Keeping Disney Trip a Surprise!!

[CaseyJr]

Just curious, but has anyone planned a "secret" trip to WDW? ...and gotten away with it?

DH and I arranged a Thanksgiving trip, and we are going to see how long we can keep it from our 7 y/o DS.

Of course, the morning we start out, he's going to wonder WHY we are getting up early on a Saturday, and WHY we are going to the airport! Etc.........

What do y'all do?

 

[TaraG]

We're planning our December trip to WDW from our 5 year old son for his birthday. He has no clue! Luckily for us we're only about 2 1/2 hour drive away.

If we told him now, he'd drive us nuts everyday, lol.

 

[4407mark]

We've managed to keep three trips a secret so far from our 7 and 9 y/o DSs. So far, the fourth one is under wraps as well (but only for another day and a half. They won't find out until the morning that we leave...I'm sure the packed suitcases by the back door will be a tip that someone is leaving. We always enjoy the looks on their faces when we tell them where we're going...

 

[winniedapooh]

In 2000 we didn't tell the Dcherubs. Our trip was planned for January 5th and for Christmas we gave them a big box full of packing peanuts and one of their toy airplanes with a note attached to it that said Florida bound! Under that was a t shirt or hat for each of them. That was the best surprise they could have ever gotten. It also saved us months of when are we going again or how many more days, lol. Although one day I am sure I will be wishing those words back.....time sure flies. When we go in January, we told them already, we did not however tell them about the surprise Illuminations Birthday Cruise for 10 yo DS bday. Gotta have some secrets!
Faith, trust, and pixie dust to you.....have a great trip!

 

[dlgdonut]

we are keeping it a surprise from our 3 girls. DH trains racehorses, so he goes down to Florida every winter. So far they just think that we are going with Daddy for a couple of weeks before Christmas. Of course, the oldest can read so will figure it out when we actually drive onto Disney property, but I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when they figure it out .

 

[Smile Mama]

We are leaving on Friday for our first trip to Disney World. Our daughter is almost 5. We didn't say anything until a month before our departure date. I started asking her where would be a great place to go on a vacation? She had no clue! So I said where would be a fun place for kids, like some place with rides? She said Disney World! She didn't catch on though. (She's only seen the Disney commercials on Playhouse Disney channel). So I asked her if we should write a letter to her favorite Disney character and see if we could come and visit. She said Ariel was her favorite character (I knew). She said, Mommy we don't have to ASK her if we can come, we can just GO. So I talked her into the "writing Ariel a letter idea" (over a week's time) and so now we are waiting for Ariel's letter to come in the mail to see if we can come and see her. The letter will magically appear on the day we are to leave! The funny thing is that she isn't very excited. I guess she just has no earthly idea what Disney World is going to be like. (She is interested in meeting Ariel and swimming at the pool at the hotel). On Friday, she will receive her letter from "Ariel" that I will give to her and Daddy will be there too. After reading the letter to her saying that Ariel would love for her and her Mommy and Daddy to come and visit, then we will ask her "When do you think we should go?" Hopefully she'll say "Today!" Then we will tell her that our bags are packed and we are headed to the airport! I can't wait to see the look on her face! She's also getting an Ariel Mermaid "Barbie" type doll to play with on the plane. We have given her some information about what to expect in Disney World but not enough to overwhelm her. We've asked her to save some money but she said that we should use OUR MONEY! Hee hee. I have to write down all the funny things she has said. One last thing: She informed me that those people are just dressed up like that, they are not real! I told her she was right but that it is magical there and we should pretend it's real - that's what the grown-ups do!! She bought that. This may be our only trip so I am praying for good weather, health, etc. I'm taking my best camera and tons of film (I'm a scrapbooker too). Any advice? Thanks!

 

[TaraG]

Originally posted by Smile Mama
I'm taking my best camera and tons of film (I'm a scrapbooker too). Any advice? Thanks!

Take extra batteries for your camera too! I hate when my batteries die on me. Plus, journal all about your pre-trip stuff (like the letter from Ariel) and journal about your dd's thoughts and reactions to everything.

Most of all, have an AWESOME time! Take some ZIG pens with you for the autograph book. Just make sure the characters don't sign on the back of another autograph, makes it hard to put in the scrapbook.

Yep, I'm a scrapper too. lol

 

[CaseyJr]

I love it! A letter from Ariel! On one of our first trips w/DS (he was somewhere around 3, maybe?), we told him about "MICKEY MOUSE MAGIC," and that it would protect him from darkness (inside the rides), loud noises (fireworks)... Also, that MM food was magical and neat to eat. He was pretty much in awe of "MICKEY MOUSE" by now. Anyway, before we left WDW, I mailed a post card to our home, addressed to DS. "Mickey" told DS how much he enjoyed meeting him, that he hoped his visit was fun, etc. DS loved it!

Why is it so much fun to lie to our kids...?

