Finally getting to see the lights! Nov '11 Anniversary/Holiday/F&W PTR-New 11/4 p50

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hope you are having a great time with your family!

Oh, I can hardly wait for MVMCP this year! It is so much fun. Your boys will love it!

I can't wait to see the Tiki Room as well. Jeremy did it the first year we went and for some reason those birds scared him to death. He couldn't wait to leave. Six years later he agreed to go this summer but of course, it was still closed. Will definitely give it a try in November.

 

[Lovemy3babes]

I've been scarce on the Dis for awhile but wanted to pop in and say hi Amy. It sounds like you're having some great family time.

 

[beebeeryan]

It's tough to step away from the internet isn't it. I've been forced to do it a lot already this summer and another week is coming up. We have no internet at our family cabin upstate. It's hard for me to get used to.

Stay cool, it's a crazy hot few days here in the Northeast.

 

[irish dancer]

Great list for MK. We made sure to hit Snow White in June too. Was sad Tiki room was closed but can't wait for the rehab, I liked the old version better.

I second Etsy, pixiecrafts has great tie dyes on there. I've seen her green/red ones and they are cool. WDW has sold holiday/party themed shirts before but they aren't usually anything great. If you're going to to a castle pic and can't find anything specific I'd just do red or green matching.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Have fun in the Berkshires and a safe trip to Connecticut!

Thanks!! We had a great trip!

Trick-or-treating in July! I love it!

The boys had a blast!

Enjoy your vacation and visits! Sounds lovely!

I know you will truly love MVMCP! That parade - love it!

I just posted a bunch of pix from TSI. Loved it there. I went over by myself and it was so much fun and really quite relaxing.

We had a great week & now the house looks like a bomb went off! That's the only bad part of vacation... the clean up!

I'm really looking forward to MVMCP & the Osborne Lights. It'll be so fun to experience some new things.

I saw your TSI pictures. How fun to explore alone, at your own pace! I've been trying to keep up with TRs but haven't commented much over the past couple of weeks.

Hope you are having a great time with your family!

Oh, I can hardly wait for MVMCP this year! It is so much fun. Your boys will love it!

I can't wait to see the Tiki Room as well. Jeremy did it the first year we went and for some reason those birds scared him to death. He couldn't wait to leave. Six years later he agreed to go this summer but of course, it was still closed. Will definitely give it a try in November.

The Tiki room will be cool! I don't think we ever saw the "New" version... the boys have never seen it at all. I thought they'd be afraid too... we'll see what they think in November.

I've been scarce on the Dis for awhile but wanted to pop in and say hi Amy. It sounds like you're having some great family time.

Thanks for popping in to say Hi!

It's tough to step away from the internet isn't it. I've been forced to do it a lot already this summer and another week is coming up. We have no internet at our family cabin upstate. It's hard for me to get used to.

Stay cool, it's a crazy hot few days here in the Northeast.

It is hard to "disconnect" but it's also a nice break. We didn't have any TV at the lake either. It's so good for the kids.

It's been crazy hot! The memorial service was in an old church with no AC... it was so hot! Luckily it's starting to cool down today & tomorrow.

Great list for MK. We made sure to hit Snow White in June too. Was sad Tiki room was closed but can't wait for the rehab, I liked the old version better.

I second Etsy, pixiecrafts has great tie dyes on there. I've seen her green/red ones and they are cool. WDW has sold holiday/party themed shirts before but they aren't usually anything great. If you're going to to a castle pic and can't find anything specific I'd just do red or green matching.

I don't remember the last time I rode Snow White... I definitely want to catch it again before it closes.

Pixiecrafts does make great tie dyes! I looked at them a while ago... she doesn't have any Christmas shirts on there now but I'm sure I could order some. I'll have to talk to Tim & see if he'd be OK with that option.

Red & green could work too...

 

[DisMomAmy]

As you know, this trip is going to be a surprise for the boys. But I have no idea how we're going to make the big reveal.

I think we want to wait until the day we leave to tell them. If we tell them the night before, they won't sleep. But will that work with school planning? Will their teachers be able to keep the secret? Are there things that Alex's teacher may want to review with him before leaving? I just don't know... Plus their personalities don't really blend well with surprises.

