Best way to surprise young kids???

[TigrLvsPooh]

We have decided not to tell our children we're going to WDW. So now we're trying to figure out how we will tell them. Our flight is early in the morning, so we thought we might wait until they get in the car and then tell them once we start down the road. Or we could go in their bedrooms, wake them up and tell them. We thought it would be cute to give them something first as a hint... like maybe those GOH badges?? But then I wasn't sure our youngest (he's almost 4) would understand the badge?? So what other things might work?? Or should we just burst in their rooms that morning with the videocamera and say "WE'RE GOIN' TO DISNEY WORLD!!!"

Any good ideas???

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[DLKT]

Tell them that you're going to DisneyWorld, get into the car, drive them to a burned down factory and say "Oh NO!"
When they ask you why it happened tell them that it was probably something that they did.



It doesn't get any meaner that that!!
Ha ha ha. That was from one of those "Jack Handy" postcards from a Saturday Night Live skit.


I would tell them that you're all visiting a sick Aunt that they've never seen or heard of before and video tape thier faces when you pull up to the resort.
Assuming that you are staying onsite.
It might not be the same if your just staying in Orlando.
I would imagine it would be fun seeing them jump around like crazy when they get out of the car, not believing where they are.

Good luck.

 

[momshark]

We are leaving in a few days. I told DD14 because, well, she is 14 and needs to plan her wardrobe far in advance, otherwise she would have a complete hissy fit.
But, we haven't told DS7 yet. The night before we leave we are having Mickey shaped pasta for dinner. We will have to get up at 3am to go to the airport so I think we are going to say that Daddy has planned a surprise trip when we ake him up at 2:45. LOL We will see how long it takes before DS realizes where we are going....
I did have a friend get me MMears hats with names on them. Not quite sure when I will pop those on. Maybe on the plane.
I CAN NOT wait to see DS's face!! Priceless!

Maybe you could have one of the princesses call and invite them down. I have the phone # somewhere. I will post it tonight when I get home. Or, you could drive Daddy to the airport for a business trip and get on the plane with him. See how long it takes for the DSs to catch on.

 

[Steamboat_willie_2]

I am sure that there will be a difference of opinion this topic.

I'd tell them in advance so that they can enjoy the anticipation.

We just got back from WDW with our granddaugter. We took her as a 5th birthday present. She had fun telling everyone (including her friends)...."I'm going to Disney with my gramms and pops when I turn 5"



She had s

 

[elf]

I love the idea of waking them up with mickey hats on and just take them off your head and put it on theirs.

I Haven't surprised mine ever, not because I don't want to I just can't keep my mouth shut. We have so much fun planning from the hotel to the things they want to bring. But one day....

Going to a sick Aunts house....LOL my kids wouldn't be quiet with the questions I could't do it they would drive me nuts.

 

[1BigDisneyFan]

A few years back my wife and I surprised the kids with a trip to Disney World. Here's how we did it.

Before I start you should know that at the time I was doing a lot of business travel and my son would watch the Town Car come to pick me up to drive me to the airport. He always wanted to ride in "the limo" and of course, never could come with me.

Anyway, we planned the flight to Orlando at 7:00 a.m. We didn't tell the kids anything but when we got them up around 5:30, I told by oldest that I had a surprise for him. I told him to look out the window and he saw a limo (Since we were taking my dad and his wife as well, this time I got a full fledged limo to take all of us). Immediately his reaction was to look a little sullen and said "Aww you have to go on a business trip?" "No, I said, do you want to ride in the limo?" Immediate joy "Yeah!" Having pre-packed the limo while my wife got the kids dressed, we all pile in the limo.

After about 25 minutes we neared the airport. We could see the planes landing and taking off. I pointed out the window at an airplane taking off. "Take a look out there!" I said. Falling right into the trap he said "I wish I could go on a plane, I have don't remember ever being on a plane". Smiling I said, "You want to go on a plane? OK, lets go!"

