To tell or to surprise?

[sara74]

Maybe it is just my willpower caving in with anticipation of our upcoming trip. When we booked our trip last year we planned on surprising the kids. We have kept the trip a secret so far, but lately I have been feeling like telling the kids. I am starting to feel like we are missing out on the anticipation of the trip by not telling them.

The kids are 5, 3.5 and 1.5. They were at WDW 2 years ago, so they have some idea of what to expect. I am not too worried about the 'when are we going?' aspect as I figure we will make a paper chain to count down the days (worked well last time) I am slightly worried about surprising them in that they aren't quite old enough to get any clues I might leave them and DD is bound to be worried about what the teacher will say about her missing class. OTOH, if we have kept the secret this long, why tell now? Then again if we tell them then I can plan openly instead of sneaking around. But I can't imagine anything cooler than the looks on their faces when we spring a surprise trip on them...HELP ME!!

So tell me, should we tell them? Or keep it a secret?? Or something else???

 

[hoosiergirl7]

Guess I'm the first to respond. We're going towards the end of April and DS 4 won't stop pestering us about when we're going. He has no concept of time yet and we now realize we should've waited.

I think what would be fun to do is maybe 2 weeks out start giving them little clues about an upcoming trip and then maybe 5 days before you leave and you're starting to pack, then give them one big final clue revealing where you're going. That way you'll only have to here about it for a few days rather than almost every day for 3 1/2 months!

 

[Bethany]

I'm telling my kids tomorrow, which is exactly 1 week from when we're leaving. This gives them just enough time (in my opinion) to get hyped up and excited about it but not too much time that they feel like it's going to take FOREVER! The almost 7yo understands what 1 week is and the just turned 5 yo kinda gets the concept of 1 week.

Granted, this trip has only been "in the works" since Sunday! Less than 2 weeks from deciding to go until going, and I've had moments where I almost spilled the beans from my own excitement! So.. I imagine having to wait months to tell the kids would be VERY difficult.

 

[LizAgna]

I say keep it a surprise...we surprised our 2 DDs for their birthdays last year. They had no clue that we were going out of town until my mom brought them home after she took them out to dinner. But we still didn't tell them then...we were driving so we told them we were going to the beach. We drove to Tallahassee and spent the night. The next morning when we were getting on the interstate DH told them that we were going to WDW.

Fast forward to now...DH & I will both turn 40 during ESPN the Weekend so we decided back in Nov that we should try to go back for our birthdays. We have kept this upcoming trip a surprise from them too!! But 2 weeks from in the morning we are going to wake them up about 4am and head to the airport. This will be youngest DD's 1st flight and oldest DD's 2nd flight.

I love surprising our girls with trips to WDW!!!

 

[jadedbeauty14304]

I always try to keep it a secret, but I get so excited, I just can't do it!!!

 

[reginaastralis]

I've never gotten the chance to keep it a secret ... so I voted to. I think it is cute to watch videos of children who don't always take the surprise as their best interest.

We live about 45 minutes away from Disney, and my parents are going for the weekend, and taking my three year old with them. I have been trying to keep it a surprise, but it's hard when she keeps asking me "Mom, when am I going to get to see my princesses again." LOL, I've almost spilled the beans, and I have less than a week to keep it a secret.

 

[Honeybehr1]

My vote is for keeping it a secret. We went almost 2 1/2 yrs ago. Our oldest DS who was turing 8 at the time, had such a fear of flying, we decided to leave it a suprise until the night before for fear of him working himself into a frenzy about the flight. Imagine months of worring about it. He just had one sleepless night. We had told our youngest DS 18 months at the time. But he had no idea what it meant. But it was fun for me because I could talk to him all I wanted about it and brush it off as him just wanting to go really bad. It worked.

Oldest was so glad that we kept it as a suprise.

We are hoping to go next May but the kids are saving for spending money so it wont be a total suprise but I might keep it a suprise for my youngest who is turing 5 in april. Its so sweet to see such a suprise expression.

 

[ms_mckenna]

Secret! Though mine are older we did a secret trip last Aug. the link to my Trip report is in the thread. It was the coolest thing I have ever done. And nice for the sanity till about the lst month. When I was wanting to explode and tell them.

 

[rumrunnergirl]

Normally we tell, but this time we are going to pawn the kids off on a friend while we pack the car. Then we will load the kids and take off for a "trip". The day we leave is DH's 45th birthday, so we're only going to tell them that we are going on a day trip since Daddy "has to be at work the next day", LOL.

