Not-so-Magical Christmas surprise.

[ekatiel]

If it makes you feel any better, we surprised ours this morning, too, and they were pretty non-plussed. They already knew we were planning on taking a Disney Cruise, they just didn't know when, so they were like, "Cool. Hey look at this other present we can unwrap." Maybe I should have saved the gift until the end of unwrapping! Oh well, they're a little spoiled when it comes to vacations. I know they will get excited, I just need to give them a little time to get revved up ! --Katie

[ekatiel]

Oh, and I scheduled the call and TOTALLY forgot about it until I read your post . Hhhmmm, I guess that was the mystery 866 number on my phone this morning. I'm such a dork!!! --Katie

[Paigeanne]

Originally Posted by CulpeperCrew

My 5 year old and 8 year old had a very similar reaction. I picked them both up from school early. I had Mickey mouse bags FULL of Disney gear and we broke the news to them that we were leaving that minute to cruise on the Fantasy for Christmas vacation. My oldest seemed "kind of" excited but my daughter CRIED!!! She said she was afraid to go...we have a boat that we spend a lot of time on in the summer so we THINK she pictured that boat and having to sleep on it for 7 days. My kids are very "go with the flow" so I was not expecting this reaction at all. But let me say that once we arrived at the ship ( just 10 days ago) my kids had an absolute blast. But also be prepared that once on the ship, in your close quarters, you will experience moments where where they are still carrying on about little things or even complaining about something and you will find your blood pressure rising as you think about the money and time you invested in this. Again, kids are kids and they will never fully appreciate anything until they are not kids anymore

Thanks for the advice!! I need to take a step back and be present, even if everything isn't "perfect".

[Paigeanne]

Originally Posted by mad madam mim78

I will admit. Skylanders is pretty cool!

My kids are the same way. My DH and I were considering an adult only trip in May but DH feels bad when we go without them. He insisted we at least ask them if they want to go. Two out of three kids said NO to disney world. Since majority had to rule they will not be going this time. I just don't get it. I would poop my pants anytime I heard he word disney and my kids couldn't care less.

Oh well.....adult trip in May!!!!!!!!!!

YES!! We had $$ saved up to go to a resort without kids, but came across the 'kids sail free' in the planning stage. So we gave up our trip for this one. This morning I was all "Cancel it!!" But now, I'm a little more relaxed.

[sweetpee_1993]

We planned to tell our boys about our 1/18 8-night Magic out of Galveston as a Christmas surprise. Well, DS16 figured out well ahead of time what we were up to. It's hard to do any plotting when you homeschool and your teenagers are like your sidekicks 24/7. LOL! Then hubby wanted to shock us all on Christmas morning by upgrading us to a 1-bedroom suite...but those beans got spilled when shoreside concierge called my cell phone to offer their services. LOL! DS15 was clueless until this morning which is amazing, really. Anyone could've easily put all the pieces together. Anywhoo, so they unwrapped the "surprise". DS16 just smiled and giggled thru it all. DS15 was convinced we were pulling a prank, that we weren't serious. In reviewing the video he just looks so shocked and in utter disbelief. A few times he asks, "Seriously?" It's not until the final detail registered, the 1-bedroom suite, that he cheered. Both boys definitely know what they're heading into since the cruised the Magic last May (& liked it better than the Dream) in a 1-bedroom suite (via port upgrade). Of course I had visions of commercial-worthy reactions but I don't think we got bad reactions either. They're teenagers. I have to remember to take any/all expectations and toss them right out the window because they're too weird to ever predict in any way. Throughout the day the cruise has come up in conversation a lot. The 15yro says stuff like, "Oh my gosh! When Uncle Jerry said last week he wanted to ditch work and go with us, THAT's what he was talking about!" or "Holy crap! That's why Nana gave us Disney gift cards for Christmas!" It's registered with him throughout the day how everyone else in the world knew about this. The excitement is building, too. They've asked to look at the deck plan I have. We mentioned how big the FE group is and told them they would have to lend a hand with the distribution. Lots of little things. It's been a lot of fun even if we didn't have that super-amazing initial freak-out. They're definitely happy and will have a fab time which is all that really matters.