All wide-eyed and excited about being in an airport and an airplane, we took the trip to Orlando. Towards the tail end of the trip, my oldest looked at me and said "Is the ride going to be over? What time are we getting back home". To his mind we were going for a ride in a plane and then landing back home. "No I said, we are going to go for a little drive after the plane lands."

We rented a minivan at the airport and I had a lot of questions about "Where are we going Daddy?" As we drove to Disney World (We were staying inthe POR resort). I answered all of them with the answer "you'll see".

When we got close to the gate I pointed to the sign on the gate and said, "Who is that?" "That's Mickey and Donald Duck!" "Yep, and where do they hang out?" "DISNEY WORLD!!! WE ARE AT DISNEY WORLD!!"

We were able, somehow, to keep the surpise right up until the last moment at the gate. It really was memerable for both the kids and us. It was worth the planning and plotting to hear the surprise and exitement in his voice.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

I love the hat idea... we could come into their bedrooms that morning with our ears on! That would for sure tell them where we are going.

I also like the idea of telling them in the car...

Not sure waiting til the resort would work. As soon as we get to the airport they would know for sure where we are going.

Thanks so much for your ideas!! Keep em coming!!!

 

[Pixiedusttravel]

I like the idea of video taping their expressions when you wake them to go!
We've surprised our DS (8 at the time) by just sticking him in the car at 4 in the morning (he's a hard sleeper) and when he finally woke up told him we were on our way to Disney! The look of confusion is priceless!! Since then he's been begging for us to surprise him again like that!

17 days till we leave!!!!

 

[goodferry]

Well, we surprised our kids last trip, it about killed me! What we did was get a hotel room at the airport for the night before our flight since our flight was at 9 am. Then we are able to leave our car there without paying for parking and they shuttle us to the airport. Anyway, the hotel is right next to the nearest IKEA, which I love and the kids HATE. So I told them on the trip there that we were going to stay in a hotel for the weekend so that I could do some extended shopping at IKEA, my five year old dd burst into tears "I hate IKEA" she yelled. So we told them what was really going on and there was lots of excitement and jumping up and down and yelling. I had made up a bag for each of them with stuff for the plane ride, gum, coloring books, crayons, shirts from the Disney store, that sort of stuff. They were so excited! It was worth waiting to tell them, but for this next trip in December we decided to tell them in advance so we could see the anticipation build!

 

[funnybunny921]

my parents surprised us one year for christmas...

See our extended family was going down for christmas, but my parents couldn't afford the trip (or so we were told). Instead we would take a trip to Ontario (sp) to visit a family friend for Christmas. That way they could pack stuff and we wouldn't be the wiser... bathing suits could be explaind by the hotel having a pool, and since florida isn't that hot in December, they were able to hide things well. I was in 5th gade and my brothers were in 1st and kinder. We came home from our last day of school and mom and dad already had the car packed. They sat us down on the couch had said they had something very serious to talk to us about. So here are 3 kids having way too much sugar (in fact in the video I am eating a candy cane) waiting for the very serious news we mom says you know how we were planning on going to canada, we we can't (why mom?) because we are going to disney world (silence) eyes be come wider ... "really?!?" yes go get in the car.

It was the best trip we took because it was the last very fun thing we got to do with our uncle who passed away the next year.

anyway to make a long story short -- i like the idea of video tape... my parents have the whole thing on video, and it is great to see how unbelieving we were when they told us.

 

[Terry S]

Erika, we have done this twice so far and both times were really fun.

First time: The flight was right after they got out of school so I had told them that right after school we would be driving their Uncle to the airport for a business trip (In truth, he was dropping us off at the airport) Once we got to the airport I told the kids to hop out of the car so we could help thier Uncle with his bags. While after we got out of the car and got the bags out, my brother drove away the car and the kids stood there dumbfounded. We then told them that we were going to WDW and they jumped for joy.

