Surprising the kids...ideas?

[Pixiebrooke]

So we are going on a surprise trip to WDW the week after Thanksgiving. The kids only think we are going to Grandma's house...which we are, but then instead of returning home our plane is stopping in Orlando! For a whole week! Guess we will have to go to WDW!
This trip is going to be the kids Christmas present... it's early, but hey! Soooo... I am thinking I would like to make goody bags for when they get on the plane... obviously Disney related stuff. Not large items for obvious reasons and not totally useless stuff either. Any ideas? I have a 10 yo DD (but going on 16 !), 4.5 yo DS, & other DS will be 6 months at that time, but he will be easy, it's the older ones I really concentrating on for the surprise.

Anyone BTDT? Or just have any fantastic suggestions?

So far the only thing I have come up with is having tshirts made at the disney shopping site.

TIA!

 

[Ariel8676]

We surprised our kids last November..we told them we were going to DH's Uncles house. For the week or 2 before we were really making like it was going ot be a horribly boring trip, but we had to go and i needed them to behave blah, blah blah. So on the morning we were leaving they kept asking us to please stay home and they didn't want to go..lol So we get to MCO and i ran ahead and checked us in for the Magical express...they still had NO idea where we were going...we got up to where you get on your line to board the bus and before they noticed the CM with the Mickey hand, we pulled over to the side and DH turned on the video camera..i said "girls you know how we said we have to go to Uncle JIm's house"..them: "Yeaaaaah" (all long and drawn out..so not happy..lol) Now the CM with the Mickey hand has moved closer and is listening with a HUGE smile on her face... Me: "well how about we go to Dinsey instead" They were very confused now...just looking at each other...so i say "guys we are going to Disney NOW not uncles house" they both started jumping up and down saying YEAH, Woo HOO !!! LOL
It was awesome and when i looked up there were 3 CM's watching all teary eyed(along with DH and I)...It was really fun...then my 5 yo looks at me and says "please don't do that to me again you almost gave me a heart attack im so happy" LOL Just wanted to share our surprise, don't know if you could wait until the last minute like that, but it wa SO worth it!

 

[Pixiebrooke]

Awww! That is so neat! I am hoping our surprise will go that well. DH wants to tell them that we are connecting in MCO. I know my 10 year old will catch on at the airport since it is usually a direct flight when we go to Grandma's. Oh well. It will still be a neat surprise since it will be so unexpected! I definately need to make a mental note to have the camera rolling when they figure it out.

 

[mickey2minnie1]

I am soooo with you! I have a DS 10, DS 7, and a DD 5 that think we are going next summer. We are going this October!

DH and I are planning to suprise them Labor day weekend once they have a week of school under their belt. I have a treasure hunt all planned out. They know that the rates will be out and we will decide on what week to go at that time. It is corny, but fun!

It goes somethin like this...

Go to where you would find an overnight guest. Here is clue #1. We planned to go next summer, but the extreme heat would be such a bummer so we are still planning. Take these fruit snacks and Disney for Kids and go on your way to were you would like to cuddle for the day.

Clue #2. We thought March and spring break would be the take until we found out that crowds are massive and we would have to put on the brakes. You know I do not want to loose you so take these matching tees along your way. We are still planning... Go to where you would find a snack.

Clue #3. Trick or treat smell my feet, give me something good to eat - NOT! Go to where you would read a book and you will find your final clue.

Clue #4. Think of who you want to be, for it is Mickey and Minnie you will see this Halloween. That is right! You will be in Disney World this year for Halloween. We leave On October 26th for 9 nights! Yeah!!!!

 

[Desnik]

I have always wanted to surprise our kids. We go every year since they were born so a surprise trip is nearly impossible. Well, DD(9) going on 20 was expecting to go this Nov. and she knew I was planning the trip. Then I told her we would have to cancel our trip and she said why? So I blamed it on her dad!LOL I said we can't go because of his pending case(lawsuit do to an accident)and that we have to go to court. This was the only way she would be convinced I wasn't lying so I had to come up with something good. She believes me and DS who is 4 thinks we can't see Mickey until next year. I'm sure he has no concept of what next year is, but what the heck, he thinks we aren't going either. The plan is to pick up DD early from school that day and tell her she has a dentist appointment! Then as we get to the airport, video tape them while we tell them the truth. I hope they are surprised and I hope I don't slip out the truth!

