Anyone else making it a surprise vacation this year?

[tinkerbell3747]

We are surpirsing DS (10 will be 11) & DD ( 6 will be 7) this year. We usually go every other year so this year would have been our off year. However at the end of our trip last year we bought DVC @ BLT! The kids know about this since we went on the tour as a family etc....however they still expect that we won't go back to Disney until 2012..they do keep asking to go though ...I just keep saying "its not in the budget kiddos next year" ...We usually also stay value though the kids always wanted to stay at CR. Double Surprise! Not only are they going to Disney on a would be off year but we are staying in our new home at BLT!

I plan to wake them on the day of, and tell them their Nana (my DM) has a surprise treat for them. Get them dressed drive to the airport, I will have my them open the trunk to get something for Nana. I plan to attach a sign to 2 ballons one attached to each of their bags which says something like " Grab your bags - 'cause we are going to Disney". Of course we will leave the Ballons in the car grab the bags and Go GO GO....I can not wait until August!

 

[Fall1]

We are surpising and we leave on Friday!!!! The kids know they are going to Florida to visit their grandparents who are Wintering there, but they don't know that we are doing 4 days at Disney when we are done visiting.

They have been twice so far and ask EVERY DAY when they can go back! I am so excited to just drive there on Monday and let them see where they are!! DH wants to just drive up to the sign that says Welcome to Disney World and tell them we are staying for 4 days!!

 

[LisaTC]

We are headed down in October for the very first time. Our DD7 has no idea. The commercials definitely give you a wonderful idea regarding the surprise, but didn't persuade me more than I already was by my daughter! She saw the commercials and has been begging for months. I'm purposefully not telling her because I, too, can't go through the next 8.5 months of when are we going, etc! We are not telling her until we arrive at the airport. We are telling her that we are either going to pick up her aunt at the airport or go see her aunt who lives minutes from the airport. Either way, I am packing and planning on the stealth! It's very tiring keeping a secret!

 

[rtravels]

Allow me to be the Debbie Downer on this.
I love surprising people--but I now realize that it's more about my satisfaction in seeing them surprised than it is about them.
Ultimately, it's a rather selfish act.
A study I read recently showed people generally really like looking forward to a vacation, that it is an integral part of the experience.
When you take the "looking forward" part of the equation out, it may actually lessen the vacation.

The ad campaign is okay--definitey not one of their best, but probably the cheapest. After all, those you tube surprise moments are already scripted and shot.

Having said all that, my instinct is still to surprise--I'm learning to resist it.

 

[ValinWV]

Our kids that are still home know about our family vacation this year to Disney. We are however, with the help of our future Son in law planning a surprise honeymoon for our daughter.

 

[LisaTC]

Allow me to be the Debbie Downer on this.
I love surprising people--but I now realize that it's more about my satisfaction in seeing them surprised than it is about them.
Ultimately, it's a rather selfish act.

Mine is a selfish act because I don't, selfishly, want to hear until October, when, how much longer, etc. For a small child, the wait is unbearable. If she was older, I'd totally tell her, but at her age, the anticipation is more than she (we ) could withstand for that many months. Besides, I think you can only really surprise somebody once like this. I have a hard time wanting to surprise adults.

 

[buzzmom3]

We are suprising the kids in September. We usually go every year so we are suprising them to keep it exciting!

 

[Haley/Hayden Mom]

We leave to drive down on June 4th and can't wait. We have been the last two years and always included the girls in on the plans but this year we decided to to surprise them. They think we are only going Thanksgiving week and I think they will be uber excited when they realize we are going in June too. 103 days to go

 

[organized mommy]

We are going to suprise DD (7) in May. My parents are going with us, so when we go to "drop them off" at the airport (my father travels alot, so nothing new) we will just park and all go.

We went a few years back and when I told her we were going, the next morning she started packing. That was 7 months before we went!

I have gone back and forth with telling her, not telling her, but it will be best to not tell her, as my Great Grandmother is 97yrs old, so you never know how long she will be around. My MIL is also is sick. She has cancer and it is progressing. She was told she had at least a year, but, you never know. We of course got the insurance, and if things fall through will reschedule for Octoberish. I would just hate to disappoint her in May!

 

[rtravels]

To the above poster, do you realize what you just said? I hope you just typed that without thinking because it kind of sounds like you are more concerned with your daughter being disappointed in May if she misses the trip, than your potential loss of a family member.
Maybe that is not what you meant. Am I reading this wrong?

 

[jenabelle]

I'm surprising my 6yo DD with a couple of days at the end of a trip. I have to go to Florida for work and she's flying down with me and staying with her grandparents (inlaws ) for a couple of days. I'm going to spend a couple of days with them and then we're "going to the airport to fly home". What we are really doing trading in the rental at the place outside the Magic Kingdom and going to All Star Movies for three nights. I'm going to let it unfold and see when she figures it out.

