AM and tell them that within the hour we are going to board the ship!

They are gonna have pediatric coronarys!

I plan to get it all on tape!

Little do they know they will be taken to the new Nickelodeon Hotel after their cruise for 5 additional nights!

Little does DD and DS know that they will see their best friends staying at the Yacht Club while we are there!

It's gonna' be FUN FUN FUN

 

[PONYTAIL]

Need some clues for the scavenger hunt too!!!!!

 

[aiken4mickey]

I am also surprising my daughter with a "Wonder"ful cruise Nov 3rd.. we are going with 5 of her best friends and their mothers.!! How great is this going to be??!! I have already made "fake key to the worlds" (and I really out did myself they are too cute) for them to open at some point on the way to FL....My daugther has been surprised 2 other times with the cruise and at least once by a Disney World trip.......so, surprising her this time is going to be a bit harder......but, I think since we have her best friends on route to FL with us (although...we aren't telling them FL is our destination)...she will believe whatever we tell her.......We usually make a picnic stop at the SC/GA state line for a break and snacks....and I think this is where the "key to the world" cards might be brought out......not sure yet on the "How"...but, defientely something that is going to be caught on video or film! I made a CD of the music that I remember from our past cruises.....Sailway party, the shows, and the DCL horn.....we listen to that all the time......she even helped me make it.....and doesn't realize why I made it>

Since this is my daughter's 10th birthday present......I have made invitations for her to give out once on board for her "birthday dinner" that night.......found some really great velum at Michael's and put together a great invitation......and have treat bags ready too........I really have gone "overboard"...sorry.......

Pirate night is another night that I am having fun with too.....I am going to surprise her with a pirate costume to wear that night.....Have bought alot of pirate stuff from Oriental Trading (treasure maps, earrings, boxes, gummies....) planned to come up with some sort of scavenger hunt using the tm to lead them to a large treasure box filled with individual bags of "loot" for each girl.......and will also have small treasure boxes on the table at dinner for them.....BUT>>>>>>>I NEED HELP WITH THE TREASUE MAP IDEA>>>>>>I HAVE BEEN SO CREATIVE UP TO THIS POINT>>>>>I THINK ALL THE CREATIVNESS IS GONE! HELP HELP! We also have 2 mothers celebrating birthdays......I am going to give one of them "black pearl earrings".......don't you think that is fitting for pirate night?? I also need any ideas for making it extra special for the Mom's....one of the mothers is my best friend and partner in crime so I need to work on this with her.

The last night on the boat....well, the big girls are going to Palo....so, the young ones are on their own!

Surprising the kids.........seeing the look on their faces........it's "Wonder"ful and worth all the behind the scenes.......I just can't wait until NOv 3rd (2nd) gets here......so, we can get the party started. Of course, when I get back I will have to answer to my other 3 kids.

 

[alwayslisad]

There are two things that can be done:

1) a scavenger hunt - that you list all kinds of things they have to find and then the child(ren) have to tell you what they all have in common. Which is a blast

or

2) do a rat race - this is even more of a blast - that is the clue race - you give them clue's to find the Present

I have done both - and the scavenger hunt is great when the children are a tad older ( in teens ) since they have to think of where they may have seen the item - and it is a tad harder since parents have to think of DISNEY items to locate!

The rat race is a blast!!! - there you can send them searching for clue's to bring them to the beautifully wrapped DISNEY present.

Scavenger Hunt:
1. Mickey Ears
2. a list of the 7 Dwarfs - & Pics ( they can draw them or get them from magazines)
and so on....

Rat Race:
by placing clues in certain locations - *kitchen/bathroom/basement/pantry/bedrooms - we can come up with clues that will lead them to the gift....

 

[jdybnsn]

Dis Nurse -

We too are surprising our DD4 and DS8 on the day - but they won't actually know till we roll up at the port
Even then we shall probably say that we'll just take a look at the ship, and see how long it takes them to work it out......

They think they are spending the last 4 days of their holiday on the coast (well they are sort of - aren't they ? ) after 10 days in Orlando.

 

[lenshanem]

aiken4mickey gave me an idea. I think I'll do a pirate theme at Christmas. I was gonna get them pirate costumes this month and planned on wrapping them up anyway. I think I'll pick up some other pirate items for clues leading up to a treasure box with fake tickets! EXCELLENT!

 

[logan1_2000]

Clues for a scavenger hunt? That's a tough one. A pretty bow and a picture of a stern face for the Bow and the Stern? A glass of Port...oh wait, these are kids...

I surprised DW for her 12/23 birthday one year, the 7 nt. cruise was embarking 1/11 (she is not the type for whom I would have dared pack, even w/ the assistance of her sister and best friend...gotta know your audience). Wrote a poem, decorated the printout w/ disney clipart, and then presented her w/ a decorated 3 ring binder filled w/ color printouts of the menus, the navigators for our itinerary, all sorts of info, the doc's had arrived and were tossed in there...

For this winter, DS does not know about the 1/2 cruise we have on RCCL, and not gonna tell him. Going to get him out of the house on 1/1, go watch the early bowls somewhere--anywhere--else, while DW packs, including for him. I can pack for myself in advance (something DW will never learn, I fear) while he is asleep one evening and stash that luggage , and then sneak the bags into the car, and when it is time to leave for the airport, just say "come on, get in" and then say nothing until we arrive at the airport, then say nothing until we get to the gate and he sees its to miami, then get to the hotel that night and act as if it is a trip to miami. then wake up, have breakfast on the 2nd, distract him while we check out, then get in a short cab ride and he'll know its a cruise when I tell the cabbie where we're going.

Oh--Wait--no bowls on the 1st--when 1st is on a sunday, bowls are on the 2nd, and the NFL plays on the 1st. I think there are still parades, though. Well, I'll distract him on the 1st somehow.

For your little ones, go to the Disney w/ kids forum, and there are disney crosswords and word finds, things like that. Maybe make your own word find on the computer that will include all the hint words for the cruise?