Surprising Kids

[ruffs]

We decided when we first booked our cruise that we would like to surprise the kids with the cruise. We are now just a couple weeks away.

 

I still want to surprise them, but when should we tell them?

 

My thought was that it would be fun to see if we could get them all the way on the ship before they figured it out. They are 9.5 and 11, and supposedly still believe in the Easter Bunny, Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy. (Maybe I do too?).

 

Any way, here's my plan to get them on the ship. I wrote a letter, with made up NCL letterhead, stating that based on our responses to their online survey we have won free lunch onboard. We should show up for lunch, but bringing government issued identification to get onboard. We already have a hotel booked for the night before where we can park there, I was going to go out and bring the luggage to the porters that morning. I would do that regardless of any surprise.

 

Then close to lunch time we would go on and have lunch (in the MDR, not a big buffet fan). We'll explore the ship for a while, and unfortunately get stuck on the ship during sailaway.

 

I've tried to think of everything, but since we haven't sailed before please help me with any missing pieces of information or faulty logic. It's not a huge deal - except my wife said it couldn't be done.

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Essiesmom]

Unless your kids are exceptionally dense, I think they will have it figured out by the time you are waiting in line to check in, get your seapass cards, get your pictures taken for the cards...That's a lot to do just to have lunch onboard...EM

[josask]

Obviously you're better at keeping a secret than I am! I agree they'll start to figure it once you start the boarding process.

Good luck and have a great trip!

[6rugrats]

Having several children myself, I highly doubt they still believe in Santa, the tooth fairy and the Easter Bunny. If they haven't figured it out themselves, their friends certainly would have filled them in, or they would have read it in a book. Kids are not as clueless as we may think.

 

Why not keep it simple and surprise them with the news before you leave? Everyone likes different things, but your plan seems stressful and a lot of work. There are other threads here discussing how people "surprised" their children with news of a cruise. Do a search and you will pull them up for other ideas.

 

They may know about this already! Have a great trip whatever you decide to do.

[sbhdmh]

Ruffs: You are my kind of parent! I think this is great. While I agree that they will probably figure it out I also think that if they want to convince you that they still believe in Santa and the Tooth Fairy they will probably play along on this one as well. That is what childhood is about - if they want to believe I say encourage it all you can...

 

If you make up a letter on NCL letterhead you can include instructions that all persons going on board must have an id card. I like to do things like this too and have found that you can usually find a fun-loving staff member to help out. Pull someone aside when you arrive and explain your plan. Your wife can take the girls aside for some reason while you do most of the check-in. They can then join you for the photographs.

 

The only problem I see is avoiding the escort to your room when you first board. They will swipe your cards, announce your room and have a member of the crew escort you to find the cabin. Maybe if you go ahead and explain to the person swiping the card s/he will play along? You could say "We just need directions to the dining room, please" and see if that works. Also, sometimes only a buffet is open on embarkation day.

 

Maybe instead of getting stuck on board during sailaway you can arrange for your tour to include a look at an "empty" stateroom. If you wait long enough your luggage may be there waiting for you. The kids would still be surprised but it would be easier than occupying them until the ship sailed.

 

Have fun. I'm sure they will enjoy both the cruise and the "surprise".

[CeleBrat]

We just surprised the kids on their last cruise, and yes, they are still gullible.

 

We made up this long involved story about how we were going to travel to Ft Lauderdale to participate in auditions for KID NATION (kids reality show no longer on the air). They were FREAKED OUT, and did not want to go.

 

I even printed up some documents from KID NATION, explaining what they needed to bring (swimsuits, clothing, etc), which helped justify the luggage.

 

Then, when we were less than 30 minutes from the port, I made them read through the "contract" (also fake), which had embedded as rule #10 the following:

 

"None of the information in this contract is true. It is all an elaborate hoax to cover for the fact that we are taking an 8-day cruise on the Carnival Freedom."

 

The looks on their faces, and complete amazement at being tricked was PRICELESS!!!

