To tell or to surprise

[Goosie Lucy]

I have 2 kids, ages 4 and 7. We've planned the ultimate WDW vacation for them. We're doing everything we can to make it as magical as possible. This will be their first trip to WDW, or anywhere for that matter. I don't know if we should tell them in advance about the trip, for if we should surprise them with it. My only problem with telling them before-hand is that I'm wondering if it will wreck my 7yo's concentration at school. I'm torn because it would be exciting to count down with them, but it would also be classic to see their faces when we get on the Magical Express bus. Just looking for some opinions/ideas.

I've been lurking for a while and I just love the DIS!!

[Our2Girls&Disney]

I have 2 kids, ages 4 and 7. We've planned the ultimate WDW vacation for them. We're doing everything we can to make it as magical as possible. This will be their first trip to WDW, or anywhere for that matter. I don't know if we should tell them in advance about the trip, for if we should surprise them with it. My only problem with telling them before-hand is that I'm wondering if it will wreck my 7yo's concentration at school. I'm torn because it would be exciting to count down with them, but it would also be classic to see their faces when we get on the Magical Express bus. Just looking for some opinions/ideas.

I've been lurking for a while and I just love the DIS!!

We surprised our girls. They were ages 8 and 4. I highly recommend surprising them. The following is from my trip report:

We were torn on how to tell the kids. Several ideas popped into our heads. It was Christmas time, should give the tickets as a Christmas present? Should we wait until Easter? Maybe not tell them at all, just wake them up and bring them to airport? Shortly after I discovered the DIS, I read a post from someone who was going to tell her kids via a treasure hunt. When I read the post, a light bulb went off in my head. I thought to myself, we could do that! I did research on the web on creating treasure hunts for children, especially children who cannot read yet because we have a 4 year old who does not read. We decided to have both pictures and words. The 8 year old could read out loud to the 4 year old and they could use the picture to solve the clue. We thought that we could even videotape the entire experience. We made the decision that the treasure hunt would take place a couple days before our trip.

As time past by, I worked at getting the treasure hunt ready and putting together a prize as the finale. The treasure or prize would actually tell them that we are going to Disney World. This was when I discovered the Creative DISign section of the DIS. I thought that I could make them each an autograph book and WDW T-shirts and place them inside a wrapped box as a way for them to know we are going to WDW. I started with the Mickey Mouse tie-dye shirt, and then proceeded into ironing the transfers. I cannot forget to give Kudos out to the designers (specifically Julia & Nicks Mom) in the Creative Designs forum because they did some great work designing these T’s for me. The shirt on top said, “Surprise We are going to Disney World,” followed by several other WDW shirts. They were all adorable! I could just picture in my mind, the girls jumping for joy after reading that.

Two days before our trip we have the treasure hunt ready to go. The kids have no idea what is going on. I have the video camera charged, and the treasure hunt ready to go. We ask the kids if they want to play a game. They are just thrilled, “Yeah! Lets play a game.” I stay with the kids in the house while DH goes outside to hide all the clues. When DH returns, we explain the rules of the game. The camera is ready, we give DD8 the first clue, she reads it out load to DD4, they see the picture and run to the find the second clue, and so on. Finally they get to the final clue and find the wrapped boxes. I tell them to sit on the bench and open them. I am so excited that I could just explode. They unwrap the boxes and shout, “Cool, T-shirts!” DH has to explain to DD8 that she needs to read the shirts. She reads the first one, “Surprise we are going to Disney World.” Nothing, no reaction what so ever and moves on to the second shirt, “Walt Disney World 2006.” Again, nothing! DH asks her what the shirts say. She says, “Yes, I know that we are going Disney World again someday.” DH says, “Not someday, look at the year, 2006.” DD8 says, “Ohhhhh!” but she is still puzzled. I, of course am absolutely brewing inside so I shout out, “Ashley we are leaving in two days.” She looks at us with huge eyes and says, “We are?” I must admit that I was a little disappointed that they did not get the jump for joy, screaming around the backyard like I dreamed about for months. It must have been a delayed reaction because, it took a few minutes to soak in before they both started jumping around and giggling. They each had to put on their t-shirts and continue to wear them all day. I now have this disappointing moment in my life on video in case we ever want to relive the experience again someday. The good news is DD8 tells me that she wants to be surprised for all of our vacations from now on.

[neonurse]

Isn't part of the fun of going the anticipation of it all? I know it is for me. The first time we went my 2 sons were 5 & 8. I made a treasure hunt map (like blues clues does) and when they reached each spot there was a clue... a toy airplane, their suitcases, pieces of paper that spelled "d i s n e y" and the last clue lead them to the family room and the treasure map said press play on the VCR. In it was the disney world vacation planning video. It was great there was screaming and crying (mostly from me) .:rotfl: We told the kids a month or so in advance so we had time to do some planning together. We even made a chart to count down the days. It is still magical even if you don't wake them up that day and say "we are going to Disney today". My boys told me that it was hard waiting for the day to come and wished they were just told the day before because they said they were toooooo excited and couldn't wait. Isn't that good though? It works on me. Even though I am planning a trip for Nov 2007 I am excited now and can't wait but I think that makes it even more special when you get there. :dancer: :dancer: :dancer: :dancer:

me ::MinnieMo dh ::MickeyMo ds11 pluto: ds7 :donald:

