Surprising kids with a WDW vacation, how?

[DreaminDisney]

Just throwing this out there. I have a whole year to decide how to do it.
Have any of you surprised your kids? how? and if not, how would you surprise your kids with a WDW vacation?

 

[Pixiedust34]

We surprised our kids last September. Our kids (10 and 8) have not flown since they were infants, so they have no memory of being at an airport. We told them that just for fun, we were going to the airport for an afternoon to watch the planes take off and land and that we'd stop for lunch somewhere.

After we were sitting in an observation area for a while, we asked the kids if they wanted a candy bar. Of course they said yes! Inside the wrapper of the bar, they found this message:

>>Here is a mystery for you to solve:

*How would you like to be SOARIN in September?

*Maybe POP into a big EXPEDITION?

*You might be in store for a MAGICAL experience, where WISHES come true and the night is FANTASMIC

*Breakfast might have you in STITCHES!

*You could find yourself flying SOUTHWEST.

Have you solved the mystery yet?>>

It took a few minutes, and they indeed solved the mystery! It was sooooooo much fun to tell them about the trip at the airport and with the candy bar wrapper!

ETA photo of the kids reading their wrappers:

 

[CathrynRose]

Ill be picking up my boss from the airport January 25th, and will be taking my son to breakfast if he tags along.

(see ticker below!)

 

[mouseketeer_mom]

Just throwing this out there. I have a whole year to decide how to do it.
Have any of you surprised your kids? how? and if not, how would you surprise your kids with a WDW vacation?

First you must join the KOTs club (keeper of the secret) here on the Dis. You'll find a thread or two with us in it and some pics of the big reveal shared by some.

I really wanted to tell our kids just before we left. DH really wants them to see the WDW arch and figure it out for themselves. I can't wait!

 

[LaraK]

I'm not planning on saying anything until we get on the plane....once they announce that we are going to Orlando, DD will figure it out. I will have the camera ready for when she realizes we're not going to school that day. Join us in the KOTS club and we'll all share our tactics and pictures of reveals.

 

[Kim1964]

In 2005, I told my then 9 yo about 3 hours before we headed to the airport. It was the only time in her life she was speechless...she didn't believe me until I brought the suitcase out and started packing it.

For Christmas, we gave next summer's trip to the kids. I bought Mickey Mouse luggage and used LGMHs to make tags on each bag telling them to open the bags. The last one had our customized maps and the vacation planning DVD in it. DD10 got it right away and asked when we were going. I have to say, I think it was a neat way to tell them, but it didn't get a big "Wow" reaction from them because the trip is so far away.

 

[Our2Girls&Disney]

We surprised our kids (two girls ages 8 and 4) with a treasure hunt. The treasure was bunch of Disney clues. On top I put a tee-shirt that said "Surprise we are going to Disney World." They said (notice I quote) "Cool, t-shirts!" I expected the jump for joy screaming for excitment. Nope, I got confusion. It was such a let down. I will say that it finally kicked in about 30-45 minutes later an that was fun. I just got the delayed reaction. Would I surprised them again? Absolutely.

 

[karibritt01]

Santa brought each of my kids a $20 gift card in their stocking that said "Have fun on your trip!" We weren't telling yet, but Santa knows everything...

 

[swillis]

I am still tweaking my plans for the big "reveal" We are going in June (myself, my best friend and my DD12 and DS11)

We are leaving on the last day of school (hopefully no snow days) I am thinking at this point of having my friend come over the night before (it's my birthday...so that will work) and working a reveal in that way.

I had originally wanted to pack the kids into the car and head to my friends house on the morning and tell them we were going somewhere fun (like the beach) but I think they will know that something is weird to be doing this on the last day of school.

Anyway...like I said...still tweaking...would love to hear other ideas or suggestions.

 

[LizAgna]

Our girls (10 & 3) will know that we are going on a trip but they will think that we are going to the beach...we will be leaving one afternoon after work & if they are still awake when we get to I-10 we will tell them then if not we won't tell them until we are in the parking lot of Pop Century. I realize they won't sleep that long but since we have only driven once with them they won't recognize any landmarks or city names when they wake up along the way. Only 171 days to go...we can keep it a secret...can't we??

 

[brooklynheights]

we are going to disney on ice in febuary and will tell them then the five year old will be thrilled he's been waiting since last year to go when we canceled last year due to his grandmas unexpected sickness then death he's been waiting to give mickey a hug he'll get his chance in the fall Brooklyn

 

[DreaminDisney]

Wow! I love all your ideas!
DS who will be 10 when we travel knows we're going to WDW eventually but doesn't know when. DD who will be 7 has no clue.

