how to surprise kids with trip for xmas?

[ellersickc]

:mickey:We are going to orlando in february break, but our kids think it's next year. (2010) we want to surprize them for christmas and I was thinking about doing a scavenger hunt with clues. However my children are 7, 5, and almost 2. onlt the oldest can read. I bought sandles, sunglasses, backpacks, and mickey, minnie and pluto christmas beenies. we are driving down, but I would like to give them this as their big present this year ( well in a little over a week) please help with any thoughts:cloud9:

[tinklover]

First off lemme start by saying :welcome: to Intercot
:rocks:

Maybe have the oldest one lead the younger 2 and have him/her read teh clues? Also is yuor trip booked already? if not you can book up til dec 23rd and you can recieve a recorded call from mickey on christmas day. We are giving the girls a trip for christmas as well since they asked santa for a trip to disney to trick or treat there. it's a long long wait but ... I have printed out some countdown links and I will be stapling them together the night of christmas eve to put in the box and we got them some t-shirts from the disney store and we got some pins and lanyards for all 4 of us ( we told our 5 yr old DD that the next time we go we will get her some pins to start trading ) so that is her one hint she will pick up on. Also for their stockings I got them some disney dollars. My 5 yr old is just starting to read so i have also printed out a Note for them in waltograph font with some clip art of mickey and friends in halloween gear basically saying We got a call from the big elf himself and we can not wait to trick or treat with you In October.

[Grumpy's Daughter]

We've actually been planning our surprise trip since April- we leave December 26th! We have three DS's (ages 10, 7, and 3), so we're saving this present for last on Christmas morning. DS10 will open the first box and read "You're going on vacation". DS7, an early reader, will open his box with the word "tomorrow". DS3 will open his box with a Pal Mickey (purchased off Ebay), which should give it all away! It's been so hard to keep it a secret this long- only 10 days left! Time to go pack....

[ellersickc]

I think I am more excited than the kids might get? but anyway, thanks. Have a great time on your trip. I've heard this time of year is spectacular! I've only given the two oldest 2 clues: 1:this is the biggest present you will probably ever get. 2:you can't open it or play with it. It's better than that. I've bought them backpacks to open first and will wrap several clues to go in them. Someone told me to find a great disney world puzzle for their age and put some pieces in each gift, then have them put it together. if you guys think of anything else, please let me know

[djbinding]

We're doing the same for Christmas, but this is our second trip with the kids. I'm thinking of telling them we're leaving a day later than the actual day and picking them up at school on the day we leave all packed and ready to go. Might make them get a good nights sleep the night before too.:secret:

[CleveRocks]

We're surprising our kids on the last night of Hanukah with our February trip.

The way we're doing it is they'll each get some sort of Disney-related gift, plus one to share. The one they'll open together. It'll be a blank-looking DVD. We'll pop it into the DVD player.

My wife is great as using a movie-making program to make a slideshow with music and graphics. We haven't picked out the photos yet, but basically it'll be photos of our past 2 trips (May '05 and Nov. '06). It'll end somehow with either a graphic telling them we're going, or with video of my wife and me telling them (on the screen) in some humorous or otherwise creative manner.

And we plan to have a video camera rolling to catch their reactions to it all.

[ginger19]

I've done this twice and it's so much fun to surprise them. The first year they were only 18 months and 3 years old so I cut out a ton of mickey ears and made a path from their bedrooms, down the stairs, to the tree. On the tree I had a note from santa on disney stationary, luggage tags, and a book I had made describing each day they were going to have.

In November of this year they were 3.5 and 5 years old so I did luggage tags going up to the third floor. There they found balloons, the new Tinkerbell movie and planning pamphlets. We told them to get dressed, we were leaving right then :)

[Disney Doll]

I don't have any ideas to add, but I just wanted to say that reading everyone's ideas makes me excited for the day my son is old enough for that kind of surprise. Sounds like so much fun!

[teambricker04]

I haven't done this... but I can't wait to do it!!! I want to wake them up and then get them in the car... fun!

I think a scavenger hunt is a good idea even if the younger ones can't read. We do a scavenger hunt for easter (my oldest is nearly 4yo and the youngest 18mo) and I make pictures that direct them to the next one. So I hide something in a shoe, I take a picture of the shoe and put it in the egg. The oldest could read the final prize at the end to the younger ones.

I hope you have sooo much fun!!!

[Nana]

We are doing the 12 days of Christmas. Each item is a Disney one. It will start out with:
On the first day of Christmas, Santa brought to us-A present under the tree. When they open it, they will find a Disney game and a clue. The next one will be On the second day of Christmas, Santa brought to me 2 Disney DVDs. Some of the items I am doing are Disney candy, autograph books, pins, tickets, etc. I will be the ones reading the clues, but they will get to open the presents.

[DisnIse]

We're surprising our kids, too.

My first idea was to create a puzzle with Disney pictures and "We're going to Disney on Saturday" on it. Each kid would get a few pieces, and they'd have to work together.

My NEW idea is to create a scavenger hunt based off of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" with clues throughout the house. The last clue leads them to the computer with the personalized "news story" that you can make at www.sun7news.com .

I cannot WAIT for Christmas!!!

[Bri]

my parents did this to us when we were younger. they got a really big box and wrapped it and said it was a present for all of us. we unwrapped it and inside the box was a ton of tissue paper and newspaper all crumpled up. when we finally got to the bottom our plane tickets were there and they told us where we were going. we all freaked out!

[Tinks my favorite]

Our kids are 13, 11 and 7 and this is how they are finding out about our first ever WDW trip in January:
1st package is an empty orange box (for Florida)
2nd is another box with a picture of a happy face and the earth,
3rd box is a yearly calendar for each of them, with an airplane sticker on the cover
4th they have to look on the tree for a brand new ornament (mickey mouse tshirt ornament!)

Pretty sure #4 will give it away. All boxes were wrapped in Disney paper.

The final gift, one for each is a Disney gift bag filled with tons of Disney stuff, tshirts, Disney dollars, stickers, travel items etc.

I have been planning this trip since January 2008 so it is a long time coming!

have fun with however you decide to surprise them!! I can't wait.