SURPRISE!! ...Now how do I tell them?

[jarendt]

Hi Everyone,

My husband and I are super excited for our upcoming dream Disney trip this fall, for our two daughters ages 3 and 6. The more we planned our trip, the more we realized we wanted my parents (age 70) to join us. The idea of my parents sharing my daughters first Disney magical moments together... was simply overwhelming. Needless to say, it is a HUGE suprise for all of them! Because my parents are older and have health issues, our trip has been completely designed to make the trip most convenient for my parents and kids.

So... how do I tell them? Anyone have any great ideas for telling my parents? What about my girlies?

(We are staying at the Poly for 1 week and have theme park views. We are planning on doing some character dinners.)

Any ideas would be wonderful!

Thanks,
Jennifer

 

[starrynyt]

Well Father's day is around the corner. You could do a scrapbook for your dad with sample pictures from magazines and whatnot documenting a family going together and it being the kids first time, and then make it so that you can replace those sample pictures with the real thing. It would be a great momento for all of you.

 

[megthewonderful]

We surprised our kids with a trip in April. We didn't tell them until a little bit into the car ride. We gifted them with pin lanyards with a few pins, autograph books and Disney pens, and some Disney themed color and sticker books. We told them the gifts were all Disney themed since that is where we were heading! They thought they were going to grandma's for a week. Boy, were they surprised!

 

[MouserMom09]

We have been planning our trip for several months. We chose not to tell the kids in the beginning b/c we didn't want to hear every day, "when are we going to Disney?" Then we decided that the surprise would be so incredible if we didn't tell them at all. Disney is about a 11-12 hour drive for us. We are going to drive until right before we cross over into FL...and get a hotel room for the night. Then we are going to surprise them at breakfast the next morning with some Disney shirts we had made and Disney stuff we have picked up along the way. They are going to be so excited! I think my husband and I are more anxious to see their excitement than anything else! My parents are also going with us. I had to tell them, though. My dad is not one for surprises like that. So not too sure what to tell you for your parents. Good luck! I hope you guys all have the most memorable trip ever!!!

 

[disykat]

I would surprise your parents with the generous INVITATION and then let them decide whether they are coming before telling the kids.

 

[tinker_stinker06]

funny this should come up mom and i were watching americas funniest videos the other day and it was clips of people surprising their kids with disney vacations. in one the mother was saying oh opps i must have got off the wrong exit look where we are its disney world...or something like that. another one the parents gave the kid a mickey toothbrush and something else and asked him where mickey lived. he replied with in the tv and then with in the disney channel. finally after a few minutes of asking the question the kid finally picked up on that fact that his parents were taking him to disney.

ok done rambling

 

[TheMightyOb]

Well, we are going in Sept and have 2 DD's 5 & 8. Right now we have a countdown on the calendar to "daddys business trip to Atlanta", and they'll come with me and DW to the airport. I told them that I will talk to the airline to see if they can come on the plane to see what it looks like, and then tell them where they are going once they are inside. But I think the screeching might be too much for the other passengers.

So I think I might mess with them when they wake up at 3.30 am with me to get ready, and keep 'accidentally' substituting the word "Orlando" with Atlanta, and when they ask what I said, I'll just play dumb, or tell them to wake up.

Then when they get dressed, give them each a plain white tshirt (on the front), we would have to help them putting them on so that they can't see right away that it says on the back "FIRST TRIP TO DISNEY" I can only imagine how fun thats going to be, each of them yelling at the other to turn around to read it lol.

 

[TinaLala]

We're going in August and I haven't told my kids yet. I think we're going to keep it a secret until we arrive at the airport. Still haven't decided. I like the idea of giving your parents an invitation and letting them decide if they want to before you get your kids excited and then they don't come.

 

[savannahcat]

I agree with extending the invitation to your parents first. We've wanted both the kids grandmothers to accompany us on trips to Disney. DH's mom has been two (about to be three) times, but my mother has no interest in going. It's kind of a sore spot with me since DH's mom is older and has more health problems than my mom.

