Surprise Cruise- keeping the secret for 13 months

My husband is currently in an intense program in school where he does not get any holidays, no spring break, no Christmas break, no breaks between semesters. He'll be at school 6 days a week for the next 13 months.

So I decided as a graduation gift to book us a cruise.. but not I have to keep the secret until the beginning of August 2017!

I believe he's cruised before about 8 or 9 years ago with Carnival but I've never cruised with Carnival. I have cruise Norwegian and Disney though.

Looking for tips and tricks for cruising with Carnival and someone to chat with so I don't go crazy keeping this secret.

What an AWESOME surprise! You will find lots of folks here to help you with your questions. Did you have specific questions?

We booked a cruise with SIL and then after she paid for her room we upgraded her to a balcony right next to ours. We kept it a secret for over a year. Please check with Carnival if you qualify for past guest if your husband sailed before on Carnival. You may also qualify for military rate. What a sweet wife you are to spring this surprise on him. Have a great cruise!

Search for the ship you are on in these boards and read the reviews from people who were on those ships. That helps build the excitement and get you familiar with the ship before you sail.

Here is a thread with a whole list of useful tips.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=48388&highlight=tips

What an AWESOME surprise! You will find lots of folks here to help you with your questions. Did you have specific questions?

Thanks. I'm sure he'll be very appreciative of the thought. Just worried he'll be upset I don't plan on us taking our son. Both our parents have agreed to watch him for that week. I just don't see taking an 18 month old on a cruise, we won't get to relax nearly as much. Nothing specific. When we went to cruise with Disney I got a book and read up on it. I learned things like to buy the drink package or go to the spa drawing when pulling out of port, learned about photo packages and soda deals, etc.

We booked a cruise with SIL and then after she paid for her room we upgraded her to a balcony right next to ours. We kept it a secret for over a year. Please check with Carnival if you qualify for past guest if your husband sailed before on Carnival. You may also qualify for military rate. What a sweet wife you are to spring this surprise on him. Have a great cruise!

 

Search for the ship you are on in these boards and read the reviews from people who were on those ships. That helps build the excitement and get you familiar with the ship before you sail.

 

Here is a thread with a whole list of useful tips.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=48388&highlight=tips

I am not 100% sure if he has cruised before but I could always try to have the TA look it up. Right now their military rates aren't posted for that period of time.. I'll have to wait until summer next year to see if our sailing has a military rate but thanks. And thanks for the well wishes. Just hope I'm able to pull it off.

Thanks for the tips! I'll definitely try to do some thread reading while my baby naps during the days.

My husband is currently in an intense program in school where he does not get any holidays, no spring break, no Christmas break, no breaks between semesters. He'll be at school 6 days a week for the next 13 months.

So I decided as a graduation gift to book us a cruise.. but not I have to keep the secret until the beginning of August 2017!

 

I believe he's cruised before about 8 or 9 years ago with Carnival but I've never cruised with Carnival. I have cruise Norwegian and Disney though.

 

Looking for tips and tricks for cruising with Carnival and someone to chat with so I don't go crazy keeping this secret.

LOVE your plan!! I'm positive that I could NOT keep the secret that long....but it's a GREAT idea.

Threads here will help keep you busy and to pass the time. Feel free to ask any questions - many here are quite helpful. I see you started a Roll Call - that will be great too as others find it a join you will be able to chat with those on your sailing and make plans.

We enjoyed the Splendor - I'm sure you will too!

Whoever booked your cruise should be able to find his cruise past guest id number. You will want them to use his old number old merge with new so he gets credit for past cruise.

Since your trip is so far out there - one way to discretely save money is to save quarters in pill bottles. The small orange bottles I have hold about $10. For me it's easier to try and fill a little bottle each week and put the rest of the coins in a jar. (You can almost always find 4-8 quarters laying around)

Also, maybe starting in the Spring - it might start coming up about planning something when he graduates and parents babysitting.

I am sure it will come up next year so you can be real relaxed about it and say we'll figure it out then. ;)

Wait until next July to buy drink package (unless you hear a hint prices going up). Join a roll call for your sailing. If there isn't one yet since it is so far out - start it.

End of the summer buy some cute summer dresses on clearance for next year since you know you will need and an extra suit. :D

LOVE your plan!! I'm positive that I could NOT keep the secret that long....but it's a GREAT idea.

 

Threads here will help keep you busy and to pass the time. Feel free to ask any questions - many here are quite helpful. I see you started a Roll Call - that will be great too as others find it a join you will be able to chat with those on your sailing and make plans.

 

We enjoyed the Splendor - I'm sure you will too!

Thanks. I did look for a roll call but didn't see one so started one but I know it is extremely early. Don't expect to see any action on it until after the new year.

