Keeping a Secret

[Beccone]

For our upcoming trip to the world this summer I plan on surprising my 6, 5 and 2 1/2 yr olds. My 13 yr old is in on as he is helping us plan the trip. I was thinking of not telling the kids until we wake them in the morning to get in the car and go, they are all huge fans of everything Disney and haven't stopped talking about going back since we were there last August. So the big question is, how do I keep this a surprise? My boys have noticed me reading the Unoffficial Guide and asked if we were going back and I said maybe someday if you all are good Has anyone surprised their kids like this and if so when did you tell them? And how did you keep the secret?

 

[DizneyPryncess]

I saw a youtube video that brought me to happy tears. It was parents surprising their two kids, hours before their plane left, with a trip to Disney. They kept it a secret by telling the kids that when they were 7 & 9 that they would go to Disney. They were 6 & 8 when the parents surprised them, so they weren't expecting it. I bet if the kids saw their parents reading Disney books, they would just assume it was for the future trip. That's one way to throw them off

By the way, I think it's SO cute when parents do this! I can't wait to have kids someday and do that for them.

 

[brent2124]

Lie to them and say you are going to visit Grandma out west or a family reunion or something. Wait as long as you can to tell them or they figure out where they are truly going.

 

[disneygirl76]

For our upcoming trip to the world this summer I plan on surprising my 6, 5 and 2 1/2 yr olds. My 13 yr old is in on as he is helping us plan the trip. I was thinking of not telling the kids until we wake them in the morning to get in the car and go, they are all huge fans of everything Disney and haven't stopped talking about going back since we were there last August. So the big question is, how do I keep this a surprise? My boys have noticed me reading the Unoffficial Guide and asked if we were going back and I said maybe someday if you all are good Has anyone surprised their kids like this and if so when did you tell them? And how did you keep the secret?

A friend of mine did this and she said that her boys were stunned and so excited! The only little thing - one little boy said that he wish he knew so he could have prepared. She asked what he wanted to prepare and he said - I don't know - i just like being excited the night before. It was sweet!

 

[RobnRachal]

It was our second trip to Disney, but our first, of many, staying on property. We told the kids we were taking Nanny to the airport and stored all the luggage at her house the day before (they didn't even think when we loaded the van the next morning).
(Nanny goes to Arizona frequently to visit the rest of the family, so this entire situation was not unusual.)
When we got to the airport and the kids were saying "goodbye", Nanny asked them, "Why haven't you asked where I'm going? They replied, "Aren't you going to Arizona?" She said, "No, I'm going to Florida, Disney World, in fact." "What??" , "And your coming with me!"
Well, the dumbfounded look was priceless enough, but when they asked if Mom and Dad were coming too....we couldn't hold it in any longer.:ROFLOL:
Even after we boarded the plane they kept asking, "Are we really going to Disney World?"
I have to say that surprising the kids was a great experience, for us all. But, nothing beats the anticipation, countdown, and pure thrill of packing and planning a trip together as a family.

 

[dannytaylor]

I myself have been keeping a upcoming WDW trip a secret from my 12@9 year old dd's and my 2 year old twin boys....I have been keeping this secret for about 5 months now and our trip is in 28 day's.It has been really hard to do,but we have managed this by telling them that we were going to take a trip to my parents house in TX.But the day of the trip we are leaving early in the morning around 2am,load the kids up and hopfully when we get to the gates of WDW they will still be asleep so that we can wake them up and have a real big suprise,I plan on putting on a Disney cd that plays the song from the opening of the Magic Kingdom that plays"welcome ,welcome".So goodluck on your plans,all I can tell you that it is really hard to not tell them just because i'm really excited myself!!!!!!:wave:

 

[Master Yoda]

How to keep a secret....

Step 1: Don't tell anyone.
Step 2: See step 1.

You can do this and it will be soooooo worth it. You will need to contain your own excitement. Don't talk about Disney, Don't think about Disney and do not watch things about Disney. It will only tempt you to let the cat out of the bag.

 

[stitchsMom]

When my parents took my sister and I to Disneyland for the first time (this was like 20+ years ago, they didn't tell us until we got to Cali. As far as we knew we were just going to Cali to visit our aunt and uncle! It was so cool!

Careful on what promises you make if you feed them a story about seeing someone. There was a terrible YouTube vid someone posted here where a trip to see someone that was important to the kids was promised. When they got to the airport and the kids were told they were going to WDW instead - the kids were really upset that they weren't going to see that special person.

I think the best is just to keep going with "someday" story. When it comes time to go, just tell them that you are going on a trip "anywhere - let's see where it takes us!" My parents did this one year when they had no idea where to go, and we ended up driving down the East Coast (that was a great trip too).

 

[Woozles944]

Surprise Vacation

We are going on June 22, the Monday after school gets out. Like many of you we have not told our 8 year old son, but my wife has almost given it away on multiple occasions since we got the plane tickets last September. Our son has also made references to us going again since we go almost every summer, but not usually until late August (free dining and less busy parks).

