Please help with creative ideas to SURPRISE kids w/ WDW vacation!!

[SyracuseWolvrine]

When I was younger, so much younger, so much younger than today, I never needed any body's help in any way. But, I digress. I also got a surprise trip to Disney World (along with my younger brother and younger sister) courtesy of my parents.

This was back in the days before you had to show a boarding pass to get through security at the airports. You could just walk through security with no hassles. This was also in the day when there was still a Cinnabon at Detroit Metro Airport, and none in the local mall.

My mom's brother had been visiting us, and my mom told us that he had never had a Cinnabon, so we were all going to go to the airport to get Cinnamon Rolls. We got there, and she said that we kids and her would go get food, my dad and uncle would "park the car" and meet us inside. After we had finished our breakfast (yummy!), my mom suggested that we go watch planes take off for a while. So we went and sat down in the gate area to watch the planes.

A little while later, they announced boarding for a flight to Orlando, and my mom suggested we get on. 11-yr old me protested that we couldn't do that, we didn't have any tickets. My dad then pulled the tickets out of his pocket, and said that yes, we did have tickets. I also protested at having not packed any clothes, but my parents had managed to pack suitcases for all of us, and they had been checked in as part of "parking the car".

(Epilogue: We enjoyed the trip to WDW, it was probably the best trick my parents have ever played on me. And I still think of this story every time I eat a cinnamon roll. Or read a thread like this one )

 

[MarthaB]

. . . but now these days are gone, I'm not so self assured,
now I find I've changed my mind I've opened up the doors. . .

I enjoyed the Beatles' blast from the past!!

What a great memory! Kudos to your parents for pulling it off. You probably even think of this fond memory every time you smell cinnamon! Thanks for sharing!!

 

[mudnuri]

I too tossed around if we should tell the DD's or not..

I decided, since this was their first trip, and I did not want them to be too overwhelmed, that I would get them the For Kids By Kids book...

We went to Boarders book store, as we do every other week, and after the DD's picked out a few chapter books, I said to DH, I need to find a book, come on guys...DD's followed, and when I got to the disney books, I pulled out 2 of the 4kidsbykids books and set them on my thighs..(they were on the lower shelf)...

DD's just stood there, and I said to DH "do you think 1 or 2?"..DD's looked down and said.."mickey mouse books? For who? Who are you getting those for...WHOSE going to Mickey's house?

LOL..so DH said- well, mom was thinking WE should go...DD's started jumping up and down in the aisle, dancing with eachother, all the time chanting "we're going to see mickey..."....everyone was staring at us LOL (did get a few nice compliments that it was great to see the DDs so happy and excited etc..)

Anyway- to the point, DD's now have a chance to earn extra Disney Dollars- they were given them for christmas, valentines day and will get more on easter......they also have read that book over and over and over, and made notes of what they want to do etc.... It's been a big help to know what appeals to them and what really doesnt etc..

Oh- they really dont know when we're leaving- as we dont either...they have a 1/2 day on the 15th, so we might leave then, or early AM on the 16th...we havent really decided yet..but with the toneau cover on the truck, I can load it up without them knowing ...

Brandy

 

[twoksmom]

We are planning on surprising our dd's in September. Our plan is to go to our oldest dd's class a little before school lets out.Our youngest will be 4 then and won't be in school. We're not sure what to do yet. We had thought about a lunch time surprise but she might be too excited for her afternoon tests to do that. Any ideas anyone???? We decided to surprise them because we afraid something might come up and we can't go.We thought we were going in October last year,then Feburary,then May and now September.I don't want to tell them too early since something else may happen.I need helpwith some ideas though. Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks April

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

Originally posted by twoksmom
I don't want to tell them too early since something else may happen.I need helpwith some ideas though. Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks April

Arrange with DD's school to get her out early. You can tell the secretary or teacher the real reason, but ask them to keep it a secret. Tell your DD that she has to go to the dentist that day, and then once she's in the car, tell her that you're going to try a new dentist, and his name is Dr. Mouse (or Dr. Mickey). Then go to the airport.

 

[Ratpack]

Does your DD's have a favorite character in common? If so do as we did and have them personally invite them to come down. Ours was on a small scale, I had booked CRT for our trip. Once down at Disney, I snook back up to the room and left a gift bag on DD's bed with aCinderella dress and an invitation to DD from Cindy herself for us to come to the castle and eat. The reaction was priceless. You could do this to announce the trip as well. Get some sort of item common to their favorite cahracter and make an invitation. Then mail it to them from work or somewhere so that it arrives and they can open it. Let them read the invitation and when they ask if you can go, then say I guess we can knowing all the time you were going anyway.

 

[mhely]

One "trick" we did before our trip: Knowing that the night before the big trip was sort of like Christmas Eve, we told the kids we were leaving on Sunday morning, when actually our departure was Saturday. That way we knew they'd be able to fall alseep and get a good night's rest. When we woke them at the crack of dwan and asked if they wanted to go to Disney, it was a great surprise!

We also made a special count down calendar for the fridge so the kids could keep track of how many days 'till we leave.

Finaly - leading up to the trip the kids got Disney dollars for allowance and birthday $$. That way they could save $$ and not get tempted to spend it locally.

