How did YOU tell your kids you were going to Disney World???

[sp0ngem0nkey]

When we told her she had to dog sit because Mom and Dad were going to Disney for 2 weeks!!!
DD-22 <-
CindieRella Storm

LOLOLOL!!!!! <cruel> funny though! Love the doggie names.

 

[sp0ngem0nkey]

Last year we put DS and DN in shirts that on the back said we are going to disney and don't even know it. Told DS on ME bus @ midnight. DSIL told DN the next morning while on the bus to MK. The faces were priceless! This year I plan on telling DS when Gma drops us off at the airport. Thinks we aren't going back till 2013. Love leaving it for a last minute surprise!

Majorly funny!!! I would put that on the twins t-shirts if they weren't already wearing "Disney or Bust" with Steamboat Willie at the helm on theirs.

 

[sp0ngem0nkey]

I have to break the news to them at 6 am... so I'm thinking of a gift wrapped box in their room. Then turn on Disney music in the living room. DH will film them waking up. I made invitations with the help of cards made from creative DISigners here. I plan to have it on a wrapped box with balloons and t-shirts that have Steamboat Willie at the helm saying "Disney or Bust" on the back.

Here is a picture of the invitations for my little Minnie and Mickey.

 

[a*lil*bit*goofy]

spongemonkey, i love it. have fun!!!

 

[PanandCindy'smom]

This will be my kiddos 3rd trip. We did the first with them knowing we were going, the second was a surprise up until about 4 days before and this time, we just told them this past weekend and the trip is now in 3 weeks.

This time, I made a sign that said "We are going to Disney World!" but then I cut it up into 28 puzzle pieces. I hid the pieces around the yard, they had to find them all and then assemble the puzzle to figure out the "news" that mom and dad had for them that night. It was a really fun way to tell them and seeing them try to figure out the puzzle while they were putting it together was hysterical. The only flaw in my plan was that we did this just before bedtime. Not the best time to break the news if you want to sleep at all that night! LOL

 

[Disney4Ten]

When I was asking ds (14) what he wanted for his birthday last month, he couldn't come up with anything. I suggested cash to which ds (9) said, "To spend at Disney World!" Later I asked where he wanted to eat on his big day, both boys stated naming their fav placed at DW. They had no idea that we'd booked a trip 10 months earlier.

We had planned to tell them the first day of school (this past Monday), but this seemed to perfect to pass up. On BD, he got a card from Mickey "See you in 49 days." (And a Visa gift card.) His deepening voice got higher and higher as he read the card. "Do you understand what this means guys?! We're going back to Disney World!!" Priceless.

 

[coozieman]

We leave for the World in 7 days and tried my best to hold off telling my 8 year old DS he news, but couldn't wait any longer.

Started off the day by adding Disney items to his "Treasure Chest" - first a Hidden Mickey book, followed by a lanyard, and lastly 20 pins that I bought from Ebay! Everytime I had the chance, i would drop another one into the chest - it was priceless. He is such a HUGE believer in Disney magic and was/is convinved that Tink was adding these items.

Fast forward to the evening when we returned home from a Birthday party and a mysterious clue was in his treasure chest and the hunt for additional clues began

Take a look at the video I posted to see how it all unraveled (it's a bit long - with the actual suprise piece can be found at the 9 minute mark)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj9lQoarP0A

 

[***tink386]

The first time we went to WDW (in 2003) , we totally surprised our kids. It was AMAZING!!! We were flying out of Sacramento, CA on a red eye flight. I bought 2 guide books "Walt Disney World For Kids" to get ready for our surprise. We went to one of our favorite restaurants and I was able to speak privately with our waiter without our kids seeing. When it was time for dessert, we asked the kids what they wanted to do after dinner. We suggested things like going for a walk, going bowling, maybe seeing some relatives.... Our waiter came with the two books in hand, he handed one to each of the kids and said "How would you like to go here after dinner??" The kids said that would be nice, but there was no way they were going to WDW tonight. They were looking very puzzled, while we were looking very excited We told the kids we were hopping on a plane in an hour or so. I wish I would have the whole thing on video, it was PRICELESS. To say the least, the were stunned!! I had been planning for about a year, we had all their bags packed and went right to the airport. To make things even better, when we got to Magic Kingdom, we surprised them again and met their best friends and parents in Florida. So cool

 

[bumbershoot]

So many of these ideas are cute, and my mom once pulled off a surprise trip that worked out well (and I despise surprises, always have) where we stopped on our drive *home* from the Grand Canyon, but....

To my kids, anticipation was half the fun. Planning what they would wear, what they would do, where they wanted to eat was so every exciting. We always planned the vacations together so they were in on it as soon as we, as parents, had decided to go.

That's where my loyalties lie. DS loves planning as much as I do!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

A few years ago I helped one of my nephews surprise his seven year old daughter. I sent her a greeting card with no return address, but on the envelope clearly marked "Do No Open Until November 29". Because of the contents he let me know when it arrived. This was driving his daughter crazy; especially when on the 29th her mother said she would have to wait until she was home from school to open it.

Anyway, evening comes along and she finally is allowed to open the envelope. Inside she finds a generic card with Mickey on the front. When she opens it three tickets drop out. The inside of the card says: "Dear Emma, I hope you and your parents will come down to visit me" and was signed by Mickey. (It helps to know some people who have been trained to sign Mickey's name.)

And her parents told her to start reading what was on the card (3rd grade). She starts off where it says "Mickey's Very Merry Christmas" and then sees (and reads) where it also says "Valid Only November 30". She looks at her parents, and says in a very anguished tone: "But that's tomorrow!"

And the next day they flew down.

(Side note - I had recorded the numbers of the tickets in case the envelope got lost as there was no return address.)

 

[BooCar3126]

We will be headding to Disney World this October. My sister works there so my parents gave us the trip last year for Christmas. The kids know we are going but we are not telling them when (which they are not pleased with since everyone else knows). We are preparing by watching one Disney movie every Sunday until we leave. We have a TON of movies so they think we have a long time until we go. We also have our Disney wall containing letters, what they think the Disney flag looks like and pictures of some of the parks. They are also collecting pins when we have good days and lose them for bad days. We have gone over where we are going what we are doing but not when we are going. The anticipation is killing them. I ended up writting a letter to them from Mickey Mouse talking about the things they will do and made it personal to them. My son wrote one back to Lightning McQueen and my daughter to the mouse himself. They were so excited to tell them when they thought we would be coming and all of the fun things they wanted to do. I am going to send one letter from each main character every month till we leave. The day we leave we will pick them up from school and give them their last letter telling them that we are on our way to the airport right now. My daughter thinks we will be going in 180 days and my son things it will be the 18th of next month!