new to the boards and needing ideas how to surprise kids!

[April1212r]

Hi everyone, I'm new to the boards and currently planning our first family Disney trip (hubby and i went to Disney for our honeymoon like 9 years ago, and I also went 1 very brief visit years before that staying offsite)! I'm SO excited and about to burst. Our trip is the end of April and I'm dying to tell the kids. I don't want to wait till last minute to tell them. My son has some slight anxiety about things (flying on a plane for one thing) so he needs ample time to prepare mentally. Plus, I want to enjoy a fun countdown with them in the weeks leading up to the trip.

That said, the kids are 6 and 4 (my daughter will be 5 by the time we leave) and I'm contemplating telling them on Christmas morning. Do you think it's TOO Early? I must say though, we currently have a jar in the house that is our "Disney Fund" and the kids are faithfully saving. They want to go to Disney SO bad so we said "maybe we could try to go this summer" (but obviously they have no idea the trip is already booked! hee hee). We've been talking Disney a lot lately, watching videos, etc. and I *think* telling them in December could build up the anticipation to our trip in a really fun way (especially if we make a fun countdown calendar together etc.). What are you thoughts, especially if you have surprised your kids with a Disney trip before? And how did you surprise them? I figured since it's Christmas, their last gift would be something fun DIsney-related! Thanks! -April

 

[dekraut]

We told our kids at Christmas time for our first trip as a family, and our trip wasn't until June.

We gave our kids the Birnbaum guides for kids for Christmas, and I printed up some fake Disney tickets with their names on them. I created a 30 step scavenger hunt, with a little riddle inside each envelope, which led them to another place in the house. They went place to place, retrieved each envelope and then had to find the next envelope. We go to my parents house in the late morning, so we continued the hunt over there, just so the kids had to wait even longer to find out. In the final envelope were the tickets I created. Then we let them open the books. Our kids were 9 and 4 at the time.

We are going again in Jan, and they are now 10 and 6. I came up with a ridiculously overly done game we are going to play. We are going as the Incredibles family this time, so I named the game "The Incredible Journey" and even made up a fake Amazon box, as the story is that we saw the game online and that it looked like fun. The kids have to answer questions we made up (that we know they know the answers to). Each time they get a question right, they get to pop a balloon. Inside each balloon is a few dollars (spending money, though they don't know that yet) and a letter. Periodically between questions, they will have to do a "physical challenge" which will consist of a "minute to win it" type game, like stacking cups, or bouncing a ball into a bowl. They each have to win at the game before they can go on to the next question. Once they finish all the questions, they have all the letters to spell out the sentence "In three weeks our family is going to" - then we are going to give them their final present, which will be a little pencil box with their magic bands inside.

For me, the reveal is as much fun as the vacation itself!

 

[Tricia's mom]

Hi everyone, I'm new to the boards and currently planning our first family Disney trip (hubby and i went to Disney for our honeymoon like 9 years ago, and I also went 1 very brief visit years before that staying offsite)! I'm SO excited and about to burst. Our trip is the end of April and I'm dying to tell the kids. I don't wtant to wait till last minute to tell them. My son has some slight anxiety about things (flying on a plane for one thing) so he needs ample time to prepare mentally. Plus, I want to enjoy a fun countdown with them in the weeks leading up to the trip.

That said, the kids are 6 and 4 (my daughter will be 5 by the time we leave) and I'm contemplating telling them on Christmas morning. Do you think it's TOO Early? I must say though, we currently have a jar in the house that is our "Disney Fund" and the kids are faithfully saving. They want to go to Disney SO bad so we said "may

 

[Tricia's mom]

I've done it a few ways...

Waking them up early in the morning to catch a flight, surprised after picking her up early at school, picking me up at work thinking we were going out to dinner, special Disney themed dinner night, scavenger hunt. Opening up the local Disney store and having cast members surprise her.

Never Christmas morning.
We are also going end of April 2016.
I feel like Christmas is just to early to tell them. I like to keep Christmas separate - unless you want to count it as a gift.
I also see the value in telling them before you leave to get their impute on some plans.

They will be so excited no matter what you choose.

Oh, do you do elf on the shelf ??? You can have that stinker give away the big secret ... He's horrible at keeping secrets.

Have fun and enjoy the planning .

 

[April1212r]

I've done it a few ways...

Waking them up early in the morning to catch a flight, surprised after picking her up early at school, picking me up at work thinking we were going out to dinner, special Disney themed dinner night, scavenger hunt. Opening up the local Disney store and having cast members surprise her.

Never Christmas morning.
We are also going end of April 2016.
I feel like Christmas is just to early to tell them. I like to keep Christmas separate - unless you want to count it as a gift.
I also see the value in telling them before you leave to get their impute on some plans.

They will be so excited no matter what you choose.

Oh, do you do elf on the shelf ??? You can have that stinker give away the big secret ... He's horrible at keeping secrets.

Have fun and enjoy the planning .

What a good idea! We just started Elf on the Shelf last year and the kids are SO excited, knowing "Pepper" is coming back (he comes the day after Thanksgiving). I like the idea of HIM spilling the beans, with one of his many little notes and surprises!

 

[Hezzy04]

My kids are 4 and 5 and I am surprising them Christmas morning with our family's end of April trip! We will be going April 23-29!

I had Disney family vacation shirts made, and ordered us each a special magicband. I wrapped it all up together in a box....the lid of the box has our itinerary written on it (where we are staying, ADRs, etc). It's a surprise for my husband, too....

I'm super excited! Christmas can't get here fast enough! It will definitely be the last gift opened. Although in my case, I think my husband might be more excited than the kids!

