How to Surprise my wife?

[thesmiths]

 To the Lady Cruisers.

 

Our 30th Anniversary is May 15th this year

I booked a 10 day Alaska Cruise which departs on May 15th from San Fran the first day it became available on the Carnival Miracle

I have everything booked, Flights , Aft Suite , Shore Excursions , 3 Days in Frisco prior. everything

 

Bucket Trip of a lifetime, went all out.

 

My wife has zero Idea, zero.

 

For Christmas she did get some, clothes, hat etc for some cooler/colder weather, told her that was for a Mountain trip we are doing in February which we are not. 

 

I thought of an early Anniversary card, Waiting Until Valentines day??

 

Only people who know are our 2 children26 & 25 & me, didn't want it to get back to her..

 

Please give me ideas and the best one you will get the credit for!

 

Thank You !

 

 

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by thesmiths

[tonit964]

That is really awesome and she will love it! Just make sure you give her plenty of planning time so she can do the things she wants like more shopping, nails, hair, etc.

 

While surprises are great, her being able to plan and be excited about the trip is important as well.

Alaska is breathtaking! happy Anniversary and have a wonderful time!

[hapytobehr]

How awesome!   If she didn't need to pack for the cruise I wouldn't tell her until you got to San Fran!

 

I would give her a "special" card on Valentines day maybe with a picture of the booking.

 

BTW, we did this exact same cruise in May, 2022 and LOVED it.  We just stayed in San Francisco after the trip.

 

Enjoy!!

 

[Normajean999]

58 minutes ago, thesmiths said:

 To the Lady Cruisers.

 

Our 30th Anniversary is May 15th this year

I booked a 10 day Alaska Cruise which departs on May 15th from San Fran the first day it became available on the Carnival Miracle

I have everything booked, Flights , Aft Suite , Shore Excursions , 3 Days in Frisco prior. everything

 

Bucket Trip of a lifetime, went all out.

 

My wife has zero Idea, zero.

 

For Christmas she did get some, clothes, hat etc for some cooler/colder weather, told her that was for a Mountain trip we are doing in February which we are not. 

 

I thought of an early Anniversary card, Waiting Until Valentines day??

 

Only people who know are our 2 children26 & 25 & me, didn't want it to get back to her..

 

Please give me ideas and the best one you will get the credit for!

 

Thank You !

 

 

 

That's awesome! My husband's favorite thing I ever did was a treasure hunt on one of our first Valentine's day's. I bought a box of those little valentine's card that we use to give each other in elementary school and wrote hints on the cards leading to the next card/hint. At the end there was a giant candy bar or something. I probably made the clues rhyme knowing me. "Roses are red, violets are blue, you might find something in a shoe." He said it was the neatest thing anyone had ever done for him. 🙂 

 

You could just send her from place to place around the house or hand out cards to family/friends so she has to hunt around various locations. I also did a similar thing one year, but each clue was a puzzle. I went to a craft store that could cut a piece of card stock paper into puzzle pieces. Assemble the puzzle for the clue to the next location/person who had another puzzle. Enjoy your trip!

[gtouch]

"How to surprise your wife"......book separate cruises. Not recommend but it will surprise her.

[groundloop]

If the two of you are any kind of baseball fan I'd suggest going to a Giants game if they're in town while you're there.  There's a great view of the Bay from their Club Level seats, and I even got to talk to an actor from one of my favorite TV shows who was sitting right in front of us.  

 

We spent some time in San Francisco both before and after our Hawaii cruise last September, I'll go back in a heartbeat.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 21, 2023 by groundloop

[tweak89]

So, this might work if it (or something like it) is around you.  This is actually how I proposed to my wife.  We took a trip to Vegas (and no, we didn't get married there, lol) with another couple (who knew I was doing it but not how, they were there to distract).  My original idea was to get a caricature drawing of us that had "Marry Me?" written in a text bubble without her knowing and pop the question once the artist turned it around.  But, as it so happens, they were not doing it that day, so luckily one of those 3D crystal etching places was there too.  We posed for out snapshot and I filled out the paperwork for it.  But, instead of the date, had them etch the proposal.  We came back for it a couple of hours later and I asked her to check it before we left to make sure they got the date right...and the rest is history.