[MissyDVC]

We surprised our children, then DS5 & DD3. We also were taking my Mom and told them that we had to drive Granny to the airport for her trip to Florida and help her check her bags in. Then, with the camera rolling, we told them that Granny wasn't going to Florida alone, we were all going to Disney World. They were in shock first and then elated! They could stop talking about everything they wanted to do for the whole plane ride, car trip and check-in at the hotel! It was the best way to tell them! We have since told them in advance now because they are older(DSalmost8 & DD6) and they like to plan and also we are DVC memebers so we go more often. Both ways are great but the surprise was wonderful for them and for us :cloud9:

[twinkletoesmom]

My kids are 4 & 7 and I could not imagine keeping it a surprise!! All though the treasure hunt was a very cool idea I'm w/ the one who posted about anticpation being half of the fun. My dd7 goes to a school which demands complete attention and is up there in academics and she has had no promlems consintrating. I have had so much fun planning this w/ them. If you present opitions the right way they really feel like this is their vaction. My kids love to ask me to recite our daily plans. I've had people send postcard from their favorite characters and a box of goodies (all disney fanny packs, hats, snacks etc.) from their friends at disney (me) is coming soon. They love to watch the planning movie and say I want to go on that and that. They have also been saving ANY money the find make or recieve to turn into disney $. So I think it's pretty clear that my vote is tell them!! But I'm sure no matter what, it's Disney and it will be special.

[pigget74]

My kids were 4 and 7 when we took our first trip and we surprised them. They had no clue until we drove under the Welcome to Disney Sign. WE have it all on camera and it is priceless. Go for it.

[CleveRocks]

I'm a big proponent of telling our kids. We went last year when they were 5 and 2.5, now they're 6.5 and 4 and we leave in 6 days.

For myself, the anticipation of a big event is just about as delicious as the event itself. I can't imagine depriving my kids of a joy that I love so much. Yes, I'm sure the video of a surprised, overwhelemed, and delighted child is priceless, but it's been priceless to talk with my kids almost every day about their WDW anticipation. We've had this trip planned since May, but we told the kids in early October via a Fairy Godmailer, so they'll have about a month of the fun of anticipation.

Also, you know how those of us on the DIS enjoy planning? Well, my 6.5 year old son loves planning, too -- we must be related!!! He puts in the WDW planning DVD most days, and we talk about what he wants to do and what he doesn;t want to do and why.

[katie111]

I would tell them but not too far in advance, maybe 2 or 3 weeks before. We're leaving next weekend and I told my 3 & 4 year olds last weekend. We've spent the entire week talking about it. They want to go through the guidebook every day and we make list after list of the rides they want to go on. It is so fun & so cute. They also ask me all day, every day, when we are leaving. That can get a little annoying so I can't imagine going through that for more than a couple weeks. As you know, 4 year olds have very little sense of time so I think telling them too far in advance can be hard for them. Either way, they will be so excited!

[kimkreis]

We are going in late January. Hubby will be returning from a 4 month deployment a few days before. Our countdown is for Daddy's return and I don't want anything taking away from that. Plus Daddy wants to be involved in telling them.

We plan on waiting until the morning of. Since we ahve an early flight I will have packed surreptiously and laid out outfits for them. New Disney things but we'll see if they notice. DH and DD5 will have had birthdays in the previous 20 days or so, and both kids know we are planning on doing something special, but not THIS special. So suitcases in the car won't be the tip off. I have been making backpacks for both kids with tons of fun Disney stuff. After we are checked in and through security I will let them open their backpacks and figure out where we are going.

Thanks to a previous poster, I will make sure we take te Disney planning DVD for the kids to watch on the flight!

[Our2Girls&Disney]

I forgot to mention that we also watched the planning DVD together as well as the Travel Channel "Behind the Scenes" and they were clueless. There were so many times were I thought that they would catch on, but they didn't. My point is, you can still do all that fun stuff like watch planning videos to get them excited without actually telling them you are going.

[Suejeffali]

The first time we went with our DD was in 2003 and she was 3 1/2 years old. We didn't tell we made it a surprise. Plus we were staying at our in-laws so we wanted to surprise her about that. This time (we are going July, 2007) and our DD is 6 (she will be almost 7 when we go) so we told her and we all sit at the diningroom table and talk about what we will be doing and we are planning it as a family and we let her have some input on what we are doing. She thinks that is great! :cloud9:

[Tinksalot]

;) We will be going on our 5th trip to DW in January and....this time....we are not telling the kids. However, I never would have been able to keep it a secret the first time we went! There was so much planning and excitement involved! It was the first time flying for my kids AND husband, so we went to the airport a few times just to watch the planes and people. And the amount of time spent together on websites just looking at pictures.....it made it all more magical. :grouphug: And BOY! were they ever on their good behavior! :rotfl2:

They are older now, and experienced WDWer's. They know what they want to do and where they want to go. ;) This time though, the fun will be in the looks on their faces when we drive them to the airport instead of school! I can't wait! :banana:

Here is a little pixie dust for you and which ever way you decide to handle it pixiedust: cause it will be magical either way! Enjoy you trip AND your family!