(maybe because childhood IS such a special, magical time)

BTW, DS is 7. I have a feeling this will be the last year he believes in Santa Claus. (but he may not admit it--he won't want to hurt our feelings, since we still "believe")

 

[Inlove4WDW]

Why don't you tell him that you are going to another place...we are going to WDW in December so DH and I told to my 5yo DD that we are going to the beach ("Acapulco") and she is helping with the suitcases and in the airport we are going to give them (to my 2yo DS too) a Mickey backpack full with special things...I can't wait to see their faces.

Note: I made the Mickey backpacks, but that is another story

Vero

 

[Local_Girl]

We are also surprising our kids (DS 9, DD 6) with a trip over the Thanksgiving weekend and the following week. We are driving down and have told the kids we are going to Dayton, Ohio for a little trip (it's our first stop). So it's not really a lie....we're just going a little further than Dayton the next day... They do think that we are preparing for a trip to WDW "sometime next year, maybe", so we've been able to ask about some things they might like to do there to help us plan this trip.

Only a few more days--CAN'T WAIT!!!

 

[KittieKat]

thats awesome, if my parents ever did that...id freak out, and have like a heartattack...i totally wish they would.

 

[cynjam]

All my trips are a surprise for DD8, until we walk out the door! If not, she'd pack the entire house to take with her. I make sure we always leave on a school day and drive all night. Then I can pack while she's at school and just pick her up and go. Of course, all I hear till she goes to sleep is " Did you pack my bathing suit? Did you get my camera? Did you bring Barbie? The one with the LONG hair? Did you remember my..." Get the picture?

 

[Local_Girl]

cynjam,

Wow...sounds like we have the same DD--LOL!!! I must admit that's one of the reasons we haven't told the kids about the trip...my kids are non-stop all the time--doing, talking, etc. There really is such a thing as too much input!! Our biggest reason for keeping this trip a surprise (at least initially) was that we weren't sure we could swing it financially, and we were afraid to disappoint them if the plans fell through.

 

[USA Here I Come]

Why not tell him that you are going somewhere else in the country that he probably wouldnt want to go to then when you get to Orlando just say oh yeah I forgot to tell you we have changed our minds, we are going to walt disney world instead.

 

[CaseyJr]

We just love to surprise DS! It's kind of like an honest way to play a practical joke! We've never done anything like this before. DS will have 3 "potential" destinations to play around with when he tries to figure it out (a ski trip, relatives in the DC area, WDW). We travel often enough that DS knows our getting-ready-for-a-trip routine, so the packing will be done while he's at school. We're just going to get him up Sat. am, and tell him "it's time to leave," load him in the car and drive to the airport. DH & I are good at this "poker face" stuff, and we'll be chuckling all the way there! I can see DS now, stopping a FA or even approaching the pilot and saying, "Excuse me, but where are we going?"

 

[ilovefh]

My parents surprised us twice while we were growing up. Once was for Christmas, we opened these HUGE boxes to find plane tickets to Orlando for the next day! That was great, especially since we had never been during Xmas!! We always took one vacation in winter, and one during the summer. The winter (February vacation) was always to WDW and the summer was normally a smaller trip, DC, somewhere in ME or to our uncles cabin on the lake. We didnt get to go one summer when my grandmother died, so they planned a trip to "DC" in Oct.. It was the yr ToT opened. When we go to the airport my dad said "Ok whos going to ride ToT with me tomorrow" Of course at 14 and 9 we knew EVERYTHING and responded "Dad theres no ToT in washington!" We werent actually going to DC, just changing planes there!! It was great!!

Elena

 

[patsal]

I am planning a huge surprise trip for June. The kids still have no clue. I want to do something extra special for DS 11, he moves up to middle school and he has always been a struggling student. He is doing so very well this year that I'd like to share this huge treat with him! There are times I'm busting to share the surprise, but I know that he has to do the work for himself not for the "outside reward". Have fun!

 

[MrsPete]

Maybe it's just me, but I think a surprise trip cheats the kids out of some important experiences: helping plan for the vacation, saving their money ahead of time, anticipating the day you leave . . .

 

[Praise2Him]

We surprised our kids last year. We bought AP's in May, went back in October, then told them we weren't going back until Spring Break, but really planned a surprise trip for December. We actually told them on Monday that we were leaving on Wednesday, so they would have time to pack their backpacks with their "stuff". They enjoyed it, but now our problem is our DD 11 wants to be surprised every time, and the 2 DS's, 17 & 13, don't want to be surprised at all. Next time, I guess we'll tell the boys but not her!

 

[CaseyJr]

MrsPete -- how right you are! Planning and preparing are 1/2 the fun of any vacation! However, we travel enough that DS gets his share of that. We like to surprise him once in a while (but nothing this big), and seeing the look on his face ..... He's going to be soooooooo excited!

It's been all I can do NOT to say something to give it away. I'll start to say something, then change in mid-sentence: from a "when we're there" statement, to a "the next time we go" statement.

This is a special trip, too. My Mom passed away end of September (my Dad, 2 yrs. before that, and my MIL, 6 months before that). We NEEDED a spur-of-the-moment get-away trip. So, keeping this "secret" between ourselves sort of gives DH and I a little bit of a distraction.

WOW! ONLY 2 MORE DAYS!