Whoever booked your cruise should be able to find his cruise past guest id number. You will want them to use his old number old merge with new so he gets credit for past cruise.

 

Thanks. I'm trying to find my booking agents extension now but not having any luck in my e-mails :/

 

Since your trip is so far out there - one way to discretely save money is to save quarters in pill bottles. The small orange bottles I have hold about $10. For me it's easier to try and fill a little bottle each week and put the rest of the coins in a jar. (You can almost always find 4-8 quarters laying around)

 

I handle our finances so I have control of our savings account. His online login to that account doesn't work for some reason so I'm the only one who sees the going-ons in that account :D so he has no idea. Plus I have cash hidden throughout the house. I'm a money hoarder. But thank you for the tip! I have tons of pill bottles from past surgeries and such that I could use!

 

Also, maybe starting in the Spring - it might start coming up about planning something when he graduates and parents babysitting.

I am sure it will come up next year so you can be real relaxed about it and say we'll figure it out then. ;)

I told my mom and his parents about my plan before I booked. My mom will be at work every day but can help after she gets off work at 3pm. My MIL is a principle and school won't be back in yet so she'll have our lil man during the days. I also have a SIL who is a teacher who is chomping at the bit to help, and my two sisters that are offering lol. I have no worries he'll have plenty of sitters. Our families live like 10 miles from each other so that's always nice.. and my in-laws have a nursery/room all set up for him already for when we visit. I'll be telling DH about the cruise about 5 days before we leave so I plan on part of my reveal being an explanation that his car is already worked out. As will our dogs care.

 

Wait until next July to buy drink package (unless you hear a hint prices going up). Join a roll call for your sailing. If there isn't one yet since it is so far out - start it.

Question about the drink package, is it worth it? I only drink 1 MAYBE 2 caffeinated beverages in a day. 1 is ALWAYS morning coffee and on occasion a soda in the afternoon. Would it be better to just save the money and bring our own soda on board? My TA said you can bring a case per person ((shrug))?

 

End of the summer buy some cute summer dresses on clearance for next year since you know you will need and an extra suit. :D

Thanks! didn't even think about that. I'll have to wait on the suit as I'm still trying to loose baby weight but summer dresses usually don't change size way for me. I like flowey and so I wore my non-pregnancy summer dresses all through my pregnancy and they fit pretty well.. so I can definitely look at some cute summer dresses, and maybe a few pairs of swim trunks for DH

My niece is taking her mom (my sister) on a surprise 8-day cruise for her 60th birthday in November. My sister has no clue about it! She's going to be shocked when told about it!

ok so as I'm looking through different threads I did come up with some questions

is the soda package worth it if we'll only drink about 10-15 drinks total between the two of us in the week?My TA said you can take a case of soda per person on the ship, is that a 12pk or 24pk?

Also, anyone know what the photo prices are like? For instance, it was like $300+ on Disney for like 10 pics so we purchased maybe 4 or 5 photos from our trip. On NCL though we bought the CD for $300 and got ALL the pictures we took on the ship (which we took advantage of and ended up taking almost 400 pictures!). So does anyone know what the photo prices are like for Carnival?

Thanks. I did look for a roll call but didn't see one so started one but I know it is extremely early. Don't expect to see any action on it until after the new year.

Oh...I think you will see some before that! I have found it comes in "waves"...you will have some early bookers that find you pretty soon. ;)

is the soda package worth it if we'll only drink about 10-15 drinks total between the two of us in the week?My TA said you can take a case of soda per person on the ship, is that a 12pk or 24pk?

The break even point is about 3 sodas per day, and you aren't supposed to share. You may bring one 12 pack of CANS per person of soda on board. You can also bring one 750 ml or smaller bottle of wine per person over 21 years of age.

Also, anyone know what the photo prices are like? For instance, it was like $300+ on Disney for like 10 pics so we purchased maybe 4 or 5 photos from our trip. On NCL though we bought the CD for $300 and got ALL the pictures we took on the ship (which we took advantage of and ended up taking almost 400 pictures!). So does anyone know what the photo prices are like for Carnival?

Cheapest ones I believe are $8.95 and some of the formal ones are $21.95. I have yet to sail on a ship with a photo package. I understand Carnival is trying out a photo package though.

ok so as I'm looking through different threads I did come up with some questions

 

 

is the soda package worth it if we'll only drink about 10-15 drinks total between the two of us in the week?My TA said you can take a case of soda per person on the ship, is that a 12pk or 24pk?

 

Also, anyone know what the photo prices are like? For instance, it was like $300+ on Disney for like 10 pics so we purchased maybe 4 or 5 photos from our trip. On NCL though we bought the CD for $300 and got ALL the pictures we took on the ship (which we took advantage of and ended up taking almost 400 pictures!). So does anyone know what the photo prices are like for Carnival?

