Surprising the Kids with a Disney World Vacation

Nearly every child dreams of a trip to Walt Disney World. It is a mystical place where even the most jaded adults can find magic in different forms. Children dream of the castle, seeing Mickey, meeting a princess and living in the stories they see in their books and movies. Parents want to make their children's dreams come true and from that desire, a trip to Disney World is born!

A big part of creating the magic for a child is telling them about the trip. This could be anything from mentioning it over dinner to an elaborate treasure hunt with a Disney surprise at the end. We've surprised our son three times with a Disney vacation and each time has been more wonderful than the next!

* Just tell them: The first time we surprised our little boy with a trip to Disney, we spent the night before we left in a hotel. The next morning when we woke up early to catch the airport shuttle, we told him what the plan was. His reaction, once he absorbed the news, was priceless!

* Pick them up from school and drive to the airport. Wait until they guess before you confirm. Depending on the children, they may figure it out right away, or it may take until they see "Orlando" as your destination in the airport.

* If you're driving, give them a clue every 50 miles or so. Make the clues gradually more and more obvious until they realize that Florida and Disney is the end point.

* If you're staying on property and using Disney's Magic Express, put the tags on the luggage. Tell them you're all going on a trip and wait for them to notice the luggage tags, complete with Disney logo, kid's names and resort location.

* Incorporate it into a holiday gift. Wrap up a copy of the Official Kid's Guide to Walt Disney World and tuck a printout of the reservation in it. Make an announcement and put it in with a wrapped up pair of socks or tape it to the bottom of a clothing type box.

* Make a treasure hunt. Create clues and hide them around the house, sending your kids on a chase. Theme the clues with Disney characters or elements of a vacation. Sunblock, new sandals, personal fans, T-shirts and shorts, and travel game books are great clues that let them know a trip is coming. Have the last clue clearly indicate that the destination is Disney.

Think of your own children and fun ways to let them know a trip is on the horizon. Check out www.youtube.com for some great ideas and actual video of surprises. Have fun with the planning of both the trip and the surprise. But most of all, be prepared for reactions that may not be what you expected. Some kids get overwhelmed by the news, some are incredibly excited and others don't understand. Our first surprise for our son was very early in the morning and his initial reaction was "oh, okay." Our video of this was very humorously anticlimactic. However, after he had some time to wake up and absorb the news, his excitement was boundless.

You don't have to keep your children out of the planning process in order to surprise them. Surprises can happen months before the trip to announce you're going and then the kids can enjoy the planning process with you.

A trip to Disney World itself is magic and fun, but you can extend that excitement by planning a surprise of a lifetime for your children. Be creative and have fun!