Does everyone have a GIFT sent for Arrival Day????

[Worfiedoodles]

I think most people do have something special for their families when they go to Disney. For some it's a gift waiting in the room, some do Tinkerbell gifts, some have a special bag in the car or for the plane with new activities to take out, some make a point of getting new clothes, toiletries, an autograph book, whatever. We just choose to celebrate our vacations in different ways.

In our family Tinkerbell brings a little something each night. When ds was small, everything in his travel bag was a surprise. The older he gets, the less likely he's going to be surprised with anything.

Whatever your tradition, you should be proud and happy with what you do. Sometimes I get great ideas from threads like these. I'm always looking for a fun new thing. Just being at Disney is magical, and if I can add a little something that will make smiles, I'm all for it.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

The only time I ever had a "welcome gift" was on the DCL. I didn't want to bring a pale and shovel so I had one delivered stuffed with a beach towel and a beach barbie. Best $50 I've ever spent! When we were done with our last day on the beach we passed the pale and shovel on to another family and dd still uses the beach towel and barbie. Other than that, no, I wouldn't do a welcome gift!

I did the welcome gift on DCL too. I had planned the entire cruise as a surprise for Christmas (this was back in 2004), so of course I wanted everything to be perfect (as perfect as you can get anyway) and magical. My dd received a DCL denim purse, journal, pen (and few other items). My daughter loved the purse, which she still uses, and the journal came in handy for the entire trip-now it is a tradition that she keeps a travel journal for herself. My ds received a DCL backback with a hat, cd holder and some other little stuff. He is not the journal keeping type. Ordinarily though, I don't do anything because they get so darned much during the trip. We bring two large empty suitcases with us on every trip and wind up having to stuff things in them because of all the souvenirs we buy for the kids.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Whatever your tradition, you should be proud and happy with what you do. Sometimes I get great ideas from threads like these. I'm always looking for a fun new thing. Just being at Disney is magical, and if I can add a little something that will make smiles, I'm all for it.

Well said! I love your positive attitude!

 

[bellarella]

Heck no

We have way too many "things" in our lives as it is. In our family, vacation is about time spent together and the experiences we have. We keep "stuff" to a minimum. The kids each get a small amount of money that they may use to bring home one souvenir of their choosing (and we like for them to choose it because it also teaches valuable lessons about choices and the value of money).

The nice thing is that they don't mind at all and when we get home we get replay after replay of the memories, not an account of things that were received.

 

[kinntj]

We are going for our first trip to WDW in May, 2008. Our two girls will have gift baskets waiting for them filled with the autograph books, pens, t-shirt and ears. Like someone else said, it's stuff I would have bought for them anyway and that way they get something in the room that makes it feel more magical. We plan on taking video of it, so they have memories of opening the gift baskets.

They don't get this kind of treatment on every trip and won't receive this on any other trip to DW either. This is a one time deal, being that it's the first time there. It's like the mouse is welcoming them on their first trip to Disney! We're not doing the BBB, which some families do, so we're using our money for something different instead. We all spend our money for different things to make our vacations fit our particular family style. Nothing is wrong with that.

Go ahead and order that gift basket and make it a magical moment and take pictures or movies of that moment and you'll have memories for a lifetime.

 

[mabenoab]

We don't do an arrival gift, but we make up special plane packages for the kids. In the past we've included CDs of their favorite music, Disney Dollars, temporary Disney tatoos & stickers, headphones, batteries..just some little treats to keep the kids occupied during the plane ride. I usually do a Disney theme of some kind...this year it'll clearly be Pirates of the Caribbean...now if only I could get Johnny Depp into my backpack!

 

[Bibbidi]

We've never done gifts before either. This year I ordered a small basket with a couple things in it that we were going to buy anyway--Pressed penny album, mickey ears, one stuffed minnie for each of them. It is an early (by a couple weeks) birthday gift and it will save me time looking for this stuff in all the stores. This won't be a regular occurence however, it's a one-time special treat.

 

[loriandmatt]

no - only once did we have a gift on arrival day and that was not our doing. a friend who is a CM knew we were coming and that DS was just getting out of a cast for 8 weeks.....she had a nice basket of snacks, a mickey plush and a card signed by several characters wishing him well and welcoming him back after his ordeal.

