Birthday Freebies

I don't think there is anything you can count on 100% of the time but last year when I went with my sister it was her birthday and she got free special deserts at a couple restaurants (Cinderella's Royal Table and Akershus).
 
Free pin as in trading pin or just the big button pin upon check-in at the resort that says Happy Birthday? If it's a trading pin, I feel robbed. I have spent the last 3 birthdays there and have only received the button - and no special desserts either :sad:
 
You can get a free Happy Birthday button (not a pin) and plenty of castmembers will wish you a Happy Birthday, but that's the only things that are guaranteed. I think a couple restaurants will sing HB to everyone who is there at the time.

Anything else will depend upon the castmembers. You might get a free cupcake or birthday dessert, a free beverage, confetti, a card, HB sung to you, a signed photo or you might not get any recognition at all. It is best not to expect anything and be pleasantly surprised if your day is recognized because probably half the people visiting DW are celebrating something - birthday, anniversary, graduation, engagement, honeymoon, first visit, family reunion, a life changing milestone, etc. so it is not possible to recognize everyone individually.
 


You can get a free Happy Birthday button (not a pin) and plenty of castmembers will wish you a Happy Birthday, but that's the only things that are guaranteed. I think a couple restaurants will sing HB to everyone who is there at the time.

Anything else will depend upon the castmembers. You might get a free cupcake or birthday dessert, a free beverage, confetti, a card, HB sung to you, a signed photo or you might not get any recognition at all. It is best not to expect anything and be pleasantly surprised if your day is recognized because probably half the people visiting DW are celebrating something - birthday, anniversary, graduation, engagement, honeymoon, first visit, family reunion, a life changing milestone, etc. so it is not possible to recognize everyone individually.

Yes, actually, now that I think about it. Nicole (sister) also received a card signed by Pooh and friends at Crystal Palace. So a couple of special desserts and the card. Other than that she got a happy birthday greeting from literally almost everyone. It was nice :)

If you don't get the desserts you're not missing too much. Akershus gave Nicole a special b-day cupcake which was pretty good but CRT gave her these mini-ice cream cones (3 cones) which were pure sugar and literally inedible. They probably would have been great for a child with more of a sweet-tooth but we're in our 30's so it was a bit too much lol

In addition, at Chef Mickey's they gave her a different coloured napkin that differentiated her from the people that weren't celebrating anything.
 
Took my gramma for her 80th last year and loads of stuff happened. They had goofy "call" her on one of their phones when we were coming out of an attraction, she got a special dessert and they let her keep the plate (which was decorated) at 1900 park faire BF along with a placemat signed by characters, we got extra fast passes good for anywhere in MK (we used them for mine train) and they delivered a special Mickey shaped chocolate box with mint candies inside that said happy birthday on it, to our hotel room.


I was beyond impressed with the staff at the Grand Floridian (where we stayed) for taking such good care of her. There was even a really nice older man who was there every day greeting people as they arrived and every day when we were heading to busses or monorail when he saw us he would take special time to say hello to her and wish her a good day. Honestly I went to the desk halfway through the trip in tears of happiness to thank them for all they'd done. My gramma is clinically depressed and it's so hard to make her smile but they made it happen so often. (I'm also crying now as I type this and remember it).
 
Took my gramma for her 80th last year and loads of stuff happened. They had goofy "call" her on one of their phones when we were coming out of an attraction, she got a special dessert and they let her keep the plate (which was decorated) at 1900 park faire BF along with a placemat signed by characters, we got extra fast passes good for anywhere in MK (we used them for mine train) and they delivered a special Mickey shaped chocolate box with mint candies inside that said happy birthday on it, to our hotel room.


I was beyond impressed with the staff at the Grand Floridian (where we stayed) for taking such good care of her. There was even a really nice older man who was there every day greeting people as they arrived and every day when we were heading to busses or monorail when he saw us he would take special time to say hello to her and wish her a good day. Honestly I went to the desk halfway through the trip in tears of happiness to thank them for all they'd done. My gramma is clinically depressed and it's so hard to make her smile but they made it happen so often. (I'm also crying now as I type this and remember it).

