Celebrating Birthdays/Anniversaries - how far away from actual cruise?

[aaklang]

I was surprised on my last cruise to see so many people celebrating birthdays and anniversaries that were actually as many as a few weeks before or after the cruise. I always thought it had to be the actual date to get the special dessert or recognition. What's the general rule of thumb for it to "count" as celebrating a special day?

Also, if you do tell the waiter in the MDR that it's a birthday, are you charged anything for the special dessert they bring?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I was surprised on my last cruise to see so many people celebrating birthdays and anniversaries that were actually as many as a few weeks before or after the cruise. I always thought it had to be the actual date to get the special dessert or recognition. What's the general rule of thumb for it to "count" as celebrating a special day?

Also, if you do tell the waiter in the MDR that it's a birthday, are you charged anything for the special dessert they bring?

If the cruise was given as a birthday (or anniversary) gift, who's to say the cruise must be taken then? You can tell your server that you are celebrating (whatever) and they will bring out the appropriate buttons/cake decoration.

There's no time limit to celebrations on DCL (or any cruiseline, for that matter).

There's no charge for the personal celebration cake served.

 

[stmize]

Cool. We board nov 24th and our anniversary is the 19th.

 

[april1401]

I was surprised on my last cruise to see so many people celebrating birthdays and anniversaries that were actually as many as a few weeks before or after the cruise. I always thought it had to be the actual date to get the special dessert or recognition. What's the general rule of thumb for it to "count" as celebrating a special day?

Also, if you do tell the waiter in the MDR that it's a birthday, are you charged anything for the special dessert they bring?

My own personal policy is if the cruise is within a 30 day window. Once we sailed with friends and it was the son's birthday so i set it up.

We almost always sail during the month of my son's birthday so we celebrate on the ship.

In 2010 we were on the Magic for the repositioning cruise and a lady at our table was celebrating her birthday that was nearly 9 months before. And she did state that the cruise was her birthday present, however she felt bad because it was the same night everyone celebrated my son's birthday and his was less than 2 weeks before the cruise.

 

[MissieTodd]

I think a lot depends on what you are celebrating. I celebrated my 30th birthday at WDW. My birthday is in March but we were only able to travel in January do to scheduling issues. My husband told them my actual birthday date when we booked and they were fine with it! I got a birthday button, flowers in the room and my hubby made some surprise reservations for me at Cinderella's castle as my B-day gift.

As long as you are honest about it, I don't see a problem celebrating early or late.

 

[gssmks]

My daughter's birthday is November, but we did a cruise in September that was considered her "big gift" for her birthday. We were chating casually with someone at guest services while we waiting for them to find the pillow case we had left for signatures and my daughter mentioned it was her birthday cruise. I told them that her actual birthday was not until November. When we returned to our cabin that evening we found a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a birthday card that had a ten dollar gift card to use in the arcade. The next night at dinner, they brought her a birthday cake. We neither requested or expected either, but it thrilled my daughter.

 

[lbgraves]

If I am paying that much to be on the ship to celebrate my birthday, a small desert that probably costs DCL less than $1.00 to produce isn't a big deal. It's not like you are going to a local restaurant and doing this. It takes scheduling to be able to take a week or more off for a cruise. Sometimes this has to be done at a time other than the actual event. It doesn't diminish the celebration for that person.

Besides, they know everyone's actual birthday because of the information required to book the cruise and board.

 

[disneycrazy2004]

My daughter's birthday is November, but we did a cruise in September that was considered her "big gift" for her birthday. We were chating casually with someone at guest services while we waiting for them to find the pillow case we had left for signatures and my daughter mentioned it was her birthday cruise. I told them that her actual birthday was not until November. When we returned to our cabin that evening we found a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a birthday card that had a ten dollar gift card to use in the arcade. The next night at dinner, they brought her a birthday cake. We neither requested or expected either, but it thrilled my daughter.

How wonderful! Our son's 16th birthday gift is a Mediterranean cruise. His birthday is in November and the cruise is in July. We have no plans on getting cake and singing Happy Birthday, but this is his big 16th birthday gift

 

[Delrea]

I was surprised on my last cruise to see so many people celebrating birthdays and anniversaries that were actually as many as a few weeks before or after the cruise. I always thought it had to be the actual date to get the special dessert or recognition. What's the general rule of thumb for it to "count" as celebrating a special day?

Also, if you do tell the waiter in the MDR that it's a birthday, are you charged anything for the special dessert they bring?

We were on the Fantasy last year the Sat. After Thanksgiving-one daughter turned 6 in October and our other daughter's birthday wasn't until February (4) and they (our awesome servers) ASKED US if they could celebrate our daughters birthdays-we said sure and so we did! You can celebrate anything at anytime with Disney and that is part of why we choose to pay a premium.

 

[aristocraties]

Can you celebrate your un-birthday?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Can you celebrate your un-birthday?

 

[cari12]

Do they make it extra special if you there on your actual birthday? We are considering a 5 night Bahamas next Oct and it happens to have my actual birthday.

 

[White Rose]

I feel as long as you celebrate a special occasion once a year...it is fine. We are cruising oct 13, and our 10th anniversary is oct 12. Yes we are celebrating during our trip.

 

[Delrea]

Can you celebrate your un-birthday?

Yup-pretty sure. Just like my husband was celebrating not running the 5k on cc as I was running!

 

[sambycat]

Just to throw it out there on the expectation level, we've cruised several times on actual dates of tgings (honeymoon, anniversaries) and we've never recovered the personal cake, "free" extra celebratory things in the room, etc... We've felt extremely opered and definitely recognized and have no complaints! Often, I've grabbed an appropriate button from guest services upon embarkation and we've been presented again with buttons and that nights dessert with personalization or extra ice cream by our wait staff on the evening of our special date. Again no complaints here. Sometimes I think the expectations get raised a bit in threads like these. Just my 0.02!

They know when your birthday is we definitely say what we are celebrating on our reservation and I would say we were celebrating x event even if the dates didn't match IF that is truly why we were cruising!

Have a great one!

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Sometimes we can't travel during our actual birthday or celebration time.

My birthday is the very end of June - summer leave is difficult to come by as it's granted on senority. A number of people on my team are close to retirement (and I am very far away from it) so I'm low on the senority list. I can rarely get my birthday off or the weeks after it. Next year I'm going to WDW in September (and easy time to get off) and plan to celebrate my 40th. I won't feel bad about celebrating a couple months later.

For my dad, his birthday is at the end of November but he's in the bakery supply business - from mid-November to the end of December is their peak time and no vacation leave is granted. Our cruise is the end of October/beginning of November and for certain, I intend on celebrating his 65th birthday on board (this is the last year we'll need to worry about his work schedule!).

 

[White Rose]

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.

 

[n8nally]

That's sad your DH wouldn't let you say anything. All those people around you getting "Happy Birthday" sung to them.......told their waiters/GS/someone.

I bet the servers do not routinely just look up all the deets on the people assigned to them. What if someone moves their table assignment after boarding or there is a server out sick at the last minute and they all get moved around?

 

[expeditioneverestgrl]

I celebrated my 12th bday in WDW two weeks before my bday.

This year we r going on the disney dream in the end of November and my brothers 13th bday is in January.

The cruise line is the same as WDW. They will celebrate anything no matter how far it is! Just tell them what you are celebrating, and they will make it magical!

 

[ScottishDisMam]

We celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary on the last night of our 7 night cruise last year. Our server mentioned that he was aware of this early on, but on the night it passed unmentioned and I was a bit disappointed but didn't like to say anything. One of the tables next to us was taking up a lot of the servers time so I guess they forgot.