Cruise countdown for kids

[Sunseeker20]

Hello!

I'm wanting to make or buy a cruise countdown calendar for my kids... has anyone done this before? Looking for ideas or suggestions, pictures welcome!

[kdnurs]

In the past when my grands were younger, I created and printed a nautical/beachy calendar. The calendar was then laminated, and very small Velcro dots applied (rough side) to it. I also cut out small colorful felt ships/anchors. the smooth side Velcro then applied to ships and anchors. There is the option to hang it by using a hole punch and cute nautical ribbon to create a hanger. You can either choose to add a ship/anchor each day until cruise date OR place all ships/anchors on calendar and remove one each day until cruise date. They LOVED it!!!😍

[topnole]

54 minutes ago, Sunseeker20 said:

Hello!

I'm wanting to make or buy a cruise countdown calendar for my kids... has anyone done this before? Looking for ideas or suggestions, pictures welcome!

No calendar for us.  We talk about it when they ask, but honestly we aren’t hyping it because if one of us tests positive for Covid we don’t cruise.  If we hyped it every day it would make it that much more crushing for them.  We hyped the last one in May quite a bit and it really got me nervous as we were testing.  I was going to feel horrible if we couldn’t go given all we talked about doing.  Now I’m doing it a different way.  
 

So we are just managing excitement a little more carefully given the seemingly decent chance right now that one of us contracts Covid inside of the 10 day pre boarding window.  Probably seems a bit pessimistic I’m sure, but it isn’t like it is an off limits topic.  We just aren’t reminding them daily or over hyping it to them because our kids are young and obviously at that age they are still learning how to deal with emotions, let downs, and the like.  Older kids can probably understand why Covid means a no go.  Ours, not so much just yet.  
 

Just offering an alternative view and in no way am I making a suggestion.   Have fun pre cruise however you do it.  Anticipation is certainly a fun part of it.  

[soremekun]

 

Edited July 18, 2022 by soremekun

[WxNerd]

We have two cabinets in the kitchen that are chalk boards. I usually do a chalk drawing on them as a countdown and I just looked through my pictures and apparently I have never taken a picture of them. Last summer one cabinet was a cruise countdown and the other was a countdown to camp. This year was WDW and camp.
 

For Disney trips we also do family movie nights every Saturday for 2 months leading up to the trip  with dinner or snacks themed to go with the movie. My boys asked if we could do the same for our Alaska cruise next summer, I have yet to figure out how to make that happen. 
 

I get @topnoles position. My boys are 12 and 9 and even without a countdown to remind them they keep track. In 2020 the cancelled vacations were more difficult to explain but they know know that most things are dependent on being COVID negative, even small things like visiting grandparents. 

[topnole]

3 minutes ago, WxNerd said:

We have two cabinets in the kitchen that are chalk boards. I usually do a chalk drawing on them as a countdown and I just looked through my pictures and apparently I have never taken a picture of them. Last summer one cabinet was a cruise countdown and the other was a countdown to camp. This year was WDW and camp.
 

For Disney trips we also do family movie nights every Saturday for 2 months leading up to the trip  with dinner or snacks themed to go with the movie. My boys asked if we could do the same for our Alaska cruise next summer, I have yet to figure out how to make that happen. 
 

I get @topnoles position. My boys are 12 and 9 and even without a countdown to remind them they keep track. In 2020 the cancelled vacations were more difficult to explain but they know know that most things are dependent on being COVID negative, even small things like visiting grandparents. 

Yeah we don’t tell them about going to grandparents until the day we go.  Just too many cancellations particularly on the grandparents side of things.  My folks have health issues and I’ve got to be careful. So if the kids have any kind of symptoms they got it back off.  

[WxNerd]

Just now, topnole said:

Yeah we don’t tell them about going to grandparents until the day we go.  Just too many cancellations particularly on the grandparents side of things.  My folks have health issues and I’ve got to be careful. So if the kids have any kind of symptoms they got it back off.  

My parents have health issues too, we all take covid tests before going to visit. 

[jp2746]

We experienced the "let down" moment in 2020. We surprised our son who was turning 14 with a cruise.  We told him we were going to his grandfather's house in LA and when we got close to the port we pulled over.  I had a wrapped box in the trunk and all of our clothes. We had him reach into the trunk from the backseat and get the box.  He opened it and found out it was a cruise and was shocked to learn we were leaving right then!  It was so awesome and I love watching that video of him so confused... and then we sat in the terminal starving (because we figured we would eat as soon as we boarded)... for 8 hours... and it was canceled.  He will never forget that birthday!! lol 

 

As far as countdown, we didn't necessarily count down, but we did sit and go over dinner menus every night.  We have boys and it is all about the food.  That was so fun.  I miss the days that they would cuddle up next to us and look at menus.   Now it is still about the food, but not much cuddle time left in them.