she_the_cougar

Later this year, I'll be taking my Girl Scout troop on a 5-day cruise on the Ecstasy. I've done a ton of research and pored over these forums for a while, so I'm pretty confident about our planning so far, but this is also the first-ever cruise for all the teenagers and most of the adult chaperones, so we don't know what we don't know... you know? We've got dining figured out, I know how to get an extra copy of their room keys, I know to get them signed up for the teen spaces on the first day, I know about how much to expect to pay for taxis in Cozumel, I know Carnival won't let them play BINGO (which they are all VERY sad about, lol!), and I've got them hitting their parents up for reef-friendly sunscreen and waterproof phone cases. What am I missing? They've specifically asked me if there are spaces where we can all hang out together and do "projects" (we'll be bringing travel journals/scrapbooks, because of course!), and if there are "dress-up" nights on our 5-day cruise. I hesitantly told them that I *think* the first sea day has a dress-up night, but I have no idea about open lounge/table space for eight teenagers and their ever-present chaperones. I will say, too, that watching these kids plan this cruise has been DELIGHTFUL. At our last meeting, I printed out a copy of the Ecstasy deck plans for each of them and they had a fabulous time finding their rooms and shouting out all the other cool places they found. They made cabin rules for themselves that included very important details such as what particular "vibe" will be required for each room, and the exact sub-genres of allowed music. I printed out dining room menus from previous sailings and they spent ages trying to decide what they'd eat each night and debating back and forth about different appetizers, etc. They're fascinated about every small aspect of the trip, and super invested in every detail. I think it's going to be a wonderful experience for everyone!