I have to laugh at myself...

[Soph and Han's Mom]

...as I sit here and type this message. I'm planning a surprise trip for my 2 girls for the day after school gets out. I'm going to ask them what they want to do on their first day of summer vacation, and then suggest that we just get in the car and drive to Disney! My husband is starting a new business and will not be able to join us, so it's just me and a 7 year old and 13 year old (and no, I haven't lost my mind! Yet!)

Back to the point...I'm laughing because I'm trying to be sooo sneaky...both of the girls are home today for a school holiday, and every time they come in the office and I'm on Intercot I have to minimize the screen quickly and say "what do you need''??? like I'm getting caught doing something sinister! I feel so ridiculous!

Has anyone else tried to plan a 'sneak attack' trip? It's hard because I want to tell them and have them get excited with me, but that would ruin the big surprise. I'm dying to talk about it with someone and you guys are all I've got! Ha!

Thanks for letting me ramble!

[Through the looking Glass]

We went for Halloween, not telling my daughter. She thought she was taking me to the airport to fly to CA for a military reunion. Planning was crazy. She usally brought in the mail, so I had to get it first so she didn't see anything from Disney. We didn't tell her till I was getting ready to get on the plane. At that point I gave her her lanyard full of Pins and stated you are going to need this. She backed away from the loading gate, "I can't go to Disney I made no plans and haven't packed any clothes." The shock on her face was priceless. Of course the pilot of the plane got into the act telling her that the plane was going to Montana and not Flordia. He must have heard her outside the gate.
Was worth all the sneakyness.

[one2goofy]

We've surprised out girls 2x (now 7 & 8).

First time we left school mid day, drove to airport thinking they were just dropping Daddy off for a work trip. We wanted to wait and tell them as we were walking on the plane, but with a 1 hour delay, we told them. It was priceless!! We just went for a quick weekend trip to see the MVMCP!

This past Nov. we surprised them again for a 10 day trip. We woke up for "school" and when they were eating breakfast we gave them Disney Dollars and told them it was their lunch money! It took a few seconds after they saw the envelope to understand what it really meant, but when they did they went NUTS!! We taped it and it brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it!!

It was hard to pack things, plan things BUT their faces made it totally worth it!!

Have a great time and post a trip report when you get back!!

[yjgirl32]

That is so awesome! We would like to surprise our DS5 possibly next year!

[cjdami]

Pick a bogus story for the child that sounds believeable and you will be all set! We did this to our DS a few years ago. DH was going in a "business" trip, but instead we planned a trip to DL for their 50th celebration and DS 10th birthday. We got car service to DL, in the car handed him a b-day card with a DL gift card in it. He looked at us kinda funny( knowing we wer planning a trip to WDW for the following year) and asked why we gave him a gift card for next year. WE told him no you can use it NOW, well he got so excited in the car, bouncing around it was great!! We stayed at GC and it was a totally awesome trip!!
Enjoy your planning!!! :thumbsup:

[Pally]

We surprised our boys in 2006 with a trip to Dinsey for christmas. We had our older son, in Grade 8, ask his teacher if he could write his math test early because he had a doctors appointment on Monday (Dec.18 our day of departure). She of course knew what our plans were and knew he was going to ask as suggested by her. Over the weekend just prior to our departure we had an early christmas morning with presents under the tree for the boys. We asked them to open them up. They each had one larger box. Inside the boxes were hints of what was to be. Our older son asked for a white christmas. We gave him a snow globe. They also had disney christmas cards, new wallets, passports, plane tickets, US money and some other trinkets. They were definitely surprised. :mickey:

[hlkeck]

We did the same - my kids were 3 and 5 and we just woke them up early one morning and said "get up! we're going to disneyworld!" We taped it and I watch it back often! They went NUTS!

[mudpuppysmom]

I got DS a few years ago. He had absolutely no idea at alllllllllL!!!!

I had done all the planning and all the packing without him knowing (he was 5 too, so that helps a bit), but he still can understand that when the suitcases are out someone is going somewhere.

I had to wake him up the morning of super early b/c DH was dropping us at the airport before he went to work (he was also not going with us). When I kneeled down beside DS's bed and whispered in his ear it was time to get up, he just growled at me -- then I whispered again, "how would you like to go to Disney World?" again he growled, but a bit more lively....then the final punch...."how would you like to go to Disney World right nowWWWWWWW?????" You never saw a kid move so fast in all your life!

DS packed his own bag complete with blanket, shorts, a couple shirts, his bear and leapster and announced as he was walking out the door, "I'm ready I'll be in the car getting buckled" DH and I just laughed and laughed.....

Needless to say, mom had packed his things for him and it was all already in the car!

I'm thinking of not telling him about our Oct trip this year and see how long we can go without him knowing......we'll see how long it lasts!

[buzznwoodysmom]

Don't give in, it will be so worth it.

