Surprise! Special invitation from Mickey himself!
The only thing better than walking down Main Street on your way to the castle is the anticipation building up to the walk itself! Start the magic early with a scavenger hunt leading to a surprise invitation from Mickey himself. We’ve done this twice with my kiddos, and they talk about this experience as much as they do the rides.
Etsy has several reasonably priced options for printing out scavenger hunts and welcome letters that are already formatted with Disney graphics and font. For those unfamiliar with Etsy, it’s my lifeline :). It’s a global online marketplace featuring independent creators of all types. We used this printable package that came complete with letters, an advent calendar countdown to Disney, a scavenger hunt for the house, and even printable fake tickets! We also found the adorable baskets you see pictured with the kiddos names here on Etsy. The best part, they’ve been reused several times!
At the end of the scavenger hunt, we include, Oh, Boy!, a final note from Mickey, along with a basket of Disney themed-fun. Parents, this is also a great way to save you from having to spend money on very expensive toys at the park! As you can see in the pictures, one of our “garb baskets,” even had a Disney backpack they could pack their new toys in for the plane ride.
As far as great leads on where to save a buck on all things Disney, here are three pro tips. Party City has an UNREAL section of dollar priced Disney themed goodies, from all things pink and princess to Mickey, super hero and Pixar! Check out this page to snag online. Secondly, keep your eye out for Disney products in the Target dollar section. Lastly, shopdisney.com has surprisingly great sales and promo codes, if you snag at the right time.
Ding dong! More surprises at your hotel door…
Get your Sharpie out and practice writing that signature Disney ‘D’! (Don’t worry, I got it down by the second try ;). So you’ve spent the time…and the money…to snag impossible-to-get dinner reservations, to book the coolest hotel, oh- and don’t forget the character breakfast and tea with the Princesses! Add to that glimmer in your kids’ eye when the doorbell rings, and waiting at the door is a handwritten invitation from Mickey to the next best thing!
My husband and I have done this a couple times, and we have as much fun as the kids! Taking turns doorbell ditching and reading new notes filled with silly rhymes, detailing our next adventure. Below is a sample of one of our cards. I’ve bought these cards on Amazon Prime for quick delivery catering to procrastinating mamas days before our trip!
One more pro tip: don’t feel the surprises need to be lofty. Even surprising the kids with a hotel break day at the pool! They don’t care, they’re just excited to receive the mail.
Magical memories that last forever…
Especially for parents with younger children, I can’t recommend this enough. Take an hour and upload your phone photos to make a Disney scrapbook online. The twins were 3 years old when we took them for their first trip to Disney. While I’m not sure how much they actually remembered, I can tell you they have flipped through that book of memories monthly since receiving it!!
By the time we were set to visit again almost two years later, the kids had all the images in their head of the rides and experiences they wanted to hit up first…all thanks to that book! Another tip, take quick pictures of your kids favorite rides and include them in your book. This will help younger minds to trigger memories later down the road.
I’ve used this Shutterfly template that comes complete with Disney themed pages and pictures to complete your book!
