Who else has surprised the kids??

[Wenlitz]

We are planning a trip in May to the World. The kids dont have a clue were going. This will be our 4th trip and our kids are 12 and 18.
Trying to figure out a fun way to tell them the day before we leave that we are going!! What you do?? Thanks!

 

[MELSMICE]

We surprised our DD's for one trip. They thought we were going to Toronto for the weekend, but when we picked them up from school & brought them home there were disposable cameras, along with the plane tickets waiting for them.

They were very surprised & loved that we were going, but they actually "confessed" that part of the fun of the trip was all the hype prior to leaving & they really missed that.

There's lost of ways to surprise them & I'm sure many on these boards will have some great ideas!

 

[Disneyrsh]

We surprised our 4 and 5 year old daughters last year (they're 4 and 6 now)-I was washing and stacking up bunches of disney clothes, and when they'd ask me about it I was like, oh, no reason, in this really goofy voice. We left silly hints all over the place all week. But it wasn't until they opened the door of the minivan and saw it crammed to the gills in its customary 'going to disney' fashion that they both yelled "We're going to Disneyworld!". It was really hard not to spill the beans but the hints all week long were fun. Although I will say having done a surprise trip, I like telling them beforehand because they love to help plan-being the little disney veterans that they are.

 

[MamaLema]

Good luck with keeping the secret. It is sooo hard but worth it.

I don't have any experience but we will be surprising the kids for the next trip also because last time they had such a hard time sleeping the few nights before our trip

 

[sweetpeakaris]

I get so excited, I can never keep a secret, lol!

 

[jenr812]

We'll be surprising the boys when we go this July. However, (and DH doesn't know this) I've already inadvertantly spilled it to my 11 yo DD! I am terrible I know. But there are logistical reasons (such as she's usually in Buffalo with my ex at the time we're going, so she will KNOW something is up by the change in plans. DH is going to be very upset with me (oops) I am looking forward to surprising them though.

 

[pamouselover]

I would love to be able to do this for my kids.
I dont think I could keep it from them, due to I get so excited myself.The last time we want was five years ago in 2000. Every day was counted down.
they only had to waite about a month and half for the trip. We call it DISNEY ON THE BRAIN.
Just planning our trip or thinking about going gives me butterflys. I also get excited when someone tells me they are going to Disney world. I think that is part of the fun... knowing you are going and all the excitment that goes with planning the trip.
There are plenty other ways to surprize them in Disney.

We took ours to eat at the CASTLE and kept that from them, and it was well worth it. My children thought that you just walk through the castle.
Well to their surprize there is alot more!!!
Disney money is a good idea too.

 

[tjmw2727]

We went on a surprise trip in October, just me and my two dd's as dh couldn't go at that time. My girls (8 and 10) missed two days of school over the Columbus Day holiday so the even the teachers knew ahead of time. We wanted to surprise them for a few reasons, one was so they were not talking in school about either WDW or missing school days. Another reason was to make sure they stayed on task with studies and such - hard to do when you are excited for a trip, even for adults. Finally I just wanted to surprse them!

So I asked my dh at dinner one day, in front of the girls, a few days before the trip if he would drive me to a client in Boston as I was unsure of the directions and with the "big dig" I wasn't comfortable finding it. He of course said sure, I can take you, the girls can come along and we can still make it back to school on time. My youngest sort of got an idea when we pulled into logan but my oldest was totally clueless. We parked in the long term and then my dh said - who wants to go to Disneyworld - to which my 10yo said "wow dad that is really mean" she still thought it was a joke.

The entire trip was filled with, mom I can't beleive we are here and how did you keep it a secret. They also started to realize things that could have tipped them off and that was fun as well. My youngest said "when you were cleaning out the medicine chest, were you really packing"? During the first hour of the plane ride my 10yo said "I think we are going to be tardy!. It really took a while before they realized we were going on vacation to WDW.

The second surprise was that my dear SIL met us for a few days with my neice & nephew whom my girls just adore. Since they live in FL we don't get to see them often enough.

