Birthday Button Tips or Freebies??

[elevenisnow]

Taking my son to Disneyland/CA Adventure for his 13th birthday next week. Any Birthday Button Tips or Freebie Ideas??

 

[ConnieB]

Highly recommend getting the free birthday button for your son. Cast Members (and some guests like my kids, lol) will wish your son a Happy Birthday when they walk past you.

As for freebies....I strongly suggest that you do not go with the mind set that your son will get something free....instead let the pixie dust work it's own private magic. Sometimes we have received several wonderful freebies for our birthdays.....sometimes we have only been wished a happy birthday by Cast Members and guests. To my knowledge there are no "guaranteed" freebies or even "almost always get" but there are many wonderful CMs that will do what they can!

Funny story: It was our first visit at WDW....so we got my daughters both a "first visit pin" of course (I chose not to wear mine). Immediately went to Crystal Palace for breakfast to see Pooh and Friends. End of the meal and we're waiting for our bill to be brought, instead the server comes with two cupcakes with candles, Tigger comes and hugs and dances with them, the whole works. I'm totally confused about this as I don't see other tables getting this treatment....my girls are in 7th heaven for all the extra attention. I decide to just go with the flow and figured it was 'cause they're so dern cute, ya know. On the way out the door a CM hugs the girls and wishes them a Happy Birthday. Huh? It's not their birthday....and of course they tell the CM that. She does a double take and sees that the pins are First Visit....not Birthday pins.....apparently both she and the server mis-saw the pins, lol. So...we got birthday pixie dust when it was months from their birthday, lol. The rest of the day we kept joking to each other when a CM mentioned their first visit..."nope it's our birthday" we'd joke. Loads of confused CMs that day I tell ya!

Happy Birthday to your son....may much pixie dust land on him that day and always!

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

Aw we will JUST miss DD5's birthday by 3 days and DD1's birthday by one day!

Hmmm

 

[blueiis99]

Aw we will JUST miss DD5's birthday by 3 days and DD1's birthday by one day!

Hmmm

OH! go and get the birthday buttons anyway. We almost neer get to celebrate our birthday's on the actual day. Something always happens (someone has a meeting they can't get out of, or something)
I'm sure if its off up to a week that still counts!

I know it counts here in my house!

 

[ConnieB]

Aw we will JUST miss DD5's birthday by 3 days and DD1's birthday by one day!

Hmmm

Go ahead and ask for a Birthday Button anyway! You'll be CELEBRATING their birthday, so go ahead and let the rest of the world know as well! Disney doesn't hold you to the precise date.

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

Aw this made me teary! I'm such a nerd!! I totally will if it isn't frowned upon. I feel bad..DD1 will be traveling in the car on her birthday LOL We considered messing up the rental with confetti but..ya know LOL

 

[christine*]

It wouldn't hurt to mention you're celebrating a birthday at sit down resturants. If you have breakfast at Story Tellers they give birthday kids a cupcake and sing happy birthday. We also got a free desert from Napa Rose for a birthday last time.

 

[RedRosie]

Aw we will JUST miss DD5's birthday by 3 days and DD1's birthday by one day!

Hmmm

I've read several places here that it is just fine to get pins for celebrating the bdays, not just on the actual day. That's why the pins say "I'm celebrating my birthday" not "today is my birthday". My DD and DS are just a few days apart too, so we are going for the days in between.

We would like to bring our own candles to add to a meal. Does anyone know if there would be a problem with that?

 

[joedave12]

When I took my son there for the first time he got the first visit button and a CM at haunted mansion gave him a light up sword that had been left on the ride and said "happy first visit" MADE HIS DAY!

 

[elevenisnow]

Excellent suggestions, Thank you!! I love the idea of letting the Pixie dust fall and that's exactly what we'll do. Thanks for the posts about the days too. We will actually be there a few days before but I figured within the week is close enough especially since the trip is his birthday present! Any other fun Birthday tips out there?

 

[elevenisnow]

Thanks for all the tips everyone!! Packing already and only a few more days

 

[skiingfast]

You could ask for a map of the river when you get off the jungle cruise. Of course it's basically a coloring page and may not be so great for a 13yo.

 

[DizNee Luver]

You can ask at the Mark Twain about riding in the wheelhouse or on the Monorail asking to sit up with the pilot. We celebrate birthdays & anniversary's the whole time we're there......never one day specific. Most of the Disney sit-down restaurants will offer a birthday dessert.....character meals will also sing happy birthday to you with a character or two.

