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Creative ways to tell them it's a balcony?

gander24

By gander24,
in Royal Caribbean International

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gander24

gander24

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My husband and I are going on a cruise in March on NOTS. We are going with his mom, dad, and 86 y/o very spunky grandma. It'll be Grandma's first cruise and she is BEYOND excited. Our family has been through a lot personally in the last 2 years so we are all ready for this trip.

 

Hubby and I will be in one cabin, the in-laws in another. When we booked the cruise, his parents elected to do an inside cabin to save money. DH and I knew deep down they were bitten by the balcony bug several years ago on their last cruise when it was the highlight of their trip. But we went along with their decision knowing it would allow them to sail with us.

 

DH and I played travel agent and made all the arrangements. They think they are getting an inside cabin with a sofa bed. However, with everything we've all been through lately (and knowing it was Grandma's first cruise), we decided they deserved a surprise upgrade. They have paid us for an inside cabin but we booked them a balcony room instead and we paid the difference.

 

We were totally expecting them to uncover the surprise when they logged into the RCI website but they haven't realized it yet. We are trying to think of a creative way to tell them once on board, to make it that much more special. Any ideas?

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vadersprincess12 Great Review Rare

vadersprincess12

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Posted (edited)

I'm interested in this too. Widowed friend and I are going out on the Pride (Carnival, but I'm on this site because DH and I are scheduled on the Explorer in August) next month. She is a school teacher and never cruised, and has been through quite a lot in the past couple of years as well. We booked inside as well, to save money. I got an upsell call for an extended balcony for only $150 for the entire cruise so I jumped on it, thinking it would be a nice way to make her cruise experience even better. She has no idea so I want to surprise her.

Edited by vadersprincess12
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vikielynne

vikielynne

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I'm in a similar position. My mother has had many health issues over the years but she still manages to cruise with me. She has not seen her best friend in 10 years and I'm taking the two of them on a cruise. Both wanted it as cost effective as possible since it's my present to them. They think we're in a inside cabin - handicapped so enough room for 3 but just an inside. Just before final payment came due a handicapped JS opened up and I snagged it. They don't have a clue. My mom knows I've been watching our sailing like a hawk for deals and asked if I'd found anything and my reply was can we just let it be a surprise...to my disbelief she said ok. So it will be revealed when we open the door. I'm so excited and it's killing me to not talk cruise with her but I know it will be worth it on April 24th :-)

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Toddcan

Toddcan

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gander... FOR SURE.. (in my opinion)... wait until they open the door. The layout of the hallways doesn't really give any hints as to which cabins are balconies, and which are inside cabins.. just walk down the hallway - they will find their cabin number, slide in the key pass, and open the door to a BRIGHT cabin.. they will be THRILLED.

 

At least this is my suggestion.

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gander24

gander24

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Why tell them? Why not let them be surprised when they walk in the stateroom?

 

This is the top way I had in my mind! I can just picture where they have keys in hand and they are looking on the wrong side of the ship, unable to find their room. Then suddenly they realize their room number is on the "outside" side of the ship... :) :) :)

 

Other ways I've considered:

- Pretending to put their keys in an inside room and them not working. I can totally picture my MIL getting frustrated then pow - turn around and access the balcony room behind us. But my DH suggested that a) they would realize it's not their room number and b) whoever is in that inside room may not appreciate people trying to access their cabin :-x

- Showing them to their room then saying "oh wait! This is our room!" then a pause.. then "....just kidding! Welcome to your room for the week!"

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Toddcan

Toddcan

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I'm in a similar position. My mother has had many health issues over the years but she still manages to cruise with me. She has not seen her best friend in 10 years and I'm taking the two of them on a cruise. Both wanted it as cost effective as possible since it's my present to them. They think we're in a inside cabin - handicapped so enough room for 3 but just an inside. Just before final payment came due a handicapped JS opened up and I snagged it. They don't have a clue. My mom knows I've been watching our sailing like a hawk for deals and asked if I'd found anything and my reply was can we just let it be a surprise...to my disbelief she said ok. So it will be revealed when we open the door. I'm so excited and it's killing me to not talk cruise with her but I know it will be worth it on April 24th :-)

 

Oh wow.. that's an awesome step up.. inside vs JS.. you will be thrilled!

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gander24

gander24

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I'm interested in this too. Widowed friend and I are going out on the Pride (Carnival, but I'm on this site because DH and I are scheduled on the Explorer in August) next month. She is a school teacher and never cruised, and has been through quite a lot in the past couple of years as well. We booked inside as well, to save money. I got an upsell call for an extended balcony for only $150 for the entire cruise so I jumped on it, thinking it would be a nice way to make her cruise experience even better. She has no idea so I want to surprise her.

