Planning a trip and NOT telling the kids!

[N&B'smom]

I don't know how I'm going to do this! We just got back from Disney on 10/7 and we're already planning next year's trip for late Sept. We decided this time to keep it a secret and surprise our kids. I just don't know if I can do it. I have butterflies in my stomach right now just thinking about it, how am I supposed to keep it all bottled up for 11 months!??!?!

Anyone else not tell your kids until you were about to leave?? I don't plan on telling them until we wake them to go to the airport!

Shelby

 

[mouseketeer_mom]

I've been "keeping the secret" since February of 06 and our trip is planned for March 9th through the 17th of 07. My kids are fairly young, 6, 4.5 & 4.5, so hiding the logistics is easy. Hiding the excitement and anticipation is hard. We will tell them the morning we leave.

When you feel yourself ready to "spill the beans" because you are so excited.... just imagine how they will always remember the surprise. Can you imagine??? Getting up and getting ready for school. On the way out the door, mom and dad say maybe today isn't the best day to go to school, nope, definitely not a school day today... today feels more like a... a... a DISNEY day to me !!!!!

Your kids will never forget it!

 

[PirateKitty]

My parents did that to us when we were kids! My mom did all the packing and the only thing they told us was "we're going on vacation". It wasn't until we got to the airport that they spilled the beans! I remember me and my brothers jumping up and down screaming with excitement in the airport. I love my parents for keeping it a secret and will never forget that magical trip!

 

[tmt martins]

Not that the trip is a secret but I haven't told DW or DD that I changed resorts .

This was to be just a quick MNSSHP trip for DD's B-day at PopC but after the AP rates and a fridge fee POFQ was just a bit more so I switched it.

It's been a tough month trying to get info for POFQ and not letting on about it.

No way could I keep the entire trip quite

 

[sPaRkLeSpAz]

Hehe, my mom and dad have done that about 4 times!! [=, once my mom said that she was going to take my dad to work, and that's why he was riding with us.. but we ended up going to Disney World! I was soo suprised!! All our other Disney trips have been suprises too, but I sorta found out about them, hehe, FIRST someone called the house when my mom was sick, and when I asked to take a message she said something about our reservations.. The other time I saw something in the mail [=. Lol, then on Christmas for the trip we took last year I heard her telling my cousin that we were going to go to Disney World on the 28th.. [=. Suprise Disney trips are always a lot of fun though!! [=

 

[bdink921]

We're doing it for our upcoming WDW/DCL trip!! It's been a secret for almost a year now and by the time of the trip, will be just over a year . It was easy to keep secret--we keep telling DS7 'Maybe we'll go to WDW or a Disney cruise next year" plus we took a beach vacation this summer so he has no clue!!. I finally let him in on the fact that he'll be getting a big surprise soon. I couldn't stand it anymore !! I made a chain out of construction paper with 26 links--one for each day--and he can rip one off each day AND he gets to ask 1 question about the surprise !! So far he's thinking--a video game or a pet, something like that. I started last weekend about 26 days out. We leave on Thursday 11/9. He'll break the last link on Wednesday after school and instead of a question, he'll go on a scavenger hunt that will probably lead to his suitcase that will have his autograph book and pen and all of his other WDW stuff--he'll get it then!!! I haven't figured out the details of the scavenger hunt but it's fun to plan it out. And he's sooo excited--he just doesn't know why LOL!!! We were going to wait til the day of but it's so much fun to see his excitement. Even after he knows about the trip, we're doing the dolphin encounter in Nassau and THAT will be a HUGE surprise--he loves dolphins!!! You can definitely do it--have lots of fun planning!!!

 

[N&B'smom]

If I can pull this off it will be an absolute miracle. Right now we have the kids convinced that since we just got back from Disney our next trip won't be for 2 years. They have no idea!! Not only that but they will be so surprised to find out that other family members may be going with us, there could be 12 of us!

Okay, I CAN do this. I know I can, I know I can...

Shelby

 

[Disney_Mama]

We are going end of Nov. and the kids have no idea. This is an extra trip to celebrate my dad's 80th. Not telling the kids is the fun part. We live in Canada and will be driving into the States to catch our flight. I will pack everything myself and when the kids get home from school we will just start to drive. If they ask where we are going we will just say that it is a secret. We will spend the night at a hotel and once we get to the airport they will most likely figure it out. The hard part is not being able to discuss stuff with my DH. When you don't want the kids to hear something they can hear everything . But when you want them to hear.....all of a sudden they lost there ability to hear! Good luck.

 

[cybrkitn]

Yep! DH and I have been keeping this from our son since August! DH is leaving tomorrow (yeah, I'm jealous) for his business trip at Swan & Dolphin. DS4 and I leave on Wendesday to meet up with DH.

I'm not telling my son until Wednesday morning. Wednesdays are his early days anyway; it's the day I take him in to pre-school. So it's nothing new for him to get up early. However, sometimes he does give me a problem and tells me "just a few more minutes" . Now I can tell him, "Ok, fine, you stay in bed while I go to Disney World with Daddy and have fun." Watch how fast he gets out of bed! I also have a Disney Enchanted call from The Mouse scheduled for 7:30 am.

I just started packing my suitcase last night and I'm almost done. Can't finish DS's because he needs clothes for the next few days. I'll finish his up Tuesday night. I can't wait to finally finish and put those yellow DME tags on our luggage! Just 5 more days

 

[the john]

Say that your takeing them to some store they don't like and drive to the airport instead. If your flight leaves early in the morning say they have an early morning sale.