[JJ&JSMOM]

I'd definitely tell them but like the other posters said not too far in advance. Anticipation is half the fun and I wouldn't want my kids to miss out on that. Having said that telling them too early would probably be torture for them and you.

We're going in May 2007. So we're planning on telling our kids on Easter. We're going to have an easter egg hunt like we do every year, except this year there will be a letter in each egg w/the candy. They need to get all the letters and then unscramble them (w/help of course our kids are 7, 4& 2) to say "Walt Disney World".

Also I need to make our adrs in a couple of weeks - I've asked them questions like "somday if we go to WDW what characters would you like to meet?" and they've seen the planning dvd and I'll ask "What rides do you like". It helps me plan our trip 6 months in advance but w/o giving up the secret. They may suspect but not know for sure! I always phrase it by saying "someday if".

I don't know - its lots of fun! Planning is the funniest part for me! Good luck and do what you think is best! :thumbsup2

[tchrrx]

My DD6 was in on the planning from 100 days out. We had a 100s chart hanging on the fridge & marked a day off each day. That way she was able to help me plan the trip. Her big surprise came the morning that we gave her a beautiful Cinderella dress (made by a friend) and an invitation to breakfast at the castle. I think it was great to have her help plan, but also fun to have a surprise.

We just bought into DVC & were so excited that we couldn't keep it from her. She now knows that we are going back, but has no idea when. We just told her that someday we may wake her up & tell her that we're leaving. We'll see how that works!

[rt2dz]

We've done it both ways and I have to say surprise is the best for us. There is a lot of anticipation when they know, but the wait is so hard--even if it is just a few weeks before they know. And then there is all the build up that can be disappointing if something does go as planned (rides down, rain), but when it is just dropped on them everything is a bonus.

[SOMEDAYMYPRINCEWILLC]

My kids are ages 10 and 13 and I told them about a month before.. WE LEAVE FRIDAY THE 3RD !! I AM SO EXCITED..they are too but doing well with it.. I have lots more to do and to think about and plan .. and since I have been before (just once 15 years ago for our honeymoon) I know what to expect.. although I am sure lots have changed.. but they don't realize or have a clue as to how wonderful and exciting and magical it is all gonig to be.. it is a dream come true for me. this trip !! I couldn't have kept it all a secret.. too much doing on and too much "stuff" to take care of. they are too big and have big ears !! No matter what you do it will be a great time

[mommycoz]

We told our older two, ages 16 & 13....The three younger ones (turns 12 at Disney, 8 & 7) have no idea what is planned. I'm surprised I've managed to keep my mouth shut for this long....we leave in 11 days.. The plan is to just wake them up about 4:00 in the morning and get to the airport by 5:00. :cool1:

[MarkBarbieri]

I'd definitely tell them. I like to get our kids involved in the planning. I like to get the excited about. The anticipation is one of the best parts of a trip. Which would you prefer, months of building excitement or a single moment of extreme joy? I think the answer is different for different people.

I also have a bit of an odd reason for keeping the kids informed. My wife and I both lean more towards being "planners" rather than "spontaneous". We'd like to raise our kids to be the same. Some people seem naturally happier when they plan out their futures, others seem happier when they do things on the spur of the moment. We definitely prefer planning. I'm curious as to whether the "tell them" crowd and "surprise them" supporters differ in what extent the "plan for the future" and to what extent they "seize the day."

[minkydog]

We've done it both ways. Five years ago I planned a Disney trip and kept it a secret--my kids were 6,8,& 15 at the time. On Christmas Day, they opened a large box from Santa covered in holiday Mickey paper. Inside the box were T-shirts, Disney guidbooks for kids(complete with Disney Dollars), and some glow necklaces. When they opened the lid, a mickey balloon floated out with a note attaches that said "Kids, you're going to Disney World". They were so happy!

Then 3yrs ago, we planned a trip and told them all about it. They took part in the planning but we just didn't give them an exact date, something about when school gets out. Then one day we hitched up the camper and told them we were going camping in Florida. Innocents that they are, they never suspected a thing until we rolled into the WDW complex. We stayed at FW and had a blast!

We planned a trip last year for Thanksgiving and it got blasted due to Katrina. Then we planned a trip this year for Thanksgiving and it got blasted due to financial problems.the kids were so disappointed. thankfully, something else came through and we are going to be able to go in January. The kids know about the trip, and being older are more flexible(11,13,&20). What they don't know is that we are staying at the Poly! I think it's going to blow their minds.

[Pixiedust34]

We kept our last trip a surprise until a month before our vacation. Anticipation and a countdown chain are half the fun! Waiting a month before was a perfect time to tell them. There was a huge surprise element when we did spill the beans, and a month was a good countdown length for the kids. While a last minute surprise could be fun, I think that giving the kids the anticipation of a trip is even more fun! :goodvibes

Another thing to consider if you are flying and your kids have never flown before is that it's good to give them a head's up about going through security and what it's like to sit on an airplane for a few hours. This will give them a chance to get used to the idea of flying and to ask questions about what they can/can't bring on the plane with them.