Another option is to tell the boys we are going somewhere else so they can plan to be away from home. Then do the big reveal when we are actually leaving for the airport. Or if we are telling them that we are going somewhere else, we could wait to tell them at the airport? But we couldn't have a fake story that they'd be disappointed about missing when we told them the real story.

I guess Tim & I have to figure out those details, but what we need help with is the HOW! What have you done to reveal a surprise trip? What ideas have your heard about others doing?

Help us plan our surprise!

 

[skier_pete]

We did "the big reveal". When we got APs in December of 2009 we knew we would have a trip in October 2010, but decided if we could get cheap enough airfare in April 2010, we would go. DD spring break was 2 weeks after easter, so we only pulled for for 2 days, and went for only 4 days over a weekend.

Anyways, we didn't have to worry too much about the school issue since she was only missing 2 days. We didn't tell her until the morning of the trip. We had managed to pack and everything without her knowing. (It's pretty easy to fool small children as they are pretty oblivious to what's going on around them.)

I was a bit disappointed with her response. We had told her I was going to take the day off from work if she had been good at something the night before, and we would do something fun. We listed the typical things (zoo, aquarium) then we said "How about instead we go to Disney World?" Her response was kind of "Hmmm, really?" No jumping up and down. No screaming. I mean, she loved it, don't get me wrong, and she still talks about her surprise birthday trip. (I think she keeps hoping we'll do it again.) Just it was a very laid back response. I think she was much more excited counting down to it, and it was much more fun for us as parents...so truthfully I am not sad we did it, but I probably would never surprise her again.


That said, it is pretty priceless to spring it on the last minute. If I were you, I would try and keep it completely secret. At worst, have a "back-up" story: however, make sure the back-up story doesn't have nearly the "cool" factor that a Disney trip has. IF you tell them they are going to their favorite beach, and then switch to Disney World, you kid get initial disappointment out of them. ("What, we're not going to the beach?")


We also kept it a complete secret from EVERYONE...our friends, neighbors, only a few immediate family members knew. (Grandmas and Grandpas, and they all lived out of town.) This way we didn't have to worry about any slip-ups.

Hope that helps! If it's any concern...I promise I won't tell!

SkierPete

 

[mommyof3princess27]

As you know, this trip is going to be a surprise for the boys. But I have no idea how we're going to make the big reveal.

I think we want to wait until the day we leave to tell them. If we tell them the night before, they won't sleep. But will that work with school planning? Will their teachers be able to keep the secret? Are there things that Alex's teacher may want to review with him before leaving? I just don't know... Plus their personalities don't really blend well with surprises.

Another option is to tell the boys we are going somewhere else so they can plan to be away from home. Then do the big reveal when we are actually leaving for the airport. Or if we are telling them that we are going somewhere else, we could wait to tell them at the airport? But we couldn't have a fake story that they'd be disappointed about missing when we told them the real story.

I guess Tim & I have to figure out those details, but what we need help with is the HOW! What have you done to reveal a surprise trip? What ideas have your heard about others doing?

Help us plan our surprise!

I am so subscribing to this! We are going to WDW in November 2012. This will be our second trip and I am sure it will be fun. Just like yours, ours will be a surprise! We will be there the 11-17th so it will be the begining of the MVMCP and hopefully the Osbourne Lights! I cant wait to read more!

 

[MRYPPNS]

What day of the week are you flying to Florida?

 

[DisMomAmy]

We did "the big reveal". When we got APs in December of 2009 we knew we would have a trip in October 2010, but decided if we could get cheap enough airfare in April 2010, we would go. DD spring break was 2 weeks after easter, so we only pulled for for 2 days, and went for only 4 days over a weekend.

Anyways, we didn't have to worry too much about the school issue since she was only missing 2 days. We didn't tell her until the morning of the trip. We had managed to pack and everything without her knowing. (It's pretty easy to fool small children as they are pretty oblivious to what's going on around them.)

