Everglades Embarkation Question - Trying to Surprise Wife with SS

[pk&Di]

Hi All,

 

We are heading on the Western Caribbean Cruise aboard Constellation in March. My wife believes that we are in an ocean view stateroom, which is what we usually enjoy because we tend to enjoy the public spaces a great deal and do not spend a great deal of time on our own balcony when we have it as we usually are traveling with friends and family.

 

However, for this trip I was able to snag an excellent deal on a SS 6146 and didn't want to pass up the opportunity to do something special for my wife just because.

 

That said, I am now making plans for how to surprise her. We have never sailed out of FLL and so any help and suggestions would be appreciated.

 

I'm basically trying to figure out if the cat will be out of the bag so to speak at the time of check-in. I know that there is a suite line for check-in, I was thinking that I may just avoid that and go to the usual line-up

 

I would prefer that we simply make our way to the room and she finds at that point.

 

Any help you can offer would be appreciated.

 

Thanks.

 

PK

[Project_gal]

With the new suite benefits coming in April, there has been an increased effort to recognise suite guests early in the embarkation process in order to facilitate their progress through the process. So, although there is nothing to stop you going through a non-suite channel, you are likely to come across someone who says something about you being in a suite.

 

Others may have a better suggestion but, as far as I can see, the best thing you could do is to ensure that your wife is distracted in some way so that you can go slightly ahead and explain that you want to surprise your wife.

 

What status do you have with Captain's Club? If you are Elite, you may be able to pass off some of the priority you may be given as because of your Elite status.

[pk&Di]

Thanks so much for the quick reply. It's great that they are trying to make guest feel more special. It does sort of work against me this time around but that's OK.

 

My wife let's me handle most travel plans and details so she can just enjoy herself so I think if I play it cool she may perhaps not notice we are in the suite line if it is similar to our 2011 cruise. That time the only really noticeable signage was above the counter we were serviced at and at the beginning of the priority line.

 

I was thinking of putting a note on top of our Xpresspass that says clearly I want to surprise my wife with our suite or something like that.

 

We are also traveling with another couple who are in CC class. Will they have a special line as well?

 

Our captain's club status it not ELITE as our points from RCCL cruises didn't transfer over way back. Hopefully we will move up after this cruise.

 

Any other thoughts or suggestions?

 

Thanks again

[swigso]

Thanks so much for the quick reply.

 

Our captain's club status it not ELITE as our points from RCCL cruises didn't transfer over way back. Hopefully we will move up after this cruise.

 

Any other thoughts or suggestions?

 

Thanks again

If you contact Captains club with the date of your

First Celebrity Cruise and your then RCCL Crown and Anchor status

You may well find that they will adjust your status,

Hope it works out and if your wife is anything like mine

She will be happy going onboard, my wife has a saying

Tell me when and I'll pack, I know you always book

something nice :)

[tunaman2011]

Greetings

 

I believe that the suite guest now check in and then get quickly taken to Michael's Club and avoid the regular boarding process. Seems this will work against you, unless you are a good story teller :).

 

Good Sailing

Tom

[thebutlerdidit]

Another thing that will affect your ability to surprise her are the luggage tags you'll have to put on your luggage when you drop it off at the port. I'm like you in that I'll go to great lengths to surprise someone. I was able to convince my husband not to log into his Celebrity account to check on our booking ( the new cabin number was listed), but then I also had the luggage tags and express pass to try to keep hidden.

 

In our case, it was an upgrade from Concierge to Aqua Class that I was trying to hide. AQUA CLASS was clearly displayed on the luggae tags, and he kept wanting to double-check that I had them. I was lucky up to a point because I upgraded late and had already received luggage tags for our concierge cabin. As soon as I applied the new luggage tags in the morning just before leaving for the pier, his eyes immediately caught that AQUA CLASS wording. I've not sailed in a suite yet, but assume that SUITE is clearly marked on the tags in a similar manner.

 

Good luck with your surprise! I hope your efforts to distract your wife are more successful than my efforts to distract my husband. In my case, my husband keeps tabs on this board and I couldn't reach out for advice.

[AZNative2000]

Sorry, I was typing while "thebutlerdidit" was posting.

 

 

A good time to spring the surprise could be while you walk up to the port check-in area because when you check-in, you may be handed a sea-pass card similar to the bag tags in the thumbnail.

 

Would it be so bad to let her enjoy all the excitement leading up to the opening of your suite door? And meeting your butler?

 

Enjoy your cruise. I know she will.

 

Cheers!

Edited January 29, 2015 by AZNative2000

[akowilm]

Sorry, I was typing while "thebutlerdidit" was posting.

 

 

A good time to spring the surprise could be while you walk up to the port check-in area because when you check-in, you may be handed a sea-pass card similar to the bag tags in the thumbnail.

 

Would it be so bad to let her enjoy all the excitement leading up to the opening of your suite door? And meeting your butler?

 

Enjoy your cruise. I know she will.

 

Cheers!

