Woo hoo!! Lots of surprises coming up for our trip next week!!

[Vicksterp33]

Hey Fellow Disney fans!

Can't wait to leave on Monday for WDW!! It's an all girl trip with my Mom, sister and me. We all live in different states and I'm meeting them at the airport in Orlando on Monday morning. Woo-hoo!

We are going to celebrate my Mom's 74th Birthday, so very excited for that. She loves Disney and is beyond excited! My sister is picking her up Sunday and they are traveling together. Here's the first surprise! Mom thinks we are staying at All Star Music. But my Sister and I secretly switched to WL about a month ago. I can't wait to see her face when we walk in that lobby.

Here are some other surprises I have in store for the trip. (rubbing hands together and laughing gleefully!)

I wanted to do the special decorate the room thing but it's too expensive. So instead, I've put together my own surprise welcome gifts for Mom and Sister.

I got Mom a cute tickerbell tote bag and inside I've put 2 Disney shirts and a stuffed "Roo". Got all this stuff on the disneyoutlet and walmart. In Sister's bag, I have 2 Disney shirts, a stuffed mini Poohbear, and the hidden mickeys book.



And then lastly, we have bought 3 $10. starbucks giftcards and have put them inside these really pretty "thank you" cards. When we come across a CM that we feel is having a day that they might need some of their own "magic", we are going to give them a card. It's our own way of spreading some fun and love when they least expect it!

I think I'm more excited about passing on the fun and magic and thanks than I am about some of the other fun things we are going to be doing!! I know it's cheesy but we have seen so many CM's get yelled at or just treated horribly because a guest is being rude for no reason so we wanted to do the opposite. Kind of like 'paying it forward'.


Hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend. We'll report back how everything goes!!
Take care!

 

[benolathe]

Sounds like a super-fun trip!

 

[KimiCoconuts]

It does sound exciting! I'm excited for you! I can't imagine your Mom's face when you roll into the WL!! Awesome!!!!!!!

 

[MartDM]

I don't think you are cheesy at all. I agree with you that planning & executing surprises can be even more exciting that the trip itself - isn't that what life should really be about anyway...trying to spread some happiness??

Kudos to you; I think the ideas you've come up with are all very thoughtful and are sure to bring a smile to everyone's faces.

PS-I'm totally stealing your giftcard idea Not just for vacation but as a matter of course for my day to day life! It's great!

I always feel so bad for service employees who clearly have been emotionally beaten on by someone and try to be as friendly as possible to make up for the jerk who did them in, but giving them a nice surprise is a great way to let them know we aren't all rude, self-absorbed pains in the a$$ and we appreciate their efforts!

 

[swald91]

Sounds like you guys are going to have a great time! Make sure you get her b-day pin & wear it all the time-people & CM's are quick to wish her a happy one. We had lots of surprises for our anniversary trip about 2 weeks ago! Hope you do too!!!!

 

[NanaV]

I love your idea for the gift cards too! What a pleasant surprise for some unsuspecting CM's!

Hope you and your family have a magical trip!

 

[WDSearcher]

That all sounds wonderful, but one thing you should be aware of ... CMs cannot take any sort of cash gifts or gift cards from guests unless they are in a tippable role (waiters, valet, etc). If you hand a thankyou card with money or a gift card in it to a CM, most will turn the gift card over to their manager or return it to you. For some roles, taking such gifts can get CMs reprimanded or even fired.

It's a really sweet gesture, but could backfire if another CM sees the gift and reports it.

 

[emyrus2004]

all of your ideas sound awesome. i love surprising people.

your gift card idea is really the best. i was in the college program last fall/winter and i was having to work on christmas day. a teenage boy and his little sister came up to me and gave me a little ziploc baggie with a granola bar, gum, candy, and a note saying "thank you for working on christmas so that our family can have a magical day!" it was the nicest thing ever and still brings tears to my eyes thinking how thoughtful that family was.

trust me, your gift cards will make the day for some hard working cm

 

[MomtoGKC]

That is so sweet of you. The WL one made me tear up - I LOVE that place!!!

 

[PrincessBetsy]

Sounds like you are going to have an AWESOME trip!! Your mom will be soooo excited when she sees WL I love your gift card idea and I may just have to try that when we go in December. What a wonderful way to spread some magic!! It really bothers me when guests yell at cast members for no reason or just because they are having a bad day. You will have to post all about your trip when you get back - especially your mother's reaction and the cast member's reactions!! Have a magical trip!!

 

[Vicksterp33]

Thanks for all the positive feedback. I'm excited to go, I know I won't be able to sleep on Sunday night.

My sister just called me and said she had spoken to Mom who is so excited to go! She's going to hold on to Mom's ME luggage tags until they get out of the cab at the airport and put it on her bag right as they check in so Mom won't see that it says WL all over it!

I will definitely let you all know how the gift card surprises go over. I'm hoping it's not the case that some of the CM's won't be able to take them. they will be inside a thank you card in a sealed envelope, so it will just look like a card, so I hope that they'll be able to keep them.

We are doing the afternoon tea the grand floridian that first afternoon, so I can't wait for the scones and tea! And we are celebrating her birthday at the Brown Derby with the Fantasmic pkg which none of us have ever seen, so very exciting.

Have a fantastic weekend everyone! Hope to see some of you there!!



I have to say this board has been amazing for tips and reviews. I was a lurker for quite awhile before joining.

 

[PrincessBetsy]

Hiya! How did your trip go? Did you and your family enjoy WL (I bet your mom was really surprised when she found out were she was staying)? Oh, and were the CM able to accept the gift cards you gave them?

 

[TLinden16]

I'm going to move this over to the happy dance board. Have a great trip!

 

[yrdlyprincess]

I think that you are really sweet for all the things that you are doing--from the gifts for your family to the great idea of gift cards for the CM's!!
(I might borrow that idea too if you don't mind!!) Have magical trip!