Walmart has Disney themed disposable cameras, that could be a good thing to put in the goody bag. I'm sure you could also find small Disney photo albums at the dollar store or even Walmart. Then when they ask what they are for you could simply say, oh I thought you would want to take some pictures while you are at WDW!!!

 

[Pixiebrooke]

This is great! I love hearing how other people are surprising their children!!
Keep it coming!

Here is the list of stuff so far that I am putting on my list. (Thanks Toodles for a lot of the great ideas!)

Glow sticks (however, I am wondering if it would cause probs w/ airport security)
Character wallets w/ spending money or Disney $'s
Disposable cameras- must go to Wal-Mart now for Disney themed ones
Hats and gloves w/ Disney characters on them
Fat pens for autographs- Disney store maybe?
Dig out their autograph books
Disney ponchos- think I kept them (is that a weird thing to keep?)
Gum/mints (Disney Store again)
Character bookmarks
Mini photo album- Disney themed
Make luggage tags w/ old Disney photos from Shutterfly

 

[mickey2minnie1]

Any other ideas out there?

 

[hebbynan]

We're leaving Saturday October 6th for the drive down. We're pulling our camper and my parents and my in-laws are going as well. We're stopping overnight in South Carolina at a campground. The boys think that SC is our actual destination. When we check in, we're going to tell them that there was a mistake and we only have the campsites for one night, so the next day we'll have to travel a little farther south. Now each time we get into a new state, each boy will get a gift bag with goodies in it. But the Florida bags are special. They'll each get a home made autograph book. DS7 is getting the book WDW for Kids By Kids by Birnbaum. While DS3 will get a Disney picture book. I think at that point it will be pretty obvious....well that and all the signs pointing us to WDW!! lol We can't wait. This is the first trip that our oldest will remember. But DH and I have to keep telling ourselves that it will all be worth it once we get there.....because I have a feeling that during the 19 hour car ride, I'm going to get some more gray hairs!!

 

[mnasmom3]

great ideas so far! I'm gonna swipe the "goody bag for the plane" idea.

 

[chelleb1974]

I am surprising my friend's daugther with 10 days in WDW - we are leaving in 3 weeks!!! She thinks we are going to Texas to go to all the Six Flags parks down there! She is 12 going on 30 and I figured if I just told her we were going on a surprise vacation, in the summer, and getting on a plane it wouldn't take her long to figure it out! I can't wait!! Hopefully she hasn't figured it out yet - but she's smart enough to play along and let us believe she doesn't know!

I don't plan on actually telling her we're not going to Six Flags.....just going to wait and see at what point on the day we leave she figures it out (Delta announcing the flight to Orlando will probably do it if she doesn't figure it out before that! I've lied and told her all the details about Six Flags, but have decided I'm not lying to her the day we leave. My friend is driving us to the airport so I'll have my dig camera (that takes movies) to tape her reaction!!!!

Will let everyone know how it goes!

Edited to add: I have bought matching t-shirts, tank tops and a slew of princess-related stuff for her!!! We are going to the Princess and Pirate Party and I made her a Jasmine costume (too big for kids sizes, too small for adults).

 

[brasey]

We are surprising the kids with a trip for Christmas. The day before we leave I am going to set up a scavenger hunt. Each time they find something there will be an envelope with a word in it and at the end they will open up all the envelopes to make a sentence. It will say WE ARE GOING TO DISNEY TOMORROW.

 

[minniebeth]

We are surprising the kids with a trip for Christmas. The day before we leave I am going to set up a scavenger hunt. Each time they find something there will be an envelope with a word in it and at the end they will open up all the envelopes to make a sentence. It will say WE ARE GOING TO DISNEY TOMORROW.

We did something similar to this with a scavenger hunt, and at the end of the hunt each child had a bag with puzzle pieces in it. I bought a blank puzzle and wrote "Merry Christmas...We are going to visit Mickey Mouse in Disney World!" with colorful Sharpies. I divided the pieces up equally into treat bags and they had to work together putting the pieces together.
One of them figured it out and looked up at me with HUGE eyes and I put my finger to my lips saying...shhh until the others figured it out. Of course my youngest couldn't read, so she figured it out when the others were jumping up and down. My DH videotaped the whole thing. It was fun!