surprising your kids with a trip

[deana s]

Hi everyone! Just booked our second trip to WDW for this December, and we would like it to be a surprise for our 9 and 6 year olds. If you have done this, what suggestions do you have? How have you sprung the surprise? We assume that we will be waking them up early to fly out early.... we would have to surprise them at home that morning...they would "know" it was disney if we went to the airport (that is the only place they have ever flown). Any suggestions for that morning?? TIA!

 

[MiniMooMoo]

I just booked a trip for Dec, too, and am trying to figure out if we should keep it a surprise for my DS (5). I'll be watching for good ideas if we do decide to surprise him. Although DH & I are pretty bad at keeping exciting news to ourselves, so we'll see how long it lasts!

 

[danx2plus3more]

ok im getting ready to book a trip and i will never make it...it is suposed to be a surprise but i have almost told them several times in the last week...my question is how do i keep my big mouth shut..??

 

[doodlesmommy]

We have been planning our April trip since October and keep it a secret from the kids is killing me! Especially as time gets closer it is becoming much harder to keep inside. I plan to do a scavenger hunt to give them the news. The last clue will be inside the car and will be an envelope with a card inside that tells them to buckle up so we can get to the airport fast since our plane is leaving for Disney. I made up a dorky rhyme but you get the idea. Have fun with your surprise!

 

[luvmy2sams]

We surprised our DD on her 7th birthday. She has a favorite Build-A-Bear, so we custom-made a Build-A-Bear tee with the trip information on it. We wrapped it in a star box, and it was the last gift she opened on her birthday. It was such fun watching her read the words "Disney World January 7th-17th" on the shirt, trying to comprehend what it really meant.

Good luck with your surprise! We can't wait to do one again for both our kids!

 

[Jennifer823]

We did this last year. When we got the info from Disney they included Disney luggage tags, one for each of us. We filled out and attached a tag to each of the kids' suitcases and then passed out the suitcases one evening, telling them to pack their bags. When they asked us where we were going, we told them to check the tags

 

[clutter]

I told my dd that I had to pick her up early from school to go to the dentist.

 

[MommyWithDreams]

We leave in 27 days and my son still doesn't know. I plan on telling him a week before so we can make a countdown chain. (He loved this last year).
I bought him a new Disney suitcase, some disney shirts that I'll give him the morning along with a postcard that a Fairy Godmother from the boards sent to him inviting him to have breakfast with Minnie and her friends.

 

[Jennifer823]

I told my dd that I had to pick her up early from school to go to the dentist.

Hee hee - we did something like this once too. We live about 2 hrs from Busch Gardens but never brought the kids there. We decided to go one weekend, and told the kids that they needed to go to the doctor for their check-ups. Piled them in the car and drove "to the doctor." They complained the whole drive. The kids didn't suspect anything till they saw the Busch Gardens parking lot and roller coasters!

 

[2bearsmom]

My boys are 6 and almost 3 (he'll be 3 in June). We are going back in March for my ds's spring break. I am so excited and I don't know how many times I've almost said something to my oldest about the trip! This is how we plan to surprise them. We are driving down and leaving the 14th, around 10pm. My dh is coming home from work at 6pm and napping until it's time to leave. I told the kids already that if they let me nap for a bit after school that day they can stay up as late as they want, since it's the start of spring break. When it's time to leave I will say ok boys lets go (which is what we always say at bedtime). I know my oldest will whine and complain and say he doesn't want to go to bed. So I can say ok then, what should we do? Should we go somewhere, like a drive or something? Get them loaded in the car where they will find their stuffed Mickey's sitting in their seats and the envelope that came today from Disney, with a pic of the castle on it. Then let them figure it out! I want so badly to tell them now though, I can't stand it. Using the luggage tags is a good idea too though. I might have to get them from our last trip and maybe put them on their backpacks that I'm planning on having filled with goodies for the trip.

We went Jan of '07 for the first time, which was a surprise Christmas gift to us from my dh, but the kids still had to know for 2wks that we were going and always asking when are we leaving, is it time yet, etc. So this time they are finding out at the last possible second.

 

[momtwo4]

We have done different things in the past, telling before hand, scavenger hunts, and the kids loved them all. Our next trip isn't until the fall but I think I will leave them clues over a few days and then the final clue will be in their lunchboxes at school (or a day at home so I can see the reaction) I found the myfruitrollups.com you can personalize your own fruit roll ups, so I am going to make some with airplanes and "We're going to Disney World!"
I love surprises especially when it has to do with Disney!

 

[deana s]

Loving these ideas!

 

[Disney Fool]

My boys are 6 and almost 3 (he'll be 3 in June). We are going back in March for my ds's spring break. I am so excited and I don't know how many times I've almost said something to my oldest about the trip! This is how we plan to surprise them. We are driving down and leaving the 14th, around 10pm. My dh is coming home from work at 6pm and napping until it's time to leave. I told the kids already that if they let me nap for a bit after school that day they can stay up as late as they want, since it's the start of spring break. When it's time to leave I will say ok boys lets go (which is what we always say at bedtime). I know my oldest will whine and complain and say he doesn't want to go to bed. So I can say ok then, what should we do? Should we go somewhere, like a drive or something? Get them loaded in the car where they will find their stuffed Mickey's sitting in their seats and the envelope that came today from Disney, with a pic of the castle on it. Then let them figure it out! I want so badly to tell them now though, I can't stand it. Using the luggage tags is a good idea too though. I might have to get them from our last trip and maybe put them on their backpacks that I'm planning on having filled with goodies for the trip.