[MomofCKJ]

We are suprising our kids. We booked in Feb and our trip is coming up Dec 15-22. It is their first time going and they are 9,7, and 4. They have been asking forever to go and this is their Christmas gift this year.

I decided to suprise for a few reasons. One, I didn't want the little guy asking me every day "How much longer" when we booked so far in advance. Also since it is their first time I thought how cool as a kid to be told you are leaving in the morning for Disney World? We are telling them the night before.

They think we are going in March 2008 with my parents (we are) so we do watch the planning DVD and talk alot about what rides they would like to go on, what they think would be fun. That way we have the fun of the anticipation but they have NO idea we are really going in 46 days! And it will be their first time in a limo, first trip on an airplane, lots of suprises on this trip (Illuminations Cruise, Holiday Sleigh Ride).

I vote for the suprise, esp if it is their first trip. I think the moment of the reveal will be priceless!

Allyson

[pigget74]

I'd definitely tell them. I like to get our kids involved in the planning. I like to get the excited about. The anticipation is one of the best parts of a trip. Which would you prefer, months of building excitement or a single moment of extreme joy? I think the answer is different for different people.

I also have a bit of an odd reason for keeping the kids informed. My wife and I both lean more towards being "planners" rather than "spontaneous". We'd like to raise our kids to be the same. Some people seem naturally happier when they plan out their futures, others seem happier when they do things on the spur of the moment. We definitely prefer planning. I'm curious as to whether the "tell them" crowd and "surprise them" supporters differ in what extent the "plan for the future" and to what extent they "seize the day."


Even though we surprised the kids with our trip, we planned for months for the trip. To us we are big planners as well, but had fun surprising them. Once there and after many trip back they realize it takes planning for the trip. Like I said we are total planners, but love the surprises as well.

[dianemb]

we've gone both ways and my son says the surprise trip was the best. We are going again in December and so far we've kept it a secret.

[rt2dz]

I'd definitely tell them. I like to get our kids involved in the planning. I like to get the excited about. The anticipation is one of the best parts of a trip. Which would you prefer, months of building excitement or a single moment of extreme joy? I think the answer is different for different people.

I also have a bit of an odd reason for keeping the kids informed. My wife and I both lean more towards being "planners" rather than "spontaneous". We'd like to raise our kids to be the same. Some people seem naturally happier when they plan out their futures, others seem happier when they do things on the spur of the moment. We definitely prefer planning. I'm curious as to whether the "tell them" crowd and "surprise them" supporters differ in what extent the "plan for the future" and to what extent they "seize the day."
We plan and we budget and we plan and we budget and then we plan and budget some more, BUT about 10% of things are spur of the moment (provided they fit into the budget). And we have found through experience, for us and our kids, the surprise trip is more fun. You just can not knock a great surprise.

By the first birthday, each of our kids have had at least one year of college paid for. I don't think it is an either/or kind of thing. I DO have to say, while we teach our children responsibility, I don't want them to be unraveled when things don't go as plan and to overlook all spur of the moment things simply because it isn't in the plans. Maybe that is why we do the surprise thing for our kids? You may have a idea there, if not hitting the nail on the head.

[DramaGirl]

my parents did that to me and my brother afew years ago (surprised us with a wdw trip) and it was just magical. I would say definitely surprise them

[Scot-n-Michelle]

I love all your stories of being able to keep it a secret from your children - my problem is I cannot keep it a secret from my kids. They are DD5 and DS3. They knew that we were going back when we started planning in June. Hopefully when their older I will be able to surprise them with trip, but for now I am so excited I can't hold it in. :wave2:

[2DDprincessesforever]

Our first family trip to WDW was Jan 2006.

We surprised our 2 kids, DD(5) and DD(2 1/2) with a formal note made out of pictures so my DD5 could read the pictures out loud. We made the note from Santa and Mom and Dad (so that they wouldnt tell their friends that Santa gave them a trip to Disney).

Needless to say that it didnt go over as I had expected it to. With the video camera rolling my daughter needed more prompting than I thought with the picture book. When she finally read the sentence out loud " we are going to Disney World". She said in the next breath - "not for real". :confused3 And dropped the book. I thought I was going to DIE. I was crying with laughter and crying with disappointment. :guilty:

With tears in my eyes it took over 10 minutes to explain to her that we were going FOR REAL in 3 weeks. Everyone has gotten the biggest kick out of watching that video from Christmas morning.

By Christmas dinner it finally sunk in and she was very excited. My DD2 1/2 really didnt get it until we were there - like I expected, but we still had the best time of our lives. So much so that while we were there for 7 nights we decided at the last minute to stay for 2 extra nights.

Now we are going back this January 2007. Forget telling them. I am just going to wake them up and tell them that we are going somewhere special and let them figure it out. The airplane ride might give it away.

We'll see if they believe me then!!! pixiedust:

[DisneyMama27]

We will be going on our 5th trip to DW in January and....this time....we are not telling the kids. However, I never would have been able to keep it a secret the first time we went! There was so much planning and excitement involved! It was the first time flying for my kids AND husband, so we went to the airport a few times just to watch the planes and people. And the amount of time spent together on websites just looking at pictures.....it made it all more magical. And BOY! were they ever on their good behavior!

