Well Happy Early Bday. I just celebrated my 30th a couple of months ago myself...Its not so bad and I wasn't freaking out about it unlike most of my friends so I agree with you on that one.
I have celebrated birthdays there, and I wore a button during the entire thing and had a blast.. I think the key with me was, remember where you are so have fun with it and be totally cheesy. Act and remember bdays when you were a kid. I totally believed in the fairytale.
Just remember to celebrate like no tomorrow, and make that wish during Wishes.
I usually act like a kid when I'm there. It's hard not too, especially on your birthday!
Congrats on your 30th! My birthday is conveniently in November, and I celebrated my 22nd in Epcot for the Food & Wine Festival.
We checked in at Caribbean Beach & my boyfriend promptly told the CM that it was my birthday. My birthday button said: "Princess Vanessa" & consequently, my boyfriend and mother called me Princess Vanessa for my birthday. I didn't like that...
A+ for effort on the part of the CM. I think birthdays (as you get older) are a bit difficult to celebrate.
I wore my happy birthday button from Disney - all the cast members were great. One of the CMs (I think in the Thailand or Philippine kiosk - can't remember which one it was) BELTED out happy birthday to me. Twice. (I came around a second time.)
Restaurant Marrakesh was well worth it. The belly dancer made me get up & "dance" (if that's what you call it) in front of everyone. All the CMs definitely tried to make your day even more magical.
I think this has definitely been one of my more memorable WDW trips, but I'd definitely make reservations for dinner someplace fun
I agree, birthdays are more difficult to celebrate as you get older. I almost feel guilty for planning such an elaborate 30th birthday for myself. I'm sure I wouldn't have felt that way 20 years ago! Although, I hope no one makes me get up and dance, kudos to you! I think I would be too embarassed (unless alcohol were involved).
Also, you can get a different birthday button at AK than what the other parks offer. If you get the button at the park, they will often write your name on it with a sharpie, I'm not sure they do that at the resorts.
Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely be at AK a lot on this trip since we're staying at AKL.
I went for my last birthday and seemed to get the most attention at AK. I wore my button and the steel drum band played Happy Birthday for me, and a CM got everyone (even guests) in Restaurantosaurus to sing to me. :lol:
I love the steel drum band! It sounds like you had a magical birthday
I really love hearing everyone's stories, thanks for sharing!
Happy early birthday! I've celebrated a birthday at WDW and DL and both times were great experiences. Taking my wife to WDW to celebrate her 28th birthday this January.
Which leads me to an informal survey: For those who have celebrated their birthday in the parks during a multi-day trip, did you wear your birthday button during the whole trip or just on the actual day? On both occasions when I picked mine up, the CMs told me to wear it throughout the trip, but I did feel a tinge of guilt on the, er -- un-birthday days, especially when I was given free desserts and snacks and stuff. But on the other hand, the point of the trip was the birthday celebration, so...
Great survey question. Based on the responses I've already read, I will follow suit and wear my button all week long! However, I think I'm only going to wear my hat/tiara on my actual birthday which is 9/21. With all the money I've given to Disney in my lifetime, I think it would be okay to take advantage of my birthday for a week
After two fails at two disney restaurants for Birthday surprises, my wife and I don't even bother asking Disney to do anything anymore.
She tried to surprise me one year with a bday dessert at the Plaza restuarant. First the lady at the check-in counter blurted out "surprise dessert" in front of us, then they brought the wrong dessert out or something. She was upset to the point of tears that they ruined the surprise and all.
I tried to surprise her at Cinderella's castle a another trip, having it noted on the reservation when I made it. Of course, it was mentioned nowhere on the reservation the day off so no surprise dessert ever came out. Luckily she went to the bathroom and I got the waiter's attention after the meal and just before the check arrived to rememdy the situation.
Needless to say, we haven't bothered trying to let Disney do anything for our birthdays since. I'm sure hundreds of people have surprises go off without a hitch, but after being 0 for 2, we gave up.
Good luck with your birthday though! Hopefully it turns out much better than ours!
I'm sorry you've had such bad luck
Maybe 3rd time is a charm?
Happy early Birthday Fashionista- hope you have lots of fun!
As for the the question below, DBF is turning 33 in early December and we are heading to WDW 6 days after his official birthday (-we just happened to book in December and didn't plan it for his birthday). We will be there 6 days and he told me he will be wearing his birthday button the entire week he is there. He also wants me to get him a pair of "Mickey Birthday ears" which he will also wear the entire time. All our ADRs and even our Segway Around the World Tour has notes that it's his birthday. Not sure what to expect that week, but we'll just have fun with it. :ROFLOL:
Thank you! I also added my birthday celebration to all the ADRs we have: Chef Mickey's, Sanaa, Cape May Cafe, Hollywood Brown Derby, and Les Chefs De France. I even got a schedule of when Remy appears at Les Chefs to be sure our ADR was in line. I'm sure it will be a magical time!
