How to surprise someone reservations to a different resort?

[Rebecca Pocahontas]

I have not made any reservations, this is just something I have always wanted to do for my mom and I would love to one day do this.

We normally stay at a moderate or value resort but my mom has always wanted to stay at Poly. If I ever made reservations for us to stay here I would love to surprise her with the resort stay.

Has anyone else done this and how did you go about doing it? Or how would you do it?

we would be flying in and my mom never looks at her MDE app so that wouldn’t be an issue.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

I’ve upgraded categories as a surprise but this was before MDE so there wasn’t much of a chance of anyone finding out. I’d be worried Disney would spoil the surprise if the person I was surprising decided to go on MDE.

Do you fly in and use Magical Express? I would pack a flower lei and gift it to her with a cheesy note revealing the surprise at the airport. Driving in I would say nothing, play dumb, and “go eat at the Polynesian” before you check in. Maybe be prepared to subtly tell the guard what you’re doing (like a note).

 

[buzznina]

Yes, I did it for my DW and DD, told them we were booked at CSR and really booked AKL. We drive, but I did have them fooled all the way until we got to the guard shack As for MDE, I just did it under a different email address.

 

[AngiTN]

I did a surprise trip that DH didn't know about. But doesn't help much since I'm the only one with an MDE account. DH wouldn't ever know where we are going unless I tell him.

As for how I told him, I surprised him with an "invitation" that we were heading to Disney. I'd arranged his time off with his boss. I was going to surprise him the morning we were leaving but that didn't end up being the best plan in the end so I told him a couple days before we were leaving. I'd even arranged someone to do the lawn. Same trip I surprised him with where we were staying too. I had "invitations" made up to present for our destinations.

On another trip I'd booked CL but didn't tell him till we arrived.

 

[dansdad]

I did a surprise trip that DH didn't know about. But doesn't help much since I'm the only one with an MDE account. DH wouldn't ever know where we are going unless I tell him.

As for how I told him, I surprised him with an "invitation" that we were heading to Disney. I'd arranged his time off with his boss. I was going to surprise him the morning we were leaving but that didn't end up being the best plan in the end so I told him a couple days before we were leaving. I'd even arranged someone to do the lawn. Same trip I surprised him with where we were staying too. I had "invitations" made up to present for our destinations.

On another trip I'd booked CL but didn't tell him till we arrived.

I like your style!

 

[Scubadaddy32]

I did a surprise trip that DH didn't know about. But doesn't help much since I'm the only one with an MDE account. DH wouldn't ever know where we are going unless I tell him.

As for how I told him, I surprised him with an "invitation" that we were heading to Disney. I'd arranged his time off with his boss. I was going to surprise him the morning we were leaving but that didn't end up being the best plan in the end so I told him a couple days before we were leaving. I'd even arranged someone to do the lawn. Same trip I surprised him with where we were staying too. I had "invitations" made up to present for our destinations.

On another trip I'd booked CL but didn't tell him till we arrived.

So was it surprise honey!!!! You are paying for CL this time!
That sounds like my wife! She is constantly saving me money on our Disney Vacations with upgrades for me!

 

[AngiTN]

So was it surprise honey!!!! You are paying for CL this time!
That sounds like my wife! She is constantly saving me money on our Disney Vacations with upgrades for me!

Actually, I pay for the Disney trips fully out of funds earned with a 2nd job.

 

[Scubadaddy32]

Actually, I pay for the Disney trips fully out of funds earned with a 2nd job.

That would truly be a pleasure then! Good for your husband for landing a great catch!
Of course, I keed... I'm the diva in our family! Ha

 

[nkereina]

If your mother never looks at MDE, then it would be logistically easy to just book Poly and tell her you're staying somewhere else. However, if you are flying in and taking Magical Express, the surprise would spoiled when they scan your band and tell you which line to get in for your resort. So, you'd either need to let the surprise be revealed at that point or you could arrange for alternate transportation. Perhaps tell your mother you're surprising her with a car service so that you can get to WDW faster and not have to take DME? You'd just have to be sly with the driver to let him know the destination is a surprise.

 

[sethschroeder]

I would be worried about emails to your mom. If it was me I would go in to her email and have all Disney emails forwarded to me and trashed in her inbox so she couldn't get an email spoiling the surprise.

 

[disneylove16]

I actually had this exact plan for DH for our upcoming trip. I have POP booked, and was going to change it to Poly, not tell him and give a little note when checking in at DME to keep mum. Probably would've told DH we had dinner reservations at Poly so we'd go there first. I'm lucky DH is pretty oblivious to stuff, and definitely doesn't check MDE or look into things. But, while talking about our trip, he kept saying how excited he is for POP since he's never stayed there before, and we've already done Poly, etc. I asked him if we find a super cheap rate for Poly how he'd feel about changing resorts and he said he really doesn't want to stay there this trip. I told him of my plan, and he said he's glad I didn't do that. Oh well, I know we'll still have a great trip, and he's right, we've never been to POP!

 

[shocker]

I surprised my kids with a tent camping trip to Ft Wilderness. We packed up to go camping & loaded up the car. DH drove us to airport where we checked our bags & hopped on a non- stop flight to MCO & used DME to get our stuff transfered. Of course my packing was different but the kids did not pick up on it. So we flew & tent camped! Great memory!

If she doesn't read MDE then she won't know, but what about those yellow tags?? You'd almost have to body block & apply them while on the weigh scale at the airport or send her off for some 'task' while you apply the label.

 

[shocker]

So was it surprise honey!!!! You are paying for CL this time!
That sounds like my wife! She is constantly saving me money on our Disney Vacations with upgrades for me!

Great idea! I think I'll 'surprise' my non-disney-loving DH with a theme park view at CR....he'll LOVE it!!

 

[GXIncognto]

Just a tip for anybody else, that if you switch the last few days of your trip to a nicer resort as a surprise, find a way to distract the surprisee at check-in or just do online check-in and go straight to the room. We checked in at Port Orleans Riverside and right off the bat the CM said "9 nights in a garden view room then 3 nights at the Grand Floridian"...luckily my wife was distracted by the joy that is arriving at Disney World and completely didn't notice.

Of course a surprise split stay is much less of a surprise since they are going to need to know at some point so they can re-pack their stuff. I was going to be coy about exactly where we were switching to on the day of the switch, but I ended up just spilling the beans during a quiet moment the first park day.