They are older now, and experienced WDWer's. They know what they want to do and where they want to go. This time though, the fun will be in the looks on their faces when we drive them to the airport instead of school! I can't wait!


Wow, we are kindred spirits! Our 5th family trip will be in January also! And we are surprising them this time too - I also could not have kept quiet before, and the kids do enjoy the anticipation, but we decided this would make a great surprise, since we were just there in OCT! My parents are going with us, so double surprise! I can't wait to drive past the school and tell them we are going to WDW instead!

To all others - surprises are great, but as an earlier poster mentioned, kids' reactions can be disappointing. It sometimes takes a while for things to sink in, so don't let it ruin the fun if they don't react the way you hope! (I read one where the boy was mad because he didn't get to have time to look forward to the trip!)

We decided on the surprise this time, and I don't think there is a right and wrong way to tell them. Have a great time!! :thumbsup2

[DisneyMama27]

Let me add this - we did not surprise on the last trip because we wanted the kids to earn their own money for Disney. While I agreed with the idea, it was too long (3 months) for kids their age to set long-term goals. They did well, though, and enjoyed choosing their souvenirs. They thought through their choices more, seeing how much things cost, and DD even decided that BBB was "too much" as it would have been more than half her money (and her mommy did her hair and nails just beautifully, thank you very much!). I am glad we did it that way (great math lesson, too, BTW :teacher: ) and I know we will again, but I am excited about the surprise next trip!

Oh yeah - since we bought DVC, we told the kids, there will definitely be another trip, so start saving your money now!

[BrandyC1974]

I wish I could keep our trip a secret. My girls are 6 and 9. I have been planning this trip for about a year (we will be going in two days!!!!!!!! :cheer2: ). I love the idea about the treasure hunt. It seems like alot of fun. I will try to surprise them when we go next time in 2008.

[It's A Happy Day]

I have 2 kids, ages 4 and 7. We've planned the ultimate WDW vacation for them. We're doing everything we can to make it as magical as possible. This will be their first trip to WDW, or anywhere for that matter. I don't know if we should tell them in advance about the trip, for if we should surprise them with it. My only problem with telling them before-hand is that I'm wondering if it will wreck my 7yo's concentration at school. I'm torn because it would be exciting to count down with them, but it would also be classic to see their faces when we get on the Magical Express bus. Just looking for some opinions/ideas.

I've been lurking for a while and I just love the DIS!!

I agree with other posters that IF you do tell them, tell them about 1 month before the trip so that it won't be a constant nag of "Are we there yet" :rolleyes: As far as wether or not you should tell them would also depend on the children. My 2 kids prior to disney really had not slept in hotels or anywhere else overnight for that matter. We have done trips to the beach and gone places but not really overnight before so we gave them plenty of notice that we were going to be going away with us and we will be sleeping there, they could bring their favorite loveys - pooh bear & bear bear for us - and got into the trip together. We were also driving from MA so we had to prepare them for that as well. We would also go for long walks around the neighborhood and exclaim "training our Disney legs". So should you keep it a secret? I can see both sides of the fence but it ultimately comes down to the kids. Now that our kids have had some overnight "experience" we may surprise them for the next trip.

[pdmeroc]

I love the stories. We have done both and both are fun. I prefer the surprise trip, but my son is 10 and will catch on. Maybe he will play along.

We told our kids (7, 4, 2 at the time) we were going to a special restaurant. We drove to another city to fly out inthe morning(way better rates). The restaraunt was closed so we asked the kids if they would like to stay and wait or go home. It's a hotel with a pool so we stayed. In the morning we went to the airport and told them the restaurant was far away and we needed to fly to get there. Once we landed, we had a limo waiting. As my 7 year old walked by it, he said how cool it was an he wanted to ride in it. No problem son, hop on in! We watched Pirates of the Carribean in the limo and had a pop on the ride to POP. When we went under the gate my son whispered to my daughter...I think we are going to Disney. We got to the room after much excitement and asked them if they would like to stay. Well, duh Dad, of course.....for 1 night, nope, 2 nope, 3 nope, 5 nope, a week nope....10 days! The special restaurant turned out to be Chef Mickey's.

This was our second trip with them so it worked out perfect.

[PollyannaMom]

I love the anticipation of trips so much, I couldn't imagine not telling!! DS (age 5 at the time) had so much fun with his countdown calendar, the planning video, and even choosing things to pack. Plus a nice side bonus - he was great about it whenever we said no to something else because we were "saving for Disney."

