magical suprises for young children

[dreaming]

we took our dd 6 yrs old to disney last november for the first time. the trip was a dream come true for me and I made sure to make it as special as possible thinking we may not get back until she was at an age were she realized that the characters were actually people. with the help of a very special cm who I believe must somehow have Walt whispering in her ear we convinced my dd that Cinderella had sent a dress and "the works" over from the castle and invited her to breakfast with the princesses. also, to this day she thinks Mickey himself invited her, even managed to get a wonderful autographed picture with balloons sent to the room thanking her for coming. Well, we somehow got lucky enough to be able to go for Christmas this year and I need ideas on how to keep the fantasy going. My dd still enjoys the princesses but it is all about Mickey now(he kissed her, now she's hooked !) She cries sometimes and say she misses him, sleeps with his autograph picture, etc. so I am hoping to set up little things to keep her thinking Mickey is the reason behind the trip. has anyone done little Mickey suprises when they were there or have any suggestions?
I can't believe how much I like lying to my kid!

 

[cynjam]

I could say "It's only lying if you get caught", but instead just think of it as giving her wonderful memories of her childhood.
I've taken Disney gifts from our local Dollar store with us, (wrapped in Disney paper) put them outside our door and let our DD find what Mickey left for her.

 

[sandiegosusie]

I read this one on the DS cruise line forum. One mom said she bought a stuffed Mickey and Minnie and laid them on the pillow next to her child who was sleeping. When her child woke up, a note had been left by the character which said that Mickey and/or Minnie checked on them while they were sleeping and were so glad that they came for a visit...I thought that was cute!

 

[Jordan's MOM]

This one is a long shot but oh so magical. DS got to open toon-town once. He then got a special escorted trip to Mickey's house and when he opened the door, there was Mickey to give him a special hug! He then gave us a special tour of his house with a Cm following taking pictures.
To up your chance, be at the rope for Toon town before it opens.(10:00 most of the time). The Cm asked a simple disney question and the first to answer got the honor.

I like the ideas also of gifts for Mickey and of course a Character meal with has Mickey. She would also like fantasmic where Mickey is the hero!

Good luck a have a magical trip.

Jordan's mom

 

[KathyFP]

We do the same thing. Every night when we go back to our room there is a present from someone???

DD who is four gets so excited.

She saw Ariel and told her that there were not any costmes in Pittsburgh.

Halloween eve, DD found an Ariel with a note from Ariel. She couldn't wait to tell everyone.

All of the characters are wonderful. She will either ask them if they left her something (when she is trying o guess who left it) or thank them. They always play along.

Last year at AKL, I had a CM deliver her a package from Eyeore. They were great. They even brought her an autograph picture from Pooh and the gang.

 

[cndncruiz]

Hi,

Could someone please let me know what CM means?

Thanks

 

[snicker-doodle]

Hi -- CM means Cast Member -- ie: the "disney employees/staff"--

There are so many abbreviations -- you'll catch on!!!!

 

[Big Disney Fan]

I've just got some wonderful ideas from this thread - I'm going to WDW with DH, DD (6) and DS (4) in Feb., and I'm BIG into keeping the magic alive in kids for as long as possible! I'll definitely be using some of your suggestions.

Thanks guys!

 

[dreaming]

Thanks everyone, keep the great ideas coming!!!!!!!!!!

 

[BethC]

Great ideas, everyone!!

 

[Local_Girl]

You guys have some great ideas! I really like the idea about the Mickey/Minnie dolls...DH and I have been trying to come up with a good way to tell our kids about our surprise trip (we'll be telling them on the way down to WDW). We already have Mickey/Minnie dolls and maybe we'll write a note, like, "Come visit me!!" and have the dolls right next to them when they wake up.

 

[J. Galt]

We are going on a big family trip this winter. It will be the first trip for my nephews (2 and 4) and they are really excited. I love all of the ideas posted. I have one to add. I want to keep the excitement level up for our trip, so after the holidays, I am planning to bake some cupcakes for the boys. I have Disney cupcake papers and Mickey sprinkles to put on top. I thought that I would put them in a box tied up with some Disney-themed ribbon (if I can find it). Then I could go to their house for a visit and say I found the box on their front porch. I'll include a note from Mickey saying how he sent the cupcakes and that he can't wait to see them, etc.... I hope they like it.


I can't wait until my little one is old enough to get into the "magic". For now, she is only 6 months old, and all the trickery would be lost on her!

 

[FTWFAN]

Maybe a character meal with Mickey & Minnie at the Contemporary. Maybe tell a CM there how much meeting them means to your DD. I hope you all have fun!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Scoootch]

Originally posted by Local_Girl
You guys have some great ideas! I really like the idea about the Mickey/Minnie dolls...DH and I have been trying to come up with a good way to tell our kids about our surprise trip (we'll be telling them on the way down to WDW). We already have Mickey/Minnie dolls and maybe we'll write a note, like, "Come visit me!!" and have the dolls right next to them when they wake up.

You didn't mention the ages of your kids but you sure did bring back some memories for me.

My very first trip to WDW in 1976 -- I was just 6 yrs old. My parents took me and my brother who was only 1yr to Disney. They didn't tell me ahead of time we were going. I found out when we were driving in and they turned on the radio and it said "WELCOME TO WALT DISNEY WORLD!"

Neeldless to say, I was a very happy child when I heard that!!

 

[GEM]

Just wanted to say I saw Disney themed ribbons in the craft secion at Wal-Mart today. They had Pooh, Mickey, Princesses, etc. It was really cute.