Anyone else surprising the kids???

[txsoccermom]

We are sailing in feb so my plan "WAS" to get Disney stockings hang them in the basment. Have our regular Christmas morning and when they filter down to play they would see stockings packed with stuff. Yell for us and we would open up our Disney stockings with travel stuff, Googles, sun screen, bathing suit ect ect ect. and a note about the cruise.

The perfect plan was foiled by my 9 yr old DS. He never gets the mail for me, I mean NEVER! I was waiting for a check and I asked him to go grab the mail while I sat on the front porch chatting with my Mom. We heard screaming in the house jumping, yelling. Ya you guessed they sent me a nice confirmation with a beautiful port hole picture welcoming us for our cruise! UGG he opened it and you know the rest.

Secret no more DONT LET THE KIDS GET THE MAIL!

OMG - that is my fear! When does Mickey Mail come for the cruise? After final payment only? Only once or how many times? I need to be on the lookout

su_kraft......I about how oblivious your kids were! That is so great.....can't believe they had no clue

TIA!

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

I managed to make it up to 3 weeks before sailing, (8 months I had everything covered). She found the luggage tags in my desk!

It was our 30th anniversary, and to be honest she had a lot of fun knowing about it the last 3 weeks....she walked around with a smile on her face, telling every one she was going on her 1st criuse and it was Disney Cruise!

Enjoy!....AKK

 

[ladyleslie]

Grammy and I have been keeping this secret for over 340 days!!!! Oh its been hard..... Especially now that I'm trying to make FE gifts.

So we are leaving the day after her birthday .... so it will be in one of her birthday gifts - Im just sure how yet .....

 

[txsoccermom]

I contacted my TA @ DU the other day (Tracy - LOVE her) and asked if she was getting our DCL Mickey Mail b/c we're using her and asked when she would be sending it, etc b/c I was surprising the family. She mentioned that DCL would send it straight to me and they do it fairly fast, BUT if I wanted to have it sent to a friend's house, just provide her with the name/address/phone of that person and she would change it in the system!! Tracy said I could have it changed back to our home address whenever I wanted, just to let her know

Done deal

Now I just have to find ways to past the time.......

 

[txsoccermom]

Bumping......to see who has spilled the beans and who has still kept the secret - ME! I'm dying here though, b/c I know my kids REALLY want to go back to WDW. DD told me today (as we were watching the travel channel on WDW), "Next time we go, we're spending 2 weeks or else I'm not going!"

I'm trying my best to hold out to at least Christmas. If I can make it till then, I'm going to try for Valentine's Day. Might try to pull off waiting until day/nite before, but then I'll miss out on the "magic" of the planning part with the kids...however, the video I could get if I could pull that off

Anyways, would love to hear more stories. Here's some cheering on to those of us that are still going strong w/holding out on telling the family

Good luck!

 

[kimistry6]

We booked our cruise 2 weeks ago for May 29, 2011. Our boys 7 & 3 were spending the weekend with granny and papaw. We decided to keep it from the boys for the many reasons already posted. Well, I am a researcher and immediately found disboards and started learning tips, facts and getting ideas how cruising works. I would start talking to DH about stuff and of course my 7 yr old figured it out right away.

 

[3Mickeys]

We WILL WAIT until Christmas. I keep telling myself that. We sail in February and our kids are 8, 10 and 12. First cruise ever and only been to WDW once. This is beyond anything they could imagine. I'm still trying to figure out how to make it their present... I was thinking of doing the embroidered pillow cases that they could then get signed. But since then I like the idea of the signed photo mat better. I'll figure it out I'm sure.

Yesterday DH and I had to go buy a new car, and as we walked out and the realization hit us of what we just bought and how much it was.... you know how that goes. DH said "for Christmas the kids are getting the cruise, Mickey pjs and socks" He may not be far off. I'll have to be creative to find cool gifts to wrap up that don't cost too much!! But I'm so excited!!!!

 

[Jennifer in MI]

We surprised our kids this year in January. Here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb2ISuWuIek

It was SOOOOO hard to wait to tell them and keep it from them, but we did it! And, it was worth it!!!! I love where my third boy reads the t-shirt that says, "My parents surprised me with a Disney Cruise today" and he says, "No you didn't!" Duh!!!!!

 

[Michele325]

We surprised the kids with a trip to Disney, it was great! We did a scavenger hunt around the house where each paper they found had a driving direction on it. Once they found them all they had to direct us from the papers in the car. I had packed and hid all the suitcases in the back of the van under blankets. the directions took us to the bowling alley across from the airport. You should have seen their faces when we got there and they thought we were taking them to bowling for their present! Only the 4 year old yelled Yeah! lol. Then we gave them envelopes with disney maps in them and had them guess where we were going. All the yelling was priceless. I wish I got video.

I would have loved to surprise them with our cruise next year but my 11 year old loves to plan for the cruise as much as we do (she will be going through the navigators picking her activities as soon as they are posted). Have fun keeping the secret!

