When do you tell the kids?

Fintastic · Aug 30, 2016

Are you the "countdown as a family" type or the "surprise them the morning of" type? What have you done in the past?

Baklava · Aug 30, 2016

Surprises are a horrible idea for my particular kids. We tell the 18 year old when we're thinking about it and the 6 year old once we book.

MagicSoup · Aug 30, 2016

I'm horrible at keeping secrets like that. I was still trying to think of when we wanted to tell our 4 year old about the trip and he saw the computer as I was pricing it out on the computer and that was the end of that!

We set up a countdown since he was asking every day if that was the day we were going so it gave a visual of just how much time is left.

roseaster · Aug 30, 2016

Depends on the kids. We have done both, but my kids have no issues with surprises.

If the kids are really little, then don't tell them more than 2 weeks out, unless you want to hear, "are we going today? When are we going?" Every day.

If they are younger school aged kids a countdown calendar could be fun.

jump00 · Aug 30, 2016

When my kids were young they loved taking part in the planning of our wdw trips. We would watch our favorite Disney movies together and plan where we wanted to eat - they each had their favorite places. If we had "surprised" them they would have lost out in all this fun and anticipation. But those are just my kids!!! Let us know how it turned out and enjoy!!! :flower1:

22Tink · Aug 30, 2016

In the past we've always told our kids right away and included them in the planning. This past trip to DL I didn't tell my 8 yo daughter until we were a week out. It was great. She still had that week to be excited but it wasn't so long that she was relentlessly asking "How many sleeps?" for months!

Canooknic · Aug 30, 2016

Morning of, they wouldn't sleep EVER if they knew ahead of time!!

I always come up with a big reveal, for any trip not just Disney vacations, so we have lots of extra happy memories

Happyinwonerland · Aug 30, 2016

We are a countdown family. DH and I spend far too much time discussing our plans to keep it a secret from DD

ChasingLeslie · Aug 30, 2016

We went this July for our first trip. We had been talking with the kids about going since the previous summer. We are going again next summer and are "surprising" the kids with the news at Christmas.

I couldn't imagine trying to surprise the kids on the day of. Whenever we go anywhere, I pack for a few days. I don't know how I'd hide everything and keep it secret.

megster1123 · Aug 30, 2016

We're traveling in October and I'm planning on telling them next week. They haven't started school yet so I want them to be excited about that first, and then we'll drop then WDW bomb the weekend after they go back. I feel that the anticipation is a big part of special things like this, and I want them to be able to think about the trip and get excited! Plus, even though I have 98% of the planning done, I'm going to let them "help" with the planning over the next few weeks. They like to feel included in that kind of thing.

Ensusieasm · Aug 30, 2016

Fintastic said:
Are you the "countdown as a family" type or the "surprise them the morning of" type? What have you done in the past?

Sometimes the surprise videos I see online don't go very well. So give the kids a heads up according to their age. A teenager needs more time because of their activities and social life. A very young child just a few days. Have fun!

Hikergirl · Aug 30, 2016

I've always just told them, but I've never booked a WDW vacation more than 5 months out. If I booked a year out I'd probably wait until it got closer.

monorailsilver · Aug 31, 2016

My kids have known since we left in August 2013 that in 5 years we'd be back. Two more years...actually in 2 years I will be in Disney let down stage as we would of just returned.

Pesky · Aug 31, 2016

For our DLR, we kept it a total surprise. Didn't phase my DS but I did discover he prefers some knowledge and I have to plan on going in spurts for him as he needs a break during the day. DD loved it so much she wants all vacations to be a surprise. So we are surprising them again. I swear this is the LAST.TIME. (for reference, I said that the last time.) It wasn't some big screaming fest when they found out but DD just loved being surprised. We are telling them the morning we are leaving with a scavenger hunt. They will find out about WDW then and have the guidebook and stuff to look at. It's not 100% a surprise because they knew it was coming some time. They won't find out about the USO until we drive up to the park. I don't have much in the way of firm plans for those parks.

cyneswith · Aug 31, 2016

We are starting the countdown tomorrow, mostly because traveling-companion-Grandma strongly suggests/basically requests it. We'll see.

I've been talking about it for months, because I know him. When I first told him, it was "NOOOO! I don't want to go to DISNEY WOWOLD!" (Terror) Then "We CAN'T go there, Mommy! Disney Wowold is NOT REAL!" (skepticism) Then "when are we going to the DISNEY splash pool, Mommy?" (legitimately only interested in the hotel pool) And finally "Let's go to Disney today!" (in "this is a good idea!" mode.) He's nowhere near as excited as I am, though, which I am very good with (it was over-hyped for my first trip, which was miserable. Mostly because my brother expected perfection.) It was 7DMT and Barnstormer videos that made him start to think it MIGHT be OK, and the steam train that fully convinced him that he wants to go. He tends to resist new ideas, unless he's been exposed to them. I've shown him videos of the park, the resort, character meetings, rides he might enjoy. It might not improve WDW itself, but it will improve the drive.

jevs · Aug 31, 2016

For the first trip I told them the day before. Second trip it was 2 weeks. Next trip it will most likely be a couple of weeks. Although they know there is a trip planned for later in the year they don't know the dates.

Momto2minniemice · Aug 31, 2016

We are a let them know family that is until now. We leave in less than 30 days and they still do not know. With a 12 DD and 5 DD it is hard but been fun planning!

Mirax · Sep 2, 2016

It depends on the child and his/her age. My 5 year old I can surprise with a last minute trip. My teenagers I have to tell before I even book the trip. Teenagers not only have school but other obligations. If they are on a sports team, or other club activity, they are obligated to go to every meeting. Any type of theater production and/or sports team, and they miss a practice they loose their spot.

here757 · Sep 3, 2016

Ohh! My kids don't get told anything.. Usually around SC they notice Disney signs.. Otherwise I usually tell them when we enter the property

cmarsh31 · Sep 3, 2016

DD hates hates hates hates surprises. We've tried with a night at the Great Escape Lodge, a day trip to the American Girl store... doesn't matter. If we're in the car and she doesn't know where we're going (even if we say it's a surprise, it'll be really fun, etc) she freaks out and gets really really upset. So, we plan together for months and months. For our upcoming US trip, they knew we were going, but thought it was in Feb - a few weeks ago we told them, surprise, we're going in October!

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