Fun Ways to Reveal a Disney Surprise to the Kids

You’ve been working for months to plan the perfect surprise Disney vacation. Your dining and hotel reservations are booked. You have downloaded our Disney packing list and everything is good to go. Now, it’s time to decide how to reveal the Disney surprise to the children. Many wait until the day of departure to avoid the “How many more days?” questions. Others give Disney trips as birthday or Christmas gifts and count down the days. There are so many creative ways to add some extra pixie dust to your big reveal. I can’t wait to share some of our ideas with you.

Disney Surprise: The. Best. Gift. Ever!

I have planned surprise Disney trips several times for my family. As a travel agent, I truly believe there is no greater gift than travel. And I have learned from each experience that the age of your children is very important when determining how and when to reveal the Disney surprise. The younger they are, the longer you should wait.

I learned that lesson the hard way. The first time we surprised our son he was 5. We let him open a present full of Disney Parks items two weeks before departure. He was thrilled to open a present but the reveal ended in tears. He wanted a toy. Something he could play with right then and there. Of course he did, he was 5. And he didn’t understand that he would have to wait Two. Whole Weeks. before we would be at Disney World.

We should have waited until the day we left to avoid the disappointment.

SheBuysTravel Tip:  If your child is under the age of 7, consider waiting until the day you leave to share the surprise trip. Children at this age simply do not understand time and you could end up with a tearful situation. And choose to stay in one of these magical Disney World resorts for kids.

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Disney Surprise Reveal in a Restaurant

This was by far my favorite Disney surprise! We took our children to Walt Disney World for a week in December. Yes, we are those parents who take the kids out of school to visit Disney when the crowds are low.

We told our kids we were going that evening to see an amazing Christmas light display. I had packed the car earlier in the day and secured the suitcases so the kids could not see them. On our way to the lights, we stopped by Cracker Barrel for dinner.

My husband gave the hostess a bag containing two Mickey Santa ears and asked the server to deliver these to the table with our drink order.

The reveal was priceless. The children were in shock when the server arrived at the table with their ears. My son (then age 13) immediately looked at me with big eyes and asked, “Are we going on a Disney World Trip?” My daughter (then age 5) started crying and grabbed onto me for dear life murmuring, “Thank you! Thank you!“

All of the nearby tables started clapping, which added to the excitement. We left the restaurant and drove halfway to Disney that evening.

Disney Surprise with a Scavenger Hunt or Treasure Hunt

Surprising your children with a scavenger hunt is a very popular reveal. Warning – this will require some creativity on your part. The ultimate goal is to give the children an idea of where they are going without telling them outright.

Start with clues that allow them to discover general vacation items, such as road trip games to play in the car. Gradually add Disney-specific items such as mouse ears, autograph books, backpack, MagicBands, customized Disney shirts, their favorite Disney character plush, etc. The big reveal comes at the end of the scavenger hunt when they realize they have collected a bunch of Disney gear.

Christmas Reveal with Elf on the Shelf

One of the best ideas I have seen for surprising children with a trip for Christmas is to use your Elf on a Shelf. Those of you who are crafty can easily create a set of Mickey ears for your elf. If you are lacking in the creativity department, you can purchase the Mickey Mouse Mouseketeer Ear Hat Ornament or the Mickey Mouse Ears Hat Keychain from the Disney Store. All you have to do is remove the string/chain and pop it on your elf’s head. Set the elf out wherever you desire and the reveal is sure to be magical.

SheBuysTravel Tip: If you are giving the trip as a Christmas gift, consider waiting until January 1 to travel. The crowds in Walt Disney World and Disneyland are at an all-time high from Christmas morning through New Year’s Eve. In my opinion, this is the worst time (crowd-wise) to visit. Alternatively, visiting the first two weeks of December is an ideal time.

Personalized Puzzle Reveal

I was kicking myself for not thinking of this when I first read about it. This is such a simple thing to do. Find an image (or create one using Canva) that shows your Disney destination with the wording “Surprise! You’re going to Disney!” (or something similar). Once you have the perfect image, visit www.portraitpuzzles.com and turn it into a puzzle.

The puzzles some in several sizes. Choose the one that’s right for your kids’ ages:

• 30 pieces: Ages 3-6
• 99 pieces: Ages 5+
• 200 pieces: Ages 7-9
• 500 to 1000 pieces: Ages 9-up

Puzzle prices start at $34.99. The process is very quick. It only takes 1-2 business days for your puzzle to be created and shipped. All you have to do is give the kids the puzzle and have them put it together for the reveal.

Disguise Vacation as a Work Trip

If you aren’t very good with packing suitcases and concealing them from the kids, consider this Disney surprise.  All you have to do is tell the kids you are going out of town on business and taking them with you. It doesn’t matter where you tell them you are going. If you don’t want to tell a fib, suggest you are going to stay in a hotel for a few days. This will work with the younger kids. Simply pack up the car, or hop on an airplane and go.

If you are flying and your children are older, you may want to consider revealing the surprise at the airport. Once they see the destination at the airport, your surprise may be over. We used the work trip surprise on our son when he was 9 and waited until we were on the plane to reveal.  

If your children are little, you may be able to wait until you arrive at the parks. Whether you are heading to Anaheim, Orlando, Disney’s Aulani Resort & Spa, or on a Disney Cruise, the surprise trip is always a great idea.

SheBuysTravel Tip:  Be careful you do not get the children too excited about the “work trip” destination. Too much hype could end up with disappointed children when they learn they aren’t going to visit the intended destination.

Surprise! You’re Going to Disney!

Now that you know some great ways to present the big surprise, I want to share with you some of our favorite surprise video reveals.

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If you call to make your purchase be sure to mention SheBuysTravel!