Stories about surprising someone going on a cruise

[Freespir8]

I always love reading stories about how people surprised family or friends that they were going on a cruise or upgraded to a better room etc. Would love to hear some fun stories!

[Cruisebee1]

Here's an interesting one: my family took my mom and I on a cruise last summer. They thought it would be nice to invite my dad and his new girlfriend! So my mom got to spend her vacation with her ex husband and the new lady in his life. What's worst is, we saw them on the pool deck and ruined the surprise and had to pretend to be excited when we saw them.

 

 

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[cruizinwithkids]

Here's an interesting one: my family took my mom and I on a cruise last summer. They thought it would be nice to invite my dad and his new girlfriend! So my mom got to spend her vacation with her ex husband and the new lady in his life. What's worst is, we saw them on the pool deck and ruined the surprise and had to pretend to be excited when we saw them.

 

 

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I can't imagine who "they" were that thought surprising an ex would be a good idea. LOL

[Cruisebee1]

My grandpa and my aunt. Sorry didn't clarify :) lol

 

 

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[cruizinwithkids]

I had planned a surprise cruise for my husband and me. It was out of NY, so we would be driving, and it was December, so an early Christmas gift. He is a cop and I had cleared the time off with his chief. I wasn't sure how I was going to tell him. I bought a Santa Hawaiian shirt. My little brain was putting together a plan. One evening, NCL called. He answered the phone and they said, "I'm just calling you about a change to your itinerary to your December 7 cruise." He said, "I think you need to talk to my wife." I would have been mad if I had a good plan in place but since I didn't it worked out perfectly. While I was on the phone with the horrified NCL rep, who knew she had ruined a surprise, my husband was dancing around the house singing, "I'm going on a cruise! I'm going on a cruise!"

 

A couple of years later, we took the same cruise but with friends of ours. We had gotten an upsell to a very nice suite. They had gotten an upsell to an owners suite. When they got their upsell offer, they asked NCL to call us as well. They called and got my daughter on the phone. She was probably about 12 at the time. She asked them to call back and of course they never did. It worked out great because my husband didn't know we were in a suite already. At check in, he thought we were in the suite line because we were with our friends. It wasn't until we actually got to our room that he knew we too were in a suite.

[Kdiamond55]

We decided to surprise the kids with a cruise one year. We packed all of their things in the back where they couldn't see them and told them we were taking them to lunch near the beach. They were 8 and 10. As we drove into the port area (Fr. Lauderdale, which is manned by Port Authority guards), my son gets all frantic and says "Are you sending me to military school"? Hahahahahaha

[Bubba54]

We decided to surprise my brother for his 50th birthday. With his wife help she told him she was taking him to Seattle for a few days without the kids. When they showed up we greeted them at the airport. We told my brother we just crashed the party. We spent a couple of days in Seattle and then we started driving to Vancouver. We told him the night before we were just going up the coast a little. Just short of the border we stopped at a coffee shop and we gave him his boarding pass and luggage tags. He became very emotional and just kept saying I can't believe it, I'm going on a cruise!

 

Six months of planning and scheming and we actually pulled it off. We had a great cruise.

[Freespir8]

I had planned a surprise cruise for my husband and me. It was out of NY, so we would be driving, and it was December, so an early Christmas gift. He is a cop and I had cleared the time off with his chief. I wasn't sure how I was going to tell him. I bought a Santa Hawaiian shirt. My little brain was putting together a plan. One evening, NCL called. He answered the phone and they said, "I'm just calling you about a change to your itinerary to your December 7 cruise." He said, "I think you need to talk to my wife." I would have been mad if I had a good plan in place but since I didn't it worked out perfectly. While I was on the phone with the horrified NCL rep, who knew she had ruined a surprise, my husband was dancing around the house singing, "I'm going on a cruise! I'm going on a cruise!"

 

A couple of years later, we took the same cruise but with friends of ours. We had gotten an upsell to a very nice suite. They had gotten an upsell to an owners suite. When they got their upsell offer, they asked NCL to call us as well. They called and got my daughter on the phone. She was probably about 12 at the time. She asked them to call back and of course they never did. It worked out great because my husband didn't know we were in a suite already. At check in, he thought we were in the suite line because we were with our friends. It wasn't until we actually got to our room that he knew we too were in a suite.

