~Need Help With How To Surprise My Kids The Morning Of Departure~

[joenan88]

I am looking for the ultimate way to surprise my kids the day we leave to go to Disney. We live on Long Island and will be flying..my kids as of now think we are driving to Hershey Park for 2 nights...All suggestions would be appreciated..my kids are 10, 7 and 6. We were just there in November at The Poly..so they really have no idea we are returning..this time to the resort they were enamored with the CR in a MK view.

 

[karenklo]

There have been several threads on how people have surprised there kids. One of the threads even has a link to video someone made to wake their kids up with! We are also surprising our boys Christmas morning with a NYE trip. They of course will get a 'present' Christmas morning! Have fun!!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Just get them in the car and go to the airport. If they wonder what is going on tell them you decided it would be easier to fly than to drive. At some point, such as when you are at the gate, one of them will read the flight destination as Orlando and then realize what is going on.

You may also want to have belt bags for them with sunscreen, sunglasses and Disney Dollars. Maybe give them the bags before you get to the gate and have them wonder why you have given them Dinsey Dollars if you are going to Hershey Park.

 

[mrstomrice]

You could leave a package on the front door from Mickey Mouse. I have also heard that you can have Mickey to call and say Happy Birthday...maybe you can have the call made, then have them check the door. You could also not tell them that you are staying at CR until ME gets you there...a bonus surprise!

 

[123SA]

Just make sure you don't tell them something that they think they may like better. Case in point...my friend told her daughters they were going to Dave & Buster's. She picked them up from school and drove to the airport. Told them where they were going. (Girls were 6&8) They didn't want to go. They wanted to go to Dave & Buster's like they had been planning!

So I would say -- skip the Hershey Park bit. I know WDW is way better, but you never know with kids. Tell them something they won't like or will be indifferent about. The surprise will be so much better!

 

[donaldseeyore]

Did they get Mickey ears their last trip? You could give those to them in the car on the way to the airport..........

 

[Shir Kahn]

I've always been a fan of the "let the kids figure it out in the airport" idea. I'd love to be in an airport and hear some kids nearby say something like "We're going to Disney today?" in an awestruck voice! Bet it would bring smiles to a lot of faces around them.

 

[zulaya]

The first surprise trip, we woke the kids up with the ringer on my cell phone. It's the Mickey Mouse March. Oh, and it was at 5am for an 8am flight. DS groaned...not a morning person. DD was, "What? We don't have school today." I said, "Well, if you want to go to Disney World today, you better get up." DS, still sleepy, goes, "What's this crap?" (He's not a morning person) and DD comes out of her room, with the wide-eyed, incredulous look on her face that I was hoping for from both of them saying, "OH!...OH!...Oh, yeah!!!" ~ with arm gestures and everything. Then she went back in her room and said the same thing again. It made the whole trip for me! DS did get out of bed, sleepy-eyed, and as he walked to the bathroom, I asked him if he wanted to stay home. He said, "Crap, no!"
(Crap was the word of choice in 4th grade.)

We're leaving in 8 days for a quick visit for PPP and F&G Fest. They have no idea.

It's our spring break. We're leaving Monday; flight leaves at 1pm. The plan is that we are going to the Mall of America for lunch with Grandma. The way we go to the airport, as you get closer to MOA, you can stay straight on the highway to go to the mall, or you bear to the right and enter the airport. We're just going to bear right and see what they say.

I bet money that DS will say, "Uh, Grandma, this is not the way to the Mall of America" and not put 2 and 2 together.

But we'll see!

 

[joenan88]

Just get them in the car and go to the airport. If they wonder what is going on tell them you decided it would be easier to fly than to drive. At some point, such as when you are at the gate, one of them will read the flight destination as Orlando and then realize what is going on.

You may also want to have belt bags for them with sunscreen, sunglasses and Disney Dollars. Maybe give them the bags before you get to the gate and have them wonder why you have given them Dinsey Dollars if you are going to Hershey Park.

This is the winner..love it! I was planning on everything you said but didn't know how to tell them at the airport..so then I thought I would "get the wakeup call" but I didn't want the surprise to be just for my middle son..trust me my kids would think we were only going for Zachary's birthday...Thanks everyone for your inputs!

