How do I keep it a secret?

[weedpindle]

After more than 50 cruises, if someone did this to me i would be pssd. First, I would not be packed for a cruise. Second, I would not be packed for a cruise. Think about it for a minute before you say 's a great idea.

[mek]

Good heavens, the OP never asked anyone if they thought her idea to surprise her son and DIL was a good idea - all she wanted to know was how to pull it off since it's a Medallion cruise.

I assume the OP know's her family well enough to know the surprise will be well received, so it really doesn't matter if any of us would want to know in advance or not, (or be pissed off - really?)  I've been on 60+ cruises and if my family did this for me, I would be thrilled.  If I didn't have all of the things I normally take on a cruise, so what?  

I hope the OP returns and lets us know how the plans are progressing and I hope they all have a great cruise.

 

 

Edited October 21, 2019 by mek

[Coral]

9 minutes ago, mek said:

I've been on 60+ cruises and if my family did this for me, I would be thrilled.  If I didn't have all of the things I normally take on a cruise, so what?  

I hope the OP returns and lets us know how the plans are progressing and I hope they all have a great cruise.

 

 

I was thinking that also. On my first several cruises, I didn't bring the things I bring now and I still had a blast and it wasn't that big of a deal. There were no "packing lists" back then.

[masterty]

I am baffled by the amount of people inserting their opinions into her surprise decision. The OP never asked if you liked her idea. She simply asked to know how to book an unaware guest. No one will be forced to sail. No one will have to accept her gift. Geez people, check yourselves and get a grip on your unsolicited advice. Her family, her knowledge of characters, her gift. 

[2ferfun]

1 minute ago, masterty said:

I am baffled by the amount of people inserting their opinions into her surprise decision. The OP never asked if you liked her idea. She simply asked to know how to book an unaware guest. No one will be forced to sail. No one will have to accept her gift. Geez people, check yourselves and get a grip on your unsolicited advice. Her family, her knowledge of characters, her gift. 

 

Agree with this completely! Just because many of the posters on here wouldn't like it (probably because, as Coral correctly pointed out, they want some control of it) doesn't mean there aren't people in the world who would love a surprise like this.  I think we should assume the OP knows her family and what they would and would not like.  Instead of answering your own questions about the idea how about answering the OP's question!

 

As someone who loves surprises I say go for it! I have done big surprises like this (including a "you have four hours to pack your bag before we head to the airport" cruise) and they are some of DW's happiest memories.  Don't listen to the naysayers! Life is short! Enjoy it!

[richstowe]

Wonderful generous gesture but I would break the surprise to them prior to the cruise . Their joy will not be diminished but their ability to plan will be appreciated . Anticipation is a wonderful gift you can give them .

25 minutes ago, masterty said:

I am baffled by the amount of people inserting their opinions into her surprise decision. The OP never asked if you liked her idea. She simply asked to know how to book an unaware guest. No one will be forced to sail. No one will have to accept her gift. Geez people, check yourselves and get a grip on your unsolicited advice. Her family, her knowledge of characters, her gift. 

When you ask a question on CC , you are going to get advice . It's all solicited . Get a grip !  

Edited October 21, 2019 by richstowe

[masterty]

4 minutes ago, richstowe said:

When you ask a question on CC , you are going to get advice . It's all solicited . Get a grip !  

She never asked what anyone thought about her secret. Only on how to get others OceanReady ready. OceanReady is the question asked. 

Edited October 21, 2019 by masterty

[ams1130]

I don't have any advice to give; just wanted to say that I booked a 'surprise' cruise I booked for our adult kids, and couldn't stand it; I ended up telling them from my car in the travel agency  parking lot 🤣

 

Have a wonderful time! 

[Aus Traveller]

2 hours ago, mek said:

Good heavens, the OP never asked anyone if they thought her idea to surprise her son and DIL was a good idea - all she wanted to know was how to pull it off since it's a Medallion cruise.

I assume the OP know's her family well enough to know the surprise will be well received, so it really doesn't matter if any of us would want to know in advance or not, (or be pissed off - really?)  I've been on 60+ cruises and if my family did this for me, I would be thrilled.  If I didn't have all of the things I normally take on a cruise, so what?  

I hope the OP returns and lets us know how the plans are progressing and I hope they all have a great cruise.

I agree. 👍

[Lucky TGO]

This is what I do. I don’t tell everyone the secret. Keep it to your self. I promise you no one will ever find out your secret. 😀

Sorry I couldn’t help my self.

The Captain of The Rowboat,

Tony

[indygirl99]

14 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?

Can I just say I love the bolded and underlined part.

 

I would love to have you as a mother in law.

From this statement it tells me you really know the "kids" you are gifting. Please don't let some of the comments here get to you.

 

As others have stated you can do all the pre work without them knowing. The Ocean ready part can wait until you get to the ship.

 

Have a great cruise and enjoy your beautiful family time.

[FloaterBoat]

You're an amazing mom. Truly.  Hell of a surprise. I'd probs let them know about 2 weeks out so they can get prepped and ready. May need to dry clean or tailor clothes. Or buy some new things. I know surprising them at the airport/ seaport would be the most fun, but it just may be more of a headache for them then forecasted. As far as ocean ready, have them bring their passports, you can fill out all of that information at the embarkation port. I'm right there with you, that is the exact type of surprise I'd love to give someone too. It'd be soooo much easier for you if they were children-teenagers lol. Then you could handle all of the passport stuff and packing for them. 

