Xmas Gifts For Children??????

[bonniemari]

We are going to be giving our 2 children (and their spouses) a cruise for Xmas. Need some ideas on how to give it to them. Thought about taking the picture they gave us the last time we were on the ship and making up some kind of card.

 

Ok now ya'll give me some creative ideas.

 

I have spend the last 2 days on the phone with their employers and the other 2 sets of grandparents lining up ok's for time off work and getting the other grandparents to keep the grandkids-since we are also going to go on the cruise with them.

 

Finally got all the details worked out and my TA booked it this afternoon.

[neverenufcruising]

We did a scavenger hunt this past Christmas for our DDs big present. We surprised them with a trip to Universal Studios. We made up 8 riddles for clues. Each riddle pointed them to the next riddle until they got to the prize. They were so aggravated that they were having to "work" for their gift. I enjoyed every minute of it and have the video tape to prove it!:D :D :D

[northerner]

I suprised my daughter with a trip to space camp last year. I had her bags packed and everything because she left the next day.

She was so suprised she cried! Which of course made me cry! :)

 

I took the envelope and wrapped it in a box, wrapped that in a box, and so on. I was suprised how heavy it was when I was finished. The last box was a tv. box. You could easily do this for them and let each one open a layer...

 

my dd just came in and says the box was the best! She just got a little teary too!

 

This year for my hubby, I had a treasure hunt for his gift...

 

Also Orientaltrading.com had a really cool canvas tote bag. Holds 11 pictures on the outside, and they do the personalized lettering for free. I just got my mil one and it was here in less then a week and only costed 6$.

 

What a wonderful mom you are! They will love it no matter how you present it!

[myangel]

How about putting the Doc's in an envelope and mailing it to them? Just stay by the phone the day you think it will be delivered!!!

[cali-croozer]

How about a cruise themed basket. You could fill it with travel sized toiletries, beach stuff like sunscreen, snorkels and flip flops, lanyards, luggage tags, etc. You've already spent alot of money so it doesn't have to be big or extravagant, but I think it would make a nice presentation. In fact, you could probably put a nice one together with items from the dollar store and Walmart/Target........

[Julia’s Journey’s]

I've always like the idea of a pail and shovel filled with other cruise stuff (sunscreen, towel, cap etc) and the tickets in along with everything.......have fun with this, let us know what you went with and how they enjoyed it.

[cali-croozer]

Yes, the pail instead of a basket. EXCELLENT!!!!

[dien2cruize]

We are surprising my in-laws with their first cruise to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.

 

They will each have a big box of goodies to open. Inside each box is pj's; sunglasses; disposable cameras;small bottle of perfume/cologne; travel bottle of fabreeze; hand sanitizer, etc. Small items like that. Will also have in each box an envelope marked "casino money." They will think they are going to Las Vegas-one of their fave places.

 

Then in seperate hat boxes they will open will be a captains hat; a picture of the ship and the docs.

 

Then the rest of us [ 13 kids and grandkids ] will each put on a white sailors hats and announce that we are all going with them!

 

The only problem with all of this is it only gives them one day to pack and then we are off. Can't wait.....only 2 more weeks till we sail Paradise.

 

Have a great trip.

[jcanino]

We are going to be giving our 2 children (and their spouses) a cruise for Xmas. Need some ideas on how to give it to them. Thought about taking the picture they gave us the last time we were on the ship and making up some kind of card.

Check out the following thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=29589

 

I will post my response from the thread here as it relates to a Christmas present.

 

Since this is still being posted to, I will relate our cruise surprise. Last year (2003), my wife and I and our two kids saw the passing of my father (Valentine's Day), her mother (June), one of my Uncles (September) and the father of our daughter's best friend (November). Needless to say, it was a lousy year for us and we felt that our life was completely sucked out of us. We had no joy and nothing to make us feel good. Thanks to an inheritence from my father and a bonus from my wife's employer, we decided to to do something that would make us feel good about life and bring some happiness to others. We decided that we were going to take family and some friends on a cruise.

