***Official Surprise Trips Thread and Planning Tips!***

[Geomom]

How do you keep it a secret for so long?!?!

I am planning on telling the kids on Christmas day as a sort of extra present... but I sooooo can't keep quiet until then!!!!!

For us, the fact that we have a trip in February that the kids DO know about has helped us keep the secret. We're going with friends, so they've had a say in restaurants, etc.

I am going absolutely crazy trying to keep the secret now though! Only 2 more days! I've got carry-ons packed, toiletry bag, sunscreen, coffee all ready to go. I need to wait to pack the kids clothes until the morning we're leaving, it's been warm enough that they've been wearing their summer pj's, so I couldn't sneak them out of their drawers without them noticing...although I did sneak 1 set out a few weeks ago.

 

[tlenzendorf]

How do you keep it a secret for so long?!?!

I am planning on telling the kids on Christmas day as a sort of extra present... but I sooooo can't keep quiet until then!!!!!

It's been REALLY hard! Right now we are at 17.5 months that we have kept it a secret! When my boyfriend and I went on our trip last year without them we had come up with the idea to surprise them so we went resort hopping to see where we wanted to stay. In between we talk about it when they aren't home and text about it. It's STILL hard though! The beans were almost spilled when my daughter was looking for something in my bedroom and found the Disney gift card stash I have.

 

[PoohsFan1]

We surprised our kids back in 2009 and will be doing a half surprise on our upcoming January trip. In 2009, they thought we were going to spend a week at Grandma and Grandpa's house (who live 3 hours away), but decided to do something special and fly there. We get off the plane at MCO and sat our kids down to reveal to them where we were actually at. The look of surprise and excitement was something I will never forget.

As for our January trip my kids know we are going to Disney for a couple of days to celebrate my DH's birthday (we are staying at BCV), and they know that the day that we arrive, Grandma and Grandpa (the same ones that live 3 hours away) are picking us up from the airport just to have lunch with us (they are going to be touring Florida for the month January). What they don't know is that all 6 of us are going on a 7 night cruise (non-Disney) then we're all heading to Disney for the few nights that the kids think we are doing first off (grandparents included). Then when grandma and grandpa leave to tour the rest of Florida, the girls have no idea that we are going to stay an extra 3 nights to relax and do things that we like to do as a family. We are also going to be staying at Pop Century for those extra 3 nights....they have been wanting to stay there for a while now. I cannot wait to see the reactions on their faces when we 1) get on a huge cruise ship (they have never seen one in real life), and 2) when they find out that we are staying at Pop Century When we are moving over to Pop, we are going to act like we are getting ready to head back to the airport, but before that, we'll suggest having lunch at the Pop food court, once we get there we will head straight over to the check-in desk....we want to see how long it will take them to realize that we are not heading to the airport but actually staying at Pop I can't wait.

 

[Henlady]

We're surprising my "big" kid, for his 30th birthday. DH and I are going on a cruise and then to Disney World. I had his fiance arrange for him & her to be off work for 4 days, and then made the flight and hotel arrangements for them. She knows what's going on, he doesn't. He knows she has some type of getaway planned, but that's it. We made ressies for he and his dad to golf and then made meal ressies at his favorite restaurants. He doesn't have a clue and won't until we give him his birthday present early because we won't be in town for his big day. I can't wait to see the look on his face.

 

[mm1971]

DD8 turning 9 will be surprised for her B-Day this Saturday. I have mcikey tie dye shirts for her and I in the candy corn colors. This will be her gift along with a letter from WDW that we are going. It will be fun to see her reaction.

We went as a family last year in October and surprised both DD8 and DS10. We didn't tell them we were going anywhere and they didn't figure it out until we were at the airport unloading luggage. The looks on thier faces were priceless.

DD has no idea that I am taking her, just her and dad for 5 days as a HB and has no idea since we surprised them last year and said we won't be going back until the FLE is completed.

 

[Q-man]

We are doing a surprise reunion between our girls and their BFFs(paired girls of 13, 11, and 8 who have been BFFs since they were 3, 6, and 8) the week before xmas. Our BBF family was transferred to Chile last Jan. We(parents of each family) are both springing Orlando on the girls the day of travel so they can't Skype each other. Then we'll magically 'run into' their BFFs at Epcot. Lots of screaming and tears to come and then who knows how the girls will all react.