Have fun surprising -
TJ

 

[bronwyn]

I'm planning on going with a "pseudo surprise" when we visit the world in September. Our girls (5,7) know that we're going but I'm going to try and keep the exact date a surprise until we're on our way to airport. This way they'll still get to be a part of the pre trip planning and I'll still get the joy of watching their faces light up when I say "Get in the car girls... we're going to Disneyworld!"

 

[mara61]

Hi, I didn't surprise my kids (didn't have any at the time) but I did surprise my DH. I had my mother in'law mention a couple of months before hand that she had a business trip to Boston and could he possibly drive her to the airport if my FI was not available. I had inventory a couple of weeks before hand and said it was messed up and needed to be redone so I could get out of the house very early (our flight was at 9 am). My MI asked to borrow DH's new suitcase and I had it loaded when I delivered it. I met FI at the grocery store and he drove me to the airport and we waited for MI and DH to arrive (this was pre 9/11, so he was going to see her off at the gate). We waited in the hotel lobby and when they came in, I had all the luggage waiting along with his Mickey hat. I had laid out his Mickey T shirt the night before as he normally wears that on Saturdays. He thought something was wrong, but my FI blurted before I could that he was going to DW! I had FI clear his vacation at work (he know's his boss), so his buddies at work had to keep it quiet to. It really took the entire flight for it to sink in. He was soooo happy! This is the shortend version, but gives enough detail. I highly recommend surprising someone if they don't mind surprises. This was probably the only thing I could surprise DH on, but it was sooo worth it.

Mara

 

[kmwilson98]

We're surprising DD this year (her first visit), and I can't wait!! She said she wanted a princess birthday (her 5th), so...OK!!! Her birthday will be on a Sunday this fall. The Friday night before that, we'll warn her that we're getting up really early the next morning to "run errands". She'll probably fall asleep in the van on the way to the airport. At any rate, she'll find out at the airport that we're going to Grandma and Pop's for her birthday! They live about 90 mins from Orlando.

We'll get to their house Saturday afternoon. Sunday, the day of her birthday, we'll have a small party. Her first present will be a video tape that DH and I are making, telling her essentially HAPPY BIRTHDAY! YOU'RE GOING TO DISNEYWORLD!! (What we're really going to say in the video is that we know she wanted a princess birthday this year...being a princess isn't really about having beautiful hair or wearing beautiful dresses...being a princess is really about having a beautiful heart - kindness, generosity, blah blah blah...and since she is those things, we decided to take her where all princesses dream of going...WDW!! ) The rest of her presents will be things she can use while we're there - an autograph book, etc.

We're going to tell her that we're going on Tuesday, but we'll actually leave my parents' house on Monday night and sleep off-property Monday night close to the resort, so we can be right there on Tuesday morning to start off right! I'm hoping to get late breakfast CRT ps ressies...the child is absolutely going to faint!

 

[gigi1313]

we've done the "pseudo-surprise" of telling the kids we are going, letting them plan and hype and all the fun pre-trip stuff... but not being truthful about the exact date... and leave a day (or two) earlier than we tell them... it works well, imo, the best of both worlds... the biggest "upside" to that is that they sleep the night before the trip so they are well-rested which they would not do if they knew we were leaving in the morning... i don't think i could ever do a "total surprise" because they so love talking about and planning the trip...

what we might not tell them this trip is that we are going to universal... we will probably do 5 days of disney then 3 days of US, and let them think we are packing to go home and instead check into another hotel! teehee!

 

[catherines_mama]

I always surprise mine. But its a bit easier for us. We have fam in FLA and we just get in the car and head to FLA.. she freaks when we drive through the arches. LOL

hee hee.. She'll catch on one day!

 

[HANDYMOM]

After planning secretly for 6 months, DH and I picked the boys up a little early from day care with a fully packed and gased up van. We told them that we had a surprise that we were driving to the beach (our normal annual beach trek is 3.5 hours long and happens in Aug, we went to DW in May)

We drove 8 hours to withing 1 hour of the World, stopping for supper and a pit stop, staying in an affordable motel.