 

Love it!

[Freespir8]

We decided to surprise the kids with a cruise one year. We packed all of their things in the back where they couldn't see them and told them we were taking them to lunch near the beach. They were 8 and 10. As we drove into the port area (Fr. Lauderdale, which is manned by Port Authority guards), my son gets all frantic and says "Are you sending me to military school"? Hahahahahaha

 

I always laugh at what kids say!

[mommasaurus]

My parents had planned a family cruise for everyone and they were presenting it as a Christmas gift to the grandkids (the adults already knew about the trip). My dad asked for my help and I grabbed some of my kids items (sunglasses, bathing suits, sunglasses, sunscreen...) and wrapped them up and gave them out randomly to the grandkids. It was funny to see my nephew open up his present and find my daughter's bathing suit and my niece got my son's crocs. After the presents were opened and they were a bit confused ,I read a poem that I wrote all about the presents being clues to all the activities they could do (Oasis) and the ports we would visit. After the cruise I made a photobook for my parents and the poem is on the first page and the last page has messages from the grandkids about the trip. We are taking our next family trip in 3 weeks and this time, we did a bunch of clues (some picture, some number) for them to figure out that it was on the Breakaway from New York.

[Freespir8]

My parents had planned a family cruise for everyone and they were presenting it as a Christmas gift to the grandkids (the adults already knew about the trip). My dad asked for my help and I grabbed some of my kids items (sunglasses, bathing suits, sunglasses, sunscreen...) and wrapped them up and gave them out randomly to the grandkids. It was funny to see my nephew open up his present and find my daughter's bathing suit and my niece got my son's crocs. After the presents were opened and they were a bit confused ,I read a poem that I wrote all about the presents being clues to all the activities they could do (Oasis) and the ports we would visit. After the cruise I made a photobook for my parents and the poem is on the first page and the last page has messages from the grandkids about the trip. We are taking our next family trip in 3 weeks and this time, we did a bunch of clues (some picture, some number) for them to figure out that it was on the Breakaway from New York.

 

That is so creative. I think I may have read about one of your poems and clues?! They were awesome. If I were a kid...heck as an adult too...that would have been neat to get!

[maxshadoe]

DW and I like the Boston to Bermuda cruise, and take it most years. Two years ago, told her her favorite room , an OS, was booked for the week she likes to go. I had actually booked it nine months in advance. Told her instead we would take a week vacation in Maine on the coast. Spoofed a couple of email from a beach front hotel confirming reservations told her I had scoped a couple of nice dining spots and to pack for sun, sea and good dining.

 

Night before the cruise, I spoofed another email from NCL inviting us as past guest to a "entertainment sampler", at the Beginning stone Design Center across the street from the cruise terminal. SHe balked, but I told her Patti and Juse were part of it she agreed to detour into Boston for a 10 am "sampler".

 

Drove in and down the access road between the terminal and the Design Center, then I stopped and got out to ask directions. She was busy looking at the driving directions to Maine.

 

Grabbed the suitcases out if the back of the truck, handed them in front to a porter, gave the tickets and her passport to the NCL rep. The I opened her door and pointed to the NCl rep and told her I would go park.

 

Complete surprise.

[fshagan]

We splurged and booked a cruise out of Barcelona to Monaco, Florence, Rome, the Amalfi Coast and Mallorca on the Jade in 2010. I was home the day before our flight (which was a couple of days before the cruise) and took an upgrade call to move from our balcony cabin to a 2 bedroom Penthouse Suite. I didn't tell her.

 

We met people from our roll call who knew about the upgrade, and knew I didn't tell her. We went with them to the port, and I got into the regular line while our new friends were escorted to the lounge for suite passengers. When I checked in the person said "Oh, let me help you!" and ushered over to the lounge area. My wife kept whispering to me "They think we're with Linda and Lyle, we're going to get in trouble!".

 

Our butler came and she still didn't catch on, thinking NCL had made a terrible mistake and we'd end up on the dock watching the ship sail away from us when they found out.

 

The 2 bedroom suite looks much like a regular cabin when you first enter it, with a long hallway and then the living room area with a sofa bed where you usually see a bed. She thought on first entering it that we were sleeping on a sofa bed.

