Sometimes we can't travel during our actual birthday or celebration time.
I actually used to feel very strongly that if you could not go when your actual date was, or extremely close, then it did not count...but then I was talking to my hubby's friends who are school teachers, and they only have the option of going during the summer, anywhere..so when they do have *Milestone* anniversaries or birthdays, yea, that's okay!
They do not load up and celebrate EVERYONE's birthday from the whole year, but if it is someone's milestone birthday (sweet 16, 15, 13...turning 10, 21, 30, 40, retirement..you get the idea) trip, or celebrating a milestone anniversary, yea, it should count - but since many people go on vacation once a year, I do not feel it is fair to celebrate everyone's birthday who is on the trip.
But...sometimes the cruise you want is not offered during your special occasion!
Sorry, but I think this below is kinda tacky..."Yea Johnny will be 6 in January, and Susie will be 7 in March, and Joey will be 5 in November..and our anniversary is in September...let's tell Disney we are celebrating them all in June to get free stuff!"
You gotta balance it - I'm not the birthday and anniversary police.
I do think it cheapens it and gives a bad message to kids. My mom always tried to 'save money' by telling everyone I was 11/12 for kid's meals at resturants when I was 15. (I was a very small kid so I looked 12.) I was so embarrassed. Sigh. I wanted to eat the adult food, but was stuck with kid's meals at 15.
If she knew about special birthday stuff, I expect she might have tried to do that in WDW for free desserts, our birthdays were in July/August and we usually traveled to WDW in June....the trips were not to celebrate our birthdays, they were a family vacation.
I went on a
DCL teaser cruise out of NYC, the week after my 37th birthday. It was a surprise birthday trip! We did 2 days in NYC beforehand and had a blast! The fact we were celebrating my birthday was on our reservation. No one said or did anything for us at all. I heard lots of Happy Birthday songs around us...I saw lots of special treatment - but not one lil recognition..and it was the closest cruise to my actual birthday.
I did not expect something free or a cake or anything extreme - but I would have liked someone to say Happy Birthday to me. This was my first experience on DCL. Hubby would not let me say anything to our waiters. I admit...I was a bit bummed.