Hey all creative Disney moms & dads...

[ColoradoLime]

I need some help turning our trip into a surprise for DD.

Here is the background. Ever since I promised DD at the age of 2 that we would go when she turns 7 she's talked about it constantly so there was no way we could pretend we weren't going. Over Christmas she was introduced to advent calendars and suggested we do one for Disney. So I got a countdown chain. But then she said she wants when we go to be a surprise.

I have plenty of little surprises planned for while we are there, but I'm stumped on how to make to departure a true surprise. I told her we could stop using the countdown chain once we got 14 days away from the trip so she'll be surprised a bit.

The only thing I can think of at this point is to just wake her up one morning and say "Let's go!". But there has to be something more creative I can do. The way things are looking, our flight will leave VERY early in the morning so I won't have much time before we head to the airport.

Can anyone give me some ideas?

 

[jeslegit]

Maybe the morning you leave you could tell her when she wakes up that you guys are going to breakfast together at her favorite restaurant. And then afterwards drive into the airport and tell her for dinner she gets to eat with Mickey.

Whatever you decide...good luck and I hope you guys have a blast!

 

[kpadalik]

We travel to Disney quite a bit since we are only about 2 hours away, but my DD loves going every time. When she turned 5, we decided to head there for a couple of days without her knowing. We packed everything without her knowing the couple days before. The morning we left, we stuck to our normal routine. She got ready for preschool and we all hopped into the car like we were driving to school. We had all the bags packed in the back with blankets covering them. After about 30 minutes, she asked when we were going to be at school. It continued this way for quite a while, with us using the excuses that we forgot something and had to turn around to go back home, we had to find a bathroom. She kept busy with her Leapster in the back and I don't think realized the amount of time that was passing. We actually couldn't believe that she didn't catch on! Finally, as we were approaching the Disney area, I told her to look out the window. She saw the big Mickey ears/power line pole off of I-4 (every time we go, she looks for these and that's how she knows we are almost there) and after a few seconds, it registered with her. Total surprise and it was one of those trips I will never forget!

Good luck and let us know how you surprised her!

 

[LittleDickensDesigns]

Do you have a Disney store near you. What about buying a snow globe with the castle inside and wrapping it up and leaving it on her placemat for when she wakes in the morning. When she unwraps it you could tell her that today she's going to get to see the real thing.

Or does she have a her own camera? Maybe buy her an inexpensive digital and wrap it up and tell her she'll need it for all the pictures she's about to take.

 

[Eyore4Ever149]

Just a word of caution, I have read a lot of stories of parents who surprised their children and the kids didnt react quite as well as the parents thought or had hoped. I would suggest doing the surprise the evening before you go so its not quite a shock to be whipped off to the airport.
I love the idea the PP mentioned, I would just do it at dinner instead.
Have fun!!

 

[DISNEYNV]

How about after dinner (either at home or a favorite restaurant) thenight before bring out a cake with Disney themed Tinkerbell or her favorite characters with "Surprise...Olivia is going to Disney World!" written on it( or something like that)? Maybe have a note in a bottle with "pixey dust" on top or in a characters hand, etc. It would be a nice surprise, fun and yummy too

Or...print out or hand write a letter from Tinkerbell or Princesses and put a kiss with lipstick or fairy dust on it with glitter and leave it on her night stand. Wake her up for the airport and act surprised yourself at the note and read it together! Or read her a Disney book the night before the trip and at the end read the note to her from the pages of the book about her going to Disney from a favorite character. That would be fun too.

 

[candyfloss]

how about surprising her the night before, after she gets home from school. That way she can help and enjoy the last minute preparations and get anything special that she may want to take that you didn't think of.

-rebecca-

 

[PrincessKell]

When we told DD she was going we had Mickey mouse call her it was only like $3 or something. A few days before I started doing things a little more "disney themed" Mickey Pancakes for breakfast We watched disney movies, Watched our Disneyland dvd's of the park watched the Fireworks and such.. We went to the store to get road trip food we listened to our Disneyland cd. Then told her we were going to grandmas for a late night dinner and games (which we did often on weekends) so right before we walked out the door the phone rang and it was Mickey. She was sooo excited! I snapped a picture of her answering the phone when we said it was for her. hehe