 

 

Agreed! This one is a winner! Keep the secret until boarding! Are you familiar with the cabin you chose? If not, maybe you, too, will be surprised!!

Edited January 29, 2015 by akowilm

[pk&Di]

HI Tom,

 

Yeah you're right! It's so helpful to know this, though, because perhaps I'll come up with a way of letting her know when we arrive at the port.

 

Do you know if this ushering off to Michael's Club happens for Sky Suites as Sky Suite guest do not usually have access to the Michael's Club.

 

Thanks for the reply...

 

Greetings

 

I believe that the suite guest now check in and then get quickly taken to Michael's Club and avoid the regular boarding process. Seems this will work against you, unless you are a good story teller :).

 

Good Sailing

Tom

[pk&Di]

Thank-you so much for your reply. I believe I read in the cruise docs that if one forgets their tags then the porter will put new ones on by looking at the cruise docs. I thought I might go that route as she likely won't pay attention to what the porter is writing.

 

Then once checking the bags in I think I will spring the surprise.

 

Thanks for your help and please let me know if you think the above is feasible.

 

 

Another thing that will affect your ability to surprise her are the luggage tags you'll have to put on your luggage when you drop it off at the port. I'm like you in that I'll go to great lengths to surprise someone. I was able to convince my husband not to log into his Celebrity account to check on our booking ( the new cabin number was listed), but then I also had the luggage tags and express pass to try to keep hidden.

 

In our case, it was an upgrade from Concierge to Aqua Class that I was trying to hide. AQUA CLASS was clearly displayed on the luggae tags, and he kept wanting to double-check that I had them. I was lucky up to a point because I upgraded late and had already received luggage tags for our concierge cabin. As soon as I applied the new luggage tags in the morning just before leaving for the pier, his eyes immediately caught that AQUA CLASS wording. I've not sailed in a suite yet, but assume that SUITE is clearly marked on the tags in a similar manner.

 

Good luck with your surprise! I hope your efforts to distract your wife are more successful than my efforts to distract my husband. In my case, my husband keeps tabs on this board and I couldn't reach out for advice.

[pk&Di]

Thanks for this!

 

Based on the feedback here, in particular yours, I think that a surprise at the port will be best. I wasn't thinking about the fun stuff that she might enjoy as part of the suite experience (i.e. Heading to Michael's for lunch, if that applies to SS, Priority Check-in etc.).

 

Were those your sea pass cards?

 

Thank again.

 

PK

 

Sorry, I was typing while "thebutlerdidit" was posting.

 

 

A good time to spring the surprise could be while you walk up to the port check-in area because when you check-in, you may be handed a sea-pass card similar to the bag tags in the thumbnail.

 

Would it be so bad to let her enjoy all the excitement leading up to the opening of your suite door? And meeting your butler?

 

Enjoy your cruise. I know she will.

 

Cheers!

[pk&Di]

Hi AKOWILM, Thanks so much for this. Yes, I think I will follow the advice here. Yes we are in 6146, it looks to be a nice stateroom.

 

Thanks again.

 

PK

 

Agreed! This one is a winner! Keep the secret until boarding! Are you familiar with the cabin you chose? If not, maybe you, too, will be surprised!!

[C-Dragons]

Unfortunately, you won't be escorted to Michael's Club, as that is a perk for CS and above.

Good Luck with your surprise, and enjoy your suite! :)

[AZNative2000]

Thanks for this!

 

Based on the feedback here, in particular yours, I think that a surprise at the port will be best. I wasn't thinking about the fun stuff that she might enjoy as part of the suite experience (i.e. Heading to Michael's for lunch, if that applies to SS, Priority Check-in etc.).

 

Were those your sea pass cards?

 

Thank again.

 

PK

No, those were not our Sea Pass cards. We are, very much, looking forward to our first ones coming up.:)

 

I think your wife will feel your surprise as you walk into the suite guest line ... signaling "very special treatment ahead".

 

P.S.- I am curious to know if that SS is larger than the S2 suites. Celebrity lists them all the same size but on the deck plan, yours looks bigger ... especially the balcony. Please let us know.

 

Cheers!

Edited January 29, 2015 by AZNative2000

[C-Dragons]

No, those were not our Sea Pass cards. We are, very much, looking forward to our first ones coming up.:)

 

I think your wife will feel your surprise as you walk into the suite guest line ... signaling "very special treatment ahead".

 

P.S.- I am curious to know if that SS is larger than the S2 suites. Celebrity lists them all the same size but on the deck plan, yours looks bigger ... especially the balcony. Please let us know.

 

Cheers!

Google the suite number and take a look at the pictures.

The bathroom alone is amazing! ;) :D

[akowilm]

The bathroom..... That's all I have to say! (Teak balcony, too!). Ya done good!

[Project_gal]

Greetings

 

I believe that the suite guest now check in and then get quickly taken to Michael's Club and avoid the regular boarding process. Seems this will work against you, unless you are a good story teller :).

