No matter what you do, where you stay, when you go, or how long you’re there, your trip to Disney is going to be full of magic. You’ll think to yourself “how could this possibly get any better??” The answer? When it’s your birthday.
Disney is already known for going the extra mile when it comes to customer service, but when you’ve got the birthday button pinned to your shirt, they go an extra marathon.
Your birthday is a special day that makes it socially acceptable to basically do whatever you want- and Disney will not hold you back. At the most basic level, wearing the birthday button will ensure that nearly every Cast Member you pass, and even quite a few other Guests, will wish you a happy birthday.
Before I get into our specific experiences with birthday magic at Disney, I would like to remind you that it is magic because it cannot be a created, structured moment. It’s not planned, it’s not sought after. We didn’t clap our hands and spin around in a circle three times. And while similar things may happen to you, or you may have had similar experiences before, the magic cannot be replicated, otherwise, it wouldn’t be magic. So if you plan to ask “how do I get that to happen to me??”, just don’t, because you can’t. If you spend your whole vacation trying to get something to happen, you’re going to miss what’s happening around you. You have the opportunity to experience your own magic, embrace it.
Okay, now back to how amazing your birthday at Disney can be.
So you may not be able to structure your magic, but there are a few things you can do to make your day a little more special.
First of all, wear the birthday button.
Our most recent trip was during my sister’s birthday and just from wearing the button she was given a cupcake for dessert, a pretzel, and was given a free drink “on the mouse.” In the past, for my birthday we were escorted by a Cast Member to go on Test Track a second time without going through the line. One of the most memorable magic moments from this last trip was a private viewing of Mickey’s PhilharMagic. We were the first ones to the waiting area of the attraction, and we immediately got excited because we thought we might get to be the only ones in the theater. My sister, wearing her birthday button and customized birthday ears, asked the Cast Member if it would be possible for us to have the theater to ourselves. In the spirit of Disney Magic, the Cast Member was more than happy to put the rope up and allow us to go in alone. We tried to go back and thank the Cast Member for obliging to our request, but he had left right after we were seated, so if this happens to get back to him, thank you for this bit of magic, we appreciate you.
Emilie wearing her birthday button and birthday ears
Speaking of customized ears, there are a lot of things you can do to make your day (or someone in your party’s day) a bit more special. When making your reservation (with your favorite travel agent of course) you can include that you are celebrating a birthday. Sometimes Disney will do something like a birthday balloon or note in your room. If you plan to do a table service meal to celebrate, you can order a cake with the birthday princess’ or pirates’ favorite characters on it. (We have done this for both my birthday and my sister’s birthday, with Tinkerbell and Lilo & Stitch respectively, both at 50’s Prime Time Cafe.)
On the non-Disney side, there are lots of things you can do in order to make the arrow over your head saying “it’s my birthday” to be a bit more flashy. Like I mentioned before, this trip we got customized ears for my sister from Etsy. My mom was able to add how old she was turning, as well as incorporate a small crown and my sister’s favorite color. If you feel so inclined, your party could wear matching shirts revolving around the birthday boy or girl, however, in my opinion, those are less awkward when the birthday is a bigger deal, for instance, one’s 21st birthday. Side note: we saw shirts of a party that was celebrating a 21st birthday that said “Bippity Boppity Boozey” which I thought were quite clever, so shout out to those girls.
Disney is a magical place to be, and having your birthday there makes your trip even more magical and memorable.
Whether it’s having a little bit of extra pixie dust sprinkled on you, or just walking through the park and being wished a happy birthday, Disney makes sure that you are celebrated.
Interested in celebrating your or someone else’s birthday at the Most Magical Place on Earth? Contact your travel agent today to start planning your vacation!
Written by Madison Riley. Madison is the daughter of Nicole Riley, owner of Visit the Magic Travel, an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner.
