Need help being sneaky. Booked a GS, but don't want DW to know

[DevonianCruiser]

Appreciate the effort, but I'm not terribly fond of this plan...

 

"Major problem with our reservation" - will freak/stress her out.

Me going to "get the cabin assignement" leaving her in the windjammer.. lol.. not gonna happen.

 

BTW.. who said they "release the suites at 2:15?" I've always seen them open the cabin hallway doors at pretty much 1:00, although our last cruise, the starboard side opened up at abotu 12:45. Do they hold of on suites until later than 1:00??

 

I'm with you on that. Nice thought but may cause some stress and holiday is all about enjoyment.

 

Go with the flow and just hope she doesn't realise to much. You may just pull it off and if she starts to twig, then let her know. She will be overwhelmed I'm sure ;)

[Toddcan]

As I understand it, here are the problems.

1. Luggage tags. They will have "GS" on them, I think. May not be a big issue, because she doesn't know what D2 or GS means.

2. Check in line. I think there is a seperate line for suites. I may have to just bite the bullet and line up in the regular line.. That, or if the line is too large - I may have to tell her we have a suite if she even notices we are lining up in the suite line. (Edit.. wait..can we only check in at the suite check in section - or do all check in booths have gold cards?)

3. Gold Card at check in. She knows that the normal cards are white. She doesn't know a gold card exists. Not sure what I can say to explain it.. maybe that after 10 cruise points (lol), you get a gold card. IS there anything else at check in that might tip her off?

4. Approaching the cabin. It's on deck 10. Our other cabin was deck 7. I told her about the "balcony cabin"(D2) location, but I suspect she will not clue if I say our cabin is deck 10.

5. The cabin outside. I understand GS have doorbells?? (um.. why?). Is there any other markings on the cabin to identify it as a GS? I hope not, I hope it just says the cabin number like all the other ones.

 

Update:

I am heck-bound on surprising her as she opens the door to the suite, not a moment before (unless she catches on).

 

After reading all of your suggestions/cautions, I've revised my original "Issues list" to the following(please correct if I have misunderstood anything)

 

1. Luggage Tags

These will be mailed to us, like they used to be years ago. They may, or may not have "Suite" written on them in big letters. I think we're ok on this. If she asks, I'll just tell her that they are mailing out documents again like they used to (our first couple of cruises had mailings). She won't even blink at the luggage tags - in fact she doesn't even get the mail since she enters the house from the garage door. I always get the mail. I got that one covered.

 

2. Check in Line

Thanks to all of the suggestions, I am planning on taking full advantage of the suite check in line. I know that this means we will not be in the main line, and will be shown to a different entrance, possibly bypassing others standing in line. I'm 80% sure she won't blink an eye, but if she asks, I'll play dumb - and say something like - "I wonder why they have us going through this line - let's go!"

 

I plan on going to the proper suite check in counter. If she asks me about that, I'll just say "Cool, we get to check in at the shorter lines too! - must be busy right now".

 

3. Gold Card

Not worried at all about this one - unless they say "SUITE" on the card. Some say they do, and some say they don't.. maybe cards have been printed both ways. We had Gold cards with Carnival - we had a suite there that she knew about, but I myself thought the gold cards were just because we were repeat Carnival guests -this won't raise an eyebrow.. 90% sure. Now, if they do say SUITE... I'll try the old "Hmm, that's gotta be a mistake" and if she pushes... I'll casually say " I guess they bumped us up to a Suite - that is WAY cool" (Our Original reservation was a X - balcony guarantee -in theory, a GS is possible-lol, right).

 

3a - Suite Waiting Area & Priority Boarding

IF she notices something is different, I will play along with the whole "Man, they put is in this line because it was so busy at check in - look at the perks we're getting".

 

4-5 -Approaching the cabin, and the doorway itself

Not at all worried about this one. IF she has not caught on at all, and suddenly notices that the cabin is on deck 10 instead of deck 7, I will say - yeah, they obviously reassigned us a new cabin - remember honey, we had a guarantee balcony - they can give us whatever cabin they want, as long as it's a balcony. As far as the doorbell - if she asks: Hey, cool, that is neat! - doorbells on this floor!

