Last week, I talked about whether you should surprise your kids with a Walt Disney World vacation. Let’s assume you’ve done the family analysis and decided that you do want to make a your Disney vacation a surprise. Here are some ideas on how to make that surprise happen. I’ve broken this up by general categories of “reveal,” but there is some crossover among them.

REVEAL VIA TRANSPORTATION, Driving Version

If you’re driving to Walt Disney World, you can reveal the trip en route. You may want to do this by:

Place a Going to Walt Disney World window cling on your car.

• Asking the child to input a WDW address into your GPS unit.
• Asking the child to look up something on a map. Have a “We’re going to Disney World” message written on the map, or place a big “You are going here” sticker over WDW.
• Telling the child that you’re heading to a different destination. See how long it takes for him to realize you’re going in the wrong direction.
• Change the lock screen of your portable entertainment unit (iPad, portable DVD player, etc.) to read “We’re going to Disney World.” Hand it to him during the trip for on the road entertainment.
• Create a car bingo game featuring only items that can be found on the way to Walt Disney World.
• Decorate the exterior of the car with Disney related magnets/stickers/streamers. When the child heads to the car for a routine errand (trip to school, etc.), he’ll ask why the car has gotten a makeover.
• Place water bottles (sippy cups, etc.) in your child’s cup holder. When he gets a drink he’ll see a “We’re going to Disney World” message that you’ve stuck on the bottle.
• Stock the car with Disney themed snacks. Target always offers a range of Disney branded juice boxes, fruit rollups, and fresh fruit. Ask the child to save a Mickey juice box to share with Mickey later in the day.
• Make a surprise chalk drawing of Mickey on your driveway.

REVEAL VIA TRANSPORTATION, Flying Version

See if your child figures out what's going on when you pack only Disney-themed snacks for the trip.

Some of the auto transportation ideas can be adapted for flying, but presumably once the child realizes he’s getting on a plane headed to Orlando, he’ll figure it out. If you’re heading to Los Angeles, a Disneyland surprise trip via plane might be easier to conceal.

• Invent a non-Disney reason to be headed to the airport (dropping mom/dad off for a business trip, etc.) Say you’ve changed your mind about business, are chucking it all, and going to WDW.
• Invent a non-Disney air travel trip (going to grandma’s house). Ask child to check the gate number on the ticket. He’ll see the Orlando destination.
• If you have a small child who does not realize that Orlando=Disney, you can ask a flight attendant on the plane to deliver a note/package “from Mickey” which includes the revealing information.
• Use an unusual transportation method to get to the airport (limo, antique car). When the child asks what’s going on, say that a special trip needs special transportation.

REVEAL VIA TANGIBLE GIFT

Wrap up some personalized ears. Tell them the package contains something they'll need soon.

Really anything Disney related can be wrapped up in a box with a bow as a birthday or holiday gift. See if you child “gets it” when he opens a package containing:

• An assortment of plush Disney toys, DVDs, books, etc.
• A Disney gift card.
• Disney parks guide books. The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is a lovely choice for an older child.
• A selection of Disney parks maps.
• Disney-themed clothing, or special pirate or princess attire.
• Disney-themed helium balloons. Perhaps a message/note describing the trip can float out of the box.
• A packing list.
• An empty photo album labeled “Disney vacation pictures.”
• For a child who has never been on a Disney trip before, a personalized Disney tree ornament.
• Personalized ear hats, autograph book, sunscreen, other vacation essentials.

REVEAL VIA SPECIAL MESSENGER

Here the fun comes from the method of reveal delivery.

Scatter Disney trading pins throughout the house. See if your child gets the message.

