Cruise Activities for Kids

This post is sponsored by Sony Pictures in connection to the release of Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation. This summer, pack your bags for the first-ever Monster Cruise in HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3: SUMMER VACATION. We cannot wait to join our favorite characters on their newest adventure, so we put together a few summer cruise activities for kids, inspired by Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation! In U.S. theaters on July 13, join Drac’s Pack as they embark on a vacation on a luxury monster cruise ship so Drac can take a summer vacation from providing everyone else’s vacation at the hotel. But the dream vacation turns into a nightmare when Mavis realizes Drac has fallen for the mysterious captain of the ship, Ericka, who hides a dangerous secret that could destroy all of monsterkind. For our cruise activities, we wanted to share a few snacks and crafts that kids could enjoy at home before heading to the theater to see the movie. Cruising is one of our favorite ways to vacation as a family — there is so much to do on the ship that you are never bored! Let’s get started on our adventure!

Printable Cruise Lanyards

First up, you’ll need a sea pass to come aboard the ship. Everyone on a cruise has one of these super-cool ID cards, so we decided to put together a few with our favorite Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation characters. The best part is that you can print them right at home! Here’s what you need to make our Printable Cruise Lanyards:

• Printable Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation Sea Pass Cards
• Scissors
• Packing Tape
• Glue Stick
• Hole Punch
• String
• Colorful Plastic Straws

Start by cutting out your sea pass cards. Use the glue stick to adhere the front and back of each card together. Cover the front of the card in packing tape and repeat on the back side. Trim the edges to remove the excess tape. Punch a hole in the sea pass, then insert the string to create your lanyard. Cut the plastic straws into 1-inch pieces and add them to the string. Now you have a fun and colorful lanyard perfect for your high-seas adventure!

Monster Cruise Character Wristbands

If you’ve ever been on a cruise, you know that passengers — especially kids — sport all kinds of colorful wristbands. From the kids club to excursions, everyone has different colored bracelets identifying where they need to be. We wanted to put a fun twist on our cruise wristbands, though, so we used duct tape to make them reusable and fashioned them after our favorite Hotel Transylvania 3 characters. Here’s what you need to make our Monster Cruise Character Wristbands:

• Duct tape in varying colors — we used black, green, red, yellow, pink and purple
• Scissors
• Round velcro fastener

Start by laying a piece of duct tape with the sticky side up. Add another piece directly on top of the first, this time sticky-side facing down. Press the two pieces together. This will be the base of your wristband. Add two pieces of accent color tape to the outer edges of your base. You want about 1 inch of base color in the middle, with the two accent pieces on either side. Trim down the wristband to remove the excess accent color. Use the velcro fastener to connect the two ends of your wristband and you’re ready to go! Aren’t they cool? Now that you look the part, it’s time to take our cruising skills to the next level.

How To Make a Towel Bat

One of the coolest parts of a cruise is coming back to your room each night and finding a new towel animal waiting for you. My family makes a game of guessing which animal we’ll get each night. For our Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation activity, we thought it would be super-fun to learn how to make a towel bat! Here’s what you need to make a Towel Bat:

• Black hand towel
• Black wash cloth
• Rubber band
• Googly eyes
• Tropical flower
• Glue dots

Start by laying the hand towel horizontally on a flat surface. Roll one end of the towel to the middle horizontally, then repeat with the other side so that you have two rolls meeting in the middle. Wrap the rubber band around the middle of the towel, securing the rolls in place. Turn your towel upside down so the rolls are facing down. Bring the top and bottom pieces of the towel together, meeting the two “flat” backs together. Turn the towel back over and you will have the body of your bat, complete with wings! Lay the wash cloth on a flat surface and fold one side 1/4 of the way in. Bend the corners in to create the look of ears. Fold the bottom of the wash cloth up twice to meet the ears. Roll each side of the wash cloth in to the middle to form the bat’s head. Turn over the head and fold the top cuff down to add dimension. Hold the head tightly in place and use the rubber band to secure it on the bat’s body. Add googly eyes and the tropical flower embellishment. I don’t know about you, but I’ve worked up quite an appetite during our cruise adventure. Sounds like it might be time for a cruise-a-licious snack!

Sandy Beach Snack Mix

This snack mix is perfect for a day of fun in the sun! Here’s what you need to make our Sandy Beach Snack Mix:

• 3 Tbsp butter
• 4 1/2 cups rice cereal squares
• 4 1/2 cups corn cereal squares
• 2 cups tiny pretzel fish-shaped crackers
• 2 cups tiny fish-shaped cheese crackers
• 1 package (1 oz) ranch dressing and seasoning mix
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter for 30 seconds, then stir. Heat for another 10 seconds if needed to finish the melting process. Stir in the dressing mix and Parmesan cheese and mix well. Add the cereal and crackers to a large microwave-safe bowl, then pour the cheese and dressing mixture over the top, stirring to coat the pieces evenly. Microwave on high 3 minutes, stirring after each minute. Spread the cooked mixture onto parchment paper and allow to cool completely, then serve. We served ours in cute little sand pails with some sand toys. So fun! And finally, what’s a cruise without something sweet to munch on? We were inspired by the fish in the sea to create some Fish Bowl Snacks as our last activity!

Fish Bowl Snack

These super simple snacks are a fun addition to your vacation. You can serve them in mini fish bowls like we did, or grab some clear treat bags and share them with all your friends! Here’s what you need to make our Fish Bowl Snack:

• Blue jelly beans
• Colorful gummy fish candy
• Fish bowls or clear treat bags

Fill the bottom of your fish bowl or treat bag with blue jelly beans to create the look of water. Layer some gummy fish into the bowl and press them to the side so they are showing through the jelly beans. Add more jelly beans and fish candy until your bowl is full. Yum! Are you as excited as we are to see Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation? Make sure to purchase your tickets today!