How to surprise kids the day we leave!!

[armomof3lvsdisney]

We are going to Disney in March staying at POR. My DS12 knows about the trip he's not into surprises so he is helping me plan the trip. My DD9 and DD7 do not know about the trip and we are planning on telling them the morning we leave. We will be driving 18 hours form Arkansas. I plan to have them some neat goody bags for the trip, but am not sure how to tell them. So any creative ideas would be so helpful. My DD's get excited very easily, so their reaction should be priceless. I also have to say it is alot of fun planning with my DS, he's helping with every detail. Thanks in advance for any tips.

Have a Disney Day

P.S. This is not their first trip, we have not been since March 2003. My DH thinks 2 years is not a long time in between trips, but I am starting to go through Disney withdrawls.

 

[EagleHasLanded]

We have printed "Gift Certificates" before (Trip To Walt Disney World, etc.), and had them open the envelopes just prior to leaving. It's great, and the looks on their faces, . . . well, just have the video going (hidden) and the camera handy.

 

[ahutton]

Depending on what day of the week it is, I would get them set for a normal day (school, grocery shopping, whatever...) and then right before we would "leave" I would say "Would you rather go to WDW? I would, so lets go!" and then load up the car and leave!

 

[Deafmedic]

Ahutton, I like your idea. I would say, I don't feel like working today. Wanna go to Disney World?

 

[Jaimee]

Last year we surprised DS for his 6th birthday. I woke him up like he was going to school, and I ran outside to start the car and told him the car wouldn't start so we had to call Grammy and Papa to pick us up. SO they showed up, we got in their car (my step dad loaded up the suitcases when DS wasn't looking..) and he turned on the video camera and my mom asked if he'd rather go to school, or WDW? He was so confused lol! IT wasn't his first trip, but I think he just couldn't process it. It didn't sink in until we got to the airport. I packed him a goody bag for the plane ride and he loved it! Good luck with your surprise!

 

[davephillips]

We're in the same boat... our kids haven't a clue but they know we are going to "Daytona" in the United States. I think we'll just let them figure it out as our taxi pulls into the WDW area.

 

[Deesknee]

we once told my kids we were taking a limo ride to look at foliage. then when we put the luggage in the back we told them WDW here we come. We were walking through the airport and my DS I think he was 8 at the time asked if we were REALLY going to disney. LOL He just couldn't believe it.

Enjoy

 

[donnajon]

I'm taking my three - 8,5 & 2 this May and are telling them we're going to the mountains for vacation. When they start seeing Disney stuff in Orlando, I'm gonna say, "I told you we are going to the mountains - Splash Mountain, Space Mountain..." I can't wait!

 

[SHAMIL10]

We surprised our kids dd9, ds8, ds5, Dec 16, 04 we told them we were picking them up from school early b/c we were taking my sister to meet her husband in the city ( about an hour away) We told them we would not make it back in time to pick them up, and maybe we would go christmas shopping, etc. On the way, we were playing xmas music, so I said how would you like an early christmas present? They all were excited and said yes. So I gave each of them a present that contained a "clue" about the present and told them that they all went together. After about 10-15 min, I couldn't take it, so I gave them each an envelope with a copy of the boarding pass & their wdw pass in it. My 5 year said - yeah, I got a Mickey Mouse Card!! The older ones said we got tickets to WDW, we can go next summer. I said did you look at the other paper. My dd started reading it and it said sw airlines, her name, the date, then she looked up and said that's today, what about my homework? Then she kept saying really??? After about 10/15 min of shock it finally set in and they were just thrilled. I'd do it again the same way.

 

[AmoDolphin]

Heres what you do

you get them autograph books, and in one, you put
"Get in the Car, we're going to Disney World!"

 

[marycaym]

We have surprised my kids every time we have gone to Disney or on the Disney Cruise. Last year, for Disney World, we had a friend call the night before and pretend to be Cinderella and invite them down, we have given them postcards from Mickey, packages w/homemade gift certificates, etc. Half the fun for me is seeing their surprise!

For our cruise in February, I am going to ask them "if you could go anywhere today, where would you go" - I know that one will say disney cruise unfortunately, the other is going to say Hong Kong (long story) and then I am going to say OK let's go.....it has been hard to pack and have them try on summer stuff though without telling them we are going on the cruise..i have been saying that there have been some really good sales for summer things so I need to know what size they are.

Good luck, whatever you decide to do your kids will be so surprised!

 

[dreams4disney]

I love reading all the ideas. We are going In May and so Far my kids don't know. I told My Husband that I wanted to surprise them. I hope he will live up to it. My In-laws live about half way there so they will know we are going there. They don't know they are only going to stop in over night. My Inlaws want to keep the older boy's for a week or so over the summer so we are going to go down to Disney and then drop them off on the way back. I am so excited.