See June '06 we were supposed to go to WDW but Last February we had to cancel trip. DS was very upset I told him we would eventually go but June wasn't going to work out. This is part of the reason I don't want to tell them we have a trip planned for Dec. '07. Just in case we end up not going for some reason or another but something major will have to happen to stop us from going this time!!! But now I have it stuck in my head that surprising them would be a blast anyway.

At first I thought of just waking them up and saying No School Today, We're Going to Disney! But on the other hand I'd kind of like to give them a couple days to anticipate the trip.

I read somewhere on Dis about a Dis'er who put fortunes in fortune cookies giving clues they were going to Disney and I thought that was cute.

First you must join the KOTs club (keeper of the secret) here on the Dis.

huh?

 

[3princesses+aprince]

I'm going to Disney in June The week of 2 of my dd's birthdays, so it's a bday trip I'm still not 100% how I will reveal the trip, but I believe it will be at their birthday party, which will be the weekend before we leave, June 16. I'll have disney gift bags for all of my kids with autograph books, disney pens, cinderella dresses(POTC t-shirt for my ds) and disney dollars and a letter saying we're going to Disney world in 8 days!!!!! I figured i'd also give it at the beginning of the party before they open other gifts and are swamped with new toys and momentarily aren't excited about the trip. I'm also thinking of ideas for the cake, it's gotta be Disney themed. Maybe I can find a castle to put on it. With princess figures. Ohhh I get all excited thinking about it.

 

[Gillennj]

DW and I are taking DS5, DD2 and DD6mo in March. My son REALLY likes getting the mail (especially Christmas cards) so I figured "Mickey" would mail them an invitation to visit his house. That's the start, we haven't figured out what to include in the letter yet.

 

[Blue Skies]

We suprised our DS on our last trip. He was just trurning 5 on that trip.

What I did was print "clues" on parchment paper and rolled them up as scrolls and tied them with ribbon. We gave him the last scroll at the airport. We had to tell him were we were going...he couldn't figure it out!

 

[NatalieO]

Well my kids 6,8,9 and brother 14 think we are going in May, so they are so excited marknig the calendar each day, what they don't know is that we are going in February. Our favorite family game is Clue and we play every weekend and the I have a card to put in the "confidential" envelope that says, " Who? It was Cinderalla, Where: Pop Century, When : In 2 days" They are gonna have a fit. Now its just figuring out how I get one of them to win the game, I usually win. Hee-Hee.

 

[akrake]

Well my kids 6,8,9 and brother 14 think we are going in May, so they are so excited marknig the calendar each day, what they don't know is that we are going in February. Our favorite family game is Clue and we play every weekend and the I have a card to put in the "confidential" envelope that says, " Who? It was Cinderalla, Where: Pop Century, When : In 2 days" They are gonna have a fit. Now its just figuring out how I get one of them to win the game, I usually win. Hee-Hee.

that's a really great way for having them excited without knowing WHEN it really is....plus you can use the "you're not going to go to WDW if you don't clean your room; quit fighting with your brother; clean the litter box; etc. " card!!

akrake

 

[MomofCKJ]

I did a secret/suprise trip for my kids just 3 weeks ago. We went Dec 15-22 and we did not tell them till the night before. We booked in Feb 06 and we kept it quiet for 302 days!

If you visit my trippie on like page 2 you will see link to a short video of our "reveal". We wrapped up their engraved Guest of Honor WDW badges and told them they could open one small gift. Let's just say the reveal was not the happy, jumping up and down reaction I had been thinking it would be! To me it is priceless video and we will laugh about it for years and years to come!

Would I do a suprise again? You bet, it was a lot of fun once the tears stopped flowing! And I could not have done a year of a 3 or 4 y old asking each day if we were going to Disney yet!

Have fun!

Allyson

 

[ksloane]

DW and I are taking DS5, DD2 and DD6mo in March. My son REALLY likes getting the mail (especially Christmas cards) so I figured "Mickey" would mail them an invitation to visit his house. That's the start, we haven't figured out what to include in the letter yet.

Be careful about this one. I read on here somewhere that someone's child got the final papers out of the mailbox and the envelope reveals what's in them. Would hate for your child to get surprised before you were ready!

 

[dman11]

We gave our trip in Nov to our kids on Xmas morning. We wrote a note from Mickey that said "See you real soon!" and signed it Mickey Mouse. We included some Disney Dollars. DD11 got it right away but she had to help DD3 figure it out. DD3 had to tell DS12 because I'm sure he just never read the note!

They were excited for a little while but with all the other gifts they got and the fact that the trip was so far away the excitment died down pretty quick and they really haven't mentioned it much since then.