Ideas for surprise cruise for our parents?

[Papa Yoda]

Knowing and being parents, the all cash idea is likely to result in them not spending it.  Buy them a couples massage or something they would never consider buying for themselves.

[Coral]

6 minutes ago, Papa Yoda said:

Knowing and being parents, the all cash idea is likely to result in them not spending it.  Buy them a couples massage or something they would never consider buying for themselves.

I personally would not agree with a couples massage. I think that is a waste of money on the ship (very over priced). I think it would be the same as throwing money away.

 

Maybe a combination of cash/obc. Cash allows them to do excursions privately. OBC will cover drinks and shore excursions.

 

I personally would still do all cash but I understand the combination. We did the same thing as kids when my Mom went on a cruise for her 40th birthday. We gave her cash.

Edited May 21, 2023 by Coral

[HaveDogWillTravel]

If they like to drink bottled water (in my opinion the tap water on a ship is not to my liking) you can by it fir about $7 per case of 12 half liters. This is a real bargain compared to the $2 plus or so each small bottle costs on board. The special low pricing is only available before sailing.
 

Things (ship shore excursions, spa treatments, water, specialty dining…..) need to be booked or purchased 3 to 7 days days before boarding. If not done in advance they will have to wait until after boarding (except the reduced price of water which is only available prior to boarding). If they are wanting to have specialty dining for an anniversary celebration they may want to lock that in asap. 
 

I vote for just giving them the cash. Then they can have real flexibility in how to spend it. They can spend it  off ship or pay down their onboard spending.  
 

Also they can each bring one 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne on board in their carry on bags free of corkage charges.   They can carry on more if they want but those bottles are subject to a $20 corkage fee.  Wine can be brought to the dining rooms and the crew will serve and store any leftovers for the next meal. If corkage wasn’t already paid the staff will add that to their on board account (maybe….I’ve found sometimes they “forget”).  
 

What a lovely thing you are doing. Your parents will be thrilled. 

[Jaxer05]

1 minute ago, Coral said:

I personally would not agree with a couples massage. I think that is a waste of money on the ship (very over priced). I think it would be the same as throwing money away.

 

Maybe a combination of cash/obc. Cash allows them to do excursions privately. OBC will cover drinks and shore excursions.

I love the IDEA of a couples massage (sounds so romantic to me!) but I don't know if they would like it or not.

 

I do agree with Papa Yoda about them possibly not spending cash.  We already know that they are going to think we spent way too much of our own money on this...I think we are going with a combo of OBC and a little bit of spending money.  

 

Thanks again for all the wonderful replies and information! You have all been so helpful! 

[Jaxer05]

5 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

If they like to drink bottled water (in my opinion the tap water on a ship is not to my liking) you can by it fir about $7 per case of 12 half liters. This is a real bargain compared to the $2 plus or so each small bottle costs on board. The special low pricing is only available before sailing.
 

Things (ship shore excursions, spa treatments, water, specialty dining…..) need to be booked or purchased 3 to 7 days days before boarding. If not done in advance they will have to wait until after boarding (except the reduced price of water which is only available prior to boarding). If they are wanting to have specialty dining for an anniversary celebration they may want to lock that in asap. 
 

I vote for just giving them the cash. Then they can have real flexibility in how to spend it. They can spend it  off ship or pay down their onboard spending.  
 

Also they can each bring one 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne on board in their carry on bags free of corkage charges.   They can carry on more if they want but those bottles are subject to a $20 corkage fee.  Wine can be brought to the dining rooms and the crew will serve and store any leftovers for the next meal. If corkage wasn’t already paid the staff will add that to their on board account (maybe….I’ve found sometimes they “forget”).  
 

What a lovely thing you are doing. Your parents will be thrilled. 

This is great information! I didn't know they could carry on their own wine! They are both wine drinkers and this will so appeal to my moms little frugal heart! 🙂

[Coral]

7 minutes ago, Jaxer05 said:

I love the IDEA of a couples massage (sounds so romantic to me!) but I don't know if they would like it or not.

The cost is about 3x more than what it would cost back home........ So while it sounds romantic - give it to them as a Christmas gift!

