Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

A couple of Carnival questions

davethomasowns

By davethomasowns,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

Recommended Posts

davethomasowns

davethomasowns

Posted
Posted

Hello all!

 

My girlfriend and I are heading out on the Miracle on March 6th. This is a surprise for her so I can’t really ask her about it, so I have a couple questions.

 

First of all, it is an 8-day cruise. I understand that there are 2 formal nights so I bought her 2 new dresses. Regarding the other nights, what does she have to wear? Could she wear nice pants and a nice top the other nights? As for myself, on the non-formal nights can you wear jeans and a nice button-up shirt or is that frowned upon?

 

Also, the reservation-only supper club; where and how do you make reservations for this? If you have to do so before the sailing, how do I find out what nights are the formal ones in the dining room to make sure I don’t choose those dates on accident?

 

One more question. After packing our luggage should we lock them up? I understand that they may go through the suitcases so I don’t want them to have to call us down to unlock it. If I put zip ties on, will they just cut them off and check? If I don’t lock them up at all, is there a large risk of something being stolen? I just need advice on bringing on the luggage.

 

Thanks so much!

Shane

Link to comment
Share on other sites
A&Jfamily

A&Jfamily

Posted
Posted

What a nice boyfriend you are! 2 new dresses - Don't forget the shoes!:rolleyes:

 

Seriously, can I give you my husband's phone number so you can give him a few pointers????;)

 

If she gets cool in the evenings (like many of us ladies do), make sure she has a wrap or sweater; those romantic nighttime strolls can be a bit breezy. For the non-formal nights, anything that she would wear for a nice dinner (skirt, capris etc.) with a top would be fine. Daytime: bathing suit and coverup!

 

Have a great trip!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Kurbanfan

Kurbanfan

Posted
Posted

Jeans are fine.

We never lock our luggage but if it makes you feel better go ahead. There is no reason to go thru your luggage unless they see something suspicious when it goes thru the scanner. In that case they will call you down and you can unlock it.

 

I guess I'm just surprised you can buy her dresses.......

Link to comment
Share on other sites
davethomasowns

davethomasowns

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Yeah well this is how that worked.

 

I had to get her job to give her the time off, and when she looks at her schedule and see she's not on it that week, she would have been confused. So to cover it up, I told her we are just going to the beach for a couple nights. It is her 21st birthday the day before, and that's when I am surprising her with it.

 

So a couple weeks ago I took her dress shopping for the "beach" trip. She couldn't decide between two. She picked one, and I bought it, then a couple days later I went back by myself and got the other one.

 

Never thought about shoes though... :eek:

 

Thanks for the tips guys!

 

Shane

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MISSSNOOPYGIRL

MISSSNOOPYGIRL

Posted
Posted
Yeah well this is how that worked.

 

I had to get her job to give her the time off, and when she looks at her schedule and see she's not on it that week, she would have been confused. So to cover it up, I told her we are just going to the beach for a couple nights. It is her 21st birthday the day before, and that's when I am surprising her with it.

 

So a couple weeks ago I took her dress shopping for the "beach" trip. She couldn't decide between two. She picked one, and I bought it, then a couple days later I went back by myself and got the other one.

 

Never thought about shoes though... :eek:

 

Thanks for the tips guys!

 

Shane

 

Wow you are SUAVE!!!

 

By day it's SUPER casual. Really anything goes. But you want to have nice slacks/ tops/ dresses /skirts for the dining room, not just for formal nights.

 

I but the TSA travel locks. They sell them really anywhere luggage or travel items are sold. They come with a number combinaton you pick yourself and if the TSA needs to open your luggage for whatever reason, they somehow can open those locks and then close them back up when they're done. I always feel more secure with some kind of lock on my luggage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
lrizit

lrizit

Posted
Posted

Wow! You rock!

 

You guys are going to have an amazing time! My husband and I just got back from the Miracle last month, it was a ball!

 

I wore whatever the mood struck. Sometimes it was nicer things, other nights jeans and t-shirts. Same with the husband.

As far as dinner reservations, we made them online. I think the first full sea day and then maybe day 6 were the formal nights. There is a great day by day review from tallyrockchick that sites the day by day.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=674178

I've never locked my luggage, so I can't help you with the last question.

