Tips for 2021 B-day trip

[firefly1010]

Hello!
My 17 year old son and I will be going to WDW for my 50th birthday next year! We will be staying at the Contemporary (which is a bucket list thing for me. My Dad and I loved the Contemporary, but we never got to stay there before he and mom died a couple of years ago.) Anyway, we are just going there for a long weekend over my birthday. I have a few questions, I am hoping you all can help with:
- Will we like the Contemporary? I've heard mixed reviews. We are in a Garden view room. I'm worried it will be a let down!
- Suggestions on a place for a birthday dinner? I'm thinking Chef Mickey's for breakfast and California Grill for dinner?
-As much as I would like to say money is not an object, it kind of is. Ideas for getting the biggest bang for my buck, still having a great time and not spending a boat load of money so that I won't still be paying this trip off on my 60th birthday!??
-I am a DIVA on my birthday and will not be shy about announcing it! Any ideas for making it a b-day to remember?? Think I can get away with wearing my b-day pin on more than 1 day?! My son is very thoughtful when it comes to his GF, but not necessarily when it comes to Mom. I think if I want anything to happen on my b-day, it will need to come from me. Kind of a bummer, but it is what it is.
-Tips for going to WDW with a teenager?!
-I was thinking of MK on my b-day. HS would be the other option. Does that sound like a good plan??

Thank you all for your tips and advice!

 

[Disneyfan754321]

First of all I think this trip idea is Amazing!!
I cant help on the resort because it's also one that we will do someday (or AK lodge.)
Chef Mickey is a great plan because you dont have to go anywhere. We rarely eat breakfast at chef Mickey because we are at the parks. We eat a lot of QS breakfast with with the exception of Be our Guest. We go to Disney every March and my sons birthday falls the week we go by chance and yes he wears his button everywhere including Universal. Last year I made his trip shirt to say
"best birthday ever"

!

 

[Jerzetta]

We have had 5 trips and 4 at Contemporary. this last trip we stayed in the main hotel vs the Garden Wing. Main difference for us was convenience. Main hotel you save a few minutes of walking to the garden wing. The rooms are the same. I actually think the garden wing rooms might be a tad bit bigger.

 

[BobbyDukes]

Topolinos Terrace is an amazing venue in my opinion for a birthday dinner. It fancy but doesn't take itself too seriously, food is amazing, venue is stunning not only the outside views but the restaurant itself is very beautiful.

 

[Best Aunt]

When i stopped by pre-covid, contempo cafe had good cupcakes, but the gift shop also had cupcakes

 

[Uju'sMom]

I hope you & your son have a great time & you are spoilt rotten on your special day! My daughter will also be 17 for my 50th and I also hope to do a special trip for the both of us @ the Poly.

 

[loves to dive]

I wear my button the whole week I'm there, you will get lots of happy birthdays. California Grill is great so I'd stick with that. As far as teenagers, my son and I have been going together since he was just shy of 3 so even as a teenager we liked being with me (single mom). He was never a big fan of MK even when he was small so it's a half day park for us, I like to spend the actual day at Epcot but my b'day is in April so F&G is always happening and I like going around to booths. Your son will probably enjoy HS more than MK but it's your day so go with what you want.

 

[paradesintherain]

Sounds like a magical trip! If you can swing it at all, I think the tower is a much more unique experience. Even the lake view tower rooms I would rate over the garden view. That said, they're both very nice rooms. I just loved having a balcony and staring out at the lake, and also walking out into the tower was so cool AND convenient.

Definitely wear your pin the whole time, it's a birthday TRIP! As for birthday breakfast, I really like Kona Cafe, and it would be fairly convenient since it's on the monorail line.