 

Also - shore excursions in the Caribbean. Much cheaper off the ship than through the ship. Thus, cash would be better and more cost effective.

 

So yes - a combination would be good.

Edited May 21, 2023 by Coral

[Papa Yoda]

C'mon, it's a 20th anniversary cruise, even if you think it's a waste, the experience is once in a lifetime for them.  Or have them try for Chef's Table (another one of a kind experience), < $100 each including wine!

[travelin.sisters]

you could look at the shore excursions & book one for them if there is something you think they would like (they could cancel if they don't like it & get the refund as refundable OBC so that might be an option),,,have you looked into bidding for an upgraded room?...

 

ALSO...are either of them military (active, veteran or retired?) they can get extra OBC by filling out a form with their info

 

[travelin.sisters]

you might also buy some cruising "goodies" for them ....magnetic hooks (doors & walls are magnetic) are very useful when sailing & I have magnetic door signs (I bought ours from a company that prints them for cars, but on a family group cruise I made ones out of card stock glued to magnets ...maybe something like a wedding photo & a current one & "celebrating 20 years of happiness" or "still sailing together after 20 years") it makes a nice memento & is a fast way to recognize your cabin in a long line of similar doors)...a non-surge protected charging cord is good as there are not enough outlets in most ships, cute water bottles to refill in the buffet...maybe just a couple of things you could put together to gift them when you spring the surprise on them?

 

you could buy a photo package, it's a little expensive *$89 for their choice of 5 photo prints & the digital files), but the Princess photographers are very good & they might not have a recent professional photo of themselves...there are also some celebration packages you can order 

 

 

also make sure that it is marked in their medallion app that they are celebrating their anniversary & the ship/crew will do something to celebrate (at least a cake & song but maybe more it depends)

[LibertyBella]

What a sweet and wonderful surprise! My siblings and I also bought my parents a surprise cruise for their 25th wedding anniversary, and it was something they never forgot.  Yes, we also bought them the cheapest cabin category, because any cruise, even in a small cabin, is better than no cruise at all! 

 

Are you going to film the surprise announcement or take photos?  I will always remember my father's shocked but happy face. In those days people did not take photos like they do now. Your parents will be so excited, so please help them check off their to-do list.  That means packing a bit differently from a camping trip, so mom might want to try on some outfits for you.  I definitely agree they need a few professional photos taken onboard.  Some OBC is always nice, but it is great that you have prepaid the gratuities and purchased the protection plan. Everything else they buy is just a nice "extra."  They will have a relaxing and romantic getaway.

 

Yes, you might have to wait a bit longer to get the car or go on a trip with friends, but life goes quickly, and making special family memories is precious. I will keep my fingers crossed that a family cruise will be on the radar in a few years. Your parents should be very proud that they raised such great children.

[Nicole&Pete]

Just now, Jaxer05 said:

Ok, so I came on here for some advice because our parents love cruise critic so much and we need advice on what to do for a surprise cruise for our parents! The short story is this: my sister and I have bought a cruise for our parents 20th anniversary and we have a little extra to spend on it after the fare and we need some advice from people "in the know".  My mom and Dad took a cruise for their honeymoon 20 years ago and they loved it...they have been talking about it and reminiscing for 20 years about it.  Their plan was to take another one this summer, they have been saving for 2 years and they put a down payment on it last summer.  This has been a hard year financially and in December they decided they couldn't afford to take it. 😞

 

The problem is, they had already bought the plane tickets and they can't get a refund on it.  So their plan is to go to the port city (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) and try to find a place to camp (they are hoping to only spend $500...on a 2 week trip!).  They are trying to be excited about it but they are so disappointed and not really looking forward to camping in Florida in June.  So my sister and I had both already been saving money (her for a car and me for a senior trip) and we kicked it up into overdrive this year and managed to save enough to buy the cruise!  We just bought the tickets and we have a bit left over to spend and this is where we need your help!  What would you suggest we do with the extra?  What would you want?  What can we do to make this the most magical cruise ever?

 

Here are our thoughts...They are in the cheapest stateroom category...we could upgrade them to an Oceanview?  They were going to stay in an interior room originally so I know they are ok with it but is an Oceanview a lot better? We have already prepaid the crew gratuity so, in theory, they could take the whole cruise and not have to spend another penny...but we could just give them onboard credit if there are other things to buy onboard?  Do most people go to the restaurants that cost extra?  We could prepay that for them...or do most people eat at the free food places? Any other better ideas that we don't know about?

