How to surprise my kids? 1st trip to WDW

[SuzaBanana]

My 4.5 year old and 7.5 year old girls have never been to Disney and I'd like to find a way to surprise them next week. We need to book FP+ in about a month and I want to give them some time to look at ride videos on YouTube to decide what they would like to do best and what they definitely don't want to do (not thrill-seekers and I have no need for coasters and such).

I was hoping to buy embroidered Mickey ears for us all and do a little scavenger hunt, but I wasn't sure if I could buy those online? There are a few Disney Store locations within an hour's drive and an outlet a bit further but still doable. Do they typically stock the ears there and do the embroidery?

If the above isn't possible, what other ways could we surprise them? Looking for something low-key as I'm not the most crafty mama on the planet!

 

[Tricia's mom]

I always surprise my daughter with trips. It's to much money NOT to make a big deal about it.
I've done several things....my favorite had to be , we took her to our local Disney store to open up the store. If you get there early they choose a child to magical open the store.
She opened the store and was all excited then we asked her " what are you going to do next ....??? " we handed her a sign that said " I am going to Disney world !!! "
The cast members cried !

Other times we have just told her at the airport or on the way. I get that you need their input.
Keep searching for the best option to surprise your kids... It's great fun.
Except for my cousin who surprised her kids and they were like , yea, okay. She cried after they went through the scavenger hunt and didn't really get so excited.

 

[ChasingLeslie]

Get a very large box and fill it with inflated Mickey/Disney balloons. It would be fun to watch their faces as the balloons rise and they realize what it means.

 

[jlundeen]

I love seeing all these very creative ideas...I know someone who has two kids - boy 5 and girl 3 - who are planning a trip and are trying to figure out the best way to tell them, and when. Would love to be able to pass some of these cute ideas along to her.

 

[Pesky]

We've driven to the hotel and asked "do you know where you are?" DS's less-than-magical response: "the hotel!"

For this one, probably doing a scavenger hunt that will lead them to the airport gate. If they don't figure it out from there, the final clue will tell them.

 

[tabistar]

I'm surprising my nieces and nephew with a trip for Thanksgiving. I plan on mailing a box for them to open with matching Disney shirts, supplies for a countdown chain, journals for each of them to document the trip, and maybe a $25 gift card for each of them to spend on souvenirs. I'm not super crafty, either, but I may make the shirts myself (freezer paper stencils) since there will be 11 of us total!

 

[tuaennoc]

you can spend some time on popular video sites and see ALL kinds of reveals and reactions. They range from
'spoiled brats" to ones that make you tear up a bit. Have fun watching and planning! The planning and anticipation is a large portion of the fun with a trip.

 

[sahm2two]

I'm following along to get ideas! We've told our oldest (7) that we are saving for a big vacation next year, and she's hoping for Disney (they ask at least 1-2/month when we're going back... it's been almost 5 years and they don't remember the last trip! And our youngest wasn't around for that trip, but every time they ask we tell them it's going to be a long time bc it costs a lot of money). Anyway.... I want them to be involved in the planning (sort of) especially the oldest as she's just like me and loves that kind of stuff.

I was thinking some sort of scavenger hunt, but I want them to all find out at the same time, you know? I don't want my oldest to read better and figure it out faster and spoil it for the other 2. The sibling rivalry is strong in our house and I don't want to take any chances on angry tears in our surprise video lol!

We aren't going until March 2017, so we have time to figure something out!

OP- I like the hats idea, not sure if the disney stores in the mall carry those or not? I'm sure you could find them SOMEWHERE online though!

 

[Pesky]

I was thinking some sort of scavenger hunt, but I want them to all find out at the same time, you know? I don't want my oldest to read better and figure it out faster and spoil it for the other 2. The sibling rivalry is strong in our house and I don't want to take any chances on angry tears in our surprise video lol!

Two suggestions there (as I'm planning on the same thing as DD reads better than DS). 1: The older must read each clue out loud (helps for taping as well) and keep the bottom part of the last clue with the words "WDW" or whatever taped up so they will have to undo it with your littlest right there and reading out loud. If you do it graphic style, your youngest might recognize it. The other thing you can do is have the last part be a puzzle (maybe a picture of your last trip) with your youngest at last getting the final piece with you all in front of the castle or something. Have fun!

 

[Mchurchill96]

We LOVED surprising our kids when we went on our first WDW trip! We live in Wisconsin, and our annual trip had always been going to Wisconsin Dells and staying in a waterpark hotel, so as far as our kids knew, that's what we were doing. We convinced them we had to get up extra early to check into the room. When they were all in the car, before sunrise, I started recording on my phone and we told them we were going to Disney! We'd be in Florida in time for lunch! They were caught so off guard--couldn't believe it! I am smiling ear to ear now just thinkiing about it! It was tough for my hubby and me to keep a lid on it for months, but I'm so glad we did! We're going again this summer, but they know about it this time! Have fun surprising your LOs!

 

[GEM]

I surprised by 12 year old last month. He's been lots of times, sometimes it's a surprise and sometimes he knows in advance. This time, I told him the night before that I would have to wake him up really early the next morning because I was teaching an all-day workshop and he would have to come with me. (That happens sometimes.) Before I woke him up the next morning, I put a new Magicband on his wrist. Then I woke him up and told him to get dressed and ready to go. Then I just waited to see how long it would take him to notice the Magicband. Lol. Took about five minutes. He was in the bathroom brushing his teeth. Very fun! But that only works if they know what the Magicbands are for.