How do I keep it a secret?

[Peckishpixie]

I just bought my son and daughter-in-love a cruise that I dont plan on telling them about until we are on our way. They think we are going on a road trip. I've painstakingly arranged everything to be an absolute surprise including a complicated ruse to get my DIL an evening gown and my son a suit under the guise of needing it to attend a fundraiser. I thought I had the perfect surprise but now I have to get them "ocean ready" it is a medallion class ship. I have access to their passport info. I dont know how to finish the other items without telling them. Do you have any good ideas?

[skynight]

You can not keep it a total secret. They will have to know prior to the cruise to complete all the information required for international travel.They will require passports. If they don't have them they have to apply. Takes time.They have to enter their immigration information into the cruise personlizer which includes passport information, preferences as well as credit card information. You do not have to be Ocean Ready by completing the information in the Ocean Ready app. Medallions can be picked up at the pier. If you do decide to be Ocean Ready in addition to entering all the information into the cruise personlizer, the information plus scanned pictures of their passports have to be entered into the app. Here are the steps as e-mailed by Princess:

As part of your Princess® MedallionClass™ experience, you can enjoy complimentary expedited boarding. If you are already OceanReady, great! Just ensure everyone in your party is as well. If not, simply follow the steps below:
	Provide mandatory immigration information in Cruise Personalizer ❯
	Download the MedallionClass™ app Then log in and follow the steps to get OceanReady.
	Scan travel documents When getting OceanReady, you'll need to scan your travel documents, such as your passport. You can have your Medallion™ shipped to your home if you complete or confirm your shipping information at least 12 days prior to the start of your Princess vacation*. *Shipping to your home currently available for U.S. residents only. If you are picking up your Medallion at the port, be ready to show your OceanReady Pass on your device for a quicker embarkation.

 

[geocruiser]

15 minutes ago, Peckishpixie said:

I just bought my son and daughter-in-love a cruise that I dont plan on telling them about until we are on our way. They think we are going on a road trip. I've painstakingly arranged everything to be an absolute surprise including a complicated ruse to get my DIL an evening gown and my son a suit under the guise of needing it to attend a fundraiser. I thought I had the perfect surprise but now I have to get them "ocean ready" it is a medallion class ship. I have access to their passport info. I dont know how to finish the other items without telling them. Do you have any good ideas?

This is very nice of you to give them a cruise.  The one thing to make sure of ,besides the gown, is to make sure that they have the right clothing for the weather that the cruise will be in.  Also enough of their medication (if they have the need for them).  Remember they may not be able to buy them along the way.

Now, for me as a female, I would want to be told so I could pack my clothing for a cruise, and go shopping for some new cruise clothing.  I would also miss the anticipation of the cruise and the planing.  I know you did not ask about what I have wrote.  I just thought I would add it in.

 

As for OM, maybe don't do that until you get to the ship.  But they have to fill out the other on line stuff on Princess's web site.

 

Edited October 20, 2019 by geocruiser

[denmarks]

I believe that part of the excitement of a cruise is planning for it. You are taking that away from them. I would print out the reservation and insert it into a card such as the one below and give it to them a couple of months in advance.

[WatchHill]

As much as you [OP] likes the surprise, it would upset me if I were on the receiving end.  The passport and CC issue aside, I would want to pack the correct clothes for a cruise, [road trip isn't the same as a cruise], share the anticipation and excitement with friends and do some research about the ports so I can plan my time on shore. 

 

Why not take the "kids" to a nice restaurant in the next week or so and then share with them your cruise gift? Maybe start by giving them an envelope with the itinerary printed out, a picture of the ship and a container of good quality sun block [will need that on the ship v driving in a car]. 

 

Darcy

[Duffysmom]

I would not want to be surprised since a cruise involves being around many people daily and clothing that is appropriate for the cruise as well as the climate is important especially for a female.  I like the suggestions to give them the gift of anticipation as well as the ability to pack as they wish. 

[voljeep]

have they ever cruised before ???