 

Good Sailing

Tom

 

Unfortunately the OP has book a Sky Suite. Only Celebrity Suite and above used Michael's Club.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

If the luggage tags don't let the cat out of the bag, the suite seapass cards certainly will. They're a different color and say "SUITE" prominently. So there's no way to keep it a secret until you arrive at the door.

 

That said, it's a wonderful upgrade and a great way to celebrate. You'll love it down in suiteland. Have a fabulous cruise!

 

Linda

 

[Duanerice1]

I agree with a few of the folks above. Just keep it a secret until you get to the port. Then go to the Suite line and let her enjoy it from there. Sometimes the anticipation is a good as the actual surprise. Let her enjoy a little bit of the anticipation too. As much as you want it to be a surprise you are taking away a good amount of the enjoyment if you keep it a secret too long. This way you get to enjoy it too instead of trying to cover it up the whole way. You don't get to do this often, embrace it, don't hide it.

 

And congrats on snagging good deal and getting it for your wife. I'd love to do that but never found the costs close to what I'd want to spend.

 

Another idea if you want to let her enjoy just a bit longer is to order the luggage tags and right before you leave give them to HER to put on the luggage and see if she notices.

enjoy!

Duane

[CathyCruises]

Kind of reminds me about what DH says when people say they want to keep the gender of their unborn baby a surprise until it's born. Even if you find out during the ultrasound, it's still a surprise, right?

[Iamthesea]

I was thinking of putting a note on top of our Xpresspass that says clearly I want to surprise my wife with our suite or something like that.

 

You seem to be getting some excellent suggestions and tips, but I wanted to tell you my story.

 

Last March, I did the same exact thing - same stateroom- to surprise my daughters.

 

Our luggage tags did not say Suite on them, although they did say Penthouse deck. My daughters questioned that and I told them that was just the name of the deck because the PH was on the deck with many other types of staterooms. True.

 

We went through the Elite line when we arrived at the port. All lines were short.

 

When we got the counter, I gave all our information to the clerk. Your note idea is great, BTW! After the clerk looked over everything, she left to go get the keys. At that time, I told my daughters to stay back and pointed out a line for them to stand on. Being good girls - 28 and 32 year olds, they didn't question me. :D

 

When the clerk came back with the keys, I whispered that I was surprising the girls with the Suite. I think at first she thought I was hiding one or more daughter because they might be ill or something. After I told her, she grinned big and just handed me the keys and said to have a great cruise.

 

BTW- Cards didn't say Suite, either. :confused:

 

So, we get on the ship, and go through the check point...bing...bing...bing. After grabbing a Mimosa or 3, a woman came running after us and asked if we had a blue card. At the time, I didn't know about the blue card. Anyway, I shook my head "no". She questioned me again, then let us go.

 

When ready to go see our stateroom, I lead the girls to our stateroom. We walked and walked and walked. Meanwhile, I pointed out many opened verandah staterooms and said "this is what our stateroom looks like." When we got to 6145, they were pleasantly pleased, but not entirely surprised. When I asked why, they said that I was acting weird, so they knew something was up. :rolleyes::D

 

The sad thing is that we are going on another cruise this coming March, and I cannot surprise them with a Suite.:( We are going to be in a standard verandah. The ship is the Equinox and we do have the larger angled balcony. They have never been on this class of ship. I have probably spoiled them over the cruising years (have surprised them more than once with upgrades from Inside to Balconies when they were younger) so they are expecting an upgrade, even thought I keep telling them there will be no surprise this year. :o

[thebutlerdidit]

 

When we got to 6145, they were pleasantly pleased, but not entirely surprised. When I asked why, they said that I was acting weird, so they knew something was up. :rolleyes::D

 

Laughed so hard at this! All this sneaking around is hard work and also really tests our acting skills.

 

I can't believe suite luggage tags don't have some sort of special designation on them. Aqua Class is clearly marked on the Sea Pass cards, too. Maybe that's to make it easier for the spa personell to police the entrance to the Persian Gardens?

[dgparent]

We were in 6145 [PH Suite right?} last year and our luggage tags clearly said suite on them and not only that our key Cards said SUITE in big letters and someone escorted us onboard to Michaels Club - no way my wife would not know + I just can't keep a secret, but good luck

Edited January 29, 2015 by dgparent

[akowilm]

Its a sky suite that is located NEXT to the big suites, and sometimes they use them as a 'wing' of the bigger suites.

[Iamthesea]

We were in 6145 [PH Suite right?}

 

No, it's the Sky Suite next door to the PH, as akowilm said. 6146 is the SS on the opposite side of the ship. Not sure what the room number is for the PH.

 

I am going to check out my card and see what it says. will report back later. ;)

 

UPDATE: Haha...Sorry, I was wrong. The key card is gray with a subtle Suite Guest on the top. :D I guess my daughters didn't want to pint out the obvious to me. :rolleyes:

 

To OP...surprise your wife at check-in! :D

Edited January 30, 2015 by Iamthesea