Can we check our bags an hour or so before we board? We want to surprise the kids.

[CalmCruiserNC]

Oh yay!! Thank you guys SO much. I'm super excited now. The kids are 8 and 10. It has been SO hard to plan and shop for this trip without their knowledge! I'm just really glad they already have passports so I didn't have to try to figure out how to explain that one to them. :D Since we live in Houston and go to Galveston a lot, they will not be suspicious at all.

 

I'll be sure to check back in here when we get back!

 

I wish you were MY parents! (Well, 40 years ago LOL!!)

[dijid]

I hope the surprise went over well for the OP. Two years ago we pulled off a surprise WDW trip for our kiddos. Planned it 5 months in advance and kept the surprise. We homeschool and told the kids DH was taking a vacation day the next day to do a field trip. At breakfast we asked where they might want to go and the youngest (3 at the time) said Disneyworld. DH said, OK. The kids seemed stunned. We told them to brush their teeth, we better go. Even with suitcases in the van, they still didn't believe it til we got to the airport and checked in. They were ecstatic and keeping it a surprise was totally worth it.

[Tucker in Texas]

Those threads I want to keep up with I "subscribe" which you can do by going to "thread tools" Then when you log on you check "quick links" on the top tool bar and all the threads you are interested in pop up. If there is a new post, it will be in dark red (at least on my computer). When you want to "unsubscribe," you go back to the quick link menu, put a check by those you want to delete, then go to the bottom to a square that says "move to folder" and drop down the menu that will let you unsubscribe.

 

Any post you reply to will automatically be added to the quick links.

 

Tucker in Texas

[Smiling Cruiser]

....the suspense ....for a whole week?????

[ManyMore]

I love reading stories of when someone is able to surprise people like this!

[klmorg]

Those threads I want to keep up with I "subscribe" which you can do by going to "thread tools" Then when you log on you check "quick links" on the top tool bar and all the threads you are interested in pop up. If there is a new post, it will be in dark red (at least on my computer). When you want to "unsubscribe," you go back to the quick link menu, put a check by those you want to delete, then go to the bottom to a square that says "move to folder" and drop down the menu that will let you unsubscribe.

 

Any post you reply to will automatically be added to the quick links.

 

Tucker in Texas

 

Thanks Tucker... good info, at least for me! :)

[cprofits]

We're doing something similar next week. Our kids have been on a lot of cruises and we wanted to do something different to make it more exciting. We live near Baltimore and plan to wake up Saturday morning and tell the kids we're going to the aquarium for the day. We'll drive near the pier and see the ship and say something like, 'Hey look, there's a cruise ship. Then I'm counting on my daughter to say, 'I wish we could go on it.' Then we'll say, 'OK let's do it!'

 

I've kept this secret for the past four months and other than the cat sitter almost spilling the beans, I think we're good. I'll make sure I have the video camera secretly running when they see the ship and realize they're getting on it. :)

[JLHB]

Those threads I want to keep up with I "subscribe" which you can do by going to "thread tools" Then when you log on you check "quick links" on the top tool bar and all the threads you are interested in pop up. If there is a new post, it will be in dark red (at least on my computer). When you want to "unsubscribe," you go back to the quick link menu, put a check by those you want to delete, then go to the bottom to a square that says "move to folder" and drop down the menu that will let you unsubscribe.

 

Any post you reply to will automatically be added to the quick links.

 

Tucker in Texas

 

Hey Tucker in Texas.... thanks for the tip. I always have good intentions to keep watching the good threads.... but I always end up forgetting. This will help me out!!!

[FloridaCruisinNewbies]

What an awesome and cool idea!!

 

I wanted to do this for my wife for her 30th birthday. We would drive from Florida up to KY to "VISIT" my parents, wink wink..... and then after a few days, we would drive up to Louisville to the Mall or something without he KIDS for alone time; end up at the airport.... fly to Seattle and do the 7 day on the Spirit to ALASKA!!

 

My only problems are the following: It is July and HOT in Florida and Kentucky. How do I accidentally pack clothes that will be warm/comfortable in Alaska. And get her to pack the same?

[kimcruiser]

Wow is it already thursday? Not too long now. I love the creativity of the people who have posted their surprises. I want to hear about yours too Cprofit :) (when you get back) How old are your children?