Sounds like they really made your trip special :) Did your Gramma know that this was different to a regular trip?! :)
 


Sounds like they really made your trip special :) Did your Gramma know that this was different to a regular trip?! :)

She hadn't Been since I was a kid (maybe 8 or 9) and I'm turning 30 next year so no, it was all so new to her because a lot has changed. The "ride" she had most wanted to go on was the hall of the presidents and coming out of that was when goofy called and oh! Just remembered, they also stopped us when we were in line at the QS restaurant at the USA pavilion in Epcot and ended up serving us our meal on a table set with flowers and a tablecloth and on real plates like a proper TS meal. It was so cool. She was impressed though and I did tell her that they didn't normally do stuff like that so it was definitely special to her.
 
She hadn't Been since I was a kid (maybe 8 or 9) and I'm turning 30 next year so no, it was all so new to her because a lot has changed. The "ride" she had most wanted to go on was the hall of the presidents and coming out of that was when goofy called and oh! Just remembered, they also stopped us when we were in line at the QS restaurant at the USA pavilion in Epcot and ended up serving us our meal on a table set with flowers and a tablecloth and on real plates like a proper TS meal. It was so cool. She was impressed though and I did tell her that they didn't normally do stuff like that so it was definitely special to her.
That's brilliant, I'm glad she enjoyed it, goes to show there's more than just making 8 year olds feel like princesses or pirates!
 
DH got free dessert at Teppan Edo (and they sang to him) and a free dessert at Sanaa (which was AMAZINGGGG). And he got lots of happy birthday wishes!
 
When I went a few years ago for my nephews birthday, my birthday was the same week and my family made me wear the birthday ears and pin and all I got was "Happy Birthday Princess" no other pixie dust.
 
When I went a few years ago for my nephews birthday, my birthday was the same week and my family made me wear the birthday ears and pin and all I got was "Happy Birthday Princess" no other pixie dust.

Did you have any table service dining reservations? Generally if I made a TS reservation, I make sure they know that we are celebrating. For our mini-honeymoon to Disney, we didn't get anything at TS restaurants, but for birthdays, I have never NOT gotten a dessert.
 
Ive never gotten a dessert when wearing my button. We even alerted the restaurant before and still nothing :sad1:
 
We took our daughter in October 2014. It was our very first visit and her 9th birthday while we were there. She received a special call in our room from Mickey Mouse on her birthday.
We ordered a birthday cake to be delivered to the room so she also received a signed photo and birthday card from Mickey himself.
She also received a photo and card signed by all the crew Lilo and Stitch and Mickey and Friends at Ohana's breakfast and a special birthday cupcake (her actual birthday)
She also received a card signed by all at her friends at The Crystal Palace. I think she received 4 or 5 cards and special photos while celebrating that week.
She did received one or two other birthday cupcakes as well. Could have been more.We had counter and table service everyday so it is kind of a blur now.
She was doused in pixie dust during her visit. She got so much attention that by the end of the week she had stopped wearing her button.
That being said I think Disney goes out of the way for the children that are celebrating with them, as they should because it was built with children in mind.
Headed back in 2016 to celebrate #11.
 
We went to celebrate my 40th and at BOG I received a card from Belle and the Beast as well as the grey stuff - before it was on a cupcake, cup cake at 50's Prime time and some others which I can't remember, but I was sung HB at least twice. In July of '16 we are returning and will be there for DD's 13th. I am hoping for pixie dust. I will be ordering her a b-day cake for whatever TS we eat at on her B-Day. She won't be expecting that.
 
She hadn't Been since I was a kid (maybe 8 or 9) and I'm turning 30 next year so no, it was all so new to her because a lot has changed. The "ride" she had most wanted to go on was the hall of the presidents and coming out of that was when goofy called and oh! Just remembered, they also stopped us when we were in line at the QS restaurant at the USA pavilion in Epcot and ended up serving us our meal on a table set with flowers and a tablecloth and on real plates like a proper TS meal. It was so cool. She was impressed though and I did tell her that they didn't normally do stuff like that so it was definitely special to her.

Amazing. How did they identify her? Just the button or did you call ahead to alert them to her special situation?
 
Amazing. How did they identify her? Just the button or did you call ahead to alert them to her special situation?


Honestly, I'm guessing just the magic bands... Or perhaps it was just random and we were lucky. She refused to wear her button a lot of the time, said she didn't want the attention but we all had "celebration" buttons on. Coming out of the presidents show though, it had to have been the magic band because we hadn't talked to anyone. But with those bands, they know your every move. The dinner thing, I have no idea. We just randomly decided to eat there and magic happened.
 

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