Yes you can each bring one 12 pack of soda - cans only. It must be carried on when you board.

The Bubbles package might be worth it - for convenience and or cost savings. Sodas are $2.00/can + the 15% gratuity I think.

We do the CHEERS package because it includes soda, milkshakes and specialty coffees - in addition to up to 15 alcoholic drinks per day. $49/day sounds like a lot - but it adds up quickly when you purchase them one at a time! We prefer to prepay for the CHEERS package - and then KNOW there will be no additional charges for whatever we decide to try! ;)

The break even point is about 3 sodas per day, and you aren't supposed to share. You may bring one 12 pack of CANS per person of soda on board. You can also bring one 750 ml or smaller bottle of wine per person over 21 years of age.

Thanks! I actually prefer canned soda so I think this would be a much cheaper option than paying for us to get the soda package as we have deals at our local grocery all the time. And SOO happy to know about the wine!

 

 

Cheapest ones I believe are $8.95 and some of the formal ones are $21.95. I have yet to sail on a ship with a photo package. I understand Carnival is trying out a photo package though.

Thanks! I'll have to keep checking on it then

Yes you can each bring one 12 pack of soda - cans only. It must be carried on when you board.

 

The Bubbles package might be worth it - for convenience and or cost savings. Sodas are $2.00/can + the 15% gratuity I think.

 

We do the CHEERS package because it includes soda, milkshakes and specialty coffees - in addition to up to 15 alcoholic drinks per day. $49/day sounds like a lot - but it adds up quickly when you purchase them one at a time! We prefer to prepay for the CHEERS package - and then KNOW there will be no additional charges for whatever we decide to try! ;)

Thanks. We won't drink anywhere near enough though to make Cheers worth while

That is so cool! I could never keep it a secret though, I just suck at it. It would not be a week before I was standing in some store and said something stupid like, "That would be awesome on our cruise."

 

is the soda package worth it if we'll only drink about 10-15 drinks total between the two of us in the week?My TA said you can take a case of soda per person on the ship, is that a 12pk or 24pk?

 

Also, anyone know what the photo prices are like? For instance, it was like $300+ on Disney for like 10 pics so we purchased maybe 4 or 5 photos from our trip. On NCL though we bought the CD for $300 and got ALL the pictures we took on the ship (which we took advantage of and ended up taking almost 400 pictures!). So does anyone know what the photo prices are like for Carnival?

The soda package is an advantage at 4 sodas a day. I always buy it for my wife and kids, but for me I seldom drink more than a couple a day. My Kids break the bank on it though. Cheers is a waste for us also as I may drink one a night and no one else indulges at all.

We bought the unlimited pics option from Carnival on our last cruise and I think we paid like $250 for it and we also got the digital copies and a reproduction release.

The soda package is an advantage at 4 sodas a day. I always buy it for my wife and kids, but for me I seldom drink more than a couple a day. My Kids break the bank on it though. Cheers is a waste for us also as I may drink one a night and no one else indulges at all.

 

We bought the unlimited pics option from Carnival on our last cruise and I think we paid like $250 for it and we also got the digital copies and a reproduction release.

Thank you for this! That would be a perfect photo package!

Also I can see where for kids the soda package is probably a great idea. My hubs and I drink mainly water so I don't think we'd even average 4 a day..

I booked a secret cruise 682 days out!! The first thing I did was come on the boards and post about it. I felt like I would explode from not telling *someone*! I'm still 630 days to go, but my lips have been sealed and my savings is still in line. I hardly miss my morning coffees and muffins, or occasional take out lunches. All of which I cut out to save the money instead for the cruise!

The Endless bubbles isn't worth it unless you are a BIG pop drinker. Even me, I drink over 1 L everyday and I concluded my last cruise it wasn't worth it. The amount they give you per glass is small. It's a pain to go to the bar for a refill. Plus I find I get very dehydrated so I'd rather drink lemonade or water than pop anyways.

Definitely spend your time researching ports and possible excursions. Don't feel like you have to plan something for every port. Stay on board OR once you do your big reveal, ask your DH to help you choose what you'll be doing in each location. If he's been in school for intensively he might be just as happy to hang out on the ship rather than run around every port.

Consider booking a couple massage either for the 1st day on board or perhaps even at home before you leave. It might be a nice way to signal your body, that now is the time to sloooow down and relax.

Good luck saving, and secret keeping!!

I booked a secret cruise 682 days out!! The first thing I did was come on the boards and post about it. I felt like I would explode from not telling *someone*! I'm still 630 days to go, but my lips have been sealed and my savings is still in line. I hardly miss my morning coffees and muffins, or occasional take out lunches. All of which I cut out to save the money instead for the cruise!

 

oh my! when do you plan on telling?

