Shhh...it's a SECRET! :) Need input!

[Tinkermom]

I booked our first Disney cruise for February of '08! We are keeping it a secret from our kids, DS 12, DS 10, and DD 5. Man, this is going to be difficult to keep quiet about for 10 months. The kids have been wanting to do a cruise so bad. I have been telling them that "someday" we would do that, not any time soon as the cruise is expensive and such.

So, I have some ideas of ways to tell them the big surprise:


-Give it to them at Christmas - I was thinking of having them open "one last gift" that would be for the 3 of them. Maybe wrap up a toy boat with a card inside telling them about the cruise. If we did this they could have the last 6 weeks or so before the cruise to help plan and get excited about it.



-Don't say anything until it is time to board the Disney Cruise Line Bus - We are staying at WDW for 3 or 4 nights prior to the cruise. As it is time to leave the resort we would be waiting for the Magical Express bus to go back to the airport. This is always a sad time for all of us. But, of course we would actually be waiting for the Disney Cruise bus! Wouldn't they be surprised as that bus pulls up and we stand up to board and say "Oh, did I forget to mention... we are going on a DISNEY CRUISE!


-Tell them during dinner our last night at WDW - I was thinking of doing a character meal (Chef Mickey's perhaps?) on our last night at WDW. I was wondering if we could get Mickey to bring a card over to the table for the kids. I would have this poem inside:
"Here at Disneyworld we hope you've had fun,
but really the fun has just begun.
Look at Mom and Dad for the big news..."
Then as they look up I would hold up a big sign that says - "WE'RE GOING ON A DISNEY CRUISE!" and DH can have his camera ready to catch their little faces!

So, what do you think? Which way is the best way to surprise them? Please let me know if you have any other ideas! But remember...
It's a SECRET!

[Carol]

Although probably the hardest choice - I go with;

Don't say anything until it is time to board the Disney Cruise Line Bus.

[DVC2004]

Congrats, you guys are going to love it! We've done the cruise (3 day) twice.

I would also go with not telling them until they are about to board the cruise line bus! It will be hard but it will be so worth it! Disney surprises are the best!

[scottgr]

I would go with waiting till the last minute and before you board the bus. That would be cool

[ChipDale]

I'd tell them at Christmas. Planning/looking forward to the trip is half the fun. Plus, it will give them something to look forward to in the middle of winter!

[mamacatnv]

I like the last dinner idea - what about getting one of the divers at Coral Reef to come into the tank and hold up the sign that announces where they are going next.

We are surprising our kids with a trip to Schlitterbahn waterpark in Texas this summer. The kids think we are going to San Diego and we don't plan to tell them anything until we land in San Antonio and even then I am hoping they won't have a clue until we pull into Schlitterbahn. Our oldest may figure it out but I don't think our youngest will.

It is soooo hard keeping it a secret and not spilling the beans.

Have fun, what a great secret!

[disneycouple2004]

WOW !! How exciting
i would have to go with the cruise bus also..
it will be a hard to keep it that long
but it will be worth it ....congrats !!

[BrerSchultzy]

Waiting until the bus would be hard...especially with a 12 year old son, who will probably be wondering why you're packing so many clothes for a three day trip. So what about this:

Tell the 12 year old (maybe around Christmas), so they can help plan the whole thing, but keep it a secret from the 10 and 5 year olds. That way, your oldest can kind of feel a bit more grown up.

Don't get me wrong...waiting until the bus sounds like a blast...and the dinner poem is very cute (although, it is difficult to get Disney Characters to deliver items to the table, since there is a liability issue...but maybe not a problem with just a piece of paper). I just know that there is no way I could hold a secret for that long...but having the 12 year old in on it may make it easier.

Either way...CONGRATS! And have fun!

[kakn7294]

I too would want to wait until the bus but BrerShultzy is right, any of the kids might might figure out something is up with so much clothing and luggage for a just a few days at WDW - even many 5 yo are that observant. They also are going to figure it out when they will have to plan for missing school for that long. Because of that, I'd probably opt for the Christmas idea. Good luck on keeping the secret. I know I couldn't!

[Mousefever]

Hurray, Lisa! I'm so excited for you that you are going on this trip after having to cancel the last one!!!

I would wait until boarding the bus to the cruise. Blame the extra luggage on the variations in temperature common in February.

Congratulations!