 

I created a video of pictures from a past cruise on the Carnival Triumph and past ship inspections. I then found a recording of Jimmy buffet singing "Sea Cruise". You know the song where the lyrics go "won't you let me take you on a sea cruise." At the end of the pictures, I added a few frames of text wishing them a Merry Christmas and that we wanted them to join us as we sailed the Carnival Triumph on August 7, 2004. The next frame told them that our Christmas gift to them was a cruise in a Balcony cabin along with round trip air. The last frame stated that tips, shore excursions and on board charges were not included.

 

As we showed people they video, we gave them a bag with a Carnival brochure, a deck plan showing which cabin was theirs along with other information on cruising and Carnival. People were shocked, speechless and some even cried. Needless to say, we sail in less than three weeks. We invited 33 other people and have a total of 12 balcony cabins. This past Saturday, one of my sisters in law held a picnic for all the cruisers. A cousin's daughter created a logo for our cruise and she and her mom had t-shirts made for everyone with the logo along with a tote bag for each cabin.

 

I have told everyone that the cruise came about because four people are no longer with us. It isn't about their death but rather it is about the live's they all led and the way we loved them all as well as everyone that we invited. The unofficial theme for the cruise is LIFE, LOVE, FAMILY.

[sassycruiser]

We bought a cruise to Hawaii last year for the family Christmas gift. My husband knew but our son didn't. We bought him a Hawaiin Shirt, a guide book for Hawaii, and put the itineary on the bottom of the box. It was great. He was so confused when he opened it up and then excited! It was great!

[chieft26]

We did this for my parents a few years back for Christmas. All we did was wrap toy boats (with the ship name and dates written on them) in a package. It didn't take them too long to figure it out, then they started jumping up and down screaming with excitement.

[CaptData]

Is Christmas Dinner at your place? If so buy some plasic lies, some caps, small bottles of sun screen. Place the lies on the chairs of all those going on cruise, hats too. Put the sunscreen in the stockings and the tickets in the hidden place and have a search. Play Theme from Gilligan's Island or Titanic. then have a bottle of bubbly ready for when the tickets are found.

[kathyjack]

Fill a deep box with sand and wrap it in bright Caribbean looking paper. Throughout the sand put in some fun things. Sample bottle of sunscreen, cheap pair of sunglasses, fancy drink glass, small plastic palm tree, etc. etc. At the bottom, have an envelope with a picture of your ship. Whatever you choose to do - have fun.

[cruisnmomof2]

We gave my daughter a cruise for her 16th birthday (we leave in 13 days!). I bought her a new set of luggage and packed it FULL of travel size shampoo, cond., ect. and flip flops, sunshades, etc. & other cruising stuff. I printed a picture of the Sensation and taped it to the inside top of the suitcase. I also printed out an itinary and taped it next to the picture of ship. I printed excursion descriptions and placed among the items in the suitcase. Giving her that is one birthday gift that we will never forget. She cried, laughed and so did we!

[movtarget]

If you are creative with digital photos, you can 'edit' or 'cut and paste' images of your loved ones going on the cruise into a variety of images available on the web. Sort of a collage effect, or simply overlay of their faces on real images.

 

Then you could upload those photos to places that do bindings (soft or hard cover) like this place:

 

http://www.mypublisher.com/default.php

 

(there was a code for a free softcover that might still be active: PBFREE1004)

 

I'm in the process of building my digital images for upload now.... making it a story of sorts, with a made up image of 'tickets' as the last image with travel details

 

Jeff

[sgriff17]

What ship are you going on and what day are you leaving Bonnie?

[bonniemari]

Gosh-thanks so much for all the great ideas-you folks are a lot more creative than I am and I appreciate all the great ideas.

 

We are going on the Holiday out of Mobile Jan 27, 2005. One child lives here near us and the other one lives in Alabama so it won't be that bad of a drive.

 

I have been on the Holiday a couple of times and I love the Holiday. I took my son a couple of years ago-poor child just started a new job so he can't go with us-but I promised him a cruise next fall when he gets vacation. But since he is not married he has to take dear ole mom with him.

 

Thanks again

Bonnie