Cruise-a-Palooza Party

[travel_mom_1]

My husband and I thought it would be fun to cruise with some friends so I contacted Carnival's Group Cruise Department last February and the planning began.

 

We are sailing on the Fascination in January 08 with 28 friends!!! Twenty-one of those are first time cruisers. I can't wait to share cruising with them.

 

Tonight we hosted a Cruise-a-Palooza Party. It was a chance to meet fellow cruisers, dispense important information, plan excursions and talk cruise. We had a great time with the twenty cruisers who were able to come.

 

Everyone was greeted with the Love Boat theme playing on the front porch. That got a lot of laughs. The cruise music continued in the house with the following Ipod playlist:

Bahama Roller Coaster Ride - Baha Men

Beyond the Sea - Bobby Darin

COme Sail Away - Styx

Hot, Hot, Hot! - Jamaican Steel Band

Jaws Theme - John Williams

Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffett

Titanic song, My Heart Will Go On - Celine Dion

Sea Cruise - Frankie Ford

Under The Sea - Disney

Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me) - The Jonas Brothers

Some tunes from a Disney Castaway Club CD

 

Everyone brought something to share food and drink wise which made things much simpler for me. We grabbed some food and then gathered in our living room. Not everyone knew each other so we started with introductions. They all shared their name and their worst vacation memory. We heard some very funny (not then, but now) stories. Hopefully, our cruise will go much better.

 

I popped in the Carnival promo DVD and we watched a small section of that just to wet our appetites. I had prepared a lengthy handout of important info for everyone on hotel and flight info, boarding documentation, dress, tipping, excursions, etc. I took some time and highlighted some of the most important items.

 

I had all the cabin assignments so those that didn't already know found that out. We are all on the upper deck so I printed out a deck plan and let everyone check out their cabin locations. They marked them so that we could see where everyone will be.

 

Then it was time for gifts. We booked 14 cabins so I earned one free berth, but Carnival was running some sort of promotion so I earned a second. I chose to have that money refunded to me and use it on some gifts for the group. A friend and I custom made luggage tags for everyone. The front side has our group name, year, etc over a beachy, palm tree scene. On the back I put their name, address and phone number over a picture of the bow of the ship and water. I printed these out on photo paper and trimmed. I put them inside Scotch brand Self-sealing Laminating Bag Tags from Walmart, two for $1.97. They turned out great and everyone loved them. I will try to add a photo tomorrow.

 

Lastly, we played Bingo. The perfect cruise game. Everyone was excited about the chance to win some cash. There were 3 prizes.

1st Bingo - $75 - Congrats Jennie

2nd Bingo - $25 - Congrats Tom

3rd Bingo - Over the door shoe organizer - Congrats Will

 

We all had a great time, learned some important info and laughed a lot. I can't wait. Only 37 days to go!!!

[shargurl]

Sounds like a great party. I'm sure you all will have a blast on your cruise... Enjoy!

[LHP]

Wow...what an imagination (no pun intended). That was a great idea.

 

Your cruise will be all the more special for all the fun you had before you even got onboard!!! :)

[LWiening]

Thank you for the wonderful idea. Your creativity shows. I am going to pass this on to others that I know that do group cruises so that they can also make thier just as fun..

[LWiening]

Thank you for the wonderful idea. Your creativity shows. I am going to pass this on to others that I know that do group cruises so that they can also make thier just as fun..

[Willie T]

Wow! I have been doing our pre-cruise party the last two years. Ise'nt it fun? It's usually about 2 weeks before, so everyone is wound up and ready to go. One year I decorated the back yard with Mexican decorations from the $ store, used the souviner glasses from the previous cruise, with paper umberells(sp) of course. Finger foods and crusie music. This year, cold out, so we were in the house, but had fun planning and watching last years cruise video and the Carnival Xmas card video.

If possiable, everyone should have a pre-crusie get together. Some people don't know each other, so a good chance to meet off the ship. And it's just fun! Take pictures!