So we’ve got a trip laid on for Disney World in a week or two…Hmm…11 days. We’ll be there for 6 days or so.
But we haven’t told the kids. The three year old doesn’t care and hasn’t noticed. But the seven year old is cagey. She figured out something was up and has been pestering us about it.
So far all we’ve told her is that we’re going on a ‘surprise adventure’. We figure we can drop hints and see if she can figure it out before we touch down in Orlando and the Disney folks pick us up.
Yes, we have too much time on our hands.
So far we’ve given her these hints:
She’ll need a swimsuit.
There’ll be a lot of walking.
So she’s thinking we’re heading for Ocean City, MD for a beach trip.
Our next one is likely to be “There are mountains there”. We, of course, mean Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain. That should be nice and confusing.
But we need more and who’s more inventive than you guys? So toss me some misleading hints we can give the kid to see if she can figure it out before we get there.
“One thing kids like is to be tricked. For instance, I was going to take my little nephew to Disneyland, but instead I drove him to an old burned-out warehouse. “Oh, no,” I said. “Disneyland burned down.” He cried and cried, but I think that deep down, he thought it was a pretty good joke. I started to drive over to the real Disneyland, but it was getting pretty late.” - Jack Handy.
One of the only reasons I would ever want a child it to suprise them with a trip to Disney.
Whenever I’ve flown to Orlando, there have been many families on the flight and the kids are frequently Disney-ed up. So you may not be able to get to touchdown in Orlando.
You could mention a castle. Maybe call it a chateau.
Go around humming A Pirate’s Life for Me or other songs from the park.
Tell her that she may need a Safari Hat and that she should bursh up on her curtsey as she may be meeting people of noble birth.
Tell them that, on the way to the beach, you have to stop at the Reedy Creek Improvement Discrict for work. Explain to them that it’ll be an excellent civics lesson, and go on and on about municipal planning and water menegement. This works even better if you actually are an engineer or architect or planner.
Gosh! Can I be your kids? I’ll be good I promise! And I’ll even go potty at the Main Street Bathrooms right when we get there.
I’m not sure how familiar you are with Disney, but if you have a camcorder, don’t miss them entering Main Street and seeing Cinderella’s castle in the distance. It’s an immediate immersion and is still my favorite part.
www.hiddenmickeys.com is a great site that lists all the places there are hidden mickeys throughout the park. Disney folk are pretty big on incorporating it into everything. You could think the same way…for instance…make pancakes one morning and have one of them accidentally end up in the famous shape. If you have shower doors, put a hidden mickey there so when it steams up, they can see it. Or on the car windows. Read them Bre’r Rabbit stories and Swiss Family Robinson and Alice in Wonderland (The simpler versions of course) the more esoteric stories from Disney. Tossing in a Cinderella or Ariel of course, wouldn’t be too bad.
God, I envy you the hype. My daughter is two and I can’t wait for her first visit. What a great idea you’ve had.
Tell them they’ll see ducks, and dogs, and mice, and maybe some fish, and if they’re really good, a princess or two!
If I can make one suggestion…the second you get there, make a beeline to the Crystal Palace for lunch reservations. It’s a buffet, so you can eat and eat and not feel like you’re getting cheated.