[blu]

We missed the video also. I had nesting boxes wrapped with a clue telling them to search for the new ornament. Had a steamboat Willie ornament right up front. They looked for all of 10 seconds and DH told them that its right up front. My DD has a cold and started coughing. She got choked on snot and I thought she was going to throw up. Meanwhile the rest of the family is peppering her with "do you know what it means?" " do you know where you are going?" She was just trying to breathe and not throw up. If they would have left her alone it would have been great. My DS takes his clues from her so he didn't know what to think.

[OrcaPotter]

Sorry your kids did not give you the ideal reaction. I'm always afraid of a less-than-picturesque reaction to big gifts--adult OR child. I surprised my best friend with the news I've booked her on the Dream at the end of January with myself, our other best friends, and my family. I was nervous that she wouldn't react how I expected, or worse--not want to go. She was in pure shock initially. It wasn't until a few hours later that it really sunk in, and she's as giddy as any little kid about it!

It's so easy when you're excited about something yourself and you want others to be, too, to build up expectations in your head about how that person (or persons) will react. There were some moments when I really thought that maybe she wasn't as thrilled as I thought she'd be. But later, it was all she could talk about and wouldn't stop asking me questions! So, give your kids time. Kids under 10 have no real concept of time, so maybe make some sort of countdown calendar for them and talk about the cruise everyday up until you leave. I have no doubt they'll be excited by then.

I don't have kids, but I have 3 nieces and 1 nephew. I've learned over the years not to expect what I envision their reactions to things will be--because they'll almost always disappoint you. Not deliberately, 'cause they're kids.

[Minnie321]

Originally Posted by Paigeanne

We have been waiting for MONTHS to tell our sons 5 & 8 about our 1st cruise!! We're going on the Magic out of Galveston on Jan 26th. Well, we had the most adorable box of stuff full pics and things to tell the kids we where going, including a cute little note from out Elf on the Shelf telling them we had been keeping a secret etc... We set up the automated call from Mickey, the whole 9 yards.
And they where tremendously under impressed.....
I get it. They're young and don't really know what to expect..... but CRAP!!! Our video is terrible, I mean, they asked if hey could play Skylanders now. And I told my hubby to turn the #%@$ thing off!! I almost cried. We've watched some YouTube vids and talked about it all day, and its a LITTLE better. Definitely NOT the picture I painted in my head!!!

Your story reminds me of last summer when I surprised my then 10 year old with a trip to Disney World - down to we were at the Orlando airport and she still thought we were going to visit friends in Kentucky. It was so hard to keep the secret and pack things for Disney without her seing or making up excuses for why I wanted to bring certain items to her Nanny's house. So we get down to the level to get on the Magical Express and well lets just say it was not Magical at all - as a matter of fact she was the only child sitting on the bus - in tears - yes IN TEARS - saying all I wanted to do was go to Kentucky and see Nanny and Sophie. Okay so it was her like 22nd trip to Disney World but come on - it never gets old - right??? So long story short the other part of the surprise was her Nanny and Sophie were at the hotel waiting in the lobby to surprise her - well to get her to stop crying I had to blow that part of the surprise and tell her they were there waiting for her and that we were all about to spend ten wonderful days together in Disney World. You see a few years before we surprised Sophie and showed up at Disney when she didn't know we were coming (had the girls sit on opposite sides of the concrete bench by Dumbo and had my daughter say key things like names and things Sophie would recognize - not to mention my daughters voice - until Sophie finally said, "Mom you are not going to believe this but Aunt Tracy and Annalise are sitting on the other side of this bench!" Priceless)!

[dizneekrazee]

Originally Posted by Minnie321

Your story reminds me of last summer when I surprised my then 10 year old with a trip to Disney World - down to we were at the Orlando airport and she still thought we were going to visit friends in Kentucky. It was so hard to keep the secret and pack things for Disney without her seing or making up excuses for why I wanted to bring certain items to her Nanny's house. So we get down to the level to get on the Magical Express and well lets just say it was not Magical at all - as a matter of fact she was the only child sitting on the bus - in tears - yes IN TEARS - saying all I wanted to do was go to Kentucky and see Nanny and Sophie. Okay so it was her like 22nd trip to Disney World but come on - it never gets old - right??? So long story short the other part of the surprise was her Nanny and Sophie were at the hotel waiting in the lobby to surprise her - well to get her to stop crying I had to blow that part of the surprise and tell her they were there waiting for her and that we were all about to spend ten wonderful days together in Disney World. You see a few years before we surprised Sophie and showed up at Disney when she didn't know we were coming (had the girls sit on opposite sides of the concrete bench by Dumbo and had my daughter say key things like names and things Sophie would recognize - not to mention my daughters voice - until Sophie finally said, "Mom you are not going to believe this but Aunt Tracy and Annalise are sitting on the other side of this bench!" Priceless)!

