Surprising my wife with the cruise of her dreams

[Mom2B&Z]

Add me to the list too! I saw how horribly his arial mix thread turned out and wondered if he would come back to update this thread :rolleyes:

[olemissreb]

Add me to the list! I did just post on his trail mix thread (since a couple more found it late and chastised him) that he was on the cruise and without the mix.

 

The cruise was 2 weeks right? So they should be getting home tomorrow?

 

Come on Terrific! Just drop in for a quick minute and tell us how it went and if you found DW's wallet.

[bandgbasset]

What is the trail mix thread? This thread originally was on ask a cruise question. And I lost it for a few months till I found it here:eek:

[jdvmd]

What is the trail mix thread? This thread originally was on ask a cruise question. And I lost it for a few months till I found it here:eek:

Here you go!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1804157

[terrific_surprise]

Sorry to keep you all in suspense about the outcome of our beautiful cruise to Hawaii! Although we are home with our children now and are almost fully unpacked, it is still difficult at times to grasp the fact that the cruise is over. Anytime I close my eyes it feels like I am back on the ship or the islands (yes, I admit that at times I do just want to keep my eyes closed).

 

There are so many things to share that it is hard to know where to start. In many ways it was not what we expected, but it also surpassed our expectations in significant ways. Along the way I learned some important lessons. In retrospect, I feel a bit embarrassed about some parts of what I have written here, realizing how this truly became an obsession with me, and how some of my plans were so unrealistic.

 

The problem with such extreme planning as I have done is that it tends to increase expectations, which unfortunately tends to increase the opportunities to be disappointed. I knew that this would be the case, so I tried to prepare myself to make necessary adjustments to my plans along the way. I had emphasized all along that my clues would not necessarily all be fulfilled, but would provide a menu of possibilities. But I planned so much and had to make so many adjustments that dealing with it did became too overwhelming at times.

 

As most of you no doubt know well, there are far too many things to be done on a cruise (even on sea days) for anyone to experience it all. The things I added (various activities to reveal previously-given clues, plus giving her new golden envelopes along the way) gave us more opportunities each day to be overwhelmed. Nevertheless I tried to continually remind myself that this was supposed to be a vacation, and set aside my plans (when possible) to allow for relaxation. This goal was unattainable, though, on most port days.

 

One of the biggest blessings of the cruise was the opportunity to get to know some wonderful people, and in this way I think the cruise exceeded my expectations. From Elua (Dave and Leialoha) to the cruise director to the assistant cruise director to our servers, to our tablemates, even to some people we never actually met but just saw in passing, we were continually blessed by our encounters with people on the cruise. (There were exceptions, but they were few and far between.)

 

Navigating the end of the cruise (and avoiding the post-cruise blues) was a major concern of mine. I hoped that we could come in for a "soft landing" instead of the "crash landing" we seemed to experience when we so quickly returned to "real life" after our previous cruise.

 

I intend to share much with you soon about our experiences but I need to first organize and collect my thoughts (and pictures).

Most likely I will finish this thread by posting some final updates relating to the final golden envelopes I gave her throughout the cruise. Then I hope to post a separate review of the cruise that will go into more detail about what we experienced (positively and negatively). I may also post some additional threads relating to other issues such as our experiences with the rental cars (which may not necessarily be of interest to those of you who have followed this thread).

 

Terri (aka DW, aka "Terrific") has been understandably overwhelmed by this experience and hasn't yet had time to fully process everything. In particular, she still has not seen most of what I have written here. A couple of times during the cruise I set the computer in front of her with this thread displayed on the screen, but there were too many other things going on for her to focus on it. Just a few minutes ago I loaded this thread on her tablet again, so hopefully she will soon find out what she has been missing.

 

It may still be a few days before I am able to get up to speed again on posting updates here. I need to turn my attention to other important issues, such as filing our tax return on April 15! (How can someone who takes 18 months to plan a cruise wait until April 15 to file his taxes? Believe it or not, I tend to be a procrastinator, and this cruise planning experience has not been typical for me.)

 

 

Until I upload more photos, here's one of us at Rainbow Falls in Hilo:

Edited April 13, 2013 by terrific_surprise
typo

[shorbr]

So very happy that you both had a great cruise and that you are back safe and sound.

 

Looking forward to hearing your review :)

[cruisemama5]

Glad you are back and had a goid trip! Can't wait for you full report. But understand your need to do your taxes, and get back into your home life.

[olemissreb]

So glad you had a wonderful trip! Now when you start to get overwhelmed, you can both "go back to the islands" to help you decompress!

 

Can't wait to read more, but as a CPA I strongly encourage you to get on those taxes! (That being said, I didn't get mine done till about 2 weeks ago and waited until yesterday to send in my payment - durn gov't hit us up for extra!).:)

[terrific_surprise]

Sometimes I really can be an idiot. (Ok, I realize that some of you already knew that.)

 

I made an error on our tax return when I submitted it yesterday, and today the IRS rejected it. It wasn't an easy error to fix, but eventually I figured it out and resubmitted it.

