birthday - how far of a stretch?

[kristennn]

We'll be at disney May 5-12th and my youngest dd is turning 3 on June 1st.
So .... at least 3 weeks before her birthday. I am debating if we should 'celebrate" her birthday at any of our meals. I originally thought no - because I don't want them to charge me as though she is 3 - but then I read that no one "ages" at disney so even if she did turn 3 while we were there it wouldn't be an issue. I also read about people celebrating their birthdays weeks off from the actual day.

So what do you think? Is 2-3 weeks pushing my luck? Am I likely to have any issues with the 3 issue and her technically not even being charged for the birthday meal/dinner because she's not 3 yet ..

If we do celebrate where do you think my best option is - here is where we are planning to eat :

1900 park faire for dinner
CRT for breakfast
Ohana's for breakfast
Le Cellier for lunch
50's primetime for dinner

and maybe Tusker house for lunch
and My 8 year old would really like to do Chef Mickeys but I am leaning towards NOT although it does seem like a good place to celebrate a bday

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

I would go for it! My first choice would be CRT, followed by Ohana, 1900 Park Fare of Chef Mickey.

 

[Cassushi]

I agree with DisneyTravelers2008 with CRT...go have fun, celebrate and enjoy!

 

[gabzee]

I would definitely celebrate her birthday! If we go to Disney sometime near our birthday we celebrate! You are correct that if she is 2 when you arrive she is 2 the entire vacation (even if her birthday is during your stay). However, most restaurants don't even ask the age of the birthday child so if wouldn't be a problem. Personally, if you were going to celebrate it (which I would) I would celebrate it at more than one place. I would mention it on all of your ADRs. Depending on the restaurant and the server, they may not do anything for your birthday. Between the restaurants that you listed the must do restaurants for celebration would be CRT, 1900 Park, and Chef Mickey (if you do it) or Ohanas (if you don't book CM)! Have a FANTASTIC vacation!

 

[Diz Kids]

Yes! My DD's birthday is late February and we typicallly go to WDW at the end of January. We have celebrated her birthday a few times. They tend to do more at the character buffet's, like bring out a cupcake or give them a card. The only drawback is that now my DD thinks that we go to WDW to celebrate her birthday every year and the other kids are wondering why they don't get to go for their birthdays too.

 

[kristennn]

Now my second thought is - if we celebrate my daughter turning 3 on June 1st which is 2-3 weeks out from when we'll be there - do we at a different ADR celebrate my older daughter's birthday (turning 9) - which is June 19th - so 5-6 weeks off from our vacation dates May 5th-12th

 

[TDC Nala]

You can celebrate anything you want on any day you wish to celebrate it. Disney really doesn't care. Not sure whether you are asking if you can get birthday wishes, which you can get anytime, or are anticipating getting free desserts or cupcakes or whatever. There is a possibility they'll ask if it's the actual birthday before giving out free stuff, but maybe not.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) Disney doesn't care.
2) They will celebrate anything.
3) The extent, in all cases, is up to the CM (big, little, or none).
4) However, (IMHO) I don't like the lie.
5) So, why not celebrate "Almost My Birthday, Day".
6) I frequently have a "Happy Un-Birthday Day" for the wife
. . . flowers
. . . dinner
. . . sweets
7) I have seen (at Disney)
. . . "It's Almost My Divorce Day"
. . . "It's Almost My Adoption Day"
. . . "It's Almost My Anniversary Day"

 

[kristennn]

You can celebrate anything you want on any day you wish to celebrate it. Disney really doesn't care. Not sure whether you are asking if you can get birthday wishes, which you can get anytime, or are anticipating getting free desserts or cupcakes or whatever. There is a possibility they'll ask if it's the actual birthday before giving out free stuff, but maybe not.

I would call celebrating in a restaurant telling your server/adr person etc. you are celebrating your birthday. Generally they bring out some sort of free dessert or whatnot with a candle - sometimes it's a place mat signed by characters.
They do not ask if it is your or your child's actual birthday or make you show proof. I know I *could* do this 6 months away from my child's birthday.
I was just debating whether it was pushing it to do it a coupe of weeks off - and then if I do that debating if I should also at a different restaurant do it for my kid who is more like 5-6 weeks off.
As far as getting a "free" cupcake - most of the places we're considering are buffets - so it';s kind of a wash. It's no different really than if they just ate more buffet desserts. My consideration and what i think is a bigger deal really is the server's extra time - which we could compensate with a better gratuity as well.

 

[missy120]

This is my 40th Birthday trip. My birthday is this Month (January) but I wanted to go in the Spring so we are going at the end of April. A few months out but oh well I am celebrating while there. Not buying a birthday pin or anything but when I booked a few meals they asked if I was celebrating something and I told them.