 

 

She didn't realize something was up until she turned and saw the full bathroom and master bedroom adjoining it.

 

 

I was able to get her initial reaction on realizing I had upgraded to a suite:

 

[Vacation Lover1]

Great stories, keep 'em coming!

 

A couple of years ago we planned a cruise as our big family Christmas gift. The cruise was the week before Christmas and since our youngest was still a believer, we had to figure out a way to incorporate Santa into it. We also wanted the kids to be able to enjoy the anticipation leading up to the vacation.

 

Our "elf on a shelf" arrived after Thanksgiving with a note explaining that Santa would be coming early with a big gift that the whole family would enjoy. After that, the elves had a daily riddle/poem leading up to the night before the cruise. The kids had a great time trying to figure out what the gift could be and were so excited when they got the last clue explaining where they'd by going.

 

Here are a couple of the riddles...

 

 

 

 

 

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[Freespir8]

Great stories, keep 'em coming!

 

A couple of years ago we planned a cruise as our big family Christmas gift. The cruise was the week before Christmas and since our youngest was still a believer, we had to figure out a way to incorporate Santa into it. We also wanted the kids to be able to enjoy the anticipation leading up to the vacation.

 

Our "elf on a shelf" arrived after Thanksgiving with a note explaining that Santa would be coming early with a big gift that the whole family would enjoy. After that, the elves had a daily riddle/poem leading up to the night before the cruise. The kids had a great time trying to figure out what the gift could be and were so excited when they got the last clue explaining where they'd by going.

 

Here are a couple of the riddles...

 

 

 

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/<a href=http://s227.photobucket.com/user/LyndseyLivingston/media/IMG_5305-4865rev%200.jpg.html rel=nofollow target=_blank>

 

Vacation Lover!! I remember your riddles and how cleverly put together everything was. You are very inventive. Great story!!

[Freespir8]

Maxshadoe and fshagan...thanks for sharing!! I feel like I am watching the best part of a movie as I am reading. Great pics too!

[Buford T Justiice]

I had planned a surprise cruise for my husband and me. It was out of NY, so we would be driving, and it was December, so an early Christmas gift. He is a cop and I had cleared the time off with his chief. I wasn't sure how I was going to tell him. I bought a Santa Hawaiian shirt. My little brain was putting together a plan. One evening, NCL called. He answered the phone and they said, "I'm just calling you about a change to your itinerary to your December 7 cruise." He said, "I think you need to talk to my wife." I would have been mad if I had a good plan in place but since I didn't it worked out perfectly. While I was on the phone with the horrified NCL rep, who knew she had ruined a surprise, my husband was dancing around the house singing, "I'm going on a cruise! I'm going on a cruise!"

 

A couple of years later, we took the same cruise but with friends of ours. We had gotten an upsell to a very nice suite. They had gotten an upsell to an owners suite. When they got their upsell offer, they asked NCL to call us as well. They called and got my daughter on the phone. She was probably about 12 at the time. She asked them to call back and of course they never did. It worked out great because my husband didn't know we were in a suite already. At check in, he thought we were in the suite line because we were with our friends. It wasn't until we actually got to our room that he knew we too were in a suite.

 

I also had NCL / PCC spoil the surprise... despite me instructing the PCC (and notating the file) that it was a surprise and to only speak to me regarding the cruise.... he called and asked my wife if she was excited about her upcoming cruise...

 

Didn't even get an extra plate of strawberries for that one.

[buddyjo143]

Not what you're looking for, I'm sure but in June my DH and I sailed on the Breakaway from NYC to Bermuda. We had invited his family along since they live in Maine and we are in Tennessee. We have sailed Boston to Bermuda before and are used to and love sailing with family.

 

Well, his sisters decided they couldn't come, too expensive, yada, yada, they booked out of Boston in October. Ok. But wait, we'll come spend the weekend in New York before your cruise they tell us. Great.

 

Have a nice weekend with the two sisters(in laws) and two of the nieces. Sunday comes. See you later, love you, bye! Off we go to do laundry and they go off to the airport.

