Need some helping planning how to present a surprise Disney vacation?! We surprised our kids with a trip to Walt Disney World on Christmas morning, and it was so much fun!

We presented the kiddos with a lot of small goodies for our upcoming trip and the big surprise at the end! We kept it fun and without a lot of room for error, so it was relatively stress-free. If you’re planning a surprise Disney vacation, we hope you get some inspiration here!

If you’re not planning a surprise Disney vacation, just check out these cute little kiddos getting the best present ever!

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Surprise Disney Vacation

We are big fans of giving experiences as gifts.

In fact, two years ago my parents surprised me (yes, me, instead of the kids – they knew who’d get the most excited!) with a trip to Walt Disney World! They we’re totally creative and kept it very simple, but they sure surprised me! You can see how they did it here.

That trip was in the Spring of 2016. I documented everything from our stay in the Art of Animation Cars Suites, the Big Blue Pool, our day at Disney Springs, dining at O’hana, the Magic Kingdom, and even our resort quick service restaurant and laundry facilities.

We had an amazing vacation! While we were on that trip we even received news that our offer was accepted on a new house. So, immediately when we got home, we were very busy!

Also see: Stress-free Disney Vacation: How to do less and enjoy more

Disney Withdrawal

We have always traveled to Walt Disney World with grandparents each year since the kids were 1 year and 1 month. However, with our new house and my parents purchasing property and building this past year, we had a skip a year.

My Disney withdrawal has been so bad, it’s almost comical! When I couldn’t take it any longer, I came up with the idea to gift the a surprise Disney vacation for Christmas!

I noticed the kids have off a couple days in January, and it’s a great time to visit because it falls right over value season pricing. So, it was settled!

Disney Gifts for a Surprise Disney Vacation

From that moment on, I started gathering Disney items that would be fun for the kids during the trip. Not only does it save money buying some Disney items at home rather than in the parks, but there are some great things they can use on the trip to Walt Disney World.

These are the items we wrapped for the kiddos and the exact order we presented them. Most were from the Dollar Tree and Walmart, but you can also find them online.

Each piece was can be wrapped in Disney character gift wrap to make it even more themed! (I got mine from the Dollar Tree, and if you are wrapping a ton you can buy a case online!)

Also see: 7 Items not to forget when packing for Disney

Gifts we included…

Plastic ponchos. This is so smart to have, and it also was fun to confuse the kids a bit. They are $0.97 at Walmart, but I love these colorful rain ponchos with drawstring hood.

Mini Puzzles. I got the kids Vampirina and Incredibles 2 from the Dollar Tree, but I don’t see them on the website. There are similar puzzles on Amazon but they are much more expensive.

Mickey and Minnie Flipazoos. I think I got these on clearance at Walmart, but any small Disney plush is perfect for a surprise Disney vacation and great to have so you don’t have to buy something more expensive in the parks. I love this set with a Mickey, Minnie, and tote bag on Amazon.

Disney and Marvel apparel. The kiddos are going to need something to wear when we take our surprise Disney vacation, so it makes sense to throw some Disney apparel in. We got a couple shirts for each kid at Walmart. You can get a 3-pack of adorable Minnie Mouse shirts and a 3-pack of cute Marvel shirts on Amazon for a great price.

Disney Activity Books. I can’t remember where I got them, but I came upon these Incredibles2 activity books and some Marvel activity books in sets of three that I’ve been spacing out as gifts. Hmm.. maybe I need to share that I’m a gift hoarder, but it really comes in handy!

Disney Movies. Of course, you’ve got to add in a couple Disney movies. We have an extensive collection, but we’ve been missing The Princess and the Frog and the kids hadn’t even heard of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Disney Play Pack. There is nothing more convenient for travel than Dollar Tree Play Packs. They have Disney characters, like the Coco and Puppy Dog Pals sets that I got, and include coloring pages, crayons, and stickers in a resealable pouch. These would be fantastic for class gifts too since you can buy a case of 24 on the Dollar Tree website.

Notepad and Pencil sets. I love little sets that the kids can use while we travel. I got some Disney pencil sets with notepads and pencil sharpeners from the Dollar Tree that are so cute! The emoji one is especially cute, but our store didn’t carry it. These would also be fantastic for class gifts too since you can buy a case of 36.This Tsum Tsum pencil case set or Cars pencil case set would also be perfect for travel.

More cute Disney Clothes! I already mentioned Disney apparel, but we split up their shirts and they opened a second one closer to the big surprise. This time it was a Minnie Mouse and a Mickey Mouse shirt. There are so many cute options on Amazon, that I thought I’d add some more ideas here…

Large Mickey and Minnie. These I snagged a long time ago, just hoping someday we’d get to spring a surprise Disney vacation on the kids. These are the cutest things ever! I found them on clearance at Target at the end of summer.

The final surprise!

Our kiddos are 6 and 7, so I wanted to make sure the surprise Disney trip was pretty obvious. Not only did we make a sign that said, “We’re going to Disney World!” but I made sure to include a calendar with the dates of the trip written in. I looked all over for a Disney calendar, but anyone will do.

Surprise Disney Vacation: The Setup

After I had gathered most of the small gifts, and just days before Christmas, I laid out all the gifts so the kids had an equal amount. I made sure they all matched up.

Just in case I had more to add before Christmas, I numbered them with the final surprise being number one. I probably wouldn’t do it this way if I did it again because it was a little difficult to keep track as they counted down. However, if I had forgotten to add something to the gift, it would have been much easier this way.

Each gift was labeled with a number and kiddo’s name. We mixed them up so they each would have a chance to open first. The kids caught on and started to open the pairs at the same time.

Also see: How to gift experiences so they’re just as exciting as toys

Kiddos reaction to a surprise Disney vacation!

I’m happy to say the surprise went well! With a note on the box of gifts, telling the kids to countdown from 21 to 1, they caught on quickly and started right in on the gifts. Instead of taking turns as the gifts were numbered, they realized that they had matching gifts and opened them together, which worked great.

Even with the Disney wrapping paper and all the Disney-themed gifts, they didn’t catch on ahead of time. I don’t think they even thought a surprise Disney vacation was an option for a gift! When it came down to the final surprise, Little Guy looked up with a look of disbelieve and said, “when?”

It was the best moment!

Little Lady was too in love with her mermaid Minnie Mouse we didn’t even know if she understood the surprise. While looking back at the video, I could see that she understood the whole time. My favorite part is when she says, “oh my…” So cute!

Thanks to the calendar, they understood that the trip is a month away and that Grandma and Grandpa won’t be joining us for the first time. They haven’t stopped talking about the trip since! We are all so excited!

Before your surprise Disney vacation, check out these safety bands for your little ones! We love them! They’re on my list of safety items for a Disney vacation. You can personalize them with your phone number or important information in case your kiddo gets lost. Talk about a life saver!

Are you planning a surprise Disney vacation? Have you done one before?

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