Welcome aboard, Richard!
Oh my goodness, what a wonderful gift you’ve planned for your family! This is sure to be both a Christmas morning and a summertime trip they’ll never forget. YOU are the magic in planning the gift of time together, and I’m happy to share some ideas and resources for putting together a fun surprise in anticipation of your Disney Cruise Line vacation. I have no doubt that however you present this incredible experience, it will be received with love and excitement.
There is a
fun, downloadable booklet you can print on the Disney Cruise Line website called “My Disney Cruise Adventure.” This booklet features a way for children to prepare for their sailing and has some helpful information for parents (and grandparents), too. You could print and include this entire booklet wrapped in a beautiful box, or just a few key pages to create a surprise message for them. You can view, download, and print these materials on the Disney Cruise Line website –
find it at the bottom of the Oceaneer Club page under the expanded “Registration, Check-In, and More.”Our planDisney team has a great “pocket guide” to each of the Disney Cruise Line ships, and you could download that for your ship and print for including in a gift wrap. I’m not sure which ship you’re on to send a direct link, but you can
find our pocket guides here. Then click “Read More” next to the ship’s guide that you desire, and it will redirect you to the Disney Parks Blog page with the full article. At the end of each article there’s a link to download the full guide for that ship, and that link will open in a new window with the PDF file for use.
The Disney Parks Blog has an
article featuring planDisney panelists’ ideas for surprising family with a cruise, and
this one has a nice video on how to rewind your memories back to a Christmas Day cruise surprise if you’d like to queue it up for watching together as they open their gift.
You could include a few fun trinkets in small packages building up to the big cruise reveal moment. I’ve found inflatable pirate swords (for
Pirate Night) at our local party supply store, or you can include sunscreen or refillable water bottles for each family member. Another idea is to print a simple map of each port on your cruise to include as a visual reveal or clue in the gift. The possibilities are endless, and no matter how you choose to share this amazing news I know it will result in a core memory of excitement with your family.
Time spent together in a beautiful place, making memories to last a lifetime, are some of the best gifts at this magical time of year. Once the excitement settles on Christmas Day and you’re ready to dig into more details, please be sure to write us again with other questions you have. Our team would love to help you make the most of this amazing vacation together.
Wishing you a very merry and most magical holiday,
Amy