Before I decided to add a couple of Disney days, my husband and I told her she would have to wait for a couple of years before we went back to Disney (went last year). I couldn't resist the mother/daughter trip and while we'll miss Dad, I’m looking forward to some special time with DD.

I've been able to secretly involve her in the planning. We were there last Feb and I've used our anniv to ask about favorite memories and look at the scrapbook she created from her autograph book. I've been asking her questions about what she wants to do next time we go down- she' s been part of the planning, but thinks it for a couple of years from now. A month to go and I can't wait!

 

[organized mommy]

To the above poster, do you realize what you just said? I hope you just typed that without thinking because it kind of sounds like you are more concerned with your daughter being disappointed in May if she misses the trip, than your potential loss of a family member.
Maybe that is not what you meant. Am I reading this wrong?

Yeah, you are interpreting that wrong. Our daughter knows all about the family things. Even told another grandmother the MIL is dying but we just don't know when. We live in a whole other world than most people. As she was diagnosed at the age of 1 with a brain tumor. So we are totally upfront with her about death, dying and cancer and what not. Most children her age haven't lost 2 friends under the age of 5 to cancer.

It's not that I am concerned about her being disappointed by postponing the trip, I just don't know that I could deal with 2 tragedies (in her mind) at the same time. It would just make it easier to deal with one at a time.

 

[MAMA GRAVE]

To the above poster, do you realize what you just said? I hope you just typed that without thinking because it kind of sounds like you are more concerned with your daughter being disappointed in May if she misses the trip, than your potential loss of a family member.
Maybe that is not what you meant. Am I reading this wrong?

Thanks for your help.

 

[stacynak]

Yep.....we are planning a surprise trip! Here is an excerpt of what I posted elsewhere...

So this year the hubby & I have decided that this summer we are going to take the kids to ATL for a 3 weeks in late May & early June. Then on the 5th of June we are going to wake them for a suprise 'road trip' and we are heading to WDW for 8 nights. We have been planning this for a while & it has been super hush-hush. We have been incredibly careful & I am certain the kids haven't found out at this point.

We are sooooo excited!

 

[Disneyhenry]

I am giving my hubby a surprise trip to Hawaii and we will stay at Aulani! It is hard to keep this a secret, I have been hearing from him "I want to go to Hawaii" I myself have never been but Disney is now there, so I will go!
It will be his Christmas Present this year......ahh secrets

 

[Mom of 3 Princesses]

I have the ultimate surprise planned!

DD 16 DD 13 and DD4 as well DH T have NO idea. I have booked and planned a 'right before Christmas' trip to the World for a week.

I plan to tell them on the 14th of Dec. We will leave on the afternoon of the 15th to drive down to Disney and check in on the 16th.

BIG SURPRISE!!

 

[kbaugh23]

We are surprising our DS8 and DD4 this Saturday. We are going to wake them up and tell them we are flying to Disney in a couple of hours. We have been planning it for months and are so excited to surprise them.

We just found out today that our wonderful dog, Molly, has cancer. She is 11 years old. So it has been a rough day for all of us. We explained to the kids that Molly is really sick and that she will not be with us much longer...it was heartbreaking and our DS8 is taking it really hard. Molly has been with us for eleven years.

I think this Saturday will be a truly great surprise for them. I can't wait to see them smile again.

I'm so sorry about your dog! This brought tears to my eyes. I know they are going to be so happy this weekend!!

 

[PrincessDez]

I have planned many surprise vacations for my boys. A good friend and I even planned a major New Years Day trip and totally surprised our 4 teenagers. They had NO idea. We took them out to breakfast and told them 5 hours before we left. We have a fantastic video of it and I have often thought of sending into Disney.
Soooooooo, this year my sister found out she has a convention to attend at YC during my niece's spring break. Originally she was going to send her up to stay with me for the week, but we came up with a brilliant idea. They are going to drive up to my house on Saturday and spend the night, then when Princess Bella wakes up and looks for her Easter basket she will find one FILLED with WDW stuff. We will then tell her we are taking a trip. Just Mom, Auntie and Princess! We are very sad that her dad and my DH and DS's (14 & 16) can't go, but they have been any times. It'll be a fun girls trip! I am very excited about the one day that I get my Princess all to myself! It is going to be a blast!

 

[Mousedreaming]

My poor kids. The past two years, they have really enjoyed their trips to the World for Spring Break. That was it for a while. And now that Spring Break is closer, and another Chicago winter is d-r-a-g-g-i-n-g, wouldn't they like to know that those sad puppy eyes are for nothing?

We started planning when we were invited to come see a timeshare back in June. Going March 17th- 24th. DS (12) and DD (7) have no clue, and after chatting with their teachers about it, we might not need to tell them until they get up and start getting ready for school that morning!