 

I know to the average CC member it seems sooooo far fetched that she will not clue in. But, really, she lets me do all of the planning, and she has said a hundred times - I have planning OCD, and I am happy about it, and so is she. Every vacation we go on is almost flawless as far as planning goes, so she has 27 years of trusting me on this one. She won't question for a second some of these things that you, the CC member would pick up on immediately.

 

What she WILL notice is the size of the honkin' cabin. As soon as she gets over the shock of the cabin, I will tell her to open the bathroom door. Our latest cruise was just March, so she is very familiar with the size and layout of the bathrooms in a D/E cabin.

 

I promise to come back and update - with pics!

Edited October 23, 2013 by Toddcan

[BillOh]

Good for you! I hope you're successful on this.... she will be happily shocked if you can pull it off.

 

I can only answer #1 with confidence: your luggage tags will say "Suite" on them in very visible lettering. So definitely keep those away from her. ;) On #2 I believe there is a separate line and if so, you can always use the regular line as you say unless you've blown it prior and she already knows!

 

AND, won't the Sea Pass cards be gold? I suppose you can pass that off as, "because we are gold" if she isn't that knowledgeable about RCI's procedures. Good luck, I hope it works out, but you might have to say SURPRISE! at the check in station.

[Toddcan]

AND, won't the Sea Pass cards be gold? I suppose you can pass that off as, "because we are gold" if she isn't that knowledgeable about RCI's procedures. Good luck, I hope it works out, but you might have to say SURPRISE! at the check in station.

 

Agreed.. if she's going to suspect, and catch on - it's at the check in counter. I'm prepared for that.. just turn to her, and just like you said.. say "surprise".

 

I will try to mitigate that risk by attaching a post-it note to my set sail documents indicating that I'm trying to surprise her - at least so that the check in attendant doesn't specifcally say something about the suite.

[wrp96]

I managed to get my mom all the way to our suite on my last cruise without her knowing. She thought the skipping lines & stuff was all due to my status. Maybe you can handle it by playing off that's due to status or something (assuming she doesn't pay attention to stuff like that).

[Let'sGo!]

I'm subscribing to this thread because I'm dying to hear how it all works out!

 

I too am the planner for our vacations. Most the time my husband doesn't even know what ports we're stopping at!

 

For our cruise next May, not only have I booked us in our first Grand Suite, it will also be our first cruise as Diamond. He does not know about the suite and I'm sure he has no clue about any of the perks we'll get, so I'm just keeping it all hush hush as long as I can. Since we're cruising out of San Juan, I know there's no special check-in stuff... so hopefully he won't figure it out until we get to the suite. He will probably presume the gold cards are for Diamond C&A members.

 

It's actually kind of fun doing this!

 

Good luck Toddcan!

 

 

Ann

[Toddcan]

Whew... good timing..

 

I switched my reservation to a GS when it was $1299 pp. (only a 5 day cruise, but still, the price per day is the cheapest I have seen a GS).

 

I checked pricing today - $1699 pp. An increase of $400pp! Niiiiice :) Glad I didn't wait too long.

[Toddcan]

Price went UP again another $150pp. Glad I grabbed it when I did.

 

NOW... I am rethinking the whole "surprise" thing...

 

To recap: read post #1.

 

What I am now considering:

Wrap a christmas present containing a DVD which I will make. On the DVD, I will show pics and videos of the cabin she thinks we booked - a d2 balcony (although she has no idea that there are E1, E2, D1, D2... she just thinks we have "a balcony cabin"). She will think the video is to just get her excited about the upcoming cruise which will happen 10 weeks after Christmas.

 

Then, I will show pics and a videos of a Grand Suite (what I have actually booked). Just before the grand suite video, I will say something in the video like "Merry Christmas", here is the cabin I have booked.... There are some really good Freedom Class GS videos on YouTube taken by some cruisers. One of them even starts with their finger ringing the doorbell, and then entering the cabin, with nice tours of the cabin/balcony.

 

THAT would be cool too! This way, she can be super excited about the GS too, and then she might better appreciate the check-in perks too.

