Surprise Cruise for Wife - Help Needed

[DaveEM]

Hello all! I am working on planning a surprise cruise for my wife for her 40th birthday. We will be sailing on the May 3rd cruise on the Magic. We've sailed on the Magic before, so I know the basics. But, last time, I didn't have to pack for a woman. Also, last time the whole family went (myself, wife and two kids). This time the kids will be staying home with the grandparents, so I'm sure this will be a quite different experience and may require some different preparations.

And, before anyone yells at me for leaving the kids behind, my kids have a blast with their grandparents and have already OK'd the plan.

I've seen some packing lists on a couple of websites, so maybe I'm okay. But I just feel there may be something so basic to you women that they aren't even mentioned on those lists, but that we guys just don't think about.

So, any help would be most appreciated. Also, any ideas about how to make her birthday more special would also be welcome.

Thanks for the help and Happy Cruising!
DaveEM

 

[vicnmickey]

What a great B-Day present! Are you doing all of her packing for her?
You know how women are, we always bring to much, because we never now what to wear. And then theres the shoe thing. You have to have shoes to match every outfit:>

 

[Magic_Fan_Bruce]

Dave,
I did the same thing for my wife on our 10th anniversary, except it was a trip to Hawaii. What I did was to tell her we were just going to the beach for a long weekend, so she packed all the essentials and as usual too many clothes. When I pulled into the airport and showed her the tickets, she of course complained about not having enough to wear, so I handed her two one hundred dollar bills to complete her vacation wardrobe in Hawaii.

Good Luck,

 

[kendall]

DaveEM, you are awesome! I think it is a terrific idea! I take it that you are packing all the bags for you and your wife and she will have no clue about the trip? So you aren't giving her 24 hours notice to pack or something to that effect? And I think grandparent-grandchild time is terrific, as well as couple time for you two!

I'm sure the packing lists are pretty comprehensive - if you are picking out the clothing, think mix and match separates (and shoes) and the dressier outfit(s) you will bring (don't forget the nylons or jewelry accessories). Since this is a romantic cruise for you two, be sure to bring anything romantic...OK, I'm not going there!

On a more basic note, don't forget the makeup, toiletries, medicines, femenine needs, etc.

Happy planning! And how are you going to pack all this without your wife wondering what is going on?

 

[crusnprincesses]

You are amazing...but take my advice, enlist the help of her best friend...much easier, and you won't leave out any "essentials"!

 

[ducklite]

A couple things a guy might forget... (At least my husband would probably stand there bewildered over LOL!)

Appropriate undergarments for the various outfits. If you are packing white or light colored shorts, make sure you pack white panties, if you are packing an off the shoulder or strapless top make sure you pack the strapless bra, etc.

Her razor and tweezers.

A bathing suit coverup.

The shoes for the formal clothes. Also if she carries an evening bag, don't forget that. I'd also pack hose, some women don't feel dressed up without them.

Her perfume and bubble bath.

Prescription meds, including BC pills if applicable (Can I say that here?)

Anne

 

[DaveEM]

Well, the plan was to do all the packing for her and totally surprise her. I was planning to tell her that we were spending the day at the beach without the kids, so that would get her into the car and to the coast. I work at Spacehab, which is located right next to the terminal in Port Canaveral, so then I'd say I have to pick something up at the office, but then turn into the terminal instead.

Luckily, at least in the one instance, my wife is not the world's most organized person. So, I was hoping I could offer to do some laundry for her a few days before the cruise then just start filching some clothes and packing, leaving the bags on my side of the closet under some clothes. Then the morning of the cruise, I would get my parents to take her somewhere while I finish packing the stuff she would notice.

The one real problem with all of this is that it doesn't give her any opportunity to say goodbye to the kids. I'm not sure that a call from the ship will be enough for her.

 

[DaveEM]

Ooh, nice stuff Anne. I probably wouldn't have thought about underwear color. Thanks.

And thanks crusnprincesses, too. Talking to her friends is an excellent thought. Of course, can they keep a secret......?

 

[zurgswife]

I think letting her think you are doing a quick weekend or even overnight somewhere might be your best solution...

She gets to say good bye...packs some of her essentials...

 

[dizneykids]

i agree with the comment to enlist her best friend, or her mother, if that is an option.

you mention she's been on the cruise before, so the formal wear is the only thing i would think would be a sticky point. unless you know what she likes to wear when she dresses up, you might run the risk of bringing the wrong thing, potentially ruining the moment.

two ideas come to mind:
...if you were on the magic recently, bring the same things she wore last time. while y'all might remember, certainly no one else will!

...give her a special birthday card the night before with something from the documentation so she knows you are going. that gives her (very little, but better than none) time to pack what she'd prefer to wear.

i know you want this to be a "day of" surprise. if it were the 3- or 4-day, i think you'd be better off. but the 7-day has the added twist of formal nights and unless you know exactly what she would want to were on the two formal nights, she might fuss a bit.

and...we understand about cruising without the kids. we've done it once following disneyana and have gone to wdw & dl several times without the kids. sometimes, us big kids just need to be big kids all by ourselves. and it DOES make things different on the cruise. you get to do some of the adult programming on the ship. you can do excursions you'd rather do than ones the kids want. and you can go to the adult beach at castaway cay without guilt!

 

[rae519]

Mom (74), my DS Michael (7) and I (47) will be on the May cruise with you.

