To tell or not to tell?

[Carohs]

I've booked our third DCL vacation, and DH and I are super excited but haven't told the kids yet. Even more, it's the Very Merrytime! The first two cruises the kids were involved and marked the days off on the calendar and updated the countdown - super fun! This time I'm considering not letting them know in advance and just showing up at the port with packed luggage and surprising them. I think it'd be an amazing surprise and they'd have a priceless reaction. I just don't know if I can hold the secret. Any tips?

 

[shananigans]

I am so bad at keeping surprises under wraps ... but did manage to do it with our HOTHS cruise last October! I packed their bags and kept them in the master bedroom closet. They got loaded in the car the night before we left. We showed up at the airport (we live in Minnesota) and I told them we were headed to Florida. We always fly in the day/night before the cruise because I am worrier ... I grabbed the luggage tags from the front desk at the Hyatt hotel in the airport and kept them in my purse. Because they collect luggage so early, had to break down and put them on the luggage so they'd be ready. That's when our son saw the goofy tag and got SO excited and it was sort of ruined - had wanted more fanfare - but they were excited nonetheless. I know there are probably a BILLION videos and ideas out there on surprising kiddos. Since that cruise, we have gone on two more (spring break & memorial wknd) and containing the excitement was too much. With that being said, I would DEF recommend surprising the kids if you can - but no judgement if you spill the beans. It's too exciting and really hard to keep to yourself! We are doing a merrytime cruise in Dec - the 11-15 out of San Diego. It will be our first Merrytime cruise! Enjoy your planning, whatever you choose and best of luck!

 

[Calantha]

Following along. I was thinking about just telling DS we're going to Florida with my mom for a beach week...and then showing up at Port. Since it isn't until January, I haven't done any more thinking about it though.

 

[shananigans]

Following along. I was thinking about just telling DS we're going to Florida with my mom for a beach week...and then showing up at Port. Since it isn't until January, I haven't done any more thinking about it though.

That is sort of what we did. Yes we'll be in Florida - but they had no idea about the cruise. They were very excited when they found out. They didn't even believe it - it's a memory that we'll cherish!

 

[magsnwonderland]

We're keeping our November cruise a secret from the kids. We are flying in 2 days before and spending some time in Miami first, so we're just planning to tell them that's where we're going then the morning of the cruise pack up for a "hotel change" and head to port.

 

[mmbrad02]

I'm trying to keep our Wish cruise (end of July ) a secret from our daughter, 11. Its HARD. Its been booked for what feels like forever, and at first we didn't discuss vacation period around her. Now she knows we are going somewhere, but no idea about a cruise. I'm ready to bust and so many times I've wanted to just break down and tell her, but my husband keeps saying "We have made it this long...".

So our plan is this: She knows we are going somewhere so we can have luggage out and about, that won't be a deal breaker. My MIL has a house in Florida about an hour south of Cape Canaveral, so we are going there on Saturday. Sunday we plan to be kinda low key, maybe a small petting zoo nearby and the beach. Monday we will get up and hopefully have packed everything mostly up the night before and loaded it on our car already, and make up something about going for a drive. I've considered saying "Hey Disney's new ship is in port, lets drive up and see it" and then once we see it, say "Hey, how about we get on?" or something. But we may not mention it at all till we see it and use that line. I'm not sure. She is a smart cookie so if we truly pull this off I will be surprised but we are going to try!

Working on FE gifts at home with her around has been a TASK!!

 

[Calantha]

1. Pre-cruise testing - how do you explain that?
2. Cruise luggage tags - I guess I could just put them on at port...but it is so much easier to do it at the hotel...

 

[SandyinMonterey]

1. Pre-cruise testing - how do you explain that?
2. Cruise luggage tags - I guess I could just put them on at port...but it is so much easier to do it at the hotel...

Thought the same thing about pre cruise testing.

 

[Carohs]

Thought the same thing about pre cruise testing.

Oh that one is easy! It's during the school year so I can claim they've had exposure and have to be tested to go back to class.

