2017 cruise is booked...now comes the hard part

[Floridatinaherb]

Keeping it a secret from DS and DD until next year! That and figuring out when and how we are going to tell them about it!! Cannot wait for this 400+ days to be down to single digits!!

 

[FigmentSpark]

There's no way I could keep a secret like that. I'd spill the beans one night, just out of my own excitement. Good luck. Don't forget to give us a recount of how you told them and their reactions.

 

[AndreAggie]

I did that last year...booke in January 2015 for March 2016. Kept it a secret the entire time until the morning we got on the boat. We got him on the plane by telling him we were going on a work trip with Daddy to Miami. He had no idea. Then we had Mickey call and tell him and he wasn't surprised at all!! I had built up this story in my head and he as like "OK." He didn't have a clue we were going on a cruise that morning, but his reaction when he found out was not what I was expecting.

Needless to say, he already knows about the next one.

 

[Floridatinaherb]

I did that last year...booke in January 2015 for March 2016. Kept it a secret the entire time until the morning we got on the boat. We got him on the plane by telling him we were going on a work trip with Daddy to Miami. He had no idea. Then we had Mickey call and tell him and he wasn't surprised at all!! I had built up this story in my head and he as like "OK." He didn't have a clue we were going on a cruise that morning, but his reaction when he found out was not what I was expecting.

Needless to say, he already knows about the next one.

LOL I have all these ideas running through my head as to how to tell the kids (14 and 11) but I won't be able to keep it a secret from them until the morning of, I know that for certain. We drive to Port Canaveral (we live in the panhandle) so my 1st thought was to tell them we were going somewhere else and see how long it was before they noticed we were going the wrong way. The only thing keeping that from working is the packing aspect. I can't tell them we are going to Six Flags and then tell them to pack their dress up clothes LOL

 

[Floridatinaherb]

There's no way I could keep a secret like that. I'd spill the beans one night, just out of my own excitement. Good luck. Don't forget to give us a recount of how you told them and their reactions.

I have come close quite a couple times, even before we booked! I started planning this last summer during me and the DH's 20th anniversary cruise...it has been hard to keep it a secret but I am strong and will not give in to the excitement! That's what I keep telling myself everyday at least LOL

 

[anricat]

We also booked a secret cruise yesterday. I hope we can keep it a secret! We'll have to spill some of it since it's out of Puerto Rico, but I'm hoping we can just take a trip to PR initially and then say, "Hey, look! It's the Magic. Let's get on!"

 

[kiapepito]

We booked for this coming Christmas and revealed it to our kids on Christmas Day! My mom thought I was cruel to tell them a year in advance but I could not keep it a secret for the year!

 

[Conceptualice]

Good luck!! I cannot keep a secret Disney anything. Lol (mainly because DS is such a cosplayer and loves wearing new costumes to the parks!) We booked our cruise for September 2017, and he is already planning his prince outfit for formal night. Lol (our DS is another story)

 

[summerskye]

Keeping it a secret from DS and DD until next year! That and figuring out when and how we are going to tell them about it!! Cannot wait for this 400+ days to be down to single digits!!

It would be a wonderful surprise. But, there is no way we could have gone that route. Although we booked at 10 months, we have enjoyed watching the kids excitement. We are down to nearly 80 days and the kids can see the light at the end of the tunnel. At 14 & 11, thier input also plays a role as this is a family vacation for us. 400 days us a long time, but you will get there. Hang in there and have fun.

 

[MelMomOf3]

For our first cruise we booked the first week of January for a cruise in March of the following year, no way was I keeping it a secret for 14 months. So for Valentine's day, each kid got 5 envelopes with a picture in each. Alone, none of the kids could figure it out, but between the 15 pictures, they got it. Since there was 400ish days to wait, my then 6 year old insisted we make a paper chain and tear off links. It was slightly obnoxious to have a paper chain spread across the living room for more than a year, but it was fun to watch their excitement as the chain got shorter!

I admire those that can show up at the port and say surprise! I couldn't keep the surprise, and logistically it wouldn't work because of distance!!

 

[FigmentSpark]

I love your paper chain idea. It makes it really concrete for the little ones. But yeah, where do you put it, lol?

 

[bumbershoot]

We also booked a secret cruise yesterday. I hope we can keep it a secret! We'll have to spill some of it since it's out of Puerto Rico, but I'm hoping we can just take a trip to PR initially and then say, "Hey, look! It's the Magic. Let's get on!"

