Who knew that a birthday button could cause so much controversy?
Recently, I came across two threads on the DISboards, one in the Theme Parks section of the Walt Disney World boards, and another on the Disneyland boards. The two threads were started by two different people asking essentially the same question: Is it alright to wear a birthday button if it is not actually your birthday?
Although the questions were nearly identical in content, the answers could not have been more different. On the Disneyland side, there were a dozen or so responses, most of them along the lines of “Do what makes you happy.” On the Walt Disney World side, there was a pages-long ethical and moral debate over whether it was okay to wear that button if it wasn’t your birthday.
I commented on both threads, letting people know how different the conversation was on the other Disney coast. Someone responded that this was because one gets more free stuff on one’s birthday at Walt Disney World than at Disneyland.
It just so happens that I spent my last two birthdays on Disney property. (Since I was a June baby and my parents hated going during peak season, I had to wait until I turned 43 to have a real Disney birthday.)
It also just so happens, that my 43rd birthday was spent at Disneyland while my 44th was spent at Walt Disney World. I thought it would be interesting to compare these two birthdays:
MY BIRTHDAY AT DISNEYLAND IN 2013
We booked a room at the Disneyland Hotel. It was noted on my reservation that we were celebrating my birthday. Although we paid for a standard view, we wound up with a lovely view of the courtyard and pool area in the Fantasyland Tower. However, this was not the first time I’ve gotten a better view than I paid for, so I’m not sure if this had anything to do with my birthday.
My husband surprised me with an in-room celebration decoration package. It included a set of birthday Mickey ears, a light up necklace that proclaimed “It’s my Birthday!” and a birthday button, of course. I was so excited about this that I decided to wear my birthday regalia for the entire 3 days of my trip, although my birthday fell on the third day of our trip. My Dad proceeded in calling my a liar each day I put that hat on when it wasn’t my birthday.
One thing I noticed right away – people love to wish you a happy birthday at the Happiest Place on Earth. I expected that the Cast Members would, but I didn’t think fellow guests would. Yet they did, over and over again.
Our first dinner was at Goofy’s Kitchen, which is a buffet. At the end of our meal our server brought me a cute cupcake and sang the Goofy’s Kitchen birthday song. It was very nice. But I think calling this a freebie would be a stretch, since we were eating at an all-you-care-to-eat buffet, and cupcakes were an option at the buffet.
The following night, we had dinner at Ariel’s Grotto, which is a fixed price experience which ends with a family-style dessert platter. Again, I received a birthday cupcake. The cupcake would not normally be on the platter, but since we paid up front for our entire meal including dessert, I’m not sure calling this a freebie would be appropriate.
The next day was my honest to goodness real birthday. We had lunch at the Blue Bayou. After we had all ordered desserts, the waiter brought them to our table along with a dish of chocolate mousse with a candle sticking out of it. This I can honestly call a freebie. However, since this came out with all the desserts we already ordered, I was way too stuffed to finish it.
The highlight of this birthday was watching the Soundsational Parade and having several Princesses wave at me and mouth “Happy Birthday!”
Seriously, there was only one was I could top this birthday and that was with:
MY BIRTHDAY AT WALT DISNEY WORLD IN 2014
We booked a standard room at the Polynesian Resort, and wound up with a lovely view of the hotel grounds and a partial view of the beach. Once again, this has happened to me at Disney hotels more than once so I can’t claim that this was because my birthday was listed on the reservation.
I packed last year’s birthday hat for this trip. However, we were spending nine days at Walt Disney World and I couldn’t see myself wearing my hat and button the entire time. So I decided to only put it on for my actual birthday.
We went to EPCOT for my birthday. Right away, I was delighted with how many Cast Members (many of them were College Program kids) wished me a happy birthday. However, I noticed that guests did not.
Shortly before our dinner at Les Chefs de France, one of Central Florida’s famous afternoon thunderstorms rolled in. I couldn’t fit my rain poncho over my birthday ears, so I took them off.
We definitely noted my birthday on our dinner reservation. Dinner was delicious and I enjoyed it very much. I cannot think of another restaurant where I would have preferred to spend my special day. However, at no point whatsoever did anyone in the restaurant acknowledge my birthday. I should point out that we were on the Disney Dining Plan. We had already paid for this dinner which included a dessert. I was not hoping for nor expecting a free cupcake. I was, however, thinking that perhaps my slice of cake that I already ordered and pre-paid for would be presented with a candle and perhaps a song. No such luck. We left the restaurant without a single “Bonne anniversaire.”
The following night, we had reservations for the Spirit of Aloha dinner show. Perhaps it was the festive atmosphere, or perhaps it was the unlimited wine, but I had no problem getting up and doing the “Birthday Hula.” (And yes, my husband captured this in video form with his iPhone.) This evening turned out to be the birthday celebration I didn’t get on my actual birthday.
So, there you have it. Obviously, these are only the experiences of one person on two days out of two years. I’m not claiming that this is a scholarly in-depth look at how birthdays are recognized at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
All I know is that this year, without a Disney trip planned for June, my birthday is going to be a huge letdown.