 

[Livelovedance]

Hello!
My 17 year old son and I will be going to WDW for my 50th birthday next year! We will be staying at the Contemporary (which is a bucket list thing for me. My Dad and I loved the Contemporary, but we never got to stay there before he and mom died a couple of years ago.) Anyway, we are just going there for a long weekend over my birthday. I have a few questions, I am hoping you all can help with:
- Will we like the Contemporary? I've heard mixed reviews. We are in a Garden view room. I'm worried it will be a let down!
- Suggestions on a place for a birthday dinner? I'm thinking Chef Mickey's for breakfast and California Grill for dinner?
-As much as I would like to say money is not an object, it kind of is. Ideas for getting the biggest bang for my buck, still having a great time and not spending a boat load of money so that I won't still be paying this trip off on my 60th birthday!??
-I am a DIVA on my birthday and will not be shy about announcing it! Any ideas for making it a b-day to remember?? Think I can get away with wearing my b-day pin on more than 1 day?! My son is very thoughtful when it comes to his GF, but not necessarily when it comes to Mom. I think if I want anything to happen on my b-day, it will need to come from me. Kind of a bummer, but it is what it is.
-Tips for going to WDW with a teenager?!
-I was thinking of MK on my b-day. HS would be the other option. Does that sound like a good plan??

Thank you all for your tips and advice!

I know this is an old post, but I have to comment because birthdays in Disney are the best! It’s one thing to celebrate your birthday in Disney, but being there on your actual birthday is an experience to remember! I spent my birthday weekend in Disney once, pre-COVID, and it was by far my favorite birthday!

- I’ve stayed at the Contemporary once. It was okay, but I wouldn’t rush to stay there again. Nothing was wrong with it; the theming just didn’t suit us. We love to walk, so the walk to the MK was great. However, on extremely hot days our attitude went from “We get to walk to MK” to “We have to walk to get to MK.” I’m not sure what it’s like now, but at that time the MK smoking area was right at the end of that walkway, which was another turn off for us. We could’ve taken the monorail to get an AC break, but that would’ve been a huge time waster. I’d suggest doing your research on the rooms at different resorts to decide if you’ll like it or not. There are plenty of video reviews of different Disney resorts online. The Contemporary is iconic, and I fulfilled my dream of staying there, but it wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be. However, that doesn’t mean you won’t love it!

- Pick your favorite restaurant for your birthday dinner. When you make your reservations, call and have them add that your celebrating your birthday! Most places will do a little something special for you (even if it’s not your actual birthday). I received a birthday card with the character’s signatures at the character meal restaurants (ex: Chef Mickey’s and Tusker House), and a cupcake with a birthday candle in them in restaurants that served cupcakes for dinner. At Chef Mickey’s they gave me a yellow napkin (instead of blue) to wave around during the song!

- This might sound crazy, but one way I save money on Disney trips is by purchasing Disney gift cards at a discount. At minimum, I save 5% on Disney gift cards by purchasing them from Target with my red card (this works with both the credit card and the debit card). Sometimes I can save more with credit card bonus categories. I purchase a set amount for each day, and then use that for my spending money (food, souvenirs, etc.). Depending on the trip, I might charge these things to the room with my Magic Band, and then in the evening or the following morning pay off the charges with a gift card. I often end up with money left over, but I don’t mind because I know I can use it to pay DVC dues, or for a future trip, but this could be problematic if you don’t plan to go again in the near future. It also requires a little work pre-trip to collect the gift card(s).

- Absolutely wear your pin all day, every day! You might get tired of the amount of attention you may get! Maybe you could have some shirts made, or buy birthday ears from Disney or someone on Etsy. I’m not sure what’s available during the pandemic, but perhaps you could book a tour or something special that you normally wouldn’t do. If you’re into taking pictures and already have Memory Maker, you could add on a Capture Your Moment photo session with a photographer in the MK for 20 minutes for $50 (you could also do it if you don’t already have Memory Maker, but then you have to pay for the photos on top of the session fee).

- It’s your birthday, so pick the park you love the most! I don’t think there’s a right or wrong for this one. I would make a list of all of your must do’s (yours and your sons) and then plan out your days based on that!

Have a great time planning your trip, and enjoying your upcoming Disney birthday!