Pulling Off Super-Secret Disney

So based upon my last post, things were a bit topsy-turvy.

A little like Alice and Through the Looking Glass.

Having enough “Off with her Head!” this Alice went on vacation.

Actually is was a planned vacation. My husband’s company was hosting a customer conference in Disney World, and the family was invited to come.

In fact, my hubby and I decided to pull off the parental coup of the century by totally surprising our children with the trip. We “dropped Daddy off” at the airport and handed the kid’s their suitcases. They had no idea where the final destination was until the park bus driver welcomed them to Disney World.

They loved it. And we totally rocked as parents.

From this, here’s the benefits to keeping a trip a secret:

1. No one knows, no one asks. When you’re kids don’t know their going on a trip, they can’t ask you every 5 mins WHEN you’re going to Disney, skiing, the beach, Aunt Ida’s house….  Your sanity intact. Priceless.
2. You (and your partner) look like the world’s greatest parents. I’m not a perfect parent, far from it. But this one time, this one moment, husband and I totally rocked. From the friends, to ticketing agents everyone loves the story.
3. No pre-trip mayhem. “I want to bring Fluffy” the 40 lb stuffed iguana? Nope. You pack their bags, you get to decide what they bring. My daughter can’t argue over which bathing suit because it’s my choice.
4. You feel like a super-secret agent-spy. Pulling off a doozy of a surprise is fun. It’s a lot of work, but it’s a whole lotta fun doing it, and fun work really isn’t work. This is why you became a parent, not the changing the umpteenth number of diapers. That was sweat-equity so you can do these things. And it’s totally worth it.
5. The kids will remember it. They always remember surprises. It’s like Christmas morning.
6. The look on the kids faces as they figure it out. Two words: Kodak moment. They love it. They love games and surprises. This is the best game ever.

How to pull off a doozy of a surprise trip for the kids:

1. It’s a secret, so keep it that way. So don’t tell anyone the destination. I know it sounds simple, but simple plans work the best. Tell a few trusted friends, for us that meant Sumo my dear friend and god-mother to my Golden Retriever, Ginger. She was dog & house sitter.  If you do tell, tell them it’s a secret and not to mention it to their kids, etc. You’d be surprised how much little kids pick up. And repeat. Big kids too.
2. Plan, plan, plan. School? Write ahead to let teachers know they’re going. Get homework if they’re old enough, or like mine (1st grade,) just wait they can do make-up work when they get home. Since it was warmer than Boston (thank gawd!) I went through my kids summer things, purchased what they needed and (bonus!) I am a step ahead for spring/summer.
3. Make flight reservations for morning or just after school. Basically instead of going to school you veer off to the airport or you pick them up from school and go to your flight. No time for them to question what’s going on.
4. Pack the night before and load the car. Or pack as much as you can the night before. They shouldn’t know until the very last minute, when they least expect it.
5. Make their backpacks full of fun things. Why? Because it’s fun (duh.) I put puzzles, crayons, sunglasses, new books, stickers, etc. Keeps them busy at airport gates, in lines (we had a 2 + hour one but that’s another post,) during down time at the hotel room. Believe me, it’s worth it.
6. Fly Jet Blue. Pack Lunchables (without the juice box, security purposes.) These are two things my kids don’t get usually so it’s extra special and they were glued to Cartoon Network the whole ride.
7. The art of misdirection. By the gate they knew from the announcements we were headed to Florida, but we made it a game by talking about all the different places we could go- Miami, Key West, Red Sox spring training. In Orlando they saw the signage (it was Cinderella’s castle)- I told them it was the hotel. Prolonged the fun and they were having a ball trying to figure it out.