I need ideas for a Xmas morning surprise WDW trip

[wannaBatWDW]

My wife and I are secretly planning our next trip to WDW. We are planning to leave Christmas Day and return after New Years.

What we would like to do is surprise our 10 year old son on Christmas morning with the news that we are leaving later that day. I'm looking for unique ideas to deliver the news to him. I'd like to do something more original than having him open up a gift that contains the tickets or reservation confirmation. Maybe a series of clues or something. Ideas?

Oh, in case it matters to your ideas......this won't be his first trip to WDW.

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[elcodfish]

hmmm

I think it would be funny to have him open a series of gifts all things he will need but not want, like the first can be socks, the second underwear, maybe sunscreen and have him put the clues together... but if you want to tell him before, maybe just leave hints around the house and see what he picks up, like a guide book on the kitchen table, a packing list in the bathroom...

 

[disneydiva72]

We are doing the same thing but we are going the 23rd staying till the 27th...we are telling the kids we are taking my Mom to the airport for a quick conference, and once we get there we are going to open the back of the van and all their bags will be packed.

 

[cemeb4dk]

you may find this silly but check you tube. There are a bunch of video surprises on telling kids about Disney.

 

[disneydiva72]

you may find this silly but check you tube. There are a bunch of video surprises on telling kids about Disney.

great idea.

 

[dixiegirl]

Why not do it during the Disney christtmas parade on tv!!!My hubby did that for me and our girls 2 years ago ...As much as we have gone I cried like a baby that he did that for me. while our girls and I were daning around and singing to the parade he gave me a packet with all our travel documents....(It was actually for my 30th bday but somehow our girls lucked out with the trip as well) And everyone in the family knew, my hubby and I can't keep anything from each other to save our lives, so him keeping this a secret for months was BIG!!! And was one of the best trips as well...

 

[natolij02]

Find out from Disney about trying to get a phone call from Mickey or one of his favorite characters in the morning, or you could also get a friend or family member call and pretend to be disney calling to confirm the hotel reservations for arrival that day.......

could go something like this.....

*ring* "hello, this is Walt Disney World calling, due to the fact it is christmas morning, we are calling all families to confirm the reservations for your stay starting today 12-25 to (insert check out date). We are confirming your stay at (insert resort) along with park tickets, and magical express. We are also confirming that this is (insert DS name) big christmas surprise from mom and dad and it's time to get your bags packed because you have a flight to catch"

Just my 2 cents:wave:......oh and you have to make sure he answers the phone and have the camera ready!!! Have fun deciding on your surprise!

 

[LuisT]

Everyone has gave great clues.. But my parents.. ( while we were watching the disney world parade on christmas day ). Said, Okay here is our plan.. Were going to have breakfast and then go to Disney World. We just couldn't believe it! I kept on saying to myself, this is a lie, this is a lie. It was a GREAT surprise! Also, as other people were mentioning. Make up gifts, such as socks, SUN GLASSES, and maybe some disney themed stuff .

-Luis

 

[slappy magoo]

Maybe one of their gifts could be big-kids training pants. When they ask why, say "We're going to Disney World during the busiest week of the year! Even the lines to the bathrooms will be long!" :ROFLOL:

I mean, I'm not trying to be a total killjoy, but it's a rough week to go. A surprise is a great idea, because they don't have the opportunity to get their expectations too high. But if I were in your shoes, I'd play it cool up to the point that you get on the plane. Tell everyone you have to meet "Michael" in Florida on business on Christmas Day that can't be avoided. Your spouse says "What? On Christmas? You CAN'T work during Christmas Week!" You say it can't be helped, after all, Michael isn't complaining that HE has to work during Christmas, and your better half says "Well, in that case we're all going with you, this family will NOT be separated on Christmas."

Leading up to it, keep telling your kids that "Michael" has a great sense of humor, and he has really funny friends, so maybe Christmas won't be that bad. You'll make it an adventure. And the hotel has a pool...you think. And maybe you can have dinner once or twice together. Act like you're trying to put the best possible face on a gloomy work-related trip. And then, just as the plane's about to take off, turn to them and go "Oh, and when you meet Michael? He prefers to be called by his nickname: Mickey. Mickey Mouse."

 

[disneymyway]

Oh how fun!

Why don't you email wdw.mail.order@disneyworld.com

and get mouse ears and autograph books from the park before you leave.

 

[CanadianMegan]

I am absolutely love the idea of giving him borinw gifts he doesn't want at first. That is hilarious.

And then all of a sudden he opens the best gift of all. It will blow his mind!

What a wonderful idea, by the way. I think it is so great!

 

[nolatron]

I mean, I'm not trying to be a total killjoy, but it's a rough week to go.

Yup. Our last trip was Dec 26 - Dec 30. The parks were completely packed, most getting closed mid-day due to capacity. It's was a nice trip before our daughter was born in February, but we'll never go those days again.