The issue with that is that the ships that leave from PR aren't docked right there in Old San Juan. They are at the OTHER cruise terminal. So if you're staying right in OSJ you aren't going to see the Magic.

I love your paper chain idea. It makes it really concrete for the little ones. But yeah, where do you put it, lol?

Anywhere. Over the windows?


The only time we surprised DS with a cruise was for reasons other than surprising HIM. Instead of leaving for the airport, we went to the cruise, and we told him the night we moved hotels. He was cool with it, but asked us to NOT surprise him again. He likes planning and talking about it WAY too much!

 

[Love2Cruz]

Well, I took the plunge too! Keeping it a secret too from my DD. I'm officially booked on the Labor Day Weekend cruise on the Dream 2017! I was going to wait, but when I saw "our cabin" was open...I wanted to grab it! It's the mirror image cabin of the one we had in 2014. Deck 10 5E, aft wraparound! I wanted to grab it as this is the exact one I wanted as I wanted to be able to have a view of CC when she's docked. My DD knows nothing so I'll have to hold it in. It will be her bday present next year.

 

[anricat]

The issue with that is that the ships that leave from PR aren't docked right there in Old San Juan. They are at the OTHER cruise terminal. So if you're staying right in OSJ you aren't going to see the Magic.

Yah, I didn't necessarily mean that we would see see the Magic from our hotel room. We'll have to figure some way to tell her we're packing up and going elsewhere. But where.... ?

My DD loves surprises. We surprised her for our first trip to WDW and she loved it. We told her as we left for the airport. For the first cruise though, I didn't surprise her because I wanted to make sure it was something she wanted to do. For the second cruise, since it was Halloween, again, I couldn't really surprise her since we wanted to be prepared with Halloween stuff. Now, for our third cruise, she knows about that one, too because she selected it. We gave her a bunch of options (both cruise and not cruise including Aulani, WDW, DL, various cruise itineraries) and she picked Alaska. For the next one, we've decided to surprise her since she loves surprises and has asked for a surprise vacation a number of times. I think she'll be thrilled. The only trick is going to be making her a new pirate outfit without fitting her for it. Though I think I'll do okay. On our first cruise I made her a surprise Cinderella dress and she was so excited. I think I can make it work.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Anricat, can you pretend that there's something wrong with your hotel and you have to move? Then get a taxi to drive you around toward port, all the time wondering where there might be an open room at such short notice. When you see the Magic, you can 'decide' to try there.

Good luck.

 

[bumbershoot]

Yah, I didn't necessarily mean that we would see see the Magic from our hotel room. We'll have to figure some way to tell her we're packing up and going elsewhere. But where.... ?

At least you already knew. Not everyone does!

 

[TrySomethingNew]

We kept our first cruise a surprise from kids(5,13 at that time). We flew to MCO and stayed at BW for the night. Ate at a restaurant for dinner where we had brought a "storybook" we made up (think card stock and plastic binding) in Disney theme to reveal the surprise for the next morning -a cruise! They were appropriately surprised (hooray) and it was fun watching them as they read the "book" and realized the surprise. Worth it -yes, but we are one and done with the surprises as it was hard to be secretive.
Good luck!

 

[nkochrn]

We are booked for June 2017, I didn't plan on telling the kids until Christmas this year, but DD is already suspicious! She saw me looked at the DISboards last night and asked if we were going on a cruise.

I found a website a long time ago that you could order toy viewfinders and get the insert so that it has your own pics in it. I was going to get someone made with pics of a first cruise and then have the last pic be something that said "we're going on a disney cruise" with pictures of their suitcases or boarding passes or something like that. I'd love to hear anyone else's ideas for a surprise!

 

[MelMomOf3]

I love your paper chain idea. It makes it really concrete for the little ones. But yeah, where do you put it, lol?

We had an empty wall, it was draped over hooks. I was sick of it after a year, but the kids loved it.

 

[michellekcm]

Just surprised our kids last week - we were in the car and I was videoing asking them how they felt about going home today, when suddenly I said "what's that?" and pointed at the Magic out the window.

My 7yo was saying "I want to go on the Magic again" and I said "OK." She then said "I really really want to go on the Magic again" so I said "OK. How about right now?" This repeated a couple more times before I said "No, really, we're going on it right now!" The look on her face was priceless.

But, gosh it was a long time keeping that secret!!!