 

[jarendt]

Thanks for some of the great ideas guys!

Luckily, I am not worried about whether my parents will be saying yes or not (I know they will accept this idea).

My parents anniversary is over Labor Day weekend. I was thinking we will give them some small gifts which will be clues about the upcoming trip... and make them guess!

I agree with many of you to wait to tell my kids. I love the idea of the First trip t-shirts! My daughter (age 6) seriously asks me about Florida all the time!!

Keep the ideas coming!
Jennifer

 

[tnmom25]

Well, we are going in Sept and have 2 DD's 5 & 8. Right now we have a countdown on the calendar to "daddys business trip to Atlanta", and they'll come with me and DW to the airport. I told them that I will talk to the airline to see if they can come on the plane to see what it looks like, and then tell them where they are going once they are inside. But I think the screeching might be too much for the other passengers.

Then when they get dressed, give them each a plain white tshirt (on the front), we would have to help them putting them on so that they can't see right away that it says on the back "FIRST TRIP TO DISNEY" I can only imagine how fun thats going to be, each of them yelling at the other to turn around to read it lol

I love both of these ideas! DH often goes out of town on business, so the kids would totally fall for that!!!!! I'd love to make them shirts that say something like "I'm going to Disney World" on the back LOL That's great!

 

[julluvsdisney]

I love all of the ideas!! makes me so excited! I have decided to bring my little boys and DH to disney in january! I was going to tell them on christmas but i also like the idea of just going and not telling them!! What to do what to do!!!! I dont know if I could keep it in until january (or xmas for that matter!!! ) Im sooo excited! I hope your girls are so excited goodluck!

 

[MouserMom09]

I love all of the ideas!! makes me so excited! I have decided to bring my little boys and DH to disney in january! I was going to tell them on christmas but i also like the idea of just going and not telling them!! What to do what to do!!!! I dont know if I could keep it in until january (or xmas for that matter!!! ) Im sooo excited! I hope your girls are so excited goodluck!

You can do it! We started planning in January. We are leaving Thursday...and will stay over night along the way. When they wake up Friday morning...they will find out then. Knowing how excited they will be has helped me to keep it a secret....plus, I didn't want to have them asking me "When are we going to Disney?" for 6 months!

Good luck!!

 

[tnmom25]

My dd18 and I are planning to surprise dd10 & dd8 with Jonas Brothers tickets by using fortune cookies. I found online where you can reheat store-bought ones in the microwave and replace the note inside

 

[marcielm]

Someone posted they bought some of the mickey balloons & filled with helium then wrapped in the box with the note, like on the commercial, so they flew up out of the box when the kids unwrapped it. I thought this was a great idea, since my kids see it on the commercial all.the.time!

Might be good to do for both kids & parents, if you think the balloon popping out of the box won't give your mom & dad a heart attack!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We surprised our kids a few years ago, they were probably 4 & 7. Picked ds7 up from school about 2 hrs early. I told him that morning, his early dismissal was for a dentist appt so he wouldn't be alarmed.
The whole way to the airport they tried to guess where we were going.
It was priceless. Dh was teary eyed on the way to the airport over their excitement. (This was not their 1st visit so they really knew what WDW was all about.)


We tried to surprise them again this past Jan. They were 12 & 8.5. I booked a Fri evening flight and planned to go right after school to the airport. It had snowed a few days before and little did I know that due to homework and karate, little ds was just wanting to play in the snow all week and thought in his head that finally Fri he could stay out and play extra long. When I told them we had somewhere to go, he griped saying he just wanted to play and why did we have to go somewhere, it's finally Friday.
We gave in and told them both. Older ds was happy but our little one cried, "But there's no snow in Florida!" Of course that was the whole point for us.

The whole thing backfired and it took him until the next day to calm down and start enjoying himself. This is not the response I would have expected at all so next time we don't want to get bugged with, "how much longer til Disney?" we will still tell them a few days in advance.
No last minute surprises in our house.