So just a warning!

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

The only issue I have with surprise trips (although I would love to be surprised myself!) is that you lose out on the fun of planning for the trip (for example, in anticipation of our next trip, which is a year away, my family is watching Disney movies we haven't seen in awhile, one movie every week or two after Sunday dinner....oh, and we're all adults- we just loving building the anticipation) .

My cousin and her fiance are going to surprise his son with a Christmas trip (they're actually leaving just before Christmas). They have been telling him for a few months that they're going to go next May, so that way he's excited about it and involved in the planning process. He thinks my cousin and fiance are going on a cruise (he lives FT with his mom), and he's going to go with them to the AP to "drop them off." Then, just like another post said, they're going to pop open the trunk and let him know they're actually going to WDW and he's going too (I'd love to see the look on his face...he's 7, a well-behaved, cute kid).

 

[sarabi]

Why not do it during the Disney christtmas parade on tv!!!My hubby did that for me and our girls 2 years ago ...As much as we have gone I cried like a baby that he did that for me. while our girls and I were daning around and singing to the parade he gave me a packet with all our travel documents....(It was actually for my 30th bday but somehow our girls lucked out with the trip as well) And everyone in the family knew, my hubby and I can't keep anything from each other to save our lives, so him keeping this a secret for months was BIG!!! And was one of the best trips as well...

Ohhhh... I love this idea if you can time it right. Just a little "Wow, it's sunny down there." "Wow, looks nice out." "Look how Main Street is decorated". "Too bad we're here." "Good thing we'll be there tonight/tomorrow". See if he catches it.

I also love the idea of wrapping things he needs to pack, but you might just want to wrap his suitcase if that can work.

 

[RiversideBunny]

Why not put a small present(s) under the tree.
Inside is a note saying, "You're going to Walt Disney World today."

:xmas:

 

[perrych]

One year, my grandmother surprised us by giving us a copy of "Donald Duck Goes to Disneyland" which ends with donald getting a ticket to Disneyland. Our tickets to WDW were attached on the next page. It was kind of a gift within the gift. It's an old book and the wrong park, but the surprise at the end made it a great memory. I won't forget that Christmas for a while!

 

[kjd469]

We've done this a fewof times. The first time we found chocolate Disney "coins" and used a marker to put a letter on each one. We spelled out the phrase "You're going on the Disney Cruise". We hid the coins all over the house and had them find them, like an easter egg hunt, then when they had collected them all, I gave them a piece of bristol board, which had circles for each letter, separated by each word. They then had to arrange the coins in the proper order to spell the words. It sure didn't take them as long as I thought it would, and boy were they excited.

The second time, I made a card, using a Disney program, and created a Christmas card which we put on the mantle for the morning. It had Mickey Mouse on it, and when they opened it, Mickey was wishing them a Merry Christmas, followed by "See you real soon!"....they looked at me kind of weird, but expectantly, and we surprised them with the details of the trip.

Another time, for spring break, when they came home from school on the last day, we kind of enquired what their friends were doing for March break, and they proceeded to tell us all the plans. I then said wow, seems like we're the only ones not doing anything, maybe we should go to Disney....they thought I was joking, until I told them to get in the car...we were heading to the airport. I think it took them a couple of days to have it sink in. I had packed their things in the day while they were at school, and we literally just had to get in the car.

We've been to Disney a lot, so I always like to throw in a surprise once in a while to take them off guard. You just have to use your imagination, and I'm sure whatever you decide to do will be a lot of fun. Good luck!!

 

[natolij02]

Ohhh.......I just thought of another one. Remember in the movie Christmas Story when the boy wanted the red ryder BB gun??? The kid was like "ohhhhh......christmas is over" and the father goes "ohhhh.......wait a minute, I think I see something over there.....ralphy why don't you go see what it is......"

You could do something similar with tickets or a note and be like "DS" whats that over there, why don't you go see......but, only after you pretend like christmas is all over with the present part.

Another thought would be to act like he got a christmas card in the mail and put it in the mail box and ask him to go check the mail and in it would be a disney card of coarse and inside a note or tickets.

I am sure no matter what you decide you will enjoy his reaction. Wether it be simple and easy or large and dramatic he will be excited!!!!

 

[EPCOTGAL1]

Well, all these ideas sound really great and I'm getting a little "teary" just reading them...

As an additional suggestion, you could put together a CD of pictures from old trips and even download some photos (with owners permission, of course) of wonderful places in WDW, put it to some Disney music and have the last photo be of a poster or graphic that says something like....."call your friends, or pack your bags...we leave for the Magic Kingdom in ?? hours! Merry Christmas!! Love Mom, Dad and Mickey and the Gang! AND Video the Whole thing for your next CD

 

[donniedisney]

You might want to start making him wait a realllllllly long time for things until then because youre going to be doing a lot of that the week of christmas.