Cruise as Christmas Present — How to wrap it up.

[New2cruise2022]

I know, this is perhaps a lame topic but I have no doubt this community will deliver. First time cruise for me and my two teenage boys. Cruise is late January 2023, so they will only have to wait 25 days until embarkation. Has anyone ever given the gift of an upcoming cruise to teenagers? Any ideas on the best way to wrap this gift and put it under a tree? (Figuratively speaking.)

[YVRteacher]

Scavenger hunt!

[tony s]

Text it or put it on Tic Tock

[dbrown84]

and fill each box with packing peanuts :)

[latebloomer56]

I love this we did it pre pandemic I gave them each a new suitcase with their luggage tags attached. It was fun seeing their faces. The other gifts gave away where they were going.

[Sailing12Away]

We printed up a mock ticket similar to the image below when we gifted my SIL with some CN certificates one year. Printed it out and put it in a nice frame for them to reuse with a photo from their trip.

 

But if they're in need of new suitcases, I like the idea of the luggage tag trick with the bags already packed with trip related things. Certainly makes xmas wrapping easier as you only have to wrap the outer case and shove everything else inside.

[New2cruise2022]

20 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

and fill each box with packing peanuts 🙂

I’ve never met @dbrown84, and yet after a mere month on CC, this is exactly the kind of response I would expect. Brilliant. 

[New2cruise2022]

9 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

We printed up a mock ticket similar to the image below when we gifted my SIL with some CN certificates one year. Printed it out and put it in a nice frame for them to reuse with a photo from their trip.

 

But if they're in need of new suitcases, I like the idea of the luggage tag trick with the bags already packed with trip related things. Certainly makes xmas wrapping easier as you only have to wrap the outer case and shove everything else inside.

I don’t hate this idea at all. In conjunction with luggage and cruise items. 

[New2cruise2022]

18 minutes ago, latebloomer56 said:

I love this we did it pre pandemic I gave them each a new suitcase with their luggage tags attached. It was fun seeing their faces. The other gifts gave away where they were going.

I think stringing out the details sounds amazing. 

[zanharst]

I gave a cruise once and created a puzzle with pictures that had to be figured out.  It was lots of fun! Put it in a small box, then several larger boxes.  It takes time to open the boxes down to the smallest one and then time to figure out the picture puzzle! Makes it so much more than a quick rip and done

[New2cruise2022]

Maybe I just play the the Andy Samberg and Tpain video “I’m on a boat” and give them a box of cereal with a prize inside.

 

NSFW

 

[cruisin4familyfun]

I did a series of gifts, each with its own riddle to solve. The answer to each riddle was the name of a country. This culminated in scavenger hunt for the final gift. Each teen received a suitcase. Inside each suitcase was a small NCL toy ship and the details for our cruise. It was so much fun.
 

 

[New2cruise2022]

1 minute ago, cruisin4familyfun said:

I did a series of gifts, each with its own riddle to solve. The answer to each riddle was the name of a country. This culminated in scavenger hunt for the final gift. Each teen received a suitcase. Inside each suitcase was a small NCL toy ship and the details for our cruise. It was so much fun.
 

 

This is great. And I really should be motivated to do this. I got a basketball for Christmas from Santa for five straight years as a teenager. I’m giving my kids a ******* cruise. They will probably be thrilled any way that I tell them. But it is fun to hear all of the ideas. 
 

thanks for sharing!

[Hannodcruise]

Are there any movies or shows (Love Boat) that you can casually fit into your routine prior to the reveal?

[nhtravels]

When I did this for my mom and stepfather's anniversary cruise almost 5 years ago, I found water bottles on Etsy and had their names and the cruise ship (and date) printed on them.  We also added lanyards in  Christmas stockings.  Everyone loved the water bottles and still use them now!

 

I'm sure your children will be thrilled with this surprise!

[New2cruise2022]

4 minutes ago, nhtravels said:

When I did this for my mom and stepfather's anniversary cruise almost 5 years ago, I found water bottles on Etsy and had their names and the cruise ship (and date) printed on them.  We also added lanyards in  Christmas stockings.  Everyone loved the water bottles and still use them now!

 

I'm sure your children will be thrilled with this surprise!

Water bottles to bring on the ship?

[nhtravels]

13 minutes ago, New2cruise2022 said:

Water bottles to bring on the ship?

Yes, refillable water bottles for the cruise. 

[New2cruise2022]

1 minute ago, nhtravels said:

Yes, refillable water bottles for the cruise. 

These are great! Well done!

[cruiseat50]

7 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

We printed up a mock ticket similar to the image below when we gifted my SIL with some CN certificates one year. Printed it out and put it in a nice frame for them to reuse with a photo from their trip.

 

But if they're in need of new suitcases, I like the idea of the luggage tag trick with the bags already packed with trip related things. Certainly makes xmas wrapping easier as you only have to wrap the outer case and shove everything else inside.

Maybe something like this with pictures of the ports you are going to and then ....  https://www.amazon.com/s?k=puzzle+made+from+my+picture&crid=1ZRAU6T4B8IMM&sprefix=puzzle+made%2Caps%2C89&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_11  So they have to put the puzzle together to find out what they got.

[cruiseny4life]

15 hours ago, New2cruise2022 said:

Maybe I just play the the Andy Samberg and Tpain video “I’m on a boat” and give them a box of cereal with a prize inside.

 

NSFW

 

As you can probably imagine...I blast this song on every cruise I go on...with my mother F'ing flippie floppies on my feet! Not sure the neighbors appreciate it, but I don't really care. I'm in my MF'ing flippie floppies! 

 

I'm a bit past teenage stage, but I think your boys would enjoy this. Just please...don't get you all matching family t-shirts. 

[New2cruise2022]

16 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

As you can probably imagine...I blast this song on every cruise I go on...with my mother F'ing flippie floppies on my feet! Not sure the neighbors appreciate it, but I don't really care. I'm in my MF'ing flippie floppies! 

 

I'm a bit past teenage stage, but I think your boys would enjoy this. Just please...don't get you all matching family t-shirts. 

What if the matching shirts say:

I’m

On

A

Mother

********
Boat. 

[cruiseny4life]

53 minutes ago, New2cruise2022 said:

What if the matching shirts say:

I’m

On

A

Mother

********
Boat. 

Ok...you get me! I do find that acceptable. 🙂

[dbrown84]

1 hour ago, New2cruise2022 said:

What if the matching shirts say:

I’m

On

A

Mother

********
Boat. 

That's what the front of the t shirt says, with B**CH on the back 

[New2cruise2022]

33 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

That's what the front of the t shirt says, with B**CH on the back 

I was plagued by internal questions while booking my cruise. 
 

“Will I feel old on the cruise?”

”Will I feel young on the cruise?”

”Are there people on the cruise that get me?”

 

@dbrown84 and @cruiseny4life answer these questions: I will feel buzzed (tipsy? Drunk?) with people that get me. 🥂 🍻 

[tripleboom]

We did a scavenger hunt around the house when we took our boys on their first cruise. They had a lot of fun figuring out each subsequent clue. So much so that the items found at each location that should have given a significant hint seemed to have flown right over their heads. 😆