 

[disnygrl30]

I am doing this on our upcoming trip 11/30 to 12/10/06. My DD6 knows we are going on vacation but she doesn't know where. We have her convinced that we can't go to Disney again until she is 10 because we are buying a house........blah blah blah..... I've asked her where Disney is just so I can get an idea of how long I can keep the secret. She has no idea that it is in Orlando. So I might be able to pull it off at least until we get the the airport in Orlando. We'll see!!!!

Good Luck keeping the secret. It hasn't been easy for me.

 

[N&B'smom]

I just got off the phone with my father in law, he's decided to join us!! I'll be booking this in a couple weeks. I'm so excited.

Our plan is to tell our kids when we wake them for our flight. We always take the earliest flight which means getting up at like 4am. So, our kids will go to bed like normal the night before. We'll wake them at 4am and say, we're so sorry to have to wake you but we need to get to the airport because we're going to DISNEY WORLD!!!!! I hope we can pull this off.

Now we have to find out if the other people we've invited are going to go too. (my mom, dad, grandmother, brother, sister in law, niece and nephew) Oh my gosh! I have to wait almost a year!!!! I love planning a trip!!

Shelby

 

[MomofCKJ]

We booked in Feb and our trip is in 8 weeks (Dec 15-22) and our 3 kids have no idea! It will be their first time to Disney and they have wanted to go for SO long! I decided since it is their Christmas gift that it would be best left a suprise. We are telling them the night before, just so they have some time to think about it and not get any sleep!

I thought there could be no cooler thing for a kid than being told you are going to Disney the next day! How fun!

My kids are 9,7 and 4. It has been hard to keep it from the 9 year old, I have to hide certain things from her, like my lists of ADRs and such. The other 2 are not as observant. We talk about going to Disney "someday" alot and watch the planning DVD all the time. So they don't find it odd that I am on the DIS boards or have Disney guidebooks in my room. They think we are going in March 08 and so it is not odd to them when the subject comes up.

They are going to go through the roof when they find out though! So worth the wait!

Allyson

 

[betsywdw]

I think that a surprise is such a wonderful idea. I just had my first baby and she is 7 months old. I cannot wait for the day that I can surprise her with a trip to Disney. I was watching America's Funniest Home Videos one time and they showed a little boy being surprised as he woke up to be driving towards the welcome sign at the World and he went crazy! Ever since I knew that I had to do it!

 

[Plantlady]

My husband and I plan on joining DVC.. we were talking last night, that perhaps next Christmas, Santa's gift for the family can be a trip to Disney World.

We are going for a quick trip to the ocean this year, for the day after Christmas.. but, to think of the looks on their faces, if we can pull this off... to surprise them with a gift on Christmas day, that we're leaving the next day for Disney. We have a bit over a year to get it worked out.

That will also save us money, from not having to buy a big gift for the family from Santa!

 

[2bearsmom]

My dh and I are surprising the kids on Christmas Eve with our first WDW trip. The boys will be 18mo and 5yrs, we are going Jan 6-Jan 13. It was a surprise for me to as our Christmas gift, my dh had planned everything but my MIL (who is coming with us) told my SIL but forgot to tell her it was a surprise so she called and told me! Anyway, I am sooooo excited for the kids. More for our 5 yr old because he will be so excited. I love the idea of not telling them until you get to the airport. I would even like to just not tell him until we land and show up there! I just know for 2wks after Christmas I will hear a million times if we are leaving yet. I just can't wait to see the look on his face!

I forgot to mention this. My sister was in on the surprise, as dh asked her to stay at the house with the pets while we're gone. So she is getting the boys Disney Dollars for Christmas. I think I'll tuck some DD in their stockings too! Now I really want to wait and not tell them until that morning or at the airport. Maybe I can talk my dh into waiting.

 

[MASIGNS4U]

I am with you too I can't wait either. We are planning on going on DCL in August. My son is going to have Cochlear Implant surgery the day after Christmas. (My son l5 and daugher l2) We thought we will needed little rr after his surgery and going to doctors. Just to get away. I am sooo excited for him. We don't know when we are going to tell them or how to tell them. I just want to burst out and tell him after the surgery, but I am going to have to wait. Gina

 

[N&B'smom]

So, I'm not the only one that has a hard time keeping a Disney related secret. I am about to burst but I know I can keep the secret. Just picturing their little faces when we do tell them brings me such joy. They will be 8 and 4 when we go again.

I'm also so excited to share this with my father in law. I know he'll have a truly amazing time seeing Disney through the eyes of his grandchildren.

Just posting here about it, I get all these butterflies in my stomach. Geez, I better chill out. I've got quite awhile to go! (next Sept!)

Shelby

 

[cybrkitn]

I think that a surprise is such a wonderful idea. I just had my first baby and she is 7 months old. I cannot wait for the day that I can surprise her with a trip to Disney. I was watching America's Funniest Home Videos one time and they showed a little boy being surprised as he woke up to be driving towards the welcome sign at the World and he went crazy! Ever since I knew that I had to do it!

Awww, that sounds so cute! Over dinner last night DH and I were talking about his business trip to Dis tomorrow morning. DS4 piped in and already said he is going to miss daddy and does he have to go. I then asked him if he would like to come with me Wednesday to "pick" daddy up from the airport. Of course he said yes, but unbeknown to him, he's going to fly down to meet up with daddy (I love being sneaky )

 

[maelstrom]

One year when I was little, my parents told me we were going to New England. We drove all the way to South of the Border and stopped for the night and I still didn't know we were going to WDW instead. My mom finally told me in the hotel room that night and I cried. Playing tricks is not nice!