How to surprise my wife?

[RogueMonk]

Hello. I booked a surprise cruise in May to celebrate our 25th Anniversary. We have already taken our "annual" cruise, so there's no way my wife will suspect. I would like to surprise her in some special way, but I know that real last minute would stress her out. She needs a week or two to plan herself.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to share the surprise? Thanks.

[thesmiths]

Long story short

 

I did this May of 2018 for our 25th anniversay .

 

We had talked about new luggage as our was years old. I said we we needed new luggage for our upcoming cruise and my wife agreed and I was going on a business trip a few weeks before the cruise so I said I was buying it for the biz trip .

 

I printed out boarding passes and few other things for her and put it the new suitcase.

Week before my biz trip she wanted to pack my bags....I said ok....

 

She cried.

 

Congratulations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[May1cruiser]

Perhaps set up a planned vacation for an AI or other Caribbean destination, tell her the duration, then at the last moment, tell her its a cruise. you can have room decorated, or make your own décor on websites like Shindigz or others.

[tauep24]

@RogueMonk what ship are you going on?

[Chelle621]

2 hours ago, RogueMonk said:

Hello. I booked a surprise cruise in May to celebrate our 25th Anniversary. We have already taken our "annual" cruise, so there's no way my wife will suspect. I would like to surprise her in some special way, but I know that real last minute would stress her out. She needs a week or two to plan herself.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to share the surprise? Thanks.

 However you plan it.....I'm sure it will be GREAT!!!!  Keep us posted

[RogueMonk]

1 hour ago, tauep24 said:

@RogueMonk what ship are you going on?

Sunrise.

[dmdiver]

When we gifted our adult kids with a family cruise, we made tickets with all the details on them.  It was Christmas, so we put them in their stockings along with luggage tags.

[Garth2]

I surprised my better half by telling her to pack for a week in warm weather and to bring a couple of fancy dresses.  Handed her the boarding passes while we were waiting for the shuttle to the ship in front of our hotel the next morning.

[thesmiths]

2 hours ago, thesmiths said:

Long story short

 

I did this May of 2018 for our 25th anniversay .

 

We had talked about new luggage as our was years old. I said we we needed new luggage for our upcoming cruise and my wife agreed and I was going on a business trip a few weeks before the cruise so I said I was buying it for the biz trip .

 

I printed out boarding passes and few other things for her and put it the new suitcase.

Week before my biz trip she wanted to pack my bags....I said ok....

 

She cried.

 

Congratulations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 She  always wanted to ride horses in the ocean , and I surprised her with a Private Ride in Aruba.

 

Edited February 18, 2020 by thesmiths

[MrsTocko]

53 minutes ago, dmdiver said:

When we gifted our adult kids with a family cruise, we made tickets with all the details on them.  It was Christmas, so we put them in their stockings along with luggage tags.

 

3 hours ago, RogueMonk said:

Hello. I booked a surprise cruise in May to celebrate our 25th Anniversary. We have already taken our "annual" cruise, so there's no way my wife will suspect. I would like to surprise her in some special way, but I know that real last minute would stress her out. She needs a week or two to plan herself.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to share the surprise? Thanks.

 

To go off the idea above about christmas...you have 2 occasions that you could do something...St. Patrick's day...have a "pot o gold" for her to find the treasure...

 

or have an easter egg hunt...get those plastic eggs (they should be in stores now)  and have a little slip of paper inside that says she won a cruise for 2....all the other eggs will be empty.  some how mark the "winning" egg...

 

or do a scavenger hunt...maybe a date night, enlist helpers...i think most people will want to help with such a great surprise.

 

1 year for my husband...bought him tickets to a concert before christmas, but I held them until Valentines day...collaborated on a poem, that had song titles in it and gave it to him then....concert was on his birthday...so I did 2 gifts in 1....

[bahacca]

Scavenger hunt around home or her office if you know people she works with. If she works, be sure you get her the time off. It would be funny if the boss "called her in" if she has a job and would play along. "I need you to go on this business trip.  Here is the itinerary."

 

[Cruiser_1977]

I don't need a week or more notice. If I did...why not just make her dinner (or take her out if you don't cook) and at the end of the meal give her a nice card with the boarding pass inside? Easy peasy and thoughtful.

Edited February 18, 2020 by JennyB1977

[CruisingAlong4Now]

My husband surprised me by doing the laundry.  I must have low standards.  

 

congratulations and have fun!