Have a great time!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ronkay

ronkay

Posted
Posted
Great job!! If you want to do something extra special, have some flowers or other "romantic" gifts sent to the cabin. You can order these on the regular Carnival website under "Gifts", go through Carnival directly or your travel agent.

 

This is the ticket to making her happy, I always get my GF now my wife, flowers, chocolates and the fruit/wine basket from the carnival gift website.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
davethomasowns

davethomasowns

Posted
  • Author
Posted
I think your idea to surprise her is nice, but personally, I would not like it. If I am cruising for 7 or 8 days, I would plan for packing as much as a month before. Just a female point of view. Do check in and let us know how everything goes.

 

Well it's not a normal situation. I have known her since Kindergarten (in my class,) and I have been dating her almost three years. She will be my wife once I am out of school, and I honestly know her better than I know myself. I know she will love this so that is the least of my worries.

 

Besides, what person (male or female) would not like getting a surprise 8-day cruise. You would have to be crazy... :D

 

Also, like I previously said, she will be packing either way. She thinks we are going to the beach which requires the same stuff to be packed (besides the formal wear which I already got!)

 

Txtwinmom, I am 21. She will turn 21 the day before sailing, so we are set with that. You only need someone 25 and up if they're under 21.

 

Thanks again for the help all!

Shane

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ddunn

ddunn

Posted
Posted

Shane,

This is a wonderful surprise for her!! How romantic you are, she will be very happy!!!!! I am sure she will appreciate it and love you even more for being so thoughtful and sneaky.

Just a couple things from a woman's packing perspective....haha...u can take it or leave it.....but..

u might want to pick up just a nice little evening bag ( purse) very small,,,,for her to carry on formal night.....that matches her dress. Go to a big dept store, like macy's or even Penneys, or Sears...or Belks...Just something she can carry a lipstick in, and her sail and sign card.

 

Some things i never leave home with out for the cruise are: my alarm clock, Downy wrinkle releaser spray...suntan lotion!!!!!!

 

U all have a GREAT Time...and tell us about it when u get home.

I would love to know how u are going to pull it off, and what her reaction is! This is exciting !!

Denise

Link to comment
Share on other sites
CuplACruzrs

CuplACruzrs

Posted
Posted

Do you give lessons? ;)

 

My DH is pretty good but you sound fantastic and only 21!!

 

I'm sure she is going to remember this for the rest of her life. Think of the stories you guys can share 20 years from now.

 

Dont forget the over the door shoe holder to hold everything except the shoes.

 

Will you still be at home when you break the surprise so she can add a few things?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
afcj1

afcj1

Posted
Posted

Do you have a father:D

 

From another woman's perspective, do you know a close friend of hers that you can confide in to help with packing...especially, if you'd like to capture most of what she's going to need. You guys might not realize how many items us girls use or need, in a weeks time. Could you imagine being w/o tweezers or razor for a week:eek: Anyway, just a suggestion.

 

Also, the gifts through Carnival are very expensive. Save your $$ for drinks, excursions, etc. Flowers are always nice to look at and smell wonderful. Maybe you can check if there's a florist on board and order from them directly.

 

In any case, I hope you both have a wonderful cruise and an even better life together.

 

Best wishes always.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
fllady61

fllady61

Posted
Posted
Yeah well this is how that worked.

 

I had to get her job to give her the time off, and when she looks at her schedule and see she's not on it that week, she would have been confused. So to cover it up, I told her we are just going to the beach for a couple nights. It is her 21st birthday the day before, and that's when I am surprising her with it.

 

So a couple weeks ago I took her dress shopping for the "beach" trip. She couldn't decide between two. She picked one, and I bought it, then a couple days later I went back by myself and got the other one.

 

Never thought about shoes though... :eek:

 

Thanks for the tips guys!

 

 

 

As for shoes, if she has a nice pair of Black dress shoes, just take that pair. They go with anything, and if she has them in her closet, you know they fit, and are at least somewhat comfy for her. If she is a shoe aholic then match her dress shoes she already has to the dresses you have gotten her.

Make sure that you have a comfy pair for shore tours, or shopping. There is nothing worse than having a pair of shoes that rubs blisters on your feet when you start your shopping tours on the islands.

Personally, I wear nice dress pants with a nice top to dinner on all but formal nights, then I wear my sunday best. I always take a sweater or jacket to match the dress because it gets cold in there.