 

Board the ship and DH and I walk through O'Sheehan's to get to the dining room when we both see a woman that looks like his sister. In our brains we both think, hey that looks like DS. Wait, that's all four of them. What are they doing here? They don't let people on board ships to say good bye. What the hey? They crashed our vacation.

 

After we got over the shock and awe, we were really happy. We spoiled their surprise on us but the real surprise was yet to come.

 

They booked a late balcony guarantee. Their cabin? Same number, one deck below. We said someone had a hand in that.

[Lupush]

A few years back my wife (then girlfriend) and I were on the Epic with her parents. First night of the cruise was my birthday and we were having dinner in Cagneys. When they brought out the birthday cake I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. She was so surprised all she could say was "Are you serious?" Lol. We were celebrities on that ship after that as "the ones who just got engaged". Met a lot of good people on that cruise and had a lot of celebratory drinks.

 

 

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[Freespir8]

Not what you're looking for, I'm sure but in June my DH and I sailed on the Breakaway from NYC to Bermuda. We had invited his family along since they live in Maine and we are in Tennessee. We have sailed Boston to Bermuda before and are used to and love sailing with family.

 

Well, his sisters decided they couldn't come, too expensive, yada, yada, they booked out of Boston in October. Ok. But wait, we'll come spend the weekend in New York before your cruise they tell us. Great.

 

Have a nice weekend with the two sisters(in laws) and two of the nieces. Sunday comes. See you later, love you, bye! Off we go to do laundry and they go off to the airport.

 

Board the ship and DH and I walk through O'Sheehan's to get to the dining room when we both see a woman that looks like his sister. In our brains we both think, hey that looks like DS. Wait, that's all four of them. What are they doing here? They don't let people on board ships to say good bye. What the hey? They crashed our vacation.

 

After we got over the shock and awe, we were really happy. We spoiled their surprise on us but the real surprise was yet to come.

 

They booked a late balcony guarantee. Their cabin? Same number, one deck below. We said someone had a hand in that.

 

I would agree...someone def had a hand in that one! ;) Sounds like a fun group.

[Freespir8]

A few years back my wife (then girlfriend) and I were on the Epic with her parents. First night of the cruise was my birthday and we were having dinner in Cagneys. When they brought out the birthday cake I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. She was so surprised all she could say was "Are you serious?" Lol. We were celebrities on that ship after that as "the ones who just got engaged". Met a lot of good people on that cruise and had a lot of celebratory drinks.

 

 

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Awww....love this story! There is something really fun about being a part of a marriage proposal.

[jamminlion]

Because my girls get too excited about trips and bounce off the walls for weeks beforehand, several trips ago, we started just surprising them. Different ways - sometimes wake them up at o'dark thirty and tell them we have a plane to catch. Sometimes sneaking luggage into the car and just driving towards the airport. Picking them up from school a little early and driving to the airport. They never know when it's coming, if it's coming, or where we are going.

 

My oldest daughter has caught on to listening to the agent at the ticket counter when we check our luggage. She doesn't always get to hear them say our final destination though. There are some places both girls know what we are doing - visiting grandparents mostly, or visiting my bff.

 

In June, we got them in the car, after they helped put the luggage in, and off we went to the airport. (later flight, so not so easy to just get luggage in the car without them seeing this time). Both girls are elated when they find out we are flying into the city where my bff lives. When we get off the plane, they are heading towards baggage claim. I tell them we need to wait a little bit first. After about 10 minutes, oldest daughter is insistent that we get going because she wants to see my bff. But we didn't leave the airport. My oldest daughter was furious that we weren't going to my bff's. She was so angry, giving me pre-teen attitude, and pouting. She couldn't believe we would NOT be going to bff's house. That is, until she learned we were going to Anchorage. They both started guessing what we were doing in Anchorage, if it was a cruise, if it was WHAT WAS IT? Then they ask how long are we going to be gone? Did you pack my________? Then they get so excited chatting to each other about all the possibilities.

 

We had a great southbound cruise, after a few days on the Kenai, and then spent a few days in Vancouver and Seattle before coming home. Of course on the flight home, oldest daughter is bugging me about when can we go to my bff's house?

 

Sigh. The travel bug is never satisfied, right?