 

About an hour and a half ago, I received this text message from my wife, who has been reading this thread over the past few days:

"so...dh :) what happened with taxes?"

 

This is how I responded: "no response from IRS. what does dh mean?"

 

I wasn't joking. (Like I said, sometimes I really can be an idiot!)

 

She texted back: "really???? you don't know???"

 

I was on the phone when I received that message, but while I was talking I clumsily replied "Oops... now I realize my mustake, dw!"

 

Then about 10 minutes later I received the good news, and sent this message to DW: "Breaking news from dh to dw: I just got the response from the IRS. Our tax return was accepted!"

 

She replied "ptl!!!! you are awesome! yay!"

 

About thirty minutes later (and about thirty minutes ago) she sent this text "awwwww....all done with the story....do we live happily everafter???? I really do love you and look forward to 'escaping' maybe not 'completely' but with you!!! 'thanks for the memories,' I will cherish you and them for a lifetime! !<3"

[olemissreb]

AWWWW how wonderful! Even if it wasn't everything YOU had hoped for, it sounds like it was waaaaaaaaaaaaay more what your DW hoped for (and got!). You did a great job!

[elcydcruiser]

WELCOME HOME......I know you had a wonderful time. Can't wait to read your story.......cyd

[terrific_surprise]

WELCOME HOME......I know you had a wonderful time. Can't wait to read your story.......cyd

 

Hi cyd,

I have been reviewing the cruise photos and videos (some 32 Gigabytes++ :eek:) and hope to start posting the story soon. Before I read your message I was watching the video of your waving yellow hand. We could hear you saying "Aloha" and "Happy birthday"! You and my wife Terri have something in common: really powerful voices! ;)

[greenie082756]

My DH and I just returned last Wednesday (24th) from our cruise to Hawaii onthe Golden:(. I'm interested in what you thought of your cruise as I will post mine later as well. Decompressing to say the least. Bottom line it was absolutely wonderful and we look forward to doing it again.

 

Looking forward to your review and story..as always..:)

Welcome back home!

[Kathie859]

I think it is wonderful and I hope you enjoy your trip! However, I'm still stuck on the fact you have 11 children.:eek:

 

No joke!!! I was taken with that, too. :D OP, have a wonderful time.

[Mrs.C05]

I'd like to read more about your cruise. Hope you come back!!!

[Crystaltipps]

Such a shame, having followed this thread since the beginning, that it looks like we're not going to ever know how the cruise went.:(

[jdvmd]

Such a shame, having followed this thread since the beginning, that it looks like we're not going to ever know how the cruise went.:(

You need to go back and read the posts. OP has made numerous posts about the cruise.

[Aurora2143]

I've got a serious case of the waterworks going!!! This was amazing!

[Crystaltipps]

You need to go back and read the posts. OP has made numerous posts about the cruise.

 

Of course I've read all the posts. I have been unable to find anything much apart from one saying that they were back and it wasn't quite what they were expecting, and another about a tax return! Having seen and followed the incredible amount of detail in all the build up posts, I am disappointed not to have been able to read a day by day account of the cruise so that I can find out how all the special things that were planned during the cruise turned out. And of course whether the wallet was found...

[skiladyldp]

Crystaltipps, I agree I am disappointmented too that we have not heard more. I also followed this from the beginning.

[Mrs.C05]

He did mention they had a good time on the cruise, I would've thought though he would do a thorough review. And what some of you may have thought was the cruise, was probably the Bon voyage experience he surprised her with for Valentines, I think.

 

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

[greenie082756]

He did mention they had a good time on the cruise, I would've thought though he would do a thorough review. And what some of you may have thought was the cruise, was probably the Bon voyage experience he surprised her with for Valentines, I think.

 

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

I also thought there would of been a bit more follow through of a review of their cruise. He spent many months telling us all about the plans and how he was surprising his wife. Pehaps he just needs some time to catch up with everything while he was gone.

Here's to hoping we get a final review of surprising his wife with a cruise!:)

[jamessemaj]

I also followed the thread and just came back to see if there was an update. No. Kind of surprising given the elaborate puzzle and all in the year before. A year!!! My imagination runs wild as to an explanation))).

[terrific_surprise]

Sorry that I have neglected to post on CC for such a long time. I always intended to get back to this, to give you many details about our cruise experience, but the details became overwhelming as other responsibilities commanded my attention. In particular, it has been a challenge to navigate our array of cruise photos and videos, originating from over a half a dozen different devices, many of which we failed to synchronize with the changing time zones. Further complicating things, my computer was on the fritz for a while.

 

I had begun to wonder if it was too late to even post anything here, so I do appreciate those of you who have expressed interest in my review. For the most part, my more detailed review will be contained in a separate thread on the Princess forum, but I will add a few anecdotes here which would probably not be meaningful to those who didn't follow the pre-cruise story.

 

While the cruise wouldn't actually begin until March 27 (my wife Terri's 50th birthday), we planned some activities for March 26 to ensure that we wouldn't miss anything. The morning would begin with a ministry breakfast which would also serve as DW's 50th birthday party. It wasn't a big production like her 49th birthday party had been, but just a small gathering of friends wishing us "bon voyage."

