Help me tell my kids we are going to Disney!!! :)

[sphmaz]

My kids are 6 and 3. We are going to Disney 9/26-10/1. Our plan was to tell them the morning of but I'm not sure how to do it!! Any ideas? I was thinking maybe Mickey pancakes or something. I want this to be awesome! My son has been asking to go to Disney for almost a year and we finally told him that we would start saving and go when he is in 4th grade! Well, little does he know, we are going when he's in 2nd grade! Only 34 days left and counting. And DS will be turning 7 a week after we get back from Disney so this will pretty much be his birthday gift. Heck of a gift huh? So - any ideas on how to tell them? We were hoping to hold off until the morning of but we may possibly do it the night before.

TIA!
Sue

 

[littleprissboutique]

Have mickey call him.... I cant remember the web addy for this, but it is so cute. Some else may have the web addy for the character calls.

 

[jgallant]

Thats so exciting for you guys! I have an idea, why dont you find a Disney card, blank, and send an invitation to them in Mickeys handwriting...the phna call is a great idea too...we have been to dis a few times, we are going again this September and I wish I could keep a secret...but I couldnt do it. Could you imagine the look on the boys faces as you drive up to the Walt Disney World sign!!! They would never forget that surprise! Good Luck.

 

[makinorlando]

Here's the link for the phone call. I have not used this - just tucked it away for future reference.


https://secure.uvoxnetworks.com/disney/affhome.html?affno=66

 

[littleprissboutique]

Oh I have another idea... I still like the phone call.... But you could do this too..

Do a scavenger hunt. Place clues in the house. Let them find the clues. The last clue tell them to go to the car. Put some money in their seat with another clue. On the last clue tell them to make mommy and daddy drive them to Walmart (or where ever you buy your trip supplies). When they get out of the car hand them another clue. Tell them they are their to purchase their Mickey Mouse travel items!!! Then go out to Dinner to Celebrate!!!!

That would be so fun!!!!!

 

[cherokeemamma]

We are also doing a surprise trip for our kids. Mine are a bit older - DD7 and DS12. We have planned a treasure (savanger) hunt. I have 8 clues with individual letters inside the envelopes. They must bring all clues (envelopes) back to our kitchen table and work to solve the puzzle together. I have all of the letters cut out indiviually and in different fonts. I had to make it a bit challenging .
The letters all will spell out WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR and in the final envelope - which they cannot open until the first puzzle is solved is a poem I have wriiten about our trip.
I am just about to bust to tell them. My DH and I are as excited about the surprise as we are the trip. They are also getting to miss a week of school plus for the first time we are flying. I know my kids are going to flip.

You could do a treasure hunt on a scaled down level with perhaps a goody bag filled with all things Disney as your treasure.

 

[Zoemakes5]

Can the 6 yo read? That would make things a bit more fun.
I'd do a scavenger hunt the morning of. I'd combine "things" that they would likely bring with you, or that you'll want to toss in one of the bags as they're getting ready, with written or picture clues. You can make it as easy or hard as you want. Buy a couple of gift bags with handles for them to put the clues and things in as they go around. Decorate them with the stickers for whatever characters they like. Start off with completely "out there" kind of stuff. Like sunglasses (disney themed, of course!), sunscreen. Get a bit more "into it" with Disney themed books and/or color books, games, plastic characters, colorforms, whatever they might be enjoy playing with on the way down. Then start to get a bit more detailed, like autograph book, penny book, map. End it with a note, maybe with balloons that says something like "Get your clothes changed, we're going to WDW. TODAY, NOW!"

If you don't tell them beforehand, wait until the morning of, as from past experience, they won't sleep at all from all the excitement if they know the night before!


edited to add: funny, a few of us came up with the scavenger hunt idea almost at the same time!

 

[carolfoy]

well, personally I wouldn't say a thing and leave a huge surprise for when you get there, other than that I'd do them a special 'christmas stocking' and when they ask why they're getting a stocking when its not even christmas tell them that what they're going to get is BETTER than christmas, and put the scavenger hunt style items in the stocking. good luck, hope it all goes well.

 

[Area 4]

Ooooh...how about you buy a box of Alphabits cereal and spell it out over a bowl of milk.

Call them in to eat breakfast when you're done and let the fun begin

Like this:

 

[CathrynRose]

We were hoping to hold off until the morning of but we may possibly do it the night before.

TIA!
Sue

Do it the morning of.... I know I sure as heck wont be sleeping the night before and Ive known for months.

Are you guys flying - can you liiiiiiie like crazy, until you get to the airport? How long could you put off telling them for???

I think it'd be AWESOME be able to hold off, until the last possible moment.

 

[beattyfamily]

I'm very interested in the replies on this topic.

We've been many times and my girls are almost 7 and 10. They were getting over-Disney and fighting on our last trip (last November) so I've telling them we won't be going back for a long time.

Well, we leave Friday for our 3rd girls only trip (and we have our annual family trip in Oct!)

I have kept it a secret so far but on Thursday, I have to bring our dogs to the kennel so the jig will be up! I can't think of another good reason that we'd be bringing them to the kennel.

So I may have to tell them Thursday afteroon. I'm not sure how to tell them. On our way to the kennel (tell them I'm going grocery shopping; we often bring the dogs if its nice out)? Or before we leave for the kennel in some special way.

Any ideas??

Thanks!

 

[Zoemakes5]

I'm very interested in the replies on this topic.

We've been many times and my girls are almost 7 and 10. They were getting over-Disney and fighting on our last trip (last November) so I've telling them we won't be going back for a long time.

Well, we leave Friday for our 3rd girls only trip (and we have our annual family trip in Oct!)

I have kept it a secret so far but on Thursday, I have to bring our dogs to the kennel so the jig will be up! I can't think of another good reason that we'd be bringing them to the kennel.