 

CeleBrat

[cb at sea]

I don't know---when I was a kid, if I thought we'd been "stuck" on the ship when we weren't supposed to be there, I would have FREAKED OUT! A surprise about going on the cruise is fine, but I would have been happy to have been told "last minute" that that's what we were doing.

[boulders]

I don't know---when I was a kid, if I thought we'd been "stuck" on the ship when we weren't supposed to be there, I would have FREAKED OUT! A surprise about going on the cruise is fine, but I would have been happy to have been told "last minute" that that's what we were doing.

 

This is what I've been thinking. A few years ago, our boat broke down 10 feet from shore, next to a restaurant and 3 miles (by road) from our house. Our ds, aged 7 really freaked, and continued to freak while we were sitting eating a yummy dinner. He still freaks to this day, thinking about being "stranded". :rolleyes:

[amberc]

We're planning to surprise our kids as well with their first cruise in a couple of weeks. We've planned everything without them knowing, I'm planning to pack the day before while they're at school and hide the luggage in the trunk. The next morning, we're going to tell them we're going for a little drive. I'm almost certain their going to think we're going visit my sis and BIL. We're not going to say anything until we turn the corner and they see the ship. That's when they'll know. ;)

[notentirelynormal]

Just trying to look at it from another perspective. I think anticipation is a big part of the fun. So, I'd tell them now and let them join in on the adventure of getting there, boarding for the very first time, planning, talking. Let them look at the shore excursions they might want to do. Tell their friends and make them jealous. Maybe they have something special planned with their friends and just dropping out of site will actually make the kids upset. You'll still get to see the expression on their face when you tell them, the same joy will be there, but they'll be part of the excitement.

[youngestof9]

While I never surprised my kids with a cruise, we did surprise them with a trip to Disney. I gave them a letter from Mickey Mouse inviting them to visit. It basically said "pack your bags, you're coming to visit!"

 

So, maybe do something similar on the letterhead as a "pack your bags, you're coming to spend 7 days on the XXX ship, etc. etc.). Then you can frame the letters when you get home with pictures of them.

 

Whatever you do, it sounds like you are cool parents! Enjoy!! I hope they LOVE it! (I know I would!)

[CanadianTwosome]

Just an update - Ruffs also posted a similar thread on the NCL board, and they broke down and told the kids. :) They had them completely convinced and the letter had arrived, so they went out for a 'practice dinner' and while they were waiting decided to tell them. If I've got the timeline right, I think they should be sailing right now... lucky dogs!!

[sbhdmh]

It is interesting that there are obviously 2 different views: to surprise or not to surprise, that is the question. I think it depends on your individual family and child's temperment. For years I have surprised my husband on his birthday - blindfold, secret reservations, etc. He loves it. We've gotten some very strange looks from other drivers as we stop at a red light with my passenger blindfolded but that's part of the fun... Now my 4 year old daughter loves surprises too. They enjoy the idea of a surprise much more than the anticipation of something that they know is going to happen. You know your kids and your family best. If your kids like the anticipation then building that up makes the experience all the better. For those of us with surprise fans half the fun is coming up with a plan and seeing if you can really pull it off. However you tell your kids - enjoy. These memories are priceless...

[sandytoes03]

We just surprised the kids on their last cruise, and yes, they are still gullible.

 

We made up this long involved story about how we were going to travel to Ft Lauderdale to participate in auditions for KID NATION (kids reality show no longer on the air). They were FREAKED OUT, and did not want to go.

 

I even printed up some documents from KID NATION, explaining what they needed to bring (swimsuits, clothing, etc), which helped justify the luggage.

 

Then, when we were less than 30 minutes from the port, I made them read through the "contract" (also fake), which had embedded as rule #10 the following:

 

"None of the information in this contract is true. It is all an elaborate hoax to cover for the fact that we are taking an 8-day cruise on the Carnival Freedom."

 

The looks on their faces, and complete amazement at being tricked was PRICELESS!!!

