How did you tell/surprise yoyr kids?

[VeggieMommyof4]

Okay moms, dads and grandparents, it's almost time to reveal the big surprise in our house!!! Eeeekkkkkk!! None of us including my mother in law (who is also getting the surprise) have ever been to Disney World. To say the least I'm ECSTATIC!!!! How did you tell your kids you were going the first time? Looking for some unique ideas to help me figure out how I'm going to tell my family thanks in advance!

 

[trudyt623]

Write each child and your mother an invitation and list where you will go and what you will do.

Or go to the disney website a make a personalized map for each of them

Or take them to your local Disney store for the morning opening ritual and try to have them chosen to hold the key and open the lock (maybe call the day before and arrange it) and when you finally get inside have an employee give them their invitation.

Good luck and have fun

 

[Happyjen27]

It is exciting to surprise your kids, but, watch some youtube videos of a Disney World surprise so you're prepared for every outcome. Especially if they've never been before, they don't know what amazing things are in store for them, so, it might be an awesome response, it might not.

One thing we were aware of also, was making up a "fake trip", since what if they prefer the fake trip rather than Disney? Then they are disappointed. So, we picked something no kid would ever prefer, a trip to the dentist.

For our second trip, we told our kids they had a dentist appointment and had to pick them up from school early. We brought their Disney hats and put them on while standing outside of school. Then, asked "are these hats you would wear to the dentist?" and they said "no" and I asked, "where would you wear this hat?", and they replied, "Disney". Then we asked: "Instead of going to the dentist, would you like to go to Disney?" Yeses all around! Lots of disbelief, lots of jumping up and down.

My son didn't believe us. Even when I showed him the trunk full of luggage; "It could be empty". Even when we arrived at the airport. Only when he lugged his own suitcase, obviously full, to the terminal did he believe us.

Boy were they disappointed 2 months later, when the dentist appointment turned out to really be the dentist.

 

[carmelhp]

Why does everybody say the dentist? If you watch Youtube videos, a lot of parents say dentist. We told our DD, 8 at the time, by giving her a carry-on bag with a T-Shirt "I'm going to Disney" and calendar of the trip inside, about 2 weeks prior. Be prepared for tears, she bawled from being overwhelmed with emotion. We have a YouTube video of it, of course.

 

[MandiC]

Our February trip was my first as well as both of my daughters' first we surprised them at Christmas. My husband had a puzzle made of Cinderella's castle with "We're going to Disney World!" on it. We wrapped half the pieces in one box and half in another and gave them to the girls first thing Christmas morning. They weren't too pleased having to put a puzzle together Christmas morning LOL but they were so happy, it was great. They did have to wait a month to go on the actual trip (we left January 31) but I think that was just enough time for the excitement to build

 

[NicholeB630]

We went two years ago when DD just turned 4 and DS was 9 months. We told her when we got to Orlando and was getting on the Magic Express bus. She was excited but I dont think really understood exactly where we were going. BUT this year we are going in Dec she will be almost 6 and DS will be 2.5. I have been gathering gifts to go in two seperate boxes I got those crayola magic marker kits with paper for both of them, stickers, Disney book for each of them. Disney jelly beans, a few other things to keep them busy on the airplane. Plus I ordered an Elsa dress for to take to BBB so that will go in there as well. Oh and I am going to get Sleeping Beauty and The Jungle book for them each to watch the night before, movies they haven't seen yet. Anyways I will put them in a box and Friday night when DH gets home we will tell them were going on a trip tomorrow (saturday) and the clues are in the box I know DD will get it right away and will be excited she's been talking about wanting to go again and I keep telling her we'll go when her brother is 3 or 4. She is going to be so excited. My son will just be excited because something is going on haha.

