HELP me surprise my DD6!

[jewelmicky]

We are going to WDW May 1st. My DD6 does not know. I am thinking of surprising her on the way to the airport. Any ideas on how to do this, or if it is even a good idea?

 

[daisyduck123]

I have never surprised my kids. Part of the fun of a trip for us is the planning.
When my kids were small, we got the Birnbaum's WDW guidebook for kids. DD loved reading it & telling us which attractions she could not wait to do.

Hope you all have a great trip!

 

[sigmasal]

We are going the week before you. Our family has ds6, dd 3 and we are going with friend's whose kids are all dd 8, 6, almost 3. We are planning to surprise them all (we just booked this month) either at the airport or just before...we have come up with various plans....one to give them WDW shirts when they get to the airport to change into. We are telling them they are dropping off their Moms for a business trip to the airport...when we get there we thought we'd tell them we decided to go to WDW instead...something along those lines!

 

[jewelmicky]

This is sorta like what I had in mind. I was thinking of picking DD up from school on the pretext of taking Grandma and Papa to airport.....do Disny theme things on the way (about an hour drive)......when we get there at the drop, have her get out and open the back gate (an Explorer).....the back will be decorated with and a big sign saying something like "SURPRISE....You're Going to WDW!"

How does this sound?

 

[myramsy]

we surprised our DS a few years ago and it was worth it. we had to leave our house at 4am to get to the airport and catch our 6 am flight so at 330 I went into his room with a video camera and told him it was time to get up...he was so confused and wondering why he was getting up in the middle of the night. ..so we told him...we have to catch out flight to WDW....he started to shake he was so excited ...he couldnt believe it...we will never be able to top that surprise.
HAve a great trip!

 

[mjkacmom]

We surprised our kids at 5 am, and it was great! We then surprised them at the DCL port - they thought we were going to the airport to fly home! Before the trip, I told them we would try to go to WDW in a year or two, so I them check out the rides already.

 

[bigfish2215]

We told our kids on the way to the airport. They thought we were going skiing for a week. We had a limo take us to the airport and we gave the kids a bag with T-shirts of the their favorite character and a invite with all the details. They were shocked and we had fun giving it to them that way. We went in Dec 08 and they are still taking about it!!

 

[weHEARTmickey]

This will be our 4th family trip & it is a surprise!!! We've always gone in the summer (which is close to DS5's b-day) DD8 has always asked when she'll get to go on her b-day. We've just never considered it since it's in Sept (& during school.) She knows this & understands why it's impossible.

We got a FD code & booked our trip for Sept!! We want it to be a surprise b/c DD would never even expect it! I'll be turning 35 at DHS & she'll be turning 9 the very next day in MK!!!

We always stop at Pensacola Beach for a couple of days on our way to WDW. This year, we're doing that on the way home. Since the road trip won't be familiar to them, we're not telling them till we pull into POP! That's the plan, anyway. DD is so observant, she'll probably notice the Florida signs immediately. I just know I wanna have the camcorder rolling when they figure it out. It will be priceless.

 

[tara98]

We surprised our DS when he was 5. I think I probably had the worst experience of all of you doing this.. My DH had told him that we were going to a local amusement park the following day that DS had never been to..

Well the night before, we decorated DS's bedroom- put his monorail out, had Mickey Mouse Club House music playing, had Disney Dollars on the floor near his luggage... and his big Mickey in the middle of the monorail.. It took him some coaching but he finally got it.... and was disapointed because he had it set in his mind that we were going to this other amusement park... talk about being spoiled!

When I think about it, I think that because of his particular personality, he needed advanced notice to process all of this... I think it all depends on the childs personality.. I think my DS would have been better off if we didn't tell him we were going somewhere else, then he would have been more able to procss the situation. I think with the excitement of going to Disney, he also had the disapointment of not going to that other park... My DH's mistake....

If you can pull it off, I hope your son is so happy that he remembers it forever! Good Luck!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

We surprised both kids with the last trip. It was a Kindergarten graduation present for our son. My wife used photos and digital scrapbook pages she made on the computer to put together a book (she had printed at Wal-Mart) that told a story about us taking our kids to Disney World.

 

[mjkacmom]

We surprised our DS when he was 5. I think I probably had the worst experience of all of you doing this.. My DH had told him that we were going to a local amusement park the following day that DS had never been to..

Well the night before, we decorated DS's bedroom- put his monorail out, had Mickey Mouse Club House music playing, had Disney Dollars on the floor near his luggage... and his big Mickey in the middle of the monorail.. It took him some coaching but he finally got it.... and was disapointed because he had it set in his mind that we were going to this other amusement park... talk about being spoiled!

