Tell Kids ahead of time? And stroller question

[lily2521]

Just wondering what everyone else does as far as telling your kids about your trip (or not?). We can't decide if we want to tell our DD (6) ahead of time or tell her the day we leave (we'd probably tell her we're going somewhere, but not Disney, so she doesn't question the packing - ha). I worry the anticipation of knowing might just be too much.

How do you tell your kids? Any tips here too?

Also, wondering if we'd want to bring a small umbrella stroller into the park with a 6 year old? I realize that some people might think that's too old for a stroller, but with the amount of walking I'm anticipating I don't know what to do?

Gosh, 4 months until our trip and I feel like a kid, I'm thinking about it every day...even for me it seems too far away!

 

[Airship Ariadne]

I am an advocate for letting kids know, letting them in on the excitement and planning...if you want that surprise reaction, make a big deal out of the announcement.

But there is so much fun in the build up I would never have wanted to take that away from our daughter. Watching the planning DVD, looking through the kids touring books, picking the rides we KNEW we wanted to try. THE COUNTDOWN!

AS for the stroller...we went when our daughter had just turned 7 and she handled the first day fine (and it was a late EMH in MK so we were there till midnight) BUT, I would pack it, in case...see how she does...better to have it in case you need it than to leave it at home and have a grumpy kid.

 

[lily2521]

I am an advocate for letting kids know, letting them in on the excitement and planning...if you want that surprise reaction, make a big deal out of the announcement.

But there is so much fun in the build up I would never have wanted to take that away from our daughter. Watching the planning DVD, looking through the kids touring books, picking the rides we KNEW we wanted to try. THE COUNTDOWN!

AS for the stroller...we went when our daughter had just turned 7 and she handled the first day fine (and it was a late EMH in MK so we were there till midnight) BUT, I would pack it, in case...see how she does...better to have it in case you need it than to leave it at home and have a grumpy kid.

Our travel agent is actually offering to meet us to sit down and go over everything, so I thought if we told DD ahead of time, we can make her a part of that experience as well, and getting the bands in the mail, etc. she could be a part of too. How soon before our trip to our bands get mailed? I know our agent has made our color selections, etc.

We'll be driving, so it's no big deal for us to at least bring the stroller, so we'll make sure to pack it!

 

[leahlefler]

I was going to surprise our kids, but I couldn't keep the secret. I am glad I didn't make it a surprise, because their reactions were lackluster. Not because they are spoiled, but because they have absolutely no idea what "We're going to Disney World!" means. They have never been to Disney World, so they really have no concept. They were happy to go on a vacation, but not ecstatic the way so many "surprise" videos on youtube show kids' reactions.

In retrospect, I am SO glad we told them when we did. They have read the kid's guide to Disney World by Birnbaum, have watched some youtube videos of the parks, and we got our personalized maps in the mail. Every time we get "Mickey Mail," they go bananas. They are really, really excited now and can't wait to go!

For us, the build-up and planning have been half the fun.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

The only time we didn't tell them was our second trip, which we did as a surprise for our son's kindergarten graduation.

As the kids get older, you want to include them in planning, anyway.

 

[Feberin]

My oldest was only four but I loved his anticipation. When we first told him he didn't fully understand it but was excited. But we watched the free DVD together and some other youtube videos to get him excited. Plus lots of Disney movies. We did a countdown, which he loved. And when we woke him up at 4 am to leave he was SO excited! I can't imagine a surprise trip would have gotten any more excitement on his part that morning. We did wait until it was like a month or so away so he wouldn't have to wait too long.

I'd bring a stroller. Although I have no experience with a six year old even if she doesn't ride it in it you can still use it to haul stuff.

 

[Dashzap]

I agree with telling the kids. Anticipation is part of the fun!

 

[puffkin]

I'm the opposite. I never tell the kids in advance. But we go fairly often (2x a year) so they always know we are going "sometime". They make comments all the time about the next time we go to disney I'd like to go here, or eat there, or do this, or ride this so I just listen to them, jot it down and try to incorporate some of their things into the trip if possible.

 

[msmama]

I always ask my son if he wants to go before we plan a trip, otherwise...what if he doesn't want to go!?!?! I like that we can talk about what he wants to do when we get there and bribe him about things (the other day I told him that the beast expects good table manners when we eat in his castle so we have to practice at home).

My son is a huge chicken though and we also need to talk up rides (rides that he's ridden 5+ times before and loves every time but thinks he's going to get scared next time).

 

[lily2521]

I was going to surprise our kids, but I couldn't keep the secret. I am glad I didn't make it a surprise, because their reactions were lackluster. Not because they are spoiled, but because they have absolutely no idea what "We're going to Disney World!" means. They have never been to Disney World, so they really have no concept. They were happy to go on a vacation, but not ecstatic the way so many "surprise" videos on youtube show kids' reactions.

In retrospect, I am SO glad we told them when we did. They have read the kid's guide to Disney World by Birnbaum, have watched some youtube videos of the parks, and we got our personalized maps in the mail. Every time we get "Mickey Mail," they go bananas. They are really, really excited now and can't wait to go!

For us, the build-up and planning have been half the fun.

DD will know what it means, and she also knows it's a big deal to go to Florida when we tell her that part (we have family there). We did take her when she was 3 for a short 2 day stay, so she'll be very excited. But yes, after reading the comments here, it makes me want to tell her ahead of time, and have her involved in planning. Her birthday is about 1 1/2 months before we leave, so maybe that will be a nice birthday surprise!

