When to do the surprise?

[amydeich]

So we are taking the kids (DD3 and DD6) to Disney for their first trip, leaving in a week and they have no idea!! We will be driving from GA early Monday morning. DD6 has her last day of school on Thursday, and I was planning to do the big surprise at dinner that night. That way, we could have 3 days to talk about it, I wouldn't feel stressed about packing Disney-specific items in secret, etc... but DH does not feel that is necessary and just wants to wait until we get in the car to tell them. He thinks we should just say we're going to visit my parents (who will be meeting us in WDW), but not say where, so they will understand why we're packing, waking up super early to leave, etc... I'm leaning towards giving in to him on this since I've planned EVERYTHING else, and it's not worth fighting about it at this point. Any thoughts or opinions from previous experience on this?

 

[ChitownFamily]

So we are taking the kids (DD3 and DD6) to Disney for their first trip, leaving in a week and they have no idea!! We will be driving from GA early Monday morning. DD6 has her last day of school on Thursday, and I was planning to do the big surprise at dinner that night. That way, we could have 3 days to talk about it, I wouldn't feel stressed about packing Disney-specific items in secret, etc... but DH does not feel that is necessary and just wants to wait until we get in the car to tell them. He thinks we should just say we're going to visit my parents (who will be meeting us in WDW), but not say where, so they will understand why we're packing, waking up super early to leave, etc... I'm leaning towards giving in to him on this since I've planned EVERYTHING else, and it's not worth fighting about it at this point. Any thoughts or opinions from previous experience on this?

Personally, I like your plan better. Kids need transition time to digest the info. Your 6 year old is old enough that she might be upset by missing stuff (parties, games etc/events) back at home. plus its your kids first time- they would get more excited if you give them a taste (YouTube rides, parades, fireworks) if you feel strongly, suggest your DH google "Disney surprise fail" and sit back to watch the overwhelmed crying kiddos. (They just don't even know how to process the info)
Have a wonderful trip!

 

[LadyPirateBree]

We're going to try to not tell our daughter til we're there. We're driving, and she doesn't really get what Disney is yet (She's 4.) My mom said something about it a few weeks ago, and she thought we were going to see the princess's ice skate since we saw Disney on Ice back in March.

We also learned on our last vacation that she's very much into the are we there yet stage, lol.

 

[3 Little Princesses]

We surprised our girls on Christmas and left on 12/28. I felt like that was great timing because we didn't have the how many more days questions and still were able to talk about what we were going to do. They had time to get excited and I was still able to see the excitement of the surprise. I did a scavenger hunt and right before they put the puzzle together my 10 yr old insisted we were getting a puppy. She had time to get over that we weren't and still get excited about the trip. It was a first visit for my three youngest.

My suggestion is to tell her but is it worth an argument with your husband? My husband didn't care either way.

 

[yekcoh_99]

We are leaving for Disney the day after Thanksgiving so there is no school, our flight leaves at 1:30 (no getting up at the crack of dawn) and we will be able to pack the van without them seeing. Our plan is to tell the kids we are going to the Disney store which is about an hour away and 5 minutes from the airport. Knowing my son (7) he will ask why are we going past the mall with the Disney store and at this time we will tell them we are going to the Disney store in DTD. Can't wait to see their faces, daughter will be 6. This will be their 6th trip and second trip this year. Wish us luck.

 

[Snooks23]

I'm telling my daughter the day before we leave. It's been so hard keeping a secret. I wanted to not tell her until we got to the airport, but it won't work out for us. I'm doing her bday "party/get together" the day before we leave. Everyone who has asked what to get, I tell them gift cards for disney. So I don't want her to question why & so on. So Im going to tell her at her party.

 

[baileys mommy]

We plan to tell them either at the airport or on the way. This has been kept a secret for almost a year. I can not wait to tell them. They are 10 & 6, we leave for NYC on Saturday June 1 and then we leave Monday morning at 4am for the airport. I can't wait.

