Hi Bob!
How exciting that you are planning an upcoming surprise trip to
Walt Disney World! I've surprised my kids with a trip to the most magical place on earth, so I have some fun ideas for how to tell your kiddos!
One year I wrote a short story, positioned as fiction, and created a photo book online using one of the popular online photo printing services. I added photos of our family to every page and then ordered a copy of the book. I sat down with the kids one night to read them the book and at the end, I told them that it wasn't just a fictional story, we were going to Disney! The book now serves as a precious memory of that trip.
Another fun idea is to create a Disney surprise box. Order goodies from
shopDisney such as a Mickey Mouse plush, Magic Bands, Mickey Mouse ears/headband, and pins. Tell the kids that you have a surprise for them and they have to guess the surprise based on the contents in the box.
You could also have custom Disney t-shirts made that say "Disney Vacation 2022" or any variation indicating the family vacation to Walt Disney World. Wrap the t-shirts and have the kids open the gift. See the look of surprise on their face when they realize what the gift really means!
One year I created a scavenger hunt for the kids. Each clue sent them to a new location with a new clue until they arrived at the final destination for the big reveal!
I also love games, so one year I made my own trivia game and the kids had to guess the different Disney facts. I made some of the questions personal, such as "Who gave Joshua his first kiss?" (It was Mulan at
EPCOT when he was 9). Another question was, "What does Mom have to eat after every runDisney race?" (the answer was the pizza at
Via Napoli). The game got the kids super excited thinking of all of our Disney memories and I made the big reveal after the game was over!
Another fun idea is to visit the
Disney Parks Blog and make a few of the Disney Parks recipes. You could have a fun dinner night where you serve the kids special dishes from the parks and see if they can guess where they are from. Some ideas are making a Dole Whip from
Aloha Isle, Mickey Mouse waffles from
Chef Mickey's, and the "grey stuff" from
Be Our Guest. Then you can tell them that they can taste the real thing on your upcoming trip!
I am so excited thinking of all the fun ways you can tell your kids that they are going to Walt Disney World! Make sure to have a camera on hand because you won't want to miss capturing this special moment!
Magically,
Stacy