I am so excited, but I cannot tell anyone. I knew you fellow DISers would understand

[TLHB70]

I am about to pop because I am so excited about a future trip, but I cannot tell anyone because we are surprising DD with this trip. I know many of you DISers have posted that you have surprised family members. I now realize how hard that must have been! We just booked the trip a two days ago, and this silence is about to kill me!
Almost a year ago my younger daughter (age 11) asked when we were going to go to WDW again. Since I am a such huge Disney fanatic, we have gone almost every year for the last 9 years. The last time we went was last September. DH told me that he wanted to wait at least two years before going again. However, my younger DD is ready to go back, and, of course, I am too!
Well, my older daughter does not care to go back anytime soon. She has hit that age where she feels like she is too old for WDW. She will soon be 16. She now has her learners permit but will soon get her driver's license. DH has wanted to get her a car once she starts driving. He decided to get her one for Christmas instead (very close to her actual birthday).
So guess what DH decided.............For Christmas, we are surprising older DD with the car and younger DD with the surprise news of a mom/daughter trip! She and I will fly out on January 2. Older DD will stay home with DH and they will be able to go out to dinner, movies, etc. in her car.
I am so excited that I could scream, but I cannot tell anyone! We are even afraid to tell grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc. because we do not want anyone to let it slip.
It is so hard to keep the secret!!!!!!!!!!!! I am trying to research park hours, crowd calendar, make dining reservations, etc. all without DDs noticing any of it. That is hard. I will not even add a ticker to my signature because I do not want to risk it being noticed if she passes by while I am reading posts online.

So, I admire all of you that have kept the secret and surprised the family. I would love to know how you all presented the surprise to your family members if you did it as a Christmas gift. I am trying to figure out a way to wrap a box with something in it announcing the trip. Like a stuffed Mickey, etc.

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

Sound so exciting. Good for you that you can keep the secret. I would be blabbing right away!

 

[DL55]

Good luck keeping the secret. You only have 3 1/2 months to keep it. It could be worse it could be a year away.
Have a great mother daughter outing.

 

[lala3291]

Have a great time! We fly out January 2nd too and are staying at the Boardwalk!
What a great surprise for your daughter

 

[MomofKatie]

How exciting for you and DD! It is really hard to keep the secret, but when you see your DD's face when she realizes she's going to WDW, it will be worth it.

I took DD, then 9, on a Mother's Day weekend suprise trip in '08- it was AMAZING!! She had no idea and her reaction was sooo worth the months of secrecy. It was a great weekend, and DD tells me she would love another suprise trip someday.

 

[Heidi Loves Disney]

How exciting!!!
You and your daughter are going to have so much fun!!!

 

[brewhome]

Congrats on your trip! We too, are surprising our kids at Christmas with a January trip to WDW. We took our sons (ages 9 and 7 at the time) In February 2010, and had an absolutely awesome trip. They want to go back so badly, but we had told them it would be at least a couple of years until we could go again. Well, my DH has a conference in Orlando in January, so we decided to heck with it, we're tacking on a week at Disney! We want to be able to enjoy more time at the World with the boys while they are still young and WANT to spend time with us, and while they can still miss some school without falling too far behind. We just booked two rooms at Pop Century with free dining for 1/11-1/18, but we decided not to tell the boys until Christmas.

I'm planning on putting together a little scavenger hunt for them on Christmas morning... a few clues hidden throughout the house, leading them to different places, so they can ultimately find a suitcase with a sign saying "We're going to Disney in 17 days!!", and I'll have a t-shirt and some pins for each of them. I think they'll have a blast with a scavenger hunt.

If anyone has some ideas about clues, let me know!! I'm thinking I'll make up some hints about their favorite rides, foods, characters, etc. - any ideas are appreciated!!

 

[diddldonna]

Myself and family go to Disneyworld in 3 weeks and they know about it, it would be too hard for me to keep that a secret. I have booked Cirque du Soliel show and the wishes desert party and keeping them secret from my children and husband is driving me crazy, so i think a big disney trip secret would just be too much for me.