We went Jan of '07 for the first time, which was a surprise Christmas gift to us from my dh, but the kids still had to know for 2wks that we were going and always asking when are we leaving, is it time yet, etc. So this time they are finding out at the last possible second.

I have a better suggestion: since you'll be leaving at 10, let them go to bed! take them in their sleep-induced comatose state in the car and strap them in. That way, you'll get several hours driving in before you begin to hear "are we there yet?" Let them wake up to a road trip! Don't forget a portable DVD player and bring lots of Disney movies along.

 

[kldmom2000]

I just booked our plane tix for August and I'm going to go insane not being able to tell them!!! My older DD (7) had 2 of her friends "Surprised" by their parents with a trip to Disney and she told me she would love to be surprised...... so I'm trying.... trying.... let's see if I make it another week!

 

[2bearsmom]

Disney Fool, that is an idea I had not thought of!

 

[Disney Fool]

Thanks! I enjoy surprising friends and/or their children over the years. Last time was my adult friend. I just took her shopping at the mall, and secretly sneaked over to the Disney store, gave them her airline ticket, and told the cms that when I returned, to give the ticket to the woman who was with me. They were great, played along; infact, they flicked the lights on and off in the store, got everyone clapping, and then presented my friend with her airline ticket and told her that Mickey had invited her to visit. It was priceless. Another time, her teenage daughter came to see me off at the airport (she knew I was going to Florida; but didn't know her mother had secretly packed a suitcase for her). So she jumps out of the car at the airport to help me, and her mother took her suitcase out of the car, handed her a wallet with money in it, and told her she was going to Disneyworld for a week. She said goodbye, and drove off! Needless to say the teen was speechless for a change. I have found that the one doing the planning has so much fun keeping the surprise, that the trip itself takes a back seat. Enjoy your planning!

 

[Fabinva]

My husband and I are planning to surprise the kids (DS7 and DD5) and as trip date gets closer it gets harder and harder. This past weekend my daughter comes into my bedroom early morning and tells me in her beg/sweet little voice "Mommie I want to go back to Disney" I wanted to tell her Yes we are this spring! but resisted all urges. The kids think that the only way to go to Disney is by plane (we flew before) and this time we are driving, the plan it to tell them we are going to meet grandpa, he lives about 4 hours away, and leave later afternoon or early evening, stop at hotel in Georgia to get some rest and leave next morning. I want to put some disney stuff on their car seats while we are at the hotel to give them a clue as to what's next stop

 

[Manda]

We were there last week and I took advantage of the in room bounceback offer to book an August surprise 5th birthday trip for my DS. I don't know how I'm going to keep it a secret. DH is so much better at these things than I am.

 

[Disney Fool]

That's so cool. they'll be so excited when they drive under the welcoming arches. Here's my latest gambit: We are planning a trip in May with my friend's 9 year old niece. What she doesn't know is that we're secretly planning on taking her 8 year old cousin --and the cousin doesn't know either! We've booked them both in at the BBB, and we're hoping for P& PP that night, along with 1900 Park Fare dinner with Cindy. the 9 year old knows about the BBB; but doesn't know about anything else. We plan to invite the 8 year old over for a "departure party" the night before we fly out. Her bags will be packed prior to this. Her dad is in on the secret, but we can't tell the mom because she can't keep her mouth shut!!! So this is real James Bond-type clandestine stuff. My friend is planning on getting her brother to let her into the 8 year old's room long enough to pack some essentials--we're providing the rest. Sooooo much fun, and so worth it to surprise the 9 year old, who keeps lamenting that it's too bad the 8 year old cousin isn't going with her. (tee-hee)

 

[DisneyArk]

We just surprised our sons (7 and 9) with a trip in November. It was well worth the wait of not telling them in advance. They were so excited and thankful. Several times a day during the trip they would look at me and say thank you for taking us to WDW, I can't believe we're really here!!

We surprised them one day before we left because we were taking them out of school for a few days. That way they were able to tell their friends and teachers (I told the teachers in advance).

We announced the trip through a scavenger hunt. Each clue took them to find another clue and a piece to a puzzle. I made a puzzle that announced we are going to Disney World. I put it on the self-stick foam paper and cut it out with an exact-o knife.

Our clues were sort of corny! We were worried they were too easy, but the boys had never done anything like this before and really had to think to figure them out.

Here's an example "Find something you balance on with your feet, you ride it outside on the concrete" He was supposed to go to his skateboard.

Our sons were completely surprised at the end of the scavenger hunt. They had no idea we were announcing something so big.

Enjoy the planning! It's so much fun!