 

As you can see we are out of our depth here! Any thoughts or advice is greatly appreciated! We are so excited to give this to them and we want it to be the trip of a lifetime!  We are telling them next week and we want to have everything done and ready to go so we have to decide what to do quickly!

 

Also, if it helps, we have about $600 extra to spend and the cruise is the June 10th Caribbean East/West Adventurer on the Caribbean Princess.  SORRY this turned into a long post and THANK YOU in advance for your help!

 

Jax and Emily

What a wonderful gift!

 

I personally don’t mind an inside cabin but I always think it’s worth paying a little more to upgrade the category to a location on a higher deck or even better pick the actual cabin number in a good location (i.e. cabins above and below) to ensure a bit of quiet. Do you know if your parents chose a certain category when they originally booked the cruise? I always think it’s worth the extra money to ensure you don’t have noise from above or below (I have had bad experiences believe me). This will be important if they were really looking forward to the cruise. 
 

But like others have said OBC means they can do what they want.

 

Also please now try and go on the app to see if you can get them an arrival group for a time they want to get to the ship. These open up 60 days before the sailing and slots will be filling up.

 

’Dine my way’ is a way to book the dinner time you want through the app, I think your parents will have time to do this beforehand if they want to.

 

There is also the cruise personaliser to fill in (on the website which you can access using the booking number) which is where you can print luggage tags once you have a confirmed room number. A luggage tag may be a nice way of presenting the ‘gift’ to them (you can get holders on Amazon or they just staple onto your luggage).

[Nicole&Pete]

Just now, Nicole&amp;Pete said:

What a wonderful gift!

 

I personally don’t mind an inside cabin but I always think it’s worth paying a little more to upgrade the category to a location on a higher deck or even better pick the actual cabin number in a good location (i.e. cabins above and below) to ensure a bit of quiet. Do you know if your parents chose a certain category when they originally booked the cruise? I always think it’s worth the extra money to ensure you don’t have noise from above or below (I have had bad experiences believe me). This will be important if they were really looking forward to the cruise. 
 

But like others have said OBC means they can do what they want.

 

Also please now try and go on the app to see if you can get them an arrival group for a time they want to get to the ship. These open up 60 days before the sailing and slots will be filling up.

 

’Dine my way’ is a way to book the dinner time you want through the app, I think your parents will have time to do this beforehand if they want to.

 

There is also the cruise personaliser to fill in (on the website which you can access using the booking number) which is where you can print luggage tags once you have a confirmed room number. A luggage tag may be a nice way of presenting the ‘gift’ to them (you can get holders on Amazon or they just staple onto your luggage).

Sorry just to be clear I meant inside cabin category, the higher the category the better the location and the price difference is not too big. I would always choose a better located inside cabin over an oceanview.

[PacnGoNow]

Fabulous ideas!  I would do OBC and before the big surprise…I would make a list of all the ways they can spend it.  

Specialty Coffees at the International Cafe

Cocktails & Wine

Speciality restaurants 

Chef’s Table

Excursions

Lotus Spa

etc…

Anything onboard that may incur an extra cost.  Whatever they choose.

 

They should have cash on them already, that they were going to use for the camping trip.

 

If you have a Travel agent involved, maybe they can throw in some OBC for them too.  Tell them what you’re doing and ask.  Are either of them retired military or current?  Princess gives military OBC. Just a simple form to fill out.

 

Keep us posted on this great adventure!
 

 

 

 

 

 

[negn]

Did you know you could buy Princess gift cards on Amazon?   Maybe put some in a card for a surprise

[gottagocit]

How long are their flights going to be? Upgrading their seats on a long flight could be a very special treat also. Just a thought.  

[no1racefan1]

If you feel like you know what they would like pretty well, I would book a shore excursion for them--maybe something they've always wanted to do or something they can reminisce about? I would also consider a specialty dining reservation for their anniversary dinner.

 

You could also get some cruise goodies like a previous poster suggested and use them as part of the surprise--luggage tag holders, refillable coffee mugs, etc.

