Need Creative Ideas!

[new.b.cruiser]

Hi,

So I am surprising my mom with a cruise for her 50th Birthday this October. The cruise, excursions, flights, etc are booked... Now I need to come up with a creative birthday card to surprise her. I have a couple ideas but would really like all of yours! My 1st idea is to have a card of the ship with 2 arrows pointing in that say You & Me, then on the inside surprise! (bla bla bla) 2nd is a card that says ''You're Cruizin into your 50's... literally'' then inside surprise! (bla bla bla) ...

 

Any ideas are appreciated!

[Cruising Golfer]

Need more information... What ship, where to and the like...

[Keith1010]

I just want to say how nice it is that you planned this trip for your Mom.

 

Just wonderful.

 

Keith

[new.b.cruiser]

Sailing from fort lauderdale on the Carnival Freedom.. My 2nd cruise her 1st cruise .. her 1st real vacation actually.. I told her I had won a trip to fort lauderdale (so that she can pack for hot weather) we leave the night of her Bday.. And after the cruise we are infact spending 5 nights in fll... Thanks for any and all ideas.. also feel free to tell me if you like or dislike my ideas :)

[new.b.cruiser]

I just want to say how nice it is that you planned this trip for your Mom.

 

Just wonderful.

 

Keith

 

Thanks :), She's a single mom of 3 and has never really done anything fun for herself and when I went on my 1st cruise I just kept thinking how much she would love it!

[Jsme]

She thinks you are taking her on a trip you won to Ft Lauderdale. That is good. Are you planning on surprising her once at the hotel prior to the cruise?

 

I like the idea about the card. You could make it like an invitation and say you are invited and so on and on....

 

I kind of surprised my DD a few years ago and what I did was put together a cruise package for a present for her. You know things she might not take on a normal beach vacation but would need on a cruise. You do not have to spend a lot of money on that. I was careful. I bought her playing cards, word puzzles books, post it notes, highlighter, pens, lanyard...etc... Lanyard was one I picked up online with the Cruiseline's Logo on it and the ships name, I had the date put on it as well. I think I put an underwater camera in the package.

 

Hope you get some great ideas from your thread.

 

 

It is just an idea.

[Cruising Golfer]

You could get birthday decorations for your room. Maybe set up a theme for your trip, like Freedom from the 50's or Sailing into the 50's. Just let her know how much she means to you, and that you love her... I'm sure she will be thrilled that you took the time to do this for her...

Enjoy your cruise and happy bonding!!!

[dsrdsrdsr]

You could always tell her right now that she's going on a cruise, that way she can look forward to it as much as you are doing. It'd be a three-month vacation if she had all the anticipation and planning as well.

[NoobCruise]

If you aren't telling her until you're in Ft Lauderdale, make sure she has the appropriate paper work, either a passport that is good for 6 months after the cruise or an official birth certificate with the raised gov seal - NOT a photocopy! You'll need to figure out how to get those secretly in advance so everything is in order when you go to board. If you don't have it to board, they won't let you board the ship and most likely you won't get your money back. It might be easier to let her in on the secret now. I personally LOVE being able to look forward to the trip, to plan and be addicted to cruise critic lol

[NoobCruise]

I forgot to add the creative ideas lol I would include a bunch of photos, starting with unlabelled pics of the ports, pics of the excursions so she'll wonder "what the heck?", then end with the pic of the ship with a pic of you and her photoshopped onto the ship, then a copy of your booking with the itinerary.

[MetsFanMel]

How fabulous!

 

1) Documentation: you could always lie and tell Mom that TSA is cracking down and passports are better for flying without any trouble. (please, please, please make sure she has the proper documentation to cruise!)

 

2) Someone earlier said they bought some things that the surprised person might not think to pack. I'd take that one step further. I'd start gathering things Mom might appreciate on the cruise and wouldn't have, and would wrap each in birthday paper (with sailboats or nautical themes if you can find it) and give her one each month until the big day. If her b'day is on the 12th of October, I'd give her a small gift on the 12th of each month. Maybe the last gift would be a lanyard-- given to her the day before/day of. I'd make a fake sail pass with the cruise details on it.