I was a bit disappointed with her response. We had told her I was going to take the day off from work if she had been good at something the night before, and we would do something fun. We listed the typical things (zoo, aquarium) then we said "How about instead we go to Disney World?" Her response was kind of "Hmmm, really?" No jumping up and down. No screaming. I mean, she loved it, don't get me wrong, and she still talks about her surprise birthday trip. (I think she keeps hoping we'll do it again.) Just it was a very laid back response. I think she was much more excited counting down to it, and it was much more fun for us as parents...so truthfully I am not sad we did it, but I probably would never surprise her again.


That said, it is pretty priceless to spring it on the last minute. If I were you, I would try and keep it completely secret. At worst, have a "back-up" story: however, make sure the back-up story doesn't have nearly the "cool" factor that a Disney trip has. IF you tell them they are going to their favorite beach, and then switch to Disney World, you kid get initial disappointment out of them. ("What, we're not going to the beach?")


We also kept it a complete secret from EVERYONE...our friends, neighbors, only a few immediate family members knew. (Grandmas and Grandpas, and they all lived out of town.) This way we didn't have to worry about any slip-ups.

Hope that helps! If it's any concern...I promise I won't tell!

SkierPete

How fun!! We are thinking the exact same thing as far as not making the fake plan sound too good!

I'm hoping the surprise will go over well but it's definitely possible that we'll get a luke warm reaction. But I think it's worth trying it at least once. And this way they won't be wound up about it all fall.

I am so subscribing to this! We are going to WDW in November 2012. This will be our second trip and I am sure it will be fun. Just like yours, ours will be a surprise! We will be there the 11-17th so it will be the begining of the MVMCP and hopefully the Osbourne Lights! I cant wait to read more!

Another November surprise!! The Osborne Lights are starting 11/10 so if you want to see them you will be able to!!

Edited: OK I just realized you said November 2012... I hope you get to see the lights... I was on pins & needles waiting for the dates to be released this year.

What day of the week are you flying to Florida?

Saturday, 11/5

 

[irish dancer]

We did a surprise trip Oct 09, we didn't do the reveal until a few hours before leaving for the airport. We didn't tell them whatsoever about the trip in advance. I was afraid of using a different trip story as a cover in case that diminished the WDW trip.

I had emailed all the teachers a couple of weeks beforehand and it was no problem, they kept the secret. DDs school doesn't give work in advance and Daniel was ahead of his class so he didn't need to worry about work either.

We also kept it from most people as we didn't want to chance someone blowing it.

The night before our trip the kids had a sleepover at their grandparents. This allowed us to pack as we couldn't do that with them around. A very kind DISer that went before us mailed MNSSHP maps to me and another DISer on the DISign board created "plane" tickets for each kid with their name, our trip dates, resort, etc. We put the tix and maps in a mailer addressed to them and gave it to them at their grandparents. They were confused at first and then it dawned on them what it was, there was a lot of screaming and hugging. They had absolutely no idea and were blown away. For a day or two into the trip they just kept saying "I can't believe you surprised us".

They liked it so much they told us they'd like us to do it again sometime. It was HARD not sharing the planning and countdown but the surprise and reveal were well worth it!

 

[Charleston Princess]

I've never been able to keep a trip a surprise before, so I am no help.

 

[mommyof3princess27]

I talked to a CM and they said the MVMCP starts the first week in November and that sat starts Osbourne lights! I think we will be able to see them! YAY!

 

[MEK]

I've never been able to keep a trip a surprise before, so I am no help.

I was going to say the exact same thing, although I really admire people who CAN plan a surprise and KEEP it!

I do like your idea of telling them they are going "somewhere" and then surprising them the morning of.

 

[mousescrapper]

Trick-or-treating in July! I love it!

I had to read that twice too...I was like is she confused mis typing something very fun Amy!

As you know, this trip is going to be a surprise for the boys. But I have no idea how we're going to make the big reveal.

Help us plan our surprise!

