Surprising the kids with a trip!

[M & M's Mom]

OK, creative people out there, I need your help: DH & I are surprising our kids, DS (6) & DD (2 1/2) with a trip to the world in about one month I think we've done a pretty good job so far of keeping this a secret, especially from DS (he picks up on everything.)

So here's the dilemma - How do we spring it on them? We've ordered the personalized maps for the kids & have thought about letting them get these from the mailbox the day we leave, letting them see their mail from Mickey. We've also thought about popping in the WDW vacation planning dvd after we pick up DS from school, telling them we have some errands to run, & let the dvd give them a clue where we're going.

You can see we've got some ideas, but any input from others would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance & I'm excited to hear any suggestions

 

[limabeanmom2003]

You could do a scavenger hunt with clues. At the end of the hunt, you could have a copy of Birnbaum's Walt Disney World for Kids. Then, the kids could look at the book on the way to WDW and pick out all the rides and attractions they want to visit.

OR you could pick up some disney dollars and pay them their allowance in disney dollars. When they ask about the money, you could spring the news on them.

 

[bonnieleigh]

Thought this might be helpful!

http://www.intercot.com/discussion/archive/index.php?t-48933.html

When I was little, my parents surprised my younger brother and I with trips to WDW all the time. I thought the most creative one was when they called my brother and I into the family room and told us to sit down because we needed to have a serious talk (they made it seem like we were in trouble, so they got us completely off guard). My mom announced, "Your father and I have something important to tell you..we're going to Disney World!!" and my brother and I cheered & jumped up and down like crazy people

 

[jlatina32]

My DH, my sister, and I surprised the kids for our November 2007 trip. My
DD10 and I were watching the video yesterday and we got excited just watching the video.

We left on a school day so we went through our normal "getting ready for school" rountine that morning. My sister fooled my nephew by telling him she needed to come up to my apartment to use the bathroom. Normally she just drops him off and I take him and my two to school. Anyway, the kids put on their coats and backpacks and start making their way out the door. I called them back in and said "Look you guys, its 15 to 9 am and you are all late so how about you don't go to school at all? They simultaneously said "Yeah!" Then I said " How about you don't go to school for the next 7 days and go to Disney World instead?" They said " Yeah right!" At that time they said we were lying and didn't believe me so I had to dig out the luggage and show them the ME luggage tags and that is when they screamed and jumped with sooo much excitement.

We pulled it off once but I don't think we can do it again. It was hard hiding the luggage. My DD had seen the luggage previous to the surprise and I asked why we had them out. I lied to her and told her we were putting some of their summer clothes away. She actually fell for it and normally she catches on pretty quick.

We had a wonderful time at WDW during the holidays. I can't wait to go back.

 

[DeblovesPoohbear]

Thought this might be helpful!

http://www.intercot.com/discussion/archive/index.php?t-48933.html

When I was little, my parents surprised my younger brother and I with trips to WDW all the time. I thought the most creative one was when they called my brother and I into the family room and told us to sit down because we needed to have a serious talk (they made it seem like we were in trouble, so they got us completely off guard). My mom announced, "Your father and I have something important to tell you..we're going to Disney World!!" and my brother and I cheered & jumped up and down like crazy people

You got yourself some very cool parents there

 

[princess&her4princes]

We surprised our kids last year (4, 2 and 3 mos)....they didn't know anything until we got to the airport. The night before we told them to get a good night sleep since we were going on an "Adventure" tomorrow morning...they were SO excited when they woke up and we had the car packed for the airport (but they didn't know cause it was in the trunk!) When we boarded the plane and were ready for take off, I pulled out the goody bags I had made for them....all from the dollar store..disney color pages, disney markers, stickers, disney fruit snacks, disney disposable cameras...) and they figured it out. It was the best!!!! They got new disney pjs the first night when we got for $5 on sale at the Disney store. It was great not telling them (even though I wanted to for the 6 months I had it planned!!!) and seeing Magic Kingdom through their eyes the first day!! Have fun and don't slip, it's so much fun!!!

 

[minniesnana]

We told my granddaughter that we were going to a small town about 3 hours away for shopping. To this day my daughter and I don't know why she didn't question taking an airplane to a place we would normally drive to, but anyways, she didn't suspect a thing until her mom pointed out the castle while we were waiting for the ferry to MK. The poor kid sunk to her knees.

And why she didn't twig into the fact with the ME or street signs? I guess when you're 7 you are completely sure your mom and nana wouldn't lie to you!!!

