Imagine receiving a mysteriously worded invitation to a cruise from a friend of yours. Wouldn't it fascinate you? You would most likely want to be there with bells on, for there is something especially interesting about such an invitation. You feci that the party is going to be unusual and different. And so it turns out to be:

Upon arriving at the home of your friend you arc surprised, and somewhat amused, to see that the stairs are made up into the shape of a gangplank. The host is at the door decked out in an officer's uniform, and sailors show you to your staterooms to leave your wraps. You are then escorted to the lounge (living room), where the other members of the cruise are gathering.

Here you are given a paper sailor hat. (These hats are easy to make. See the pattern shown here.) At the same time each guest is labeled with a sticker. Later you will find that there is another sticker like yours in the crowd, and the wearer will be your partner at dinner. The stickers represent cities or countries you might visit on a cruise. You are instructed to behave during the evening as if you really lived in the city or country represented by your sticker. You develop an accent or mannerisms that you think people from your city or country have. This is where the fun begins.

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Pattern For A Sailor Hat

As the evening progresses, there are surprises every minute. The dining room is labeled "dining saloon," the kitchen has become the "galley," and the basement is the "engine room." You find yourself speaking in nautical language, saying "starboard" and "port" instead of right and left, and so forth. The whole house has become a ship, and you a traveler.

The decorations, too, help to add atmosphere. Around the rooms are steamer chairs your host has found in the gardens of friends and neighbors. Hanging on the wall arc life savers (which you find upon closer inspection to be old tires painted white and hung with ropes). The windows have been turned into ocean scenes by a few paper cut-outs such as those shown in the illustration.

No introductions are necessary at this party. The host has planned the games so that in the process of getting equipped for the cruise each guest does his own introducing. Address books in the form of paper and pencil are given to each guest, who in turn is told to collect as many names as he can in ten minutes. This he does by going about asking the other guests their names, and taking their addresses for good measure. When the time limit expires, the guest who has the largest collection of names wins this game and an autograph album.

Here are some ideas on window decorations for a ship or cruise party.

Before dinner is served by sailors in the dining saloon, you are instructed to find your partner (the one who has the sticker like yours), and come to dinner. The meal is served in true seagoing fashion. The tablecloth is blue paper with white-chalk water scenes drawn upon it. Ship stories are told by the captain.

After dinner the guests are taken on a tour of the ship. From engine room to crow's nest in the attic the ship is inspected. Ship games are going forward on each level. In one room a movie is shown, while in another you find some deck horse races going on. Dancing is in order in the lounge. A ship's officer tours the boat to see that all is well and the guests entertained. Periodically a bell sounds for the guests to change games.

At the end of the cruise, the guests disembark for home. It has been a glorious trip, and a joyful experience that most anybody could have in his own home.