So I may have to tell them Thursday afteroon. I'm not sure how to tell them. On our way to the kennel (tell them I'm going grocery shopping; we often bring the dogs if its nice out)? Or before we leave for the kennel in some special way.

Any ideas??

Thanks!

Do the girls HAVE to go with you to the kennel? That would make life easier. Do you take them to the same place to be groomed? Could just "bring them to get groomed".
If you have to, I'd tell the girls that you're going away for the weekend, so have to take the dogs to the kennel and then put it off as far as you can.

 

[Zoemakes5]

With older kids, I'd love to surprise them with a note in their backpack or lunch box, or even a note "delivered" to them by their teacher or school admin. that says something like "Hurry home after school, we're going to WDW!" How coll would that be?!
Or leave them a message that says "Call my cel as soon as you get home" and then say "oh, I was just calling to tell you to get ready to go, we're going to WDW!"

 

[sphmaz]

So many great ideas! I do like the scavenger hunt idea, the alpha bit cereal is a cool idea too!!! DS can read so it would work for him but DD is only 3.5, no reading for her. But that's ok, she'll be excited no matter how she finds out! I like the idea of a call from a character too. Maybe I can schedule it out to have DD receive a phone call at the same moment I put the cereal bowl down in front of DS.

CathrynRose - yes we are flying. We thought about holding out until we got to the airport too. Not sure how long it would take before he figured it out. I think he would figure it out pretty quick. But we literally only live a hop, skip and a jump for the airport so it wouldn't be that much longer to hold out. Hmmmm, so many thoughts!

 

[Belle's Mom Tink]

It is so great that you are surprising your kids with a trip. I personally like the idea of mickey pancakes and an invitation. I'm sure you can find a Mickey party invitation and fill out all the information...like Mickey wants you to join him, or party with him..., in the Magic Kingdom and for the date put TODAY, given by Mom and Dad, etc. and then maybe have little goody bags made up with their favorite characters and some things they may need/want for the trip. I think it would be great to tell them the morning of and not the night before because you probably won't be able to get them to sleep!! Good luck and let us know what you decide.

 

[beattyfamily]

Do the girls HAVE to go with you to the kennel? That would make life easier. Do you take them to the same place to be groomed? Could just "bring them to get groomed".
If you have to, I'd tell the girls that you're going away for the weekend, so have to take the dogs to the kennel and then put it off as far as you can.

Thanks for the replies!

Yes, unfortunately, they must come with me. DH will be at work. Yes, they do have a groomer there but we usually cut their hair ourselves so I think they'll be suspicious.

They would be pretty surprised if I said we were going away for the weekend. I'd have to be a great liar. Maybe to my sister/niece house in PA??

I also thought that maybe I can say the dogs have to stay in the kennel for just that one night because DH will be fumigating the house for bugs or something the next day....although we only have a spider here and there in the basement!

I wish that phone website had a good trip phone call. The only one I could fnd was under "Good Morning" and then there was a 'trip' option....but not specifically to Disney.

I'm thinking of telling them once they see where the dogs are going. Or right before I guess.

I have to keep thinking about it.

 

[Zoemakes5]

Yes, unfortunately, they must come with me. DH will be at work. Yes, they do have a groomer there but we usually cut their hair ourselves so I think they'll be suspicious.

Bummer, I had hoped you'd be able to take the dogs while they're at school, or arrange a friend's house, or neighbor or something. I'm assuming, also, that you need to take the dogs in even though DH isn't going? That DH couldn't take them when he's done with work or the next morning?
You could say, if you take the dogs in and the girls have to go with you, "You'll just have to wait and see". Or, "we're going away for a few days, but I'm not telling you where."
Or, maybe when you're in the car to take the dogs, you could hand them envelopes and say "hey, you got mail today" (you could even send it through the mail so they don't realise it when you hand it to them), with a note that is a riddle or a clue or hangman game or something to make it a bit challenging that spells out You're going to WDW tomorrow. My sons really like the ones where you have pictures and then a key at the bottom that says what pictures mean which letters. You match them up and then they spell a word. Or a message you have to look in the mirror to figure out. So, you have a backwards word, and then "to figure out what I say, you must play Mirror Mirror on the Wall."

 

[sherreis]

I love reading these ideas cause I had originally planned on surprising my boys when they got to go to DW the first time. However, I needed DS10 to help pursuade DH that we were going. Therefore, DS10 has been in on the planning from the day we received the planning video, "just to see what DW looks like." It snowballed from there.

I would love to be able to surprise them the next time we get to go, which probably won't be for at least 3 years (when they are 13 and 9).

 

[MontanaMouse]

I can tell you what I (and a friend have done). In my case, my hubby and I set up a treasure hunt. Our little one is REALLY into Peter Pan. So, all the clues led to the next and related to Neverland, Captain Hook, the Lost Boys, etc. The final clue had her look outside her bedroom window. We had made a giant white x out of paper and placed it in the garden. Buried (yes we actually buried it) under the x was a "treasure chest" with a loop chain (made with Home Depot Mickey heads) counting down to our departure. She absolutely loved the treasure hunt and since it related to Peter Pan it was PERFECT!

My friend decided to wait to surprise her kids about Disneyland. She actually told them (3 kids) that they were going to Seattle and then lied like the dickens that their other flight was cancelled and they were being routed through LA. Once on the plane she spoke to the flight crew and the crew had the kids stand up and then told them they were headed to Disney! The kids were absolultely stunned. I don't know that all crews would do this, but those folks must have liked being part of the pixie dust!

 

[KimWDW]

Would they believe you if you said you were picking someone up at the airport? A friend or neighbor who needed a ride? Then you could tell them at the airport.