 

[mjh8955]

We surprised our kids when they were around 7 and 4. We had plans to leave the day after the last day of school. When they got up Saturday morning we told them we had to run some errands so they got dressed and got in the car. (Later my son said he thought it was weird that he had to wear nice shorts and his good gym shoes on a Saturday). Everything was already in the back of the van; suitcases and their backpacks already loaded. They didn't suspect a thing; didn't even ask where the dog was (I ran him to the kennel early in the morning). We started driving to the airport about 2 hours away and they finally asked what errand we were doing because it was far away. We just said it won't be much longer. At some point our son noticed we were getting near a big city and started seeing the signs for the airport. He finally said "are we going to the airport???" and we just said we'll be there soon. We got to the airport and they knew we were going somewhere but didn't know where. They were amazed that our luggage was in the back and they didn't even know it. They were so excited about getting their backpacks, but we didn't let them open them until they had figured out where we were going. Our son read the board that announced the flight to Orlando and then he knew. They thought it was so neat that they left the house to run an errand and ended up in Disney World a few hours later! Now they are teenagers and they still talk about it.

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

Oh I am soooo excited reading this. We are surprising our DD15 with our trip in January. All these stories on here are a big help with giving us ideas. Just hope we can keep the secret. We have only told a couple of other people cause we don't want anyone else to let it slip. So so excited!

 

[stacyp9]

OK, creative people out there, I need your help: DH & I are surprising our kids, DS (6) & DD (2 1/2) with a trip to the world in about one month I think we've done a pretty good job so far of keeping this a secret, especially from DS (he picks up on everything.)

So here's the dilemma - How do we spring it on them? We've ordered the personalized maps for the kids & have thought about letting them get these from the mailbox the day we leave, letting them see their mail from Mickey. We've also thought about popping in the WDW vacation planning dvd after we pick up DS from school, telling them we have some errands to run, & let the dvd give them a clue where we're going.

You can see we've got some ideas, but any input from others would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance & I'm excited to hear any suggestions

We are surprising ours with a trip next month. I can tell you what we are doing. We will be driving down. We live in Illinois and we have some property in Arkansas. Awhile back we received a notice that the fire marshall wants everyone to clear old fallen trees etc off their property or face a fine. I read this notice out loud after dinner one day with a very frowny face, complaining that we will probably have to go down there to do it soon. My kids now think that the packing they will soon do, will be so they can go down to Arkansas and slave for a week clearing wood and weeds. They are NOT happy. {This amuses me greatly because I am an evil mommy}.

We don't plan on telling them ahead of time at all. We will be using my GPS to drive down there. If at some point they notice that we seem to have passed Arkansas, my husband and I will be doing a lot of complaining about the lousy GPS and having to turn around and now we have to drive MUCH farther to get to "Arkansas".

We are renting a home in Orlando this year. The goal is to see just how far we can take this without them seeing a WDW 5 miles sign! My kids are 7 and 10 and are really bright. I plan on throwing the pruner and the poison ivy gel in the back of the car and making them pack their gardening gloves to keep the story going. If I can pull this off at least until the Florida border, it will make my trip!

 

[Tammydc30]

We just got back from WDW. We surprised our 9 and 5 year old. We told them we were going to a Flea Market that takes about 2 hours to get to. We told them because it was 2 hour drive we would get a hotel for the night and come home the next day. That way them seeing the luggage was no big deal. We left at about 2am in the morning (driving all the way, 7 hours) They slept most of the way. When they woke up we still had about 2 hours of driving. They kept saying, "man I can't believe we drove this far just for a flea market." My husband and I wanted to tell them so bad. We were so excited. We were anticipating the moment. My daughter kept watching the signs. Everytime we seen one that said Orlando we just knew o.k. this is it, she's going to see it and the cat will be out. But no, she wouldn't see the Orlanda sign. My husband and I had so much fun doing this. When we got close my daughter would say, "This looks just like we are going to Disney. I remember seeing this or seeing that." We told her "oh alot of places look like this" and she fell for it. But boy when they saw the arch the entrance to Disney they went crazy!! It was so much fun. They started to process it, "you mean we're not going to a flea market, You mean you tricked us, you mean we are staying here for a week?" They were crying and laughing and screaming. It was so worth it. I think it was more fun for my husband and I, than it was for them.

So, you see, don't tell them at all. Not until they drive under the arch. Have fun.