 

[allaboutthemouse]

I am having a hard time containing myself!!!! We are surprising the kids next month!!! They will be so excited, me too!!! On thursday, nov. 3, my oldest has an early dismissal from school..i bought a big mickey balloon from someone on ebay(a big clear circle one w/ a mickey ballon inside that one) and four latex red mickey shaped balloons..i will put those balloons along w/mickey ears i bought them, mickey t-shirts, and the dvd planning video, customized maps, and cruise planning video, and little disney stuffed animals, etc. in a HUGE box and wrap it...then when he gets home from his early dismissal, i will show them this box and tell them to open it, and SURPRISE!! let's go NOW! hopefully, the balloons will fly up out of the box and it will be exciting BTW, i got this idea from these boards, it was not my own! can't take credit!
anyway, that is what we're doing! youngest has never been to WDW or DCL, so he doesn't know what to expect..only what the oldest tells him all the time
oldest has been to WDW a few times and on DCL twice, and he remembers so much even though he was only 2 and 4 on DCL!!! can you tell i am excited!? thanks, just had to share!!!
great thread!

 

[budafam]

I am still not exactly sure how we're going to do it yet. I'm going to be surprising my 5 year old son with a surprise Halloween trip. His favorite holiday is Halloween so I'm hoping he'll be really excited. It will also be his first time flying (only my 2nd time so I'm quite nervous as well!)

He has off of school the last Thursday & Friday in October so he's going to visit grandma for those days. They'll be coming back on Saturday and we're going to dress him and his sister up in their Halloween costumes and take them to a kiddy haunted house (they're dressing up like Minnie & Mickey). Grandma has to come with us to this because when we return to our house at 3pm, there's going to be a surprise 50th birthday party for grandma (which will be a surprise for the kiddos too since there's no way they could keep that secret!) The next morning, we have to get up at 3:30am to be at the airport for our 7:10 flight. Sooo... I don't know when I should tell him? Wait till we wake him up in the early morning? I'm not sure if he'll "get" it that early in the morning or if we should tell him the previous day (maybe while he's still dressed like Mickey?)

We're also spending all month trying to fill his calendar for T-Rex so we can eat there when we arrive.

He also has a younger sister (3) that we have to consider... she may be upset at first but grandma is staying to spend the week with her... she will soon forget that we're at Disney because grandma is here! Someday she'll get to take her own trip (at least when she's big enough for most of the rides).

And we're planning on going in May again with my MIL so she still has something to look forward to. I feel like I'm super busy every minute of this month! lol...

 

[mhconley]

We drove from SWFL up state highway 17 to WDW on 9/17. DS8 was told we were driving to the beach and even loaded his bucket and sandcastle playset in the car. All the way up he kept asking the “Are we there yet?” question.

In setting up the surprise we told him we would be driving right past WDW on the way to the beach. We hit I-4 at the state highway 27 entrance about 6 miles west of the World Drive WDW exit and told him we were about 15 minutes away. DW handed him her Android phone so he could see where we were on Google Maps as we turned off on World Drive.

He soon noticed all the WDW signage and I reminded him that I told him we were driving by WDW on the way to the beach. As we passed under the welcome sign he began to excitedly ask if we were going to WDW. We kind of downplayed the question and did not answer. As we pulled up to the MK parking booths he really started pushing for an answer. We just laughed but finally did relent that yes, we were going to WDW. He was ecstatic. He was both awestruck and dumbstruck as we pulled into the Contemporary. He told everyone he saw that we surprised him… It was quite magical.

The funniest thing he said was as we were waiting in line to check in. He said that if we had told him where we were really going he would not have kept asking, “Are we there yet?”

The look on his face was priceless… I almost broke down as we approached the gate.

The first thing he wanted to do after we got to the room was ride the monorail resort loop.

Martin

 

[stace978]

Our Surprise Trip starts in 11 days. .Have kept the secret from DS(9) since last Feb.. don't ask me how.. A few slips here and there that I think went over him. Plan to wake him up early on Sun telling him there is a box in the middle of the living room with his name on it. Will fill the box with balloons, signs and Disney stuff. Will give him a little time to grab anything I may have forgotten to pack and then we are off. The funny thing is my parents fly out to FL the day before and DS and I have to take them to the Airport! He's going to be so jealous, not knowing we leave the next day. We have been torturing him lately,, telling him we can start planning our trip for 2012 now,,so he is actually planning the trip that we are taking next week!

WDW/Disney Dream here we come!

 

[korie99]

We are surprising our kids with our upcoming January trip and I cannot wait! I am pretty set on waiting to tell them until we are actually at the airport. We will probably tell them Daddy is going away on a business trip and then as we're unloading the luggage tell them we changed our mind and we'd rather go to Disney. The trip we took in 2010 was not a surprise, but ever since we've been back the kids give us their change from lunch and/or milk money or anything they come across on the ground and tell us to put it in our piggy banks "for our next Disney trip". Just thinking about how excited they will be gives me goosebumps!