[blackwing]

I remember a post here some months back about a guy that wanted to surprise his wife with a cruise. She was deathly afraid of the ocean and had told him many times that she wouldn't go on a cruise. But he was convinced that once he got her to the pier that she would be OK with it.

 

I have wondered how that all turned out...

[Cruzncutie]

Traveling with my mother, sister, and adult daughter. We were originally booked in two balcony cabins on the Breakaway sailing March 2014. I'd been spending a lot of time here reading about the Haven suites. I just read in envy because I didn't think the others would be ok with forking up the additional cash. No way was I going to convince them of how great it was going to be. Well, 60 days prior to sailing I check NCL's website because I know prices can drop drastically. Ha! Major price drop on the Courtyard Penthouse Suites [emoji16]. I immediately go into "baby of the family" mode. I've GOT to convince AKA manipulate them!! Hmm, my sisters birthday is in March. Bingo! It'll be a birthday surprise for her [emoji4].

 

I go to my mother as only her youngest daughter can do. I'm excited, jumping out of my skin about the fantastic deal I'm going to tell her about. For a mere $700 upgrade (per cabin) we too can experience the Haven. I justify this by explaining that it'll be a gift for her lovely first born [emoji57]. It took a few minutes, but she was all in! Ok! Soooo, we need to call NCL now! What, now??! Yes, mother, NOW before they sell out! Sadly our PCC tells us that there is only ONE suite available. The Haven Spa Suite. Ugh!! We book it.

 

This is bitter sweet because this was all my idea and now I wouldn't be able to enjoy the Haven. I love my sister, but I will not...cannot spend an entire week in the same cabin with her. Besides, my daughter would miss me too much if she couldn't room with me [emoji6]. It's settled. Mother and older sister get the Haven Spa Suite and my daughter and I remain in the balcony.

 

Fast forward two days later. I'm at work browsing the interwebs and I land on NCL again. What!!! The Courtyard Penthouse is available now. Heart racing, I get on the phone and book it! No conversation with the parental unit. Just book it!! I change the reservation so that my daughter and I take the Spa Suite and my mother and sister stay in the Courtyard Penthouse. I figure staying in the Haven proper will be a better experience for them. My mother is pleased, I'm pleased, but my daughter couldn't care less lol. She just wants to go on another cruise. Job well done Anita [emoji41].

 

Luckily my sister is the type that doesn't want any involvement with vacation planning. Just tell her how much and when and she's good. We go to check in and she begins to wonder why we aren't in line with the others. Sucker!!! Lol. The attendant directs us to the Haven check in. The ginormous sign is pretty hard to miss and I think she's beginning to catch on. She's still looking a bit confused at this point though. Ok, so we are in a private check in area now and I kinda have to spill the beans because she knows something is up. She's excited, but it doesn't quite hit her how fantabulous this is until she sees the lounge and her suite. A great time was had by all! Two years and several NCL cruises later we still have yet to book that balcony again. We have been spoiled. I've created a monster[emoji33].

 

 

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[medicalma'am]

I have surprised family twice, and each time it was a cabin upgrade.

 

My three sisters and I were booked on the Sun out of Tampa in a cabin that I thought we would be cramped. I actually booked us in a different suite and they paid me their share of the original cabin price so I could keep the surprise. I ended up telling one sister on her birthday and she cried because she had THAT cabin on the SUN on her bucket list! We had so much fun the day of the cruise planning the surprise. I enlisted our butler's help by having him take us to the original cabin (that was next to the real cabin). I walked in and said "I don't like this room, let's see what is next door." To protests from the other sisters like "You can't do that!" We walked in and I told them I liked that cabin better and told the Butler that we wanted this one. Then I surprised them that it was ours! It was the greatest week ever.

 

The second time was this February when I surprised my daughter in law with the Owner's Suite. I was taking her and my daughter on a cruise to celebrate her Masters degree (just us girls). My daughter knew I had gotten the up sell. We were on the same deck but in the front instead of the aft. I had told my daughter in law about the swimming fishies on the carpet. As we walked to the cabin, she was thinking that they must have gotten the carpet wrong on this hallway because the room numbers we were passing by told her we were going in the right direction. When we opened the door and walked in she was SO surprised and just squealed! It was also the best week ever!