For those of you who have surprised family with a trip to Disneyland........

[misscampbells]

How did you go about doing it?

My family and I will be going in December, my 7 yr old son thinks we are going to visit family and possible hit some big Lego store (which we will, just at Downtown Disney ). Anyways.....we will be staying for 4 nights at the Paradise Pier, arriving on a Sunday morning. We are seriously trying to keep this a surprise until the last minute, but are trying to figure out the best way to pop the big "WE'RE GOING TO DISNEYLAND!"

Does anyone have any experiences or ideas how to make the surprise that much more special? Any info is appreciated!

Kathy

 

[Beana]

My sister and I are taking her 2 girls (DN7-surprise Bday for her & DN5) to DL this Thursday...neither of the little one's have a clue! We told them that we were going to take them to Phoenix for a "Chick Trip" so they won't suspect anything with the long drive. When we stop for dinner in Phoenix I've typed up and printed some activity sheets to keep them entertained while waiting for the food to arrive, and when they complete the activity sheets the back of the last page says to circle all of the first letters in the answers which will spell out "Disneyland". If they still don't get it I went ahead and made a birthday card for DN7 that says "Guess what.....we're going to DISNEYLAND!!".

Keeping this secret has been torture! I've wanted to grab them and holler at the top of my lungs that we're going to see Mickey, but I've managed not to blow it so far...whew.

 

[mundaremom]

We let me tell you my plan. We leave in 17 days, the trip has been booked since May 2006 and our two kids (11 & 6) have no idea. It is killing me, I am sure I have a dozen or two more grey hairs on account of the secret. What makes the surprise even greater is their dad will have to go away on a business trip and I will allow the kids a day off from school to take him to the airport because he is going to be gone for a long time. We will discuss our Nov 2005 trip to Disneyland on the way to the airport and discuss how much fun it would be to go back and even tell the kids I will look into a spring break trip. When we get to the airport, my husband will say "Let's forget the business trip and go to Disneyland" The suitcases which he is taking on his trip are packing with our luggage to go to DL. We park the car and board the plane. When we land at LAX a limo will be waiting to pick us up but the driver will drive to another terminal before leaving the airport and standing outside the terminal will be my brother, his wife and two of their three kids (oldest one is too old for DL, ha I say to him). My brother will be wearing a Grumpy t-shirt which I will advise the limo driver of and when the car stops my brother will open the door and say "Is this car for us?" I totally agree that keeping the secret is torture. So many times I want to say to the kids "If you aren't good we aren't going to DL!" or this weekend they have both been sick and I want to say "If you don't take your medicine we won't be going to DL!" but I can't say anything. I just keep my fingers crossed they getting better quickly.

 

[mystic_path]

Well my aunt took my 7 year old cousin last year actually, and she told him that they were going to visit some friends, and she gave him hints. She said you know who my friends are. You know my friend Donald and Mickey. She kept up with hints like that for quite some time.

 

[Lithium_picnic]

I remember when I was 7 and my brother was 9 we each got a card in the mail. It said that Mickey was looking forward to seeing us.

 

[challada]

I told my kids we were going to fly to grandma and grandpas (San Fran)...so got on plane and landed in Orange County instead. Grandma and Grandpa flew down and met us at the airport and had the rental car ready. We drove straight to the park and my son looked out the window and said something like "of course we're at Disney"...not a big surprise, I guess to my kids since we go fairly often! I think he was about 7 at the time and DD was about 3. SHE was delighted, but I think we could have flown to the north pole to see grandma and grandpa and gotten the same reaction out of her!

 

[Rapunsel]

I was about 7.. Mom and dad picked me up from school. And on the way to DL. my mom asked me to get something out of the glove box...

out popped my Minnie ears!

I will never forget that trip..


Now my son knows that if I drive to pick him up from school we are going to go to DL for dinner..

Spoiled kid what can I say.

No I have to say Annual pass that is affordable!

