Surprise Disney Trip... Good Idea?

[domesticdiva]

My hubby and I have planned our first Walt Disney trip. We are going at the end of May and we want to keep it a total surprise from our kids until we go to the airport. We have planned to go before but there has always been something that has made us cancel, so this time we decided to not tell them " just in case". We also didn't want to have them think... "We'll believe it when we are there", because of prior plans being squashed.
I just wanted to know what you all thought about it and how exactly you think we should tell them... any suggestions?

 

[wdwdasiy]

What fun! We have gone every year starting with my DD's 5th birthday. The trip was her gift and we had a blast! We painted our van with " Disney or Bust!" and micky ears and "Happy 5th Birthday". People would honk their horns as we drove down and she would wave to everyone on I75.

The next year we went to my parents home about 3 hours from Disney. That night at dinner balloons and a stuffed Mickey were delivered with an invitation for our family to come to the WDW Birthday Celebration. We had told our DD that you must be invited to come to WDW during the Birthday Year. I have the best pictures of her as she realised we were all going!

This year we haven't told them we are going. They think we just don't have the money this year to take the trip. Not sure how to spring it on them.

How old are your children? Maybe a big gift box with a note inside they open right before you start to pack.

Telling them can be half the fun...enjoy!

 

[katied]

We "surprised" our niece and nephew with a trip last April. We brought them down to our house (they live a several hour drive away). We then let them know there was a surprise trip, but made them start to guess. They couldn't figure it out. We then showed them the planning dvd, and had Mickey earns with their names ready. They were so excited, I don't think them slept that night. We left the next morning. On the plan, I have the Disney World for Kid by Kids travel book, and we talked through our plans (I had already scheduled the parks and character meals). The trip was a blast, and nearly a year later, the kids still talk about it.

A surprise was the way to go because I think it added to the overall thrill.

We're going back this fall with them, but not a surprise this time.

 

[sassymom]

We were just surprised with a trip to Disney from our parents...There will be 9 of us going 3 generations. Let me tell you it was the best thing to be surprised. I may be 25 and a mother of 2, but let me tell you I was right there with them screaming and jumping up and down. If you read the thread Fortune Cookie Surprise you can read our story and it may inspire you or give you ideas on how to reveal the trip...However you do it have a WONDERFUL time!!!

 

[pierresgirl]

It is SOOOOO worth surprising!!! I just surprised my 6 year old last week on her birthday. I took index cards and put one word on the front of each, "In ten days we are going to Disney" The first one was in her birthday card. On the back of each card I wrote a clue (like, where does Mom wash the dishes? and put the next card in the dishwasher) and hid them all over the house for a scavenger hunt. She ran all over and had a great time looking for them all. She lined them all up on the floor but the last card was in a Disney gift box with a princess bathing suit. When she realized what the sentance said she was jumping up screaming and it was priceless We leave tomorrow morning

 

[sillysully]

Lat time, we were going for our daughter's 6th bday and surprised her with a word scramble in her bday card. We told the kids we were going in 2 weeks. Then we woke them up 4 or 5 days later at 4 am b/c we had an early flight and told them Mickey called and invited us that day!!! We videotaped the shocked look in their faces - our 3 y.o. actually became the most animated. That way we got the best of both worlds, IMHO - we were able to allow them the excitement of the anticipation of going, planning, telling friends, etc. But they got a good night sleep the night before b/c they weren't wound up thinking they were leaving the next morning. (Like the tv commercial, LOL)

Any way you say it, a trip to Disney is exciting!!!

 

[stacy6552]

We have been many times and have suprised our son once. It was totally anticlimatic! Completely not worth it. We let our kids earn Disney dollars leading up to the trip and that has many more benefits.....

 

[marcyinPA]

My hubby and I have planned our first Walt Disney trip. We are going at the end of May and we want to keep it a total surprise from our kids until we go to the airport. We have planned to go before but there has always been something that has made us cancel, so this time we decided to not tell them " just in case". We also didn't want to have them think... "We'll believe it when we are there", because of prior plans being squashed.
I just wanted to know what you all thought about it and how exactly you think we should tell them... any suggestions?

We surprised our kids with our last trip. We were going with another family...our best friends... and my mom and my best friends mom (so 11 of us in all!). We started planning in June of 05 for our late September trip. Since we had to pull the kids out of school, my biggest concern was that my DS10 would not be able to focus those first few weeks of school if he knew we were going to Disney. (We pulled him out in 04, for a trip he knew about, and he did lousy in school for about 3 weeks prior to the trip...the anticipation was too much for him!). So, to make a long story short, we decided to keep it a secret from ALL of our kids. Not an easy feat, as they range in age from 13 -6!

It worked out great, though. We told them all together the night before we left. They were silent...until the realized what we were saying. Then all heck broke loose! LOL

I say GO FOR IT! My DS's still ask if we'll ever do a surprise trip again!

Marcy

 

[shoegirl1020]

I could have written the op's thread. Because of my son's PDD, ADHD, etc. we had to cancel two trips in the past year. So, when I planned this 7th b-day trip I didn't tell anyone (DH, DD8 or DS7). ABout one month before we left I told DH. The kids saw me packing, but only knew that "we were going in the future".

The plan as, because our best friends were leaving the same day, was to tell the kids that we were meeting them at the airport to say good bye. Well, that plan worked up until the night before. DH and I couldn't contain ourselves any longer and told DD8. At first she didn't beleive us, then began the screaming and yelling . She was yelling so loudly that poor DS7 didn't realize that we were going on vacation!.