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 hour ago, geocruiser said:

Now, for me as a female, I would want to be told

and as a female - for many other reasons as well.... Hint-hint.

 

I cannot imagine going on a cruise and not knowing about it.

It requires a lot more preparation than an evening gown. As a matter of fact, I don't even bring one on the cruise. Instead, it's passports, sunglasses, a ton of SPF lotion, sunhats, all the medications under the sky, flip flops (forgot them on my very first cruise), and a hairbrush (forgot this on our 5th cruise) + shorts.

It's a big no-no for me to be so dang unprepared for a cruise.

[Bwana Tom]

2 hours ago, Peckishpixie said:

I just bought my son and daughter-in-love a cruise that I dont plan on telling them about until we are on our way. They think we are going on a road trip. I've painstakingly arranged everything to be an absolute surprise including a complicated ruse to get my DIL an evening gown and my son a suit under the guise of needing it to attend a fundraiser. I thought I had the perfect surprise but now I have to get them "ocean ready" it is a medallion class ship. I have access to their passport info. I dont know how to finish the other items without telling them. Do you have any good ideas?

Far too many people pooh poohing a very nice and thoughtful offer. No one knows the people you are proposing the gift to better than you do and my best advice is to follow your own judgement. I think it is very nice of you. I wish someone would do that for me. If you want to spring it on them before the trip that is fine; if you decide to make it a big surprise at the dock I'm sure that will be fine as well. Just make sure they have their passports with them. You don't need to complete the OM stuff until you get there if don't want to. At the service-check-in desk they can complete it for them. And for those folks worried about packing the right kind of clothes and stuff - you can purchase a bathing suit or shorts for a few dollars along the way. 

I hope it all works out for you and you have a great cruise.  

[skynight]

18 minutes ago, Bwana Tom said:

Far too many people pooh poohing a very nice and thoughtful offer. No one knows the people you are proposing the gift to better than you do and my best advice is to follow your own judgement. I think it is very nice of you. I wish someone would do that for me. If you want to spring it on them before the trip that is fine; if you decide to make it a big surprise at the dock I'm sure that will be fine as well. Just make sure they have their passports with them. You don't need to complete the OM stuff until you get there if don't want to. At the service-check-in desk they can complete it for them. And for those folks worried about packing the right kind of clothes and stuff - you can purchase a bathing suit or shorts for a few dollars along the way. 

I hope it all works out for you and you have a great cruise.  

I don't agree with this. Very risky to spring international travel on the dock. They need all the correct documents to board the ship. They have to pack correctly. They have to know about prohibited items. I would follow demarks' advice, a dinner or party months in advance.

[history_bits]

Funny, I surprised my mom with a cruise last Christmas (we sailed in February). 

 

I was fortunate to be able to have my dad send me all her passport info so I could do the majority of the "Ocean Ready" and setup stuff with his help.

I made her a pretend boarding pass and gave it to her with the confirmation at Christmas and she was blown away. Then we spent Christmas vacay doing some planning and researching. 

 

She and I are planning another cruise this year together, and she has admitted that while she enjoyed the surprise, she did miss the excitement of the pre-planning. Your idea is awesome, but even if you could find a special occasion to surprise them before I'm sure they will still be excited and happy, but then you can also have the pleasure of planning together.

[jwattle]

1 hour ago, Bwana Tom said:

Far too many people pooh poohing a very nice and thoughtful offer. No one knows the people you are proposing the gift to better than you do and my best advice is to follow your own judgement. I think it is very nice of you. I wish someone would do that for me. If you want to spring it on them before the trip that is fine; if you decide to make it a big surprise at the dock I'm sure that will be fine as well. Just make sure they have their passports with them. You don't need to complete the OM stuff until you get there if don't want to. At the service-check-in desk they can complete it for them. And for those folks worried about packing the right kind of clothes and stuff - you can purchase a bathing suit or shorts for a few dollars along the way. 

I hope it all works out for you and you have a great cruise.  

