What was your Families favorite thing to do?

[skyw]

Hi

Just wondering what great family things that you have done to make your cruise extra special.

 

thanks

[A&Jfamily]

Hi

Just wondering what great family things that you have done to make your cruise extra special.

 

thanks

 

For fun times, my boys loved it when they added putt-putt golf. For quiet time, tea on sea days is fun. We also really like hanging out on the balcony. And for shore days, we have made some great memories with our shore excursions - sting rays, ruins, dolpins, snorkeling etc.

 

I am interested to see if they like MUTS on our cruise - MONDAY!:D

[Ren4l]

For fun times, my boys loved it when they added putt-putt golf. For quiet time, tea on sea days is fun. We also really like hanging out on the balcony. And for shore days, we have made some great memories with our shore excursions - sting rays, ruins, dolpins, snorkeling etc.

 

I am interested to see if they like MUTS on our cruise - MONDAY!:D

 

What are MUTS?

[Mack2]

What are MUTS?

 

Movies Under the Stars (i believe)

[Jo and Rob]

What are MUTS?

 

Movies under the Stars which are big cinema screens on Princess. In the evening they provide popcorn and blankets so you don't get cold and they put thick cushions on the sunloungers in the evening.

 

1. The self-serve icecream was truly a highlight for my two on Indy. My two really couldn't believe they could help themselves and it was free! (included)
   
2. Pre breakfast on the balcony, bliss!
   
3. Main dining room, a real highlight for the whole family
   

[MamaParrotHead]

Well, it started with the planning and anticipation for us. My kids and I made a paper countdown chain to help them visualize (200+ days to a kid is a tough concept to grasp).

 

We also loved to look up our ports and the ship online. And I orderd the cruiselines' promo DVD that the kids dig watching (and other cruising shows on the Travel Channel).

 

We also decorated our "cruise jar" (plastic flour cannister from the Dollar Store and some Sharpies). All of our loose change goes in, that way the kids feel like they're contributing as well.

 

We also sit down as a family and choose our excursions.

 

My kids also enjoyed picking out some new clothes (for dinner) and getting the fresh haircuts, etc. right before we left. And choosing what was to make the trek in their backpacks (that they're solely responsible for carting around the airport, etc.).

 

What ended up happening was that we abandoned our last excursion just so the kids could romp on the beach and in the water. It was a 4 port excursion/7 day sailing and they were BEAT. It was a good move.

 

This time I'm making an extra effort to make it more relaxed and less structured. Anytime Dining, more beach days, less hectic schedule.

 

The other thing was that I got one of those small, cheapy photo flip books. Put index cards in them and they were perfect for sliding any postcards in there that we picked up, or photos in after we got home. And they journaled for a few minutes each night or morning about the day's activities.

[Onessa]

When DD was younger we'd do a treasure hunt on one of the at sea days. I'd come up with clues and buy a smallish treasure on the sly for her. She and her dad would read the clue and figure out the next spot - I'd stay one or two steps ahead of them and clear with staff in the area where a clue was going to go hiding it there. Inevitably they'd end up back at the cabin where I had hid the item, but it was always a highlight.

 

We'd also, at breakfast each morning, make a visual scavenger hunt list. I'd write down common things we might see (someone wearing a Chicago Cubs baseball cap), things specific to the place we were visiting that day (a statue of a winged lion in Venice), and a few "stretches" (a pair of hot pink shoes). Generally 8-10 items -- when she was younger I'd make a simple drawing to accompany the words. If she found them all, she'd get a treat -- generally a Kinder egg :). This kept her a bit more engaged in sightseeing - kept her looking around.

 

We always tried to find a nice playground to let her run around for a while in the middle of sightseeing. We have pictures of her in parks in Lucca, Florence, Venice, Berlin, VilleFrance, etc. She generally found a "friend" and it was amazing how they could chat and share without having a common language. (She was of course the "star" pupil when we joined a group of pre-schoolers in a park in Milano where some stilt-walkers dressed up like flowers were trying to teach the kids some English words -- she knew ALL of the colors in English! Go figure!:D)