“Let’s get loud and dance through the crowd. We’ll throw it all down. Get up! Get up! Party People! Fists are bumpin’. Music is pumpin’. We’re gonna jump. Feel it, Feel it Come together.”- Disney: Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party
Celebrating birthdays at Walt Disney World (or any Disney park for that matter) can take a great day and turn it into a magical one.
If you’re celebrating during your Disney vacation, there are a lot of special activities and add-ons that can make the trip even more special and you don’t have to spend a ton (or any) extra money to ramp up the birthday celebrations unless you want to do so.
Celebratory fun at the Disney parks can come both from pre-planned activities and via the spontaneous acts of Disney Cast Members.
Here are some of recommendations for celebrating your birthday at a Disney park…
PLANNING
- When making your reservations with Disney either note on your online reservation that you are celebrating a birthday or let the Cast Member whom you are speaking with know. If you are staying on Disney property you can also let the Cast Members you speak to at check-in know.
- Other things that should be planned in advance are add-ons such as cakes, gifts, flowers, or other surprises.
- Disney Floral & Gifts do a lot of great things and can help make a birthday celebration even more special.
For WDW: http://disneyworld.disneyfloralandgifts.com/home.do?rel=https://www.google.com/
For Disneyland: http://disneyland.disneyfloralandgifts.com/home.do?rel=https://www.google.com/
WHAT TO DO?
- The degree to which you celebrate the occasion is entirely up to you. Disney trips are usually a celebration unto themselves, so if you only want to do a little to acknowledge the celebration, that’s pretty easy. If you want the trip to revolve around the birthday celebration, that’s possible, too!Celebration Button– I am firmly convinced that City Hall at Walt Disney World has a button in stock for every conceivable celebration. Celebrating a birthday? There’s a button for that. Honeymoon? Check! Anniversary? No problem.
Besides City Hall, you can obtain the Celebration Buttons in a multitude of places on property: hotel front desks, restaurants, guest relations, etc. If you are celebrating one person’s special event, besides just getting the birthday button for that person, make sure the rest of your party gets the generic “I’m Celebrating” buttons.
*If you are shy, getting these buttons may not be the best of ideas. Cast Members (and even other guests) typically pay extra attention to guests wearing these buttons. It can be as simple as a passing “Happy Birthday,” or as involved as a conversation and a complimentary food item.
Conversely, PLEASE don’t wear the button with the expectation that you will receive extra attention or freebies.
- Decorate– If you stay on Disney property, chances are that you’ve seen decorated room windows at one of the Disney hotels. Christmas decorations seem most common, but you can decorate for any type of celebration such as a birthday.
- Surprises! – Try to spice things up with some surprises unique to the person for whom you’re celebrating. For a child celebrating a birthday, you could plan an in-park scavenger hunt leading them to a present “from” their favorite character.
- Itinerary– Let the birthday boy or girl, man or woman set the itinerary for the day. They decide what and where to eat and what attractions to go to when. This is an easy and cost-free way to make things extra special for the person celebrating their birthday. Even adults will like this, as I’m sure most of us have at least one favorite attraction that the rest of our party dislikes.
- Snack or Drink around the World in Epcot – A challenge where guests aim to have a drink or snack at every one of World Showcase’s eleven countries in one day.
- Evening of Signature Dining –If planning this birthday celebration for your significant other than consider booking a Signature Restaurant that will allow for a nightcap. Restaurants on the monorail loop are great for this. Such as, California Grill at the Contemporary, Victoria & Albert’s at the Grand Floridian, the Blue Bayou inside Pirates of the Caribbean in Disneyland or Carthay Circle in Disney’s California Adventure. You can either make your Advance Dining Reservation early enough so that you’re done with dinner by the time the evening entertainment begins, or time your meal so that dessert coincides with the fireworks (arrive early to the restaurant and request a window seat). Same goes for dinner at an Epcot-area restaurant (Flying Fish Cafe at the Board Walk resort and Yachtsman Steakhouse at the Yacht Club) followed by Illuminations. Conclude the evening in a lounge such as Hearthstone Lounge inside the Grand Californian.
You could also make reservations for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the birthday boy or girl’s three favorite restaurants.
- Private Event, Fireworks Festivities, or Tour – Depending on your budget you can make this relatively inexpensive, or very expensive. On the inexpensive end of the spectrum is the Fireworks Dessert Party at the Tomorrowland Terrace in the Magic Kingdom or the World of Color Dessert Party in Disney’s California Adventure. On the other end of the spectrum, the sky is the limit on private events, such as the Tower of Terror private party. Somewhere in between these two options, price-wise, is the Illuminations Cruise. If fireworks aren’t your thing, try the Wild Africa Trek, the Keys to the Kingdom tour, or Behind the Seeds at Epcot.
- Fun for the Kids – Since kids aren’t allowed on many tours, if the celebration is for a child, you’ll need an alternative. The Pirate Cruise at the Grand Floridian and the Wonderland Tea Party are out of the ordinary options that are geared towards kids. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at both WDW and Disneyland and Pirates League are two more common options, and are great not just for the experiences, but for the photos you can get of your kids all dressed up on their birthday. You could also get them prepared for their birthday celebrations with a haircut on Main Street.
- Shopping Spree! – Take your loved one over to Disney Springs in Walt Disney World or Downtown Disney in Disneyland, give them a dollar amount and let them go crazy!
These are just some of the basics for celebrating at Disney parks; the unique ways you can celebrate are truly endless.
The Disnerd 