I think I had forgotten this detail very cool! We have done it twice...the first trip in 05 and told them at the airport...I was packing and doing all the work ingontio had suitcases under my bed it was tough but worth it...I think they were more surprised when the grandparents were knocking on our resort door 4 days later


the 2nd surprise was for the March '09 trip...do you remember reading that? we told them about a month before going (heck I planned it in 2) and did the whole scavenger hunt thing and did balloons out of suitcase as the commercials were doing then....they loved it jumping up and down etc...(although Rach was disappointed she didn't think we were going to take the Nov trip )


here's my thoughts since my kids are very similar to yours...go w/ the surprise but I'd tell them at least 1-2 weeks before going...make it a fun game, reveal w/ a goodie bag maybe w/ a shirt, a mini countdown chain (you know they love those), plane activities like AM's idea w/ the tickets too cute!...this way it will be very exciting but at same time allow them to sink in to going back and you'd be able to go over plans w/ them and get them prepared for this trip, w/ the new things and new flow

 

[DisMomAmy]

I'll be back with replies & more discussion about the big surprise but I want to get your opinions on the Jingle Jungle Parade...

We've never seen the regular Jammin Jungle parade mainly due to the fact that we're usually out of the park by then & partially because the kids don't like to wait for parades. But... I just read that the Jingle Jungle Parade will be starting on 11/11. I had planned for us to visit AK on 11/10 but could move things around a little bit & by visiting Epcot on 11/10 & AK on 11/12.

Is the Jammin Jungle parade worth juggling things around?

Are there any secret spots to catch the parade without waiting for too long?

 

[skier_pete]

Hmmm...khertz and I were just back-and-forthing about the AK parade on her PTR! I wasn't able to find anything official on the start-time. I'd be curious to know where you saw the 11/11 date!

We've seen both the parades. They are actually pretty similar, the Christmas one is just an overlay of the regular one with some additional decorations on the parade floats. I actually think I am slightly partial to the regular one. I definitely wouldn't re-jigger my whole schedule to see one or the other, especially if you've never seen either. I would recommend seeing it in one incarnation though - it is a pretty neat parade.

As far as where to go for viewing it, we've really only waited for this parade once (for the Christmas one), the other times we just sort of happened upon it. Since the walkways are very narrow at DAK I don't really think there is a great place to see it. We waited right at the main hub where you cross the bridge from the Oasis to the tree of life. We did wait about 30 minutes to get a front row spot. Another option (which we haven't done) is that the parade does a circle route starting and ending in Harambe (Africa). I've wondered if you wait for the parade to leave that area, and THEN go there, if people would leave and then you catch it on the time back through.

OR, just post the question on the main board..Robo will be there in 30 seconds with his map of best locations.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Hmmm...khertz and I were just back-and-forthing about the AK parade on her PTR! I wasn't able to find anything official on the start-time. I'd be curious to know where you saw the 11/11 date!

We've seen both the parades. They are actually pretty similar, the Christmas one is just an overlay of the regular one with some additional decorations on the parade floats. I actually think I am slightly partial to the regular one. I definitely wouldn't re-jigger my whole schedule to see one or the other, especially if you've never seen either. I would recommend seeing it in one incarnation though - it is a pretty neat parade.

As far as where to go for viewing it, we've really only waited for this parade once (for the Christmas one), the other times we just sort of happened upon it. Since the walkways are very narrow at DAK I don't really think there is a great place to see it. We waited right at the main hub where you cross the bridge from the Oasis to the tree of life. We did wait about 30 minutes to get a front row spot. Another option (which we haven't done) is that the parade does a circle route starting and ending in Harambe (Africa). I've wondered if you wait for the parade to leave that area, and THEN go there, if people would leave and then you catch it on the time back through.

OR, just post the question on the main board..Robo will be there in 30 seconds with his map of best locations.

I read it on easywdw.com.

 

[skier_pete]

I read it on easywdw.com.

Hmmm, I still couldn't find it on the Disney web-site. Doesn't mean he's wrong...just wondering what his source is...

 

[MRYPPNS]

I can't imagine that the Jingle parade is a "must see" that you need to re-arrange your whole schedule for it (unlike Osborne Lights). I've only see pictures of it, and have only seen the regular parade in person years ago. If it was a matter of just staying longer for it on a day you were already there my answer might be different. Remember that you are going to be seeing the Christmas party parade...I'm sure Jingle Jungle pales in comparison.