Any unique ideas on how to let the kids know?!?!

[SeaSpray]

Once we book the cruise, we're going to wait till the middle of winter to let DSs know that we're all going on a Disney cruise next July! DH and I have been bouncing ideas around about how to tell them... One idea we have is a scavenger hunt, with hints and clues, and by the end they should be able to figure it out.

I was wondering if any of you could share any different or unique ways you've let your kids know that they were going on a Disney cruise? Our DSs are 15 and 12, so some ideas that would be nice for the younger ones wouldn't be the same for our DSs.

Thanks in advance!

 

[alexandrew]

maybe wrap a home- made DCL cruise ticket amongst Christmas presents ....that should give them some extra holiday cheer

 

[mmouse37]

We surprised our kids at Christmastime for a July cruise. This was back in '98 and I had secretly gotten reservations for us on the Maiden Voyage sailing of the Magic. The kids did not know...they knew I had desperately wanted us all to go, but they had no idea I was able to book it.

I had gotten DCL t-shirts (back when they had a DCL preview area at WDW) and made up certificates on the computer. Each child a personalized certificate that said something like...here is your ticket for the vacation of a lifetime, you have been been chosen to sail the DCL Magic, etc. etc...

Anyway, I wrapped up the t-shirts and certificates and put them under the tree with the other gifts and when they opened them....they could not beleive it!!! It was by far the best present under the tree. Now, 8 DCL cruises later they still get excited when I mention I want to book another DCL cruise!!!

I just found one of the certificates I printed up for the surprise....after reading it I had forgotten that the original Maiden Voyage date of the Magic was in March, then got pushed back to April, then we finally sailed in July!!! I made up this certificate when the date was scheduled for April 30, 1998. I'll post a pic when I get a chance.

Here they are then:

http://community.webshots.com/photo/50699182/81339325qpOPEO

http://community.webshots.com/photo/50699182/81339801xEEMMA

Here they are now:

http://community.webshots.com/photo/48196942/48732623ZxIcQm




MJ

 

[lulu201]

This past Christmas we surprised our DD, then in 7th grade, with a trip to WDW on January 2nd of 2003. In the midst of her other gifts we had a new purse that contained Disney dollars, a Disney key chain in her stocking, and then for the last gift--way, way, way under the tree--a copy of the Birnbaum Guide to WDW 2003. When she unwrapped the book, she looked at it with a puzzled look and opened to the first page. On the inside cover her dad had written something like "Our family in Disney World for the new year. . .Merry Christmas." We'll never forget her excitement and happiness; it was a magical Christmas for us all.
It took extreme secrecy, though, to make it work. I had to talk with her school and teachers, all without DD knowing, to get her homework. (One big negative for being out of school the first week in January--she had to do her work on Christmas vacation. Ever try to teach your kid probability and statistics?!!)

As a child I remember being wakened by my mom one October morning with the words, "come on, wake up, we're going to Disney World today." Another time, my dad slipped a piece of paper into a chocolate bar that said "for your Christmas present this year, Christmas in Ireland, New Year's in London, and then Germany, Austria, Spain, and Portugal." I'll never forget these surprises, and so I guess that's why I love doing them for my DD.

Enjoy planning your special surprise, Seaspray!

 

[Favorite Auntie]

I am taking my nephew on the Cruise in November with my parents. We are not telling him until we arrive at the port! He is 4, so it won't be hard to pull this one off! My parents live in Haines City, Florida. The day after Thanksgiving I am taking him to visit Nana and Papa. (He is getting a new little brother in October, so my sister will tell him once the baby is born that he has been so good he gets to go with Auntie to visit Nana and Papa.) We will stay with my parents Friday night, and then Saturday morning we will all get up to go on a "Mystery Ride" with Papa. We can't wait to see his little face once the ship is in sight! It is killing me not telling him, but my sister is afraid that he will be horrible in school and misbehave if he knows and gets excited.

 

[PRINCESS VIJA]

I don't think what we are doing will help you out, but we are going to wake up our kids the morning we leave and tell them we are going! We are going to WDW first, I won't mention the ship at all. We are going to then go to the coast to "look at the ocean" and then surprise them again!!! Can't wait!

 

[tweetsie]

DH and I are not planning to tell DD8 until the day of the cruise. She knows that we are planning to go to Disney the second week in October but she doesn't know about the cruise. We should arrive at the resort (timeshare) on Saturday like we always do and will spend Saturday night. We will get up Sunday morning and head to the port. Hopefully we will be able to pull this one off.

 

[Tay N Evie's Mom]

We surprised our twins on 2 different occasions with DCL. The first time they were 3 1/2 and we told them that we were going to the airport to see DH off on a business trip (that was back when nonpassengers could go to the gates with passengers). After all the boo-hoo's about missing Daddy, I said to them "why don't we just go with Daddy!" They were so excited and we didn't tell them we were going on the cruise until they saw the ship sitting at the port (it was their 2nd cruise so the recognized the ship). The second time I wrapped up the DCL brochure for their 4th birthdays and made sure they saved the best gift for last!

