sadism?

[ohanaMAMA]

ok so... we are getting close to WDW trip.. and DH thinks we should WAIT to tell DD8 and DD2 that we are going to the world!
I am having a HARD time containing myself. He wants to wait until the day we leave and just non-chalant say "hey kids.. ya wana go to WDW?" do yall think that this is sadistic or just plain fun?

i dont think i can take it!

ps.. this is MY first WDW trip

 

[Elk34]

Sadistic. We are down to single digits on our first ever trip to WDW with 7 and 4 year old daughters. I guess I can see the quick fun of springing the trip on them. But the fun that wehave had with our girls over the last couple of months in planning the trip together is much better than that quick fun of a surprise would be. Tell your kids you are going and then take them to a Disney store and watch them go nuts. Tell them ASAP.

 

[monalsw]

well, mama, i have to agree with elk. here's my experience...

i was going to do the same thing and dh and i kept it secret for 8 months! i planned, shopped, planned some more, acting like nothing was up the whole time. we were going to wake them up in the morning and say, 'we're going to disney, the plane leaves in 3 hours!' my kids have both have been to wdw before, 14 yr old 2x and 3 yr old 1x. they know that i'm wild for disney and was planning to go back at the end of this year, so they didn't think anything of the books, internet sites, etc.

on a sunday, we called them into the living room for a 'family meeting' and informed them that we were indeed going to disney-in 4 days!!! i couldn't take it anymore and wanted to share the magic!

my 14 yr old didn't believe us, and sat in pretty much stunned silence for about a half hour, wondering how we had already handled her school and all. my 3 yr old jumped and squealed in joy, then announced that he couldn't go to disney, 'cos that's not my home.'

when they finally got over the shock; my dd understood that the school was aware of the trip and ok with it, and ds knew that he could go on vacation and come back home afterwards, the excitement started. they really got into packing and planning. a couple of thoughts on how this worked out:
-i'm glad we told them, because they apparently needed time to digest such an idea. they gathered all of their important things for traveling that i might not have thought of, and talked about what to ride and where to eat. if we had waited, they might have wasted a day or two there, getting over the shock.
-it added a great deal to my excitement about the trip too! dh is not the disney fanatic that i am and i was excited all alone pretty much. it didn't even seem real to me until the kids new and we could share the fun!

we booked a comeback offer while there and are going back in november, any surprises this time will be special meals, activities, etc. otherwise, the kids are in it with us!

HTH-Lisa

 

[campingcorgi]

If you have had fun planning and thinking about the trip, then I'd share the fun. Just don't do it too far in advance for the little one, they have no concept of time. You're liable to have one crying to go NOW, like we do!

 

[kilee]

Once we know we are going for sure, and only a major unforeseen emergency could stop us we tell DS (10). I can't keep a secret.
Somewhere on here there is a thread about suprising kids w/ the info. It was a couple pages long and told of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

 

[drcmk]

When we last went to WDW our kids were 3 and 4 years old. We waited to tell them until about three days ahead of time because we knew their understanding of time was such that they could never wait longer than that. AND the three days between when we told them and when we left were absolutely frenzied, they were hyper and wacky.

We are going again this year and my kids will be 5 and 7. They know we are going back to Disney when they are 5 and 7 because that is what we promised when they begged to go back. But I'm holding off on giving them an exact date as long as I can because I know the wait will be unbearable (it is for me!). I suppose I will have to tell them a month or so in advance because I will have to tell our family/teachers, etc. But I wish I could wait until just a week or so in advance. But I wouldn't surprise them on the day we were leaving. For my kids that would be too much to handle and I think they need a little more time to get used to the idea and ask any questions they might have about flying on a plane or when we will come back or any other anxieties they might have.

 

[goofyernmost]

The best I can do is share my experience. When my children were 6 and 8 years old (respectively) we took them to WDW. We got together as a family and talked about what we wanted to do generally (we didn't know much about WDW at the time) We made list of things to bring and we welcomed their input. We discussed budgets and limitations on spending and how we all had to be cautious to not be careless in that area. We made list of items that they wanted to bring with them (this was a car trip from New England) and tried our best to make them feel that they had an important say in what was going to happen.