 

After the breakfast, we finished up some last-minute ministry details before getting on the highway to Ventura, where DW had a hair appointment at 3 pm. Then we took the scenic route to LA, traveling along Highway 1, the Pacific Coast Highway, with background music provided by Elua. (I provide more detail on this on my main review thread.)

 

We arrived at the San Pedro Fanfare Fountains just in time for the last song of the evening show. After the song ended, I wanted to take some photos of my wife at the fountains. Several of the most important photo clues I had given her over the year featured various scenes around the fountains, and I had failed to capture some of these scenes when we visited San Pedro for our Bon Voyage Experience on February 16, so I wanted to catch some of the photos I had missed. (My intention all along had been to fulfill the photo clues by capturing a photo of my wife at the various locations which had been featured in the photo clues. By March 26, I think she already realized this, because after our February 16 Bon Voyage Experience I had added some of the photos to the digital picture frame I had given her, so that she would see a particular photo-clue followed by another photo showing her at the photo-clue location.)

 

Here is one of my favorite photos from this session, which is a pretty close match to one of the previous photo clues (which didn't have DW in it, of course):

 

After a brief photo session, we were blessed with the surprise of watching the Star Princess sail away, followed by dinner at Acapulco (which I have previously described in more detail).

 

The next morning (the morning of DW's 50th birthday), after we watched the Golden Princess sail in from the ocean, we eventually discovered that DW's wallet was missing (along with the ID she needed to board the cruise).

 

But after she had looked in vain for her wallet for a while, I had my wife call somebody for a brief (but very special) conversation. Her friend Kristi had hoped to be with us on the ship for the Bon Voyage Experience that day, but Kristi had to focus on caring for her elderly mom who recently had a stroke and had a leg amputated. Kristi was not only one of Terri's bridesmaids and a close friend in her high school and college years, but also had traveled to Hawaii with Terri 30 years ago, so it would have been very special to have her there for the BVE. When I had switched one of the songs on the Fanfare CD (after our February 16 visit to the Sapphire Princess), the new song was supposed to be a clue about Kristi (and DW immediately understood it to point to Kristi). So even though Kristi couldn't be there in person, I wanted Terri to be able to talk to her, to make the experience complete.

 

I also gave DW golden envelopes containing the final puzzle pieces during these last few hours before the cruise (as I think I previously described). When the Princess representatives in the port building erroneously told us to sit down instead of boarding the ship, this gave her enough time to open up the puzzle frame (which she was carrying) and insert the final puzzle pieces. You can see the completed puzzle (in its frame) in this photo, which was taken just before we boarded the ship:

The above photo also shows me carrying a scroll. The scroll contained a very special picture which I hoped to hang on the wall of our stateroom. As I carried this scroll throughout the boarding process, I thought that at some point DW would ask me about it, but thankfully she never did.

[terrific_surprise]

Probably the first person to actually welcome us to the ship was cruise director Gavin Chandler, whom we happened to pass by (without knowing who he was) on the Promenade Deck near Explorer's Lounge. He seemed to know about Terri's 50th birthday when she showed him the puzzle she was carrying, and he often greeted us in the days to follow. On one of those later cruise days, he greeted us by wishing us a "happy 50th anniversary!" I think he was joking about that -- or at least I hope he was. (Could we really look that old?)

 

Near the Explorer's Lounge, DW also noticed this flamingo mural as we passed by:

(This photo was actually taken on another day, as we didn't take the time for a photo here on embarkation day.) DW quickly realized that some of the most obscure photo clues I had given her (such as a photo of this flamingo mural) were based upon Golden Princess decor (it seems that she had perceptively suspected that this would be the case).

 

We found our way to the buffet, where I slipped away to our room for a few minutes so that I could hang a picture on the wall of the stateroom. The large picture (which was the scroll that I had been carrying) featured my wife Terri in a cap and gown, flanked by her proud mom and dad (both of whom passed away over a decade ago). I had enclosed a small version of this photo in the "50th birthday" card I gave her at the start of this whole process on her 49th birthday, and she immediately treasured it, telling me that she didn't recall ever seeing this precious photo before. (While I have no idea how such a special photo could have escaped her attention all these years, it definitely enhanced the experience that she had forgotten about it.) I knew that she would want to feel that somehow her parents were celebrating this milestone with her, and it seemed to me that this photo accomplished that purpose. (Today that photo hangs in our bedroom, a constant reminder not only of her parents' love, but of the yearlong 50th birthday experience and the cruise -- all wrapped beautifully together.)

 

You can see this large photo on the wall our stateroom in this photo I took of DW practicing her hula moves toward the end of the cruise:

 

I had packed some magnetic disks for the purpose of mounting this photo, but the magnetic disks wouldn't adhere to the wall between the bedroom and the closet/bathroom area, so I had to put the picture on the aft wall (which in retrospect was probably a better location anyway).