Shhhhh. I am planning on surprising the boys with a trip to Disney next month. Although, honestly, I don’t know why. You could say that I’ve been there and done that already. And….it was fairly anticlimactic. Sigh. You’ll see what I’m talking about in a moment.
My boys are 8 and 6…and they’ve been asking to go. The last time we did Disney they were 5 and 3. Thatcher was a good age for it all back then, but Finn was just a hair too short for some of the best rides and, while he had a blast, much of it was kind of lost on him.
I’m kind of excited for them to do it again at this age. If I’m being honest, at this point they could care less about the characters (sorry Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and crew) but they are huge ride fanatics, they LOVE water parks so Aquatica, Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon will be awesome, and I think they’ll really enjoy Universal now that they’ve seen most of those movies.
When I was little we did Disney every.single.year. I LOVED it. It never got old. I know many families could take it or leave it, but for me it is kind of a “must do” of childhood. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait for the day that I can take the boys to Costa Rica to swim with wild dolphins in Drake Bay. I’ve been dying to recreate my time spent there with them since the second they were born. Likewise, I’d give anything to relive my trip to Africa…with them by my side this time. I’ve never been to Alaska, Australia, or Hawaii….and to experience those destinations with them will be a dream come true some day (hopefully). While I’m a big fan of ecotourism and seeing less chartered corners of our world….a good trip to Disney is good for the soul too. So, that’s where we’re at right now. We’re going to Disney World.
The “I don’t know why part” was directed at the intended surprise. Three years ago I planned and plotted to surprise them…thinking, of course, they’d be over the moon. Not so much. Freakin’ balloons…all they cared about were those balloons….and how I knew whose suitcase was whose. Heaven forbid they unzip the wrong freakin’ suitcase.
So, I want a do over. And, I’m open to suggestions. Any great tips? Anyone out there surprised their kids with a vacation before? I’m kind of tempted to wait until the day we leave. Deep down I’m a romantic. Big time. I kind of like the idea of a big reveal early that morning. But…I also like the idea of them having something to look forward to…and helping with the planning.
Thoughts?
Good Morning Gloucester 
This is probably too time-consuming for our modern, busy lives, but maybe you could have a little mini scavenger hunt every day in which they find a clue. For example it could be a letter, and after so many days they would have enough letters to spell out (or guess) FLORIDA, or DISNEY, etc.
Or the clues could be jigsaw puzzle pieces which go together to form a Disney-themed picture. When I was their age (over 40 years ago) I would have loved something like that, but it might be a little too low-tech (boring) for them.
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Thanks for your great ideas! Low-tech is good!
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We took our grand daughter out to a fun birthday dinner (a February birthday) gave her luggage, a bathing suit and tickets to Disney ~ the whole family left the next morning 6am. Total fun surprise ~
Can’t wait to read what you do 😉
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I had a friend take her kids into Boston for the night bags and all. They stayed over downtown and then the mom suggested they go to Logan to watch the planes…lo and behold..they boarded one to DISNEY! Total shock and awe.
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Too be honest I think I would be just like them at that age – as children the attention span at times for me at least was not the best – you gave them hints all over, and love the Zippa comment! Maybe a ticket to Disney world at the bottom of the suitcase – without anyone around and put a do not open sign on top maybe a remote camera without you coaching them tell them to wait in living room until we come back in go outside cup of Java some time and then check the camera and see what happens?
Or. 4.Check the Mail: Kids love getting mail and will love it even more if they find an “invitation” to an upcoming trip addressed just to them?
I learned when mom left the cake on table to smooth out the area we used a plastic spoon to get the frosting with 🙂 Dave & Kim 🙂
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