 

[luvmy2babies]

I surprised my daughter (then 7) with our first trip. We went for the first time Thanksgiving week 2010. My son was just 10 months old so he just watched. I told her the day before. I sent her to a friend’s house for a playdate. While she was gone I laid out everything I had purchased for the trip. 7 year-old girl so lots of princess and fairy stuff. Her carry-on (Princess backpack) was in the middle with a note “from” Tiana letting her know that her mom was bringing her and her brother to see her and all of her friends for Thanksgiving. The bags are packed, the plane leaves tomorrow…

She wasn’t sure at first. I asked her where she thought she was going. She asked if it started with a D and when I said yes, she tossed the note in the air and ran around the room yelling thank you and singing about going to Disney. Then she hugged her baby brother and told him he was going to Disney. He clapped but I’m sure it was for her singing.

I’ve surprised them twice for Disney since then. Our 3rd and 4th trips were surprises. Our 2nd trip was not a surprise and my daughter let me know after that she preferred to be surprised. She said the planning was fun; but, she liked being surprised because then you don’t have to wait as long.

Mine are really simple because my son is really young and it’s exciting for him just to be told. But my daughter loves to watch those youtube videos so I could never take her through a scavenger hunt or anything similar to tell her.

I haven’t done the “Wake up, you’re going to Disney” type of surprise. I did for a 4 day weekend at Sea World once pick them up early from school, reveal the trip and head to the airport. We are gone between 8-10 days for Disney though and being away that long my daughter needs a day to wrap her head around it and time to go through her suitcase. It would freak her out a bit if I did it that way.

 

[selenak]

I still cherish the surprise video we did with our then 6 and almost 4 year olds three years ago!!! They were so happy and excited!!! I wish we would have done something special now that our boys are 3 years older. So hard to keep a surprise! Much happiness to everyone planning a surprise for their children!!!

 

[6loversofdisney]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3181105&highlight=surprise+surprise+surprise

I started this thread - see if you see anything here

 

[fairy oma]

DD family, DS family, DH & I are going to WDW for my birthday next year. DD lives on the east coast and has decided they are going to tell the girls' they are going to surprise me for my birthday in KS (they have to fly anyway).

The plan is that we will all be on the same flight for the 2nd leg to WDW and meet on the plane (surprise, surprise)!

We are hoping the girls (by then, 7, 5, 3) won't get it until we land in ORL and we put their magic bands on to board MDE.

Keep your fingers crossed.

 

[hedge333]

The first time we went we told the girls by giving them a countdown calendar. They watched tons of youtube videos, planned for months, etc.

The next time my husband had just started a new job and wouldn't get a vacation for over a year so he booked a trip for my mom, sister, the girls and I. He ordered a set of Mickey ears that had SB2012 (Spring Break 2012) embroidered on the back and had us all sit on the couch and open them at Christmas. We opened it up as a group and when we opened it, no one got it but me. I was crying because it was so sweet he thought to send us on vacation without him and everyone else sat confused until I pulled it together enough to tell them, then the girls went crazy.

This time I found a frozen song lyric scavenger hunt. They did the hunt and opened the door to find a large box with a note about an upcoming trip. It instructed them to open the box. Inside the box was a calendar, disney dollar incentive chart, disney pjs, disney water bottles, and new disney shirts (all either homemade or from the clearance rack at Kohls). When they opened the box a balloon floated up with a note that said We Are Going To Disney World. The video of the girls (8 and 5) is awesome! Just a few more days to go!

 

[{kellie}]

We did a surprise Spring Break trip one year that my son knew absolutely nothing about. My husband and I did all of the planning and packing in secret. When he got home from school that day, before he entered the house, we asked him to go to the mailbox and get the mail. There was a Disney postcard in the box from Mickey telling my son that he was looking forward to seeing him and that he was leaving in about 30 minutes. I thought my child was going to hyperventilate, he was so excited. We had put a Mickey backsack on his bed for him to pack his fun stuff for the car and we left from the driveway within the hour. It was priceless! Still one of our favorite memories and favorite trips.

 

[VeggieMommyof4]

I love reading all these stories. Thank you!