That.Is.Amazing!!

[kdeans1010]

There's a Buzzfeed article called "Why kids are the worst" go read it now! Laugh! And there's another one called "Why kids ruin Christmas." Seriously go read those. They are funny. And it will make your day better.

I had a big surprised laid out for my mom a few months ago. It was going to be spilled out in a "cute" manner. Then I spilled the surprise in the lay over in Atlanta on our way home. By the time I came home my mom was giddy. I kinda' think the idea of the surprise and then how it actually happened are better than if I did the actual surprise.

[lark]

I hate surprises. Always have. As a kid, I went to disney once on a pretty limited budget and until I returned as an adult it was always like this amazing pie in the sky fantasy type idea. Even so, if my parents had brought me to Orlando and sprung it on me, they would not have liked my reaction. The unpleasantness of the surprise would have far outweighed going to disney. Sure I would ultimately have been happy, but not nearly as happy as if I had been spared the surprise. Also, it deprives you of the chance to anticipate the trip, which sometimes is half the fun. If you are a disboarder, there is a good chance that you enjoy the planning and anticipation. Whether genetically or environmentally, consider that your children are like you.

Being a surprisaphobic, I've learned there are more of us than one might think. Everyone loves a surprise party, right? Not really. For many of us, our brains don't do well with it and the thought is repulsive. If you know your child does well with surprises, great. But if you're not sure, know that it's not a one-size fits all proposition.

Also, at least be sensitive to (or even just aware of) the fact that surprises are often crafted to be more about the surpriser than the surprisee.

[luv2sleep]

I think those kids who get all excited with surprise vacations are not the norm. For my son, being told he was going on a Disney cruise meant nothing to him. He's 5 and being 5 he couldn't really grasp the concept even after watching videos about the trip. After he went on his first one he was happy about the second one but no where near as excited as I was, lol.

I have to remind myself not to expect a certain reaction when it comes to Christmas, his bday or vacations. Although he's excited by all of it it's never as much as I'd like to be. Best thing to do is to lower and have more realistic execrations.

[Kbrush]

I can completely relate to your disappointment! My daughter is 8 and not a big Disney fan. To the extent that I just won't go to the parks anymore with her. I tried it once and she refused to enjoy anything but the pool at our hotel. I had previously only been to the parks as an adult and had a blast so I was angry/frustrated/sad that I couldn't share such a fun experience with my child. I think if I had been able to get over my own childish disappointment I could have enjoyed the vacation but I am sad to say I was grumpy the whole time.

We went on a Disney cruise last March and she loved it so we are going again this March. But even on the cruise there were times when I just wanted to cry because something I was really looking forward to fell apart. I had been eagerly looking forward to snorkeling and had spent the previous summer introducing DD to mask and snorkel in the pool. But faced with sand in her flippers and waves she freaked out, threw her mask at me, and refused to even try. I actually did cry.

I have to keep reminding myself not to anticipate too much. To just let things flow as they will. It's really hard. But it's even harder to enjoy the vacation when reality crashes into daydreams as it always seems to!

[Paigeanne]

I just love y'all. You have made me feel so much better about this trip. I really appreciate the honestly.

[kdeans1010]

Originally Posted by lark

I hate surprises. Always have. As a kid, I went to disney once on a pretty limited budget and until I returned as an adult it was always like this amazing pie in the sky fantasy type idea. Even so, if my parents had brought me to Orlando and sprung it on me, they would not have liked my reaction. The unpleasantness of the surprise would have far outweighed going to disney. Sure I would ultimately have been happy, but not nearly as happy as if I had been spared the surprise. Also, it deprives you of the chance to anticipate the trip, which sometimes is half the fun. If you are a disboarder, there is a good chance that you enjoy the planning and anticipation. Whether genetically or environmentally, consider that your children are like you.

I HATE/loathe surprises. I found out all my holiday gifts. My mom is the opposite and doesn't get why I hate not knowing.