Go on to the gifts and order a dozen roses and champange gift package to be in the cabin when you get on board. That is so romantic.

as the OP said, kakies, and a nice polo, or button down shirt or clothes like you would wear to the office is fine for non-formal nights.

Make sure you put her curling iron, or hot rollers in the suitcase, hair dryer, because the ones on the ship dont work that well, don't forget her personal items also.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
dtsquared

dtsquared

Posted
Posted

GOOD LUCK BROTHER!!!!!

 

This is a little long but a great story and well worth the read.....

 

I did a surprise cruise for my wife's 40th B-Day. It was only a two day cruise to nowhere.....not a 8 dayer!! I told her that we were going to New York City for a couple of nights to see some shows,go out to dinner a couple of times, and that I had booked a nice room with a balcony overlooking the water. I did not lie at all! We did go to New York, we did go to dinner, we did see some shows and we had a balcony room ON A CRUISE SHIP. I told her to pack for New York. This was in October and since we really were not going anywhere it worked out perfectly. I did pack a surprise suitcase with some cruise essentials in it. I took her bathing suit, some more casual stuff and the cruise essentials (surge protector, bungee cord, over the door shoe organizer, and insulated coffe mugs). The suitcase also had some decorations and her gifts in it!

 

The crazy part for me was that I had also arranged to have all of her family and my family there on the cruise. It was hard enough for me to keep a secret but I had to trust 12 other people not to slip! That was agonizing. Once we pulled up to the pier I gave her the Carnival luggage tags and told her that she needed to fill them out. She told me to shut up and said that I was crazy! When she finally realized that we were in fact going on a cruise she was very worried that she was not prepared for a cruise! She did not have the right clothes so on and so forth. I assured her that I took care of everything and that she would be fine because we were only going for two days and that we were not really leaving the mid Atlantic area. SHE WAS SOOOOOOOOO SURPRISED AND EXCITED!

 

When we got on board we met up with someone that I worked with that was also on this cruise. I had to keep her occupied and away from our room because everyone else that was with us was also on the same floor as us. We passed about 2 hours and then the fun started.

 

Me and my brother devised a plan to have her go on a scavenger hunt with riddles and clues all over the ship. Each time she solved a riddle she would find a member of our family, who would then give her another clue or riddle. This went on for over an hour and it culminated on the Lido deck where she found her brother. She was soooo overwhelmed by the whole experience. Everyone on the Lido deck then proceeded to sing Happy Birthday to her. It was great to have 200 people singing to her. My brother had gone up to everyone and told them what was going on and asked them all to sing to her when she came up. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!!!! We were also on the Miracle.

 

Bro, I feel for what you are about to go through with keeping the secret but I assure you that you will make her so incredibly happy and it will be all worth it in the end. She will never forget her 21st birthday and the man who did soo much to make it soo special.

 

Best of Luck to Ya,

 

Dave

 

PS: If you need any help, advice or ideas just let me know. I would be happy to help and I am sure my wife would love to help you with the packing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
*CruiseFan*

*CruiseFan*

Posted
Posted
What a nice boyfriend you are! 2 new dresses - Don't forget the shoes!:rolleyes:

 

Seriously, can I give you my husband's phone number so you can give him a few pointers????;)

 

If she gets cool in the evenings (like many of us ladies do), make sure she has a wrap or sweater; those romantic nighttime strolls can be a bit breezy. For the non-formal nights, anything that she would wear for a nice dinner (skirt, capris etc.) with a top would be fine. Daytime: bathing suit and coverup!

 

Have a great trip!

 

 

DITTO! You're a great boyfriend! That's so sweet!

 

Just echoing what everyone else said. Pants and cute tops or even sundresses (which I love just because they're easy) are perfect for the other nights!

 

You'll have to come back and tell us if she was over the moon when she finds out!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
*CruiseFan*

*CruiseFan*

Posted
Posted
...Jeans fine [tho khakis might be a bit better]

...reservations: http://surv.cheetahmail.com/s?aid=982238741&o=1&n=28

...no problems w/locking suitcase [but suitcases must be unlocked/use "zip ties" when you get to airport]

 

 

Thank you for that reservation form! I just booked ours for the Conquest on our anniversary! That makes me feel better. We'll be able to find someone as soon as we get on, but hopefully our reservation will be intact :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • Cruise Insurance Q&A w/ Steve Dasseos of Tripinsurancestore.com June 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...