 

[hannahdrewmom]

Last year we went in May. My daughters birthday was in March, but something came up and we had to reschedule. We still celebrated her birthday though. She loved it!
This year we are going in March for her birthday to celebrate on it! But Disney didn't care that we did it a little late last year... they were fantastic!

 

[k^2]

You can definitely celebrate it Disney won't mind at all! If you have any moral scruples at all, just say, "Her birthday is in a few weeks, but we really wanted to celebrate it at Disney World!" No one will mind.

 

[aussietravellers]

Go for it. You could also celebrate your other DD's birthday too. We have done a special trip to WDW, it was for my 40th, but we couldn't travel in my birthday month, so I celebrated 3.5 weeks early. Then it was my DS's birthday 3.5 weeks before our trip, so I asked him if he would like his party at home or if he would like to wait until we went to Disney, he wanted Disney, dinner at TRex and a visit to Ride Makerz so that's what we did, celebrated two birthdays in one trip.

 

[kristennn]

1) Disney doesn't care.
2) They will celebrate anything.
3) The extent, in all cases, is up to the CM (big, little, or none).
4) However, (IMHO) I don't like the lie.
5) So, why not celebrate "Almost My Birthday, Day".
6) I frequently have a "Happy Un-Birthday Day" for the wife
. . . flowers
. . . dinner
. . . sweets
7) I have seen (at Disney)
. . . "It's Almost My Divorce Day"
. . . "It's Almost My Adoption Day"
. . . "It's Almost My Anniversary Day"

hmmm I don't think I would lie. I would just say "we're celebrating my daughter's birthday today" but if someone asked if it was her actual birthday we would say no.

I think lots of people celebrate on other days and certainly our family does. We tend to over-celebrate birthdays - so there is a friend's party, often a smaller family party, bringing in a treat at school - which we do at least a week early since her bday is June 19th and then often none of the above is on the actual birthday so we do a little something special that day too.
We may be over-celebraters

I think wearing a birthday button might be kind of lieing ... assuming it says "its my birthday"

Anyhow I feel like I am justifying -when really I am not even sure if I think it's too far off. I think My opinion is it's not too far out for June 1st but it is too far out for June 19th. Still my 8 year old tells us a few times a week that we are nicer to her sister than to her so part of e wants to do both or neither

 

[OneLittleSpark7]

DBF is in the CP and he's seen people wearing Birthday Buttons and when he says Happy Birthday they respond that their birthday was 6 months ago

You can celebrate birthdays whenever you want (apparently lots of people do) but especially within a month of DD birthday? Go for it!

 

[TDC Nala]

They do not ask if it is your or your child's actual birthday or make you show proof.

yes, sometimes they DO ask.

 

[budafam]

We went at the end of October/beginning of November and my son's birthday was in July. He begged and begged to have a "birthday day" so I let him choose one day to wear the pin. He got an extra cupcake at 2 out of 3 of our meals and got told Happy Birthday & sang to a LOT. He just smiled and said thank you everytime.

On our first trip it was my birthday so he had seen the kind of attention you get and I just could not deny him of that

 

[angierae]

DH and I are celebrating our five year anniversary at WDW in April, even though our anniversary is in May. When I called to change some things on my package, the CM asked if I was celebrating anything, and I said that we'd booked Jiko for our fifth anniversary dinner, which was about a month after our trip. She was all "Oh, I'll note it in your reservations so EVERYONE knows it's your anniversary trip!"

Not expecting anything, though. DH celebrated on his birthday at Coral Reef and once the waiter found out it was an adult's birthday, not a child's, nothing more was mentioned about it, not even saying happy birthday to him. So anything we get will be fun, but definitely not expecting anything.

 

[MSLRAC]

I don't see anything wrong with celebrating while you are there. We will be celebrating all 3 of our kids birthdays during our next trip but only the two youngest will have actual birthdays during that week. But we didn't want to leave our oldest out and since her half birthday is also in November, we decided to celebrate that. She is super excited about her very merry unbirthday and having breakfast with the Mad Hatter. So I say go for it!

 

[GAGirlInVA]

I think wearing a birthday button might be kind of lieing ... assuming it says "its my birthday"

Unless they've changed the pins since October, the pins say "Happy Birthday" and most people write their names on the cake-- and sometimes what number birthday it is.

We were there for a week for my husband's 30th and he wore his pin every day.. although his birthday was only ONE day. LOL! Nobody ever asked which day was his real birthday.

FWIW, we are planning to go in October 2013, to celebrate my 30th. I really turn 30 in July, but we aren't going then because it is too hot.