Of course, it is only Feb. and we aren't going til August, so who knows if our secret will hold, LOL.

 

[mari360]

I vote for Secret..... I loved when my parents did that to me when i was younger....

 

[disneyfan2]

we told our kids at Christmas 06 that we were going Feb 07. It was a loooong six weeks

I had this FEb 08 trip planned since April 07 and the kids still don't know.
My DD bday is next week, 1 week before we go and thats when we are telling them. We are doing the P&P party this year that we missed last year. So for her bday she wanted a P&P party (Honest-her choice) So i am doing a big treasure hunt to lead her to her bday with the last hunt leading to the P&P tickets and Disney dollars. They are thrilled about the hunt but have no idea.

I think i would NOT keep it a secret for the 1st trip only because you would like to get there input but for repeat trips you kinda know what they will like.

Let us know when you decide

 

[belle&sebastiansmom]

Try to keep the secret. So hard, I know! The anticipation! We booked for December and told my daughter (just turned 4) but she really doesn't have the concept of how many months. We told her when her baby brother can walk and talk, so she asked me what her 4 month old brother had to learn to say first so we can go! Since she doesn't have the concept of time, maybe we can surprise her when the actual vacation date comes, just take her there and see her face light up!!

 

[3boysmomma]

I voted for the Surprise! It is SOOOO hard to keep though. We are leaving next Friday for a week and have yet to tell our 3 boys(8, and the twins will turn 6 during the trip) I am bursting at the seams!!!! They are under the impression that we are going to visit my brother in Kentucky and we are going to reveal the surprise right before we leave for the airport Inorder to get their input with some of the planning, we told them that we are going to Disney this coming October and have been talking that trip up a bit. They are clueless and I love it

 

[WeCantWait]

I vote for the surprise. We just booked a trip last week, we have two boys 9 and 5, this is the first trip we are trying to surprise them. We are leaving on their last day of school before summer break. I have only been keeping the secret for a wek so far and already I feel like bursting at the seems. I hope to be able to last until they walk out of school that day, they have a half day of school and our flight leaves at 4:40PM.

 

[Minniemouse07]

I voted for telling them. I believe that the planning and anticipation are all part of the WDW experience.

Dd and I are going for her birthday in July and she's helped decide where we are going as well as figuring out what ADRs we made.

I couldn't imagine NOT telling her and not allowing her the joy of planning our trip together.

 

[ASFCurly]

I say tell them a week or two ahead of time, I know some kids that would have a panic attack if they just found out they were going that day, this way they have some time to get ready, but not enough time to drive you nuts asking when are you going.

 

[lrab1126]

we did not tell our kids until 5am the morning we were going when i woke them up to get into a limo. I woke them up and said "would you like to go to disney world.." they replied with a groggy ya when kinda response and i said right now let's go !! I had new disney princess outfits for them and they each got a little disney princess backpack with some things in them to keep them busy. The reaction we got was priceless and was really an amazing start to a special trip. It is so hard to keep it a secret but SO worth it!!! I voted secret !!!

 

[stacy6552]

We suprised our son once on his birthday. It was so anticlimatic! Aside from being disappointed myself, it was so not worth all the brobe time before hand when our kids earn their spending money.

 

[29apr00]

Well this trip is a suprise for DD (4-1/2) but I told DS (2 next week). I couldn't hold it in! But since he can't really talk he won't blab to her. He just keeps saying Mouse Airplane over and over again.

If i can hold out, I don't plan on telling dd about the trip at all! We'll wake up earlier than normal, then drive to the airport. She'll ask, but we'll jsut say we're going on a little trip. She's going to be so totally excited! I can't wait to see her face when we get there!

 

[Ohana90]

I am all for surprises. They are still young and to see the expression on their faces alone is priceless. My parents surprised us when I was 6 and all I remember is us screaming and everyone started staring
I am surprising my daughter (6). my 16yo knows but the 20mth old doesnt so its mainly focused on her. My DS 16- is actually helping with the planning so he doesnt feel left out. We are making letters addressed to the younger kids for the ADR's and the night before the character breakfast we are leaving an envelope on her pillow so when we get back from the park for the day she will have a "special" letter addressed for her to read. I cannot wait to see her expressions. My parents are tagging along for the 1st time so it should be a great trip. They havent been to the world since 1984 so they are in for a real treat.