Your favorite things to do with the kids on sea days

[ctfamilyof5]

we are on the NCL GEM out of NY on 2/26/12 with DH, and 3 kids (6yr & 8yr boys, and 2yr old girl) -

 

1st cruise and looking for what everyone's favorite things to do on sea days are for families.

 

It will be cold the 1st and last day so indoor favorites would be good too

 

We are not the type to sit by the pool all day so looking for favorite activites (other than eating all day - we are already prepared for that ;))

 

This is the Nickelodeon cruise so anyone with experience with that would love to hear from!

[TheCalicoCat]

My 2 & then 3 year old son loved to watch the water, ride the elevator (with a parent) & just walking around the ship - when he was not napping, in camp, or eating.

 

In the evening after dinner/before bed, he loved destroying the towel animal by accident or on purpose - he tried to sleep with the dog & was quite upset when it was "gone" in the morning.

[Warm Breezes]

We like to play a game (we bring various card games with us (uno, euchre, milles borne, etc) or we check out a board game from the library (monopoly, life, etc)). We find a table and chairs by a window that overlooks the ocean (inside if it is cold/outside if it is warm). There is also the slides, basketball/soccer court, arcade, trivia games, bingo, towel folding demos, bowling, etc.

[Onessa]

I put together a photo scavenger hunt - make of list of things and have my DD (accompanied by friends also playing the game) take a digital picture of each thing -- some are things specific to the ship, some are more general (someone wearing a NY Yankees cap, someone shooting a basketball or the like) at the end I treat (Ice cream, specialty drink, etc). -- DD was about 9YO when we started that. Gets them moving around the ship, burns off some energy.

[katyjeka]

I second games. Sketch tablets, color pencils, crayons, and have everyone draw a picture of something on the ship, or the ocean, birds, etc. When we get home, I frame the pictures and hang them in our kids rooms. It a great reminder of our trip, and its fun to watch the drawings progress from one cruise to the next. Our oldest did a sketch of "Fiona"a young lady watching the pool slide. She was so flattered that she signed the drawing for my daughter, and it became her favorite memory of the cruise. Have a great time.

[cruisinreunion]

Watch the activity schedule..when we did our last NCL out of NY there were family actitivies going on by the pool...kind of like a slime time./fear factor type .competitions with parents and kids (all ages) it was alot of fun.(my daugher got a whip cream pie to the face...priceless) they had magic shows in the theater where they learned a couple of the tricks...great family movies were playing... we played ping pong, tried to do laps above in the wind...that was actually quite fun...cards and games outside were difficult because when went it was quite windy but there are always areas indoors... but definitely have the kids get involved with the kids camps...sea days had lots of things going on.

[mitsugirly]

If my daughter (3 years old) wasn't swimming, she begged to go to the kids club. First thing in the morning after eating breakfast, it's all we heard. I think if she could have stayed there all day, she would have. So, I figured it's her cruise too and if that's what she enjoys, I try to let her do it as much as possible. :)