 

[SeaSpray]

Originally posted by mmouse37

I just found one of the certificates I printed up for the surprise....after reading it I had forgotten that the original Maiden Voyage date of the Magic was in March, then got pushed back to April, then we finally sailed in July!!! I made up this certificate when the date was scheduled for April 30, 1998. I'll post a pic when I get a chance.

Here they are then:

http://community.webshots.com/photo/50699182/81339325qpOPEO

http://community.webshots.com/photo/50699182/81339801xEEMMA

Here they are now:

http://community.webshots.com/photo/48196942/48732623ZxIcQm




MJ

Thanks so much for sharing your photos! Wow your kids have grown a lot since their first cruise! I love the idea of the t-shirts and I love the idea of a certificate. Maybe I'd turn ours into a scroll of some sort. Do you know if or where I could get Disney Cruise Line t-shirts in advance to wrap up for them??

Thanks!

 

[SeaSpray]

Originally posted by lulu201
This past Christmas we surprised our DD, then in 7th grade, with a trip to WDW on January 2nd of 2003. In the midst of her other gifts we had a new purse that contained Disney dollars, a Disney key chain in her stocking, and then for the last gift--way, way, way under the tree--a copy of the Birnbaum Guide to WDW 2003. When she unwrapped the book, she looked at it with a puzzled look and opened to the first page. On the inside cover her dad had written something like "Our family in Disney World for the new year. . .Merry Christmas." We'll never forget her excitement and happiness; it was a magical Christmas for us all.
It took extreme secrecy, though, to make it work. I had to talk with her school and teachers, all without DD knowing, to get her homework. (One big negative for being out of school the first week in January--she had to do her work on Christmas vacation. Ever try to teach your kid probability and statistics?!!)

As a child I remember being wakened by my mom one October morning with the words, "come on, wake up, we're going to Disney World today." Another time, my dad slipped a piece of paper into a chocolate bar that said "for your Christmas present this year, Christmas in Ireland, New Year's in London, and then Germany, Austria, Spain, and Portugal." I'll never forget these surprises, and so I guess that's why I love doing them for my DD.

Enjoy planning your special surprise, Seaspray!

Those are wonderful memories you have, lulu!! I think if my sons were younger I would do something like that, just wake them up and have them packed already. But I know they enjoy the anticipation of a trip, so I do want to tell them at least a few months in advance. As of right now, it's about a year away, which is why we want to wait till the winter to tell them. It'll give them a lift in the dead of winter, and also they won't have as long of a wait compared to if we told them now. This will be fun trying to plan a way to surprise them though

 

[SeaSpray]

Thanks to everyone who has shared their ideas with me so far!

I am wondering if anyone knows where I can buy 2 Disney Cruise Lines t-shirts for my DSs, so I can wrap them up as a hint when we surprise them.

 

[disneylandfamily]

We surprised our kids by doing a scavenger hunt at California's Downtown Disney. Our kids are 13, 11 and 8. I kept the secret for 18 long months. Our cruise was during easter break and so we did an Easter egg hunt. I left clues at different stores and then had them figure out the clues to find out which stores to go to. At the last store we left them each a bag with some disney dollars and a copy of their tickets. We had been telling them we were going to the beach during easter break. My eight year old son was hillarious when he finally read his ticket. He said, "This isn't right mom. How can we be going on the Disney Cruise if we are camping at the beach?" I had to tell him that I had been "tricking" him. He said, "You mean you've been lying to us?" It was a great surprise. The kids still talk about the scavenger hunt and how much they were surprised by the trip.

 

[CRABTOWNER]

SeaSpray


"Thanks to everyone who has shared their ideas with me so far!"

"I am wondering if anyone knows where I can buy 2 Disney Cruise Lines t-shirts for my DSs, so I can wrap them up as a hint when we surprise them."


I am pretty sure the only place you can get DCL merchandise is on the ships. I have been on 3 DCL cruises and I can't say I remember seeing t-shirts. But I am going again on this Sat the 19th, and if you would like I would be happy to get them and mail them to you as long as you trust my "fashion" sense. I imagine it would be difficult to pick a bad t-shirt!

Let me know asap as I am leaving for PC on Friday the 18th.

Tom G

 

[SeaSpray]

Hi Tom! (Crabtowner):

Thanks for the generous offer, that's really nice of you! I saw the t-shirts that mmouse37 had in one of her pictures, her kids were holding up white "Disney Cruise Lines" t-shirts. Something like that would be perfect. The t-shirts will be for my sons, who are 15 and 12 now, but will be 16 and 13 next July on the cruise. I'd need an ADULTS XXL and an ADULTS Large. Does anyone know how much the t-shirts are, on the cruise???

 

[2tinksmom]

We are going on our first cruise in May with some friends. We have two daughters, 10 and 5 and they have two daughters, 8 and 6. We are not planning on telling them at all....they'll figure it out when they get to the port!!! I just hope we can keep it a secret until then. They'll probably think we're just going back to WDW. I just need to figure out how to explain getting passports (didn't want to take birth certificates). Can't wait to see their faces!!