Booked surprise cruise for wife - How should I tell her?

[Scooby3x1y]

Here's some quick info - I wanted to wait until Christmas, but need to do it soon so that we can apply for and get passports before we leave. We're doing the 4 night Bahamas cruise so I was thinking something Bahama-themed?? Our kids are only 8 & 5 so they may not be able to keep a secret well. She's really into scrapbooking and crafting, etc. Does anyone know if DCL has their own scrapbook? I know she bought one @ WDW. Thanks for all the ideas - keep 'em coming!

OMG!!!!!!!!!!! I got it! See if the local scrapbook store would be willing to help you out. You take a picture of yourself holding a sign saying, "We're sailing away (ie...) 1/16/10. (All Disney themed of course.) They take your picture, (making it 5 x 7 would be great) and put it in a layout. They hang it as a sample page that was done in their store. You go in with her to look for paper, or whatever, and you notice the sample, and say, "hey, look at this, this is neat." That would totally rock! She'd see you in the picture and put it all together.

Are the kids going? They could figure it all out at the same time too.

 

[HotMama]

Lucky wife!

All these ideas are great. I can't wait to hear what you do and what her reaction is!!!

 

[natale1980]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!! I got it! See if the local scrapbook store would be willing to help you out. You take a picture of yourself holding a sign saying, "We're sailing away (ie...) 1/16/10. (All Disney themed of course.) They take your picture, (making it 5 x 7 would be great) and put it in a layout. They hang it as a sample page that was done in their store. You go in with her to look for paper, or whatever, and you notice the sample, and say, "hey, look at this, this is neat." That would totally rock! She'd see you in the picture and put it all together.

Are the kids going? They could figure it all out at the same time too.

VERY COOL! I should give my DH's phone number to you!
-nat

 

[LindaBabe]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!! I got it! See if the local scrapbook store would be willing to help you out. You take a picture of yourself holding a sign saying, "We're sailing away (ie...) 1/16/10. (All Disney themed of course.) They take your picture, (making it 5 x 7 would be great) and put it in a layout. They hang it as a sample page that was done in their store. You go in with her to look for paper, or whatever, and you notice the sample, and say, "hey, look at this, this is neat." That would totally rock! She'd see you in the picture and put it all together.

Are the kids going? They could figure it all out at the same time too.

Now THAT is a fabulous idea!

Verandah Man put a video on you tube of how he surprised his wife - SHE thought she was signing school papers for their daughter and totally disregarded the photo of the Magic that was sitting there - what she was really signing was the cruise document. Maybe he'll chime in here with the link.

 

[rosermama]

Last year we suprised my daughter and took her to Disney world by telling her I had to go on a work trip and since her dad was coming she had to come with us. When we got there and got on the bus we told her all the buses in Orlando have Mickey on them... then when we got to the hotel she didn't belive us, we had to go to the park to prove it to her.

This year we have her going good, we keep talking about possibly doing a big family vacation with Grandma and Grandpa but no one has any money. When she sees the cruise commercials for the sales at RC she says I want to go on a Disney one but no one has money oh well. So tomorrow we are taking her out for her Birthday... we are using the graphic posted on this thread for her ticket and including a brochure I making on publisher. The key is lots of pics because she won't read to much of it... I am hoping for excitment.

 

[Hygiene99]

Watch this video !!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oMzvoDLHXU

after she wipes the tear from her eye!

Spring it on her!!!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4Tfy3J8FZY&feature=related

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Now THAT is a fabulous idea!

Verandah Man put a video on you tube of how he surprised his wife - SHE thought she was signing school papers for their daughter and totally disregarded the photo of the Magic that was sitting there - what she was really signing was the cruise document. Maybe he'll chime in here with the link.

Yes, wasn't that precious!! It brought a tear to my eye.

 

[natale1980]

Just looking for an update on this rainy Chicago morning.

-nat

 

[gilmore]

Here's how I did it. Wrapped up a "Christmas" present and told her that I had to give it to her early. Inside were wrapped up 1-sunscreen 2-Bahama style shirt 3-life preserver and finally 4-DCL itinerary. She was, to say the least, shocked. You have to know what kind of person I am - this was very unexpected. That's what made it so great. Now the 2 of us are practically giddy with excitement planning, reading, etc. This board is awesome and so full of tons of great info. Thanks!

 

[natale1980]

great idea! I'm glad she's excited!!
-nat

 

[Scooby3x1y]

Here's how I did it. Wrapped up a "Christmas" present and told her that I had to give it to her early. Inside were wrapped up 1-sunscreen 2-Bahama style shirt 3-life preserver and finally 4-DCL itinerary. She was, to say the least, shocked. You have to know what kind of person I am - this was very unexpected. That's what made it so great. Now the 2 of us are practically giddy with excitement planning, reading, etc. This board is awesome and so full of tons of great info. Thanks!

Way to go Gilmore!

 

["Got Disney"]

Is it before or after the holidays? ....we surprised our kids on Christmas morning for our cruise on the Maiden Voyage of the Disney Magic.

I had bought DCL t-shirts at the preview center (all they had were XL) at WDW a year before and held on to them to wrap and have them open. I also made up "certificates" that were in the box as well announcing the dates we would be going.