 

Hmmmm

[Tkaklita]

Ok, here is my two cents. My aunt and I are going on our second cruise together.

The first time we had a balcony, nice, but we realized we needed more room. This time we are doing a GS, a first for us too, and we are so excited for the whole experience!!!

 

I keep finding and sending her pictures, videos and information about the room, perks and experiences from other cruisers that we are both anticipating a fun experience ourselves from beginning to end!!!

 

I really like the idea of the DVD to start the anticipation mood brewing and I know I enjoy finding out little tidbits of what we can look forward to and I'm the one finding all the info, lol!!

 

Good Luck in how ever this unfolds, definitely staying tuned in on this. Have a wonderful cruise too.

 

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Forums mobile app

[riclop]

I had a D2 booked, on our upcoming Liberty cruise, but I just cancelled it, and grabbed a GS. My wife thinks we still have "a balcony" cabin.

 

My ideal plan is to have her enter the cabin and be shocked, but there are a lot of obstacles in my way. I've never booked a suite before, and we are only Gold, so there will be several items that will tip her off that our cabin is not a D2 before we get onto the ship. I'm asking for any suggestions on how to be sneaky.

 

Now, what I have working for me is that I am the planner. She loves to cruise, but is perfectly fine with leaving all the planning up to me. So, I can get lots past her - simply because she doesn't know

 

As I understand it, here are the problems.

1. Luggage tags. They will have "GS" on them, I think. May not be a big issue, because she doesn't know what D2 or GS means.

2. Check in line. I think there is a seperate line for suites. I may have to just bite the bullet and line up in the regular line.. That, or if the line is too large - I may have to tell her we have a suite if she even notices we are lining up in the suite line. (Edit.. wait..can we only check in at the suite check in section - or do all check in booths have gold cards?)

3. Gold Card at check in. She knows that the normal cards are white. She doesn't know a gold card exists. Not sure what I can say to explain it.. maybe that after 10 cruise points (lol), you get a gold card. IS there anything else at check in that might tip her off?

4. Approaching the cabin. It's on deck 10. Our other cabin was deck 7. I told her about the "balcony cabin"(D2) location, but I suspect she will not clue if I say our cabin is deck 10.

5. The cabin outside. I understand GS have doorbells?? (um.. why?). Is there any other markings on the cabin to identify it as a GS? I hope not, I hope it just says the cabin number like all the other ones.

 

If all of this works out, I'll get her to open the door herself and walk in first.

 

Any thoughts, or suggestions, or glitches I don't know about?

SSSHHH we wont tell.

[Toddcan]

UpDate: Juniour Suite prices dropped like a rock on our sailing. So, I grabbed a deck 9 middle hump Junior Suite and saved over $1,100 total.

 

Wife is still expecting just a D/E balcony.

 

I am 90% finished my video, which I will give to her on Christmas Day - she will know we're getting a JS.

[Clarea]

UpDate: Juniour Suite prices dropped like a rock on our sailing. So, I grabbed a deck 9 middle hump Junior Suite and saved over $1,100 total.

 

Wife is still expecting just a D/E balcony.

 

I am 90% finished my video, which I will give to her on Christmas Day - she will know we're getting a JS.

That's a huge savings! I'm surprised the prices would drop so much this close to final payment.

[Toddcan]

That's a huge savings! I'm surprised the prices would drop so much this close to final payment.

 

Should probably clarify: The $1,100 savings is compared to what I paid for the Grand Suite.

 

However, the Junior Suite pricing did drop from $1239 to $849pp, so that is pretty significant of a drop - especially, like you mentioned - so close to final payment date.

[Toddcan]

Update: For Christmas, I decided to tell my wife that I upgraded to the Junior Suite, rather than surprise her at the boat.

 

How I did it: I made a video highlighting the cruise, and then at the end of the video, I surprised her...

 

Watch the video if you like - it's 14:30 long, but the first 11:30 simply highlights the Liberty of the Seas, and the last 3:00 is how I revealed the surprise!