 

[liamsaunt]

My parents surprised us with a Disney trip one Christmas. We came downstairs to open presents and there was nothing under the tree! We were upset until they told us to go and pack our suitcases because we were leaving for Disneyworld!

My sister and I were both in high school at the time and had to call the manager of the movie theater we worked at to tell him that we would not be in to work because we were off to Disney! Luckily he was not TOO mad. We flew down for 10 days at the Poly lagoon view. The parks (all two of them!) were crowded but we had a lot of fun.

20 years later my sister and I still go to Disney together, and we are both still close friends with our old movie theater manager, who turned out to be a Disney freak too. In fact, he is part of our crew heading to the World next week.

 

[becfehr]

Walmart makes Mickey Mouse bday cakes... you could probably have them write SURPRISE on it.

They are really cute.. I got one for my DS bday party last weekend.

 

[stacyp9]

This thread is so fun! I'm grinning ear to ear.

 

[Tammydc30]

stacyp9, My daughter was really watching those signs. Everytime my husband and I saw one we would divert her attention. If you can keep it from them until you arrive it is such an amazing thing to see them so surprised. Especially when they were not excited about the trip they thought they were going on. Make sure to record there surprise. I am a mom who records everything so my kids never get suspicious when I bring out the camcorder. Let us know how the surprise goes. These are memories our kids will remember forever.

 

[smallfri1112]

You could do a scavenger hunt with clues. At the end of the hunt, you could have a copy of Birnbaum's Walt Disney World for Kids. Then, the kids could look at the book on the way to WDW and pick out all the rides and attractions they want to visit.

OR you could pick up some disney dollars and pay them their allowance in disney dollars. When they ask about the money, you could spring the news on them.

The scavenger hunt is a great idea!! Imagine how excited they would be!!! I'm excited!! I should do a scavenger hunt for myself!

 

[abc999]

We surprised our 4.5 and 2.5 year olds last month. Just pulled them out of bed at 4:30 AM and put them in their carseats. Told them we were going on a little trip when they asked where we were going. Then we got to the airport. We were surrounded by people with ME tags on their luggage and I asked DD where she thought those people were going. Her reply was "they are going to Disney" I pointed to our suitcase and asked where she thought we were going. She replies "we're going to Disney" Then after a short pause she screams "We're going to Disney?"

 

[stacyp9]

stacyp9, My daughter was really watching those signs. Everytime my husband and I saw one we would divert her attention. If you can keep it from them until you arrive it is such an amazing thing to see them so surprised. Especially when they were not excited about the trip they thought they were going on. Make sure to record there surprise. I am a mom who records everything so my kids never get suspicious when I bring out the camcorder. Let us know how the surprise goes. These are memories our kids will remember forever.

That is the biggest worry. My kids are obsessed with the game rubber neckers. I wonder how far before Orlando you start seeing the WDW signs? If it is within the hour I could get a new DVD for the DVD player and pop it in when we are an hour out. I hadn't thought to record it, but that is a great tip. Thanks!

 

[wahoolio]

This is a pretty funny thread.

So DW and DS9 and DD8 did not accompany me and DD5 on this trip to WDW. I've taken the older two kids on a number of just-them-and-Dad trips, but not our 5-year-old. My wife and I decided to make this trip a surprise for DD5. Keeping the secret from her was pretty easy -- keeping it from her older brother and sister was a bit more difficult. But we pulled it off . . .

We drove down from North Carolina. It's about an 8-hour drive. So I packed up the car and picked up DD5 from school a bit early. The backseat was stocked with stuff for her to do, so she knew we were going on a long car trip somewhere. I told her that it would be just the two of us, and that we'd be staying in a hotel. Frankly, I had her at "hotel." She would have been happy at that point no matter where we ended up.

After various (not-so-subtle) hints during the drive, she remained blissfully clueless, which was really beginning to crack me up. Finally, she fell asleep with about 45 minutes remaining before we arrived. I pulled up to ASMu, woke her up, and brought her into the hotel lobby to check in. Figuring she'd see the stylized word "Disney" and Mikey Mouse's image all over the place, I asked her if she knew where we were. She replied, "At the beach?" A nearby cast member started laughing and let her in on the secret. She cracked a wide smile, then promptly fell back asleep on the floor of the lobby as I checked us in . . .

 

[Colleen27]

We surprised DD with a birthday trip and didn't tell her we were going until we were at the airport having breakfast. Then we gave her a birthday package containing a custom-made autograph book and princess pen. She didn't believe us! LOL I don't think she really believed we were going to Disney until we landed and she saw the ME buses!