 

If it was my parents, they wouldn't really understand OBC and would possibly not spend all of it, so I'd try to help make those arrangements. But everybody has different experiences so maybe that could work for your parents.

[Buckeye10640]

This is so sweet of you and your sister! No worries about not having one of the Plus packages, they can pay for drinks as they go (I just did this).  If you want you could do a low-end upgrade bid to an oceanview or balcony stateroom, if you think they would like that.  Otherwise I would add any remaining money as on board credit or give as cash to spend. I am sure they will love this gift!

[Bwana Tom]

13 hours ago, Jaxer05 said:

Ok, so I came on here for some advice because our parents love cruise critic so much and we need advice on what to do for a surprise cruise for our parents! The short story is this: my sister and I have bought a cruise for our parents 20th anniversary and we have a little extra to spend on it after the fare and we need some advice from people "in the know".  My mom and Dad took a cruise for their honeymoon 20 years ago and they loved it...they have been talking about it and reminiscing for 20 years about it.  Their plan was to take another one this summer, they have been saving for 2 years and they put a down payment on it last summer.  This has been a hard year financially and in December they decided they couldn't afford to take it. 😞

 

The problem is, they had already bought the plane tickets and they can't get a refund on it.  So their plan is to go to the port city (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) and try to find a place to camp (they are hoping to only spend $500...on a 2 week trip!).  They are trying to be excited about it but they are so disappointed and not really looking forward to camping in Florida in June.  So my sister and I had both already been saving money (her for a car and me for a senior trip) and we kicked it up into overdrive this year and managed to save enough to buy the cruise!  We just bought the tickets and we have a bit left over to spend and this is where we need your help!  What would you suggest we do with the extra?  What would you want?  What can we do to make this the most magical cruise ever?

 

Here are our thoughts...They are in the cheapest stateroom category...we could upgrade them to an Oceanview?  They were going to stay in an interior room originally so I know they are ok with it but is an Oceanview a lot better? We have already prepaid the crew gratuity so, in theory, they could take the whole cruise and not have to spend another penny...but we could just give them onboard credit if there are other things to buy onboard?  Do most people go to the restaurants that cost extra?  We could prepay that for them...or do most people eat at the free food places? Any other better ideas that we don't know about?

 

As you can see we are out of our depth here! Any thoughts or advice is greatly appreciated! We are so excited to give this to them and we want it to be the trip of a lifetime!  We are telling them next week and we want to have everything done and ready to go so we have to decide what to do quickly!

 

Also, if it helps, we have about $600 extra to spend and the cruise is the June 10th Caribbean East/West Adventurer on the Caribbean Princess.  SORRY this turned into a long post and THANK YOU in advance for your help!

 

Jax and Emily

You too kids are the best! This will certainly be a trip your parents will severe and enjoy the rest of their lives and they have to you two to thank for that. 

I would agree with those folks that suggested to put a little extra money in onboard credit. If they drink that would be worthwhile, or tee shirts and other gift shop items would help them to remember the good times you provided for them. WiFi access would also be good to they can tell you how much they love you and the gift of the cruise. And lastly, I would certainly give some serious thought to upgrading to an ocean view cabin. In my wife and my mind if you feel you can't afford a balcony cabin the next best thing is ocean view. 

Again, great idea and wonderful kids! Hope to read about their trip on Cruise Critics in the coming months. 

[Buckeye10640]

10 hours ago, Papa Yoda said:

Knowing and being parents, the all cash idea is likely to result in them not spending it.  Buy them a couples massage or something they would never consider buying for themselves.

Well, maybe not a massage unless you are certain they like that sort of thing! 