[mrsmarilyn]

Just my late response...we were going to surprise but wound up telling them now (we leave in 2 weeks). The reason? My son (i have 5 year old twins) has some sensory disorders and I really think I need to work on what the plane is going to be like, what the parks are going to be like in terms of noise and crowds. He can handle things when he's prepared but does not handle it well at all when surprised. So much as I wanted one of those magical moments, we decided to go with tell now and prepare well. I think the "surprise" moment will come when they actually SEE the Castle for the first time ;-)

[3princesses+aprince]

After thinking about this for a long time, we decided to surprise our kids. At first we just didn't say anything because I wanted to be positive we were going, we wanted to go last year but something came up. So after keeping quite for months while I planned I got the courage to keep it going as a secret. We still have til June but the longer I plan our surprise the more exciting I think it will be.
We are actually going to tell them 8 days before we leave, so they have a whole week to be totally excited about going, they will have a little countdown, and help me pack. Not too sure how i'm gonna tell them, but it will be at their bday party the weekend before( it's a surprise bday trip) I can't wait to be in Disney, but I REALLY can't wait to surprise them, and i think we'll have a blast with all of that excitement in the house all week.
What really made the surprise sound good too is my 2 and a half year old does not know time, and she likes to watch the planning dvd, to see the characters and says she wants to go there( I like that she likes to watch that ,so when we say surprise we're going to Disney, she knows what Disney is), she'll say ok come on I want to go there, meaning like tonight. She doesn't understand. So I'm waiting on June 16.:dance3:

[CJsMom]

I love this thread. We are going in Dec - first trip for DS's aged 5 and 7. I love the idea of the countdown and letting them help plan, but I want to surprise them for this trip. I have this great memory of my dad surprising us with a trip to an amusement park. I watched out the window of the car the whole way and when I saw the roller coaster in the distance I got SO excited! This will be a first plane ride for them too, but I think they will be ok with it. We will still watch the planning DVD because I've told them we will go "someday". Thanks to the person that posted the idea to bring the planning DVD so they can watch it on the plane. Although -when to tell them? When I wake them up? Or let them figure it out on the trip there? I just can't decide!:banana:

[elan]

We've gone several times and last april we surprised ours (8,6,4) with a trip. It was priceless. The looks on their faces when we told them as we were driving down the road. My dd calling her gramma at the airport and telling her we were making her go to dw. Happy memories for us all.
I would say if you are only going once and that is it I'd tell them a few weeks in advance, but tell them know in a fun way. What ever you do they'll be on :cloud9:.

[Dawn414]

My munchkins are 3 1/2 (B/G twins), and if it weren't for the fact that we've been hyping it up (this is their first time to Disney), I don't think they'd know/understand about Disney. So, we're sharing any and everything we can with them. Especially me, since I'm the one doing all the planning. We have watched both the Disney planning video and the Disney Cruise planning video multiple times and in terms of going (in 3 months), we're putting it into perspective for them. They know that we leave after Mommy's (my) birthday. We did the same thing when it came to Santa. They knew that Santa was coming 'after Aunt Denise's house'. But for this, they know that they're going on the Mickey ship and seeing Cinderella's castle. My daughter (especially) gets very excited about it. They both know they're going to get to wear their 'costumes' (see pics in my signature). Those are the things that are priceless for me. Perhaps in future trips (we're going a total of 4 times in the next year), we can surprise them because they will have had a taste of it. But not this first time...I am having a blast talking to them and watching them get excited with the videos.

Dawn

[jfletcher]

This discussion reminds me of the old question about whether to find out the gender of a baby or not. To the "you want to be surprised" people, I always say: "You are still going to be surprised. You are going to be surprised at the 20th week instead of the 40th week, and now you'll have two big days. The day you find out the gender and the day the baby is born."

Bottom line, you can't go wrong either way.

[Fionasmommy]

This discussion reminds me of the old question about whether to find out the gender of a baby or not. To the "you want to be surprised" people, I always say: "You are still going to be surprised. You are going to be surprised at the 20th week instead of the 40th week, and now you'll have two big days. The day you find out the gender and the day the baby is born."

Bottom line, you can't go wrong either way.

I totally agree!

[stemikger]

We did that to my daughter a year ago. It was great.

[MazdaUK]

I couldn't keep it a secret as I'd be too excited! But also younger DS was only 5 and I wanted him to be well prepared for the size of everything compared to DLP (where we went when he was 3 1/2). And I wanted everyone to help choose character meals and where we would go in each park, as I didn't want anyone to say when we got home "I didn't know we could...."

[DreaminDisney]

Our trips to Disney and Disney Cruise have never been a surprise.
This year they'll be 7 & 10 and we are surprising them with a Disney vacation. I think closer to date we're telling them we're going to Disney but at a much later date than we actually are. This way they can have fun planning/anticipating the trip and then we'll surprise them by going much sooner.

I agree with previous poster
"Bottom line, you can't go wrong either way"

[pezpam]

Agreed. You really can't go wrong here. I've taken DD several times over the past few years. Sometimes she knew, sometimes it was a surprise. Both ways are great. :)

My thing now is I need more creative ways to make the secret work if I try that again. I've done:

"We're going to visit Grammie" and then pulled up at the Disney hotel saying "Oh, yeah, we're also going to Disney."

I used dear Grammie one other time and told DD about the WDW part by pulling out some Disney stuff on the plane.

"You know that restaurant at the airport you like so much? I thought we'd go there for dinner." and the pulling the suitcase out of the car once we'd parked. (She was younger and really did like the restaurant - one of the waitresses remembers her every time and talks to her a lot.)

When I picked her up after school, I told her I'd have a really rough day and just wanted to drive around a bit. We 'just happened' to wind up at the airport. (Works if your airport is close like ours)

I really thought our 1st trip would be our only trip. Little did I know. <grin> For our secnd trip, I told DD that a friend of mine wanted to take her DD to WDW and wanted to know what a kid her age would really like to do. In that great kid-scrawl, DD made out a list of everything she had really loved doing. When it got close to time for the trip, I asked if she remembered it and how would she like going back to do all those things.


