Driving from Dallas - Should We Tell the Kids?

[dotcomguy]

Should we tell our kids we're driving to Disney World next month now?

Background:
We've been to DW in December every year for the past 4 years. Each year we don't tell our girls (6, 4, 3, & 18 mo) until we get to the airport that we are going to Disney World. We do this for a few reasons:
1. Prevents weeks of "when are we going?" "Is it tomorrow?" "How many more days" etc...
2. It's fun! We put them in the car while they're still asleep. They wake up at the airport and they ask if we can ride in an airplane. We say "Sure! Where would you like to go?" One will ask, "Can we go to Disney World?" I respond, "That's a great idea, let's do it!"
3. My wife and I enjoy planning the trip as a surprise.
4. We're cruel parents

This year we're driving. Our current plan is to not tell them anything. When we leave Dallas at 3pm I'll tell them we're going to the beach. We're planning to drive through the night. When they wake up we'll be in Florida. We'll have breakfast and let them run around in the sand for a bit, then finish the drive.

They'll have no idea we're going to DW until they see the signs. I'm hoping driving through the night and not telling them where we're going will prevent hours of "are we there yet?"

Is this a good idea? I read on the Transportation page "The secret is to get the kids involved in planning what to do during the trip"

Should we tell the kids now that we're driving to Disney World in 4 weeks? I'm not sure we could just tell the 6 year old and have her keep it a secret.

Any thoughts, opinions, even criticisms of our past cruelty are welcome!

 

[Alesia]

I think the anticipation is the best part, so I'm not really a fan of the surprise trip idea.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Since you've been to WDW the past four years, your oldest is probably expecting it.

As far as getting involved in the planning, you probably already have your ADR's (if you're going to use them) and your hotel reservations, so how much planning can kids that young actually do?

When our kids were young and we drove to Disneyland, we gave them a map of DLR and they loved to study it, planning which rides they would go on. Not that they wrote anything down or stayed with the plan once we got to Calif, but it gave them something to do during the drive.

When your kids are older they'll want more input on which park to visit each day, and where to eat, but at this age I wouldn't start the hype a month in advance.