cruises as gifts?

[Chele60]

I'm giving a cruise to my boyfriend for Christmas this year/birthday next year. Not sure if he will want/like it or not as he has never cruised before, but I'm going to go with and see what his reaction will be. Not as creative with the delivery with some here, but it's all in the thought, right? Hope so!

[celbercrz333]

IndyKaren,

Wow, what a great gift. We were on Zenith for our 25th anniversary 2 yrs ago. We thought the ship was real nice and the food...........can you say croissants, patisseries, oh la la. They make all french pastries fresh everyday. The ship doesn't have a large pool, but that is the only drawback I've seen. The rooms were nice, the shows great, the staff very efficient. We've since done a Carnival cruise and it couldn't even come close to how we felt on Zenith. We laughed because the captain pronounced it Zen-ith as in zen culture. LOL. You get to meet the whole crew in the theatre. The ship is a little smaller than Carnival Fascination we went on. If you are mid-ship, mid level you should be fine. Just keep this in mind, if you hit rough seas don't hesitate to go down to the doctor and get a shot. Our first night out we hit a tropical storm. We went to Bermuda from NYC. While we were fine, our table mates were sick and couldn't eat. They saw the doctor and reported back that all was well after that. We went in October. You should be fine in february. My best advice is read, read, read. Go to the visitor's bureau online for the places you will visit. Read up on them. E-mail the chamber of commerce if you have questions. Learn as much as you can about your trip and you'll be fine.

--Jo

[indykaren]

I just love reading all the stories about people giving cruises as gifts. :D It kind of gives me a way to talk about it without spilling the beans to my husband. Only 2 more days to go!

 

Celbercrz333, it's funny that you should mention reading about everything. I think I'm addicted to reading, if that's possible. I buy travel books for every place I even consider going on vacation, and I've been searching the web (and this message board) regularly to find information about our ports of call. I don't know how much I retain, but reading about those locations kind of makes me feel like I'm on vacation already. It's Caribbean dreamin', on such a winter's day.

[Patfan]

If someone is giving away cruises for gifts, please put my name on thier list.LOL

[EmJakeBubbie]

This thread is one of the best! Thanks to all for sharing your stories. We just returned from another family cruise - our gift-for-the-year to married son and family:rolleyes: - toys get broken, clothes get outgrown, books get tossed aside. Cruise Memories live till the end of time! Bon Voyage to everyone and you should each have a Merry Christmas and/or Happy Hanukkah. Let there be peace in the world....

[Robb]

We gave my mother and her boyfriend (ages 81 and 93) a cruise to Alaska for her last birthday. A big hunk of change for a birthday gift but she had always wanted to go to Alaska, she had been to all the other states and wanted to go there before she died. She is still going strong and she and her BF are planning another cruise for this next spring.

 

keep on cruising,

Robb

[kmtjones803]

We are currently booked for the Conquest in Feb 26,2006. My husband is graduating college the day before we leave, so my Inlaws bought me, Husband, and my baby a cruise ticket, along with themselves one. So, we are all one big happy cruising family :D

 

Although they are coming with us, I still think that this was an amazing gift! We enjoy cruising alone, but it will help having the grandparents to help with the baby.

 

Miranda

[Hal from Ohio]

Karen,

 

You just posted on my recent thread, so I'll return the favor. For their 50th anniversary, my parents took our entire family (18 total) on the Explorer of the Seas in July 2001. It was our first cruise and needless to say, we became instantly hooked. My wife said it best ... you unpack once, they take you everywhere, and treat you like royalty. That is a vacation! Since July of 01, we've convinced several of our freinds to sail with us and they've become "hooked" as well. My wife and I bought a cruise for our son's honeymoon in July 03, and also bought Mom and Dad a cruise in September of 04. This past October, we cruised with parents and some family on the Mariner. Dad has never had any serious health problems, but developed some respiratory issues late in October soon after we returned home. As a result, he had open heart surgery, valve replacement and 4 bypasses. He's been in cardiac ICU since December 8th, and just within the past 2-3 days, with God's favor, has finally turned the corner toward recovery.

 

My point .... cruise while you can. You'll cherish the memories for a lifetime. We don't know what tomorrow brings.

 

By the way .... how did your hubby react to the surprise??

[indykaren]

Hal,

 

I hope your dad's health continues to improve. You're fortunate to have been able to take so many family trips together.

 

To say that my DH was surprised is an understatement. He didn't know what to think of the CD, so I had to ask him to read the entire list on the back. When he got down to the last entry about the cruise, it finally sunk in. At first he thought our kids would be going with us, but I explained that his sister would be staying with them. It took him a little while to embrace the idea, because it came out of left field. I think it caught him off guard. He's really looking forward to in now, though. We both are . . . we've got less than a month to go.

[CapnCat]

She'll be retiring after 40 years with the City and County of San Francisco in 2007 and since she and her husband so enjoyed their first cruise on a Princess Cruise to Alaska 2 years ago, I thought a 15 day cruise to Hawaii would be perfect.

 

So, come this March, I'm springing the surprise on her (hubby is in on the secret) and can't wait to give her all the wonderful tips and suggestions that I have gleaned from helpful Cruise Critic members. I've really scoured the Princess/Hawaii and several other boards for info about every conceivable topic. Thanks to everyone who contributed -- there's nothing like "cruiser feedback" to put things in proper perspective! Mahalo nui loa and happy cruising to everyone!

[Aloha Me]

We're not rich but were able to put funds together to give two great daughters, one special son-in-law, four unbelievable grandkids (10, 10, 12 and 15), wonderful DH and I a trip to the Western Caribbean. With jobs involved we couldn't surprise them but did ask if they would prefer a cruise to the normal can't-remember-what-you-gave-me-last-year gifts under the tree for Christmas. We also told them it was their inheritance we would be spending! The positive reaction was deafening. They love Halloween so we went that week and had a fantastic time. Under the tree that year we placed personalized cruise ship ornaments for everyone to commemorate the memories we made together. Two years before we were able to rent a house and visit Universal in Florida...again in lieu of Christmas presents, complete with commemorative ornaments. When we ask the grands what we gave them for gifts in the off years they can't remember but for 2002 and 2004 they can recite chapter and verse of every aspect of these trips. The cruise was especially memorable because the kids were given some freedom to prove they can be responsible young people and that they did! The whole problem with this is we have created some monsters as they keep trying to figure ways to install themselves in our luggage as we begin packing for my dream cruise to Hawaii in March! Bottom line, the memories mean so much more than the tangibles. We may have to live on bread and water for awhile to put these trips together but it is sooooooo worth it!