 

[geniemomof4]

We have booked the Dream for Aug 2011 for our kids first cruise and they have no idea. DH and I are *hoping* we can keep the secret for a LONG time! I am hoping to keep it at least until Christmas but would love to wait until we pull into port! We'll be in FL visiting family before the cruise and going on the cruise before heading home, so it is possible to do if we can both keep our mouths shut!

We surprised the boys with a trip to WDW for spring break one year with a pirate treasure hunt for Disney clues including the planning DVD and personalized maps for each park as the prize find for each clue. At the end, the "booty" they collected had pieces attached which my husband printed on old-looking paper and burned the edges then each fit together into a puzzle to reveal the whole trip! They were so thrilled! That was torture to keep from them, so I am praying we can last now!

 

[SSR Lover]

Yes! I booked a 7 night Western in January a few weeks ago. We were supposed to be going to WDW that week, but since we haven't been able to work out a time for my parents to watch the boys so we could go on a trip to celebrate our 15th anniversary my husband decided we should take the kids with us!! So, they still think we are going to WDW, but I don't know how long we can keep the secret!!

 

[Tracykim]

We are doing our families first Disney Cruise and we are starting with B2B crusies. Starting May 19th, 2011. We plan on making these cruises Christmas presents for our girls.

Pretty much everything they get for Christmas will be for the cruises. The first gift we will have them open will be a pillowcase that says:

A Disney Picture with DD13 & DD11's Name (they each get their own)
Under that it will say:

My 1st Cruise
Disney Dream
May 19th - May 22nd, 2011


Let the little girl screams begin!!!!

Then the last present they will open will be pretty much the same as above but will say:

My 2nd Cruise
Disney Dream
May 22nd - May 26th, 2011

This way they both will have pillowcases for each cruise that will be signed and something to remember each cruise by!!

I may start a tradition and always number the pillowcases by how many cruises they have taken!!

 

[shmoogrrrl]

We are hoping to surprise our daughter with our Disney Cruise next August on the Dream. Our son will only be 2, so he won't care either way probably.

I am debating how long to make it a surprise for my daughter. Ideally, I would like to keep it a surprise until we are actually getting on the ship, but this will be her third cruise, and the first that we haven't gone on with friends her age. I can't decide if it would be worth it to tell her if there are some other girls her age going on the cruise so that maybe she would 'know' someone before hand.

 

[aquamindy]

We are telling our DD that we are going on a big trip, but leaving the entire Disney portion out of it. The plan is to surprise her on the ship, but I'm afraid on the shuttle from the hotel to the ship people might spoil the surprise.

I'm even thinking about giving her a letter from Mickey in the morning before we leave the hotel.

Suggestions?

 

[BealsRwe]

No surprises for my family...we all love the anticipation and planning so much, I never keep it from DH or DD. We usually book fairly last miniute as we are WDW cast members, but at times we are able to book 3-4 months out. I would go absolutely crazy! This past cruise, we told DD, and we must have watched our DCL dvd's 20 times in 2 months...so much fun planning and getting the excitement up. Good luck keeping the secret...I would personally explode.
Of course, I have been on 11, DH-9, and DD-6 DCL vacations...we need the anticipation to get us to our next one.

 

[Silverfox97]

Well, our DD knows about the one for next Oct., but this AM, we booked for the Jan 3rd DD. She's only 3 1/2, but bright. She noticed I have 2 tickers in my signature, but she can't read yet. So, I have asked DH to make her a puzzle and put all of the pieces in a box for her to open and put together Christmas AM. Hopefully, she will just think we are getting ready for our Oct cruise and will be completely blown away!

 

[noahdove]

PoppyAnna, I think we are on the same cruise. There will be 7 of us all together..Daughter and her family and my other daughter..we are so excited

 

[txsoccermom]

bumping - for any new stories/ideas

I still have NOT blown my cover here to DH or the kids! Can't believe I've kept it from them for almost 100 days

I figure I will at least tell them 1 wk before (they get report cards then), the earliest being Valentine's Day. Don't want to tell them too soon b/c (1) want to make sure the ship starts sailing before I tell them, (2) too soon = too much whining about "Are we there yet?", and (3) it will be more fun the longer I can hold out At least 1 wk before gives me some time to plan the trip with them too!

Take care -

 

[jetskigrl]

Our surprise is...surprisingly...still intact

I almost blew it last nigth when I was on the phone with my sister (DD was in the room with me). We were trying to find a time to do a Vegas trip and I said that I wouldn't be able to do our usual trip in Feb because I would be taking so much time off. I caught myself before I said any more. Luckily, DD didn't pick up on that and ask why I was taking so much time off work.

Both my kids have been talking about doing a Disney Cruise a lot since we came back from WDW. I guess that is logical. They had their first experience to WDW and now they want that first experience for the DCL. I just keep telling them that it took 5 years to save for WDW, so it would be a while before the DCL

So our Christmas reveal is safe for now, LOL.

 

[emilyann415]

We didn't tell our DD or her two cousins until we were at the airport. They cried they were so happy. It was a moment I will never forget as long as I live. Have a wonderful time.

Emily