Upshot is that planning with the kids is fun and surprising the kids is fun. I admit that, while I do plan most trips with her, I love the look of surprise and sheer delight she gets when I surprise her. :)

[INdisneyfamily]

There is a way to do both...we told our daughter we were going but told her the wrong date. I made up some excuse as to why we had to pack a couple of days early. We picked her up at school for an "orthodontist appointment" and when she saw all of us in the car with suitcases she was shocked! She thought we were leaving the next day. It worked out great because she is always so excited she can't sleep the night before (reminds me of a commercial :) ). She slept like a baby the night before this trip and was rested and ready to go!
When our girls were little we did surprise them the day of by waking them up and telling them we were having breakfast on an airplane. We were already dressed in our Disney tshirts. It was priceless but I don't think it would work now that they are teenagers and have to pack for themselves.

[Goosie Lucy]

We've managed to keep it a secret and I think the kids are going to be thrilled. We live about an hour from the airport, so the night before we're staying in a hotel that has shuttle service to the airport. That's also a good cover as to why we have our bags packed. I laugh every time we see a YOAMD commercial because the kids beg to go and we tell them, not until they're older.
This is a total dream vacation. We're staying concierge at AKL and have a bunch of surprises planned for them. I can't wait to see the look on their faces when we tell them that we're going to Disney!:goodvibes

[tnkr mom]

I posted on another board about my planned surprise that didn't go over to well, (DS was worried about the dog and tree watering, augh)! That was more exciting for me, seemed to overwhelm the kids! BUT I have an idea for younger kids that have no concept of time yet, Just yesterday we cut strips of red,black & yellow (Mickey colors but any will do maybe pastel for the little princesses out there) construction paper and made a paper chain, each loop representing a day until your trip. This way each morning/@ dinner whatever your schedule, son can rip off one loop and see chain getting shorter. Explain when we get to the end we can get on the plane and go to Disney! Last night we had a really nice dinner talking about what we wanted to do while there (we try to make each trip different)! I even found out they always wanted to eat at Epcot's; LeCellier..needless to say I made a ADR last night!

[tnkr mom]

I posted on another board about my planned surprise that didn't go over to well, (DS was worried about the dog and tree watering, augh)! That was more exciting for me, seemed to overwhelm the kids! BUT I have an idea for younger kids that have no concept of time yet, Just yesterday we cut strips of red,black & yellow (Mickey colors but any will do maybe pastel for the little princesses out there) construction paper and made a paper chain, each loop representing a day until your trip. This way each morning/@ dinner whatever your schedule, son can rip off one loop and see chain getting shorter. Explain when we get to the end we can get on the plane and go to Disney! Last night we had a really nice dinner talking about what we wanted to do while there (we try to make each trip different)! I even found out they always wanted to eat at Epcot's; LeCellier..needless to say I made a ADR last night!:grouphug:

[quiltymom]

Last trip the kids were 4 & 6, and we didn't tell them until we were at the ariport. We wanted them to sleep the night before AND I didn't want the incessant: "When are we going to WDW?"

Well, it was a big mistake.

This time we're going to tell them - they will be 7 & 9 - and let them help out with the planning: where to eat, what rides to do/not to do, etc. For example, they were both terrified of Space Mountain at DL last summer, and I want to know if they want to try it at WDW (it's more tame) or not. I'd rather know before than trying to figure it out in the park.

Also, they can "help" save money. Every time they ask to go out to eat, we can honestly tell them that we will eat at home so we can save for our Disney trip. They can also help pack their own clothes (i.e., which princess dresses to bring - DD didn't want to wear all the ones I brought last time).

Good luck figuring it out!

[swillis]

Last trip the kids were 4 & 6, and we didn't tell them until we were at the ariport. We wanted them to sleep the night before AND I didn't want the incessant: "When are we going to WDW?"

Well, it was a big mistake.

This time we're going to tell them - they will be 7 & 9 - and let them help out with the planning: where to eat, what rides to do/not to do, etc. For example, they were both terrified of Space Mountain at DL last summer, and I want to know if they want to try it at WDW (it's more tame) or not. I'd rather know before than trying to figure it out in the park.

Also, they can "help" save money. Every time they ask to go out to eat, we can honestly tell them that we will eat at home so we can save for our Disney trip. They can also help pack their own clothes (i.e., which princess dresses to bring - DD didn't want to wear all the ones I brought last time).

Good luck figuring it out!


Why was it a mistake? I'm planning a surprise trip, so I'm anxious to hear the "bad" outcomes so I can hopefully avoid them.

[jillyjoey]

Why was it a mistake? I'm planning a surprise trip, so I'm anxious to hear the "bad" outcomes so I can hopefully avoid them.

I want to hear too. We are also surprising next year. This past December we didn't surprise. All went well until kids returned to school and I talked to DS's teacher. She told me that the weeks before the trip DS had Disney on the brain and wasn't doing his work in the classroom.

So -- we decided to surprise them this year. It's already hard -- I'm about to bust and I still have a LONG way to go.....