Agreed! 😊

If you want to give them a bit of planning time, for clothes and such, maybe do a family game night with scrabble and pre-plan your tiles to be able to do cruise words, with the destinations, "ocean", "ship", etc.

Edited October 20, 2019 by jwattle

[gotta cruise again]

As others have pointed out, anticipation of the cruise is part of the fun and I’m big on that anticipation piece.

 

However, since you know the personalities of your DS & DIL, only you can best decide how to proceed. As a person who surprised her husband with a birthday cruise (16 months of keeping the secret!!) with 43 other people joining in the fun, I know that the surprise cruise can be great.

 

So you asked for ideas on how to pull this off so that’s how I will reply.

 

My guess, as I see you are from Seattle, maybe a west coast/Alaska cruise and that not much driving will be needed. If you have now become concerned regarding their ability to pack correctly, what about telling them you are leaving on the “road trip” on the date before you are really leaving. Show up at their home to ‘pick them up’ but actually tell them right then that they will be on a cruise tomorrow (set the dates and your words as appropriate for the timing); bring breakfast if ‘picking them up for road trip’ is in the morning (or dessert if evening/after work). They will then have time to adjust their clothing needs, medication, personal needs, etc. before the actual departure day. You might even bring a generalized packing list to help them make sure they’d have what they need (I’d bring hats for a cruise but maybe not for a road trip, for example).

 

Speaking of packing list, you could devise a general one that would meet the cruise needs and also the fake-road-trip requirements. Then you could keep the cruise a total secret. If not flying then I usually pack way more for road trips than I do with added air so if y’all are sailing from Seattle, your DS & DIL might bring more than they actually would need, which might not be a bad thing! And while you are waiting for the cruise date, I mean road trip date, to arrive, you could plant packing ideas in their heads, much like you did the formal wear. For example: “I read recently that it’s a good idea to pack twice as much of really needed medicine when you travel, like heart meds, thyroid, birth control, etc. just in case there is some delay returning home. I’m going to do that from now on as I think it’s better safe than sorry.” Then maybe they’d agree and do the same for the road trip.

 

As others have said, they do not have to be Ocean Ready prior to the cruise but can do that at the pier. But what to do about accessing their My Princess to complete that needed documentation? As you have just booked this, is it possible (without any additional cost/fee for you to change the booking to your husband and sone in one cabin then you and daughter in law in another? Then you’d have access to both of them via you & your husband’s My Princess. If your DS & DIL have sailed Princess before, you wouldn’t want to give their Captain’s Circle numbers upon booking as they’d receive emails about their upcoming cruise, spoiling the surprise, so let them be ‘new’ cruisers and this voyage can be added to their Captains Circle later, likely by the Circle host onboard, as you’d want them to get any benefits their Circle status gives them. Once on board, a quick trip to Guest Services (GS) can get the “room keys” swapped all around (pre OM this would take a few hours to get all sorted out once GS notified but I bet with OM, it might be faster. in any event, most couples hang out together the 24 hours so all should be able to access their real cabin.

 

I’ve got to close this and didn’t take time to proof it for clarity so please ask me if some part is unclear, Peckishpixie. Some of my suggestions won’t work for you and I’m sure others will point out why some ideas are “bad”. But my purpose in sharing is to answer your request for ideas. You know their personalities best so use these ideas to spark your own brain storming on how (or if) to carry out your surprise.

 

I think this is a wonderful gift and your DS & DIL should be happy about it even if they didn’t get the anticipation piece. My DH was thrilled when he found out on the way to the port...when the bus I had hired arrived at our home to pick us up and was filled with all the other people!! And yes, I didn’t remember to pack everything: he had no nice pants packed (had a tux but no trousers for other evenings) nor a belt but we found both onboard at fairly reasonable prices. 

 

 

[Coral]

I just wanted to say this is cool! I am sure they will love it!

[riffatsea]

Wouldn't it still be a surprise if you told them sooner rather than later?

Just the idea that you bought them a cruise without them knowing about it would be a surprise in my book.

Not sure why it's more exciting to wait until the day before to tell them?

To me it is more of a control issue . Who gets to plan you or them??