When I think about it, I think that because of his particular personality, he needed advanced notice to process all of this... I think it all depends on the childs personality.. I think my DS would have been better off if we didn't tell him we were going somewhere else, then he would have been more able to procss the situation. I think with the excitement of going to Disney, he also had the disapointment of not going to that other park... My DH's mistake....

If you can pull it off, I hope your son is so happy that he remembers it forever! Good Luck!

I've heard stories like this, which is why I told the kids we were going to their great aunt's birthday party at a nursing home 2 hours away, which they were dreading!

 

[lrab1126]

we are also going early may and our girls do not know. first year we took them we literally waited to tell them when we wok them up at 6am on the AM we were leaving and the limo was coming to get us. Last year we waited til a week before to tell them, gave my oldest some time to tell her friends about the upcoming trip. This year I am making Disney themed easter baskets and will include a card from the easter bunny with the trip details. I bought a bunch of things from the disney store for their baskets, including the embroidered beach cover ups and chirts to wear on the plane and then target has great little disney light up toys like the stuff you pay a fortune for at the parades and sunglasses etc... Waiting til the morning of was great when they were younger but they really enjoy gloating to their friends and building up anticipation so telling them a week or 2 before is the way we do it now. good luck and have a great trip !!

 

[belle&beast]

We surprised our kids twice and the last one was the best! We surprised them with a trip for their Christmas present this year. I bought some Mickey shaped balloons froma party supply store on the internet and filled them with helium and placed them in a large tote. I wrapped the tote in Disney Chrismas paper and when they opened the top, it was like the commercial- all the balloons flew out! They didn't quite get it- they were really excited to get Mickey balloons- but I had also made a digital photo album of our lst 2 trips and at the end it told them we were going again! It was lots of fun!

 

[weHEARTmickey]

We surprised our kids twice and the last one was the best! We surprised them with a trip for their Christmas present this year. I bought some Mickey shaped balloons froma party supply store on the internet and filled them with helium and placed them in a large tote. I wrapped the tote in Disney Chrismas paper and when they opened the top, it was like the commercial- all the balloons flew out! They didn't quite get it- they were really excited to get Mickey balloons- but I had also made a digital photo album of our lst 2 trips and at the end it told them we were going again! It was lots of fun!

What a great idea!

 

[luvmikids]

If you have a video camera, I suggest ask her for help making a "video" tell her that you need her to read the cards for the camera. On the cards write I- am- going - to- Disneyword! have her read it until she gets it, it may take a couple of times but very exciting

 

[aja319se]

We have planned our first trip for October and I have been back & forth about the suprise plan. I think we've decided on 30 days prior to the trip suprising the children with the call from Mickey and then letting them start to help plan the trip and earny disney dollars. They will however get another suprsie when their grandparents meet us at the airport to go with us!!

 

[scootch]

My friend did this, her son thought they were taking daddy to the airport, he even had his school uniform on. In hindsight though, she wishes she would have "surprised" him sooner as she said she thinks the trip went so quickly, that he didn't really get to have the pretrip excitement and lost out on that bit of it. Personally, thinking and planning the trip is half the fun for my daughters.

 

[kckmom]

I am so glad to read all of these posts.

DH and I just booked a trip for late august, and I thought surprising them would be a great idea. DH doesn't care either way. But I think one of the posters was right, the pre trip planning is so important. Plus I think I would like them to decide which character meals they want to go to this time.

I ordered the Disney planning DVD and thought that I would wrap it up and then give it to them to open once arrives. They enjoy the countdown, and then they can also talk to their friends about it!

Thanks for the great advice.

 

[kckmom]

Just a note about what we did for the kids on our first trip. I made a paper chain link, and every day they pulled off a link, at the end, there was a small card that read "Leaving for Disney today!"

The girls enjoyed it, they were 3 and 1 at the time.

Have a blast and congrats on your first trip!

 

[dismom2-3]

For all of those who want to surprise thier kids, AND want to have the pre-trip excitement, just do what we did, let them know you are planning a trip, just don't tell them when. You are free to discuss specific plans and wishes, where to eat etc., just don't speak of dates. We had Mickey call ( I think they still have this service?) on the morning that we left and tell my daughter to have a great trip. She still didn't get it! It was funny.

Another time we had them fooled, they just "assumed" we would leave on a Saturday, and thought they had it figured out, I was packing, etc.; we left on a Friday. The shock on thier faces was priceless.

BTW OP, why do you need us?? I think your trunk idea is great!! If you are worried about her missing the fun, start talking about going in the future...she will be shocked if it is only a month since you started talking about it.