You could get a DCL t-shirt or Christmas ornament or put a series of DCL graphics together to present to her as a gift with an explanation!

This pic was from 1997....

And some years later....

Good luck with the surprise!!!! I would love if my family surprised me with a cruise!!!

MJ

MJ love this picture....next time you go on your cruise together you should have T'shirts made that say....DCL Raised .....we have t-shirts from a camping place that we go to for 15 years as well as most the families that go there and the camping place has the t-shirts that read....Campland Raised.....that is where I got the idea.

Matter of fact I think that I will make them t-shirts with that on it for or next DCL....they are 12/13 and 15/16 and have been on 7 DCL cruises and started at age 2 and 5....so yes they are also DCL raised!

gilmore......great job! You the Man

 

[su_kraft]

I just booked a surprise cruise for my wife - our first. I was hoping I could get some ideas from you all on how to "break" the news to her. Thanks.

We surprised our kids with a 7 day on the Magic this past September. It was hard to keep the secret, but we did it. It was our 17th anniversary so I was wanting something special. Thie kids had no preference - but wanted some beach time...so... We planned fall break in Forida - NOT at Disney. THen we added a trip to Cape Canaveral. They were looking forward to seeing the space shuttle. Little one (5yo) had a movie inthe dvd player going, older one (12yo) had his iPod going. Neither noticed until we pulled up and handed the tickets to the CM...

It was priceless! We bragged for days! Captain Tom thaought it was a great Surprise as well.

 

[hollieplus2]

We are surprising DS9 with a trip to WDW and the Wonder. We are picking him up from school on 12/1. We'll have the bags packed and in the back of the truck covered so he doesn't know it's luggage. We'll tell him we're going out to dinner or something. We'll drive to the airport and when we get on the plane we'll tell him we're going to WDW. He still won't know about the cruise. Then we'll leave WDW on the morning of the 6th and tell him we are going home. We have a town car taking us to the cruise but he'll think we are going back to the airport. When we pull up and see the ship we'll tell him we are going on it. He hasn't even seen a picture of a disney ship so he will be so surprised. I can't wait. I've kept it a secret since January and it's been sooooooo hard. I just want to scream.

 

[ambria193]

I've made up this graphic for others to use to surprise their family members. I have the one for the Wonder too. I'd be happy to make one for you or give you the blank to do up yourself if you want it.

[/IMG]

WOW!!!

 

[bevtoy]

WOW!!!

If you like graphics head over to the cruise graphic thread in my signature

 

[floridacruiser14]

We surprised dd(9 at the time) with a cruise on Wonder over Spring Break. We had the bags packed and in the back of the car. We told her we were going to spend the day at Cocoa Beach and even when we pulled up to the terminal to check in she still didn't beleive we were going. We showed her the luggageand she finally beleived it when we were actually getting on the cruise itself. It is definitely a time we will not forget.

 

[LasseKjus]

We're going on Thursday's Wonder and the kids (6, 3, 1) don't know about it yet. Obviously the 1 year old doesn't care and the three year old thinks she'll never get to go on a Disney Cruise (she went when she was 12 weeks, in her mind, doesn't count). She's been on five cruises already (thank you to her grandparents!), so she knows what cruising is.

I had to tell the wife or we would have had plans already made for other stuff for the weekend, being it Halloween and all, her favorite of observances.

I ended up telling something to the 6-year-old who was trying to make sleep-over plans with one of her gymnastics team members. I told her we were having a surprise party for her mom that weekend and she couldn't tell her mother. That kept the bugging about the sleepover down, but opened up a flood of other comments/questions. She now wants to help me plan the party, of which there isn't.

My plan is to pick her up from school on Wednesday, bags packed and in the car, get the younger ones form the babysitter, then pick up her mom from work and drive straight to the airport. I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when we drive up to the cruise port Thursday morning. I'm sure some screaming will be done.

But in answer to the OP, you have to tell early to plan. It would be great to wait this long, if you can and in retrospect, I could have not told the wife, but an adult needs planning time. My wife's sister knows and thinks that my wife doesn't know (we're keeping up that charade) and has been helpful in making plans/packing arrangements. If you have someone that can help you like that, it might be a good idea to try to keep it secret until time to go.

 

[disdel]

Wow, lot's of great ideas and graphics. I need a bigger DCL file area in my btain!
For our 30th anniversary, I booked our first DCL cruise. I cleared everything with her job and had everything in place. I agree with the many posters that it depends on your wife. Mine would NOT have been happy with no planning time, so I timed it to two months. I then used the DCL DVD, and edited a series of screens at the end with our wedding picture and a "Welcome Aboard", and our itinerary. Since discussing all things Disney is not unusual here, she had no clue when I popped in the DVD one day.
A year later, we surprised my parents with their first-ever cruise for their 60th anniversary (which I had booked when we were aboard - love the discount and OBC). I had loaded an LCD photo frame with just a few photos from our cruise and other family photos, again putting "Welcome Aboard" and itinerary screens at the end, and gave it to them as a gift. Their surprise came as the photos cycled through.
Whatever you do, please let the thread know!