We have routinely however surprised DS (when he was younger) and plan to do so for DD (who is currenlty 2.5) with a gift bag of Disney goodies on the day we leave. When they are very young i find it easier to plan the trip without them houding me daily....."are we going today?!?!?" "how many days until we leave?!?!?!"

 

[hebbynan]

I ordered a "cake" for DH's birthday last year. It was made out of candy bars, cookies and pretzels. It came with a balloon and was waiting in our room when we got there. It was nice because then at night we had something to snack on. And DH was surprised that "I didn't forget about him even though I was going to my happiest place on earth" (he only thinks he comes in 2nd to Disney!). It wasn't cheap though. It cost about $60. It really depends on what you want to do and how much you're willing to spend.

 

[Merriwind]

I think sending a gift to the hotel is just ridiculous but then again I think a lot of things people talk about on these boards is way over the top.

This is a vacation. Yes, its a vacation to a very fun place, but it is still just a vacation. Do you want your kids to expect presents everytime you go on vacation? There is enough magic and fun for kids at WDW without special presents.

Agree, agree, agree. Getting a welcome gift for DD has never crossed my mind.

 

[Vickie46]

we do tinkerbell gifts each day... it makes our trip so magical!!!!!!!!! Its not much to it.. just little things... Its something my daughter will remember about disney and that makes it worth it!

 

[In Luv with Disney]

I, too, do the gifts while we are there. I usually do a gift bag with a bunch of stuff I find at the Dollar Tree, Dollar Spot, etc,throughout the year. I say MICKEY left it for them! My kids are 5 and 1, so they love this!

I did find a GREAT site to order personalized bags for your trip,though! You can get it filled with goodies to bring into the parks, like Autograph Books, pens, etc. Check it out! I ordered one as a gift for someone and I also ordered 2 of the bags for my own kids and they are ADORABLE!!!!!!

www.goodypak.com

 

[feedindy]

We usually drive so I gave them a gift to open when we arrived in each state! On our first trip they got coloring books & Cinderella crayons (Dollar Tree), Disney sunglasses, an autograph book, and a disposable camera when we arrived in Florida. Disney through your child's eyes is priceless! The next time we went, we had several adults rotating and drove straight through overnight. They slept the whole time, but did get new autograph books when we arrived.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Well,
I guess I am in the minority, but I did send something for my child and he loved it! Dad and I enjoyed the yummy snacks too!
I used the Disney Florist who sent over a small insulated bag filled with snacks (and a soda or two?) and "Disneyized" with ribbons and a note from Mickey.
It was actually given to my child at check in and the CM made a nice little presentation to my child and made him feel quite special.
Saying that, I don't think I'd do it again, but at the time it was worth it!
I have also sent a small postcard from the resort (about two days before leaving) to our home, addressed to my child from Mickey and mentioning one of the highlights of our trip. We've kept those over the years and now that he is too old to "believe" Mickey sent it, its a fun part of our scrapbook.
Either way, have a MAGICAL time with your family!

 

[!HereWeCome!]

Well, THANK GOODNESS! I was worried I was HORRIBLE for thinking that spending upwards of $3000 on a week's vacation was present enough! I do have some fun new things to do for the plane ride, but I wasn't really wanting to have a "gift" waiting in the room. I think we'll spend enough as it is...

 

[NotUrsula]

I actually think it is a rather bad idea for a different reason, not so much that the trip is "gift enough", but that we have a philosophy that travel should never be about things, but experiences. We also are VERY frugal about souvenirs, for just this reason. (As an added bonus, this philosophy helps to instill an appreciation of the virtues of traveling light.)

It's a fine line, but kids today tend to be bombarded with celebrations of materialism, and it doesn't take much for them to start to associate travel with fulfillment of all their "gimme" wishes. We take photos, we save things like napkins and the occasional Mickey Bar wrapper, and we carry our memories in our heads.