The next morning, after replacing all my shoes at a shoe store(DH left a bag of mine at home) we headed in. When we got to the main entrance we pulled over and handed them each a box containing mouse ears, an autograph book and a mickey pen. DS (5) got it first and to my dismay was really mad! All he said was "Do they have a pool?" DH and I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. DS (almost 3) just seemed kind of stunned.

After checking in to POR and unloading luggage we thought for sure they'd get excited to meet Mickey but again they insisted on going to the pool. We finally got the the MK about 4 hours after we arrived. DH was fuming the whole time at the pool.

When we did get there we just walked straight down Main Street USA toward the castle, watching our sons carefully. Jaws were wide open, eyes as big as saucers. When we got to the castle all the characters (and I mean ALL) were dancing and doing their freeze thing for pictures. Our little guy looked like a deer in the headlights. I looked down and tears were streaming down his face all the while he smiled from ear to ear. PRICELESS! The planning, driving, surprising....it was all worth it! They will never ever be that amazed again at DW.

 

[Luckymommyx2]

I keep trying but I just have too much fun planning and counting down so I end up "spilling the beans." I haven't told them about our holiday trip later this year so maybe I'll try again!

 

[Mickeydad]

We surprised our DS7 & DD10 last October. We told them I was going on a business trip with their uncle (my brother). We told them that they could come to the airport with my DW & I and that we would me their cousin's at the airport too, to have dinner before my brother & I had to leave.

Well, when we got in the car it was very difficult for my DW and I to keep our secret a secret any longer. So, when we picked up the kids from school, I told them I have some good news, and some bad news...

The bad news is that "you two and mom are not going to the mall after we get to the airport," the good news is "I am not going on a business trip, WE ARE GOING TO DISNEY!!"

And when my bother's family arrived at the airport, we told the kids that we had another surprise... their cousins were coming too!!!

It was a big hit!

Mickeydad

 

[CheapMom]

I'm planning on going with a "pseudo surprise" when we visit the world in September. Our girls (5,7) know that we're going but I'm going to try and keep the exact date a surprise until we're on our way to airport. This way they'll still get to be a part of the pre trip planning and I'll still get the joy of watching their faces light up when I say "Get in the car girls... we're going to Disneyworld!"

I LOVE THIS IDEA. We surprised our kids last year (8, 7 and 1) It was really fun but they were so overwhelmed they were out of sorts for the first 2 days of the trip.

 

[princess lovers mom]

are surprise trip is getting closer...we are going to "surprise" the girls by telling them that we are going to Myrtle Beasch for spring break so that htey will pack warm clothes, vacation stuff etc and then start driving south, but outside of Phily we are I am going to say that I am sick of the car and want to go over to the airport and see if they have any flights...we have hotel ressies there for Friday night and will wake up in the am and board a plane...hopefully they will still think we are going to S.C....then arrive at MCO and get in limo to the Poly......the fun is going to be seeing when they finally figure it out!!! will it be the departure...arriveing at MCO...limo...or walking in to the Poly....

 

[jenr812]

are surprise trip is getting closer...we are going to "surprise" the girls by telling them that we are going to Myrtle Beasch for spring break so that htey will pack warm clothes, vacation stuff etc and then start driving south, but outside of Phily we are I am going to say that I am sick of the car and want to go over to the airport and see if they have any flights...we have hotel ressies there for Friday night and will wake up in the am and board a plane...hopefully they will still think we are going to S.C....then arrive at MCO and get in limo to the Poly......the fun is going to be seeing when they finally figure it out!!! will it be the departure...arriveing at MCO...limo...or walking in to the Poly....

I just LOVE this idea and ran it by DH. He reminded me that while our precocious 6 yo son is DYING to go to WDW, he would probably say something like, "But I really wanted to go back to MB!!" And he is so right - I can totally see him saying that LOL Sounds fun though

 

[sc9500]

For last years trip we asked my daughter (6 year old) to a wish upon a star one night (as if we didnt know what she wished for) Then the morning of our flight we awoke her to tell her her wish came true !!! It was magical !! this year we went with the truth.. a lot easier not to spill the beans !