To make a long story short, it was the trip of a lifetime. It generated memories that are still talked about by all of us (20 years later) I would encourage you to include them in the planning. Just think how you would react if someone sprung that big a thing on you all of a sudden. It would ultimately be fun but the stress of dealing with it all, that fast, could be a downer in the beginning.

 

[chrisney]

We've done it both ways, surprise and well planned. Now the kids are 17 and 20, so we're far beyond surprises--have to coordinate schedules!
One of our very best trips was a total surprise. I packed in the middle of the night, sent them off to school with a **** and bull story about having to pick them up for flu shots and then cooked up a story about having to run home to pick up forms for the doctor to fill out. Suitcases were in the garage under a sheet, behind one of the cars. They looked a little surprised when their dad was home but no big deal. Then my daughter ran up to her room, and came down yelling that her pillow was missing. My son ran to his room and said his pillow was missing too. At that moment, they looked at each other and screamed, "we're going to Disney World!" For the next 5 minutes or so we had not one but two Tiggers bouncing around the kitchen and foyer! I carefully looked at my watch, and asked them to go into the garage and move the suitcases out to the car (notice I didn't say my car) only to hear more shrieks as they opened the garage door to find their next surprise--a limo for the ride to the airport! (Honest, we're not that excessive--a friend owns a limo service). From beginning to end, it was a magical trip--one of our best!
They didn't expect it, by the way, because we'd tried to pull a surprise off the year before. It didn't work because my daughter found a note from me to the school in the wastebasket. No matter that it was in about 20 pieces....she taped the darn thing back together!

 

[pegasusEH]

I couldn't keep a secret and my son loves the build-up. He knows it's a long time but we all have to learn that good things come to those that wait.

However, having kept it a secret for so long, if I were in your position I would try and pull off the big last minute surprise.

 

[Tigger22]

My SIL & BIL surprised my neice (6) and nephew (8) with a trip to WDW last Nov. Went to church on Sunday morning, and then they were all going to take Dad to the airport for a business trip. Played it up all the way to the airport - and then (I think) once they were at the airport, told the kids - catching it on video. All the suitcases were in the trunk, and the kids were SOOOO excited.
Personally, I would LOVE it if DH surprised me with a trip like that!

Tigger22

 

[jdads2]

Tell the kids or not? We do both. We let the kids know we are going but we lie about the day. This way they enjoy planning and the anticipation but they also get a decent nights sleep.

Our last trip to AKL we told them we were leaving on a Sunday. Saturday morning at 4:30 (had to catch a plane) we blared the opening to The Lion King over the home stereo, who needs an alarm clock! You should have seen the expressions!

It was like surprising them twice.

 

[cd&kids]

Don't wait another minute! We have three small ones and, as stated earlier, there is nothing like planning the trip with them. They get soooooo excited. Make a little game for them and spring it on them tonight!!!!!!

 

[markb]

We.ve done it both ways, we go quite often, here's a cool story.
Last year we told the kids (12,9,6) that we were going to Florida to visit family. When we past Pensacola, my son (12) noticed that we were passing our exit... we told him we had to go through Tallahasse. When we got to Tallahasse he was ready to stop. When we kept driving he was frustrated and asked when we were going to stop... I told him we had to go through Lake City. He looked at my wife and I and asked if we were going to WDW. I can't tell a lie to save my life, but my response was simply "You wish!", which was entirely true, but he assumed it meant "no", and he went to sleep! As we approached the huge sign that says "Walt Disney World" over the road (I'm getting goose bumps as I type this), we woke the kids up, pointed to the sign... and their faces were the most rewarding thing I have ever seen!!!! Now, I never would have lied, if one of them would have pressed the issue or asked a direct question, I would have folded, but the kids still think that it was the coolest vacation ever!
We leave in less than 24 hours, and the kids know about this trip!
Have fun.

 

[Kreid001]

Wife & I started planning our trip last September. We kept it secret until Christmas. The kids are now enjoying and looking forward to it. They are learning all about Disney, so they are well prepped for the trip. They are 13, 12, & 10. We leave in 6 weeks for 10 days at the Polynesian!

 

[Kevs mom]

We just surprised our kids (ages 11, 8, and 5) in January with our trip, I had know about it since March and it killed me to keep a secret but my husband convinced me it was worth the wait. We told them when they arrived home from school that Friday so that gave them a few hours to pack any extras they wanted. I videotaped their reaction and it was "priceless". They were speechless and we had the best family vacation of our lives this trip as well It is well worth doing just once!