 

[Carohs]

I am so bad at keeping surprises under wraps ... but did manage to do it with our HOTHS cruise last October! I packed their bags and kept them in the master bedroom closet. They got loaded in the car the night before we left. We showed up at the airport (we live in Minnesota) and I told them we were headed to Florida. We always fly in the day/night before the cruise because I am worrier ... I grabbed the luggage tags from the front desk at the Hyatt hotel in the airport and kept them in my purse. Because they collect luggage so early, had to break down and put them on the luggage so they'd be ready. That's when our son saw the goofy tag and got SO excited and it was sort of ruined - had wanted more fanfare - but they were excited nonetheless. I know there are probably a BILLION videos and ideas out there on surprising kiddos. Since that cruise, we have gone on two more (spring break & memorial wknd) and containing the excitement was too much. With that being said, I would DEF recommend surprising the kids if you can - but no judgement if you spill the beans. It's too exciting and really hard to keep to yourself! We are doing a merrytime cruise in Dec - the 11-15 out of San Diego. It will be our first Merrytime cruise! Enjoy your planning, whatever you choose and best of luck!

Exactily this; how do we actually make it all the way to port without the kids figuring it out? We're leaving out of San Diego too. If we do the trolley then it's a walk to port with luggage and tags exposed. I suppose with an Uber the luggage could conceivably be hidden in the trunk and tags put on then. Maybe just making it to the morning of. I could schedule the character call and reveal the surprise that way.

 

[Southern Pirate]

I've booked our third DCL vacation, and DH and I are super excited but haven't told the kids yet. Even more, it's the Very Merrytime! The first two cruises the kids were involved and marked the days off on the calendar and updated the countdown - super fun! This time I'm considering not letting them know in advance and just showing up at the port with packed luggage and surprising them. I think it'd be an amazing surprise and they'd have a priceless reaction. I just don't know if I can hold the secret. Any tips?

When our children were younger, we took then cruise paperwork and put it in a metal container and buried it in the back yard. We then gave the kids clues for a month about a big surprise that they had to find. Everyday they would get a clue that lead to another clue and a count down. The last day they used a metal detector to look in a certain part of the back yard (we have over 4 acres.) When they dug up the metal container and opened it they went crazy and we left the next day after spending that night packing.

 

[TIGGERmetoo]

Personally I think planning is so much fun so I've never tried to keep things a secret but I've never taken them on a cruise. There's may not be as much planning to do depending on the cruise.

 

[SteveH]

Not DCL related but we decided not to tell our kids about a big trip to WDW - big mistake. I say let them know, part of the fun is planning and anticipation.

 

[dreamer17555]

You can make telling them part of the surprise- let them know at least a good two weeks ahead of time but in a fun surprise way.

That way they’re still surprised but they can also help out make sure they have what they want to bring on the trip with them and they’re prepared mentally and emotionally to have an amazing trip. Still surprise still not such a long wait for them. Plus they get some time to process and plan with everyone.

 

[Carohs]

Not DCL related but we decided not to tell our kids about a big trip to WDW - big mistake. I say let them know, part of the fun is planning and anticipation.

What made this a mistake? We did attempt to show up at Disneyland without letting the kids know ahead of time but two factors worked against us.
1-Being woken up at 4am to drive to the park. We tried to carry them to the car, but they woke up anyway. They immediately knew we were doing something special and couldn't/wouldn't fall back asleep.
2-There's signage everywhere. The closer we got the more they were certain they had figured it out, despite our protestations. I mean, it's hard to say, "no we're not going to DL" with a straight face.
However, we had a great time. The only downside is how tired we were at the end of a very long day.

 

[mmbrad02]

Ours was not intended to be a surprise when it started - but we booked during still iffy Covid times and I didn't really want to tell her only to disappoint her something changed. And one day turned to the next and here we are. I really wanted to tell her cause she would be my excitement buddy, but we did surprise her once with Great Wolf Lodge and that is my favorite memory to date, when she realized we were in front of it and we told her "You want to go?"