[quiltymom]

I probably should have prefaced that phrase by, it was a mistake for my kids.

Looking back, I think that they would have been even more excited about the trip if they had known beforehand. We bring them to Disneyland almost every summer when we're out visiting family, and they LOVE it. We're talking from rope drop 'till park closing without any breaks! It is just so much more fun to watch them anticipate the trip.

It boiled down to preparation (excuse me here while I watch a Disney commerical on TV!).

DD was terrified of the characters, but if we could have told her ahead of time just how large they were, and that they weren't small like on TV, she would've loved the character breakfasts much better. It took 3 meals for her to get near the princesses, let alone mask characters. And she would've been more excited about wearing her princess dresses - and I would've remembered to bring along her slip so they wouldn't itch!

DS adapted much better, but it would've been more fun for him if he knew ahead of time. We could've made sure to plan the rides he most wanted to do, etc.

Overall, it was a wonderful trip. I just think that it would've been more magical if they knew ahead of time. I just can't wait to see their faces when we tell them we're going back!

[emerymt]

Surprise! Oh most definitely! I surprised my DH & all the kids with a trip to Hawaii on our 10th anniversary. Had to set up a secret bank account, get him time off from work, the whole deal. So many people were in on it, I was sure it wouldn't work. But it did! They were so clueless! We were on the beach in Kauai by 3 pm and the look on their faces while the ocean rolled in is NEVER to be forgotten!

The only bad part was, I lost weight, got a tan & pedicure- and all DH thought was I was having a mid-life crisis! Geez- couldn't he have at least thought I had a guy on the side:mad:

Well, I guess it's a good thing that he knows that's not in my nature.

[gigi1313]

For myself, the anticipation of a big event is just about as delicious as the event itself. I can't imagine depriving my kids of a joy that I love so much.

Also, you know how those of us on the DIS enjoy planning? Well, my 6.5 year old son loves planning, too -- we must be related!!! He puts in the WDW planning DVD most days, and we talk about what he wants to do and what he doesn;t want to do and why.

i agree wholeheartedly... my 10yo LOVES planning and even helps others plan their trips and has a whole fictional leave mom/dad at home, take their credit card and stay at the Contemporary trip planned in his head... he knows where he'll eat (caseys and chef mickeys, of course!), how he'll get around, what souvies he'll buy me, etc... he even plans to get a haircut on Main Street!

but, we also like to surprise our kids... so we do a sorta-surprise... we tell them a month or three before we're going, but never give them the exact dates... "the end of january" (when we really left on the 12th)... "after camp is over" (and we really left on the last day of camp)... "for daddy's bday" (came home on dh's bday)... etc... in our opinions (kids too) it's the best of both worlds... esp our way of telling them... treasure hunts, showing up at school w/sweat shirt that says "We're Going to Disney World" and insisting that they put it on RIGHT THERE IN THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE!

we typically give them an hour or two to pack their own carryons and anything special we may have forgotten...

to the OP: whatever you decide... ENJOY :flower:

[billcsho]

We are going to WDW tomorrow with my 2 DD (6 and 11). We kept it a secret until we had everything booked right before Christmas. We wrapped the DW vacation planning DVD and put under the tree and make sure it was the last gift they opened. It is always a surprise when you tell the kids a DW vacation, so why wait for the last minute. I just love to see them counting down the days and prepare for the trip. I really don't see more excitement by keeping the secret longer unless it is way above the air and no solid plan has been laid out.:teacher:

[LizzySwan1022]

I've gone both ways (my parents surprised me when I was 10), I absolutly loved being surprised!

[Ellasgirls]

We surprised our kids (then 3 & 6) with a disney cruise by telling them we were going with daddy to a seminar. They knew we were taking an airplane ride and staying in a hotel but NOT a disney cruise! We got all the way to Florida and my ds (6) says "I wish we were going to Orlando to see Mickey"...not hearing the pilot saying "welcome to Orlando, ect..". We stayed in an airport hotel that night so we could get up bright and early to tell them and get on the bus to the cruise. With the camera rolling dh said "we have a surprise (ds starts bouncing up and down & dd copies)....daddy doesn't have a seminar (ds starts giggling and getting excited that daddy can swim with us at the hotel :) )....dh continues "Mickey called and wondered if we could come on his big boat with him!" Ds then says "we are going to disney?" and dh says "YES"...ds thinks Disney World (rides) not CRUISE and starts rattling off all the rides he wants to do with dh...when we calmed him down and explained not DW but Cruise he got really quiet and then started screaming and jumping around and dd (3) did the same! The only downfall to this is: the next month we did have to go to a seminar and the kids were all giddy with excitement that we weren't REALLY going to a seminar...oops! We are going back to disney world Aug 25-Sept 1 and they know all about it but I think they are spoiled because they aren't all excited (like me!) and wanting to talk about it (like me!). I know we will have a FABULOUS TIME!

[stemikger]

I did this with my daughter two years ago and it was priceless. We didn't tell her until we got to the airport and she started to cry. Her reaction was priceless.

However, this can back fire, because the next year we really weren't going to Disney and she thought we might surprise her again, so she was a little disappointed.