Disney Trip Surprise Ideas – 10 Ways to Reveal Your Trip

Announcing a Disney trip to your kids whether it's for Disneyland, Walt Disney World or a Disney Cruise is one of the best parts! There are so many unique Disney surprise ideas for a trip reveal that work for all ages whether you have teens, toddlers, or school aged kids.

Especially for kids that have never been to Disney before this can be a great opportunity to make a special memory with the Disney surprise idea you pick.

I have compiled some of my favorite Disney surprise ideas for you to best surprise your kids with the big reveal! Some of these I have used on my own kids, especially for their first time trips, and my son remembers them even now as a teenager. Keep scrolling for our best Disney surprise ideas and tips on when to time the big surprise announcement.

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Timing Your Disney Surprise Ideas

The timing of the Disney surprise is something we want to talk through first before going over all our different surprise Disney trip reveal ideas.

How soon do you want to announce a Disney trip? Do you want your kids to be surprised with the news as you're heading to the airport? Do you want them to have time to be part of the planning process and tell them further in advance?

Essentially you have two main options: surprising them prior to the trip whether that's weeks/months in advance OR surprising them with ‘look we're at Disney RIGHT NOW!' Let's go through some of the pros and cons of both approaches as you plan for a surprise Disney trip reveal.

1. Disney Surprise Reveal En Route to Disney

For folks that are looking to surprise their kids en route to the Disney destination, you first have to make sure you don't spill the beans too soon by giving away clues. I personally could never do this because I'm not capable of keeping a secret that long! But if you have the willpower, this is surely a way to make this an unforgettable way to announce a Disney trip.

Word of caution: make sure you know that this is the right way for your kiddo to find out. Some kids don't like surprises like this. I had a friend that tried this and her son started crying in the airport! He was so shocked and excited that it just overwhelmed him. Not the fun Disney trip surprise video she was hoping for! There's plenty of ‘Disney Announcement Fails' all over YouTube- it can be a risky way to announce a trip. Part of what makes up those fails is the idea of telling your kids a false destination in its place- sometimes kids might really want to go to grandma's house! You know what's best for your kids and if this is the right way to surprise them with a Disney trip.

If you do decide the spur of the moment Disney surprise is the right choice, still consider the timing of this Disney surprise reveal. You can wait until you arrive at the airport and announce it prior to departure. This may be the easiest if your kids are older because most kids would be asking a million questions about where you are going. If your kids are smaller, it's easier to get away with waiting for the announcement until you literally arrive at Disneyland or Walt Disney World.

So if this is your plan- timing is everything. Consider if you can make it all the way to your flight arrival without the Disney trip surprise being spoiled if this is your plan. Some airports will be covered in Disney ads or souvenir stores which might clue in older kids. If you make it through the airport with the big reveal still a surprise then you have two options: reveal the surprise en route to the hotel/at the hotel or at the Disney Park you are heading to.

If you're visiting Walt Disney World and staying in a Disney owned hotel, many of the hotels offer services that decorate your room with Disney themed toys or decor to start off the vacation in an exciting way. Over at Disneyland, you can also find plenty of local Anaheim services that take care of this for you too.

And of course, if you debut the surprise at the park entrance- you really don't need more than the magic of the Disney Parks entrance to make your kids squeal with excitement.

2. Disney Surprise Ideas in Advance

There are a few benefits to revealing your Disney surprise in advance. For one, the announcement process can be more detailed and creative! You can also then incorporate countdown chains, calendars, or ask your children to get involved with the trip planning which can held build excitement! If you book with our travel partner, Get Away Today, you will receive tons of links to free downloads for printable vacation countdowns, packing lists, and more which can help build that excitement.

You can also consider holidays or birthdays in relation to your trip announcement. Is the trip a birthday or Christmas celebration? As experiences replacing material possessions get more popular this is one Disney surprise idea to tie in your trip and also make that holiday/birthday an unforgettable experience.

Think about how far in advance you want to reveal the news. I have found in my personal experience that if I reveal it too far in advance that the excitement is rather muted. “Oh, we're going to Disneyland?! But not for eight months….?” Time can be a struggle for kids to understand so I recommend revealing the news closer to the departure date so it's close enough to look forward to but not too far to feel irrelevant.

Now that we've talked the timing, let's get into all our best surprise Disney trip reveal ideas! All of these Disney surprise ideas work for Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios Hollywood or Universal Orlando, and Disney Cruises. You can adapt any of these Disney surprise ideas for your destination.

Surprise Disney Trip Reveal Ideas

There are a variety of great Disney trip surprise ideas and you can also incorporate your specific destination into the Disney surprise reveal as well. You can tailor these Disney trip surprise ideas for any age but always consider your trip timing into the surprise as well.

