Ideas for surprising the kids

[jjj444]

we are surprising our kids 6 & 2 this May. They know we are going to Marco island so I told them we have to fly to Orlando and then rent a car to drive to Marco. Our flight gets in later at night so we are going to get a room off site and say we are tired and we will drive in the morning to Marco. I can't wait to see my son's face when we drive under the welcome to Disney sign! So we aren't telling them anything until we are on property the morning of!!!! Can't wait!

 

[kycanonist]

Our DDs birthdays fall on both sides of the dates of our trip. So, we are telling them at DD2's birthday party. She will be turning 5 and DD1 will be turning 9 a few weeks after the trip.

So, we're going to have them both open a little gift at the party... it's going to be Minnie Ear headbands for both of them. We'll then bring out Mickey balloons and such for them. We'll have it all on video. that's how we plan on doing it.

But, if someone can come up with a better way to surprise them at the party, please let me know!

 

[MickeyHereWeCome!]

We surprised our four kids last June. It was so much fun! We decided to tell them on the last day of school, which was one week before we planned to leave. This made it a surprise, but gave them a week to get excited and help somewhat with packing and planning.

We set it up like a scavenger hunt. It was great to see all four really get into it (even my 13 yo autistic son, who does his own thing most of the time!).

Here's a link to the youtube video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yev4I6Awbfc

 

[ForTheLoveOfDCL]

We surprised our four kids last June. It was so much fun! We decided to tell them on the last day of school, which was one week before we planned to leave. This made it a surprise, but gave them a week to get excited and help somewhat with packing and planning.

We set it up like a scavenger hunt. It was great to see all four really get into it (even my 13 yo autistic son, who does his own thing most of the time!).

Here's a link to the youtube video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yev4I6Awbfc

Very cute!! I wanted to do that but we are meeting our friends in the DC airport and I wanted to do a clue reveal to all of them. Since we only have a 40 min layover we couldn't make it long so I am getting them 4 clues(presents to unwrap) with little clues on them and then we will hold up a sign that says.We're going to WDW! I am soexcited. Loved your Oldest, I believe it was MAthew.. His face was cute. Like to cool to act like he liked the thought of Disney but a cute smile where you knew he had happiness bursting inside...

 

[21hearts]

Our kids are 3,2 and 4 months so we usually tell them we are "taking a trip" and then wait until we hit the "Mickey Arch" for them to figure it out. Our last trip they went crazy as soon as they realized that's where we were going for our trip.

 

[wrighter]

I'm going to do my best to hold off and surprise our kids (DS8 and DD6 at time of travel) for our October trip this year. Because DH travels for work a lot, we're going to tell them we have to take Dad to the airport for work. Going to have to throw some sort of blanket over all the bags in the back of the van so they don't see them! I'm guessing we're going to have to spill the beans once we park at the airport. But it will still be fun - if I can make it that long!

 

[pkjne]

This will be our third trip in October. My husband and I are so excited now. WE can hardly wait to tell them and are afraid we are going to let it slip one day. So thinking we are going to tell them as a surprise on Easter Sunday. Probably do a little scav hunt we have done that the first time but it was the fourth of July this time going to use Easter Eggs and have little candy and things at each stop of the scav hunt. Then at the end I have three DISNEY stuffed characters. Mickey, Minnie and Donald and I am going to take them and put the old room keys on them and a sign that says YOUR GOING TO WALT DISNEY WORLD IN OCTOBER

My husband and I both know that they will drive us nuts because they are 12, 11 and 9 years old. My 11 year old is so into DISNEY he has a DISNEY room and loves getting anything DISNEY at the age of 11 still SMILE

End of April to end of October............six month.....going to be a long six months but SO worth it SMILE

 

[Mom2apirate&princess]

For our last vacation (last August) we sent the kids on a scavenger hunt. They were given a clue that led them to an envelope. On that envelope was the clue to the next envelope. Once they found all of them they had to open them in order. Each envelope contained letters that spelled out a word. They had to put the letters together (we marked the first letter of each word to help them out). When they were done it said
Surprise! August 8th your parents are taking you to Disneyworld!
Then we through Mickey head confetti at them. They were thrilled. They were 12 and 8 at the time

 

[alisha7699]

We are surprising our 2 boys (ages 8,9) with their 1st trip next month!!! I can't wait

 

[MayzDisney4]

Love all the idea's.. We are surprising our kids (dd9 and ds4) in May.. We plan to tell them somehow (we haven't figured out all the logistics yet). We do know we are going to Philly to visit Grandma and then Daddy is taking a trip for training on Friday, so we are spending the night at grandma's so we can take Daddy to the airport bright at early the next morning.

We thought about telling them day of, but with a 7am flight, needing to be at the airport at 5am, we decided the night before would be best. Then we get to the airport and have to get through security without seeing my parents who are actually going with us and surprising the kids at the gate! (the grandma we are staying with isn't going with us, but she isn't left out she is going with SIL and her family in June). She is our transportation to the airport!

