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Advice Needed for Surprise Cruise

MadManOfBethesda

By MadManOfBethesda,
in Holland America Line

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MadManOfBethesda

MadManOfBethesda

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Lisa & Sue: Thanks for the advice on the Marina Marriott.

 

Ruth & Betty: Thanks for the Holiday Inn info, but I am set on staying at a Marriott and no, they are not affiliated so I could not use my points there.

 

CowPrincess: I appreciate your concern for my DW, but have no fear; she will have time to make a hair appointment and do her own packing. Our anniversary is on December 22, so she'll have about two weeks to get ready.

 

Scott

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debshomespun

debshomespun

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Scott: Just found this thread, and glad you will be joining us. You are a such a dear husband to be surprising your DW with this great anniversary gift. I am sure she will have plenty of time to pack, since she obviously loves surprises!

 

I had some concern about cruising 30 days, as our longest has been 10 days also. My dream has been to go to Tahihti. We were just in Hawaii in May, and loved it. We love sea days, and we love to talk with fellow passengers about their travels through the world. As you had mentioned about the dining, we had to take the anytime dining. We prefer the fixed dining, but in thinking about this type, we should meet lots of the passengers on board, and make many new friends. If we want to eat alone, we have that option. Or, we can choose to dine with others in the dining room. This way, there will be more interaction with fellow passengers.

 

I'm glad you made the choice for this cruise. As we talked about, today is our 30th anniversary, and the cruise will be our celebration, only a couple months later.

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MadManOfBethesda

MadManOfBethesda

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Debbie: Happy 30th anniversary! I'm looking forward to meeting you and everyone else on our roll call list.

 

Timothy: I have Gold status with Marriott which does give me access to the concierge lounges; however, most are usually closed on the weekends and I will be arriving in San Diego on Saturday.

 

Scott

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Hutch&Pat

Hutch&Pat

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Hmmm ... you've got lots of wives thinking now! One day at sea for each year of marriage ...... gotta find some 43 day cruises to drool over! Thank you for giving our DH's the idea -- it will cost them big time, but we're worth it!

 

Holiday Inn at the San Diego pier has a Zoo package for those that might be interested in a pre/post cruise. The location and the package made it an easy decision for us!

 

Be sure to post a follow up to the surprise and cruise! Great choice!

Enjoy!

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MadManOfBethesda

MadManOfBethesda

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Hmmm ... you've got lots of wives thinking now! One day at sea for each year of marriage ...... gotta find some 43 day cruises to drool over! Thank you for giving our DH's the idea -- it will cost them big time, but we're worth it!

 

Be sure to post a follow up to the surprise and cruise! Great choice!

Enjoy!

 

LOL, I just hope that my DW won't think that the following year she'll be getting a surprise 31-day cruise, and then a 32-day cruise, etc. :)

 

As for posting a follow-up, maybe after I tell her I'll have HER come here and post her own reaction to the surprise.

 

Scott

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RuthC

RuthC

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As for posting a follow-up, maybe after I tell her I'll have HER come here and post her own reaction to the surprise.

Now that's a great idea! :) I'd love to read her words on the surprise.

And letting her in on this site will add to her excitement before going.

A great plan!

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  • 1 month later...
MadManOfBethesda

MadManOfBethesda

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Just a quick post to let everyone know that I decided not to keep my wife in the dark any longer. She's been a bit on edge and nervous lately due to the stock market turmoil, so I thought that I'd give her something nice to be concerned about (what will she wear, what will she want to do, etc.) instead of worrying about her rapidly diminishing 401(k), lol.

 

Truth be told, I was getting a bit nervous myself, not about the financial situation, but about keeping the trip a secret until the end of December. I was starting to realize that that really would not be enough time for her to get done what needed to get done. So, even before the financial meltdown, I was trying to figure out what would be the right time/opportunity to surprise her. I finally decided to do it Thursday night.

 

I picked her up from work and we went out to a nice bar/restaurant for happy hour. After receiving our drinks and while waiting on our appetizers, I sprung the trip on her. But I didn't give the surprise away completely all at once. I told her that I had planned a surprise trip for our anniversary, but I didn't tell her what it was at first. Instead, I took out a sheet of paper on which I had typed, line by line, the itinerrary of our trip. I covered the page and only showed her one line at a time. So, all she knew at first was that we were flying to San Diego on Saturday, January 3, and checking into the Marriott. She was actually excited by that alone, because although we've travelled extensively around the world, she's never been to Southern California! Then, on the next line, I had typed that we'd be checking out of the Marriott on Sunday, so that really confused her. But then, I revealed that we'd be boarding the Ryndam and her face lit up, although she still didn't have any idea where we'd be going. I then revealed the four "at sea" days one by one, and then finally, the first port of call in Hawaii. Ironically, when I asked her where she thought the ship was going after seeing all of those sea days, she said Tahiti, because that is a trip that we had scheduled years ago. (We had booked a r/t 7-day Ren cruise from Papeete for the summer of 2002, but they went out of business after 9/11.)

 

I didn't let on to Judy that we were, in fact, headed to the South Pacific. Instead, I just revealed the port days in Hawaii one by one, and then started showing the "at sea" days again, implying that we were headed back to San Diego.

 

When I finally revealed the first South Pacific port day, her eyes opened very wide as she tried to figure out exactly how long the trip was. Needless, to say she was very excited.

 

To make a long story short (I know, I know, it's too late), I revealed the rest of the cruise and regaled her with the plans already made (including the renewal of vows package) and the existence of Cruise Critic and this thread and the roll call thread. Needless to say, she is very excited right now.

 

Unfortunately for me, she is also looking forward to doing some shopping for the trip. Maybe I should've waited to tell her after all!:)

 

Scott

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seafun

seafun

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Well, I guess we know who will be getting the "Husband of the Year" award... lol.

Congratulations on breaking the news to her, and I hope you both have much happiness planning the little details over the next couple months! :D

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Sunshinecrew

Sunshinecrew

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My first thoughts when reading your title and then post were these...

 

1. Advice I'd give you for a surprise cruise--- take me!

 

2. As much as I would love to go on a 30 day cruise (and I'm guessing you feel your wife would too) I'd be a bit freaked out if someone said "SURPRISE- you're going away for a month!" That long of a trip takes a lot of planning. Are you hoping to give a lot of notice?

 

Now I've got a third idea... maybe you could casually mention that a "friend of yours" or someone you read about in the paper took his wife on a cruise that was X days to X location and gauge her reaction. Have to be pretty sly to pull this one off!

 

I think this is a lovely gift but I'd be "freaked out" if someone made a decision FOR me to be absent from work for 30 days!!!

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matondo

matondo

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In the past has you wife had a preference over balcony or not? Surprisingly, my DH informed me the other day if he couldn't have a balcony he would rather not go on a cruise. It has been 28 years and I am still learning new things about him. Maybe you could see if a friend could find out if you wife has any strong feelings about location on the ship.

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