• If you live in the NY Tri-state Area, visit Manhattan and ask one of the knock-off “Mickey” characters to tell your child he’s going to Disney World.
• Dress a plush Mickey, your dog, the child’s babysitter, or anyone else special in a “You’re going to Disney World” tee shirt.
• Ask a cast member at your local Disney store to tell your child about the trip.
• Disney periodically offers promotions in which character will call your home with a special message for your child. Keep an eye out for the return of this service. As an alternative, enlist a creative friend to pose as Mickey and break the news.
• Order customizable fortune cookies. Ask the server to give one to your child after your favorite Asian meal.
• Serve your child a meal of all Mickey-shaped food. (Mickey pancakes are easy to make.) Hide a reveal message under his plate. He’ll see it when he clears.
• Mom and Dad make a “We’re going to Disney World” video and post it to an older child’s Facebook page during the night. Child will see it when he checks his page in the morning.
• Have “Mickey” send an invitation to the trip via snail mail.
• Have your child pose for photos (like the family holiday card photo) instead of asking them to say “cheese” ask them to say “We’re going to Disney World.”
• After a major sporting event or American Idol finale, tape the commercial of the winner saying “I’m going to Disney World.” Tell the child that they’re going too. Works particularly well if you child is fan of the winner.
• Order a cake from a local bakery. Ask them to decorate it with a “We’re going to Disney World” message.
• Ask the department store Santa to break the news.
• Spell out the reveal with refrigerator magnets.
• Write a “We’re Going to Disney World” message in soap on their bathroom mirror. They see when they wake up.
• For an older child, create an app for the trip and surreptitiously load it onto his phone.

REVEAL VIA CLUES

Make the kids work for their surprise trip by revealing it via a puzzle or game.

Reveal your message via jigsaw. For an added degree of difficulty, create a clue-based game to find the pieces.

• Write your reveal message on a create-your-own jigsaw puzzle. Have child solve the puzzle.
• Make a crossword puzzle or word search with all Disney-related clues.
• Make a scavenger hunt with the trip reveal as the prize.
• At a party, have the child break open a Disney-themed pinata, clues to the trip will be released when the pinata breaks.
• Place a dozen or more small Disney trinkets (Vinylmations, Disney-themed cars, action figures, bulk trading pins from eBay) in places where the child will happen upon them: in their shoes, in the lunch box, in their bed, etc. Reveal the news when the child asks what’s going on.
• For a spring trip, hide clues inside plastic Easter eggs prior to a family egg hunt.
• Fill your home with “Hidden Mickeys.” Put the dinner plates in a Mickey shape, put loose change on the table in a Mickey shape, arrange round pillows in a Mickey shape, etc. See if the child notices and then tell him.

You can be as creative as you like in designing your big surprise reveal. You can use these ideas as springboard, but be sure to consider the age and maturity of the child when devising your plan. Some kids need to be eased into new and surprising information, while others can be hit with an “Oh My, Oh Wow, OH WOW” piece of news and take it in stride.

Are you planning to surprise your kids with a trip this holiday season? Let us know what method you used and how it went. Happy travels!

How to Surprise Your Kids with a Trip to Walt Disney World is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

You’ll notice that the question here is not, “Should you take your kids on a trip to Walt Disney World?” The answer to that is of course a resounding, “Yes indeedy do!” What I’m talking about here is whether your trip should be a surprise. Should you spring your Disney vacation on the young ‘uns?

Many family vacations are decided by tradition, vote, parental fiat, or simply a collective desire to explore the world. Someone, or everyone, decides. You discuss. You plan. You save. You wait. And then off you go.

The cultural zeitgeist makes Disney vacations different. Disney vacations seem to demand an extra measure of razzmatazz every step of the way. Not “We’re going to Disney World,” but “WE’RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!” Surpriiiiiise!

If the surprise trip is a gift, how will your kids react to not having "things" for their birthday or Christmas?

You rarely hear of people surprising their children with a trip to the Great Smokey Mountains, or Hawaii, or even other theme park destinations, wonderful vacation spots though they may be. But surprise visits to Walt Disney World are somewhat common. Disney even built a substantial portion of their recent “Let the Memories Begin” advertising campaign around guest videos of children being surprised with Disney visits. There’s almost a competitive pressure to create the most magically happy, over-the-top, wowapalooza Disney trip surprise reveal video, featuring cherubic children dancing with glee. A YouTube search of “surprise Disney” yields more than 21,000 hits. Maybe you should be one of those folks, but maybe not.

First let’s clarify that there are two types of Disney trip surprises: one where the trip is presented as a gift to be enjoyed at some later date and one where the family is leaving on the Disney trip RIGHT NOW.