I think you should get a big cardboard box fill it with balloons and at the bottom have mickey mouse holding an envelope with details inside OR If you can do IT and have a video camera you could make up a DVD of you giving hints and then saying we are going to Disney world.

 

[BethC1952]

I'm surprising my granddaughter at Christmas with a Feb. 6 DCL cruise. We booked this cruise in February. It's getting harder and harder to keep the secret, because she's begging us to take her. We always tell her that we just can't afford it this year, but will consider it for next year!

When we booked it, we just thought it would be a treat for her to get away from her twin brother and sister, who will be just two years old then. Little did we know that DDIL had a surprise of her own coming up, too. She is expecting a little one in early March! So now granddaughter will get a break between being with the twins and the arrival of the new baby!

We're giving her luggage for Christmas. We plan to fill one of the suitcases with souvenirs that we've brought back over the years--the more worn and torn the better. At the bottom of that suitcase will be a small note that says "Take this suitcase with you to Disney World and on your Dream Cruise. You can buy your own souvenirs!"

She'll love it.

Beth

 

[Coach81]

We kept our Christmas trip a secret from our boys for almost a YEAR!!! It was difficult, but it paid off!!! They were so surprised...

 

[hereyago]

Very cool!!!!!!!!!!!

A few years ago, I surprised DD12 with a DCL cruise after a mini trip to WDW. Everyone including her teachers and even the limo driver knew. It was hard to slipping up, but she was thrilled.

 

[Missytara]

Here's sprinkling some pixie dust hoping you can keep the secret!

 

[Heluvsme]

Boy do I understand!!! No ticker for me either!! We're surprising our children the week before Christmas and it's SOOOOOOOOOOO hard to not talk about it. No grandparents, no aunts/uncles, NOBODY!!

I hope you have a great time!

 

[Goofy Lover]

That's so cool that you're surprising them! I'm having a hard enough time holding in surprise MNSSHP tickets.....I could never hold in a surprise trip!

 

[jetskigrl]

I'm right there with you. I booked our first Disney Cruise (well three actually, LOL) and I am dying to tell the kids. But DH and I agreed that we would make it their big Christmas present this year.

I asked the people on the graphics design board to make me up two graphics (one for our January mini-cruise and one for our April B2B on the Dream). We will frame those and have each child unwrap one on Christmas morning.
I am so scared that I am going to blow the surprise before then

 

[Chellymouse]

How exciting! Congrats to all of you who can keep such a secret! I know I wouldn't be able to. My DSIL is trying to keep the secret from our niece and nephew as we have 11 months until the trip. I hope she plans on telling them by Christmas because DH and I deceided that instead of getting them stuff they don't need, we would give them WDW gift cards so that they have their own spending $$ on the trip!

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I feel your pain. We are going Sept. 24, 2011! And not telling the kids. I'd like to try and keep it a secret until we get to the airport, but not sure if I can. We will be taking DDs out of school so I have to get their homework ahead of time without them knowing....

 

[Shunasee]

Good Luck with the surprise!

Our 2/2011 trip was going to be DH's christmas present, but I just couldnt keep it in.

The plan, was to purchase an Epcot shirt (his fav park), and wrap that with the itinerary under the shirt. One year I will surprise him.

 

[2Tiggies]

What an awesome surprise!

I can relate to keeping the secret. I have kept our October trip a secret since last year at the end of April when we got back from our last one. Thing is, I can't tell my family because I don't think they would keep it for so long. Like you, it's me and the DIS! I will encourage you however by saying that it becomes very easy once the initial novelty has settled down a bit. It really becomes just part of your daily life (the not talking about it that is). I have to watch myself now because this is the home run - last three weeks and I just can't let it slip now

I think both of your girls are going to be absolutely delighted. Enjoy the planning. It is even more fun when done in secret!

 

[TLHB70]

Wow. So many DISers here have kept/are keeping the secret. I admire all of you. It is helps to read all of your experiences; it encourages me to keep it up. There are so many times throughout the day that I want to mention something about a ride, a character, a restaurant, etc. Then I have to catch myself. There are some great ideas here about ways to wrap it up and present it Christmas morning! I think I can have some fun with those! Thank you all! And, for all of you still keeping your secrets, keep up the great work! I know how hard it is!