Birthdays are the best, aren’t they? Even better when you can spend them on vacation and especially if you can be at Walt Disney World ON your birthday! They make you feel like a VIP with the royal treatment. Here’s how you can make your birthday even more of a blast with tips on celebrating birthdays at Walt Disney World.
Since yesterday was my son’s 11th birthday, I thought we would throw confetti all over the blog today to celebrate. Happy Birthday, little man! Gosh, guess I can’t call him little anymore.
10 years ago, he blew out his first birthday in style at Walt Disney World. Let’s just say the Cast Members at Crystal Palace made him feel very special. He was in heaven with his favorite food, mac and cheese. I think he wore more than he ate!
Incidentally, this was the same trip that I flew down with both the kids by myself because my husband was already there for work. And oh yeah, the direct flight got diverted to Savannah because the cockpit windshield broke! The flight attendant ran down the aisle with the beverage cart and totally wigged out about having to divert, which I have to admit scared the crud out of me. By the time I got to the hotel, it had been almost 8 hours–I could have driven it faster! Oh well, c’est la vie!
So in honor of my son’s birthday, I’ve come up with 5 Tips on how to have a magical blowout for your birthday at the House of Mouse!
5 Tips for Celebrating Birthdays at Walt Disney World
1. Get the Birthday Button
It may seem like a small little token, but the responses you’ll get from Cast Members and fellow Guests will amaze you. You will be greeted with well wishes for your birthday all day long. Who doesn’t love that? You can get these buttons at your Disney resort at check-in or Guest Relations at all the parks and Disney Springs.
In general, it’s a wonderful rule of thumb to inform Cast Members or your Travel Agent when you book your reservation that you will be celebrating a birthday in your party. This also follows throughout your visit when you check in at your resort and arrive for your dining reservations. Nothing is guaranteed, but it’s highly likely that some pixie dust will fly!
It doesn’t matter if you are a child or a grown up, either! As you can see, our family has done it both ways. My son sported his button at the Magic Kingdom while riding Dumbo the Flying Elephant with Dad. For my birthday, I wore my button with pride while also showing off my new Disney Dooney & Bourke!
2. Plan a Special Meal
Disney dining is on a whole other level. The quality of restaurants and variety is unparalleled, which makes it an exceptional place to make reservations for a birthday meal. Whether you crave international flavors that can be satisfied at Epcot’s 13 countries or five star dining at Victoria and Albert’s, Walt Disney World delivers on top caliber food, festivities, and fun!
You could choose dinner and a show at Hoop-de-Doo Musical Revue or Disney’s Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show. Or you could make the birthday wish watching the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular over spoonfuls of Bread Pudding a la mode with Bananas-Caramel Sauce at ‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. The main thing is to choose the one that appeals most to your palate and your party. Disney will take care of the rest. You can get the Disney Dining rundown on the Disney Food Blog.
Here’a tip: The easiest and fastest way to get a reservation is go to Disney Dining website starting at 6 a.m. EST, which gives you a full hour before phone reservations open.
And don’t despair if you weren’t able to get the Advance Dining Reservation you wanted. Keep checking back for cancellations, which are especially likely for restaurants that require a credit card guarantee. The last chance for reservations to be cancelled without a charge is 11:59EST the day before, so try to score a reservation between 10pm and midnight while people are making their last minute cancellations.
3. Order a Custom Cake.
Did you know there is a Cake-Ordering Hotline at Walt Disney World? You simply call (407) 827-2253 and can order a custom bakery cake! The Fairy Godmothers at the hotline can make that cake appear with a “Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo!” Keep in mind that you need to pre-order usually 24-48 hours in advance.
Want something even more fancy? You can order a mini-castle cake at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa or the Contemporary Resort. And for those who dream of the chocolate Cinderella Slipper Dessert? You can order this one of a kind dessert at the Grand Floridian, the Contemporary Resort, and Cinderella’s Royal Table at the Magic Kingdom. It is usually white chocolate, but Cinderella’s Royal Table occasionally offers it in milk chocolate.
4. Plan a Special Delivery or Experience with Disney Floral and Gifts
Sure, you can haul tons of birthday goodies from home, but it’s even more fun to have a birthday surprise waiting for you on arrival or upon returning from the parks. The Disney Floral and Gifts team is here to help! With a variety of packages and individual gifts, you can customize your selection with the birthday boy or girl in mind. Whether it is flowers, food, jewelry, balloons, or even beer or wine, you are certain to surprise the recipient and have lots of WOW factor! Phone: (407) 939-4438
Another unique feature offered by Disney Floral and Gifts is the My Storybook Moment where your princess (must be 3 or older) will be decreed royalty at either a Princess character greet or Princess character dining restaurant. The fairy tale comes to life as your princess can have her very own princess proclamation signed by a Disney Princess! (Disney Dining reservation required for Princess character greet option). If your desired princess is Anna or Elsa, you may also need to have a FastPass booked to expedite wait times for these popular princesses. The tool to assist in you in getting FastPasses is the My Disney Experience app.
5. Get Your Birthday Mouse Ears
Mouse Ears are a popular thing at Walt Disney World. There’s even a gift shop called The Chapeau in the Magic Kingdom dedicated to this festive headwear. What’s up with that name? Well, “chapeau” means hat in French.
You can sport Birthday Mouse Ears to further broadcast the special occasion and even have them embroidered. I tried this on my 40th birthday weekend and got lots of birthday wishes!
There a cool connection between Tony’s Town Square Restaurant and The Chapeau. Yes, they are virtually next door neighbors in the Magic Kingdom. But there’s also a more subtle connection. The inspiration for Tony’s Town Square Restaurant was Lady and the Tramp. Outside The Chapeau, there’s a hatbox which represents how Lady was given to Mrs. Darling in the movie. Similarly, when Walt Disney first married, he gave his wife Lillian a gift of a little Chow puppy presented to her inside a hatbox. The threads between the restaurant, the shop, and Walt Disney are intricately woven together. You can find many more nuggets like this in Celebrations, the magazine that celebrates the magic of Walt Disney World.
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Thank you so much for sharing our My Storybook Moment experience. It was truly one of the best extras I have ever done!
I love it! Sounds like it was worth every penny. You are one of the first people I’ve heard to experience it. Glad to hear you granddaughter had so much fun. That’s what it is all about!