 

[dawnball]

Yes and no.
We do car trinkets since we drive, but most of that is things we already own (but might not have distributed yet). I think this year the new things will be PJs (traditional) and a plastic/acrylic open cup (we're transitioning away from straw cups)

We also do small things at irregular intervals distributed from my bag-o-stuff. Everything from Mickey shirts(2.50 each, woohoo) to temporary tattoos, although most of it is in the sticker/tattoo range.

If we're having a meltdown because someone just fell off her chair and landed front-first in the ketchup for her french fries and is now covered from chin to knee in ketchup.... We towel off and calm down quick to get a mystery sack from Mom's bag. Mystery of mysteries... it's a new Mickey shirt. How does that bag know? If we're good at sharing, or sitting with Grandma instead of Mom, or using the scary potties that flush themselves - there might be a Mickey sticker.

That's the vast majority of what DD gets on trips to WDW. We don't really buy anything in the gift shops, and DD doesn't ask - the magic bag usually has everything we really need. DD does get one or two souvenirs on a trip - one with her money and one with mine.

The closest thing to an arrival gift we do though is an unloading gift. We arrive fairly late at night (after DD's bedtime) and there's always piles of stuff to do (unload the car, childsafe the unit, get out the planning materials, pack park bags for the next day, fill the fridge, etc). So when we get there, DD gets to open all the rest of the car surprises, have a bedtime snack and watch whatever cartoon-like thing I can find on TV. There's usually a half dozen to a dozen items and she usually makes it through 3-5 of them while I unload the car and she munches. I plan a pair of PJs in the gifts pile, so I make sure she opens that if she hasn't yet. Then it's in to bed with her and I finish the rest of my to-dos.

I'm really hoping that this year we won't need to do the tv/gifts thing, since we have a pool house instead of a 4th floor condo and we'll be the middle family to arrive instead of the first.

Oh, for those who think "my gosh, presents on top of an expensive vacation!!" - I spend around $20 on the whole shooting match. I might go up to $30 this year, if I actually buy Mickey tattoos instead of the butterflies I already have.

 

[Twingle]

The only time I've done a gift basket on arrival day was in June, 2006. The trip was a "reward" if you will, after having a horrible Winter and Spring. We really needed to celebrate, and I did the gift basket just because it was not our normal vacation time. That being said, It was just snacks, water, and juice boxes, stuff we would've needed anyway and that I didn't need to pack! The kids liked it, but definately didn't expect it, and don't look for it when we go to Disney on other trips.

 

[mabenoab]

We usually drive so I gave them a gift to open when we arrived in each state! On our first trip they got coloring books & Cinderella crayons (Dollar Tree), Disney sunglasses, an autograph book, and a disposable camera when we arrived in Florida. Disney through your child's eyes is priceless! The next time we went, we had several adults rotating and drove straight through overnight. They slept the whole time, but did get new autograph books when we arrived.

We did that once on a trip to Virginia when the kids were little....let me tell you, Pennsylvania is one looooong state to get through...the kids were about ready to bust when we finally hit the state line.

 

[rie'smom]

No "gifts" but I did make up envelopes with Disney character stickers on them with letters to my little nephew each day, and I had a very small item for him each morning as a surprise (stickers, etc. something very small and inexpensive to help occupy his time waiting in lines). The best was when I had the Airtran people at the gate deliver his first envelope to him while we were waiting to board. I had written the note to him personally from Mickey, telling him "I can't wait to see you at the Magic Kingdom!" "have fun on your first airplane ride" etc. They called his name on the public address system and asked him to come to the counter. His dad took him up, they said this is for you and handed him the envelope, his dad read it to him then he looked at all of us and said "Mickey knows I'm coming to see him!!". Boy the look on his face was priceless. Just took a little creativity, clip art and stickers.

We've never done the gift on arrival for our kids either. It's not because I consider the trip a gift but because I never believed in giving my kids gifts except when it was an occasion calling for gifts-birthdays ,Christmas,Easter,etc.

I do something like this for my nieces and nephews. For example,this year I made an invitation from the princesses inviting my niece to lunch at Askerhus. She shows it to everybody telling them that she received this in the mail from the real princesses. It cost a couple of hours and the ink from my printer but you'd swear it cost a million dollars. I also make my daughter,her guest and the same nieces and nephews travel journals and autograph books.