 

[lily2521]

My oldest was only four but I loved his anticipation. When we first told him he didn't fully understand it but was excited. But we watched the free DVD together and some other youtube videos to get him excited. Plus lots of Disney movies. We did a countdown, which he loved. And when we woke him up at 4 am to leave he was SO excited! I can't imagine a surprise trip would have gotten any more excitement on his part that morning. We did wait until it was like a month or so away so he wouldn't have to wait too long.

I'd bring a stroller. Although I have no experience with a six year old even if she doesn't ride it in it you can still use it to haul stuff.

I love the idea of watching the DVD together and doing a countdown.

 

[lily2521]

They have read the kid's guide to Disney World by Birnbaum, have watched some youtube videos of the parks, and we got our personalized maps in the mail. Every time we get "Mickey Mail," they go bananas. They are really, really excited now and can't wait to go!
For us, the build-up and planning have been half the fun.

And thanks for the book suggestion, I haven't heard of this one - just ordered it on Amazon!

 

[Mousemommy1]

We surprised them for their 2nd trip, because they had so much fun on the 1st trip and thought we wouldn't go back for a long time. But, that turned into annual visits. So, so much for that!

We are AP holders now, so they always know when the next trip is...

 

[suziespice]

I can't keep a secret, so we told them, and they have helped in the planning. I got a double stroller for my 2 kids age 6 and 3.5 because I think only the little guy would need one, but if I only take my single, I know there will be fighting over who sits in it! I think my 6 year old it at the top of the height limit for the stroller I'm renting...we'll see how much she uses it. (she did quite a bit last year when we went)

 

[tink9702]

We told our kids ahead of time and they had a blast planning what they wanted to ride on. It also helped with DD's fear of certain rides to watch utube to see if she was nervous about a particular ride. Watching Haunted Mansion ahead of time really helped the kids to understand it's a bit dark but the ghosts aren't scary at all.

DS was almost 5 1/2 & DD was not quite 4 years old when we went in November. DS needed the stroller/piggy back rides quite often. But part of that is our touring style - straight out from park open until dinnertime with just small breaks for lunch or shows. I'd at minimum bring it in your car and maybe plan a park that's less walking the first day to see how she'll do. HS is the least amount of walking, then MK, then Epcot, then AK in my opinion.

 

[lily2521]

We told our kids ahead of time and they had a blast planning what they wanted to ride on. It also helped with DD's fear of certain rides to watch utube to see if she was nervous about a particular ride. Watching Haunted Mansion ahead of time really helped the kids to understand it's a bit dark but the ghosts aren't scary at all.

DS was almost 5 1/2 & DD was not quite 4 years old when we went in November. DS needed the stroller/piggy back rides quite often. But part of that is our touring style - straight out from park open until dinnertime with just small breaks for lunch or shows. I'd at minimum bring it in your car and maybe plan a park that's less walking the first day to see how she'll do. HS is the least amount of walking, then MK, then Epcot, then AK in my opinion.

I do like the idea of her being able to preview rides, especially Haunted Mansion. DH and I went on it solo last time, as we both wanted to see it, so it would be nice to get her on it!

I think general consensus is to bring the stroller, even if she walks, we can use it to carry our stuff

 

[Lilly Belle 84]

We decided to surprise our kids 9 & 4 for our first trip, but as I started planning I really wished I had included them so we could plan together, especially once FP+ came online and I had to commit to those rides. I was ready to tell but DH and grandpa were excited for the big reveal so I had to keep my mouth shut LOL! I think I planned a lot of ADR's and intense touring plans making sure we got a lot in because I didn't have the kids input. Next time we are definitely planning it as a family and making sure we have plenty of time to enjoy things outside of the parks.

We did rent a stroller and will do it again when we go to DLR this summer and WDW in 2016! Especially for staying onsite and getting around the resorts after park days

 

[Maggie at the Fort]

My daughter is definitely the need to know ahead kind of person. She has to adjust to things. She gets this from me! I would hate to be surprised with a trip!! We talk about it from time to time. When she was 3 we did a 30 day countdown. This trip she is a little older and brother is 2. We started the countdown after new years so it was only about 26 days. There is a great printable countdown chain someone shared on here. If you search the thread should still be easy to find.

Have fun!

 

[Tattylou]

I agree that telling the kids and enjoying their anticipation is part of the fun!! Plus, I would never be able to keep it secret b/c I'm too obsessed with counting it down myself! My boys are 4 and 6 and I am planning to bring strollers in April to DL (at that point they will be almost 5 and 7). We were definitely glad we had them last year at WDW when they were almost 4 and almost 6. It was also handy to have someplace to stash water bottles and other random items.

 

[lily2521]

I agree that telling the kids and enjoying their anticipation is part of the fun!! Plus, I would never be able to keep it secret b/c I'm too obsessed with counting it down myself! My boys are 4 and 6 and I am planning to bring strollers in April to DL (at that point they will be almost 5 and 7). We were definitely glad we had them last year at WDW when they were almost 4 and almost 6. It was also handy to have someplace to stash water bottles and other random items.

How far in advance do you tell them at that age? DD is 6. We were thinking of telling her for her birthday, which would be about 6 weeks out, wondering if that's too long for her to wait. I was thinking of actually wrapping a countdown calendar as her gift