1. Suitcase Surprise

Fill a suitcase with that they will need on their trip to Disney. Make sure to include some Disney related t-shirts, Mickey ears or autograph books to help clue them in. This way the excitement is revealed and they have some goodies to enjoy right away too! Bonus points if you get them their own little suitcase- that can make the experience feel more special for kids that are traveling for the first time.

2. Christmas Morning

If you're giving the gift of Disney for Christmas or a birthday then half the fun is in the present opening. You can give gifts that clue them in on where the trip is (Minnie ears? Stuffed Mickey Mouse? Magic Bands?) and then let them guess! Or you can be more direct and put the tickets in a small box (consider using printed out fake ones just so you don't risk damaging your real ones) and have them open it!

3. Wrapping Disney Balloons 

This is one of my favorite Disney surprise ideas. Get a big box, wrap it, and fill it with helium balloons. You can get a custom balloon done (check local party stores or go online on Etsy) and have it announce your trip. Or fill it with Disney themed helium balloons. You could put a sign on the balloon that says ‘You're going to Disney!' or write it out on a card to put in the bottom of the box.

4. Scavenger Hunt

Create a scavenger hunt that includes clues about your trip and ends with the big reveal. You can find plenty of scavenger hunt templates on Pinterest or by searching online. For smaller kids, you can also start this into a string scavenger hunt to keep them focused and on track. Consider keeping the scavenger hunt confined to a smaller space if you want to be able to get the best video of it.

5. Letter from Mickey

Imagine the excitement when your kids receive a personalized letter from Mickey inviting them to Walt Disney World or Disneyland. You can find plenty of printable options online for free or on Etsy for an additional cost.  You could include the letter in a large box of Disney goodies or you can mail it to your kids! Our travel partner Get Away Today offers a template for this on their website.

6. Breakfast or Dinner Reveal

For some kids that have been to the parks before, they might have learned to associate certain foods with the Disney Parks. You can find some recipes online to create your own Dole Whips or Mickey waffles at home and surprise the kids with a themed meal.

7. Universal Studios- Hogwarts Letter

If Universal Studios is on your destination list and your kids are big Harry Potter fans then you can't resist sharing the news with Hogwarts acceptance letter along with a ticket to the Hogwarts Express! Our travel partner Get Away Today shared this awesome free printable for both Hollywood and Orlando on their blog.

I used this surprise idea when my son was little for his first trip to Universal Studios Hollywood during our upcoming Disney vacation. He had been asking for awhile because he loves Harry Potter so I printed these out, rolled them up like scrolls, and attached them to a stuffed owl. I told him over dinner and he loved it! He thought for a moment Hogwarts actually sent the letters. A very cool memory to have.

8. Disney Cruise Fish Extender Surprise

If you are looking for a Disney Cruise surprise idea, incorporating the popular fish extenders into your Disney surprise reveal is a great idea. This also builds into the excitement leading up to the trip for kids as they prepare their gifts for trading. Fish extenders are just hanging storage pockets you put outside your stateroom and then you can join online Facebook groups to plan small gift exchanges with others on the ship. The name is derived from the fact that outside every stateroom on a Disney Cruise is a little fish clip that holds communications from the ship, you hang our storage hanger from the fish and then you have a fish extender! For this Disney Cruise surprise idea I would recommend surprising kids with the fish extender and then begin planning your cruise exchanges to build excitement to the cruise.

9. Disney Surprise Box or Gift Bag

This is what I did for my son's first trip to Disneyland. I filled a Disney tote bag full of Mickey ears, stickers, a countdown activity, Disney themed candy, and a Mickey Mouse t shirt. It didn't take him long to figure out why I was gifting him all these Disney themed items that we would need for a Disney trip. But just in case, you may want to also include an obvious “We are going to Disney!” item in the box like a copy of their tickets (or fake ones online!) or even just a printed out paper announcing it. 

10. Social Media Announcement

This is a nice Disney surprise idea for teens although it depends on if your teen actually follows you on social media. (My son has a tendency to “accidentally” unfollow me on TikTok) But posting a status update or even getting creative with a video and posting it to your social media announcing your upcoming Disney trip and waiting until your teen sees it can be a fun Disney surprise idea.

Considering the amount of time, money, and planning that goes into a Disney trip it makes sense to dedicate some energy to the big Disney surprise reveal. Coming from experience of a mom that has done a few of these reveals along with a few epic fails, here is a piece of advice for those of you taking first timers to the parks: don't be disappointed if they're not that excited. If they've never been to Disney before, they may not fully know how amazing it is. The excitement will come later, don't worry!

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