Have a great trip.

 

[bartleby1]

You guys have so many great and inspiring ideas on ways to surprise the kids! Pregnant, overly emotional, me is sitting here crying over some of the beautiful ways you all have surprised your little ones, lol! We are taking our 4 year old and 2 year old in August and I've been trying to come up with a plan on how to tell them. We went last summer and I have told my 4 year old that it would be a few years before we could go back but my husband's company is sending us for a week in August. I have jotted down some of your ideas and now have to decide which way to tell them! I don't know if I can emotionally handle seeing my kids so elated when they find out though, lol! Hopefully my hormones will settle down before it is time to tell them!

Thanks to everyone for sharing!!

 

[ValerieK]

We are trying to surprise our DS this trip. He knows that we are going, but thinks it is going to be in the fall or winter. We leave on a Monday, so we are going to wake him up and tell him that he is going to WDW instead of school! I can't wait. It has been so hard keeping it a secret.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

We're doing the same thing, just a little differently. We have a long trip planned for July 2005 (13 days at GF). We went last summer so we originally hadn't planned on going back until then. We decided to do Universal this July and told the kids. But after thinking about it we knew we couldn't be that close to WDW and not go so we booked GF for 5 days. The kids only know about Universal. What we're planning on doing is tell the kids that we're leaving and going to celebrate DD 7th birthday. We can't wait to see their faces when they realize the birthday celebration is at GF! I hope it all goes well.

 

[leebee]

DD has always known about our trips. We love to do planning and it gives me someone to share my excitement with. I keep the surprises for things we do while in Disney... special character meals, Illuminations cruise, tickets for MNSSHP, etc. We are going down in June (we were there Oct '03 and Jan '04, but not with Daddy!) and the surprise for this trip is WE WILL BE STAYING ON-SITE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!!! I'm ready to burst, but haven't told DD yet!
Other surprises have been in the way we announce the trip...one time with a rolling princess backpack stuffed with Disney Dollars and airplane tickets for a b'day present...another time by making up a Disney photo-memory album where the last page announced "The Bishop Family's return to WDW!!!" and included our itinerary. DD usually knows several weeks to weveral months in advance; enough time to be excited about planning but not so far in advance that the anticipation is overwhelming. Once, we really did surprise her. I had all the packing and prep done for our 4pm flight to MCO. While sitting around a late lunch on that cold Jan. day, I started the "I can't stand this weather anymore..." line. We bantered it around to "best way to avoid Jan cold" because I knew when we asked DD how she'd get out of the weather, she'd say "Let's go to Disney World!"...and we said "OK, put on your coat!" She looked at us like we'd lost our minds! After, DD said she was glad we'd told her before going to the airport, so she could say goodbye to her kitties!

 

[qtwns]

Last year we surprised our boys at the last minute. I had everything packed, and had loaded suitcases hidden a week prior). We told my 3 yr. old twins who were home with us that we were packing the car for a picnic at their grandparents' house--that's how we explained the "turtle" luggage carrier on top of the car--3 yr. olds are sooo easy to fool! Doesn't everyone take all their luggage on a picnic just down the road?!? We checked my oldest son out of school early--the last day of school. He thought he was going to get allergy shots at the drs. LOL We had the car all decorated and checked his best friend out with him to go with us! He still didn't get it until he read what I'd written on the back windshield--"To Disney and Beyond!" They were thrilled and spent most of the 8 hour drive talking about all they would do at WDW--between watching Disney movies, of course! Of course, half way down to FL my twins were still wondering when we'd get to our picnic at Pop Pops house...doh!I wouldn't have changed a thing!! It was great!

 

[swimer3]

My family was going to suprise me. I wasn't home when they were thinking about going. But when I got home my mom was on the phone with my grandma. They were picking a resort to stay at. I asked what they were doing annd my mom said nothing. so I called my grandma and said we were going to Disney! I screamed sooo loud that my whloe family came running. My mom was mad. But my grandma didn't know it was a secret. Everyone knew but me. They were planning on going in May and they would get me out of school for a "doctors appointment". But they would drive to Disney.

I wouldn't like it. I like to plan stuff and to pack my own stuff.

I also would like it to be woken up and my parent say we are going to WDW.

We as a family (Dad, Mom, 2 Sisters, Aunt, Uncle, Grandma) we are going July 25 - July 30.

 

[Kim89]

My mom surprised me with a trip to Disney for my b-day a few years ago. What she did was buy a pack of paper with pictures of Minnie, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy on it, and a pen to match. She wrote a little poem telling me we were going to Disney and put it back in the pack of paper. She wrapped it up, and she made me open that last on my b-day. Oh my gosh, that was one of the best surprises I've ever had.

 

[peanut67]

my dd is11 and ds is 15 they think we are going to wdw in 2005, helps us to still be able to talk and plan, but we are actually flying out on the 21st December 2004 for 14 nights, my plan is that the kids will stay with their father on the 17th December and then when they get home on the morning of the 18th we will have a surprise 'Christmas Day' with stockings and a treasure hunt...at the end of the treasure hunt they will find £100 worth of dollars each for the trip...hopefully they will be able to put 2 and 2 together......although the tough thing is keeping it the big surprise