 

[sweetinmaine]

Wake them up dressed as a Disney character!

Have a great time!

 

[joenan88]

Just make sure you don't tell them something that they think they may like better. Case in point...my friend told her daughters they were going to Dave & Buster's. She picked them up from school and drove to the airport. Told them where they were going. (Girls were 6&8) They didn't want to go. They wanted to go to Dave & Buster's like they had been planning!

So I would say -- skip the Hershey Park bit. I know WDW is way better, but you never know with kids. Tell them something they won't like or will be indifferent about. The surprise will be so much better!

This I found interesting..when I told my husband he agreed with you...I might skip the Hershey Park bit...we go every summer so they do enjoy it! Thanks

 

[wilde_oscar]

Just get them in the car and go to the airport. If they wonder what is going on tell them you decided it would be easier to fly than to drive. At some point, such as when you are at the gate, one of them will read the flight destination as Orlando and then realize what is going on.

You may also want to have belt bags for them with sunscreen, sunglasses and Disney Dollars. Maybe give them the bags before you get to the gate and have them wonder why you have given them Dinsey Dollars if you are going to Hershey Park.

say absolutely nothing till ya are checking in with the airline, or they notice that the destination for the gate they are siting at is orlando. Just say nothing till they realize it on their own.

 

[joenan88]

say absolutely nothing till ya are checking in with the airline, or they notice that the destination for the gate they are siting at is orlando. Just say nothing till they realize it on their own.

Very funny..great idea!

 

[jcmc]

We surprised our kids two years ago. It was the last day of school. They went in for two hours (enough time for church and awards ceremony). We packed the car and wrote on the car windows "Disney or Bust"! We parked right in front of school and waited for them to be dismissed. All the other parents were waiting around the car to see their reaction when they came out. At first the kids didn't understand, until one of their friends said "how cool your going to Disney" then smiles erupted with hugs and kisses. It is a memory they still talk about today. I'm all for making memories. Have a great trip.

 

[ewerstruly]

I have sewn superhero capes for my boys and plan to tell them when they wake up that we are going on a super hero mission. Everything along the way will be a surprise. I've sewn us all matching Mickey shirts as well. But, I do like the package on the front door from Mickey Mouse. Not sure what I'd put in it though. I'll have to think about this one.

 

[PanamaMike]

If you really want to suprise them, leave them at home.

 

[Peg]

If you really want to suprise them, leave them at home.

 

[sandra9968]

Oh my goodness that last response had me crying I was laughing so hard!

Do you think it would be worth keeping from a 5 year old or not? This will be her second trip and she has already told her Nana that "I am going back to Disney this year" She said that before we figured it out! LOL

 

[silverarrowknits]

Just make sure you don't tell them something that they think they may like better. Case in point...my friend told her daughters they were going to Dave & Buster's. She picked them up from school and drove to the airport. Told them where they were going. (Girls were 6&8) They didn't want to go. They wanted to go to Dave & Buster's like they had been planning!

So I would say -- skip the Hershey Park bit. I know WDW is way better, but you never know with kids. Tell them something they won't like or will be indifferent about. The surprise will be so much better!

I totally agree with this. I did a project on WDW commercials for my cognitive science class. While looking for WDW ads, I came across tons of "surprise we are going to WDW" videos. For every 1 video I saw that a kid was surprised about going to WDW, I saw 10 videos of kids who wanted the original trip or just didn't understand the surprise. Some kids are going to understand right away that Disney dollars/Mickey ears/Disney shirts equal a trip to WDW but other kids aren't. Make sure that the surprise is at the perfect level for YOUR kids and isn't a surprise that you wish YOU were getting. I am not saying this to be mean, but because I watched so many videos where parents had to explain the surprise to the child and you could tell the parent was a bit disappointed.

 

[Kriii]

Once I saved the little welcom back postcard Disney sent with our family name on it and stuck it in the mailbox the day of our departure. I send dd to the box to get the mail and she returned with a confused, "I'm afraid to believe this" look on her face. She was so excited when we told her that yes, we were leaving for the airport that day!