 

 

I should also add: My wife was glad I told her before the cruise (I asked). She will now spend the next few months looking forward to a JS.

Edited December 26, 2013 by Toddcan

[Tkaklita]

This is AWESOME!!! What a great job on the video, so loved the reveal and I hope she became real excited!! I know I did and I knew it was coming, lol!!!

 

Have a wonderful trip, please let us know how it went and Happy Holidays too!!!

 

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Forums mobile app

[starfish216]

Nice video!

 

Enjoy your cruise in your Junior Suite.

 

Merry Christmas.

[mconthehighseas]

In the excitement of getting on the ship, I doubt she will notice the color of the seapass. However, when they hand over the passes at check in, just grab them both and move along. Then hand them both to the security person as you board and say it is for both of you. I do this with the kids all the time, so it is not that unusual for security to be handed two or three cards at a time when people get on/off the ship.

 

You can always get luggage tags at the port. Maybe make up a story for your wife that they moved you to a balcony on a higher deck at the last second so you don't have the correct luggage tags like you normaly do....and act "mad" about it!

 

If you get routed to the suite line at check in, tell her your TA or however you booked the cruise was offering free priority boarding as an incitive...I don't think that actually exists, but she probably doesnt know that if you normaly do al the paperwork.

 

One giveaway before you get into the room is the hallway. She might notice that the doors are spaced much further appart than on the lower decks. Be ready with a story that you looked online and the room they "moved" you to is a balacony room tucked between two suites.

 

Good Luck!

 

I think this is great advice!

[chrisb74]

Even if you're sent luggage tags, i assume you can still print them. Photoshop the word Suite out? :) If the room number and your name is still there they'll find you.

 

Your wife will not notice a doorbell.

 

Gold Seapass? Given the base level C&A is Gold that one is easy to explain away (even if it is a fib).

 

Personally, I would wait until you're about to leave for the port. Part of the joy of the suite is being treated like royalty from the second you arrive. You should both enjoy that together and make the most of it. She won't have time to look at pictures or details online so the actual size and facilities of the room will still be a nice surprise.

 

Someone suggested flowers which is a nice touch. Add in some Champagne/chocolate so you can spend some time in the room together when you first get to go in rather than doing a look around and then wondering "now what" or wanting a drink to continue the celebration and excitement (I have no idea if you can pre-book that sort of thing)

[banderboo]

As I understand it, here are the problems.

1. Luggage tags. They will have "GS" on them, I think. May not be a big issue, because she doesn't know what D2 or GS means.

 

Give your wife a small gift (use lots of tape:D ) that she can open / keep her busy while you put the luggage tags on and hand them to the porter

 

2. Check in line. I think there is a seperate line for suites. I may have to just bite the bullet and line up in the regular line.. That, or if the line is too large - I may have to tell her we have a suite if she even notices we are lining up in the suite line. (Edit.. wait..can we only check in at the suite check in section - or do all check in booths have gold cards?)

 

As mentioned above...include a note directing them not to mention suite

3. Gold Card at check in. She knows that the normal cards are white. She doesn't know a gold card exists. Not sure what I can say to explain it.. maybe that after 10 cruise points (lol), you get a gold card. IS there anything else at check in that might tip her off?

 

Since she's not the planner just tell her the seapass cards have changed color since you made gold.

 

4. Approaching the cabin. It's on deck 10. Our other cabin was deck 7. I told her about the "balcony cabin"(D2) location, but I suspect she will not clue if I say our cabin is deck 10.

 

If she questions the deck location just say you hit the wrong floor and/or that someone on CC told you to check out something(be creative) on Deck 10

5. The cabin outside. I understand GS have doorbells?? (um.. why?). Is there any other markings on the cabin to identify it as a GS? I hope not, I hope it just says the cabin number like all the other ones.

 

again distraction will work here, just keep her redirected and her attention on something else until you get into the suite.

 

If all of this works out, I'll get her to open the door herself and walk in first.

 

Any thoughts, or suggestions, or glitches I don't know about?

Edited April 7, 2014 by banderboo

[chfenton]

You do realize the cruise happened last month so as far as the OP is concerned don't think he still needs advice.