As for the pre boarding test, originally we thought the news would be broken already as we were testing at the port, but now we just plan to tell her some of the places we are stopping at require a negative covid test. She is old enough to understand, and has done several home tests as well as dr's tests; I honestly don't think that will make her flinch. I will say I've watched videos of eMed proctored ones and it does ask, on a form, if it's for a cruise and which cruise line. I just didn't plan to have her come sit down for the test till I was past that part.

On the flip side she is going to summer camp for 2 weeks starting this Monday and I've considered decorating her door like a state room door and revealing it that way when she comes home....

 

[SteveH]

What made this a mistake? We did attempt to show up at Disneyland without letting the kids know ahead of time but two factors worked against us.
1-Being woken up at 4am to drive to the park. We tried to carry them to the car, but they woke up anyway. They immediately knew we were doing something special and couldn't/wouldn't fall back asleep.
2-There's signage everywhere. The closer we got the more they were certain they had figured it out, despite our protestations. I mean, it's hard to say, "no we're not going to DL" with a straight face.
However, we had a great time. The only downside is how tired we were at the end of a very long day.

Our oldest was/is on the spectrum, so we told him a few days before the trip so he could prepare. However, in order for the kids to not think it was odd to see us packing we told our youngest we were going to the Space Needle and Seattle for a weekend. When we picked him up from school we had special backpacks with all sorts of Disney stuff, but he was very upset we were not going to the Space Needle. The long flight, limo ride and arriving at our Disney hotel just amped up his anxiety, it took two days for him to let go that we were not going to the Space Needle. Seemed really odd but as he grew up we looked back and realized his anxiety issues were completely thrown for a loop that day. Plus, they both missed out on the excitement of getting ready. For us it was lessons learned, we never repeated that mistake. Trips to WDW & DL after they were part of the planning (and the fun of planning).

 

[nancipants]

Definitely depends on the kids, both temperament and age. My son is a toddler so there’s no way I’d be surprising him with any trips any time soon. We need to prep, prep, prep still! Even so, when he’s older I’d have a hard time not including him in the planning. I’m also horrible at keeping surprises but would love the reaction. So maybe tell him on a special occasion and then we can all plan together.

 

[Carohs]

Our oldest was/is on the spectrum, so we told him a few days before the trip so he could prepare. However, in order for the kids to not think it was odd to see us packing we told our youngest we were going to the Space Needle and Seattle for a weekend. When we picked him up from school we had special backpacks with all sorts of Disney stuff, but he was very upset we were not going to the Space Needle. The long flight, limo ride and arriving at our Disney hotel just amped up his anxiety, it took two days for him to let go that we were not going to the Space Needle. Seemed really odd but as he grew up we looked back and realized his anxiety issues were completely thrown for a loop that day. Plus, they both missed out on the excitement of getting ready. For us it was lessons learned, we never repeated that mistake. Trips to WDW & DL after they were part of the planning (and the fun of planning).

That makes so much sense! My oldest is like this; he does not like having an idea in his head contradicted. It's really a battle when he's made his own conclusions which are logical to him but not actually the way the world works. I'll take this under advisement, and not make any false promises.

 

[Cheburashka]

I've booked our third DCL vacation, and DH and I are super excited but haven't told the kids yet. Even more, it's the Very Merrytime! The first two cruises the kids were involved and marked the days off on the calendar and updated the countdown - super fun! This time I'm considering not letting them know in advance and just showing up at the port with packed luggage and surprising them. I think it'd be an amazing surprise and they'd have a priceless reaction. I just don't know if I can hold the secret. Any tips?

I'm an elementary school teacher. A few years ago shortly before Christmas vacation, a girl told me glumly that she knew her parents were going to take her somewhere for vacation, but didn't know where. They liked making the trip destinations a surprise. She didn't like it and really wanted to know where she would be spending her vacation.

I can't blame her. Much as I like to travel, I would be less than thrilled if someone sprung an immediate vacation on me. I need to mentally psych myself up for a trip, no matter how nice it will be.

The anticipation of an upcoming trip is also part of the pleasure of it.