 

So, you could do the same but have a caricature of ya'll with ship a sketched in the background and "Let's go cruising!"

[shipgeeks]

Does your wife truly like surprises?  I don't; I would hate getting something this momentous with little or no notice.

I was once told we (family) were going out to dinner.  I put my reading glasses in my bag. We were actually going to a live performance of Riverdance, which I love.  Prime seats, but I did not have my distance glasses. Very disappointing.

As was noted above, planning is a big part of a cruise, especially one with significant ports and activities.  I hope you will choose to fill her in way ahead of time, so she can enjoy the planning, learning, and other aspects of pre-cruise time.

[Crusin Karen]

17 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

Does your wife truly like surprises?  I don't; I would hate getting something this momentous with little or no notice.

I was once told we (family) were going out to dinner.  I put my reading glasses in my bag. We were actually going to a live performance of Riverdance, which I love.  Prime seats, but I did not have my distance glasses. Very disappointing.

As was noted above, planning is a big part of a cruise, especially one with significant ports and activities.  I hope you will choose to fill her in way ahead of time, so she can enjoy the planning, learning, and other aspects of pre-cruise time.

Totally agree with this.  Tho I think it's just truly special for you to do this, I hope you do the surprise at least a week before you leave.  All really great suggestions above-love the scavenger hunt and caricature (maybe that can be at the end of the hunt???) but give her time to pack some things that she may want or need to take.  Half the fun is the planning and anticipation.  What a wonderful thing for you to do for her and wishing you a great trip and happy anniversary! 👍





 

[Hoosierpop]

Have her best friend tell her that she and her husband are going on that trip (not your wife). Have her brag about it and say how much she is looking forward to it and that her husband is the best.

 

Then, when your wife is talking to you about it, spring it on her.

 

You know your wife, so my biggest advice is don’t wait past the date she actually May stress out if it’s too late before the cruise.

[Ferry_Watcher]

What a wonderful gesture!

 

Glad that you had the foresight to gift her some cold weather clothes.  You might want to start gathering those clothes needed for Alaska in the weeks leading up to the cruise.  Nothing will put a damper on visiting a port-of-call faster than being cold/wet - miserable.  I am a big advocate for fleece vests or jackets.  It's a great time to buy during the end of the season sales.  Raincoat (breathable), hat, gloves and waterproof shoes are highly recommended.

 

I would also try to figure out what her favorite 'going out to dinner' outfits are and making sure you either include them, or that she plans of knowing that she needs 'dress up' clothes for chic night.  Having mix and match outfits (black dress pants / dressy tops) might make her feel more comfortable during the dinner service, especially since you will be in a suite.

 

Enjoy your anniversary cruise!  You might also look into booking a couples massage, or having flowers delivered to the room.  I know that many cruise lines have items that friends and family can order and have delivered to the room - that might be something that your kids, or other family / friends might want to do.

 

 

[smears]

Just tell her to close her eyes and take her to the airport and get on the plane and just keep telling her not to open them until you're on the ship.

[oakridger]

I salute you for this great surprise!  One request though.  The locals in San Francisco will love you even more if you call our city.....San Francisco!!  "Frisco" and "San Fran" are like fingernails scratching on the chalkboard to our ears.  😬  Really.  Just reading your post gave me a physical shiver and not in a good way.  

 

Have a wonderful trip and Congratulations on your 30th anniversary.  She's a lucky woman with a very thoughtful husband.  😊

 

~Nancy

[carohs]

On 1/20/2023 at 10:42 AM, thesmiths said:

told her that was for a Mountain trip we are doing in February which we are not. 

Uh oh. How does she handle disappointment? I know I would be if I was looking forward to something to find out later it's not happening. Maybe you reveal the cruise at the same time as you "cancel" the trip to soften the blow? 