 

3) I *love* giving gifts so I wouldn't give her a card for the big reveal of the cruise. I'd find something tangible I could wrap-- and include a note or gift certificate with the gift. It could be something as simple as a toy boat from the dollar store or a nice pashmina in case the theaters are cold.

 

4) Find a photo of the ship, print it in a post card size, put the cruise details or clever phrase on it. If you can manage to gather your Mom's mail the day before you leave for Florida, you could mix it in with the bills, etc, and surprise her that way.

 

5) Is she gullible? Do you have an accomplice in Florida? If so, I wouldn't tell her at all. I'd take her to the port on the pretext of showing her the beautiful ship you sailed on last time. Then I'd lie some more and tell her that you won passes for a tour of the ship. Hand the folks doing the screening a note that says the trip is a surprise and to please not spoil it.

 

Of course, that only works if you have someone who can get your bags to the port for you.

 

6) Tell her sooner, rather than later. Buy a calendar that will be good through your departure date. Add random things to it each month related to the cruise (for instance, interesting holidays for your ports of call). Each month 'anniversary' before the cruise write something like 'in x months we'll be doing Y." Wrap the calendar and surprise her with it.

 

7) Buy a wooden treasure chest from a craft store (Micheal's has them pretty cheap). Attach a note to the outside, telling her some of the reasons you treasure her. Inside, put a coupon/gift certificate for the cruise.

 

8) If she likes to drink anything in a clear(ish) bottle, get an empty bottle of said beverage. Create a scroll with details of the trip, reasons why you love her, etc. Age the paper. Place in bottle.

 

-or- same thing, except instead of a scroll, print a photo of the ship, put info on the back, carefully place in bottle. Instant ship in a bottle. :-)

 

Just a few random ideas that popped into my head.

 

-Melissa

[MetsFanMel]

Does she like to read? If so, I'd buy the latest book from her favorite author, write inside of it something along the lines of "I hope you enjoy this book as we sail away on X ship tomorrow"

[new.b.cruiser]

Thank you for your ideas. Yes she has the proper documentation, I made sure she got a new passport months ago. We are leaving the night of her bday so the family and friends will be getting together for supper, cake, and gifts ;). Oh and my mom is a worrier, she thinks we are going to fort Lauderdale and is happy but nervous at the same time, so telling her about a cruise will make her more nervous and anxious.... until the day comes and everything is fine... She knows we're flying so anytime she hears about a plane malfunction it gets brought up into our conversations... Im trying to keep all focus off the issues that have been made very public about cruise ships lately! lol.. It would be a lot funner for me to tell her though! I would have someone who is just as excited to talk about it with.. Talking about your upcoming trip to someone who is not going on a trip just isn't the same..

[Welland]

Thank you for your ideas. Yes she has the proper documentation, I made sure she got a new passport months ago. We are leaving the night of her bday so the family and friends will be getting together for supper, cake, and gifts ;). Oh and my mom is a worrier, she thinks we are going to fort Lauderdale and is happy but nervous at the same time, so telling her about a cruise will make her more nervous and anxious.... until the day comes and everything is fine... She knows we're flying so anytime she hears about a plane malfunction it gets brought up into our conversations... Im trying to keep all focus off the issues that have been made very public about cruise ships lately! lol.. It would be a lot funner for me to tell her though! I would have someone who is just as excited to talk about it with.. Talking about your upcoming trip to someone who is not going on a trip just isn't the same..

 

What a wonderful surprise for your Mom.

 

Here is my suggestion: since you and your family members will all be together to celebrate your Mom's special birthday I would have a child's toy boat floating in a tub of water. I would use that as a "centrepiece" on the table and play a guessing game as to what this could mean. You could go to a local craft store (Big Box craft store that originated in the States but is also in Canada and starts with the letter "M") and get items related to cruising (stickers, etc.) and decorate a birthday cake with them. In a big box put your Mom's documentation, tickets, etc. into it and let her open it and be surprised. That way, she finds out before the cruise and can celebrate with you pre cruise in Florida. As well this will give her the opportunity (and excitement) to plan her own wardrobe for this special event.