 

[DumboFan]

My Mom & I took DD to WDW in June 2 days after she finished Kindergarten. We had an elaborate plan to get her to the airport without her figuring out what was going on! Afterall, airplanes only go to Disney! I told her Daddy's truck had to go in for service so we had to drive him to work that day & pick him up when he was done. She knew my mom wasn't working that day so wasn't surprised when we went to her house. Then we told her my dad had to work late & we would take Nana out to dinner at "some new place Daddy wants to try." When we got on the access road to the airport, she asked why, but DH told her the restaurant was on the other side of the airport. DH pulled up to the curb & I told her we were going to Disney "right now"! She burst into tears & didn't know what to say. She did ask about suitcases. She couldn't believe they were in the back of our SUV the whole day! Thank goodness I had the camera! It was the best reaction!
We're going back at the end of next week & this time we printed up a card from Belle telling her she was missed & she needed to come down again before her pass expired. She can't wait to see Belle & thank her for the card!

 

[MosMom]

DD doesn't know we are leaving Saturday. I'm telling her we're going to Kansas on a business trip. She isn't quite thrilled about it but I told her they have a zoo there. I'm going to see how long it takes her to catch on we're going to DisneyWorld.

 

[elismom]

First thing make sure you record the moment its price less.
DS and I had gone to disney last christmas and all year he keep saying how much he would love to go back next christmas, and Bring his older sister (19) with us. I keep telling him that we would have to wait till 06 to go again, He didnt know that his sister and I had it all planned out !
On the day we were to leave I told DS to come home from school for lunch ( we live down the street and he does this often,so no big deal) I told him his sister had a surprise for him.
We live on a corner house and the crossing guard is my friend. I made up 3 large mickey heads out of black paper and wrote the words from the zip ed do da song on them .
He got his first clue from the crossing guard I filmed him from the window he was jumping up and down he was so excited (he later told me that he thought his sister had bought him a new movie )
The other signs were on the door, when DS came into the house I started the disney music and had all the suitcases lined up in the room . I asked him if he could quess what his surprise was .
He said ARE WE GOING TO DISNEY I answered yes ,he said when and I told him we were leaving as soon as school finished for the day, and that his sister was also coming.
At that point he burst into tears and just started crying saying how lucky he was ,
I cant watch the vidio now without crying myself.
P.S he ask me next time I plan a surprise if I can give him a least a week notice he said that he had to keep pinching himself to make sure it was ture.
Not sure if I'll keep this promise DD and I are allready planning the next trip!

 

[fallingwithstyle]

Reading the replies to this thread makes me wish I was able to think of ways to surprise my son (2) with Disney World. We're going to "Mickey Mouse's House" in August (I know, I know...AUGUST!?!? It's a family trip and my sister is a teacher...) but we've decided not to tell him until we actually arrive at the park the first day. You see, my husband and I brought our son on a 7-day Disney Cruise in September '04 and we spent time prior to the trip explaining where we were going and that Mickey would be there. We flew in the night before our departure date and stayed at the MCO Hyatt. By the time we were heading to the port the morning of departure, Hunter was so excited that he threw up twice on the bus. Of course we felt awful and decided not to get him so worked up for this trip.

Best of luck to everyone with their surprises!

Sarah

 

[Tink&SquirtsMom]

These stories of the excited kids are making me tear up! On our last trip to Disneyland, we picked dd up from preschool and told the kids we were going to a hotel (they are 4 and 2 and LOVE staying at hotels). It was about a 6 hour drive and we got there very late at night, so the kids were asleep and missed us driving right past DL to our hotel. We got up the next morning had breakfast at the hotel (unforunately due to our late booking all Disney Hotels were booked up, so we were offsite but this ended up helping with the surprise) and dd thought it was cool so many kids were wearing Disney stuff, but still was clueless. We asked the kids if they wanted to take a walk and see if there was anything fun to do around this place (got some odd looks from other people at the hotel). We were staying just outside of DL gates, and first dd started noticing the "Disneyland" name on trash cans, and was confused. Then we walked right up to the ticket counter and she went into shock (it was her 4th trip in 4 years so she recognized it). Got SOOO excited and could not believe where we were. DS got it a few minutes later when he saw Mickey.

This next trip (our first to WDW and first cruise) they know because I am way to excited to keep it to myself.

 

[Eeyoreloverforever]

We sent her to her grandparents on the Saturday night and Sunday so we could pack. We hid the bags in our second car and dh took them to his parents late Sunday night. We told her she was going to school the next day (It was right after Christmas break) and proceeded on as if that was true. We then drove to the school (which wasn't starting again until the next day) and said "oh look, we made a mistake. School doesn't start again until tomorrow. What do you want to do today?) She said she didn't know. Dh was filming all of this with the pretense that he needed to try out his new camera. Dh then asked me if I had any ideas. I said " I know, let's go to Disney World!" She didn't believe us at first, but we told her it was true and we were really going. We then went to the grandparents house and picked up our bags. They followed us to the airport and then returned our van home for us. WE had a great trip (11 days), but coming home was a nightmare! Air Canada will be hearing from me!