Need help with surprising ideas

[norah2]

We are surprising our kids with a trip to Disney in February--the gift is from Santa for the whole family. My first thought was to get everyone a suitcase and put mouse ears in it and wrap that up and put it under the tree. But we really don't need more luggage so I don't want to spend the money on something we don't need.

Then I thought that I could make a newspaper headline saying that we were going to Disney, but I kind of want the kids (who are 10 and 17) to work a little for the surprise.

Any clever ideas?

 

[momof2minnies]

I am going to print something up like an invitation and have it say we are going and you are invited and get it made into a puzzle.

I am also getting each of them a tropical xmas decoration to be unwrapped-my parents will get these too, they don't know either-we are taking a cruise.

And something else I saw here I am getting M&Ms in a nice jar so they can count down the days-one M&M at a time.


Linda

 

[Amy&Dan]

You might do a scavenger hunt search here on the dis, a lot of people have done some very fun scavenger hunt for clues with their kids and it looks really cute.

 

[Gibbygirl]

We gave our kids (then 11 & 6) a Disney trip for Christmas one year. I found a set of those Russian stacking dolls painted as Disney characters (totally lucked in to this at a flea market!--but you could use Disney ornaments or those clear bulbs you find at craft stores.) The largest one was hidden under the tree under the other presents. Just when the kids thought they were done opening they saw this little Mickey "doll." Inside was a clue to finding another doll. That took them to another location & so on until they ended up in our basement family room. I had taken a large piece of cardboard & covered it in wrapping paper. Then glued cut out pictures of Disney on that (got the pictures from brochures at the travel agency.) On the board in big letters I cut out "we're going to Disneyworld!" It took the kids a minute to understand what their scavenger hunt meant but then came the screams of joy!!! I still think I'll surprise them with each trip but I get so excited planning it I blow my cover!

 

[Crazy4Disney06]

I just bought my ds a t-shirt from Disney Store online that says "I'm going to Walt Disney World Resort!" ($17.99) What I plan on doing is giving it to him as an early Christmas gift the day we leave (December 14th) and see how long it takes him to catch on that we are headed to the airport and to WDW.

I purchased the t-shirt last night with the 20% off black Friday code.

 

[nadira36]

we're surprising our girls - but don't plan to tell them at all. In a couple days we'll wake them up, shove some breakie into them, brush their teeth as we herd them out the door. All we'll say is guess, when they ask where we're going.

They're 5 and 3 - but I think they'll figure it out pretty quick. At the longest they might not figure it out until we catch our connecting flight to MCO - since they have no idea where Phoenix even is.

But for a trip under the tree, I'd wrap a picture of the resort, or the castle, or do a Mickey Phone call. We LOVE the phone call idea, but we don't want to tell them the day before and we can't get them to call early enough to reach us before our flights.

 

[JennyDrake]

I have a question--have your kids been before?

 

[norah2]

We were there 7 years ago. My 10yo doesn't really remember much of it.

 

[fsmith2845]

Great thread.. we're going the week before Christmas (and will actually return home on Christmas day).. we've been trying to come up with ideas to surprise our DD9.. She doesn't know yet.. DD17 does, but still a surprise for her younger sister..

 

[shocker]

I've done 2 surprises for the kids. One was just a surprise announcement at Christmas and Santa left us tickets in our stockings (purchased at Disney store). The other was a surprise until we pulled into the airport. We were going "camping" and packed all our gear. Then we drove to airport and flew to MCO with all the camping gear and stayed at FW.

 

[nadira36]

ours have been before. We go roughly once a year. Which makes a huge difference in that we've been able to talk about Disney stuff without anything actually being amiss. The talk hasn't changed from one day to the next. And we can talk about a future trip without the girls thinking we mean tomorrow.

But Disney isn't the only plea we travel to - but it is the only reason we've ever flown to MCO.