***Official Jan 2018 Thread****

[DisneyObsessed87]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I feel like with the holidays, the next two months are going to fly by! Two months from tomorrow we will be on our way to WDW!

 

[k8Davies]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I feel like with the holidays, the next two months are going to fly by! Two months from tomorrow we will be on our way to WDW!

Yes a big happy Thanks Giving to you all, or as we like to call it over in the UK Thursday

Hope your all having a fun, day off, spending quality time with your family and eating far too much Turkey

 

[melbelle75]

We're surprising our 5 yr old at Christmas with a trip Jan28-Feb1 and I think I deserve a medal for not spilling the beans (so far)! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! Only 5 more days until I can book the FP and I'm getting a little obsessed with snagging everything on my list! And because the little one doesn't know about the trip yet, I can't even start packing and it's killing me!

 

[MamaJessie]

We're surprising our 5 yr old at Christmas with a trip Jan28-Feb1 and I think I deserve a medal for not spilling the beans (so far)! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! Only 5 more days until I can book the FP and I'm getting a little obsessed with snagging everything on my list! And because the little one doesn't know about the trip yet, I can't even start packing and it's killing me!

We are telling the kids next Friday and I am SO EXCITED to tell them and also to not have to keep finding new hiding spot for trip items because it is getting challenging lol

 

[melbelle75]

We are telling the kids next Friday and I am SO EXCITED to tell them and also to not have to keep finding new hiding spot for trip items because it is getting challenging lol

I definitely feel your pain! I'm going to have to start storing things in my trunk soon! And I'm jealous you only have to wait one more week, lol! Enjoy your trip!

 

[MamaJessie]

I definitely feel your pain! I'm going to have to start storing things in my trunk soon! And I'm jealous you only have to wait one more week, lol! Enjoy your trip!

After a botched surprise trip we like to give notice, so we are telling them a month ahead so they have time to count down with us.

 

[DisneyObsessed87]

I made our fastpasses this morning and was able to get everything I wanted - including Flight of Passage - for the times I wanted! I also got our SeaWorld tickets this week with the Blue Friday deal (buy one get one). So ready to surprise our kids on Christmas morning! Not their first trip (it will be out 3rd trip as a family), but they think we are not going to WDW again for a long time since we are going to Disneyland next Fall.

 

[DISfirstTimer]

We're surprising our 5 yr old at Christmas with a trip Jan28-Feb1 and I think I deserve a medal for not spilling the beans (so far)! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! Only 5 more days until I can book the FP and I'm getting a little obsessed with snagging everything on my list! And because the little one doesn't know about the trip yet, I can't even start packing and it's killing me!

Same here and for the same dates! We are surprising DS 6 and DD4. I really wish I could talk to them about it as I go to make FP. I don't know if I should make FP for the princesses for all of us or just my daughter and I. My son isn't in to princesses but he's enjoyed all the movies and I think he might enjoy them, however, he might prefer to go off and do something else with his dad.

 

[melbelle75]

Same here and for the same dates! We are surprising DS 6 and DD4. I really wish I could talk to them about it as I go to make FP. I don't know if I should make FP for the princesses for all of us or just my daughter and I. My son isn't in to princesses but he's enjoyed all the movies and I think he might enjoy them, however, he might prefer to go off and do something else with his dad.

I've been asking hypothetical questions to gauge what her interest level is on rides vs character meets. I've also been telling her she's too short to ride the big rides and needs to grow more before we can go back to keep from spoiling the surprise. Hopefully, she's not on to me yet, haha!

 

[disney144]

After a botched surprise trip we like to give notice, so we are telling them a month ahead so they have time to count down with us.

Curious how it went wrong and whether it ended up working out!

 

[happypaws]

FP window opens for our family trip tomorrow. Working starting at 7am tomorrow, so my sister is selecting our FPs this year for our group of 8. Kind of nervous, because its the first time I haven't booked them myself. Has anyone else had to rely on someone in their group/family to book their FPs?

Also, over Thanksgiving, it was really hard not to talk about the trip because it is a surprise for my nephews

 

[MamaJessie]

Curious how it went wrong and whether it ended up working out!