What about excursions? Do you arrange those too?

I know lots of people do these sorts of things but I guess I am just not a surprise sort of person.

[JF - retired RRT]

1 hour ago, riffatsea said:

Wouldn't it still be a surprise if you told them sooner rather than later?

Just the idea that you bought them a cruise without them knowing about it would be a surprise in my book.

Not sure why it's more exciting to wait until the day before to tell them?

To me it is more of a control issue . Who gets to plan you or them??

What about excursions? Do you arrange those too?

I know lots of people do these sorts of things but I guess I am just not a surprise sort of person.

Also, what if they say, "thanks Mom, but we have absolutely no interest in taking a cruise". If you wait until after final payment...

[cr8tiv1]

It would help this thread if you mentioned which cruise they are going on.  Big difference between Alaskan cruise and European.  7 day or 14 day?  If you have all of their information, you can fill out the personalizer (I have for others).  Put everything on your Credit Card and change it once on board.  Are you also paying for everything onboard including tips?

 

Why don't you make clothing suggestion cards and hand them out a day at a time before they start packing?  4 pants, 4 shirts, 3 dresses...underwear...etc.

 

I'm not saying yay or nay to surprise.  I love the planning aspect of cruising.

[Coral]

1 hour ago, riffatsea said:

Wouldn't it still be a surprise if you told them sooner rather than later?

Just the idea that you bought them a cruise without them knowing about it would be a surprise in my book.

Not sure why it's more exciting to wait until the day before to tell them?

To me it is more of a control issue . Who gets to plan you or them??

What about excursions? Do you arrange those too?

I know lots of people do these sorts of things but I guess I am just not a surprise sort of person.

Sometimes I think we are just jaded because we have the ability to travel and are well traveled.

 

I grew up with out ever taking a vacation. I would have loved this surprise. I work with a lot of people who don't have the money to travel. Their vacations are often camping and if they are lucky to go out of town, it is to visit relatives. I have friends who really have never taken a real vacation. They are so caught up trying to get their kids through school and normal day expenses that there isn't much money left over to travel.

 

Someone surprised my Mom with a cruise on her 40th birthday in 1984. She had 4 kids and never did anything for herself. This was by far the best gift she ever received and always cherished. And definitely came at the right time as she really needed a break.

 

I doubt this is a control issue. I think these are parents who want to do something special for their son and DIL. Maybe they do need some notice (I don't know) - I am guessing the parents know their kids well enough to know that they need a vacation and they will like this.

 

While many of us are very fortunate to have traveled extensively, please remember we are in the minority. There is a large population out there that can not afford to do this. Maybe they are not in your social circles but they are out there.

Edited October 20, 2019 by Coral

[riffatsea]

@Coral,

How in the world did my thought about surprising people way before the cruise instead of waiting until the last minute turn into a discussion of class and social circles??

I did NOT say don't buy them a cruise!

I merely said that waiting until the last minute to tell them about it was not my idea of a good thing!

Of course there are many people who cannot afford to cruise and it is lovely that others want to pay for their family/children/mothers etc to cruise!!(or travel)!!

NO one is saying not to do that for folks.

Please read more carefully and try not to add things that are not there to the sentiment of other people's posts!!

[Casey12]

8 minutes ago, Coral said:

Sometimes I think we are just jaded because we have the ability to travel and are well traveled.

 

I grew up with out ever taking a vacation. I would have loved this surprise. I work with a lot of people who don't have the money to travel. Their vacations are often camping and if they are lucky to go out of town, it is to visit relatives. I have friends who really have never taken a real vacation. They are so caught up trying to get their kids through school and normal day expenses that there isn't much money left over to travel.

 

Someone surprised my Mom with a cruise on her 40th birthday in 1984. She had 4 kids and never did anything for herself. This was by far the best gift she ever received and always cherished. And definitely came at the right time as she really needed a break.

 

I doubt this is a control issue. I think these are parents who want to do something special for their son and DIL. Maybe they do need some notice (I don't know) - I am guessing the parents know their kids well enough to know that they need a vacation and they will like this.