Second time: This was an early flight. So that morning when kids woke up and jumped in our beds like they do sometimes and I nonchalantly asked them what they would like to do today. My daughter said "why don't we fold more laundry" (I had spent most of the day before trying to get the laundry done so I could pack after they went to bed and my daughter helped me fold it) I told her well, we could fold laundry or we could..... go to WDW. Both my kids were like "yea, that is a good idea, lets go to WDW" thinking it was a joke and I said "okay, lets go". It took a few times back and forth before they stopped in the tracks and said "are you serious?" That was really fun!

 

[pongoperdigirl]

I am sure that there will be a difference of opinion this topic.

I'd tell them in advance so that they can enjoy the anticipation.

We just got back from WDW with our granddaugter. We took her as a 5th birthday present. She had fun telling everyone (including her friends)...."I'm going to Disney with my gramms and pops when I turn 5"



She had s

I agree with you I think that you should tell them in advance so they can build up the anticipation. I think that it would be much better to let them know in advance

 

[jckdisneybound]

Tell them that you're going to DisneyWorld, get into the car, drive them to a burned down factory and say "Oh NO!"
When they ask you why it happened tell them that it was probably something that they did.



OMG that was my favorite one, thanks for the laugh today :lol

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

These are some really great ideas!!! Now we have two weeks to make up our minds about how to do it. I like the idea about driving to the airport to pick up/drop off someone. Might have to use that just to extend the suspense!

 

[Bugdozer]

Hi,
We are doing the same thing except the boys are both 11. One is my son and the other is my friends son. We are sending them off to school as usual. Then we will pick them up at noon and thell them that we are taking them out to lunch at at a new resturant. We only live 20 min. from the airport so when they ask why we are heading towards the airport we will tell them the new resturant is right near the airport. When we get to the depature gate or when they are really confused we will say" oh did we forget to tell you...we are eating in Disneyworld today".
They are going to freak We go every 9 months but our next trip is in Oct. so they will not suspect a thing. My son has been bumming because he won't get to see Lucky the dinosaur because he won't be there in Oct...boy is he wrong.
I also am having 2 identical baskets made by feralpeg and they will be in our rooms waiting for them. They will be filled with LOTS of the new Happiest Celebration on Earth goodies like the gold Mickey ears and t-shirt. We will have a card in them that says" Thanks for joining me for the Happiest Celebration on Earth! Love Mickey" The boys are going to be so happy-just taht Disney magic
Now the hard part-Keeping it a secret until May 25th
Cheryl

 

[julia & nicks mom]

Erika -

one time we tld my niece and nephew for their birthday and we put helium balloons in a box and when they opened all the disney balloons floated out - they were so exctied and the ballons added to the excitement -

maybe you could give them each a box with a balloon in it - that they could open - or just put them in their room while they are sleeping and see if they guess when they wake up with the balloons in their room

See you in Disney!!!!

Kate

 

[Tink&SquirtsMom]

We surprised my kids when we picked my dd up from preschool and told her we were driving to a hotel. Drove 6 hours the whole time ds and dd thinking we are just going to a hotel for the weekend (they LOVE staying at hotels). Got in late at night and they were asleep. When they woke up the next morning they had no clue where they were (spur of the moment trip all DL hotels were full so we offsite and they've never stayed offsite). After breakfast we said lets take a walk and see if theres anything fun to do around this hotel. Should've seen the looks on their faces when we walked right up to DL!! You can't really use that since you have to go the airport, but I love the idea of bursting in with a videocamera and saying "we're going to DisneyWorld!!!" That footage would be priceless.

As far as anticipation for the poster who mentioned that I agree if it was a rare occasion to go to Disney. The kids would want to be involved in the planning and looking forward to the trip. However if you go all the time (as obviously OP does) I think a surprise just adds to the magic. And my dd thought it was the coolest thing ever.

BTW, TigrLvsPooh.. I've wanted to tell you forever that I have the travel channel show tivo'd and my kids watch your family all the time. They love you guys! DS watched the Buzz ride part over and over again and repeats word for word all the narration you give.

 

[MickeyMouseGal]

I think it would be fun to see how far you can get before the kids figure out where they are going. If they're too young to know that Orlando = WDW then you may get all the way to the resort before they figure it out!