 

[got2travel]

Our DL trips are so often that I can't really surprise my son with those. And I don't really remember how I used to surprise him.

But when he was 7 or 8 we took our first trip to WDW. What I did was get a WDW planning guide book for kids. I got him up early one morning and he was asking why he had to get up so early. I told him we were going on vacation but he had to figure out where. I had clues leading him around the house until he found the book. He was so surprised it almost didn't click that we were actually going.

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

2 years ago my DD, 8 yrs, was 'this close' to winning a trip to DL with a contest for being a wonderful kid in the community, doing lots of volunteer stuff and a few other things. She came in 2nd and was given baseball tickets (long story short the girl who won the trip was 15 and the parents own 3 homes, run a huge nursing home, and we believe greased some palms here and there so this could go on her college apps). It was a HUGE downer for us, as at the time we were FLAT broke and a trip to DL was not something I could do for her at all. I really felt she was cheated, along with everyone else. So I decided I was going to make it happen. I started selling everything in my house on ebay. LOL. I started thrift shopping and finding stuff to sell on ebay - in 2 months I made $1500!!!
So this was to be her Xmas present of a lifetime. She had NO clue. The tag fairy even gave me that siggie you still see now (Special Trip with Little One....) and I love it! Mary Jo even picked us up from the airport and drove us around a bit to save some $$ (thanks MJo!).
So I managed to get another $500 from friends and family for Xmas...told them not to buy me a single present. My mom bought us hopper passes. I found a hotel up in fullerton for $17 a night on a hotwire screw up (do you dis'ers remember that one?LOL). I couldn't believe I did it.
So I got some passporter pockets and made my own binder. I put the pages in and filled them out Day One...drive to Seattle, Day 2 - fly to LAX, go to Disneyland....etc.....etc... Put the tickets in the pockets,etc..... I also put some disney stickers all over the pages.
I could barely sleep on Xmas eve. I pictured DD opening this up and screaming her head off, crying,etc.......
Xmas morning...I can't contain myself and make her open it first. She opens it and reads it quietly and puts it down. No reaction. I said 'honey? do you get it?' and she says 'mommy I love the story you made me! maybe one day it will come true!'. SHE THOUGHT I WROTE HER A BOOK! LOL. She didnt clue in at all that we were actually going!!!!!! Well I said 'No....not a story WE ARE GOING!! NEXT WEEK!!!!' and her jaw dropped. She sat in complete shock. Still no reaction - no screaming, no jumping, NOTHING. The kid was in shock. I told her that all that ebay mommy was doing wasn't to pay the rent (as I told her), but to take her to Disneyland. Still NOTHING......it was like something out of a movie. Then......TEARS......crying and crying - the 2 of us sitting there balling with joy. LOL!!
After that, she opened all her other presents from Santa and gramma/grampa,etc..... in a daze. Later on I said to her 'go get that game you go so we can try it' and she would say 'what game? i didnt get that game.' - she later told me that she didn't even really remember opening all the presents that morning - she was in so much shock and dazed from it all that she couldn't even think straight!!

I just love telling that story!

This year.....well..... we are a bit better off financially but not wealthy by any means. I have been ebaying here and there over the years and been doing a lot lately. She thinks I am ebaying for a trip in May for her bday. I even have a hotel booked for May (that I will cancel LOL) and left it open on my computer screen for her to 'accidentally' see. She has no clue that she is going on a Cruise in january for 5 days and then over to DL again for 4 days! LOL! We have to be in LA for a couple of days in late January, so I extended the trip by 10 days! woohoo!
I am not sure how I will give her this for Xmas - have to come up with something/

 

[tirby]

HOW CAN YOU STAND IT!!! Every ounce of me is sereaming DISNEYLAND!!!! I have not been in so longthat to keep it a secret might seriously KILL me!
Maybe next time OH yes there will be a next time!!