 

The Endless bubbles isn't worth it unless you are a BIG pop drinker. Even me, I drink over 1 L everyday and I concluded my last cruise it wasn't worth it. The amount they give you per glass is small. It's a pain to go to the bar for a refill. Plus I find I get very dehydrated so I'd rather drink lemonade or water than pop anyways..

 

exactly, we'll be more likely to drink water than anything

 

Definitely spend your time researching ports and possible excursions. Don't feel like you have to plan something for every port. Stay on board OR once you do your big reveal, ask your DH to help you choose what you'll be doing in each location. If he's been in school for intensively he might be just as happy to hang out on the ship rather than run around every port.

Yes trying to use these next 13 months for research. I already know we won't get off in Nassau because we've been twice before and prefer to stay on the ship there.

 

Consider booking a couple massage either for the 1st day on board or perhaps even at home before you leave. It might be a nice way to signal your body, that now is the time to sloooow down and relax.

 

The last time we cruised (like 2 years ago) I booked one the morning of our cruise! We had an 8am appointment and were at the port by 10am! Thanks for the reminder!

 

Good luck saving, and secret keeping!!

Thanks!!! And You!

We bought the unlimited pics option from Carnival on our last cruise and I think we paid like $250 for it and we also got the digital copies and a reproduction release.

Which ship was this on? And when? We are scheduled on the Valor in September and I would love to be able to get an unlimited package for digital copies of photos.

It's been a crazy few months watching my son grown and moving closer to my husband's school.

To be honest keeping the cruise a secret became easy because the finances weren't looking possible and I just assumed that come May when I didn't have the rest of the fee I'd just say oh well and only miss out on the deposit.

However, things are looking up and I'm getting excited again. There is still lots of time for the world to bring it all crashing down, but I'm holding out hope.

I still have no one on the roll call *shrug*

I have decided not to prebook any excursions as I want him to have a say in it. We will go into it understanding that it is very possible things we might like to do will already be booked. I am going to try and plan a couples massage though for the day before (it'll be like a 5hr drive the day of to get there). Hubs officially has a graduation date; it's August 9th! So he will find out that evening at his graduation party.

My current thought is to wrap a suitcase; inside the suitcase will be new swim trunks, sun block, luggage tag, etc. Just small travel stuff but also there will be an envelope or certificate talking about the cruise.

Our baby, his crazy school schedule, and the holidays have done a great job at making time fly. Now here's hoping so do the next few months.

I cannot believe I've already kept this surprise for 10 months. As it starts nearing I am getting so nervous. I haven't booked any excursions because I want him to be a part of that (though I know it would be last minute) and also going to have to see where finances land us.

I know we will be taking a bottle of wine EACH on board and some sodas. I've read you cannot take water bottles(?) Trying to mentally figure out what to pack/how to pack. I had thought about trying to get the FTF but they are sold out. Does anyone know if sometimes they'll have more? Can your carry-on bag be a small rolling bag that essentially is a carry-on size at the airport?

There is still zero activity on the roll call and no FB group either. Wish I could talk to people whom will be on the ship as well.

Is there a book out there I can buy to read up on the Carnival Splendor? Also, do carnival passengers do "fish extenders"?

Awesome job at keeping it a secret! It's hard, and gets harder as it gets closer. I booked a surprise cruise for my husband about a year and a half ago and we're 28 days from sailing and he STILL has no idea. 18 days until I tell him! (His birthday)

 

I know we will be taking a bottle of wine EACH on board and some sodas. I've read you cannot take water bottles(?) Trying to mentally figure out what to pack/how to pack. I had thought about trying to get the FTF but they are sold out. Does anyone know if sometimes they'll have more? Can your carry-on bag be a small rolling bag that essentially is a carry-on size at the airport?

You can't bring on water, but you can pre-purchase 12-packs through the funshops at a fairly reasonable price. We had Cheers and I still pre-purchased for our 18 year old and for the convenience of having them in our cabin.

Occasionally FTTF does become available (as people cancel it or they just release more based on how platinum cruisers are booking) but will sell out again quickly. Your best bet is to check daily if you can.

A small rolling bag is perfect. You can carry on any luggage as long as it will fit through the scanners (I don't know the exact dimensions, but there are many threads on this topic). But, keep in mind that if you do not have FTTF, you will need to keep it with you until your cabin is ready. Even with FTTF, we prefer a small rolling bag or backpack and just check the rest.

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Awesome job at keeping it a secret! It's hard, and gets harder as it gets closer. I booked a surprise cruise for my husband about a year and a half ago and we're 28 days from sailing and he STILL has no idea. 18 days until I tell him! (His birthday)

How awesome! I hope y'all have a wonderful time. I've had a few near slips but thankfully there is SO much going on in our lives that I even sometimes forget about it