What do you think of this - car game ideas

[donaldsgal]

I'm putting together a game that we (DSis, DNiece, DMom, and myself) can play in the car on our way down to Disney. We've got an 18 hour trip, so I thought it might be fun to have a way to anticipate the trip while en route.

Here's my idea: for each hour of the trip, I'll have a game. Some of the games will take longer than others, and some aren't even games but are just bits of triva. The winner of each game/trivia question wins a prize. We have knowledgeable travelers (me and DSis) and some newer fans (Mom), so I have to cater to all expertise levels. I'm competitive, so I want to play, too, and the only way to accomplish that is to have some (like spotting things or winning the game) that don't require knowing the answers ahead of time. Here are my game ideas in no particular order. :
* 1st person to spot a Texas (or other random state) license plate
* Closest guess to how many miles left to Disney property when we cross into SC
* Opening year for MK
* Opening year for MGM
* Opening year for AK
* Opening year for Epcot
* winning a game of Disney Scene it! (we have a DVD player in the van)
* first person to spot a green road sign with just the # of miles to WDW
* first person to spot a 3-D Disney sign or in-color billboard for WDW
* can quote one Walt Disney saying
* winner of a "heat" of Disney 20 Questions (we each have a turn at guessing, and whoever gets the answer right in the fewest number of guesses wins that game's prize)
* can name 6 of the 11 countries in Epcot
* can name 5 of the 7 lands in MK
* can name 3 of 6 areas of MGM
* can name 3 of 7 AK areas
* can do a math problem about which is cheaper on points (DVC members here) - 10 days in June at OKW or 5 days in December at VWL
* # of Disney animated movies ever made
* can quote 2 corininthians 5:17 (we're missing church on day 2 of the drive down)

Now, the prizes are the fun part and what I'd like some help with:
* You Choose - player's choice for where to stop for lunch (2 possible)
* You Choose - player's choice of next movie in the car (2 possible)
* You Choose - mode of transportation to the parks (2 possible)
* You Choose - type of music listened to for the next hour
* 1 day diaper pass
* Throw Caution to the Wind Card - repeat any attraction no matter the wait in standby line
* Free counter service breakfast or lunch on me
* Free pass from pumping gas at your next turn (2 possible)
* Free Dishes pass - no doing dishes for the Length of Stay!
* Free Phone Call pass - can ask someone else to call to find out your question from Guest Services or WDW-DINE for the L.O.S. (can you tell the siblings tend to bicker, even as adults, about whose turn it is to call?!)
* Free stroller-holding pass for the buses for 1 day
* Bed to Myself Pass for 2 consecutive nights (have to share beds... )
* $10 or $20 Disney Dollars - thinking of asking my dad to throw in a bit for this one, that way if I win I'm not just winning my own money back
* Swap It! - can take any other prize won

What do you think about this? Any ideas on different/more exciting prizes or games to play? 18 hours is a loooooooooooong drive, so I hope that some of these games take some time and keep us occupied and anticipating arrival.

I'd love feedback on this. I'll probably email some of this trivia to them to tell them to "be on the lookout" for trivia - I've done this to them before and they find it funny, so they won't mind. I know the prizes aren't exciting, but they're more fun and personal for us. Just the idea that we get to have our way and give each other a hard time about it, or even that it solves the whole "I don't know, what do YOU want to do" issue.... I'm also hoping it makes each hour more interestsing to see what is coming next. Thoughts?

 

[bytheblood]

You can also play "Name that tune" by humming x number of notes.

All of the time, in the car, we play, "guess that Disney character" or "guess the Disney movie title." One hint at a time. Those are fun even without prizes. Maybe play it for an hour, have somebody keep score and whoever gets the most gets $10 Disney Dollars, etc.
Although, if you are buying/giving the prize, you technically should not be a guesser, but instead the game host.

 

[jenrein]

I fretted about our 24 hour drive with 3 kids for weeks. I printed out every activity in the stickied thread and gave them each a clipboard with their sheets on it. I bought crayons, books, coloring books and reading lights. Let me tell you they did their pages in the first 2 hours and spent the rest of the time playing gameboy, watching their dvd payers and listening to their ipod. They were quiet just about the whole time. I had to keep looking back to make sure they hadnt fallen out or something!

 

[mamanurse]

I think your ideas are great and creative! I was wondering what you would do for prizes and I love them! We'll have a 12 hr drive in Jan with 2 teens and my mom and dh. I'm gonna have use some of your ideas!

I think you did great, can't really think of anything to add! Thanks for sharing!

 

[3littleHalls]

that sounds great!! We did a scavenger hunt on our last trip that worked really well. Have a magical trip!!

 

[Magic2000]

Some of my family's favorite games are:

Going through the ABC's, you read the road signs and have to find an "A" on a road sign, then you find "B", etc. You cannot skip any letters.

We also each take a turn, naming characters that start with "A", "B", "C", etc. Sometimes, we play where you have to name each character said. (ie I might say Aurora, next person would have to say Aurora, and a B Character - "Beast", the next person would say Aurora, Beast, and then their "C" character - it gets kinda tricky at the end!)

Whoever wins might get to pick where we eat for lunch, or a snack to share.

 

[3mickeymom]

Great job! I love playing games in the car. It reminds me of the days before DVDS and Gameboys. Although I would never want my kids to give theirs up. We have contests too and divide the car into right and left sides. Which side has the most Cracker Barrel signs or the most christmas lights etc. We do this even on short car rides, like carpooling to CCD.We also play Favorites---We take turns talking about our favorite movie, disney attraction, dessert or whatever. Sometimes we'll guess the other persons favorite before they tell us. I love car rides and forced togetherness!! My boys are getting older and its nice to have their undivided attention without the cell phones ringing and the instant messages popping up. Have fun on the road.

 

[donaldsgal]

Great job! I love playing games in the car. It reminds me of the days before DVDS and Gameboys. Although I would never want my kids to give theirs up. We have contests too and divide the car into right and left sides. Which side has the most Cracker Barrel signs or the most christmas lights etc. We do this even on short car rides, like carpooling to CCD.We also play Favorites---We take turns talking about our favorite movie, disney attraction, dessert or whatever. Sometimes we'll guess the other persons favorite before they tell us. I love car rides and forced togetherness!! My boys are getting older and its nice to have their undivided attention without the cell phones ringing and the instant messages popping up. Have fun on the road.

I love car games, too, as well as "forced togetherness! I think my family will enjoy this, and it'll be fun surprising them with the prizes. Thanks for your input, and thanks to everyone else, too!