To surprise or not to surprise......

[Angel12Mouse]

My fiance and I are planning a trip to Disneyland in 2021.....only reason were waiting that long is because I'm pregnant with our 4th child and we want to wait until she is old enough to enjoy it as well since we're not sure if we will be able to do it again or not. I'm trying to figure out if it would be better to surprise the kids the morning of the trip or to tell them ahead of time

 

[mjkacmom]

What are their ages? Have they been before? I certainly wouldn’t mention it for a few years.

 

[NAB]

I have done it both ways. My kids loved the build up to the day better. They felt ripped off that they couldn't tell their friends before hand or have a count down calendar.

I myself hate when my husband says we are going to so and so and I have to scrabble to get things ready and process the idea of going away. I know it is different for adults then kids .

 

[Angel12Mouse]

They are currently 6, 4, and 2.....they know we're saving up but they don't know when. I'm the only one who has ever been when I was 8

 

[Angel12Mouse]

I can see where you're coming from NAB....I'm the same way lol

 

[mjkacmom]

We surprised the kids the morning of, they were 4, 4, 6, 9 and 11, they were so excited. Six nights, and then they thought we were going to the airport, but we pulled up to the DCL cruise port. We had talked about going, so they were fami,air with everything. I did all of the planning, it was perfect (my parents came, too). I gave them shirts, lanyards, pins, autograph books, sharpies...).

They loved the surprise, but they are all very easy going.

 

[Tigger in a kilt]

I am going to WDW with 5 nieces next month, and all of them have enjoyed the build up far more than I expected. The 2 year old doesn’t get it, but the 5 and 9 year olds have been incredibly excited. It has also been a real bonding experience for me as they call me more to talk about stuff for the trip. You know your kids, but I would say to get as much fun out of the experience as possible, which includes letting them get excited beforehand.

 

[Angel12Mouse]

Thank you for everyone's input

 

[Tigger in a kilt]

Thank you for everyone's input

Have a great trip when it comes, and good luck with the new baby.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

My fiance and I are planning a trip to Disneyland in 2021.....only reason were waiting that long is because I'm pregnant with our 4th child and we want to wait until she is old enough to enjoy it as well since we're not sure if we will be able to do it again or not. I'm trying to figure out if it would be better to surprise the kids the morning of the trip or to tell them ahead of time

Well whenever you tell them it will be a surprise. Therefore we have established that you will surprise them and all that is left is to haggle and higgle over when the time is right to surprise them. I wouldn't tell them right now given that it is 3 years down the road. But I'd probably tell them once it's firmed up and you're definitely going rather than at the last minute.

 

[Angel12Mouse]

Thank you Tugger in a kilt

 

[ronandannette]

3 years from now is impossibly abstract for kids. Think about announcing it as a 2020 Christmas present to which you can easily tie lots of special little Disney treats.

 

[Angel12Mouse]

I know it would be way too soon to tell them this far in advance.....I think I will plan some great way to tell them a couple weeks in advance so they can help pack there stuff.....I will keep a few surprises though like the fact my sister and her husband are coming along with there 2 kids

 

[bethy]

I would absolutely tell them in advance in your case. But not too far since it's so far away.

As a compromise you could always tell them in a fun way - maybe 6 months in advance? There are a million great ways and ideas out there.

We go often and have only surprised them once. The anticipation is too precious to give up.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

We surprised ours, but about a month ahead of time so they could also experience the build up.

 

[dish rag]

I admire people who can plan so far in advance. I can't imagine wondering about something so far away. Or even planning a trip so far away.

 

[Angel12Mouse]

I love planning things....I get that from my mom lol. I appreciate all the great advice.....I like the idea of telling them on Christmas in 2020 and then they can help decide what to do and what to see and then maybe I can tell them were leaving a few days later then we really are so it would be a total surprise when we decide to have a spur of the moment family outing which we do all the time already and it just happens to be Disney a few days early

 

[sk!mom]

I'm anti surprise. The anticipation of something fun is so so much a part of the experience. We did surprise DD22 once when she was 8- it was a flop. She cried because of all the plans she had for the next few days ("what about dance rehearsal?, my extra piano lesson for the upcoming competition?", even tomorrow's spelling test.) Once she had time to stop and think for a minute, of course, she was thrilled but in the moment she hated the surprise. The surprise trip was her second trip that year and her third overall but still she would have preferred knowing. I should have known better as I do not like surprises either. I've always told DH- all "surprise" trips need to be given at least a month in advance.

In your case, I would surprise your children a month or so out. Long enough for the excitement to build but not so long that it feels as if it will never happen.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

This is a double-edged sword.

By surprising them, you aren't able to get their feedback during the planning. But if this is their first time going, they might not have opinions. Although, since you said this might be the only opportunity for your family to go, you will want to make the most of it, right?

I think you wait and tell them after it's all booked and you know you are going for sure.

We did surprise our kids for their second trip, they were 6 and 9. We didn't think this would be our last trip, and we knew what the kids liked, so we were able to plan with them in mind. Honestly, the hardest part was keeping the secret. We told them literally 10 minutes before we left.

 

[GreatLakes]

How does one surprise a fetus?