 

That is so kind of you! I am sure it will mean a lot! There is something about a cruise ship balcony out in the middle of nowhere with nothing but water for miles to help restore the soul.

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tlatrice

tlatrice

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That is so kind of you! I am sure it will mean a lot! There is something about a cruise ship balcony out in the middle of nowhere with nothing but water for miles to help restore the soul.

 

Amen to that! One of my favorite things to do is to go out on my balcony first thing in the morning and get a short video of the ocean. And the great thing is I don't have to get dressed to do it. The bad thing is you can totally hear how stuffy my nose is because I've JUST gotten out of bed. LOL!!! But I actually still watch those videos when I get back home. It's a nice reminder when I'm stuck here on land! :D

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badgerliketheanimal

badgerliketheanimal

Posted
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A few years ago we surprised my mom with a cruise for her 60th birthday. We knew she was stopping over on New Years Eve to see her grandson and when she arrived we were all having a "Mexican Fiesta" in her grandson's room complete with changing table margarita bar, music, and other Mexican themed decor and the computer prepped and ready (see link below). We were all dressed in our bathing suits and the dog in her life jacket (haha) - she said afterwards that she thought we lost our minds. Anyhoo, below is a link of how we surprised her - make sure to read to the bottom of each picture of the slideshow.

 

Not exactly what you need but maybe it will help get the creative juices flowing. They will be so excited - good for you and your family.

 

http://play.smilebox.com/SpreadMoreHappy/4d6a6b774f4441324d54593d0d0a

 

-Kelly

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yj_eugene

yj_eugene

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My husband and I are going on a cruise in March on NOTS ... We are trying to think of a creative way to tell them once on board, to make it that much more special. Any ideas?

 

Doesn't NOTS have virtual balconies? I say don't tell them and when they see their real one, just make a comment like "wow, that virtual stuff's getting more realisitic all the time" or something like that.

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badgerliketheanimal

badgerliketheanimal

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Gander24, I have made goodie bags for all of our cruises and if you would like me to email you custom templates (see link below for examples of said bags)I would be more than happy to get them over to you.

 

Example:

 

With only a few weeks until we board the Navigator of the Seas,

Here's a few treats to help you enjoy your upgrade to a beautiful balcony!

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2009381

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impatientlywaiting

impatientlywaiting

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I booked a regular balcony cabin for our 2009 Sydney to Hawaii cruise but had the opportunity to upgrade to a JS for $100/pp a month before the cruise. Without telling DH, I did it and didn't tell him. When we got to the terminal to check in, we went to the JS line. He made the comment that we were in the wrong line. I told him that the line was empty and they had waved us over (which they really had)! When we finally got to our cabin (he didn't even notice the Junior Suite written on the wall beside the door) and walked in, his comment was - WOW, when did the cabins become this big! I had to take him back out into the hall and show him the writing on the wall! He looked at me like I was an alien and the first thing out of his mouth was - we can't afford this! After I told him the details, he was so glad we had been able to have the JS for an 18 day cruise!

 

My vote is to not tell them and let them be surprised!

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tserface

tserface

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That's a really cool story!

 

I'd upgrade to a JS for $100/pp anytime. What a great deal.

 

Tom

 

I booked a regular balcony cabin for our 2009 Sydney to Hawaii cruise but had the opportunity to upgrade to a JS for $100/pp a month before the cruise. Without telling DH, I did it and didn't tell him. When we got to the terminal to check in, we went to the JS line. He made the comment that we were in the wrong line. I told him that the line was empty and they had waved us over (which they really had)! When we finally got to our cabin (he didn't even notice the Junior Suite written on the wall beside the door) and walked in, his comment was - WOW, when did the cabins become this big! I had to take him back out into the hall and show him the writing on the wall! He looked at me like I was an alien and the first thing out of his mouth was - we can't afford this! After I told him the details, he was so glad we had been able to have the JS for an 18 day cruise!

 

My vote is to not tell them and let them be surprised!

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jmf123

jmf123

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Posted
Why tell them? Why not let them be surprised when they walk in the stateroom?

 

Definitely agree with surprising them onboard! We booked a ROS (run-of-ship) on Voyager and weren't assigned our stateroom until we checked in. Walking down the hall of Deck 9, I suddenly realized that our cabin was on the 'outside' side of the ship and thought Oceanview! Then I opened the door to our first (but certainly not last!) balcony! Awesome surprise! We've upgraded my parents to a balcony and JS in the past. :)

 

badgerliketheanimal, I love your gift bag!! http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2009381.

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