We surprised our boys, 8 and 6, last summer. We spent some time at Disney's Vero Beach. They thought that was all we were doing for vacation. On the way home I started asking them, while videoing, if they had fun, if they'd had enough fun, if they wanted more fun? When they replied yes to wanting to have more fun I told them to look out the front window of the car and there was the entrance to WDW. The looks on their little faces and the sound of their voices were so sweet. It was an excellent surprise. They spent the whole rest of that day telling anyone who would listen about the surprise. We've surprised them in the past, but they were so little at the time they really didn't know what was going on or remember much about it. We are headed to WDW in June and are arriving one night early and have a room booked at AKL for that night and they have no idea about it. They know its a surprise, but they don't know which hotel. Then this Nov. we are going back for Thanksgiving and I booked 3 nights at the beginning of our trip at the Poly, a resort my whole family has been dieing to stay at. The only person who knows about the Poly is me so its a surprise for DH as well as two DSs. I love WDW surprises. It makes our trips so much fun and so exciting. Your going to have so much fun springing it on them. Good luck keeping it a secret.

[lspst888]

These stories are great! I wish my parents would have surprised me and my sister when we were little. When I have children, I think a surprise trip to WDW sounds fantastic.

[Soph and Han's Mom]

Wow!! All of these stories are great! Lots of great ideas...hopefully I can get though 'till june without letting a hint slip. It's killllling me!! I think the fact that they know their dad for sure can't come they will have no idea.

I feel like a 10 year old...'I know something you don't know!!'

Thanks for sharing all the fun stories

[iheartdisney]

Back to the point...I'm laughing because I'm trying to be sooo sneaky...both of the girls are home today for a school holiday, and every time they come in the office and I'm on Intercot I have to minimize the screen quickly and say "what do you need''???

We're planning on surprising our boys with our next trip but how lame is this....I'm on Intercot so much I never need to minimize the screen so as not to give our upcoming trip away. Seeing mom working at the computer with Disney characters all over the screen is commonplace around here!

[Alaska Disney Fan]

A few years back, we told the kids we were flying from AK to Washington state to visit uncle, aunt and 3 cousins, and they were going to meet us at the airport. Brother in law and his wife were in it, we had it all planned out 6 months in advance. When everyone met at the airport, we told all the kids we had to get back on the plane because we were going to DW. They didn't believe us, we had to pull out the tickets and prove it before they did. That was some of the toughest 6 months, trying not to slip up and keeping the kids from intercepting anything. My mother in law even slipped up and let the cat out of the bag, but for some reason the kids didn't pick up on what she had said, and were none the wiser

[ransam]

i think that's awesome.
when my sister and i were kids my mom and dad once a year would take us to disney but it was always a surprise....we would wake up in shawnee, ks....go to a dinner, or movie, or something w/ our parents and go to bed in orlando!!!
it got to be a game w/ my sister and I...every time we would go out we would suspect something....
those are some of my fondest memories of being a kid.

[Daisy'sMom]

I envy you. You will have such a great trip. Drive carefully.:mickey:

[spoiledraf]

We couldn't surprise our kids as they are 30 and 31 years old with kids of their own, but it was fun to tell them the party was on us. We also wanted to tell the little ones so we could get them clued in as to what to expect, since this will be their first trip, so there have been many a Disney movie and Lots of Mickey Mouse ClugHouse on TV along with watching the planning vidie a few times.


I do look forward to one day packing the little ones up and taking them away with Nana and Papa to see Mickey on the spur of the moment.

Have fun and let us know how the sruprise goes!

[Soph and Han's Mom]

You guys are all so sweet! Thanks for the stories and well wishes.

No one else 'gets it' like you guys!

[dancin Disney style]

I planned a last minute trip just for my DD and myself in 2007. It just about killed me to keep the secret. I told her teacher in advance and asked her to play along. The day we were to leave I told her I had an appointment to go to and wouldn't be back in time to pick her up after school so she had to come with me. Funny, she didn't ask where the appointment was, I though she was on to me. I picked her up and we went to my mom's house so she could watch me tell the secret. My DD cried her eyes out and not in a good way. She was in a total state of shock. It took nearly an hour for her to start getting excited.

[MickeyandTink]

Boy, I hope we're able to keep a secret as well as all of you!

We told the kids 100 days out last year and had a daily countdown. After that trip, we told them we probably wouldn't be back for 3 or 4 years. Well, as many of you already know, it's sometimes harder on the parents than the kids to wait that long. :D

We've booked a trip this year starting on Saturday of Labor Day Weekend and are driving the 350 miles to DFW for the flight because it's about $600 cheaper from there. Fortunately, my mom lives near the DFW airport.

We've decided to tell the kids we are driving down to visit their grandma for the extended weekend (of course, we will have all of the stuff necessary for the Disney trip already loaded in the car). We plan to put on the Disney Travel Planning DVD to watch for the trip down and then casually mention about how much fun it was last year, so "What the heck, let's just fly out there tomorrow?"