 

I really do hope you are able to keep it a secret. But if not, 2-2.5 weeks out is good for them to prep and get excited, without driving themselves nuts with excitement like I always do with cruises months to a year out lol. 

 

Please keep us updated on how it goes. 

Edited October 21, 2019 by FloaterBoat

[FloaterBoat]

Also, which ship and where are we headed?? I'm excited for you guys now. 

 

Even better if their first cruise!

[HappyCruiserettu]

9 hours 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.

It reminds me of the situation where an expectant couple is considering whether they want to know ahead the gender of the baby, or want to be "surprised." My wife says, why not be surprised ahead of time, then you have time to make the appropriate preparations.

[Reader0108598]

11 hours 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.

I agree with Coral what a wonderful Surprise!! I took my first vacation a cruise just over 20 years ago and I am 61.

[Essiesmom]

You don't say how old the couple is, and whether they have children, or are planning to...  You wouldn't want to have to cancel the cruise if they suddenly announced they were pregnant...and would be too far along by the time of the cruise...EM

[mek]

3 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

You don't say how old the couple is, and whether they have children, or are planning to...  You wouldn't want to have to cancel the cruise if they suddenly announced they were pregnant...and would be too far along by the time of the cruise...EM

Woman can cruise up until the 24th week of pregnancy.  I imagine most women know way long before that.  What difference does their age make or if they have children?

Once again people are interjecting things have no bearing on the question asked by the OP.

Edited October 21, 2019 by mek

[Itchy&Scratchy]

17 hours ago, riffatsea said:

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

I agree with you 100%.

 

Coral may think that parents "know their kids best", but DIL is not OP's kid. And OP's "kid" is old enough to be married and may have things/events/etc. that OP doesn't know about.

Edited October 21, 2019 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 hour ago, mek said:

Woman can cruise up until the 24th week of pregnancy.  I imagine most women know way long before that.  What difference does their age make or if they have children?

Once again people are interjecting things have no bearing on the question asked by the OP.

if it turns out to be a high risk pregnancy (like mine was), then it wouldn't matter if she is 16, 20 or 36 weeks pregnant. She may not be able to go.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

5 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

You don't say how old the couple is, and whether they have children, or are planning to...  You wouldn't want to have to cancel the cruise if they suddenly announced they were pregnant...and would be too far along by the time of the cruise...EM

+100

We also have to arrange a pet sitter long in advance. And my DH has to request a week of vacation long in advance. I realize OP said they were going on a road trip, but assuming that she didn't buy a 3 day cruise (she could have)...

 

Years ago I had a manager who flat out refused to let me take a week off for a cruise. Just because. 

 

Or like my MIL who has been telling us that she wants to go on a cruise with us since last year's Christmas and keeps asking about every month about it, while I am waiting for the final payment date and the price to drop.... And when the price actually dropped and I was about to buy the cruise for her, I called my DH to ask her one more time before I pony up $1,500 for her cruise and what does she say? Nah, she doesn't want to go anymore, maybe, next time... 

Edited October 21, 2019 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Mar18519]

If my Mother surprised me with a cruise on the way to the ship I would be super pissed off and I am certain it would ruin the trip for everyone.  If my MIL surprised me with a cruise on the way to the ship I would probably grab a cab back home and never speak to the woman again.  This is NOT the kind of thing you surprise someone with - EVER.  

[Cruiser_1977]

@Peckishpixie Enjoy your trip! As others have mentioned, you can check in at the pier and do not need to worry about the Ocean Ready stuff! As I responded to a gentlemen in a previous post that wanted to surprise his wife...you know them best. They may be like me and can roll with anything! I'd love for someone to tell me I was taking a road trip and then drive me to a cruise ship 🙂 Hint-Hint ANYONE???

[Reader0108598]

1 minute ago, JennyB1977 said:

@Peckishpixie Enjoy your trip! As others have mentioned, you can check in at the pier and do not need to worry about the Ocean Ready stuff! As I responded to a gentlemen in a previous post that wanted to surprise his wife...you know them best. They may be like me and can roll with anything! I'd love for someone to tell me I was taking a road trip and then drive me to a cruise ship 🙂 Hint-Hint ANYONE???

I agree I think it is a wonderful thing to do!  I would be thrilled!

[Jnsplace1]

While I'm another planner, I would prefer to be a part of the pre-cruise festivities.  I will suggest some things.

 

Don't forget to arrange for pet care too.  Also credit cards may need advanced notice to be used during travel.

 

PS: i had a colleague that ended up surprising her family with a trip to Disney on Christmas day vs on the way to the airport.  The kids were thrilled about talking about it for the 3 months before the trip.  Those are part of the memories that are enjoyable (opinion).

[FloaterBoat]

Idk if you guys missed the part, the couple isn't being surprised with a trip, they're being surprised with a cruise.  They already intended to be away with Mom for a road trip.  So I'm sure they've already made necessary plans as far as pet care, if there is one, and stopping mail, took time off work, and have no other events on their schedule already during that time period.  They already planned to be away, just the semantics of their vacation is going to change drastically.