 

[loriandmatt]

First trip - DS was 5 - we told him about the trip from the begining. He daily (for 6 months!) bugged me about when we were leaving. It was cute the first few days/weeks, but got old quick!

Second trip - he was then 6 - i leaned my lesson an we got him up one morning and asked what he wanted to do today. He said he wanted to go miniture golfing. "Good idea, how about we do that as soon as we get to Disney World?" His reaction was priceless. He at first looked at us like "yea right!" and even as we sent him upstairs to get his fav stuffed animal for the trip, he kept looking at us like we were full of it. He loves retelling this story and he loved the surprise. I don't feel it was sadistic at all.
It ended up being our best trip.

We have since let him in on the planning stage, but not until we are about a month away from leaving. Otherwise he would concentrate on nothing else and be wishing big chunks of his year away. "Aren't you excited about little league season? Yea, it's ok, but i can't wait until we go to Disney?"

Any way you cut it, it will be great.

- lori

 

[Gabe]

Part of the fun of a vacation is in the planning. Considering how fast the vacation time goes. You are back before you know it. Planning and dreaming adds length to the fun. It's nice to let the kids in on it, i believe.

 

[jwbaird]

We’ve done it both ways as well. Last time (spring break 2001), we told them we were going camping. This isn’t a big deal for us because we camp all over the southeast… all of the time. Spring break is pretty early around here (Memphis area: STILL COLD!), so we told them we’d decided to go to Florida. We have three sons. At the time they were 14, 9, and 7. Of course the oldest wanted to know where. We told him it was a campground that was sorta’ between Orlando and Tampa AND that a friend of mine had told us about it (all true). My kids had been to WDW quite a number of times and realized that we would be headed that direction. Believe it or not, none of them ever suspected a thing. Only the oldest even knew about Fort Wilderness, but he didn’t make the connection.

As we were nearing the US 192 exit, my wife asked them if they wanted to “take a small detour down Mickey Mouse’s driveway” (the oldest had called it that when he went the first time at age 4). The oldest grumbled something about wanting to ‘GET THERE’, but the little guys both thought it would be neat. We drove to the TTC entry plaza and my wife held up the reservation sheet where the kids couldn’t see it. They waved us through. The kids STILL didn’t get it. Just before we got to the Fort Wilderness entrance, the youngest asked, “When are we going to BE there?” I just put on the turn signal and said, “We’re here.”

STUNNED SILENCE. Then: “We’re camping at DISNEY?!?” from all three at once. As we approached the check-in hut, the oldest says something like, “You know, Eddie (his best friend) is supposed to be down here this week. If you’d let me know about this ahead of time, I could have arranged to meet him somewhere.” I just reached in my pocket and handed him a business card with Eddie’s Dad’s cell phone number! Eddie had known for a week. It was the best trip we ever took. We still can’t believe we pulled it off!

 

[donna in Oz]

jdads2 . . . Love your idea!! !!!!!

I gotta agree that half of the fun is in the planning and anticipation. Although I'm fond of surprising folks myself, this seems to be the ideal way to do both!!

We just surprised our daughter (who turned 23 last week) with a surprise trip to WDW coming up in October. She has just moved away from home for the first time and is finding that it's pretty expensive to live on your own. We sprung it on her over dinner at a nice restaurant . . . I had made a "Disney Quiz" using ridiculous questions that I was sure she'd know the answer to (What is Minnie Mouse's first name?) Only if she answered all the questions correctly would she be awarded her birthday gift. Her gift was a computer-generated banner proclaiming that she'd won an all-expenses-paid trip to WDW. The moment she saw it, she got teary-eyed and before it was all over, we were all wiping tears. One of those great at-home Disney moments . . . . . . . .

 

[Synonymous]

We're planning a surprise trip in April. Our DD is 5, and a WDW veteran. We're going for her school spring break. My DW wants to tell her when she gets home from her last day of school, I figure it's better if she gets up the next morning and we ask her if she wants to go see Mickey (who is offically her Best Friend) TODAY. The only thing we gain by telling her the night before is a sleepless night for her (and, necessarily, for us.)