Trip isn't a surprise but still want to surprise our girls

pennyg

Mouseketeer
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Messages
178
We already told our girls (dd6 and dd8) that we are going to DW in January. They are very excited. Although the trip itself is not a surprise, we have bought them luggage of their own for Christmas for the trip. We want to fill them with little surprises for the trip and for entertainment while waiting in lines or for parades.

I already have a few ideas for things to give them at the parks (such as the glow necklaces, etc.) which will be a surprise at the park, not the suitcase. What have you done for your kids? There are a lot of threads on this but it is hard to sift through all the information. The stuff does not have to be Disney themed. I'm looking for lap desks, activity kits, etc. I do searches, but sometimes the reviews do not really tell me how well the products hold up over time. Anything you can share will be very helpful.
 
I would buy them a cute bag, like maybe for carrying their own stuff in the parks like a drawstring bag. I would then fill that bag with entertainment for the trip.

If you are driving, do you have a DVD player? Maybe a new movie.

I would make them their own personalized coloring books. And new crayons. Maybe in an old spice container to keep them contained.

Maybe some new Disney themed Legos and a box to keep them in. I saw a great idea on Pinterest to use a baby wipes container with the green base glued on and the Legos stored inside.

You can make your word finds and crossword puzzles. There are a bunch of free resources for that. New cute pens to do them with.

Bubbles for playing with (running off energy) at a rest stop.

I would get them a small gift card to get their own travel snacks with.

For waiting in line, I would find a game. Like maybe the hidden Mickey book so they can look for them. Or make your own on cards.
 
The dollar store, Walmark, Target and places like that. Some place have small things real cheap. Glow sticks at our local Dollar store they even have wands and stars. We buy enough to share with other children around us.
 
Thanks! We are driving so we will need stuff for the car. We do have a dvd player for them.

Hitting Dollar tree and Target this weekend, just to get some ideas.

Please keep the suggestions coming.
 

How about a new Disney shirt to wear on arrival day? Disneystore.com always has some cute ones and they're often on sale. Other ideas for the trip: sunglasses, hats.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. We have a Disney Outlet store about an hour away that I was reminded of by a friend. I bet I can find some shirts there.
 
I just ordered a pullover fleece sweater for my girl off disney.com $12 and for $1 they even put her name on it :)
 
Dumb question, but when purchase your own glow items, do you ship them to your resort in advance, or take them on the plane somehow?

I'm trying to decide if I want to ship a fedex box to the resort. I was considering sending myself Mickey ears for the kids (Disney Store just had 25% off but I wasn't sure about getting them in advance vs. the parks...possibly not worth the inconvenience), glow stuff, a few toiletry items, etc.
 
Dumb question, but when purchase your own glow items, do you ship them to your resort in advance, or take them on the plane somehow?

I'm trying to decide if I want to ship a fedex box to the resort. I was considering sending myself Mickey ears for the kids (Disney Store just had 25% off but I wasn't sure about getting them in advance vs. the parks...possibly not worth the inconvenience), glow stuff, a few toiletry items, etc.

I'm not sure as we are driving down, but I hope someone comes along and helps you out.
 
Dumb question, but when purchase your own glow items, do you ship them to your resort in advance, or take them on the plane somehow?

I'm trying to decide if I want to ship a fedex box to the resort. I was considering sending myself Mickey ears for the kids (Disney Store just had 25% off but I wasn't sure about getting them in advance vs. the parks...possibly not worth the inconvenience), glow stuff, a few toiletry items, etc.

I am waiting to see when i pack up our suitcases how much room we have - if it is tight I am going to ship a box but if we have room I am just going to pack it and bring it with us
 
A camera. Buy a simple, real camera with decent quality and they will LOVE taking their own pictures.

Disney themed PJ, socks, shirt or hat
Disney themed body wash or shampoo etc
A new game for a DS if they have one or a itune card to down load on your phone
A set of the Melissa and Doug Themed paper doll stickers SOOOO FUN for the trip down.
A new DVD to watch on the trip down or home
A few simple craft sets that can be done in the car
A few new books
A diary to write about each day
Fun Snacks
 
For my childrens' first trip, we bought them personalized Mickey/Minnie ears and had them shipped to our house so they could wear them on the way down.

Also love the idea of clothing...the outlet is great, as is Target/WalMart/JcPenny.

My kids also loved Disney photo albums and autograph books (and to this day, love looking at them almost nightly). You can make their own personalized books, or have your kids personalize them. There are also great Disney travel guides specifically written for kids that they can write/draw in. Kind of like a travel journal.

Small toys - we found Minnie Mouse and Disney Princess travel magnet dress up sets at CVS; also those "magic reveal" pen books - many princess themes. We also like the "Spot It" game.