 

[goaliewife]

We told grandchildren that we were going to L.A. to watch papa play hockey in a tournament. The oldest did ask where his equipment was when we loaded the car up with suitcases and we just said that one of the other players was taking all the equipment down in a truck.

We got all the way there and checked into our hotel (off site) and then drove to DL. When we got to the stop light at the main entrance, granddaughter saw a bus that was covered in pictures of Disney characters and she started laughing at that bus and how cool and silly it looked. We said "well we have something to tell you, we are not here for a hockey game. Do you know where you are." I have never heard such a squeal of delight in my life. It was the best surprise ever. Best vacation also.

Wish we could do the same when we bring them to SSR next year, but they already know that we bought the DVC timeshare and they are very excited about going. This may be a long year with them asking "are we going yet."

 

[Albort]

Play the Yes or no question... or play Hang man

 

[csolson2003]

We took our kids(7yo and 20month) this past spring break. We bought a Mickey shirt for 7yo and wrapped it up with a paper that said 'we are going to Disneyland for spring break and then listed the dates. Two weeks before we left we got her to open it and read the note, she didn't believe that we were actually going...we had to convince her! lol That way she could tell her friends and get excited about going, just like DH and I. She had never been on a plane before and got very nervous at the airport, I am so glad we didn't wait until we got to the airport to tell her or she may have not got on the plane! Good luck and have fun.

 

[Ride Junkie]

When we took my nieces for the first time (they were 5 and 6 at the time), we told them we were going camping. So the day before we left, we got them together and told them we weren't going camping (their little faces went sad)...then we all screamed, "We're going to Disneyland!" They had that 'deer in the headlights' look for a second, then they looked at each other, then their jaws dropped...then they bolted to go start packing! It was so cute, and it's at the beginning of the vacation video for that trip. We didn't think we could contain ourselves on the drive down, so we spilled the beans the day before.

 

[hlbtimes2]

Our trip in March was a surprise for our 4 and 8 year old. We told them we were going to Long Beach for daddys work. It just happens that dh works for a company based in Long Beach CA, and we got a great deal on a flight into there. We looked on line with them for things to do in Long Beach, etc. They had NO idea that LB is so close to Disneyland. We got in about 9:30 that night. The kids both fell asleep on the way to the hotel. It worked perfectly. When we got there, I ran in and put away all the little "tents" on the nightstands, etc, that said "Disneyland" on them. We tucked the kids in and got a good nights sleep. The next morning I got them up, gave them a bath and got them dressed.

We then asked how they would like to go to Disneyland for the day! Our 8 year old started to scream and jump up and down. The 4 year old just looked at us, and asked if he could have some milk. After breakfast he asked if we were joking. The poor kid didnt get excited because he thought it was all a joke. LOL

It was probably our best trip ever. I think the next trip we'll wait and tell them right before we go. My daughter gets an upset stomach very easily. If I wait to tell her we wont have to deal with tummy troubles for a week before we go like we did the 2 previous trips that she knew about.

 

[samkj]

My daughter gets an upset stomach very easily. If I wait to tell her we wont have to deal with tummy troubles for a week before we go like we did the 2 previous trips that she knew about.

This would be my son! We are doing a surprise trip in February, hopefully this time he won't get sick!

 

[Hobbescanada@aol.com]

oops double post

 

[Hobbescanada@aol.com]

I've noticed the suprise visits seemed to go over well for most people.

My wife was suprised with a trip when she was younger (about 8 ) and while she loved the holiday, she wished she had known about it ahead of time so she could enjoy the build up and anticipation that comes before such a magical trip.
I know I would like to know ahead. I think the time leading up to the holiday is just about as much fun as the actual holiday...

 

[hlbtimes2]

My kids were ok with the surprise for two reasons:
1) we had just went in Oct (5 months earlier). They had their hand in 6+ months of planning for that trip.
2) My dd has a horrible time dealing with stress. It all goes to her stomach. The two previous trips both landed us at the dr's office the week before the trip. She just can't handle it!