Ah, I celebrated my 30th in WDW in January. You can see my girlfriend's post about it on her trip report
here.
I got a pin from both my hotel and from the Magic Kingdom (we stopped in to get our customary Disney dollar to commemorate our trip, and, since I had forgotten my pin in the room, the CM made me another one). I got a a lot of happy birthdays from everyone from the custodial staff to ride operators to other guests. I made them promise not to let the Jellyrolls staff know it was my birthday, though. I like a low key celebration (especially for my 30th!), as you can kind of see that trip report, and nothing would have annoyed me more than being requested on stage for some sing-a-long.
I had a lot of fun, though, and I'm sure you'll be able to find plenty of things to do. It's a great place to have a birthday, especially when you want to escape from everything for one.
How did I miss that TR? I'm definitely giving that a read after I post this
TR's are my favorite part of this forum. I'm like you, I don't want something crazy to happen with me in front of a crowd of people embarassing myself. That's why I started this thread, I wanted to get an idea of what to expect so that doesn't happen. I'm also known to cry because I'm overwhelmed with happiness while I'm down there. I'm sure if I were put in front of a crowd of people singing happy birthday to me, I would burst into tears. Embarassing!!! But at the same time it would be something I would never forget and I would end up having fun with it.
We just returned from WDW this past weekend where we had 4 birthdays the week we were there! 2 kids, 2 adults. They all wore their buttons on their birthday. For everyone - their birthday was special!
The kids loved the fact that everywhere they went - someone was always saying "Happy Birthday!" It really made them feel special!
My husband however I think had the most Magical birthday - we were at the Magic Kingdom that day. We had breakfast at Crystal Palace where they gave him a cupcake and card signed by all the characters. While in Tomorrowland the talking trash can stopped him and sang him happy birthday! Then a couple hours later in the Main Street Bakery the Dapper Dans stopped and sang him happy birthday! He loved his birthday!
I LOVE the Dapper Dans! We're going to MNSSHP on my actual birthday so maybe the Cadaver Dans will sing to me. If they do, I will record it on my iPhone and post it on youtube!
Have a great birthday! You'll have a blast celebrating during the MNSSHP!
We celebrated my DS 5th birthday at WDW in 2008 (during MNSSHP time), and he wore his birthday button everyday day of the 5 day trip except the last day. He was given plenty of well wishes, almost to the point of being overwhelming.
We are heading back this December over Christmas, because my DD turns 4 on Dec 26th. We'll most likely have her wear her birthday button on the 26th and 27th (we leave the afternoon of the 27th though)
It seems that the consensus is to wear the button all week. I'm totally fine with that
I think I am going to feel overwhelmed as well. I'm trying to gather as much info as I can so I'm prepared!
I celebrated my 43yr Bday last Nov, and it was noted on the resort reservations, our ADR's reservations. When we arrived at our resort at check in I was provided a button and they wrote my name on it, honestly was not given any special treatment. The only place that I remember that went out of their way was Crystal Palace in the MK they had the table decorated with streamers and confetti, then at the end I was given a cup cake with a candle and a card from the characters. The other location that showed Bday wishes was 1900 Park fare and they provided a decorated signed place mat. The place that was the worse was 50's Prime time cafe' I guess the CM are tired of wishing everyone a Happy Bday.
Oh on night we were at the Hoop Dee Doo Review standing in line to enter the hall and a guy in front of my family had a little to much to drink and he was wishing me a happy Bday and hugging me, little uncomfortable but funny.
I'm sorry you had sort of an underwhelming experience. I think they make a bigger fuss for kids. That's funny about the random guy hugging you
It sounds like he was having too much of a magical time!
I celebrated my 16th birthday at WDW and I got special deserts and tons of happy birthdays from everyone.
On our last trip we were watching Spectromagic next to an elderly woman who was celebrating her birthday and all seven dwarfs came over and kissed her hand and she started blushing it was priceless
I'll be ecstatic if I get special desserts! That's my favorite food group
I can just imagine if the seven dwarves came and kissed my grandmothers' hand. I can't un-imagine it now actually! LOL
To me, it seems that there was a lot more things that were spontaneously given or offered to guests for their birthdays prior to the Celebrate promotions that went on a couple of years ago. Since then the surprises seem less prevalent.
I guess when something is overdone, the CMs don't have any fun with it anymore. I'm hoping that since I'm going during value season, the parks will generally be less crowded so there will be more of a chance of some form of special treatment. The last time I went for a celebration it was my college graduation. One night after EPCOT closed, I went to the monorail station to go back to my hotel and the operator gave me my own car. It was funny, people tried to come in and he said it was a private car. I'll bet they thought I was a celebrity or something. It was awesome. In his defense, it was WAY after the park closed and there were only a few stragglers.
