Ideas on how to tell kids???

[Dennislee2]

Hello Everyone,

 

My wife and I have been on two cruises and are in the process of planning our third. :D

 

Our kids are 11, 9 & 5 and have always bugged us about wanting to go on a cruise. This trip, both sets of grandparents are going and also my sister and her husband, so we are going to take the kids on this trip. Figure 8 against 3, we might just win. ;)

 

The kids keep dropping hints, well, pretty direct hints:) , they really want to go. We keep talking about them spending the week with my other sister and my wife's brother.

 

I'm looking for creative ways to tell the kids.

 

Any ideas? :confused:

[twopugs]

I think a treasure hunt sort of thing would be great for that age group. Maybe do a few clues and hide them in different places for the kids to figure out. Anything you can make into a game.

[proudmomof2]

Our kids are younger then yours, 6 and 4, and they have been dying to go on a cruise. They have seen our pictures of ones we have taken in the past and have seen shows on the Discovery Channel about cruising.

 

Anyway, we aren't telling them. We are packing the bags and putting them in the car the night before. In the morning we will go out for breakfast and then head off to pier. It will be a drive for us but we are going to make a little adventure with it. Then the reality will hit when we pull up in front of the ship! What a surprise it will be because I don't think they have any idea of how big those ships are!

 

We can't wait. Good luck with how you decide on how to let them know. I'm sure they will be so excited no matter how you tell them!

 

Bo

[cmom]

We are suprising out two 7 year old boys in Nov on a Disney cruise.

 

Their Grandma lives about 2 hours from Disney (above Tampa Area) so we have made plans to spend two nights at Downtown Disney. This will be over Thanksgiving. The reason we planned this part was because I keep slipping and say something about Disney. This way they think im talking about downtown. lol. Plus added Disney :)

 

 

We then plan on getting up early on the Sat of the cruise and driving to Port Canaveral. The boys wont know any different that we going East instead of West to Grandmas. We then will let the boys see the ship in the distance and see how long it takes them to figure out that were acturally getting on the ship.

[bwjm]

With Easter coming up, this is something I've done with my daughter (albiet not a cruise but other big suprises) who is now 15.

I would get plastic easter eggs and do the treasure hunt. I would put simple clues with cat in the hat rhymes in them.

Something like 'it's used for cooking, even things in a can, where do i keep the pots and pans'. She goes there, finds and plastic egg and the next clue.

Well, when she got older, the pans part would be a blank line. That made it harder and she had to think, she wasn't as crazy about those. But she's so far always loved the item at the end. Always had her in the house, out of the house, back in, neighbors started to get up early to watch, so I included them last year and hid her 'prize' (a kayak) at the neighbors, so they 'helped' with the hunt.

Just be sure to keep a copy for yourself when putting the clues out and they're going. It helped me remember what was where.

[Iannie]

We gave our kids the trip for Christmas and we used a line up like the Mastercard commercials.

 

$52 on debt card for new swimsuits, which we then gave them.

 

$46 on debt card for sunblock, flip flops, cameras in your stocking, which they then ran over to find in thier stockings.

 

and we had our oldest read the next clue,

 

The look on your face when you read here that you will be going on a 5 day cruise to Mexico with your entire family, who happen to all be sitting in the living room at the time,

 

PRICELESS!

 

I'm sure the neighbors could have heard the yelling and crying all the way down the block.

 

With Easter just around the corner, I think you could have some major fun with the eggs and the kids!

[crusinmama06]

You all are pros! I can't keep a secret for nothing. :eek: I tell my kids right away.

 

I think using Easter is a great idea. You could have the scavenger hunt lead them to plastic egg clues all over the yard.

[FloridaLaura]

We gave our kids the trip for Christmas and we used a line up like the Mastercard commercials.

 

$52 on debt card for new swimsuits, which we then gave them.

 

$46 on debt card for sunblock, flip flops, cameras in your stocking, which they then ran over to find in thier stockings.

 

and we had our oldest read the next clue,

 

The look on your face when you read here that you will be going on a 5 day cruise to Mexico with your entire family, who happen to all be sitting in the living room at the time,

 

PRICELESS!

 

Very Cute idea...truly was Priceless!

 

I'm sure the neighbors could have heard the yelling and crying all the way down the block.

 

With Easter just around the corner, I think you could have some major fun with the eggs and the kids!

 

 

Very Cute idea...truly was Priceless!

[Grannycb]

We shared our cruise adventures with the kids all the way from booking the cruises, to packing and mapping our way to the ship. They were in on the planning the whole way as young as 5 and 8. We are doing the same with GD. It's a great learning experience! Besides, anticipation is part of the fun.

[ownedbypets]

I got a picture of the ship and had all of our names put on it along with the departure date. Then I took it to Kinkos and had them make a puzzle. I put the pieces into a box and the kids had to work together to assemble it. They had a great time and we still have it 5 years later.

[Dennislee2]

Thanks for some great ideas....

 

I don't see anyway to just surprise them that day, with the grandparents going and quite bit of talking and planning going on. I also want to involve them in the excursions and the planning process.

 

I'm leaning towards the easter egg hunt, with one egg leading them to another egg, etc. ;)

 

Thanks for all the ideas.

 

Any other ideas?

[Giggles2007]

I totally agree with cruisinmama! I can't keep a secret to save my like. If I know how excited I get when its just me planning a cruise, I don't think that I could pass up the look on their faces when they are helping out with the planning.

 

Like the OP said, I just told them right from the beginning. This will be their first and so far I have been using this as a learning experience. We have watched videos from my previous cruises and looked at lots of pictures. And thanks to cruise critic, just like their mom, they are going to be full of so much knowledge on the day we board.

 

No matter which way you choose, you will never forget the look on their faces.

[ispooks]

we also include our kids in most steps of the planning process, including which cabin to pick ( they only get to pick from a few - lol...:rolleyes: )

 

then they help with the shore excursions - again they only get a couple of choices...

 

we usually book about 10 months in advance, so it is a long way off, but they do great and are so excited when it finally get here!

 

they are now 10 and 15, but we have done this for the last few cruises...:) i think they enjoy being part of the planning process.:) as it is their vacation as well as ours!

[ldsimms]

My DH and I are taking our 4 children on their first cruise on RCCL 4/4/08.

This is during their Spring Break, so they are under the impression that we

are going to Disney! Can't wait to see their faces when we arrive at the port!:)

[GORDONCHICK]

We've always told out DS, and then he tells everyone he knows and people we are in line with at Wal-Mart! We aren't good at keeping that secret either.

 

I like both the Easter egg suggestion, and the Christmas one too. Since the cruise isn't until 2009, you would have time for the Christmas one, and have fun buying new swimsuits, and all the little things they would need.