Special occasion at resorts

[Salf777]

So my wife and I are staying at the Grand Floridian in early November. We will be celebrating both our birthdays and our wedding anniversary. Usually when we check in they ask if we are celebrating and when we are they always seem to do something special. Well due to current events we never did actually speak to anyone when making reservations that asked if we were celebrating anything and I see now they are encouraging everyone to use direct to room and avoid actual check in. I looked all over the My Disney Experience app at my reservation and no where to note we are celebrating. Anyone have any tips as to what to do.
Not looking for anything free here from the resort but even in the past when they have given us buttons saying it’s our birthday it’s so nice walking thru the parks and everyone saying happy birthday! That little bit of magic goes a long way enhancing a trip.
should I just call the resort and say “just so you know we are celebrating......”. I feel that’s a little rude
thanks

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

You can stop by Guest Services, send an email to GS wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com or call the reservation line and add a request.

If they have no one at the desk, your best bet is to go to GS at the parks and request buttons.

 

[KellO]

So my wife and I are staying at the Grand Floridian in early November. We will be celebrating both our birthdays and our wedding anniversary. Usually when we check in they ask if we are celebrating and when we are they always seem to do something special. Well due to current events we never did actually speak to anyone when making reservations that asked if we were celebrating anything and I see now they are encouraging everyone to use direct to room and avoid actual check in. I looked all over the My Disney Experience app at my reservation and no where to note we are celebrating. Anyone have any tips as to what to do.
Not looking for anything free here from the resort but even in the past when they have given us buttons saying it’s our birthday it’s so nice walking thru the parks and everyone saying happy birthday! That little bit of magic goes a long way enhancing a trip.
should I just call the resort and say “just so you know we are celebrating......”. I feel that’s a little rude
thanks

If you're celebrating, you have every right to want to make the most of your trip in any way possible! Hope you have a wonderful one

 

[buzznina]

So just call and add it to your reservation.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Plus there is a good chance absolutely nothing will happen regarding your celebration.

 

[Salf777]

I don’t ask for much even as little as a birthday button and all the cast members see it and say Happy Birthday is enough for me. I dont know every Time I have been there in the past on a special occasion a little something was always done. I’m sorry to see that this hasn’t been the case for others

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

I don’t ask for much even as little as a birthday button and all the cast members see it and say Happy Birthday is enough for me. I dont know every Time I have been there in the past on a special occasion a little something was always done. I’m sorry to see that this hasn’t been the case for others

That has been the case in the past, I still have my buttons and loved getting a Happy Birthday and saying it to others. These are new times and don’t expect it to be the WDW we knew before the Covid.
Wishing you a Happy Birthday and Anniversay!

 

[DaisyDuck001]

That has been the case in the past, I still have my buttons and loved getting a Happy Birthday and saying it to others. These are new times and don’t expect it to be the WDW we knew before the Covid.

Maybe they will give out little bottles of hand sanitizer with a label showing Mickey wishing you Happy Birthday or Happy Anniversary?

 

[westie55]

We have often gone to Disney during my children's birthdays, our anniversary, or on a "Babymoon." In the past, these events were always acknowledged. For example, last year balloons and a little something were waiting for DS2 and DS4 in the room on our final evening at the Contemporary. Our trip this August was the first time nothing was done despite their birthdays being listed on the reservation. Now, I am not complaining at all... But I would say this seems to be a covid cut, which doesn't surprise me given Disney's huge loss of revenue. I'm sure if you visit the front desk and request a button you can get one, but I wouldn't count on more than that, and you will probably have to seek out the button yourself.

 

[Dug720]

Cuts are maybe partly due to COVID.

BUT people have been reporting fewer and fewer things done lately (except for the "OMG I GOT UPGRADED TO A TPV 2-BEDROOM SUITE" and such which sets unrealistic expectations) in general, even before COVID. It's likely celebration fatigue. Almost everyone is celebrating something - or makes up something to celebrate - so you see the buttons on almost every party (if not every guest). Combine that with the internet and forums like this where people do come back and brag about the pixie dust they got (which could have had nothing to do with celebrations, especially in terms of the upgrades - I know 2 people there last week who were upgraded (one from a studio to a 1-BR at Boulder Ridge and one from either a studio or a 1-BR to a 2-BR at VGF) who were not celebrating anything) and you kind of have a perfect storm of super-high expectations, not all of which could ever be met.

With the proliferation of buttons, I can't help but think of the lyric from "Miracle" in Matilda"
One can hardly move for beauty and brilliance these days;
It seems that there are millions of these one-in-a-millioins these days;
Specialness is de rigeur;
Above averageis average - go figure;
Is it some modern miracle of calculus,
That such frequent miracles don't render each one un-miraculous?

Please don't get me wrong. Obviously I'm all for celebrating whatever makes you happy! But I think that the proliferation of buttons combined with super high expectations due largely to the internet (other than personal experience or that of a friend or family member, before the internet did you really ever know what happened when someone went on their birthday? I certainly never did.) has led them to low-key things more often than not. I suspect that the CMs see so many buttons these days they unintentionally don't even see them a lot of the time. I say get your button, and be surprised and delighted with anything that might happen - but don't be disappointed if only a couple of CMs say anything.

 

[focusondisney]

Now, I am not complaining at all... But I would say this seems to be a covid cut,

Actually , this isn’t a covid cut. Everyone can get a button, if it isn’t automatically given at check in, all you have to do is ask at the resort or any park. Anything else is strictly random. We have been going to WDW since the early 90s. Early on, getting stuff wasn’t even a thing. It became popular to note a celebration in the last 15- 20 years. We stay at YC a few times every year since about 2005. For several years, we got balloons, a signed card & even a few special pins for our anniversary. We haven’t gotten anything except the buttons for at least the last 3 years. And we didn’t even get the buttons last year. Absolutely fine with us. We don’t go to get recognized, we go to spend time & celebrate together.

As others have pointed out, almost everyone is celebrating something. There is just no way everyone is going to get their event recognized. As Internet forums & especially social media grew & “pixie dust” news got spread, expectations grew out of control. Even things like balloons, pins, stuffed animals, cupcakes etc. do all cost money. Even before Covid, those costs needed to be controlled. And it isn’t even a cut back. These things have always been random, even if they happened for a person several times in a row. It needs to be random, because if everything is special, nothing is special. It is unrealistic to think thousands of visitors celebrations will be acknowledged every day. No business can fulfill that expectation.

 

[lanejudy]

CMs are not delivering anything to the rooms. They are not entering rooms unnecessarily. Whether you consider that a "cut" or a "precaution" or a "safety measure" or whatnot. OP - I suggest you call and have your celebrations noted on your reservation; if you make ADRs you can usually note it there as well. Then stop by the front desk at the resort or Guest Relations at a park and request buttons. Anything more than a happy greeting, consider it pixie-dust.

 

[Blondie58]

We have received celebration buttons at check-in on many occasions. (We always go the same time of year and are always celebrating the same birthday.) Many times the "birthday girl a 60+" does not wear her button but she loves saving them for her souvenir box. Based on what we have experienced, I would speak to someone at check-in area. I am sure they have at least one or two people working even with virtual check-ins. Enjoy your trip/vacation. Life is short. We need to lift up one another in fun and celebration.