Help me plan the perfect birthday for DD

[phishy25]

We're going to DL the first week of May. We will either have 3 or 4 day hoppers. It will be my DH and I, plus DD who will be turning 3, and DS who will 5yr,9mo.

Question: I understand that if we start Disney before DD's birthday then I don't have to pay for her the whole time? We are checking into Anaheim the day before DD's birthday. If we activate our passes that night, what will DD get the next day for her birthday? Can she still get the gift card or will it just be free admission?

DD's birthday will be our first full day at Disney.

For DD's birthday, which is Tuesday May 5th, we are thinking of starting the day off at Ariel's Grotto for breakfast with the princesses.

Then we will go into Disney and stop at City Hall for her birthday button.

What next? I was thinking of heading straight for Fantasy Land and doing all the princess stuff.

I'm guessing we should also hit DCA for free tortillas?

I remember hearing something about a Bibidi boutique but couldn't find any information on it. Would that be open by May?

I like the concept of the Disney birthday party with Pat E Cake but am trying to determine if it is worth the $64 for our family of 4. Thoughts?

Are we better off just doing a birthday dinner at Goofy's kitchen. Are two character meals in one day too much?

Any other thoughts on what our park schedule should entail? I want it to be a very special day for DD.

Thank you!

 

[Pir8girl]

Sounds like a funtrip. I can't answer your questions about the age thing as I never paid for my kids when they were that age as I had free passes through my job at the time.

Same for the birthday part. Do you get something now on your birthday? On my dd's birthday she had her button and if IRC -she had free dessert at the Blue Bayou.

If you dd's birthday is a MM day, why not start there and do the Fantasyland rides.? Make an appointment (if you can) at BBB to do her hair. Then lunch at Ariel's Grotto. That might be enough. It totally depends on how much stimulation your kids can take and if she's still a napper. I think she'll remember the princess thing long after the rides.

 

[prncssmel]

i saw a thread on here the other day where someone said that the child's age at the start of the vacation is the age Disney counts them as, so she would be 2 then. I would just check it with Disney if you can't find more info.

I agree with PP that I would do BBBoutique before a meal with Princesses, so she will be all dressed up. Here are my thoughts:

Start MM day by stopping at City Hall for B-day button. They should do a special phone call too.

Head to FL and ride a few rides. Then head to BBB for makeover. Try to catch Princess Fantasy Faire and Pixie Hollow.

Head over to DCA for late lunch with the Princesses. Stop by the Tortilla Factory if you want the free tortillas - we love them. Maybe ride some rides in DCA.

Then head back to hotel to rest. If she is up and wants to see fireworks and such, head back to park at night.

I don't think the Pat E Cake thing is worth it. They do a special Princess bucket that you could have delivered to your table at Ariel's that has a cake and some toys, which I think is a better idea. I wouldn't do 2 character meals in one day, either. I would do a second one later while you are there, rather than both that day.

 

[AmericanItGirl]

For your question as to what your DD will get for being there on her birthday, if you have already activated the tickets the night before, then she can choose between a special fastpass or the gift card (at that age, I'd go for the gift card). If you don't activate the tickets until her birthday, then she will get the free admission, even if a parkhopper has been bought (because it hasn't been activated).

BBB should be open in May (it's scheduled to be open in April), and like a PP mentioned, it would be cute for your DD to hit that up prior to the meal with the princesses. I'd save having another character meal for another day and spread out the magic a bit longer.

I agree that the Pat E Cake thing doesn't sound worth it if you are already doing a character meal (it's a cheaper alternative to the meal).

For the pin, you can get that the night before at City Hall (that way you don't have to worry about getting it the day of) and she can wear it the whole vacation.

 

[LavenderPeach]

But if you get free admission for DD because she is not yet 3 (the day before her b-day), will they give her anything with the b-day promotion, like the gift card? I'm guessing they won't give you any choice of b-day gift if she doesn't need a ticket to begin with. Is that what you were asking? Maybe I misunderstood. She can still get the free b-day button though.

 

[Sherry E]

You can also get the birthday button at any of the 3 DLR hotels, too. Some shops in DLR even have them behind the counter.