 

[MouseEarsForAll]

I didn't think I would get all these responses...I love them, DISers!

 

[Graciesmom77]

We are going this December and I am dying to tell the girls!

We have a Disney movie night most friday nights. On Dec. 14th when I pick the girls up from school I am going to tell them that Grammy wants to come to our party but she can't make it on Friday so we are doing it that night. The theme will be Disney Parks and while we are having our food my sis will ring the doorbell and leave a box on the porch addressed the the Keller girls.

In the box will be helium balloons with a note tied to the bottom telling them that they are so special to us that they deserve a prize. I may list a few prizes and then say, but we decided your prize is..... you don't have to go to school tomorrow. I am guessing they will be like Oh, ...... ok.....

Then they next page of the note will say, you don't have to go to school tomorrow because you're going to DISNEY!!!

I can't wait. Thank goodness that my 2 year old doesn't talk clearly enough for anyone to understand becasue I tell her all the plans all the time. I need SOMEONE to tell all this to!

 

[angryduck71]

My DH said when I got pregnant, we'd plan a BIG trip to WDW. I decided since my baby would turn 5 in late October, that's when we'd do it (we went on a couple of short trips last year). My DS5 is now REALLY into Phineas & Ferb, Jake & the Neverland Pirates (esp. Hook!), Monsters, Inc., Cars, Toy Story (Lotso he loves for some reason!), Spiderman, Harry Potter, Sponge Bob, and Scooby Doo. He keeps BEGGING to go (he doesn't remember much from the last trips). On his birthday, we're going to do a treasure hunt with some presents -- one thing he asked for, others with the Disney/Universal theme. We're leaving 6 days after his birthday (his party will be Spiderman themed -- originally we were going ON his birthday, but long story why we had to wait). I have lots of magical surprises in store during the 12-day trip (we're staying at Shades of Green and got a GREAT deal since I booked early: $65.50/night! - well, one night at the end we're staying at HRH at Universal): Hoop-de-doo, Cinderella's Royal Table (he loves the castle!), free character breakfast at Shades, Mickey's Backyard Halloween party BBQ, MNSSHP, Pirates and Pals cruise, character breakfasts at Tusker House, Crystal Palace, and Hollywood and Vine (please let Jake be there then!). It's amazing what you can do when you save for five years, make plans early for deals, and save up points from the Disney Visa (plus get to stay at Shades of Green!).

This morning, I wrote out a draft of the treasure hunt clue/poem. I'll share. We'll start out when he wakes up with a single Spiderman card on the kitchen table that says:

"For your big-boy 5th birthday, a treasure hunt for you!
Let's get started with your first clue:
Go out back where the sky is bright blue."
(outside will be a rocket he's been asking for that uses recycled paper to light up and stuff)

"This rocket is one way to travel...
Where are we going? It's a mystery to unravel!
To figure out where we'll zoom,
Check out the clue in the dining room!"
(in the dining room, there will be a LEGO Hogwarts castle)

"Hopefully, Hogwarts castle won't become Voldemort's lair...
Find the next clue if you dare!
Check out what's on the computer chair!"
(that will have a few spidey action figures)

"Mommy & Daddy will fight against villains and with heroes for you because you are all we adore!
So peek outside....outside the front door!"
(I have a box of Disney gift cards, each with a favorite character)

"This is it! Your last clue...Disney cash cards, here's a few...
a few for you...
Wish we could give you all the cash cards in the WORLD,
because in 6 days we're going to Universal and Disney World!"

 

[capegirl]

This will be our first 'out of the blue' Disney trip. I am a planner by nature, so this should be interesting. I think I pretty much fried my brain last night trying to make all the last minute reservations.

 

[DisMomAmy]

We are surprising our boys with a trip to Disney in just 4 weeks!!! We waited as long as possible to feed them the fake story and had to tell them last week. (They are missing a couple sports activities so we wanted them to know we are going to be away.) We told them that dad has to work in NC that week but since it's our 15th wedding anniversary & the kids only have half a week of school, we are going to join him in NC for the week. DH keeps saying things about how boring it's going to be sitting in the hotel while he's at work!

We are still on the fence about whether to have a big reveal or see how long it takes them to figure out that we aren't really going to NC! The big reveal would involve a scavenger hunt with a suitcase or box at the end. Inside would be a few balloons & a goody bag for each of the boys. I've made up a little guide booklet for each of them, with our itinerary, ADRs, etc. The cover says, "Surprise! We're going back to Disney World!" This is the direction I'm leaning...