Have a fun trip!!!

 

[jenpace]

Aw this made me teary! I'm such a nerd!! I totally will if it isn't frowned upon. I feel bad..DD1 will be traveling in the car on her birthday LOL We considered messing up the rental with confetti but..ya know LOL

Not frowned upon at all! My two daughters have August and September birthdays, and we're at DL around that time each year. They each get a birthday button because that's what we are celebrating...doesn't have to be on the actual day.

Have a great time and Happy Birthday to your daughter!

 

[PrincessAurora]

Those are all great ideas. I always celebrate my birthday at DL rarely on the exact day since I live in the Bay Area now. The only time the exact day matters is if they have that promotion of getting in free on your birthday. They have done that twice that I can remember but my birthday has always been in the middle of the week on those times. Booooo.

When my niece and nephew went to the Park for the first time, we got pins for them. Mostly we got conversation with the cast members though my niece got a cookie at one place because she was wearing her pin and the boy wasn't. He thought it was "stupid". Well after that, it wasn't so stupid. Later in the day the kids got some stickers as well.

I think the "just wait and see what happens" is the best course of action. Mickey Magic is like a present. You never expect or demand a present, it is just given out of love by someone and you accept it in that frame of mind.

Unfortunately, you are no longer allowed to ride in the front of the monorail since the accident at WDW that killed the driver when the nose ran into another train.

 

[Jrsy Boy]

I've read several places here that it is just fine to get pins for celebrating the bdays, not just on the actual day. That's why the pins say "I'm celebrating my birthday" not "today is my birthday". My DD and DS are just a few days apart too, so we are going for the days in between.

We would like to bring our own candles to add to a meal. Does anyone know if there would be a problem with that?

I think you can also get an "I'm celebrating" button that isn't specific, but most CM's will ask what you're celebrating. When we picked up our hoppers at the ticket booth on our arrival day, the CM asked if we were celebrating anything and I just said "playing hooky from work to go to Disneyland" so she gave us buttons. I assume you can pick them up at City Hall just as you would a birthday or 1st visit button.

You could ask for a map of the river when you get off the jungle cruise. Of course it's basically a coloring page and may not be so great for a 13yo.

When we were there for DS's 13th, he asked for the jungle cruise map and was very proud of it.

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

Sweet. I'm totally doing this I hope poor DS whose birthday is in Feb won't be too jealous LOL

 

[SuzanneSLO]

If you are there first thing the morning, don't bother gettign the buttons from City Hall right away. The line is usally pretty long. I waited about 20 minutes at 8:10 on a MM to get my tickets fixed so that we could get FPs. Others were waiting for GACs. But still others were waiting for buttons. Whiel I watied, my family rode IJ with a 10 mintue wait!

By mid-morning, there is no line at City Hall. Ride the rides first and collect FPs, then get your button later. -- Suzanne

 

[Saylan]

Is it possible to get it before going in the parks? Like at the ticket booth?

 

[OrcaPotter]

One of my best friends wore her birthday button at DL for the entire week we were there, and it was amazing at just how many people stopped to wish her a happy birthday. And not just CMs, either! She works at WDW and remarked at how people at WDW just don't do that anymore, since the sheer number of people walking around wearing those buttons makes you want to hang yourself after the 100th happy birthday.

We also did Goofy's Kitchen for breakfast and I can confirm that yes, they come out with a free birthday cupcake (they gave her an "I'm Celebrating" button, too) and sang. The Mad Hatter (one of her favs) also sang along. She also got special treatment getting the photo before the meal; they did a separate set of photos with just her. When they were printed, both photos had the HB borders on them.

As a group of friends, though, we weren't keen on having group photos with HB all over them.

And a note, too: I was also celebrating my graduation from graduate school and had noted that on the reservation. Nothing was mentioned at all. When I got the button, I wore it all week, and got a few "congratulations" but not nearly as many greetings as my friend did for her birthday. We also did the premium meal for WOC at Ariel's Grotto, and the ticket even said: "Birthday and Graduation." She got happy birthdays (no cupcake, though) and I went unnoticed.

So button are not guarantee for anything, though the birthday buttons will get you a lot of wishes and maybe a free cupcake