Not sure if this is the right forum - How to Surprise an Adult with a trip to WDW????

[Oz-kateer]

Sorry if this is the wrong place - feel free to move the post....

I visited WDW last month with my son and we loved it so much we decided to come back next September 2010.

I thought it would be a nice thing to bring my niece and nephew as they have never been to Disney and my sister in law cannot afford to bring them all the way from Australia.

She was excited when I asked he could I bring her kids to WDW, but over the past few weeks as I've been discussing it with her I can tell she's happy for the kids but a little sad she isn't going to see their excitement etc.

Anyway - I have been thinking and doing some sums and if I also brought my sister in law, it really wouldn't cost that much more, just her airfare from Australia and tickets. We alreday have 2 rooms booked at the Pop, and I'm hoping for free dining.

I have talked to her mother about it and she thinks it would be great for her to come, but I have explained it's going to be contingent upon some good airfare deals and free dining, which I'm quite confident about.

I have seen lots of threads with people coming up with ways to surprise their kids, but has anyone got any idea how to surprise an adult with a free trip to WDW??

[DisneyAngie]

Honestly, I would think that a lot of the ideas in the kids threads could be applicable to adults as well (such as filling a box with balloons that float out and a letter explaining that she's going to Disney). Obviously, some wouldn't work as well (you can't very well pick her up from school and surprise her at the airport, lol), but I bet you could make some of them work.

[jtopp]

It would probably be difficult, but the result would be well worth it. You would have to have her mom try to contact her job to secure the time off. I would have the children pack her clothes in their suitcases, and then when she comes to the airport to drop off her children, hand her her airline ticket, making her children help with the surprise. It's a kind gesture on your part, and i hope that it works out. Good luck!!!

[WeLuvDiz]

Originally Posted by jtopp

It would probably be difficult, but the result would be well worth it. You would have to have her mom try to contact her job to secure the time off. I would have the children pack her clothes in their suitcases, and then when she comes to the airport to drop off her children, hand her her airline ticket, making her children help with the surprise. It's a kind gesture on your part, and i hope that it works out. Good luck!!!

Good idea jtopp that would make me drop to my knees and cry

[Oz-kateer]

Originally Posted by jtopp

It would probably be difficult, but the result would be well worth it. You would have to have her mom try to contact her job to secure the time off. I would have the children pack her clothes in their suitcases, and then when she comes to the airport to drop off her children, hand her her airline ticket, making her children help with the surprise. It's a kind gesture on your part, and i hope that it works out. Good luck!!!

Good idea but I should have explained - we are coming from Australia so it's a little more complicated than kidnapping her and driving her to the airport, or telling her when she drops us off she's coming too!

I really need to give her a few months warning, the kids don't even know yet. So maybe we could combine the two - the kids birthdays are very close together so it was our idea to surprise them a couple of months out with what they think is going to be a gift certificate, and when they open it up it will be a "Surprise! You're going to WDW!" letter. The sister in law knows about this.

But the sting will be that when the kids inevitably stop jumping around and screaming their heads off I can hand her a fat envelope with what I'll tell her are copies of the kids travel documents - tickets, itinerary, phone numbers, ESTA's, travel insurance etc - and ask her to open it up and check it's all there, and inside WILL be all that PLUS a letter to her that says "Suprise! You're coming too!!"

That way they'll all get the surprise on the same day.

How does that wash?

[indimom]

The envelope idea is so simply and she'll have no idea what is coming! I'm surprising my hubby next year for our anniversary and so I know how complicated it can get planning a surprise for an adult. (Just arranging for the weeks off work has got me worried and you've got the added confusion of traveling overseas.) I think your idea sounds great and she will be sooooo surprised.
This will be really nice for her kids too. We took my niece to Orlando last December with our family and it was a lot of fun, but I still think she missed her mom and dad a bit while we were there. Your niece and nephew will have the best of both worlds.

