Who else is surprising the kids???!!!

[GadgetRick]

Yes. Leaving in 2 days. Our oldest son (3 years old) hasn't got a clue. We're going for my birthday and we always go for his birthday (still going in November for him). The other day (and this morning as a matter of fact), he said, "Can we go to Disney World for Daddy's birthday?" It's great.

We're not telling him until we get to the airport. We're telling him there for 2 reasons:

1. Every time he's been on a plane it's been to go to Disney.
2. Anytime you have one (or more) kids on a flight to Orlando, the first question they ask the kids is,"So, are you going to see Mickey?" He's smart, he'll figure it out.

I told him I'm going to take the day off and we're going to the zoo and to get a haircut (we always get our hair cut at MK when we're there). So he thinks we're not doing anything special. He's gonna freak. I can't wait!

Oh, staying at The Contemporary. It will be his 4th time there (out of the womb) and his brother's first time there (out of the womb). His brother is 4 months old.

 

[DisneyVetMom]

We are still surprising the kids we get them for two weeks this August so the day after they get here we are going to do a scavenger hunt, they will have to find clues to the letters that spell out Disney World, of course the clues will be out of order like getting the I first etc. We ar leaving that Friday the reason we are telling them early is that I want them to be able to make some t-shirts for the trip and the autograph books etc. I cant wait!!!!

 

[daretodream]

We made our arrangements in April. The kids still don't know. DH wants them to be surprised as we drive up to our resort in Sept. The secret is killing me!!!

 

[CindyAnn]

We've surprised our kids with Disney trips twice. The first time (it was their second trip to WDW) they were 5 & 8 and we gave it to them for Christmas, with the actual trip planned for early January. They had a present addressed to both of them (a sturdy shoe box actually). We taped our itinerary to the inside of the lid and included Disney dollars, Disney pens, and a few other little Disney things. They were a bit slow on the uptake, but did the Disney dance when they found out.

The second surprise trip (it was now their fifth trip to WDW) was when they were 8 & 11. We "kidnapped" them after school and told them they had two hours to pack up their backpacks (with toys/books) before we would be leaving for the hotel where we'd be spending the night before our flight. They were completely gobsmacked, and didn't believe us. DS (the 11 yo) asked to see some proof, so we had to show him plane tickets, passes, car rental confirmation and hotel confirmation. After five minutes of complete disbelief, there was another loud Disney dance.

We just announced trip #6 a week ago (not a surprise, but we're going with friends in December/January). I'm happy to report that at 10 & 13 we still have major Disney shrieking and dancing. We're really looking forward to this!

 

[Buzz's Buddy]

We surprised our kids a few years ago.

We booked the trip about 4-5 months in advance for a December/January trip and somehow managed to keep it a secret.

At that time, our daughter was 11 and our son was 6.

We didn't tell them until about 1 hour before we were going to leave.

Here's how we told them. We planned to leave at about 5pm on Dec 27th and drive straight-thru to Florida from NJ, so I needed to get some rest. Around noon, I said that I didn't feel well and went to take a nap. While I was sleeping, my wife and kids watched the Disney Planning video. When that finished, my wife told the kids that she wanted to go to Disney World and to go and ask dad if he wanted to go. The kids came in to wake me up and half-heartedly told me that mom wanted to know if we could go to Disney World. I said, sure, let's go! Of course, they didn't believe me. Not until I went into the attic and brought down the already packed luggage!

Here's where we ran into a little trouble. It was a little too much excitement for DS6 and he had a bit of a meltdown. You see, we hadn't been able to put together the Hot Wheels set that Santa brought and at that time, that was major problem. After about 15 minutes, he came back to his senses and both kids were thrilled!

I don't recall us almost blowing the surprise, but I think I remember a relative almost blowing it at a Christmas party.

Needless to say, we had a great time and the kids were totally surprised. The only problem (aside from DS's meltdown) was that we forgot the cameras. You see, on the day we left, we started getting some things together. The cameras were on a chair in our living room, hidden under a pillow. Apparently, they were hidden too well because after driving about 1 hour, I realized that we forgot them. There was no way I was turning around at that point. We ended up going to Wal Mart and buying a bunch of disposable 35mm cameras.

Good luck with your surprise trip!

 

[mickeyminnie]

We are surprising the kids this October. Both Grandmas are joining us for a couple days, we all leave on the same flight out of Chicago. What we are going to do is tell the kids Daddy has a business trip and we are taking him to the airport in Chicago. Then the Grandmas will be there and the kids will ask them (hopefully) what they are doing there and they are going to say they are going to Disney World and ask the kids what they are doing there. Some how through that conversation the truth will come out, or maybe we will keep them guessing.