[Torfamm]

One option is to buy them Princess Cruise gift cards that they can use to pay for anything they charge onboard by applying them to their onboard account. They are available at a 10%discount so your money will go further at https://www.aarp.org/rewards/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aarp.org%2Frewards%2Fdiscover

 

you don’t have to be an AARP member to register for the rewards program and buy electronic gift cards

[Torfamm]

On 5/21/2023 at 1:45 PM, negn said:

Did you know you could buy Princess gift cards on Amazon?   Maybe put some in a card for a surprise

Gift cards are available at a 10% discount at https://www.aarp.org/rewards/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aarp.org%2Frewards%2Fdiscover

[Torfamm]

On 5/21/2023 at 7:06 AM, travelin.sisters said:

 

 

ALSO...are either of them military (active, veteran or retired?) they can get extra OBC by filling out a form with their info

 

The information on this program is here https://www.princess.com/military_benefit_program/

[WannaCruise365]

On 5/20/2023 at 4:51 PM, Jaxer05 said:

Ok, so I came on here for some advice because our parents love cruise critic so much and we need advice on what to do for a surprise cruise for our parents! The short story is this: my sister and I have bought a cruise for our parents 20th anniversary and we have a little extra to spend on it after the fare and we need some advice from people "in the know".  My mom and Dad took a cruise for their honeymoon 20 years ago and they loved it...they have been talking about it and reminiscing for 20 years about it.  Their plan was to take another one this summer, they have been saving for 2 years and they put a down payment on it last summer.  This has been a hard year financially and in December they decided they couldn't afford to take it. 😞

 

The problem is, they had already bought the plane tickets and they can't get a refund on it.  So their plan is to go to the port city (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) and try to find a place to camp (they are hoping to only spend $500...on a 2 week trip!).  They are trying to be excited about it but they are so disappointed and not really looking forward to camping in Florida in June.  So my sister and I had both already been saving money (her for a car and me for a senior trip) and we kicked it up into overdrive this year and managed to save enough to buy the cruise!  We just bought the tickets and we have a bit left over to spend and this is where we need your help!  What would you suggest we do with the extra?  What would you want?  What can we do to make this the most magical cruise ever?

 

Here are our thoughts...They are in the cheapest stateroom category...we could upgrade them to an Oceanview?  They were going to stay in an interior room originally so I know they are ok with it but is an Oceanview a lot better? We have already prepaid the crew gratuity so, in theory, they could take the whole cruise and not have to spend another penny...but we could just give them onboard credit if there are other things to buy onboard?  Do most people go to the restaurants that cost extra?  We could prepay that for them...or do most people eat at the free food places? Any other better ideas that we don't know about?

 

As you can see we are out of our depth here! Any thoughts or advice is greatly appreciated! We are so excited to give this to them and we want it to be the trip of a lifetime!  We are telling them next week and we want to have everything done and ready to go so we have to decide what to do quickly!

 

Also, if it helps, we have about $600 extra to spend and the cruise is the June 10th Caribbean East/West Adventurer on the Caribbean Princess.  SORRY this turned into a long post and THANK YOU in advance for your help!

 

Jax and Emily

 

[WannaCruise365]

I can tell you from what my husband and I just experienced your parents will love your kind and thoughtful anniversary gift to them! No matter what cabin they are in they will cherish every minute! We just returned Sunday from a MSC cruise, our four boys surprised us about 6 weeks before sail date. They wanted to make it special for our 30th Anniversary and booked a Yacht Club cabin which was a lot more than we needed, nevertheless it was quite a treat! I’d suggest an excursion or two for them! But I think you have done more than enough! Please report back on how much they enjoy their 2nd honeymoon cruise! 

 

[Cruise Raider]

Oh my goodness .. you two are wonderful kids!  
Nobody knows your parents like you two but the upgrade to an ocean view from an inside cabin would be my first and foremost recommendation.  I cannot recall what ship you mentioned or if you did mention it but the Grand/Crown class ships has some really wonderful obstructed ocean view cabins on deck 8.  The midship ones are the best!  Same with the obstructed balcony cabins on deck 8 for the Royal class ships .. midship!  
But also booking them a celebration package or something onboard or excursion is also so very thoughtful.  Booking them a nice ride to the pier or a nice hotel in Ft Lauderdale would also be a great surprise.  
I love the idea of getting them a little cruise package they can take with them, including magnetic hooks, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, an outlet (non surge protected) to use for plugging in all their devices (we use a SuperDanny we found on Amazon), etc. is a nice way to present it to them.  

Onboard credit I also nice and they can use it for any drinks, coffees, specialty dinners, casino, specialty dinners, Bingo, excursions, etc  they choose to take … 

what an amazing and thoughtful gift!