 

While many of us are very fortunate to have traveled extensively, please remember we are in the minority. There is a large population out there that can not afford to do this. Maybe they are not in your social circles but they are out there.

Bravo! I also hope the couple loves the gift and the 4 have a wonderful vacation.

Edited October 20, 2019 by Casey12

[Coral]

4 minutes ago, riffatsea said:

@Coral,

How in the world did my thought about surprising people way before the cruise instead of waiting until the last minute turn into a discussion of class and social circles??

I did NOT say don't buy them a cruise!

I merely said that waiting until the last minute to tell them about it was not my idea of a good thing!

Of course there are many people who cannot afford to cruise and it is lovely that others want to pay for their family/children/mothers etc to cruise!!(or travel)!!

NO one is saying not to do that for folks.

Please read more carefully and try not to add things that are not there to the sentiment of other people's posts!!

When you turned this into a control issue - you completely lost me! The OP is trying to do something nice. Try to remember that.

[riffatsea]

Sigh!! My thoughts about waiting until that last minute instead of giving them time to do some planning themselves is what I thought
"might" be a control issue. IF you don't get that then I suppose you enjoy when people do all the planning for you. Some folks like that and some don't.

NOwhere in my post did I discuss class or not buying the cruise. You implied that but I did not say that!!

[masterty]

Well someone has to be different. 

 

I think what you are doing is great. Only you know your family and what would work as far as surprises go. As for getting them OceanReady. You can do everything. You do not need them for anything. I know this because I cruise with my elderly parents and I do everything required by Princess for my folks. I arrange the separate bookings for them and us. I book them, I pay for them (using their CC number) , I get them OceanReady ready using my phone, I control their Princess.com accounts and our big box store travel agency accounts by having all emails go to me. I book their EZair. I rent our cars. I reserve accessible items from Special Needs at Sea for them, I contact Princess accessible office for approval letters for their cabin rental equipment. I submit share holder benefits. I verify Veteran Benefits OBC is in their account. My parents do none of the work except packing their bags. I will pick them up and drive us all to the airport. 

All this is required from a passenger on a Medallion cruise prior to arriving at the port is 
1) Complete the "Guest Check In" on Princess.com this includes personal information including passport number, cc, emergency contact and repatriation airport. 
At the port you can become Ocean Ready
This includes photos of you, photos of your passport, issuing of Medallions. 
If you want to get them ocean ready yourself you just need to create the Ocean.com accounts for them. Once that is done you can get them OceanReady yourself using photos of their passports, of them, and their credit card information. Any incorrect information entered into the OceanReady app can be corrected at the port. I have my folks passport photos, as well as photos of their actual passports, and their personal information along with their credit card number. I am easily able to do everything, (including every terms of agreement) for them. They would not cruise if they had to do all that is required themselves. I hope this helps you. 

[rdsqrl]

Wow, this is such a bad idea that I don't know where to start. 

Do they even want to cruise?  Some people don't.

Do you have seasick meds for them?  What about other medications?   Being on a ship, they can't run down to the Walgreen's to get a quick refill.

Have you warned your daughter-in-law that there are supplies she must bring that are not as easy to pick up on a road trip?  

 

I would be really annoyed if someone did this for me.  The initial surprise would be thrilling, but after about a day, I'd be really regretting that I didn't have certain clothing items/jewelry/makeup.  If your daughter is like most women, she would pack entirely differently for a casual road trip than a cruise.   I already feel sorry for her, because your wish to make the surprise complete has the potential to ruin her vacation.  

[jwattle]

If someone surprised me with a cruise when I thought it was a roadtrip, I'd be doing cheetah flips of joy and gratitude! 😀 Point me to the pier, and I'd enjoy the "upgrade" from a trip in the car where we drive and live out of our suitcases,in different rooms each night, to a cruise where some other lovely people handle the transportation, our hotel travels with us,so we unpack once, and yet we still see several new places. Oh, and bonus: the food and entertainment!😊