[kimcruiser]

Floridacruisinnewbie I think that is an all time great idea. You could solve the problem of the clothes by bringing maybe one outfit yourself for her that you picked out then buy the rest when you get there;) Of course there is the cost thing and I know I couldnt afford to do it, but if you can go for it:D

[Pechez]

I'll help where I can to keep it on front page so we can find it when they get back. Want to know how it went.

[LornaT]

I did something close to this for my folks 40th anniversary in 1985. In 1984 i booked a 14 night Panama Canal cruise on the Royal Viking Sea for them (yeah they knew I did it) but a couple of months prior to the sailing the sister-ship Royal Viking Sky was docking for the day in Los Angeles and I contacted the cruise-line about being able to come and pre-view this ship in preparation of our cruise, since Bon Voyage parties were still possible in those days, Royal Viking sent me 4 guest (Mom, Dan, DD & myself) boarding passes, so I got them out of that house that morning suggesting we go to Ports of Call for brunch, which we did and you could see the ship at the pier form there, thenafter we ate, Dad started yelling at me for missing the on-ramp to the freeway I told him I was going the right way .......... to the cruise port parking lot ..... when he wouldn't stop I yelled at him and said OKay, so lets not go see the twin of the ship were going on in November ............ could have heard a pin drop then. They had the best time seeing where are cabins were and what they looked like, the bars, restaurants, etc.

 

When we got home Mom was ready to start packing. It was a great day and the cruise was even better. We lost Dad in 2001 and I'm soooo glad I got to give him that trip, since he & Mom really wanted to cruise the canal :D.

 

Now Mom is addicted and I have to take her on a cruise at least twice a year :eek:.

[kimcruiser]

"Lorna" that is a lovely story.

I really hope you can handle taking your mom on all of those cruise too ;)

[FloridaCruisinNewbies]

Floridacruisinnewbie I think that is an all time great idea. You could solve the problem of the clothes by bringing maybe one outfit yourself for her that you picked out then buy the rest when you get there;) Of course there is the cost thing and I know I couldnt afford to do it, but if you can go for it:D

 

Yeah; the cost thing would be bad. But, I don't want to steal her thread... I was just thinking out loud again. Thanks for the idea.

[luv2cruz66]

We're doing something similar next week. Our kids have been on a lot of cruises and we wanted to do something different to make it more exciting. We live near Baltimore and plan to wake up Saturday morning and tell the kids we're going to the aquarium for the day. We'll drive near the pier and see the ship and say something like, 'Hey look, there's a cruise ship. Then I'm counting on my daughter to say, 'I wish we could go on it.' Then we'll say, 'OK let's do it!'

 

I've kept this secret for the past four months and other than the cat sitter almost spilling the beans, I think we're good. I'll make sure I have the video camera secretly running when they see the ship and realize they're getting on it. :)

 

Would really love to hear how this goes! We are also within distance of the Baltimore port and that would be really fun to pull on our kids! Please start a thread when you get back!!

[snoopymcc]

I'm so looking forward to hearing about the trip and how excited the kids were!

[JackieH]

Oh how fun!!! Can't wait to hear how it all turned out. I am not good at keeping surprises..;)

[MamaCruiser13]

I too am anxiously awaiting the OP's follow up to the surprise. Let us know when you can.

[Smiling Cruiser]

Anxiously waiting here too!:) Hope they post some pictures.

[JBDigitalphoto]

Well they left Monday so we should be hearing something any day now, can't wait to hear how the surprise went

[velotaco]

I see no reason why your plan should not work. We have dropped off luggage in the past and without boarding the ship.

[CruiseLover824]

So....thinking we should be hearing how your surprise went sometime soon!! I am sure I am not the only one waiting to hear!!:D

[Cozumelandbill]

We did this to our Daughter out of Port Canaveral. We told her for weeks in advance we were going to the Kennedy Space Center. Every night we would go on line and look at the KSC web site. She fell asleep in the car on the way to the KSC and she woke up in the port. Her first reaction was but I wanted to go to the KSC. She realized we were all going Cruising.... It was her first cruise and she was so excited. She is now hooked

:D

[mosaic_mom]

I can't wait to see how this turned out. Sounds exciting.

 

We did something similar for our DD's 21st birthday. She turned 21 a few days before our Inspiration cruise and we made up a homemade card that contained the surprise and family members all got her things to take on the cruise. We actually had a lot of people involved. DH and DD work at the same place, so he talked to her boss to get her time off and I can't believe nobody told the secret. She had a great time.