 

CeleBrat

 

You created a hoax that freaked out your kids and caused anxiety? Even though you suprised them with a crusie, this seems a little mean to me. :confused:

[notentirelynormal]

It is interesting that there are obviously 2 different views: to surprise or not to surprise, that is the question. I think it depends on your individual family and child's temperment. For years I have surprised my husband on his birthday - blindfold, secret reservations, etc. He loves it. We've gotten some very strange looks from other drivers as we stop at a red light with my passenger blindfolded but that's part of the fun... Now my 4 year old daughter loves surprises too. They enjoy the idea of a surprise much more than the anticipation of something that they know is going to happen. You know your kids and your family best. If your kids like the anticipation then building that up makes the experience all the better. For those of us with surprise fans half the fun is coming up with a plan and seeing if you can really pull it off. However you tell your kids - enjoy. These memories are priceless...

 

But see, the difference here is your DH knows you are going to do something to surprise him, he just doesn't know what it is. So he does have the anticipation - in this case its the anticipation of the "surprise". In the case of the kids, they didn't know they were going to get a surprise so there was no surprise anticipation. Its like Christmas or your birthday - you anticipate that you will be surprised with a gift or at least something special. The anticipation of what the surprise is, that's where the fun is.

[sbhdmh]

I guess that's why each family is different. My dd never knows when a surprise is going to happen - maybe she is in a constant state of "surprise anticipation." It is her personality - she loves being surprised whether with something big or small. She has even started "planning" surprises herself. (This year she decided that her Daddy needed a surprise party and she wanted to plan it. Of course she told him all about it "We'll all hide and you'll come in and we'll jump out and yell 'surprise'. It will be so much fun." I think the real surprise was having princess party hats and a pinata on his 45th birthday...) I think trying to pull off some sort of surprise for our next trip is a great idea. If your kids prefer the anticipation of looking forward to their trip then that's probably better for your family. I think the idea of a surprise is great - if it suits your kids and your family. Bottom line is we are all trying to create great memories for our kids. You know your kids better than anyone - do what they (and you) will enjoy.

[notentirelynormal]

My dd never knows when a surprise is going to happen - maybe she is in a constant state of "surprise anticipation." It is her personality - she loves being surprised whether with something big or small. She has even started "planning" surprises herself. (This year she decided that her Daddy needed a surprise party and she wanted to plan it. Of course she told him all about it "We'll all hide and you'll come in and we'll jump out and yell 'surprise'. It will be so much fun." I think the real surprise was having princess party hats and a pinata on his 45th birthday...)

 

Ahh, how cute! :)

[giggleykim]

We went on a surprise birthday cruise for our daughters 16th birthday in August. We are from Ontario and drove to Alabama. She was under the idea that we where going to Nascar in Tenn. She had no clue what was really in store. We blind folded her about 5 minutes before the terminal. Once we parked at the terminal and she got out of the van. She did not still think anything. She just thought it was a termanal. (she never noticed that the signs said Alabama still and not Tenn) once she saw the ship she was in shock. The whole surprise was worth the stress the secret was.

If you are able to pull it off, have a blast and best of luck. Enjoy the planning and memories.

[newbiecruiser09]

We are planning a cruise for spring break that will be a surprise for the kids for Christmas. We hope to do a present hunt with them Christmas morning the last "clue" will be telling them about the cruise. Figured this way it is a surprise but they will also have 3 months to be excited and help plan stuff too. Now if I can just keep it all hush hush for the next 78 days!! Oh and DS (12) keeps mentioning "I'd really like (fill in various electrionic and sports stuff) for Christmas". Hope he won't be too disappointed when he doesn't get this stuff and ONLY gets a cruise! :rolleyes:

[mjrich73]

We leave for our first cruise in 47 days...my kids ages 8 & 10 know nothing about it. I LOVE the idea of surprising them. We wanted to surprise them when we went to Disney, but didn't since we wanted their opinions on what they would like to do. This is totally different. I can't wait to see their faces when they see the ship. They have been begging to go on a cruise and we told them we could not afford it. We have family in NOLA, so they think we are going visit them. They won't know anything until we get to the ship. :D:)

[ruffs]

Sounds like they will have a blast, let us know how it goes.

