Gift Idea for someone going on a cruise?

[Bearvet]

My father and his wife are going on a cruise in October that her mother is treating them to. My step-mother is recovering from major mental illness issues (shock treatments have made a huge difference for her) and is still unsure of herself in many ways. Her birthday is in October and I'd like to give her a present that she could use on the cruise. She told me that she'd purchased 1 new dress so I was thinking maybe a nice (dressy) shawl or purse. Any ideas?

They live in a fairly rural area, so don't tend to dress up too much and she wears things that are a bit "artsy". Also, I'm not sure that they'll be able to do many excursions since my father is disabled and my step-mother won't go alone. They do not drink any alcohol. Actually, they don't really want to even go on this cruise, but it's her mother's wish to do it with her family before she can't (she's in her 80's!).

HELP!!

 

[Tazicket]

Could you put together a gift basket of "cruise essentials" for her? Maybe some showergel in a scent she likes and some other stuff she enjoys that will help put her at ease during the cruise?

 

[ceiligh1]

One thing I didnt have but found out I needed was a shawl. The evenings can get a little cool and it is nice to have something to wrap up in. It doesnt have to be dressy a plain black one would work for both.

ALso books. I went through the two I had by the second day and needed more reading material.
Lotion, gift card for the ship ect might be nice. Some of the bigger ships even sell gift baskets that you can have delivered to the room so she doesnt have to pack it.

Finally, some ships have spas, you could give her a massage and help her relax on board.

 

[EthansMom]

Some of the cruise companies offer gift certificates.

 

[figment52]

If it is a 7 days cruise you could order flowers for her cabin. You could order them for a 3 or 4 day cruise too but she might not be able to take them off the ship when they return so the 7 days she would have most of the enjoyment out of them.

A shipboard credit would be nice, then they could use it for sometihing on board - a souvenier, a spa treatment, shipboard photos, special coffee etc., tips.

The shawl is a great idea too.

You may want to go over to the cruise section of these boards and see if they have any suggestions.

 

[aynt79]

A lot of cruiselines will let you buy something that they will put in their stateroom.

When my mom went on a Royal Caribbean cruise this year, I ordered a "Bon Voyage" package. Her stateroom was decorated with banners and signs and it included a cake. There was a bunch of other things to buy as well: food, flowers, souvenirs, etc. With RCCL I could order online, but I needed to sneak a look at her departure info.