My kids can never hold back surprises from me. They're too exited. Anyway, I ask them not to tell me what it is, but instead to give me clues. Makes it more fun for all of us. You could do let her know the trip in Feb is just a decoy and to figure out the real vacation she has to solve a series of clues. Have something like a golden gate bridge, a cruise ship, and some salmon as the clues. Maybe even wedding rings or something so she figures the date too. 

[britbritrawr09]

I am going to be on the same cruise. I saw on the roll call they have a site with custom shirts that have the ship name and stuff. Maybe get her one of those. I hope you both have a great time! 

[thesmiths]

5 hours ago, oakridger said:

I salute you for this great surprise!  One request though.  The locals in San Francisco will love you even more if you call our city.....San Francisco!!  "Frisco" and "San Fran" are like fingernails scratching on the chalkboard to our ears.  😬  Really.  Just reading your post gave me a physical shiver and not in a good way.  

 

Have a wonderful trip and Congratulations on your 30th anniversary.  She's a lucky woman with a very thoughtful husband.  😊

 

~Nancy

I'm sorry "It's a Philly Thing",

Seriously I never knew that.

Thank you !

Edited January 25, 2023 by thesmiths

[thesmiths]

1 hour ago, britbritrawr09 said:

I am going to be on the same cruise. I saw on the roll call they have a site with custom shirts that have the ship name and stuff. Maybe get her one of those. I hope you both have a great time! 

Thank you but I did not see a Roll Call for the May 15th?

[Crusin Karen]

6 hours ago, oakridger said:

I salute you for this great surprise!  One request though.  The locals in San Francisco will love you even more if you call our city.....San Francisco!!  "Frisco" and "San Fran" are like fingernails scratching on the chalkboard to our ears.  😬  Really.  Just reading your post gave me a physical shiver and not in a good way.  

 

Have a wonderful trip and Congratulations on your 30th anniversary.  She's a lucky woman with a very thoughtful husband.  😊

 

~Nancy

LOL I'm from New Jersey.  I HATE when people say/write JOISEY.  So I get it lol. 👍🙃

[craig01020]

Print out her Carnival luggage tag and place it in an anniversary card.

[2wheelin]

2 hours ago, craig01020 said:

Print out her Carnival luggage tag and place it in an anniversary card.

Can’t print tags until 2 weeks before cruise so WAAAAYYYY too late to tell her.

Don’t make up another lie about the Feb trip by “canceling” it. Just tell the truth. It is still a surprise that you have done the planning.

[craig01020]

28 minutes ago, 2wheelin said:

Can’t print tags until 2 weeks before cruise so WAAAAYYYY too late to tell her.

Don’t make up another lie about the Feb trip by “canceling” it. Just tell the truth. It is still a surprise that you have done the planning.

Not True! I printed my luggage tags for my 2024 cruise. Here's how: go to Manage My Booking > Planner > Before You Go > Print Documents > Print Luggage Tags

 

 

[EngIceDave]

Put together a slide show of all your past cruises and travel, then at the end, put photos of things you anticipate to see and then the ship and them hand her the documents in an envelope to open once over.

 

She'll be in tears, promise

[Mic101680]

I surprised my sister with a cruise one year for her birthday, which is in January. We both love to travel, so for Christmas, I gifted her things like a new luggage piece in her favorite color, fun travel accessories, and items of clothing/accessories relevant to the ports. I also got a brochure from that cruise line, flagged the pages for the cruise I had booked, and wrapped that, which I had her open last. This gave her a few weeks to choose which excursions she wanted to do at each port and time to pack things she likes to have with her on a cruise.

[britbritrawr09]

5 hours ago, thesmiths said:

Thank you but I did not see a Roll Call for the May 15th?

It’s on social media I’m not sure if I am allowed  to say it. There is like 500 people on it though. 

[thesmiths]

50 minutes ago, britbritrawr09 said:

It’s on social media I’m not sure if I am allowed  to say it. There is like 500 people on it though. 

Understood, Thank you ! I looked on here.