 

[amydeich]

Thanks for all the input... We've decided to tell them tomorrow that we'll be going to see their grandparents next week, and then when they get in the car early Monday morning it will have all Disney stuff inside (bag of coloring books, stickers, snacks, etc...) and new princess dolls in their carseats! They've been asking to go to WDW on a weekly basis for months, so we know they'll be excited!!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[TriniandBre]

Wow, I have a DD 6 and a DD 3. I'm surprising them over the summer with our trip to Disney but we won't be going until December. I want to wait it out until December but I don't want anyone to ruin the surprise for them if we wait that long. I might can sneak it by them by telling them people are talking about next year's trip. They know we are going to Disney next December. Good luck with the surprise and make sure to post up the reactions.

 

[JohnstonMandy]

We surprised DD4 - long story short, we were driving in from Tampa (staying with family) and she fell asleep as soon as we got in the car. We were 5 minutes out from WDW when she woke up and I told her - she burst into tears (not happy ones!!) and insisted she was not old enough because that is what we have been telling her all along. LOL. She did NOT want to go. I asked her to try it and if she didn't want to stay we could go, and of course she got over it by the time we got on the Monorail and she saw Tiana on the train, and we had the most magical day EVER.

That being said, next time we are doing a countdown and she will help me plan. :-D

 

[Lilliputian]

We're holding out until the very end to tell ours (ages 10, 9, 6, 3, and 1). We're telling them that we're going to Florida for a conference, which is somewhat true. It's a 12 day trip, and the last 5 days my husband will be at a conference at the Dolphin. But we're going to let them think it's a conference that both my husband and I will be attending, and that they'll just have to sit in chairs and read and play quiet games while we listen to people talk. We've gone to those kinds of conferences before, so they'll believe us.

When we arrive at Windsor Hills, I think they'll get an inkling that something is going on. We'll tell them after we get there.

 

[luvmy2babies]

So excited for everyone. I love doing surprise trips.

It really depends on the child. My daughter, you could wake her at 2am and say, “We’re going to Disney,” and you’d get squealing, hugging, jumping up and down, endless appreciation, whatever you desire. I’ve done the reveal day before for Disney. I did the “we’re leaving right now” for Sea World. She was fine. She has her limits though, once she is in a vehicle for a certain amount of time, she needs to know where she’s going. Those videos you see where people drive for hours and then “SURPRISE!” There’s the Disney arch…I could never pull that off with her.

You’ve probably found the secret gets harder to keep as it gets closer and you have to do certain things to prepare. One thing I do is limit the people I tell. My children's Godmother for instance tells me not to tell her dh if I'm planning a surprise for the children as he is terrible at holding secrets.

I have a secret right now myself. We leave next Thursday and my daughter (now 10) and my son (3) have no idea. My mother is the only one that knows, plus some co-workers my children never see. I just told dd's reading specialist yesterday.

They know a summer vacation is likely, but don't know when. They are aware that I’m considering Disney, but my daughter thinks I’m leaning more towards a beach trip due to costs. It’s time to pack and because of something going on with her mattress, my daughter has been sleeping in my room, which has put a kink in my normal “pack the suitcase inside the walk-in closet” method. Plus, whenever we go on a trip she knows about, the last minute shopping for odds and ends is so much fun and I want to have that with them.

So, I’ve made the decision to tell them on Monday. Her last day of school is tomorrow and on Monday I'm going to give her a summer activity book I'll initially let her think is full of summer school work. Truthfully it will be her Disney road trip activity book.

I’ll still hold back a couple of surprises for the trip itself. Going to let them think it will be a no frills trip. But, I’m going to pack her Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique stuff in a separate bag, tape the invitation I made to the inside and not open it until the day of the appointment. I also told them we probably wouldn’t be doing any more character meals. I had a 9 and a 2 year-old last year and now have a 10 year-old and a 3 year-old. Big price hike. No dining plan this time, but I managed to save enough for 3 of our favorite meals for this trip.

