mindelmouse
Rabid Disnoid's Spouse
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2008
So here it is for what's worth. I've been thinking about doing this pre-cruise/cruise report for a while, just haven't had time to do it. Don't know if anyone is interested in it, but hopefully I can provide some details for my fellow cruisers to follow
Ok - so......how did we get here???
I mean, here I am writing about my "surprise" cruise and it hasn't even happened yet.....it's very simple...men are not as good as planning surprises as women ( and I know that's very general and doesn't include all men, just the ones I know. 
)
Let's start with the players - DH - Jim, Me - Mindy, DD - Haylee (11) and DS Sam (11).....a surburban NJ family -
So when DCL announced their cruises out of NYC, we booked a Bahamas cruise for August 2012, we actually were booked on the Fantasy that week but found that this cruise was longer, we didn't need airfare and it was cheaper, so we switched. We looked at some of the 2 night cruises as a lark, but decided they were too expensive for what they offered (so I thought.)
So, if my memory serves me correctly (and it may not, since I'm forgetting things these days all the time) back in December DH told me to put on the work calendar that I needed to take my bday off (June 15th) and when I asked why, he said he was taking the family to NYC for the weekend to celebrate. Sounded like fun. Staying in a hotel in the city, seeing a show or two, some nice dinners...who wouldn't be up for that. When I asked why we were taking the kids his answer was that he thought that they should spend my bday with me...ok...accepted...not another word was said.
Then, February rolls around....well we're about 6 months out from our August cruise and I decide that I need to start investigating excursions. Did I want to take any, what was offered...you know the deal. When I bring up by castaway club account, there was this two day cruise on there....Now...I could have pretended I didn't see it, but how could I look at DH with a straight face when I talked about what he wanted to do in August without admitting it So I kind of played dumb and told him that DCL made a mistake and there was another cruise booked under our name. After he got done being upset that I saw it (not that upset since he knew it was a possibility when DCL said there was nothing they could do to take it off my account) he told me the deal. Now just some background here...I'm the accountant in the family (I am really an accountant, but I pay the bills and am what many term a tight wad with money) DH is the spender. I told him while it was a nice gesture, let's not go, it was too expensive. At which point, he told me it was already paid in full and there was nothing I could do and I actually had never seen a bill for it.
So we were going on the cruise for my 50th and we decided not to tell the kids, just let them think we were going to NYC for the weekend (and they still to this minute believe that.) Well a few weeks later, I was working from home and I get a call from a DCL rep looking for DH. She said that she had been on the phone with him for over an hour and they had gotten disconnected. I gave her his work phone number and then got suspicious. I'm not one that really likes surprises, so if I suspect something's up I usually investigate. Well, low and behold, my little spending DH found out that the Roy Suite opened up and booked it.
Talking about increasing the cost of the cruise!!!! His defense was, this was the only time in his life he'd ever be able to afford it...how do you argue that????
So we're going into NYC Thursday night (staying at the Marriott Marquis) because DH is doing the Hanover corporate challenge in Central Park. I'm coming from work and bringing in the kids. We are going to get to the ship as early as we can (kids think we're going to see the Intrepid). We have Palo dinner booked Friday night, Couples Choice on Sat morn and then Palo brunch. DH had original booked us both with a trainer Sat morning because he was conscious of the fact that he wanted us to work out (he's lost 154 lbs in the last year or so and I've lost about 60) but a really good friend
told him the couples choice would be more appropriate.
I've met some friends on the cruise meet board that are also turning 50 and we are having a little sail away party in our suite to celebrate. My intent was never to leave the room since it may be the only time in my life that I'm in it, but DH isn't letting that happen. So I am going to enjoy every short second that I'm in that room and even better is going to be the kids faces when they realize we're going on the ship and then when they see the room....
I will try to give useful information afterwards about parking, activities, etc for all of you taking the future two days out of NYC. I know there's not a lot out there currently.....
Well that's it for now....more later
Ok - so......how did we get here???
I mean, here I am writing about my "surprise" cruise and it hasn't even happened yet.....it's very simple...men are not as good as planning surprises as women ( and I know that's very general and doesn't include all men, just the ones I know. )Let's start with the players - DH - Jim, Me - Mindy, DD - Haylee (11) and DS Sam (11).....a surburban NJ family -
So when DCL announced their cruises out of NYC, we booked a Bahamas cruise for August 2012, we actually were booked on the Fantasy that week but found that this cruise was longer, we didn't need airfare and it was cheaper, so we switched. We looked at some of the 2 night cruises as a lark, but decided they were too expensive for what they offered (so I thought.)
So, if my memory serves me correctly (and it may not, since I'm forgetting things these days all the time) back in December DH told me to put on the work calendar that I needed to take my bday off (June 15th) and when I asked why, he said he was taking the family to NYC for the weekend to celebrate. Sounded like fun. Staying in a hotel in the city, seeing a show or two, some nice dinners...who wouldn't be up for that. When I asked why we were taking the kids his answer was that he thought that they should spend my bday with me...ok...accepted...not another word was said.
Then, February rolls around....well we're about 6 months out from our August cruise and I decide that I need to start investigating excursions. Did I want to take any, what was offered...you know the deal. When I bring up by castaway club account, there was this two day cruise on there....Now...I could have pretended I didn't see it, but how could I look at DH with a straight face when I talked about what he wanted to do in August without admitting it
So I kind of played dumb and told him that DCL made a mistake and there was another cruise booked under our name. After he got done being upset that I saw it (not that upset since he knew it was a possibility when DCL said there was nothing they could do to take it off my account) he told me the deal. Now just some background here...I'm the accountant in the family (I am really an accountant, but I pay the bills and am what many term a tight wad with money) DH is the spender. I told him while it was a nice gesture, let's not go, it was too expensive. At which point, he told me it was already paid in full and there was nothing I could do and I actually had never seen a bill for it.So we were going on the cruise for my 50th and we decided not to tell the kids, just let them think we were going to NYC for the weekend (and they still to this minute believe that.) Well a few weeks later, I was working from home and I get a call from a DCL rep looking for DH. She said that she had been on the phone with him for over an hour and they had gotten disconnected. I gave her his work phone number and then got suspicious. I'm not one that really likes surprises, so if I suspect something's up I usually investigate. Well, low and behold, my little spending DH found out that the Roy Suite opened up and booked it.
Talking about increasing the cost of the cruise!!!! His defense was, this was the only time in his life he'd ever be able to afford it...how do you argue that????
So we're going into NYC Thursday night (staying at the Marriott Marquis) because DH is doing the Hanover corporate challenge in Central Park. I'm coming from work and bringing in the kids. We are going to get to the ship as early as we can (kids think we're going to see the Intrepid). We have Palo dinner booked Friday night, Couples Choice on Sat morn and then Palo brunch. DH had original booked us both with a trainer Sat morning because he was conscious of the fact that he wanted us to work out (he's lost 154 lbs in the last year or so and I've lost about 60) but a really good friend
told him the couples choice would be more appropriate.I've met some friends on the cruise meet board that are also turning 50 and we are having a little sail away party in our suite to celebrate. My intent was never to leave the room since it may be the only time in my life that I'm in it, but DH isn't letting that happen. So I am going to enjoy every short second that I'm in that room and even better is going to be the kids faces when they realize we're going on the ship and then when they see the room....
I will try to give useful information afterwards about parking, activities, etc for all of you taking the future two days out of NYC. I know there's not a lot out there currently.....
Well that's it for now....more later
I hope to be able to answer all your questions when I return....