Amy

[marlyn]

I think I would go with telling them when you are at dinner on the last evening at WDW.

I know how hard it is to keep it a secret. I have booked the Mexican Riviera Cruise for June 2008. My boys turn 13 two weeks before we go and I am giving it to them as a Birthday present. But I have to wait for 14 more months and try to keep it a secret...so hard to do! But what fun it will be to see their faces.

Good luck, and however you decide to tell them...it will be such a wonderful surprise!

[TinkRocks]

Kids are very intuitive these days and could possibly suspect something is up with the extra luggage.

Personally, I'd opt with a special Christmas gift. The build-up to a trip is half the fun - you could all plan on what y'all wanna do every day instead of being 'shell shocked' at the last moment.

[Tinkermom]

Hurray, Lisa! I'm so excited for you that you are going on this trip after having to cancel the last one!!!

I would wait until boarding the bus to the cruise. Blame the extra luggage on the variations in temperature common in February.

Congratulations!


Amy

Thanks Amy! I was just thinking of you. While at WDW last month, we had sent some of the same "magic" to someone from Intercot that needed it that you had sent for us last year. My kids and I talked about you and how God had given us the chance to "pay it forward". Hope all is well with you!

[angedeaile]

OH! How wonderful! I love surprises! I you for being able to keep a secret for so long!

Anywho, I like the boarding of the bus idea...but I think giving them atleast a few more hours of excitement might be nice.

Have you given any thought to having a "package" delivered to your hotel room from "Mickey" letting them know about the surprise?

That way, when you come back from dinner, there it is. That is what I would do anyways...that and during dinner keep bringing up the fact we are going home soon and everyone needs to pack tonight.

I like to bring them down, so I can build them up.

[poohluva]

I'd keep it a surprise, that's what we did for our trip last April, we didn't tell the kids until we got to the airport!! It was a great surprise!! Our next trip next April is a land sea vacation, but not a surprise this time.

[Tinkermom]

I think I would go with telling them when you are at dinner on the last evening at WDW.

I know how hard it is to keep it a secret. I have booked the Mexican Riviera Cruise for June 2008. My boys turn 13 two weeks before we go and I am giving it to them as a Birthday present. But I have to wait for 14 more months and try to keep it a secret...so hard to do! But what fun it will be to see their faces.

Good luck, and however you decide to tell them...it will be such a wonderful surprise!

How cool Lynne! Are you finding yourself starting to say something about the cruise and then stopping yourself last minute? LOL! We went out to dinner last night and our server was not so good, I almost said something about the awesome servers on the cruise that I have read about. Yikes! I am sure I will get to a point where the cruise is not top on my mind. We are going to WDW and the beach this summer so I really need to get planning that trip!

[Mousefever]

Thanks Amy! I was just thinking of you. While at WDW last month, we had sent some of the same "magic" to someone from Intercot that needed it that you had sent for us last year. My kids and I talked about you and how God had given us the chance to "pay it forward". Hope all is well with you!

Well, I'm glad you were able to go last month too! I'm happy that you and your kids were able to help someone else out. It's good for the kiddos to know how that feels. (Knowing how kind you are, I'm sure the kids have been able to learn this lesson far before now.)

We are planning our next trip for January 2008. There's a good chance for an Oct. trip to the KC conference too.

Amy

[imaprincess!]

I love all your ideas. My only concern with the last-minute surprise is that sometimes the younger ones don't take to it too well. We surprised our then 5 and 3-year old children with a WDW trip. We had told them we were going to Hersheypark in PA. When we said we tricked them and were really going to Disney World, my 5-year old smiled but my 3-year old cried all the way to the airport that she wanted to go to Hersheypark!

[marlyn]

How cool Lynne! Are you finding yourself starting to say something about the cruise and then stopping yourself last minute? LOL! We went out to dinner last night and our server was not so good, I almost said something about the awesome servers on the cruise that I have read about. Yikes! I am sure I will get to a point where the cruise is not top on my mind. We are going to WDW and the beach this summer so I really need to get planning that trip!

It is very hard not to say something. I live on Vancouver island and all summer long the cruise ships to Alaska sail by my house and my boys always ask me "Mom, when can we go on a Cruise?". It will be so hard to not tell them!

Whatever you decide to do, it will ba magical! Happy Planning!

[mrsgaribaldi]

I like the idea when the bus comes too