 

[kidneymomma]

We are going the end of February; and I don't think we are telling the kiddos until the day we leave. Our daughter will be just 2 weeks shy of 6 and our son is 2. I'm so excited. It's so hard to keep this secret!!

 

[pregnantw4thprincess]

My plan is to wrap my daughter's magic band for Christmas and give it to her Christmas morning...but we are leaving December 28th, so no wait time there LOL

 

[andiraye]

I've told our kids several months in advance. I don't think it is too early. But to help with the conception of time, I made a Disney countdown calendar and put it on our fridge. They crossed each day off.

You could wrap the calendar and have that be the present that surprises them.

 

[gatormom2tots]

We have too many ideas an don't know which one to use...

We looked at making a custom puzzle using pictures from previous trips. Then some writing on it saying "Surprise...we leave in 3 days!" We also have a custom poem written (Twas the last day of school...when we are telling them) to give them. Our kids love to watch youtube videos of rides and other kids being surprised, we thought about creating our own video and then pulling it up and telling the kids via youtube. Finally, we have a 3 foot Mickey we have though about putting inisde a box with a bunch of helium balloons for them to open.

 

[Julylady]

We are going for Spring Break the end of March. My plan is to tell them (two girls ages 14 and 11) on Christmas morning. I am planning to give them about 12-15 small gifts in their stockings. They will be told to open them in order starting with #1. The first few gifts will be generic items like hand sanitizer, jelly belly candy, gel pens, ear buds. The next set of gifts will be more travel related - dollar store rain ponchos, small coin purse, sun glasses. At this point, I figure they will realize a trip is eminent, but won't be sure where and when. The last set of gifts will be Disney specific - a Disney gift card, their annual passes (I am going to wrap them up), and their Magic Bands from our last trip. The final gift will be our printed itinerary with dates, airline information, hotel information, ADR information, and what parks we plan to visit each day. What they don't know is that their older cousin (age 20) is going with us. She will be joining us on our 3rd day. I am thinking I won't tell them at all and she will just surprise them at Disney. I was thinking of making up a reason why we would need to be sitting by the Magical Express stop at the Beach Club about 11am and letting her get off the bus.

They are already a little bummed because we finalized our summer vacation plans last week. The oldest one said "Does this mean we are not going to Disney this year?" She looked really, really sad and I almost lost it! I just muttered "Sorry" and changed the subject. They love Disney World and also love the planning that goes into it so I think telling them about 90 days ahead will be perfect. I want them to decide which Fast Passes we want each day. We also have a couple of open days for dining where they can select the restaurants. I already have the hard to get ones like Wishes Dessert party and Be Our Guest so I think we will be fine.

 

[tzolkin]

I don't think Christmas is too early to announce an April trip.

We did a completely surprise trip one year (kids didn't figure it out until we were pulling into the resort parking lot-- they thought we were visiting grandma in FL). It was exciting that we did it once, but the anticipation/planning is really a huge portion of the vacation value for us.

Let everyone pick out their "must-dos", pick a family movie night each week to watch movies that are featured in the parks so the kids are familiar with them, let the kids earn "Disney dollars", buy some pins and lanyards for pin trading, make a countdown chain, get out a suitcase for "Disney items", there is so much you can do to keep the excitement building for a few months-- the time will fly by.

 

[UmmYeahOk]

let the kids earn "Disney dollars", buy some pins and lanyards for pin trading, make a countdown chain, get out a suitcase for "Disney items", there is so much you can do to keep the excitement building for a few months-- the time will fly by.

I think that's a great idea. Lanyard at Christmas, then each week after they get a pin.

I heard of this guy, who was moving his entire family to Texas. They were all flying to their new home, only it was one of those "connection flights" with a layover conveniently in Orlando. He told his kids on the plane. I'm thinking, wow. That's gotta be a tough flight.

My cousins go every year around Xmas. Last year however, they told their children that they wouldn't be going that year (2014) they were both disappointed, but teenagers, so no tantrums. I don't know when they actually told them, but they weren't going that year because they were going New Year's Day in 2015!

My daughters first trip was last Feb when she was two. Every few months she would ask me "We go a Dee War?" Each time I had to tell her, sorry, but we already went this year. Maybe next year. To a two-three year old, that's forever, so I'm not sure if I should tell her, "hey. We're going in two months." But I have asked her many times what color magic band she wanted, as she didn't need one when she was 2.

Santas going to leave a monorail under the tree, and figures from A Mickeys Christmas Carol. I wonder if we should tell her then.

 

[LynnTH]

I don't think Christmas is too early to tell them either. We have done that a few times. I had gotten the kids each a Disney themed rolling suitcase for the plane. Then I filled it with a bunch of fun Disney things including the Birnbaum Book for Kids someone else suggested. Then maybe a Disney Gift Card and sunglasses, new swimsuit etc. One Disser was nice enough to send me maps of all the parks (the ones you get in the parks) so I packed them also. Just be sure to make a countdown chain or calendar to count down the days.

 

[UmmYeahOk]

I think I should warn parents of school aged children. When I was in middle school, my parents were taking us for spring break. It was my brothers first time, but my second. It had been 7 years since my last visit, so all I had was memories and nostalgia. I basically checked out the week before spring break. I didn't do any of my school work and day dreamed all week about Disney world. I even drew pictures of Mickey and other characters rather than paying attention. Once the school year ended, I seriously was worried that I would not graduate. I did, but barely.

So if you are the parent of a dreamer, be careful, and decide if it's worth the risk to tell them. I was a little bit better afterwards, as my parents started taking us every year, so I wasn't as pumped up about it, even though I was still totally into it.