To tell or to surprise?

[Chicago262]

I vote SECRET! I pulled that off last time we went and it was priceless. We woke our kids up at 4:30am and videotaped it. I can't believe I was able to keep it a secret for so long (we had been planning it for 11 months), but it was so worth it!

 

[zoemurr]

I guess it depends on the kid and their ages. My DD would be very upset with me. (She was 8 on the last trip and 9 for this one.) I think we had just as much fun plannig it as we did going. She loved pouring over the guide books, watching rides on utube, and looking at restaurant menus. I did surprise her with BBB and even that she said she would have rather had time to prepare. (yes.. she's very mature, and a bit uptight like her dad sometimes.)

We're going again in August. If I just woke them up one morning and they had no say in where we were staying/eating/going I think they would have less fun than if they had some ownership over the vacation.

Sounds like we're in the minority though.

 

[MomofCKJ]

We did a suprise trip in Dec 06. It was our kids first trip and we kept it a secret for 10 months. We told them the night before and video'd. It was priceless, not at ALL what I envisioned but a great memory nonetheless. It was exciting for them and I know will go down as one of the great suprises of their lives. Heck I'd love it if someone said to me I was going to DisneyWorld....tomorrow!

This next trip, in a few weeks, they know about and it has its pros as well. Talking about it, helping pack, shopping for it, has been fun.

I vote suprise though. I think having one surprise trip is really cool!

Allyson

 

[Kriii]

Dh and I surprised Dd when she was younger and it was so worth it!!! It was sure HARD to keep our secret though! Especially when the WDW commercials came on tv and she asked when we could go again.

 

[The Lion King]

I would say keep it a secret. Last year I told the kids (9,7 and 5) that in 2008 we were going to WDW when I go to a convention in July. Well, when we heard how hot/humid it is in July we switched the trip to Spring Break-which will be in March. We didn't tell the kids about the switch.

On another message board I visit someone who is going in early March will send my kids postcards telling them about the new date. I hope they will be surprised.

It's been hard enough to plan a first trip w/out having to hear them asking a million questions. I was almost busted though when my niece-the 9 yo heard me give the ages for the ADRs and I said 9 for her, but if we were going in July she would be 10 so I had to cover myself quickly.

 

[tkme4ard]

we went in 2003 and the kids knew about it. I'm sure they bugged but I really can't remember. They still talk about that trip like it was yesterday even though they were 4 and 7 (the youngest at the time was 1 1/2) the youngest asks ALL the time when are we going to disney world again so SHE can remember it. So we decided we're going for her birthday next year (last time we celebrated the big 2's bday) I can't WAIT! We're not going to tell them till the morning of

angela

 

[ChrisMouse]

The great thing is, either way you WIN!

Last year, we were preparing for our very first Disney trip (DLR not WDW), and we decided NOT to tell the kids. Since they had never been (but so desperately wanted to go!), and because we were worried they would hound us daily...we surprised them. We woke them up at 5am the morning of our flight and just said, "We're going to Disneyland!" They were confused, stunned, dazed, and it was utterly delightful. Worth every hard minute of keeping the secret. We videotaped the wake up surprise, and that bit of video is priceless.

However, that being said, they've known about our upcoming WDW trip for a couple of months now, and it has been FANTASTIC planning together as a family. We occasionally watch the planning video and other specials from the Travel channel. We read Birnbaum's for kids nightly...we do "Disney Friday" celebrations counting down the Fridays until our trip. My DD periodically packs her backpack and then unpacks it again. All in all, their joy in the anticipation is also priceless. Just tonight we were driving in the car, and all of a sudden, my daughter looked up into the sky and said, "Just think, someone is flying to Disney World RIGHT NOW."

love it...either way. Enjoy the surprise OR not!

 

[bellebud]

we've been so many times, and the kids have always known and helped plan, shop, pack, etc... I definitely love all the anticipation and sharing it w/ the kids, and they love it too.

we haven't been in a year, and we were thinking of going and talking about if/when in front of the kids (they're 6 and 8), so they were of course begging to go... as the day went on, i whispered to dh that we should surprise them this once since they've been so many times and have been in on the planning... so at dinner they ask if we've decided when we're going, and i start saying "well, we're not sure we can go..."