If you ever have a grandparent or someone looking to buy a really nice gift for kids, consider a Kindle. It sounds extravagant (I guess it is for small kids), but they have the best settings for kids - parents can control all content that kids can access and can even set times for kids to be on it...my dad got one for my girls, and it's so great for travel.
 
For my childrens' first trip, we bought them personalized Mickey/Minnie ears and had them shipped to our house so they could wear them on the way down.

Also love the idea of clothing...the outlet is great, as is Target/WalMart/JcPenny.

My kids also loved Disney photo albums and autograph books (and to this day, love looking at them almost nightly). You can make their own personalized books, or have your kids personalize them. There are also great Disney travel guides specifically written for kids that they can write/draw in. Kind of like a travel journal.

Small toys - we found Minnie Mouse and Disney Princess travel magnet dress up sets at CVS; also those "magic reveal" pen books - many princess themes. We also like the "Spot It" game.

If you ever have a grandparent or someone looking to buy a really nice gift for kids, consider a Kindle. It sounds extravagant (I guess it is for small kids), but they have the best settings for kids - parents can control all content that kids can access and can even set times for kids to be on it...my dad got one for my girls, and it's so great for travel.

Thank you!
 
Melissa and Doug make invisible ink books called Color Blast. They come in fairy, princess, dinosaur, marine life and truck themes. All three of my kids (4, 4, 9) love them. They are superior to the others on the market. Educational toy stores often have cute little travel activity books with maxes, word searches etc. my nine to loves those. Some sweet treat for the plane that are not messy like licorice and gummies are a hit too.
 
Thank you. I will look online at the Melissa and Doug stuff. Don't have to worry about a plane though, driving the whole way. Only nine hours so it isn't that big of a deal.
 
For my childrens' first trip, we bought them personalized Mickey/Minnie ears and had them shipped to our house so they could wear them on the way down.

Also love the idea of clothing...the outlet is great, as is Target/WalMart/JcPenny.

My kids also loved Disney photo albums and autograph books (and to this day, love looking at them almost nightly). You can make their own personalized books, or have your kids personalize them. There are also great Disney travel guides specifically written for kids that they can write/draw in. Kind of like a travel journal.

Small toys - we found Minnie Mouse and Disney Princess travel magnet dress up sets at CVS; also those "magic reveal" pen books - many princess themes. We also like the "Spot It" game.

If you ever have a grandparent or someone looking to buy a really nice gift for kids, consider a Kindle. It sounds extravagant (I guess it is for small kids), but they have the best settings for kids - parents can control all content that kids can access and can even set times for kids to be on it...my dad got one for my girls, and it's so great for travel.

where did you get the personalized autograph books?!
 
we are driving down, which will take around 3 days, maybe more. no more than 4 days. so, that's a lot of time in the car, lol.

i bought them each a luggage set. filling them with little surprises for the trip is a great idea.

we have a second hand store nearby where children's books are 69 cents each. if you buy four, you get one free. at a price like that, i can buy a ton of them for very little money. i plan on buying disney themed ones, as well as ones about sea mammals, as we are going to seaworld as well.

my girls have portable dvd players, so i can imagine we'll bring those.

glow sticks are a great idea. it will keep them occupied while standing in line for rides at night.

i am going to make them some florida themed word searches/crossword puzzles.

NOW HERE'S WHERE I MADE A HUGE MISTAKE, LOL.

i bought them sets of disney trading pins from ebay...and i gave them to them. what the heck was i thinking?! now THAT would have been an awesome surprise for their suitcases, haha. so perhaps you could do that.

i plan on including disney stickers and disney colouring books.

i am getting them autograph books and a set of brightly coloured markers/pens for when they meet the characters. i like the above poster's suggestion of personalized ones! i bought them each a cheap bag at the dollar store to carry their books/pens.

i'm giving them each a diary (aka dollar store blank book). i'd absolutely LOVE to get them cheapy cameras but unfortunately i don't think that is in our budget.

personalized mouse ears are such an awesome idea. i'm definitely going to look into that.

my girls plan on doing the penny press machines, so i have little coin purses that i'm going to fill for them. i'll put that in their suitcases and counting their change will keep them occupied for at least an hour's worth of driving. haha!

i am going to burn some disney songs onto cds.

see, i have plenty of ideas...none of which are particularly unique. haha.
 
I actually just picked my 11yr old up a "how to draw" kit up from costco. Costco always has great, different things for decent prices!
 
The year we went in January, I was online at the Disney store and found on Christmas Eve a sweatshirt, baseball cap, short sleeve t-shirt, and embroidered jacket all at great deals. Mickey sent a package with new Disney clothes, movies, coloring books, etc. and a letter telling him how excited he was that we were visiting. I packed the box and ran home after work before I picked him up and just placed it on the front porch. He found it when we came home. He was so excited.
 





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