I agree with the idea to tell her it's an overnight stay or even a weekend - just so she won't be anxious on the ship if she doesn't have the right clothes, shoes or whatever!

I think you're a peach for doing this but if you surprised me with this, I don't know if I'd kiss you or clobber you!!!!!!!

Rae

 

[markey]

No real advice, except good luck, and also I think you are amazing. All my husband has to do for vacation is to board the airplane, ship, etc. I have to make all the arangements and planning. He loves to go, but if the arrangements were left to him we would stay at home. p.s. - If I were your wife I really would like to do my own packing and say good bye to my kids so maybe a last minute suprise would be your best, at least a day or two before.

 

[Dancind]

I like the "long weekend" idea. And tell her you're planning a really nice dinner out, so nice that you're wearing your tux or best suit. That will give her the chance to go shopping if she wants something new for her 40th B-day dinner! Then you could put all the extra clothes in a separate suitcase. If she's the same kind of unorganized person that I am, she might have a bag somewhere of "essentials" that she took on the last cruise. Things like motion sickness meds, bug spray, sunscreen, travel toiletries, etc. Diana

 

[Wishing on a star]

Wow!!! You go guy!!! And, I do not know a soul who would blast you for a 40th birthday get-away with-out the kids!!!!

Okay, I am with Rae here..... I wouldn't know what to do first, kiss you or clobber you!!!! Women are just picky picky picky about things. Maybe you could get a good head start on the packing, but let her know in just enough time to say good-bye to the kids, and make sure that they are situated... and then throw all those little 'just can't do without' things into the luggage.

I just can't imagine MY husband being able to pack for me!!!



Have a wonderful cruise!

 

[tecdavidt]

This is how my husband surprised me at Christmas with a cruise. The friends knew about it and kept it under wraps as did our three sons! My inlaws knew about it since he had to line them up to babysit. Even my doctor's office knew about it and kept it quiet.

He booked a 7 day cruise on Celebrity back in September. Early Dec. he thought I suspected something so one Sunday morning he handed me "doc's he printed off the internet from a cruise he booked". We were to leave Jan. 10th. He told me to wrap them up and act surprised when I opened it in front of the kids.

Come Christmas morning I left the package for last-- when everyone was busy with their packages. All stopped their activity while I opened mine. Inside was a completely different set of doc's from what I had wrapped! He had used a knife to cut the tape and do the switch.

I was shocked! The best part, we left on the Saturday after Christmas so I had only 2 days to pack. Since I thought we were leaving Jan. 10th I had started packing a little early. He didn't have to pack for me or him since I am the one that always packs the bags. It was the best Christmas present!

You could tell your wife that you are going on a long weekend away from the Kids but she has to act surprised when you tell her in front of them(the children) for her gift. Then either have her open up a package with the docs in it, surprise or have her pack for a nice get away weekend but pull into the terminal, surprise! She will love it. Let your friends in on it, they will have a blast helping you surprise her. Kathy

 

[padams]

You are such a great guy- your wife is lucky. If my DH planned a surprise Disney cruise for my 40th bday, I would wear whatever he packed. And with no kids, he wouldn't need to pack much.

We just surprised our kids with a Disney cruise earlier this month. DH had wanted to surprise me too but realized that my Dis board obsession is a good thing, and that he just wouldn't have the knowledge to put together the trip. Now I want to go on the Magic for my 40th birthday next year. I think I will accidentally send this thread to him.

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

What a terrific idea! But I think I'm with the group that would at the very least enlist a very close friend or let her know something a bit in advance.

Of course we're too far away to just turn into the terminal but even to have the kids already gone and us leave on what I think is a long weekend might be a tense moment.

Also don't forget all those little things that she may have taken care of for the previous cruise - like the camera(s), extra batteries, etc.

And check what SHE wears under light colored clothes - she may not wear white under white but flesh tone (which shows even less)...yes we women do get complicated!

Good luck and enjoy your cruise!

Deb

 

[fredms]

I just wanted to say how amazing you are for doing this for her. No matter what path you go in terms of the surprise - she will feel so special that you did all this for her.

In my opinion, being a lover fo surprises, I'd tell her the very minimum so to make it as big of a surprise as possible. Also, don't forget to tell DCL that its her birthday.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[mcnuss]

If my DH did this for me, I can guarantee you that I would not care a bit if he packed "wrong" for me. I would love to be surprised like this and I think you should keep it a secret for as long as possible. Only you know how she will react to such a big surprise.

If my DH were packing for me, I know he would take along pretty much all my underthings just to be sure. (I am not a big lingerie person so this would not be that much.) He'd also take all my cosmetics and bathroom stuff. I can almost picture hirm taking a big grocery bag and just dumping everything in it -- LOL!! You could always take that route!

Most of us women have an all-purpose semi-formal dress that we wear to everything. And as others have mentioned, I would just pack the same formal dress she wore the last time. Something tells me that if it isn't "perfect", she is not going to care. When DH packs for our trips, I generally tell him to mirror what he's packing for himself for me. So whatever you'd take, she'd likely take as well. Anything you forget can be purchased, so don't worry, have fun with this, and good luck!

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by mcnuss
He'd also take all my cosmetics and bathroom stuff. I can almost picture hirm taking a big grocery bag and just dumping everything in it -- LOL!! You could always take that route

I've got tears rolling down my cheeks from the mental picture of that...are you sure we're not married to the same guy? ROFL!!!

Anne