DS6 starts crying and runs upstairs to his room, dd8 starts crying (but stays at the table)... so that kind of blew that... I told them we were going, but we want to surprise them, so we'll keep "when" a secret, and they're thrilled! They get to plan, I get to talk about it as much as I want (just not the dates), but they know one morning in the summer we'll wake them and say 'get in the car, we're going to disney!'

This is the best of both worlds for us!

(disclaimer... we're doing a lot of vacations this year, so the kids aren't anticipating just this one trip - they know about all the rest... otherwise they might drive us NUTS w/ the when... so this might not work for everyone).

 

[momamy]

we suprised my dd who was 4 at the time! it was so much fun! The look on her face when we drove thru the mickey gate was priceless! she starting crying she was so happy lol!

this trip im having fun planning it with her! although she thinks she isnt going till december when were really going in april lmao!

 

[Thats_for_Shore]

I think it would be so cool to surprise them.

That's what I'm gonna do next time. I'm not going to tell them til we leave.

 

[Doc CW]

My parents surprised me with a WDW trip and it was really cool and I will never forget it b/c it was so cool to be surprised like that.

 

[carren66]

I voted for surprise. We're taking our second trip May 2-10 and planning the surprise is proving to be as much fun as planning the stay. We have 3 kids (5, 7 and 8) and last visited in 2005. We even paid an extra $200 for a later flight in order to have the "privilege" of sending them to school for 45 minutes in order to surprise them, lol.

We'll pack the car the night before, daddy will leave for work (off to get Starbucks) and the kids will be off to school. We'll pick them up from school and tell them that we're going to visit Papa & Nana. We've given them all either an ipod nano or disney mix max for christmas or their birthday over the last couple of months. Once we get through security we'll plug them in to movies in hopes of distracting them. DH and I will each have a card in our pocket that says something to the affect of "Our kids think we're going to Phoenix, please don't mention WDW to them." LOL, not obsessive are we. We're hoping to keep them in the dark until the pilot announces our decent into Orlando. At that point DH and I will play a movie on our phones announcing the trip. We were inspired by this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqyOwTakfng

Once there we'll take ME to the hotel and while DH is checking us in I'll take the kids to the bathroom to change into their pirates and princess costumes. Drop carryons in the room and the off to the Pirates & Princess Party for our first night. Whew, hope it all works. You know what they say about the best laid plans . . .

I have to admit I've even asked my sons' gym teacher to lie to them. My oldest son has qualified for the Lyons Club relays the last three years and this is the first year our younger son is eligible. He's wanted to do it for two years. Unfortunately, the race in on the day after we arrive in WDW. So they gym teacher and I have planned for him to not put the boys on the list but he'll let me know if they qualified so that I can tell them the truth once we're in WDW. I felt a little guilty, but I'll get over it.

I know this seems very obsessive, but growing up my family really wasn't very "kid friendly." Great family, just not a lot of really fun memories. We're so excited to do this because we know for our kids the surprise aspect of it will be a very special memory for them. We're already picturing our kids planning their surprises for their kids someday, lol.

Sorry, can you tell I'm a chatty kind of gal, lol.

 

[JoanieS]

We are doing the surprise thing. Sort of.

The kids know we are going to Disney "when Andrew is in 3rd grade and Adam is in 1st grade". This is their first trip. For some reason, they are convinced that we are going in April 09. I have no idea where they got that idea, but hey, if that's what they want to believe. (We are going Oct 3, 08)

This way, they can watch the you tube vids of the rides, hear us talk about it, but still be surprised the night before we leave when we have a "treasure hunt" to let them know we are going!

 

[KimK2006]

I suprised my kids about 2/3 years ago. They were so excited. It was so hard not to spill the beans but I'm so glad that I didn't!


Dad: Me: DD(12): DS(8):