Happy planning

Side note: I actually got to witness an adult being surprised on our last trip. We boarded the plane and there were 3 young adults with signs that read "Speed Limit 60" and "Happy 60th Birthday Dad." There was an older couple behind us. Turns out those 3 adults were their children. The plane originated in Philadelphia which was where they got on. The dad thought he was going to see them for his birthday and that they had to change planes in Orlando. But once he saw them they said, "Surprise, we're going to Disney!"

Awesome.

 

[kittyninja]

I just have to say I'm glad that with the whole "We're going to see grandma and grandpa!!" thing that they are actually meeting you at Disney!! I've seen many youtube videos of children being told they were going to see (insert person here) and then were very disappointed when they found out they weren't!!

Good job though...I think ya'll will be okay!!

Have a great trip!!

 

[Burnedout]

If it would be wonderful to share the talk and packing and all then tell her. If not, make sure you don't give an option that is a known favorite. My friends told their son he was going to see cousins and he was heartbroken when they told him the truth!

Have fun all the way around!

 

[luvmy2babies]

Yeah, the ones where they tell the children they are going somewhere else are tricky, but I agree the OP should be fine since the grandparents will be at Disney too.

Usually my daughter isn't aware she's going anywhere. Or if she is aware she's going somewhere, she is missing some other detail like when.

In the case of our upcoming trip, she knows we'll take a vacation this summer, but has no clue when it will be. So far I haven't purchased anything I don't normally purchase for summer when we've been out shopping. I've ordered the stuff I needed particularly for Disney online so far and she hasn't really taken notice of the packages arriving at home.

The only exception would be when we were at Children's Place yesterday and they had some shirts in her size and I got her two Minnie Mouse shirts and a Tinkerbelle shirt, but I picked them up while she was looking at jewelry.

Spilling the beans on Monday so we can finish the shopping and packing together. Plus they can say "see ya!" to Grammy and Papa and their Godparents at church Tuesday evening.

7 days to departure, 8 days to arrival at Disney,

 

[angelmom27]

Every surprise trip video I have seen where they tell the kids they are going some place and then surprise we are going to Disney end in tears. One of the girls in my may group did that and her son was crying. And the person they were going to see in the other state was right there too. We just told our kids last night and we leave tomorrow. Hope your surprise works out good.

 

[bgminnie]

My daughter and I are heading to Disney on Monday with my 2 grandkids, 6 and 8 for their first trip. We are driving down from KY on Saturday but stopping to visit family in Georgia first. They think we are going to the beach....

When they get up that Monday morning she plans to set their monogrammed Mickey ears she had a friend get earlier on the hood of the car.... They are going to be so excited!

It's been a little tough keeping it a secret - for the past few months, but their reaction will be so worth it!

 

[luvmy2babies]

One other tip for anyone who is planning a surprise where they'll be flying: If you’re not sure, make sure you find out how they feel about flying. If they are apprehensive about it, telling them a few days ahead will give you a chance to address any fears they may have. I saw one video where they were on the way to the airport and they told the child he was getting on an airplane. He was so upset about flying, he burst into tears. It didn’t matter one bit when they said he was going to Disney World.

My daughter has no fear issues when it comes to long drives, but I know they are far from her favorite thing. We have always flown to Florida up until now, so part of my reasoning for telling them on Monday is for her to wrap her head around just how long it is going to take for us to get there.

I'm making her a road trip book that will pretty much outline the trip and I'm going to let each child pick a movie for the ride.

 

[babygus0]

We surprised my twin now 6 year olds for their 5th birthday. My sister lives about 3 hours from Disney. They knew we were going down there, we had dinner with her, and then told the girls we were going to get ice cream. We finally told them when we were about 30 minutes from Disney. We video tapped telling them and it was awesome.

Has to be my favorite video of all!
Have a great trip!

 

[ali78]

My son is 4 and we have been to Disney probably twice a year since he was born. We were just there at the beginning of April and now were going next week for star wars weekends. I really want to try and surprise him that morning when we get up to go to the airport, and im hoping since he's been so many times that he wont get upset or anything for not knowing earlier. Usually we have a countdown but then he asks everyday when we leave so I figured this way will just be more fun and different !