So you didn’t have the teachers bring work home in advance?
My son’s 2nd grade teacher did not give him any work. She is a Disney person and knows what the trips could be like, so she said to just have him read when he could. It was amazing.
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I’m With the group, I wouldn’t do morning off. My kids like to know and give opinions— watch park videos get excited again! I usually do a month out. What a fun way to end the school year!!
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If your kids like jokes/to be tricked, you could always try this: 
The first time we went to Disney, we did the “day-of surprise.” My kids were all elementary age, so it went pretty well. Two of my kids later told me that they would have preferred to be told about a week ahead of time. I think young kids do well with day-of and older kids like more lead time.
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I mean… Maleficent did burn down… 
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Haha! I didn’t think about the connection.
I just showed my kids the SNL video. They weren’t amused, so I won’t be trying it out anytime soon. And I also learned they don’t have my same sense of humor…
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You can always count on Jack Handey for some great advice. 
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I’d blame your wife on that 
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Ha ha. Well, I don’t want to make a habit out of this! We surprised them a long time ago with a scavenger hunt and they talk about it a lot. A really good memory. Which is why I wanted to try the surprise again. I think the week before will be a good surprise though and eliminate any day of disappointment (on my end).
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I emailed their teachers and said we were going on vacation and surprising the kids, and they put books and homework for DD8 in a bag by the front security guard desk for me to pick up so it wasn’t in her backpack. DS5 was in PreK/K for these trips so do homework was mostly math sheets that teacher sent home in his folder. 
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I do really like this idea. As the parent of a 15yo, I know he’d be downright grouchy about having his finely-tuned plans ruined, and that would be a terrible start to the vacation. He’d also be grouchy about not being able to pick his own outfits for the trip. It’s a really nice idea though, have fun!
My kids would immediately figure out they were the only one who didn’t know and would be immensely offended that their older sibling was in on the secret when they weren’t.
Like everything, know your kids!
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This.
My cousin had to surprise her kid because otherwise he’d be bouncing of the walls with excitement and nothing would have gotten done by anyone.
He was an experienced plane traveler so he was told we’re going on a plane trip - like for mom’s and dad’s work.
Circling back on how the surprise went in case anyone is curious! We surprised them last night on the last day of school, one week before our trip. We wrapped up their magic bands and told them it was an end of year gift. They were super excited. They thought we were messing with them and couldn’t wait to tell their friends. So glad Disney magic works on teenagers too. Thanks for all the advice. Should be a fun week of getting prepped and ready to go! 6 days left!
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You must be about ready to go! Have the best time! If you do a trip report, during or after, please link here.
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