How to surprise teens with a WDW trip??

[IvyandLace]

Looking for a creative and fun way to surprise my nephew (age 15) and niece (age 17) with a WDW trip over Thanksgiving...my mom and dad are paying their way and we aunts and uncles are paying for their airfare and their MVMCP tickets. The last time we brought them to the parks was in October 2002 so we have a lot of new "stuff" to experience with them-their mom and stepfather are not "Disney people" so parents won't be the pic and we are all very close and enjoy being with each other. This is a kinda-of "last" kid trip with them as they continue to grow...

We have been trying to be sneaky and "reminisce" about our WDW trips (2000, 2002) with them and although they have said that they can't wait to go again, they have expressed amazement that we made them "get up early" ("It's vacation!"), stick together (they were only 10 and 12 on last trip)...and were totally humiliated when we brought up the "matching shirts" that we wore everyday last trip.

So looking for a "teen-friendly" way to surprise them...I don't think they would be very interested in planning (that's probably not cool) so giving them, say, a Passporter wouldn't work...at least I don't think so.

Help me with ideas, please...and thanks in advance!
IVY

 

[Cheshire Figment]

If the tickets for MVMCP are for the first or second night there have someone mail them a card from Mickey. Clearly mark the envelope "Do Not Open Until {date}" with the date the day prior to departure.

Make sure, of course, that you have recorded the serial numbers of the tickets before mailing the card, and have someone address it whose handwriting may not be familiar to them.

When they open the card there will be an invitiation from Mickey for the family to visit. The MVMCP tickets will have the "valid only on {date}" listed and they will realize it is "tomorrow"!

 

[Perditamarie]

Just trying to think of ways teens communicate and see what you think:

* make a slideshow (or photo album, etc)of your last trip and making the last slide an invitation?

* announce the trip on your myspace page and invite them

* send them a text message!

* send them some matching shirts via ups and ask if they want to do it again -- tell them they can wear the shirts on different days!

Whatever you decide, I bet they will be thrilled! Please share your plan!

 

[Jill in Chicago]

Our son is 13 and he is very much into planning and thinking about the trip ahead. I think some sort of Disney guidebook would be great. I just bought our son a couple of the "imagineering" books about MK and Epcot. You can get these at any big bookstore. They talk about behind the scenes things and how attractions work, Disney history. I know DS and his friends like to talk about the Disney attractions and what they liked and even which restaurants. (DS's best friend went to Disney recently.)

Be sure to give the teens time to get ready (clothes to wear, books for the plane, music to bring with...) Our son agreed to color coordinated clothing, but he took a pass on Disney shirts.

Depending on the kids you might need to change your touring plan. I recently read about someone whose family slept in, went to the pool, ate lunch and then went to the parks just as other families were leaving for their afternoon break. Then they stayed until the park closed. (We're making our son get up early. It will be hard on him and ME!)

 

[I_Believe_In_Faries]

My parents once packed my sister and I (im 17 and shes 14) a red box with a disney sticker on top, and inside of it was a stuffed mickey, mickey mouse head ortament, a Magic Kingdom map and at the bottom were season passes. They had given it to us though in a huge box that was packed in another huge box and yet again another with all the popcorn packageing filling in each one so we had to hunt for the boxes. Each box had a different disney quote. We loved it!

 

[pooh2001]

Play a Disney CD one morning during breakfast and see if they notice the theme (you could also get some Disney themed paper goods to use at a party store for their breakfast dishes)

Leave a Disney tour book on the dining room table, living room coffee table or bathroom reading material.

Leave a note on the refrigerator door saying "Remember to make an ADR for Chef Mickeys" or which ever WDW restaurant your family likes and knows.

Just some fun things - but beware teens may take a few days to realize the change you did.

 

[Conan the Librarian]

We're in the process of adopting two children (we hope anyway) between the ages of 5 and 12. We don't plan on telling them when we are going on their first trip to WDW, but, we also don't want them to see where we are until we get their. We are thinking of blindfolding them once we hit Daytona, but, that may prove impractal. Driving early morning and hoping they sleep through may be better. Otherwise, we just won't talk about it at all and drive back roads until we get there.

 

[JanetRose]

I told my 15- year old daughter once that we were spending the weekend in Kansas City and on our way, we stopped for lunch at a Chinese restaurant. I had brought my own fortune cookie (with my own fortune in it - with help from a pair of tweezers) and pretended the cookie was from the restaurant - of course, the message in the cookie was a typed 'We're going to Disney World!'. She was shocked!

 

[lynninpa]

Click on Our Fortune Cookie Surprise Trip To Disney in my signature below

 

[j_lehr]

We surprised by daughter this past Christmas with a trip to Disney...she was 13...a little younger than your niece and nephew, but she is pretty mature. What I did was make her a scrapbook of the last trip we had taken (when she was 7)...I only did the first few pages and left the rest blank so she could finish the scrapbook when we returned. I think your niece would probably like this...not so sure if boys are into scrapbooking...

we gave my daughter the scrapbook about an hour before the car service picked us up. it was a great surprise.

here are some pictures...

The two pics above are actual pages from her book. The picture below is a scrapbook page I made after we returned that shows all the pages of her book.

Hope this helps.
Jes

 

[dburg30]

The night before call them and tell them to pack their bags, cuz, "They're Going To Disney World!!" OK, so maybe you wanted to give them a little more warning then that, but hey, that would be a suprise no?