 

Good luck with whatever your choices are and come back and let us know how you pulled off the surprise.

[jmf123]

How very nice of you to treat your mom to a birthday cruise! Coming from Canada, have you booked a pre-night hotel? That way, you could grab a taxi the next morning, explaining that you are surprising her with very special accommodations for the remainder of your time in Ft. Lauderdale. Off you ride to your 'hotel', which happens to be the big beautiful cruiseship she will see, as you and your luggage get dropped off at the pier! Since she's a worrier, I think it would be great to keep the cruise a secret up until she sees the ship! You could do this directly from the airport, if you are not flying in the day prior (not something I'd want to risk), and keep the ship a secret until you arrive at the pier. :D

 

If you decide to tell her (a bit) in advance, you could present her with a birthday cake with a cruiseship decorated on it. We did that to surprise my parents with a steamboating cruise for their 50th anniversary, along with a cruiseline brochure. Have fun, and please let us know what happens!

[papcx]

Hi,

So I am surprising my mom with a cruise for her 50th Birthday this October. The cruise, excursions, flights, etc are booked... Now I need to come up with a creative birthday card to surprise her. I have a couple ideas but would really like all of yours! My 1st idea is to have a card of the ship with 2 arrows pointing in that say You & Me, then on the inside surprise! (bla bla bla) 2nd is a card that says ''You're Cruizin into your 50's... literally'' then inside surprise! (bla bla bla) ...

 

Any ideas are appreciated!

 

What a wonderful way to celebrate your mums birthday. From what you've said it seems your mum has sacrificed a lot for you and your siblings, and a cruise to a beautiful way to say thank you.

 

You MUST come back and tell us how it went!

[always_cruisin]

Greeting Card Universe has some fun cruise birthday cards.

 

http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/shopping/cb.asp?keyword=50th+birthday+cruise&button.x=72&button.y=21

[HeatherC430]

I took my mom on her 50th birthday cruise last year too! On the Carnival Freedom too! I told her about it a few months in advance though so that she could get the time off of work, etc. We had a great trip!

 

I think your wording for both cards sound great! Have a great trip!

[new.b.cruiser]

How very nice of you to treat your mom to a birthday cruise! Coming from Canada, have you booked a pre-night hotel? That way, you could grab a taxi the next morning, explaining that you are surprising her with very special accommodations for the remainder of your time in Ft. Lauderdale. Off you ride to your 'hotel', which happens to be the big beautiful cruiseship she will see, as you and your luggage get dropped off at the pier! Since she's a worrier, I think it would be great to keep the cruise a secret up until she sees the ship! You could do this directly from the airport, if you are not flying in the day prior (not something I'd want to risk), and keep the ship a secret until you arrive at the pier. :D

 

If you decide to tell her (a bit) in advance, you could present her with a birthday cake with a cruiseship decorated on it. We did that to surprise my parents with a steamboating cruise for their 50th anniversary, along with a cruiseline brochure. Have fun, and please let us know what happens!

 

 

Thank you for your ideas. Yes I booked a pre cruise hotel, I am planning on telling her at her bday party so that at the pre cruise flight/hotel she can read about the ports, ship, excursions etc. I have made her a folder of all kinds of fun info.

I took my mom on her 50th birthday cruise last year too! On the Carnival Freedom too! I told her about it a few months in advance though so that she could get the time off of work, etc. We had a great trip!

 

I think your wording for both cards sound great! Have a great trip!

Wow, That is too funny! glad you had a great time :) . See I told her that I won a trip to Fort Lauderdale so that way she can take time off of work, pack for the right kinda weather, get a passport etc ( I even went shopping with her and got her to buy 2 nice dresses incase we go to a fancy resto = formal night on the cruise lol

[new.b.cruiser]

Greeting Card Universe has some fun cruise birthday cards.

