How far in advance do you tell your kids?

[karen624]

My daughters are 5 and 2 1/2. It has been killing us to keep the trip a secret. I want to tell them so bad. RIght now we are planning on telling them about 10 days before we go- DH has to go ride a submarine for a week and we thought we would wait until he gets back. At that point we can really get excited about the trip, take some little shopping trips to buy things for the plane, toiletries etc.

However, I am having a hard time this weekend and want to tell them NOW. I am a little worried that my 5 yo will drive me crazy in the 3 weeks until we leave with endless questions and discussions, how long till we go etc.

So how far in advance does everyone else tell their kids?

 

[sandynd]

4 years!!

She started to bug us to go to Cinderella's house when she was three, and after a lot of thought, we promised her we would take her when she was 7 (just old enough to be able to go all day, and still young enough to love everything!) Her 7th birthday is in two weeks, and we'll just be finishing up our week at the world

 

[dizneechic]

We're telling ours on Christmas for a trip in Feb. I know they would drive me crazy with "is it time to go yet" regardless of countdown calendars, so we'll hold off until then so we only have a little over a month of pestering.

Of course I want to tell them now and its SO hard not to say anything, but I know it's for my own sanity that I don't. In the mean time I'll just bug my friends.

 

[mcqueen n' sally]

we just told our kids about an hour ago and we are leaving may 15!
we have had this planned since october, so we waited awhile to avoid the constant questioning (4 and 2.5 year olds)...

DH and i wanted to tell them so much, we finally cracked... DS was asking for a lightsaber so DH told him he could make one at disney... he asked if we could go now, we said no, in 13 wake-ups... he said that's too long, can we just go get one at target?

so, maybe we should have waited! but i think they will be more excited as we get closer...

good luck, have fun!

 

[Mrsdennison]

My dds are 5 and just turned 3 and we leave in July. We told them I guess about two months back. I wish now we could have surprised them or something. However it being their first trip even my five year old is just like okay we are going to disney.

They don't really know what it is. My oldest has started asking what is there. And I have explained and showed her a few pictures and now she is starting to get excited and is drawing pictures a lot and stuff.

Mrsdennison

 

[Mama to Three]

My original plan was to tell them three weeks out. I think I've decided not to tell them though. I think it will be fun to wake them up crazy early the morning of, load them in the car, and just tell them we decided to take a vacation. We have fun with them guessing and trying to figure it out on the way there.

The funny thing is that they will probably think we just woke up that morning and decided to go... all the while having no idea that I have probably put easily 100+ hours over the duration of a year into planning this trip.

 

[Dancing Queen]

We are planning on telling DD age 5 the morning we leave (in August)! Possibly at the airport. I was thinking of making an invitation from Mickey to give to her.

If we tell her beforehand, there will be no living with her - she'll ask about it day & night! She does think we are going next year so I know she'll be thrilled.

As for my 18 mo. old DS, he will imitiate her reaction. So if you see two kids at Philly international jumping up and down on August 19th - that will be me!

 

[Diz Kids]

We told our kids, 4 and 3, way in advance. They were excited at first, and then didn't seem to care because it was too far away. Then we reminded them about two weeks before and the excitement set in.

 

[kristinw3girls]

I've done it both ways. First trip was a total surprise untill 4am on the day we left. The second trip they knew a year in advance. Take my word for it, DON'T TELL untill you are ready to give a countdown every 15 minutes Last trip we told 1 week before. That was not so bad either!

 

[Darcy03231]

I took my niece last fall for her first trip. She was 4 at the time, almost 5. We told her a week before we left. It was just enough time for her to get excited about it and do a countdown, but not so far out that she drove us all crazy!

 

[here757]

i dont plan to tell my monster til we are halfway there LOL
we are driving down..
my daughter is due at beginning of july so he might be wraped up in that excitement..
we leave aug 27th i think.. LOL

 

[mmaikisch]

This year I'm not telling them at all =) My oldest is 8 and has been bugging me to go again this year. I told her that we can't this year, but maybe next year. Little does she know that it's already planned for 2 weeks in oct and I already have the tickets in hand...lol. We planned on picking her up from school early on the day we are leaving (we are driving down) and telling her that we are going on a 3 day vacation (she has off from school one of the days we are gone)...she will never expect disney since it takes so long to get there and back. She won't know we are in disney until she wakes up in the morning (we drive straight through) and we are at the resort =) It's killing me not to tell them!!!

 

[KSG'sDisneyMem]

My DDIL and I are telling DGS and DGD they are going to Disney when they get off the airplane 5/16 and see me!! The trip is to celebrate their 3rd and 5th b-days. We will be there for DGS's b-day on 5/17, he will be 5. I do not know how DDIL and my DS (staying home with the infant) are keeping it from the two kids. They do not know they are going in 13 days!! and they do not know that they will be seeing me either. She is going to tell them they are taking a surprise vacation when they arrive at the airport in NH and she insists that she will not tell them until after they have seen me waiting for them at the airport. I arrive a day ahead of them and I am spending 1 night at BC and then onto CBR pirate room for the b-day week celebration!

 

[bangzoom6877]

DH and I contemplated making the next trip a surprise. We went last year and my sons were 14 months old and 3 and a half. We bought a DVC membership when we decided to go every other year as they grow up and then did the math and saw how much less it would cost us over time to do it that way (plus we get to stay in a 1-bedroom villa!).

Making the trip a surprise did not last! I don't find it annoying at all to count down very far in advance for any vacation, especially Disney World, so I don't mind telling my kids far in advance. So my older son knows we will be going the summer after he turns 5. My little one just turned 2 the other day so he does not ask yet. My older one talks about how he will go when he is 5, in the summertime. And I love it! We talk about it together and we occasionally watch the video from last summer's trip and we have so much fun!

Perhaps one time DH and I will be able to keep the secret for one of our future trips, but I doubt it! I am like a kid myself when it comes to this stuff and I can't wait!

So we go back in July 2010 and my son has already known for quite some time!

 

[RMulieri]

I tell my 5 yr old when we book. It is more fun to plan together, and DD does not do well with those kind of surprises

 

[3babyws]

We told ours in advance and I will tell you that Disney is a much better behavior modifier than Santa could ever be. We put their spending money in an envelope and if bad behavior continues after a warning they lose a dollar...if they do something good they can get it back. All three have all their money and I am sure they would pass for angels lately. I guess we will have to book another trip after this one to keep the good behavior going!!!

 

[mikamah]

I've always told him when I'm planning, but might try to surprise him with our next trip. He likes to plan though not as much as I do, and the first trip, we did a countdown photo each month starting at 7 months before and emailed it to the others that were coming with us. That was fun.

 

[DisneyAllison]

I am trying to decide the same thing. We are going May 24-29. We were thinking of surprising her and telling her in the car when she started asking where are we going...etc. But if we did that, it would be very hard to hide suitcases, etc. Also, I think that it is fun to tell them a little bit ahead so they can experience the anticipation of going, helping pack, etc.

We definitely have NOT decided yet... I am going to keep watching this thread. To tell or not tell...that is the question!!!