[leaveitallbehind]

I did the very same for our first cruise as a 10th anniversary surprise in 1992.  Back then the travel documents were in a booklet prepared by our TA.  I took my wife out to dinner the week before we were to leave (which was our anniversary date) so she would not kill me by not allowing enough time to shop, pack, etc., and presented the documents in a box that was gift wrapped.  Handed it to her with an anniversary card over desert - 28 years later we are still together and still cruising.

Edited February 18, 2020 by leaveitallbehind

[janetz]

1 hour ago, CruisingAlong4Now said:

My husband surprised me by doing the laundry.  I must have low standards.  

 

congratulations and have fun!

Haha. 😂

[clo]

7 hours ago, dmdiver said:

When we gifted our adult kids with a family cruise, we made tickets with all the details on them.  It was Christmas, so we put them in their stockings along with luggage tags.

Wow! Our adult kids would likely kill us if we did that 🙂 Their lives are so busy. We're already trying to find a few days this summer that we can get together. Along with the grands!

[navybankerteacher]

8 hours ago, dmdiver said:

When we gifted our adult kids with a family cruise, we made tickets with all the details on them.  It was Christmas, so we put them in their stockings along with luggage tags.

I hope you gave them a year or so’s notice.  My adult children have pretty busy lives -between their children, their careers and their own vacation plans.   We do a number of things together - but the scheduling makes the Versailles Peace Conference look like a walk in the park.

[clo]

34 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

I hope you gave them a year or so’s notice.  My adult children have pretty busy lives -between their children, their careers and their own vacation plans.   We do a number of things together - but the scheduling makes the Versailles Peace Conference look like a walk in the park.

You said it more eloquently than I - as usual. But to go further, THEY would have to pick the dates.

[That sinking feeling]

go without her and ring her from the ship and shout "surprise".

[lindsay0526]

It’s so sweet that you want to surprise her! But I would suggest telling her at least a week in advance. As a fellow woman, I would want a minute to get my things in order, buy a new outfit, and just get my brain ready to be “on vacation.” But you know your wife better than anyone, so that might not be a big deal to her. 
 

You could always take her out for an anniversary dinner-  dress-up and buy her flowers. And tell her at dinner. ❤️

[DarrenM]

1 hour ago, lindsay0526 said:

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You could always take her out for an anniversary dinner-  dress-up and buy her flowers. And tell her at dinner. ❤️

Is the cruise not enough for you then?😮

[That sinking feeling]

1 hour ago, lindsay0526 said:

It’s so sweet that you want to surprise her! But I would suggest telling her at least a week in advance. As a fellow woman, I would want a minute to get my things in order, buy a new outfit, and just get my brain ready to be “on vacation.” But you know your wife better than anyone, so that might not be a big deal to her. 
 

You could always take her out for an anniversary dinner-  dress-up and buy her flowers. And tell her at dinner. ❤️

Wow. I wonder what the man gets in return for this? Wedding anniversaries in your house must cost the joint income an awful lot of money.

 

Surely flowers are enough. The dinner is an over step. Dressing up is a step too far. And the surprise cruise is madness.

 

And there's me thinking marriages are equal.

[lindsay0526]

@DarrenM & @thatsinkingfeeling- the OP asked for ideas on how to surprise his wife. I just offered my personal idea. Going out to dinner can be as expensive as you want it to be. Dressing up for said dinner is free, because you have clothes already in your closet. Flowers can be purchased from the grocery store for $10. Making something special does not have to be expensive.

[leaveitallbehind]

1 hour ago, lindsay0526 said:

It’s so sweet that you want to surprise her! But I would suggest telling her at least a week in advance. As a fellow woman, I would want a minute to get my things in order, buy a new outfit, and just get my brain ready to be “on vacation.” But you know your wife better than anyone, so that might not be a big deal to her. 
 

You could always take her out for an anniversary dinner-  dress-up and buy her flowers. And tell her at dinner. ❤️

 

See my post #14 on this thread - that is exactly what I did.

Edited February 19, 2020 by leaveitallbehind

[leaveitallbehind]

26 minutes ago, That sinking feeling said:

Wow. I wonder what the man gets in return for this? Wedding anniversaries in your house must cost the joint income an awful lot of money.

 

Surely flowers are enough. The dinner is an over step. Dressing up is a step too far. And the surprise cruise is madness.

 

And there's me thinking marriages are equal.

 

In my case, as described in my first post on this thread, I did not do it to get anything in return - I did it because I love my wife and wanted to surprise her with a trip that we shared. It's all in the presentation. What I got in return was the love of my life being with me for 38 years. If that is madness then I'm glad to be insane!

Edited February 19, 2020 by leaveitallbehind