The car was loaded up and ready to go and we had family over and surprised the kids that we were heading to Disney! My 3rd child (she was 6 at the time) flipped! She started sobbing. Told me it was a mean joke. I tried to convince her I was not joking. She then told me the teacher needed to know to give homework. I told her the teacher did know and I had her work. She started crying again because there was something at school she was supposed to do on Monday. She declared she was going to bed and not leaving with us. It took a ton of coaxing and explaining and she finally acquiesced and got in the car. About 20 minutes into the trip she managed to switch gears and was excited and happy per usual but it was FAR from the happy video I was trying to make. It was SHOCKING to me because out of all my kids she is by far the most easy going and joyful, just learned that perhaps she is not spontaneous

So December 1st they are getting a countdown calendar with the dates and throughout the month they will get little bits of info (how long are we visiting, where are we staying, dining, special events etc.) so she has over a month to plan.

 

[MinMou]

We told my son a while ago, because I wanted to use it as an incentive for good behavior. Since he's 4 and has NO concept of what WDW is (Yes we showed him videos, and he has even been to Disneyland, but he won't understand until he gets there), that did not go as planned .

I got a list of characters he wants to visit, so I used that to figure out what character meals and and FP's to get. I'm also using that for nightly letters from different characters telling him what we will do the next day. I am now trying to figure out how to do a countdown calendar for him, starting on Christmas, but it's challenging since he can't read, and is only just learning about calendars at school. I saw some on pinterest that don't take too much effort, and others that are truly for the Martha Stewarts of the world. If anyone has ideas that have worked for them, I am all ears!

 

[Daisybell911]

60 days to go! Sitting and waiting patienly (as much as I can!) for the next 28 minutes to pass so I can book fast passes!

 

[MinMou]

60 days to go! Sitting and waiting patienly (as much as I can!) for the next 28 minutes to pass so I can book fast passes!

Good luck!

 

[Daisybell911]

Good luck!

Thank so much! I got everything I wanted at times I was happy with.

I just have to make sure to rope drop Na’vi River Journey during EMH and I should be good to go!

 

[SaintsManiac]

Back home from our Thanksgiving trip and missing Disney! Ready to go back in 45 days!

 

[amberama76]

61 days to go... I am NOT ready to make my fast pass choices in the morning. My life has been consumed by recovering from Hurricane Harvey's flooding.

 

[MinMou]

61 days to go... I am NOT ready to make my fast pass choices in the morning. My life has been consumed by recovering from Hurricane Harvey's flooding.

I live in Houston, so I feel your pain! I didn't have to leave my house, but that storm set me back several weeks. I didn't have a good Fast Pass plan until about 36 hours before my window opened.

Your family knows what you are going through, and whatever passes you get are going to be good. And the good news is WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!! You deserve a wonderful trip, and I hope the Disney magic comes through for you.

 

[theflyingTosher]

We told my son a while ago, because I wanted to use it as an incentive for good behavior. Since he's 4 and has NO concept of what WDW is (Yes we showed him videos, and he has even been to Disneyland, but he won't understand until he gets there), that did not go as planned .

I got a list of characters he wants to visit, so I used that to figure out what character meals and and FP's to get. I'm also using that for nightly letters from different characters telling him what we will do the next day. I am now trying to figure out how to do a countdown calendar for him, starting on Christmas, but it's challenging since he can't read, and is only just learning about calendars at school. I saw some on pinterest that don't take too much effort, and others that are truly for the Martha Stewarts of the world. If anyone has ideas that have worked for them, I am all ears!

When we told our daughter before our 1st trip (she had just turned 6) she had NO concept of WDW either. Her mom and I could barely contain our excitement and ended up spilling the beans much earlier than anticipated. I said "guess what!?!?!? we have a surprise for you, we're going to Disney World!!!!" .... her response was an indifferent "ok". Oh man we were crushed. So I pulled up the DisneyParks youtube channel and the trip planning videos and we spent the next month watching those and building her excitement. We had an amazing trip.

Everyday her mom and I are fighting the urge to tell her about the current trip. We're torn between waiting for her birthday (2 days before Christmas), Christmas, or handing her a new backpack filled with clues the morning we fly out. I'm certain this time her reaction will be much different, since the first trip she has told us weekly that she wants to go back.