There are pros and cons to each of these.

Children are surprised with a trip as gift. Actual trip happens later.
PROS

• This can be a money saver at birthday/holiday time. Instead of paying for a vacation and big ticket birthday/holiday gift, the trip becomes the gift and no addition funds must be spent.
• Allows for learning opportunities during trip planning. Kids can help with souvenir budgeting, packing strategies, etc.
• Allows time for children to prepare for some of the potentially emotionally challenging aspects of a Disney vacation. For example, you can practice meeting characters at a local restaurant so that the Disney characters are less overwhelming in the parks. Or you can practice having siblings share a bed so that they’re less prone to territorial fighting during the trip.
• Allows time for children to become more well versed in the Disney universe. For example, they have time to watch some of the older Disney films which may make them appreciate related attractions more fully.

Are your kids familiar with older or non-core Disney parts of the Disney universe? Would a better understanding help their trip enjoyment?

CONS

• Children may be disappointed by not having tangible things to play with on a special day.
• Young children may not understand the concept of time enough to appreciate a trip several months down the road. Thus, they may pester you endlessly with, “When is the trip?”
• Young children may not understand what Disney World actually is and thus may not have a sufficiently joyful reaction.
• If you’re constructing an elaborate surprise or reveal, the children might not understand what the surprise is. For example, if you make a scavenger hunt including clues about the trip, the kids might not understand the clues.

Children are surprised with a trip right now.
PROS

• Provides immediate gratification. There will be no, “When are we going,” questions.
• Children who have been begging to go to Walt Disney World will think that you’re a hero.
• You don’t have to contend with potentially unhelpful child input on packing or itinerary development.

Are your kids getting along well enough so that they can cope with the surprise of being together on vacation?

CONS

• It may be challenging to keep the secret until the last minute. Most trip planning involves phone calls or correspondence that could be discovered by children, ruining the surprise.
• Mom and Dad get no help from the kids with packing/planning.
• Without time to prepare for the trip, some children may become overwhelmed or melt down.
• If the surprise involves a cover-up, for example a fake cover vacation, children may be disappointed that the fake vacation is not real.
• If your surprise happens in a public space, you may cause a disruption. Case in point – the one time I surprise my own kids with a Disney trip, we pulled up to my daughter’s kindergarten in a rented limo, ready to whisk her off to the airport. This distracted the other children in the class and I’m sure the teacher though we were pompous jerks. In retrospect, I should not have executed the surprise in that way.

Is the trip for you, or your kids?

Given these points, here are some questions you should be asking yourself before you decide to surprise your children with a Disney trip:

• Who is the surprise actually for, you or your children?
• Have your children expressed a desire to visit a Disney destination? Will they be impressed by the surprise?
• How does your child react to expected experiences? Is he easy going or does he need time to get used to new ideas/situations?
• Can you actually keep the secret? Will you be disappointed if a third party accidentally spills the beans?
• Can you physically prepare for a “right now” surprise trip without alerting the kids? Will they wonder where their favorite sweatshirt is if you’ve packed it already? Can you intercept the Magical Express envelope in the mailbox before they see it?
• Do your kids like other kinds of surprises?
• Are your kids old enough to understand a complicated surprise reveal?
• Will you be filming/photographing the surprise reveal? Why? What will you do with the video? How will you feel if your kids don’t have the reaction you anticipate?
• Are there learning opportunities your kids will be missing if they don’t help with the trip planning?
• For a “right now” surprise, are you sure that your kids have not made plans that will be disrupted by you taking them away from home unexpectedly? For example, will a friend be disappointed by a missed playdate? Will the child be missing a test at school?

You get the idea. Every family is different. While a surprise visit may be great for many, it may or may not be the best approach for your individual family.

So fellow travelers, have you ever surprised your kids with a trip to Walt Disney World? How did it go? Did you get the reaction you were hoping for? Why did you decide to surprise them? Let us know in the comments below.

Next week: Sample ways to surprise your kids with a trip, assuming you think it will work for your family.

UPDATE 12/5/12: Here’s the link to ideas about how to pull off the surprise.

Should You Surprise Your Kids With A Trip To Walt Disney World? is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.