How Can We 'Gift Wrap' a WDW Trip For Our Grandkids?

[Pakey]

We are taking all of the adult children and my one grandson in January to wdw/disney cruise. I'm doing giftbags for the adults but for my grandson, who is 3, I've purchased a mickey mouse backpack and have a bag full of Disney goodies to put in it. Also, he will be getting a gift bag every morning while on the vacation.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

What a great gift. We go in 18 days and MY grandparents are going with us. They always do, they love seeing their great-grandkids having such fun.

You have lots of great ideas, i don't know of anything better. But we surprised our kids once and didn't tape it, don't make that mistake. Record it!

One side note, some people mentioned the paper chains and we do that as well (I am looking at them now.) But to be a little mroe fun, we make them out of candy dots, you know the colored dots of sugar on paper. Each day they get to eat a strip of the candy dots, it's kind of like a Christmas Advent calender. My kids have 17 rings left on theirs. We cut them in 3 strips per sheet (they are just as long but thinner) so they are not too much sugar in the morning, but they love doing this.

Have fun, I know you will...

 

[DonnaL]

Don't know how old your grandkids are, but, our grandson is now 7 and has absolutely loved the park maps since age 3 1/2. Of course now he can read them, but, even when he couldn't he could pick out every attraction just by studying the map a bit. So, I think giving them park maps is a great idea since they can familiarize themselves with all the attractions in each park.
DH and I just took him mid September w/o Mommy (she started a new job early spring and didn't have vacation time yet) and the three of us had a ball.
His assignment from his teacher (1st grade) was to do a verbal report in front of the class about his trip. It was great......we printed a few pictures for him to pass around as he was giving his report. I'm sure however you decide to tell them will bring a lot of excitement..........

 

[lauradenise4779]

What a fantastic present!!!

The only thing I can think to add is if you choose to do one big box, put some helium balloons in it so when they open it the balloons will float out first. Then they can dig into the other stuff inside. I still remember opening a gift from my sister, I was probably four years old, and she had a big red heart balloon in a box for me. It was a big surprise and probably one of my earliest, most vivid memories. Now just imagine if a trip to Disney would've been thrown in...

Cute! I LOVE this idea! A Spring Break 09 trip is one of our kids Christmas presents this year. I think I will do some balloons (wonder if I can get some Mickey head-shaped ones, like the new commerical?) and some other goodies to break the news.

 

[parmtoo]

Last year and again for next years trip, my DGD will get a new suitcase set (last year Princesses and for next year it is Ariel) full of new Disney clothes! She knows what that means!!

We just bought 3 stes of Cars luggage! It has their names on it. Our grandson's are to young to try to surprise, (2.5, 10mos & 10mos). We are taking them all in Jan.

 

[Bill From PA]

Wow! What a load of great ideas, and thanks to everyone for your suggestions. I'll have wifey look this thread over after work today and we'll come up with a plan, I'll be sure to post here with the decision.

Bill From PA

 

[maskw03]

You can go to disney world's site and print out maps with their favorite rides selected for each of them. That way they each have their own map for their special trip with their favorite rides highlighted already. The newest edition of the Walt Disney World for Kids Birnbaum's guides. And maybe a shirt with their favorite character on it. That way they have something to wear while at Disney as well!

Sounds like a great gift you are giving them and I bet no matter what they will love the trip!

The ideas above are what we are doing for our daughter this year since we are doing the same for Christmas. The maps are the biggest for our daughter since she has a lot of favorite rides and Disney will mail them to you in a really neat envelope!

 

[MomtoGKC]

My mom did this for my kids last year. She planned a family reunion at Disney with all three grown up kids, the three grandkids and one aunt. We did a treasure hunt a few days before Christmas. I wrote up little rhymes for each clue. I can't remember them right now but they had to do with things like- go look where you would store food (the kitchen cabinet) and where the dog sleeps. They had to go to that location and search around for the next clue.Only my oldest could read so she was in charge of reading out loud and each kid had to take turns at trying to find the next location. I worked it out ahead of time to do easier clues for my younger kids.

At every spot there was a picture taped to the back of the clue- a car, a map, a suitcase, a sun. At every other spot there was a wrapped present - disney stickers, little toy disney characters, a little calendar with the week we were going circled in red. I think three spots had presents. The last clue was back in the living room and while they were searching we snuck in three disney store bags with their names that were full of bigger, more obvious clues like a t0shirt and Disney dollars. The whole time we thought they would get it early on in the game - especially my oldest - but she didn't! I think getting a trip to Disney was so far from her mind she just didn't even imagine it. Even after getting the Disney dollars they were unsure - they went crazy when they figured it out!

My oldest brother and aunt couldn't be there that day so we made an extra clue for them for the next day(they already knew - but it was cute for the kids because this was how we told them more people were coming with us). The kids told them all about this trip and my aunt and brother acted like they were so sad they couldn't come - then all of a sudden they would "notice" a note with their names.The kids got excited all over again and couldn't believe all these people were coming on our trip.

Good luck- can't wait to hear what you do!

 

[MomBoyd]

You guys are awesome grandparents!

I think Disney dollars would be good gifts. Then they can each open their own gift, at the same time of course. I think they would get the idea very quickly. After all, where else can you spend Disney dollars?

 

[Smile4Me]

Aw! We are giving a trip for next summer to my boyfriend's 10 year old nephew this Christmas. It will count as his Christmas and Birthday gift this year from us. I am planning on giving him a Disney movie, the planning dvd, some maps of the parks from either past trips of ours or the customized maps, and a gift card, as well as a count down calendar! This trip will also sort of be a coming of age trip, as his mom is expecting his first little brother on December 26th!

 

[DisneyDad in PA]

I did this for our second trip to disney. I surprised the kids with a christmas present of Disney stuff with a photo of them taken on our first trip in front of Cindy's Castle with the words photoshopped into it saying "We are going to Disney World"

Items in the box included such things as:

Stuffed Mickey and Minnie

Some Disney Dollars for each kid

Some other Disney items that I got at the local Disney Store and at Target discount bins.

 

[mmmcq]

Silly me. Here I am dispensing advice and I completely forgot that I need to do the same for my DD who will be turning 9 on 11/20. We leave for WDW on 11/22 for 10 days and she has no idea that we're going. Her older sisters both know because one's in college and the other is a senior in HS and they are coming at different times per their schedules. We literally got my youngest DD on a plane and to Tampa in 2006 and she still had no idea that we were going to WDW.

So I'm hoping my Passporter ships tomorrow. And I'd better get crackin on some other ideas!

 

[Mama to Three]

So what did you decide?

 

[pickles]

make a picture..could be the words "we are going to disney" then cut it up into a bunch of different pieces and shapes and make a puzzle out of it..put the puzzle together and they get the "prize" /answer