• 3 to 6 Months Before High Seas Expedition
• 2 to 3 Months Before High Seas Expedition
• 8 Weeks Before High Seas Expedition
• 4 Weeks Before High Seas Expedition
• 2 Weeks Before High Seas Expedition
• 1 Week Before High Seas Expedition
• During High Seas Expedition
• After Your High Seas Expedition

8 Weeks Before High Seas Expedition

Begin recruiting Crew Leaders.
Crew Leaders are like older brothers and sisters in the Crew family. They aren't responsible for teaching, and they don't have to prepare anything. Crew Leaders can be teenagers, college students, parents, or grandparents. They need only to love the Lord and love children. For more information on recruiting, see the Recruiting section of the Ultimate Director Go-To Guide.

Crew Leaders should plan to participate in High Seas Expedition for the entire adventure. If they need to be absent one or more days, encourage them to find their own substitutes.

Begin publicity.
Fill in your program's dates and times on a High Seas Expedition Giant Outdoor Banner (available from Harcourt Religion). Display the banner in a prominent outdoor location. (Now you have a choice when you select your banner; you'll find three different banner designs—choose the one that works best for your parish!)

Hang High Seas Expedition publicity posters (available from Harcourt Religion) in your parish.

Show the "Church Buzz Builder" segment of the Set Sail DVD after Mass or another parish gathering. This brief segment gives people a glimpse of how High Seas Expedition works and what kids will learn at this awesome summer program. You'll find that the video helps build enthusiasm, recruit volunteers, and promote attendance for your program. Be sure to follow up the video by telling the parishioners how excited you are about the program!

Begin gathering supplies.
Refer to the "High Seas Expedition Daily Supplies" master supply list in the Ultimate Go-To Director Guide. (Note: Some stations may not require all the supplies listed, since Station Leaders can choose which activities they would like to do.) Consult with Station Leaders to inform them of how you'll handle supply collection. Will you gather all supplies, or will each leader gather his or her own supplies? You may want to ask parishioners to donate food supplies (such as pie filling, Jell-O, and fruit) or easy-to-find items (such as decorations).

Plan your High Seas Expedition schedule.
The average summer program runs for up to three hours each day. High Seas Expedition materials have been developed with these parameters in mind. For a three-hour program, Sing & Play Splash and The Floating Finale should last 25 minutes each, and every other station should last 20 minutes. See the daily schedules in the Ultimate Go-To Director Guide to see how this works. If your program will meet for more or less time than three hours each day, you'll need to adapt these times accordingly.