Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Image
Topics: Disney, Travel, Parenting, Entertainment
Lucy Devine
Surprising your kids with a holiday to Disney is something every parent would love to be able to do for their kids.
And if you are ever fortunate to be able to whisk your little ones over to the 'most magical place on Earth', there's apparently one phrase you should avoid saying on the run-up to the trip.
Over 140 million people visit Disney parks every year, which makes the resorts the most popular in the world.
So if you're planning a trip this summer, you might want to take note.
Advert
Over on TikTok, mum and travel expert @disney_beignet spoke about some of the biggest lessons she's learned from trips to Disney.
"When you tell your young children that you're going to Walt Disney World, do not, under any circumstances, use the words 'We're going to see Mickey Mouse'. Every Disney cast member who works in a hotel lobby knows exactly where I'm going with this," she explained.
"I cannot count the number of times I have been in one of those hotel lobbies and a family with a kid who is four or five says 'It's time for us to go to our room', and the kid loses it. Through tears, they scream something like: 'You promised we were going to see Mickey'."
"What you meant when you told them that was at some point on this vacation, you will get to meet Mickey Mouse. But what your child heard was, as soon as we get out of the car or off the plane, Mickey Mouse will be there to give me a giant hug."
The mum explained that because kids have no 'frame of reference' they don't understand that they might not be seeing Mickey Mouse *immediately*.
To conquer this, she recommended getting them excited about something they're doing that day, like travelling on an aeroplane or going swimming.
"My advice is to get your kid psyched for what you're doing that day.
"... This kind of expectation setting is especially helpful for kids like my daughter who are on the autism spectrum so they have a sense of what they're walking into ahead of time."
The mum also advised parents to pre-warn their kids that they will be 'coming back later' if they plan on leaving the park for an afternoon nap at some point.
And people in the comments were super grateful for the advice and tips.
One person wrote: "Yess, also setting them up for what's happening just that day makes it less overwhelming, they know what to expect without it being vague or too much."
While another said: "Also, TELL YOUR KID YOU'RE GOING. My parents took me out of school a few days early for a Disney surprise trip when I was six. I thought we were 'going on a trip' just for a few hours before school. I had a meltdown in the parking lot because I read the parking sign and realised I would miss presenting my book report."