We sail in just a few days and are very excited.

[earn]

Last Easter we had a trip from Scotland to LA and Vegas. This part the children (boys 8 and 10) knew about. They had never been to the US and we felt Disney/Universal etc etc etc was plently for them to get excited about. We also wanted to give them a surprise and decided to not tell them about the week Mexican Riviera cruise we booked.

 

On the morning they thought we were flying home we told them that we had managed to organise a surprise for them to go a tour of a cruise ship. they were overjoyed! I told the hotel transport about the plan and the chap was brilliant at playing along, telling the boys that they couldn't take their luggage on the ship, and he would look after it for them until we got back. My husband kept the kids behind and disatracted at all points and I even got to the check in woman who also played along telling them they needed to sign the forms for the tour. We got to Wndjammer as soon as we could and I gave one of the waiters two envelopes that I had written at home with cards inside. I gave him $5 and asked him to bring them to our table in 10 mins. We got some food, got the boys settled at the aft windows in good position to video the next part. the waiter brought the envelopes, they opened them and together read that they wouldn't just be staying for lunch, but for a week.

 

This was the most magical things we have ever done for our kids. So for anyone out there who is thinking about doing it. Go for it, they will love it! LWhen I am old and grey and sitting is my home I know I will draw on those memories to cheer me up, and who knows when the boys are old and grey they might too.

[gumballexpress]

We surprised my then 7 yo Daughter when we went on a Disney cruise a few years ago. She knew about the cruise. However, what she didn't know was that it wasn't just Mom and Grandma (the 3 of us going). When we arrived at Orlando airport and were getting our luggage, I was waving at my oldest and dearest friend who lives in Texas (we live in PA). DD asked who I was waving to. When I pointed out her 'aunt' she was totaly surpried but didn't quite 'get it'. DD asked "Mommy, can Aunt come with us on the cruise?". When the answer was "of course", DD was so excited that that her Aunt was coming along that she jumped up and down for quite a while. But that's not quite the end of it. DD didn't know that my Niece and Sister were also joining us (from CA). So when we grabbed our luggage and and returned to join Aunt, there was a woman hugging her Aunt. DD asked who that woman was hugging her Aunt. She hadn't seen her cousin (21) for a couple of years, so it took a minute for it to sink in. It an awsome surprise for DD. DD asked if her cousin was coming too. My sister and Mother were in the car so when she saw her other aunt (my sister), she was totally floored. The fun of surprising her was equally as as exciting for all of sneaky folks. We had a great time and we still talk about how we pulled off that surprise. The 5 of us had a wonderful time on our 7 day adventure to the western caribbean.

[Regular]

We leave for our trip in 42 days. We are also surprising our children a 7 years old girl and 4 year old boy and girl twin. They were all born in Dec. so we are having a birthday party for all 3 together. We are filling backpack with some of the things they will need and putting ticket in there for them. When they open their presents they are in for a big surprise.

[MikeyA53]

We normally go to Florida each year, spend a week at a beach and 3 weeks in Orlando doing the parks. Our kids, boy (13) and girl (15). This year I decide to add a few surprises. We usually drive since we have plenty of time, it's 1650 miles each way. The first surprise was getting on the Autotrain in Lorton just outside Washington. The vehicle is loaded on the train and it travels overnight arriving in Sanford, just outside Orlando the next morning.The kids had their own room and loved it.

 

Next was the cruise, our first. Told them we would be taking a scenic route to our hotel. Stopped to look at ships docked at Port Canaveral. When we stopped were you unload your luggage and the kids were told to get their luggage out of the car they freaked out. My daughter kept repeating " Are you serious"

 

The third surprise was their grandparents came over from Wales, UK for the last two weeks in Orlando.

 

We kept these surprises from them for 8 months, we had a lot of slip ups but they never caught on.

 

We loved our cruise so much we are planning to do three in a row. Carnival Destiny, Carnival Valor and Carnival Freedom. 18 days of cruising in 19 days. Skipping the beach and parks.