Booking a surprise cruise for friends wedding gift

[iwanngonow]

Hi all,

The Dw and I are in the planning process of booking for Mar 2010. We would like have our newlywed friends to join us and was wondering if there was a way to get them the cruise without them knowing. IE gift certificate for the entire fare etc. Either that or have a nice way to let them know. Their wedding is May 30th 09. He's currently in IRAQ so I'm trying to do all this behind their backs...In a good way. Any suggestions?

Thanks

[CruisnGram]

You scared me there for a minute. I thought you were planning a cruise for the 4 of you go go on their honeymoon! :D

 

It's a very, very nice thing that you are doing and I'm sure your friends will love this....a wonderful cruise with great friends.

 

First question, when are you giving them this "gift"? Do you want it to be a surprise right up until the time you sail? Or are you planning to give it to them on their wedding day?

 

If you are planning on giving it to them well in advance of the trip,then you can go ahead and book the entire thing whenever you'd like. All that is needed when you book is their names and their address. They can provide birthdates, etc at a later time. You can then present them with the reservation confirmation, pictures of the ship, etc. as their "gift".

 

If you are planning on surprising them at the last minute, you will have to have some inside help from someone close to them. You will need birthdates, passport info, etc. to provide to the cruiseline before sailing. I honestly don't recommend this as people make other plans, etc. and your wonderful gift could end up being a real hassle for all.

 

I really wouldn't go with any type of a certificate for the cruise as prices can change on a daily basis. By the time you present them with this certificate, the cruise price could have jumped up. The best idea, if you are SURE they would like this cruise( who wouldn't?) is to make all the decisions and just book it for the 4 of you when the pricing is best. That way, you are locked in. You can always cancel up until about 45 days from sailing if necessary.

 

Good luck and have a wonderful trip!

 

CG

[crew mom]

Just wanted to say I wish I had a friend like you! :D

 

What a great gift!

[iwanngonow]

Thanks for the advice CruisinGran...I appreciate the good ideas. My friends will have been married over 10 months by the time the cruise comes around. The newlywedness should have started to wear off a little by then. (I'm such a romantic)

[TrinaLC]

I think you'll need to let them know you have a surprise "trip" planned for the dates in question, but that you want to keep the destination secret. Have them meet you in a hotel rather than the port, and then a taxi ride to the port ... obviously you'll need to make sure you get passport info in advance, and also that they bring them ... but you could perhaps hint of a trip to mexico or a flight to the bahamas rather than a cruise ...

[mailbroad]

I think it would be fun if you gave them a simple wedding gift. At a later date you could invite them over to your house for dinner or coffee or something and start talking about the cruise you are going on.. but not bragging. You could show them an album you had started with info about the ports and photos and then on the last page you could have something like, "Surprise! Mary and Roger! You are going on the cruise with us as our guests and great friends!". Of course this will not be correct if their names are not Mary and Roger! You can do this well in advance of sailing or just before.

 

Another idea would be to make a "coupon" ad in the local paper specifically for use by the two friends. A man in this area did that for a proposal to his girlfriend in the paper here! It was really neat!

 

ps You will get the Military discount for your friend perhaps... you can use the money saved to buy flowers for their cabin!

 

Let us know what you do! You are great friends!

[bonlewis]

And Yes as the previous poster pointed out, the Military discount is usually pretty substantial.

 

God bless you & be with your friend & all our troops!

[CalifornianinKansas]

Um...not to be a spoilsport, but...how are you going to make sure that he gets leave on those dates? He has to give a leave address, too. Won't he also need to take that stupid briefing that you have to take before you can take OCONUS leave?

 

I imagine that you could work most of it out in advance with the First Sergeant.

 

What about the baby?

 

I love me some Army paperwork...:rolleyes: