Cruising Through the Pandemic with kids

In this season of perpetual disappointment, isolation and too much of each other, may I suggest a fake vacation for your family. You heard me, fake it ‘till you make it (a reality). Our family has been on a grandparent-sponsored Disney cruise for the past 5 years and it was soul-crushing to be home all summer. Thanks to a fun Facebook group of fellow Disney cruise lovers, we were inspired to create a fake cruise. Come aboard for more about how to have a fake vacation in your own home.

1. Each one of us has a “department” to organize for activities. I was the captain, one child was over entertainment, one was over games. I was also the head chef and bus driver.

2. Find excursions in your area and treat them as excursions. We went to an international market, we drove around some historic areas, we used our lawn tractor to create the zoo train and we went to the botanical gardens for a true destination feel.

3. Plan some fun games. We made an obstacle course and something like croquet out of what we had around the house.

4. Entertainment: board games, trivia, a family talent show and you can watch some of the Disney cruise performances on YouTube.

5. Food: of course, cruises are about food. I made room service for breakfast. We had a buffet lunch with our favorites, shrimp boil and mac & cheese (seriously, this is all my kids eat on a cruise, so why actually pay for a cruise), and I made a fancy character-themed dinner from the Disney food blog.

6. Spa! What cruise isn’t complete without a spa treatment?

We had one full “cruise day” as we called it and it was a total blast. I did my best accents and announced room service, then I was the energetic cruise director and gave my morning agenda, then we had excursions, lunch, games, dinner, and nightly entertainment.

Everyone had a role and my kids, surprisingly, took their role very seriously and were proud and excited to host their part of it.
Our cruise day concluded with the spa. Since we’re all girls, we got mud masks and cucumbers for our eyes. I had a nice oil diffuser going and we had soothing music as we relaxed after our very busy, but fun day.

This flipped what we were not able to do, to what we could do with what we had. Honestly, when you approach the farmers market as a cruise excursion rather than a shopping trip, it feels like a cruise excursion. The botanical gardens did transport us to a rain forest then a desert and when we imagined we were on a cruise, it felt like we were on vacation.

As spring and summer approach with vacations still iffy, plan this fun activity for your family. Give your kids roles and allow them to be creative. It really is about perspective and when you see life through cruise-colored glasses, it looks and feels a lot different. Now bon voyage, friends! Don’t forget to share where your family went and what did on your amazing fake cruise.