I can't wait!!

 

[Calle&Jakesmom]

Our surprise trip was two years ago. It was so great! I wish I could do a surprise trip every year.... but then I guess it wouldn't be much of a surprise.

Our kids are used to an annual Disney trip in February. In 2010 we told them that we couldn't go and that we'd be spending February vacation at the grandparents house instead. Grandma & Pops live about three hours away, so we packed the kids in the car and started driving. After about four hours we stopped at a rest area and gave them some "late" Christmas presents. Two of the gifts were t-****s that said Disney 2010. My son, then 10, was the first to put the pieces together. He screamed and yelled "we're going to Disney!" My daughter, then 7, didn't believe it for quite awhile. They were both thrilled.
My husband and I had so much fun planning it all and keeping the secret.

Highly recommend a surprise trip to anyone considering it!!

 

[sarahbug79]

Ours is at next month. I still haven't figured out how to tell the kids. We have an evening flight. The kids will get home from school at 2:30 I get home at 3 and we will have to leave right away to catch our 5:30 flight. I am going to be so excited all day at work just thinking about it. My mom will probably drive us so we might just say we need go bring grandma to the airport and tell them there. Not sure if it's outside by the curb however it will be winter here so maybe I will try to get them in the airport first. Maybe we can get them through security just telling them we are eating dinner there. I don't think they would realize you have to have a ticket to go through security. Any ideas ages 9,6,4.

 

[MouseEarsForAll]

I can't wait. Thank goodness that my 2 year old doesn't talk clearly enough for anyone to understand becasue I tell her all the plans all the time. I need SOMEONE to tell all this to!

My DH said when I got pregnant, we'd plan a BIG trip to WDW. I decided since my baby would turn 5 in late October, that's when we'd do it (we went on a couple of short trips last year). My DS5 is now REALLY into Phineas & Ferb, Jake & the Neverland Pirates (esp. Hook!), Monsters, Inc., Cars, Toy Story (Lotso he loves for some reason!), Spiderman, Harry Potter, Sponge Bob, and Scooby Doo. He keeps BEGGING to go (he doesn't remember much from the last trips). On his birthday, we're going to do a treasure hunt with some presents -- one thing he asked for, others with the Disney/Universal theme. We're leaving 6 days after his birthday (his party will be Spiderman themed -- originally we were going ON his birthday, but long story why we had to wait). I have lots of magical surprises in store during the 12-day trip (we're staying at Shades of Green and got a GREAT deal since I booked early: $65.50/night! - well, one night at the end we're staying at HRH at Universal): Hoop-de-doo, Cinderella's Royal Table (he loves the castle!), free character breakfast at Shades, Mickey's Backyard Halloween party BBQ, MNSSHP, Pirates and Pals cruise, character breakfasts at Tusker House, Crystal Palace, and Hollywood and Vine (please let Jake be there then!). It's amazing what you can do when you save for five years, make plans early for deals, and save up points from the Disney Visa (plus get to stay at Shades of Green!).

This morning, I wrote out a draft of the treasure hunt clue/poem. I'll share. We'll start out when he wakes up with a single Spiderman card on the kitchen table that says:

"For your big-boy 5th birthday, a treasure hunt for you!
Let's get started with your first clue:
Go out back where the sky is bright blue."
(outside will be a rocket he's been asking for that uses recycled paper to light up and stuff)

"This rocket is one way to travel...
Where are we going? It's a mystery to unravel!
To figure out where we'll zoom,
Check out the clue in the dining room!"
(in the dining room, there will be a LEGO Hogwarts castle)

"Hopefully, Hogwarts castle won't become Voldemort's lair...
Find the next clue if you dare!
Check out what's on the computer chair!"
(that will have a few spidey action figures)

"Mommy & Daddy will fight against villains and with heroes for you because you are all we adore!
So peek outside....outside the front door!"
(I have a box of Disney gift cards, each with a favorite character)

"This is it! Your last clue...Disney cash cards, here's a few...
a few for you...
Wish we could give you all the cash cards in the WORLD,
because in 6 days we're going to Universal and Disney World!"

 

[HeatherLassell]

I can't wait. Thank goodness that my 2 year old doesn't talk clearly enough for anyone to understand becasue I tell her all the plans all the time. I need SOMEONE to tell all this to!

hahahaha I almost spat my mouthfull of wine out when I read that! I would do the same thing. I didn't do a surprise because I knew I couldn't pull it off. Maybe the 2nd trip.