surprise cruise for the kids! (9/25)

[ohiominnie]

well, we did it! ohiomickey and I couldn't wait! we booked the Sept 25th 3 day Wonder cruise and the kids have NO idea! we've successfully pulled off a surprise WDW trip almost 3 yrs ago, (they had NO idea until the morning we left) and are really looking forward to this cruise!!!

we swore we'd never take a 3 day....too short....but ohiomickey has used up all of his vacation time this year. by doing a 3 day it just appears to be a long weekend! and we're flying this time....first time since 9-11. we don't have the luxury of having a couple of extra days to drive.

anyone ever surprise their kids with a cruise? how did you break it to the kids? ohiomickey felt the kids out about taking a 3 day cruise....asked if we ever WON a 3 day cruise in a contest would they want to take it? dd (almost 9) replied "THREE DAYS??? NO WAY!! That's too short!! What's the point????"

anyone else cruising then??

 

[floridaminnie]

If DD doesn't want to go b/c it's too short, I'll go in her place! Have fun!

 

[gduvall]

We'll be on the 9/25 Wonder also, but we're leaving the kids with relatives. We can't wait!

 

[gduvall]

We're flying down the day of cruise also, we change planes in Cincinnati going down, maybe we'll see each other.

 

[ohiominnie]

We're actually flying out of Columbus the night before (I think it's a 9:30 flight) That will get us into Orlando around 11:30. We're crashing at the airport Hyatt for the night.
Maybe we'll catch up with you on the ship!

 

[Armyof6]

We leave in 8 days. My kids just know we are taking a "surprise vacation". We are driving since we live in FL, I am putting together goody boxes which will be wrapped. I went to the Disney Store and purchased their gift boxes for $.49. I'm putting in t-shirts, Mickey Mouse lollipops, autograph books, Mickey pens, etc. (any little nick-nacks will do). I even got little plastic boats. I'm going to write "S.S. Disney Magic" on the side. When we get close to the port, I'm going to give them there boxes and tell them this is there BIG clue (having the video camera on the whole time, of course).

Anyway -- that's what I thought I'd do. Have a wonderful time!

 

[4myguys]

Have never surprised with a cruise (couldn't keep it a secret that long), but I did surprise my DS9 with a trip to Washington,DC. He is a history nut. He got ready for school as usual and as we were starting to walk out the door, I came out with suitcases. His reaction was hilarious. Well, good luck and have fun.

 

[travel with kids]

OhioMinnie and Army of 6 - Bravo to you.

We have just booked our frist cruise (4-18-04). We tried to keep everything a secret until my brother walked into our house and announced in very loud voice "So, Dad tells me you guys are going on a Disney Cruise next April." The wind left my sail. However, the reaction of our very composed DS, 12, was priceless. He was dancing around the livingroom, screaming and highfiving everyone.

He has since come back down to earth and has decided that the cruise might be boring. (we have asked for help with this little hiccup on this board and others--very few responses -- except from older teenage girls!!)

Good luck to all of you -- please let us know what the reactions were when you return.

 

[Nutsoverdisney]

I surprised my DD15 with a Disney cruise last April. Aaron Carter was going to be performing onboard, and she wanted to go on that sailing. I told her it was all booked which it wasn't. I booked us for the cruise in a verandah deck 5 room in November. For Christmas I wrapped a framed picture I printed out of Castaway Cay with the Disney Wonder in the background with a picture of herself and Aaron Carter pasted on it. When she opened it on Christmas Day she thought it was a joke, she was saying , "Oh very funny". After a while we told her she was going on that cruise. I never saw her so happy and I think it will be a moment she will always remember.

I also surprised her with a Disney World trip one Easter. It was two days before her Easter recess from school. I woke her up later than usual so she would miss the bus and I would have to drive her. After I drove her to school I went to see the Dean of her school and asked him to help with the surprise, I gave him a card and inside it I wrote, Surprise! You are going to Disney World! As soon as you get this come outside because we are leaving now! I asked the Dean to give it to her after 5th period. I ran home packed a suitcase for her and loaded up the van. We than drove to the school for the ending of 5th period. It turned out the Dean had gone into the start of her 5th period class and told my DD13, at the time, he needed to see her after class. My DD never gets into trouble so all the kids ( 10 of them, she goes to a private school) stood by the door as he gave her the card and asked her to open it. We knew everything workrd out perfectly when my DD and her classmates came running out of the school because they couldn't believe we had surprised her like that.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[ohiominnie]