I am very excited to see his reaction on the morning we fly out. We have not decided how to tell him. I was thinking about playing one of the Disney vacation DVDs as soon as he wakes up or something like that... Any ideas?

 

[DisneyPirate85]

In 2007 we decided to take DD's 18 and 14 during July 4th week. They knew we usually went to Disney for this week so I told them we were doing something diffrent then refused to tell them all to there disappointment! Made up a false Itenerary for a week long stay at a Resort in Key West including photos of the resort rental rates for jet ski and boat plus itenerary for a day trip on a boat trip and information on local eateries. Then I "accidentally" left the report laying on the kitchen counter to be discovered by them while DW and I were outside working in the yard:ROFLOL:IT WORKED.
They had no idea till they saw the sign "Magic Kingdom next left"

 

[NewfieFan]

It was our second trip to Disney, but our first, of many, staying on property. We told the kids we were taking Nanny to the airport and stored all the luggage at her house the day before (they didn't even think when we loaded the van the next morning).
(Nanny goes to Arizona frequently to visit the rest of the family, so this entire situation was not unusual.)
When we got to the airport and the kids were saying "goodbye", Nanny asked them, "Why haven't you asked where I'm going? They replied, "Aren't you going to Arizona?" She said, "No, I'm going to Florida, Disney World, in fact." "What??" , "And your coming with me!"
Well, the dumbfounded look was priceless enough, but when they asked if Mom and Dad were coming too....we couldn't hold it in any longer.:ROFLOL:
Even after we boarded the plane they kept asking, "Are we really going to Disney World?"
I have to say that surprising the kids was a great experience, for us all. But, nothing beats the anticipation, countdown, and pure thrill of packing and planning a trip together as a family.

I agree!!! Half the fun of our vacation is the planning and anticipation. My kids love the "build up"... we do a countdown, make lists, talk about rides and attractions, etc.

My parents surprised us when we were kids and it was great but I wished deep down inside I had known in advance so I could have had the pleasure of looking forward to it!

 

[sjead]

My kids think we are still going next year, not this August, That way I can plan and discuss which character meals they want to go to, etc. I don't know if I will be able to hold out though. My DD keeps asking me what we are doing THIS Summer!!!! I just keep telling her a family vacation to somewhere fun. :animwink:

 

[Craig & Lisa]

One year we surprised our sons, my wife had them out at night as I got their suitcases ready and into her truck, Then we woke them up early the next morning at about 3am, told them we had to go to the airport to meet their cousins as they were coming thru on their way home from germany, (father was stationed there in the AF) but they had come thru about 2 weeks earlier. Got to a car park, started the video camera, and then surprised them, my wife had to tell our older son 3 times before he got it, it was the best surprise ever!!

 

[DizneyPryncess]

Careful on what promises you make if you feed them a story about seeing someone. There was a terrible YouTube vid someone posted here where a trip to see someone that was important to the kids was promised. When they got to the airport and the kids were told they were going to WDW instead - the kids were really upset that they weren't going to see that special person.

I remember that video - someone posted it here not too long ago. It was awful, the kids all started crying. That's what sparked me going onto youtube & watching all kinds of disney surprise videos. Luckily most were happy. I agree that going with "someday" is the best bet!

 

[Craig & Lisa]

I remember that video - someone posted it here not too long ago. It was awful, the kids all started crying. That's what sparked me going onto youtube & watching all kinds of disney surprise videos. Luckily most were happy. I agree that going with "someday" is the best bet!

I saw that video too, it was sad and hysterical at the same time. You sit there and say they must really like this person and at the same time you say, how could you not want to go to WDW??? :shrug:

 

[10East75South]

same here

We too are pulling a surprise on the kids (ages 7, 5 and 2), leaving in 36 days and not telling them. Its become a game between my wife and I on who might slip up first and tell the children. We figure they will get clues before we get the bags in the car on June 6 but if we can hold off telling them until then that would be cool.

 

[disneygirl1]

Well I had te same idea to surprise my son with our upcoming Sept. trip. but buckled under the pressure! He heard me making arrangements and I was able to tell him they were for a friend of mine, but then decided that the anticipation of a trip is half the fun so I gave up and put disney dollars in his Easter basket and told him he was going to disney. He was still very excited.

 

[Beccone]

I saw a youtube video that brought me to happy tears. It was parents surprising their two kids, hours before their plane left, with a trip to Disney. They kept it a secret by telling the kids that when they were 7 & 9 that they would go to Disney. They were 6 & 8 when the parents surprised them, so they weren't expecting it. I bet if the kids saw their parents reading Disney books, they would just assume it was for the future trip. That's one way to throw them off

By the way, I think it's SO cute when parents do this! I can't wait to have kids someday and do that for them.

I never thought to look at YouTube for these kinds of videos. I sat for 45 minutes watching these videos, laughing and crying. They were so sweet, I am definately going to videotape the surprise!