 

http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/shopping/cb.asp?keyword=50th+birthday+cruise&button.x=72&button.y=21

 

Thank You! I will def take a look. My brain is fried from all this planning and secrecy lol so maybe buying a card would be easier than creating an original

[new.b.cruiser]

What a wonderful way to celebrate your mums birthday. From what you've said it seems your mum has sacrificed a lot for you and your siblings, and a cruise to a beautiful way to say thank you.

 

You MUST come back and tell us how it went!

 

Thank you!

 

I will come back and say how it went. And yes she has sacrificed so much I want her to get pampered for a change..

[MtnBikerFallDown]

This is so fun! I'm doing the same thing for my hubby. He has been a rock for me and my Mom since my Dad passed away a few months ago. So, I'm going to lurk on here and steal some of your ideas. :D

 

I thought about making up a "brochure" and giving it to hubby as my reveal.

 

You could do one like that for your Mom. Maybe have a picture of the ship with something along the lines of "fifty = freedom to have fun!" Or like someone else said, "Sailing into your Fifties." Then, inside the brochure have some info on each port, with a little pic for each one. Then, when she figures out what she's getting, give her the folder you made and send her into information overload!

 

OH, did you know that print shops like Kinkos can spiral bind information like that for you? It's pretty cheap, too!

 

If you aren't a card maker, I am. I've got all the cool little gizmos and toys and would be happy to make you one (free of charge for being such an awesome daughter) and mail it to you, if you have time to wait for it. Just tell me what you like and I can do you some mock-ups or even just mail you several different versions and you can choose.

 

No matter what you choose, just know that the surprise will blow her socks off and you will be daughter of the year!!!!

[marco]

We did something similar for our parents anniversary a couple of years ago.. We "gave" them a cy of the cruise brochure but put little sticky's throughout. Like on the deckplan page: This is your cabin, this is our cabin. On the photo of the dining room: This is where we'll be having dinner every evening. On the photo of the pool area: This is where we'll be sitting and relaxing, etc, etc. The last page we inserted: We'll be sailing on (date), be sure you're all packed and ready to go!

[lady_cruiser]

Thank you for your ideas.....

I wish I had some ideas but what I have read so far, far exceeds what I could come up with.

 

But I just had to say that my sister, a friend, and I just came back from a four-day trip to Montreal and Quebec (via tour bus from Louisiana) and we feel in love with Canada. As my brother says, we have made many "rocking chair memories."

[new.b.cruiser]

This is so fun! I'm doing the same thing for my hubby. He has been a rock for me and my Mom since my Dad passed away a few months ago. So, I'm going to lurk on here and steal some of your ideas. :D

 

I thought about making up a "brochure" and giving it to hubby as my reveal.

 

You could do one like that for your Mom. Maybe have a picture of the ship with something along the lines of "fifty = freedom to have fun!" Or like someone else said, "Sailing into your Fifties." Then, inside the brochure have some info on each port, with a little pic for each one. Then, when she figures out what she's getting, give her the folder you made and send her into information overload!

 

OH, did you know that print shops like Kinkos can spiral bind information like that for you? It's pretty cheap, too!

 

If you aren't a card maker, I am. I've got all the cool little gizmos and toys and would be happy to make you one (free of charge for being such an awesome daughter) and mail it to you, if you have time to wait for it. Just tell me what you like and I can do you some mock-ups or even just mail you several different versions and you can choose.

 

No matter what you choose, just know that the surprise will blow her socks off and you will be daughter of the year!!!!

 

The brochure thing is a fun Idea! I've never heard of Kinkos but being a recent college graduate I do know a couple stores here that spiral or bind things for pretty cheap, Bureau en Gros (staples) being one of them. Thank you SO much for offering to make me a card that would be very cool but I think I will take care of it :) I too love making things/scrapbooking etc. But what a nice gesture!!! I really appreciate it!