The reactions of our kids to the surprise WDW was priceless. Once a month that summer we had them complete a scavenger hunt around the house. They got clues which they then had to insert into a puzzle. One month we went to the Columbus Zoo, the next to a miniature golf place called Udders and Putters....I think there were 4 in all. The night before the 5th one we told the kids that the next day we'd do another scavenger hunt. They begged for a clue and we told them it was a "LAND" and it was "FUN." The 5th spelled out Walt Disney World. Ds (then 3 1/2) cried uncontrollably! He didn't want to go to WDW, he wanted to go to the local indoor play place called "FUNLAND." Oops! Dd, then 6 couldn't believe it. It defied all logic. After all, where was the luggage. We showed her the van was packed. Well, she concluded, that must be empty luggage, no way it could be filled with clothes. We showed her. Well, of course we couldn't go. We didn't have tickets, etc etc etc. On the way to the airport we had to show her airline tickets. Her response was "my heart wants to believe it's true, but my head just can't believe it!!"
It was so much fun, that's why we decided to do it again!

ok, ok...back to edit my post....that's not the ONLY reason we decided to do it again...
the real reason is MOM AND DAD CAN'T WAIT!!! (sigh)

 

[taswira]

I'll be on the 9/25 - solo but there are some other solo or semi-solo DISers on that one and our dining is linked. I am doing back-to-back with the 9/28.

 

[Hygiene99]

we have surprised 2 children , with trips to the World and have 2 more to go....
we have 5 nieces and nephews.... on jens side of family
3 girls and 2 boys... twin girls want to go together...
was week before they returned to school , over the summer
Jen and i had taken out the 2 boys , i think we went to moviesand dinner , and then the twins did something also...
so that left the oldest Girl brittany (10) and Jen said we would go out and do something special....before school started
having had a trip planned for disney we just added her ,,,,
with the Help of DELTA AIRLINES , got a very nice rep on the phone and explained the situation this was 2 weeks before we where to go and the airfare was high.... told them what we would like to do and they dropped the price down to what we paid for our air $189.00 so ....
so her dad brought her to our house early before he had to go to work and we asked her what she would like to do...
Sponge Bob was the movie she choose.. i said that was ok but she would have to see it in florida Cause we r going to disney
world ... talk about a happy kid... being from a single Parent home with 5 kids they dont get alot.... MOM decided to CHECK out and is now in Heaven....... so for 4 days she got what ever she wanted......... was very nice Made us real happy to see some one so happy this was great went to airport 2 hours early DELTA had a flight leaving in 10 minutes after we made it threw security.... Allowed us to go On since all 3 of us Just had carry on luggage...... and in 3 hours , before noon we where at the world.......


u see these kids have been to the world once before
we took all of them With our DVC so these trips r the second time thru for them and u never get to do everything the first time
this was also done with the oldest boy in May he got to miss 3 days of school Told him Jen was going to take him to dental office to get his teeth cleaned and then he did not have to go back to school could do something with us for rest of day

Book this trip out of MANCHESTER airport , because kids think logan is the only airport around... we did not telll him just took him to airport................. he thought it was where jen worked
when we parked in the lot... until i told him to grab his suitcase from the back of the car .... boy was he surprised and a good time was had buy all.......


everytime we do something with the Twins they think the r going to florida.... because they have not been on there surprise trip yet it is great and we have actually come up with A WAY TO SURPRISE THEM..... but its more fun, we just keep calling and asking if we can have the twin and they think they r going.......
we have there trip planned for December............


Surprises r great ........................... peter

 

[missleone]

Hey! Great minds think alike! We are surprising my step-son for his 13th birthday. I am so excited because we are also taking my mother and this will be the first cruise for both of them. It is about to drive my batty- keeping this secret I wanna tell!! Well, I am sure his reaction will be well worth the wait. We live in Florida and will be driving down early that morning. Maybe we will all run into each other on the ship.
Maureen

 

[PRINCESS VIJA]

Hey, we are doing the exact same thing!!! I am actually doing it in stages. We fly out early in the morning, so I think I might sit them down the day before with a wrapped gift and clues inside. DS likes to figure things out, the other idea I have is to wake them up in the morning. But neither one gets up easy, so I don't know how well that would work. We will see.

We won't mention the cruise at all. We are going to go from the parks and say that we are going to go visit the Atlantic ocean. When we get to port, I want to find a beach or something like that with a great view of the ship and say something like " Wow, there is the Disney ship, wouldn't it be fun to go on there? well, guess what we are!!!" I can't wait to do this. I don't know that I will be able to contain MY excitement, but I hope so!

have fun surprising your kids. And have a great trip!

 

[disney3144]

We are surprising our 2 DS's with a cruise on12/19/04. After the cruise we are going to WDW and spend 3 days there during Christmas. This is going to be part of there Christmas presant. We are going to tell them that we are going to FL. for the weekend so DH can go to a NAVY reunion aboard his aircraft carrier. We are going to stay the night at the Radisson the night before. They are just going to think that is were we are stayin for the reunion. Then that morning we are going over to the port, I guess they will figure it out when we start going into the Disney terminal. They are going to be SO surprised. So far I'm doing a pretty good job at keeping it a secret. Of course I still have to get through this 1st cruise.

It will be all worth it when I see their faces. I know I'm going to be the best mom in the world.....at least for a little while.

Jennifer