[mthompson22]

I think you can also get Mickey or one of his friends to call you and say something like "I'm so glad you are coming to see me. See ya real soon" or something to that effect. Someone on here may know the phone # or website you can use to set up the call. I know I'd have a fit if MIckey called me right now and suggested that he'd be seeing me real soon

[dburg30]

Obviously, with an adult, there are many more hurdles to overcome. I'm making some assumptions here.. If they have a job, somehow you would need to get the time off for them, without them knowing. That could cause issues where people need to schedule their time at the start of a period for the next year. They only have so much to use, so having them planning to use it some other time, then having this 'suprise' could mess up other plans. Now, if you could convince them to 'take time off while the kids are gone' that could help, but again, if they make plans, would be be able to cancel them?

The general 'house'. Do they have pets? Could someone else make sure to take care of stuff while they are gone?

Obviously, the cool way would be to have something happen a day or 2 before, or the day of if possible. While I would be THRILLED if someone suprised me that way, it would frustrate me if there was something that wasnt packed that others didnt know I needed or really would want to take. ie: computer / camera, any special meds that they may have that maybe you or the kids dont know about??

I think it's GREAT, but I think you would have to suprise more in advance. It could be something as easy as a hand made 'invitation' or as elaborate as a 'party' thrown for the occasion.

[DexLabDeeDee]

I think the birthday idea is a really good one. I love the simplicity with the envelope. Sometimes, the less fanfare, the bigger the impact. However, are you sure that a couple of months is enough time to secure the vacation from work? I know that I probably wouldn't have a problem but I know that other people might - especially if there happens to be someone else at work taking vacation at the same time. If you don't think that work would be an issue then I would definitely do the birthday thing. You'll have to make sure that she opens the travel documents right there instead of filing them away for later.

I hope you are able to get a good deal on air!

[Missytara]

I took three girlfriends one year that I work with. The two were already booked, so adding a fourth person was already pretty cheap by then, so we opted to spring for it. She had recently lost her DF and was really feeling it around the holidays.

We took her to lunch and gave her the package already paid off.

We had already talked to her boss, who is a dear old soul, and he was thrilled to offer her the week off - before we gave it to her, just in case. That is the drawback with springing it on an adult - you cannot assume they can get off work or have other obligations, etc. that would prevent them from just leaving home.

[jtopp]

If possible, have the moment videotaped. No moment is more endearing then when that kind of surprise is realized, and the reaction is a moment that will be remembered forever by you.

[bouncycat]

I recently surprised my mom with a birthday trip, fully paid for...I took her to dinner, and put the whole plan in a folder, and I got this really cool "I'm going to disneyworld?" from her, and it's been awesome. The trip was awesome, and even still the aftermath, organizing the pictures, etc. has just been awesome!! Best thing I coulda done for my mom!!!!

[Cinderella1122]

My dad and I are planning a surprise trip for my mom's 50th Xmas 2010, shes always tells me that she wants to see Disney at xmas time. We are going to tell her that we are taking her to a nice late lunch, but instead, we are going to stop at the theatre and see the lion king. Of couse, she'll think the lion king is her surprise. After the show, we are going to wrap up a travel guide and put a letter in there that we are going to disney xmas week. It will be a surprise for my siblings too, since they dont know either.

[Oz-kateer]

No problems with the work thing for her - she's employed a couple of days a week by a relative who has alreday given us the green lights. We're planning on telling the kids 10 weeks out so this should be enough time for her to do her own planning. I know her very well and know her routine and it's not going to be a problem from that perspective - the main issue was not whether I should do it but HOW!!

[dburg30]

Originally Posted by Oz-kateer

No problems with the work thing for her - she's employed a couple of days a week by a relative who has alreday given us the green lights. We're planning on telling the kids 10 weeks out so this should be enough time for her to do her own planning. I know her very well and know her routine and it's not going to be a problem from that perspective - the main issue was not whether I should do it but HOW!!

AWESOME!! Then heck, if you have that kind of free reign... Wow, now we will have to think of a cool way.. I'm bad at that kind of stuff, but I know you'll have more great ideas..