Need ideas on how to suprise daughter with a cruise

[EMARacing]

Hi, our daughter turns 20 8/21 and we are going to suprise her with her first cruise, and are looking for ideas on how to reveal her present. We're hoping to come up with something fun, a treasure hunt, word clues, etc.

 

So far the best we've come up with is small gifts with word associations to figure it out. Example: A Barbie doll (Gal), a jacket (vest), wear it (on) and go for a drive in her car (cruise).

 

All ideas are welcome.

 

Thanks!

[iTouch]

The car will throw her off. Get a toy boat.

[donoiv]

Why not just tell her that you are going to stay in Galveston for the weekend... and let her know as you pul into port... that's a classic.

[ccruisequeen]

Wrap up a Printed Sign & Sail pass & luggage tag with a few DVDs of Love Boat Episodes!

[Title39]

We are surprising our two boys, ages 14 & 15, with a cruise aboard the Glory on September 1st. (Their 5th cruise) For the last several months they have been under the belief that just the wife and I are going and they will be staying with their Grandparents. The day before we go we are going to have them pack their suitcases and see who notices the Carnival luggage tags first.

[nodogkisses]

Last year I surprised my daughter and her friend with a cruise by buying them travel jewelry cases. I then went online and printed a picture of the Carnival ship and cut it out and put the little ship inside the jewelry case. I also printed and cut out the itinerary with travel map and inside the case they went, so when they opened them up they saw the little ship and where we were going and the dates. They screamed but I think I was even more excited than them. She was 20 last year, too. My daughter loves cruising and has been on several cruises. This year, we celebrated her 21st birthday on the Dream and she got to walk around the ship at midnight with her "21" light up crown and sash. She was so excited at midnight of her birthday, she was able to order and sign for a drink on her sail and sign card--finally.

[sassy5683]

We have a cruise booked in Dec. for our kids. (ages 10 and 8 turning 9 on the cruise) they have NO CLUE...they know we are going on one in Jan but don't have a clue about the one in Dec. It is nice having one they know about becuase if they happen to hear us talk cruise we can just switch gears to Jan instead of Dec. Our plan I guess is a little different since we are dealing with a lot younger children but we plan on just packing their bags for them and putting them in the car for them and then telling them we are going for a little weekend getaway and head to Galveston. We figure once we hit Houston they will start knowing it is a cruise. But we found a church in galveston to attend and will be attending before we get on the cruise and we are totally checking out of the hotel and parking at the terminal...things we typically don't do before a cruise...so hopeully it will throw them off some.

 

We may have to use the scavenger hunt idea sometime.

[SunshineBooks8]

I'm having the same issue!

Im surprising my guy with a weeklong Victory cruise in November, out of Puerto Rico, for his 30th birthday. He doesn't know where we're going...and he wont, until we go to the airport. I haven't figured out quite how I'm going to tell him about the cruise but we're staying in a hotel in PR for a few days prior, right by port...so he will see the ship pull in...?

 

I like the idea of the luggage tags... :rolleyes:

[EMARacing]

Thanks for the replies so far. There are some good ideas. Keep 'em coming :)

[Megnolia]

Awesome surprise!!

 

I would find the Galveston clues really confusing!! Maybe she'll pick it up, but I probably wouldn't ;)

 

Is the cruise leaving on her birthday, or is it a future cruise? (so is the surprise "guess what, we're going on a cruise in xx months" or "guess what, we're going on a cruise today!"

 

Printed cruise docs are fun - she'll be reading through for awhile to figure out what it is she's reading, then it will hit her... that would be a great moment. Or get her some new luggage as a gift, and put a bathing suit inside...

[EMARacing]

The cruise is in Dec. We'll let her know on her birthday, but we have to wait until the semester is over to go on the cruise.

[EMARacing]

Leave it to my beautiful, talented, creative smart wife to figure out a cool suprise. She got a pair of flip flops and put them in a shoe box. We have fun quoting movies, so she took several quotes from one of her favorite movies, Forrest Gump, and put them on the outside of the box.

 

"Momma always says there's an awful lot you could tell about a person by their shoes. Where they're going. Where they've been."

 

"I've worn lots of shoes. I bet if I think about it real hard I could remember my first pair of shoes."

 

"Momma said they'd take my anywhere."

 

"She said they was my magic shoes."

 

Then on the inside of the box was this.

 

"Ashley, these are your magic shoes. Put them on to see where they take you....."

 

Then her shoes.....

 

 

And finally.......

 

 

And yes, she was completely shocked and excited!!! It was a lot of fun.

[jaxflgirlie]

Why not just tell her that you are going to stay in Galveston for the weekend... and let her know as you pul into port... that's a classic.

 

Agrees....I did that when I surprised my daughter last year. Had her thinking we were going to Busch Gardens pretty much right up until we pulled into the Tampa Port :)

[NCTribeFan]

When DD graduated from college a couple of years ago, I simply told her we were going to go away somewhere, so to NOT plan anything for that particular week.

 

Told her to pack clothes for warm weather and a couple of swimsuits, and to bring her passport. We'd been cruising since 2001, but we were always talking about how we'd like to return to various beautiful islands for a longer visit, so she was pretty sure we were going to go to the Caribbean or Mexico.

 

We got to the airport, and I made her stand aside while I checked in our bags so she wouldn't see the luggage tag for the destination.

 

When we changed planes in Charlotte, as we were walking down the concourse, I stopped and looked at the departure sign for a flight going to St Thomas. Looked at her and said, "oh, that looks like a good one! Let's go there!!" So we sat for a minute, then I got up and said, "nah, let's look for something better!" Walked down a couple more gates and there was a flight leaving for Cancun. Same scenario. Back up, and continued walking. She was about reading to punch me by then.

 

Next gate was the flight to San Juan, which was ours. But she still didn't know we were going on a cruise. But when we reached the hotel, and I told her to NOT unpack, she got even more suspicious. Next morning, checked out and took a taxi into old San Juan. Left bags at a restaurant and went sightseeing. Walked up into Fort Cristobal, walked out and could see Victory sitting in port.

 

THEN she knew what I was up to!

 

We also spent two days at the Marriott when we returned, since that cruise was a port every day. I mean, we needed a vacation to rest up from our vacation!

 

It was a great trip and fun surprise.