Give me some great ideas how to Suprise my grandkids with a Disney trip for Christmas!

[VickynMicMouse]

Taking my grandkids to Disney the first week in December for Christmas!! I want to suprise them with the trip some how. Should we wait til we leave for the plane or give them a few days to decompress??? The kids are 9, 8, and 4
Give this Grandma some fun ideas

 

[Pianograd99]

We did a scavenger hunt for our kids - just 4x6 printouts with Disney characters and each clue. They loved it.

 

[katyjeka]

We filled our family room with balloons and had Disney confetti and a note saying your going to Disney tucked in one. We played a game and when a question was answered correctly they popped one. They popped it and got showered with confetti and we're so excited. I was glad we told them ahead of time as they were walking on air for the two weeks before we left.

 

[tinkerjo]

How fun!! They will be so thrilled. I would tell them ahead of time. I have read horror stories of people waiting till they were leaving and didn’t positive results. Maybe thanksgiving? Maybe since it’s a Christmas gift, have a tree set up and a present wrapped up with Disney garb and a note saying “We’re going to Disney World” it’s a little cheesy but they may think it fun to have “Christmas” at Thanksgiving.

 

[LynnTH]

When my kids were little I got them each Disney Themed Rolling Backpack for the plane. I put in them Disney stuff including the Birnbaums Disneyworld Book for Kids. They loved that book. Then put in Disney Gift cards, Sunglasses, New Swimsuits, Stuff to do on the plane etc.

 

[reluctantoranges]

Maybe Disney Christmas tree ornaments with notes?

 

[sparkle78]

I vote for telling them a little early like Halloween or mid - Nov. i would also suggest giving them each a touring book for Disney. lots of good ones out there, so they can tell you a restaurant they would like to eat at. Also to make a list of 3 must do rides for each park.
have fun planning and surprising

 

[LuvMyEAR]

Definitely give them some lead-in time to absorb the idea, at least a week! If you see them regularly, it is amazing fun to discuss and plan together a bit.

Once the big surprise has been revealed, you (or their parents) might want to give them a few little gifts along the way, specifically things they would need to pack. some water shoes, new bathing suits, a Disney T-shirt or pyjamas, new toothbrushes, maybe Disney-themed ones. They don’t have to be expensive items. anything wrapped is fun for a child. I still do this for my grandsons, who will be 16 and 17 on our upcoming trip! In fact, I just ordered them matching boxer briefs with pink flamingos to tuck away for one of those surprise days. They will love them...fun, fancy underwear and socks are right up their alley.

I loved the Christmas tree idea above. You could also make some MM cupcakes, and gather to watch a WDW planning video, and announce that is what you will be doing.

what an awesome Christmas gift!!!

 

[WDW_Diane]

How fun!! They will be so thrilled. I would tell them ahead of time. I have read horror stories of people waiting till they were leaving and didn’t positive results. Maybe thanksgiving? Maybe since it’s a Christmas gift, have a tree set up and a present wrapped up with Disney garb and a note saying “We’re going to Disney World” it’s a little cheesy but they may think it fun to have “Christmas” at Thanksgiving.

Love this idea! I'll step up on my soapbox for a moment here...
Please don't deny your grandchildren the precious gift of looking forward to their trip and dreaming and planning! Anticipation can be one of the best parts of an experience.

 

[LuvMyEAR]

Love this idea! I'll step up on my soapbox for a moment here...
Please don't deny your grandchildren the precious gift of looking forward to their trip and dreaming and planning! Anticipation can be one of the best parts of an experience.

Well said! We get months of joyful anticipation ahead of our trips. Our older DGS had mentioned a number of times that he would like a surprise trip. We pulled it off very successfully but when all was said and done, everyone was in complete agreement, we wanted everyone to enjoy the anticipation in the future.

We love to do Disney-themed dinners periodically in the months leading up to our trips, where we discuss every little detail to our hearts’ content.

 

[Kmedders]

I agree - kids can get so overwhelmed with a big surprise like this, I feel like the reveal rarely goes the way you think it will. I think it's great to tell them ahead of time to allow them time to get excited, watch POV videos, gather up some spending money, etc.

Also - what lucky kiddos they are to have grandparents that love them so much!!!

 

[Specter]

I'm afraid I can't help much with ideas, DD is too young to really understand if DW and I tried a surprise announcement, and the one time we saw my sister try with her kids it was a bit of a muted reaction. They were excited, but it was definitely not the overwhelming response that some anticipated.

Part of my reason to reply was to state that: kids react in very different ways and while I know that there are some ungrateful ones in the world, I think it's just that most show excitement in different ways, and we projected an anticipation on our niece and nephew that wasn't in keeping with their nature.

The other reason for me to reply, though, is to add another vote to those suggesting letting them know in advance, especially if you want to let them pick a restaurant or have any say in fast pass selections. Right now that means at least 60 days plus presumably a few to peruse websites/books/etc to determine where they might want those reservations to be made. If that is not your plan then maybe they don't need that much advance notice but DW and I have always enjoyed the anticipation and planning of a trip almost as much as the trip itself.

Either way, have a great time!

 

[usnuzuloose]

Make mickey waffles for breakfast

 

[browneyedgirl1683]

I am the contrarian when it comes to sharing about trips. With Covid, regular kids illnesses etc, we've had to cancel too many fun things at the last minute. This year thanks to exposures and Covid, we've missed holiday parties, birthdays, class celebrations.

We did surprise my daughter with our first trip. For this upcoming one we compromised by getting feedback for a "possible trip". Like asking my daughter where she would like to eat if we did a trip, would she wear shorts or skirts (buying her summer clothes this week), etc. She gets to jump in on planning but it's easier to let it go if the inevitable happens. We will tell her a few days before, llet her pick out travel toys, etc.