So we plan to do it somehow with my husbands carry-on suit case.. Balloons, and trying to figure out the rest.

Planning has been pretty easy, since we are crazy plan way in advance people and the kids think we are actually going in october. We moved it up to May. So when they see us figuring things out and planning its no why are you planning so early? (my husband has been packed since before Christmas!)

I can't wait because my kids know we go to Disney every year so there is never that element of surprise... And having the october trip planned makes it easy if I mention something about Disney. 52 days!!!

 

[kycanonist]

You can get one of these Personalized Stuffed Mickey and personalize it to say "Welcome to Disney World" or something like that, with their name on it, and then leave it for them in the car seat if you are driving...

Or, you can just incorporate them however you want to... We're going to do it at the resort... ours say "Welcome <name> Love, Minnie" as we got the Minnie ones.

 

[lilpeople]

dh is picking me up from work. we will be driving from texas and stopping halfway there. when dd wake up there will be two baskets sitting on hotel table with disney stuff in it. we will be filming it. this will be the first time for all of us. dd 8 has been telling me when we go to disney world ... i just say we cant go right now because we cant afford it. what they dont know is we are leaving june 1st til 8th. going to be interesting. dd8(autistic) is type of kid that throws fit when she doesnt get what she wants. dd9 (aspergers) isnt so bad. i want to tell them now but i would never hear the end of it

 

[kycanonist]

i just say we cant go right now because we cant afford it. what they dont know is we are leaving june 1st til 8th. going to be interesting. dd8(autistic) is type of kid that throws fit when she doesnt get what she wants. dd9 (aspergers) isnt so bad. i want to tell them now but i would never hear the end of it

I've had to be telling my 8 year old the same thing... the other day in the car, someone on the radio requested a song for their drive to WDW and my older one said, "That would be the best trip ever!" and my 4 year old said "I know... we can't afford it..."

They are going to be blown away when we tell them! And my kids aren't on the autism spectrum. I wouldn't hear the end of it, either. We're waiting until 4 weeks before we go and I'm afraid that will be the longest time ever! It's bad enough for ME right now!!!!

 

[Tim Riordan]

We woke them up that morning!!! They were still sleepy and thought they were going to school!!! Then we starting heading to the airport and they said we were going the wrong way to school and then we told them!!!

 

[MistressMerryweather]

We homeschool, so no one ever gets woken up in the morning in our house. Everyone gets up on their own by 9am-ish and we start around 10am.
We'll be waking them all up Tuesday morning at 5am. My 2yo is going to tell them, since he has known all along. He keeps telling them, at least 3 times a day, where and when we are going, but they never seem to listen. LOL

 

[zoesbargainmama]

We are telling my 7 year old and 4 year old the morning we leave. We are driving down so I am going to decorate the car all decked out in Disney (writing "We're going to Disney World" on the windows, an antenna topper, vinyl family with mickey ears, possibly a balloon or two attached to the car) then that morning wake them up and say we're going on "vacation". So when they walk out to get in the car they will see where we are really going! I can't wait

 

[Forevryoung]

My grandma and I are surprising my cousin (7). Getting the three of us together is rare so I think we will tell her as her birthday present (75 days before we leave). We both want to do it in person.

She's not a "morning of" kid- her mom actually felt the need to ASK her if she would go We have planned this trip twice before and it didn't happen so she really has no clue.

I have two "gifts"- the first is a First Trip pin that I'll wrap in a pretty box and the second is a countdown calendar that starts with 75 Days till Walt Disney World!

How did you guys set up your scavenger hunts? What were some of the clues?

 

[pktbMouse]

Yes..I would also love to know how you guys did your scavenger hunt, what were your clues? I have a 9yr old that I would love to surprise but hes pretty smart and can figure out most things...I have to be pretty devious to pull one over on him..so far he hasnt guessed so I want to do some kind of surprise for him to guess...nothing too easy though..hehehe

 

[Carrieannew]

You can get one of these Personalized Stuffed Mickey and personalize it to say "Welcome to Disney World" or something like that, with their name on it, and then leave it for them in the car seat if you are driving...

Or, you can just incorporate them however you want to... We're going to do it at the resort... ours say "Welcome <name> Love, Minnie" as we got the Minnie ones.

Just be careful with what you write. I placed an order for this item that said WDW and it was not allowed. Due to copyright laws and what not you can't reference certain things

 

[Peanut Giggleface]

I got this idea here from the family movie theme night thread. But for our next visit to the world, this is how we're gonna surprise our kiddos. We're gonna have a surprise theme night party (we do all our theme night parties as surprises...they never know when they're coming until they walk in the door). Our theme night will be based on the parks. One corner will be decorated as MK another Epcot, another DHS and the last one AK. Each will have food and snacks related to each park. I'll have various character decorations all over the room and then for dinner.....I'm gonna hand them a menu (while Be Our Guest plays in the background) and on the inside of the menu will be their itineraries and tickets. I think they'll get a kick out of this.