I agree about not doing two character meals in one day. I actually don't even necessarily think that is a great idea for adults to do that, let alone kids!! Plus, it gives her something to look forward to if you space them out a little bit over a couple of days. It sounds like the Princess meal at Ariel's will be a home run. I am sure Goofy's will be a big hit, too, or possibly Minnie and Friends?? THey both have good classic Disney characters.

 

[fairycat]

I want to say first your schedule has you bouncing around a lot!

Ariel's is in DCA, so if you are starting your day there I would do DCA for part of that day. I would do Ariel's then head to Toy Store (depending on park opening time), then head to Bug's Land since there is a lot of great rides for your kid's ages. Get your Tortillas then maybe head over to the Hollywood Backlot area, do Monster's Inc., maybe the Aladain show, definetly the Animation Building see Turtle Time w/Crush, Learn to draw a character, find out what Disney character you are, Sing songs with Ursula and everything in there. At that point you might need some nap time so head to the hotel if you need to and then maybe move over to DL or maybe do the other side of DCA.

For your daughter, if her first day is her 3rd birthday you will get one free day of admission for her and then pay for any additional days. If your first day is when she is 2 she will be free your whole trip and you will not get anything for her birthday in the regards of GC or admission, as I understand things.

BTW get her birthday button when you get your tickets if they have the pins, or ask at the Guest Relations booth as you enter DCA, this way they will know it's her Birthday at Ariel's!

For everyone many places carry the buttons not just City Hall, in fact we usually get ours at the registers of any store in DLR, most CM's can also find you one. No need to wait in a long line if you don't need too

 

[bumbershoot]

But if you get free admission for DD because she is not yet 3 (the day before her b-day), will they give her anything with the b-day promotion, like the gift card? I'm guessing they won't give you any choice of b-day gift if she doesn't need a ticket to begin with. Is that what you were asking? Maybe I misunderstood. She can still get the free b-day button though.

That's what I think, too. If you're going with the "start the trip when she's 2, continue the trip as though she's still 2", then you're not going to get anything for her birthday. Multi-day admission is required for the birthday things, and she doesn't have that if she's being considered 2.

We didn't go for DS's 3rd birthday, but the thing that made that trip so special was the fact that we bought APs for the three of us, including him! A whole year of trips.

2 character meals in a day is too much, IMO.

If you're starting with Ariel's, just tell the Disney Dining people that it's her birthday, and they should have a button for her right there.

The AP site states that BBB will be open sometime in April.

If you've started with Ariel's there's no strong need to then go to the Princess Fantasy Faire. All it is is the meet/greet anyway, no shows or storytelling anymore (as they are non-revenue-generating, though I think they've shot themselves in the foot with THAT decision).

I wouldn't do the pat e cake party, but then, we have food ingredient issues and DS wouldn't be able to eat the cake anyway (nor would hubby).


I would just start with Ariel's...I don't know if she's been to DLR before and dealt with characters, but with DS I noticed that the 3s started his fears. Things that were fine at 1 and 2 suddenly couldn't be handled easily for his 3 year. Then at 4 it all lifted and he was fine again. Ariel's has the easiest to deal with characters, so it seems it would be the safest...would be a big bummer to have Goofy's dinner scheduled, then find out through the day that she absolutely hates fuzzy characters!!! Plus, that first day is going to be tiring for everyone, and scheduling dinner might not be as restful as it sounds.

 

[Queenbillabong]

I agree with the PP. And if you start the trip when she is 2 and continue as if she is 2, then you are saving yourself the cost of a 3 or 4 day PH ($149 or $164), which is far more than the $60 some-odd dollar gift card you would have gotten if you started the trip on her birthday and paid for her tickets.......

I would start the trip the day before her birthday and buy her a $50 gift card to give her on her birthday and you're still $100 better off

 

[tripletlyblessed]

I can't answer most of the stuff, but i think you can treat the whole trip as her "birthday" that way it isn't too much over one day. For my girls, we celebrate both their Hebrew and English birthdays which are usually a week or so apart and just treat the whole time between the two as their birthday. Then you can do breakfast with the princesses on one day and a different character meal later in the trip. Have her wear her button the whole time, too.

Also, depending on your son, you might want to get him the "I'm Celebrating" button to wear and do some "unbirthday" things if he is the type to get upset at so much going on for her. You could also split up so that each of them has some alone time with each parent.