Birthday Button "Etiquette"?

[Dalamara]

Here is our situation and solution:

My wife turns 50 this September and our 30th anniversary is February 25th, 2014. We planned something big for February.

Then our grown son and daughter planned their own trip to Disney in September for FD. So we all talked and decided, why not go to Disney for my wife's birthday and go with the kids. (Actually separate reservations in separate rooms and our trips overlap.)

BUT, now that we are doing Disney in September, we can no longer do a big trip for our 30th.

Solution:

We decided, after checking the "Life's Book of Rules" and finding no prohibition , that we would celebrate both my wife's 50th and our 30th early at Disney.

We are going to make two buttons, a birthday button that she will wear on her birthday, and two buttons about our 30th anniversary that include the actual date which we are going to wear two different days. This way people will know what we are celebrating AND that it is early. Turth in advertising, so to speak.

I know this means that some CM's may actually say "Happy anniversary!" 73 times that day instead of 72, and therefore each statement of congratulations will somehow have 1/73 versus 1/72 the value and therefore slightly less pixie dust. Or maybe the CM's will reach their instructed allotment of "Happy Anniversary!" statements with us and then will stare tight lipped at the next poor couple celebrating their 75th on the actual day.
...

Sounds PERFECT to me!! . Hope you have a WONDERFUL family celebration!!!

 

[Disney2013Girl]

Solution:

We decided, after checking the "Life's Book of Rules" and finding no prohibition , that we would celebrate both my wife's 50th and our 30th early at Disney.

Your copy is outdated, you need to download "Life's Book of Rules" v 2.0 which includes an updated section on "Celebrations: A Modern Users Guide to Verbal Greetings and Free Cupcakes".

 

[Hayliesmom]

We went in September last year and my moms birthday was 8/24. We weren't there for her birthday though so it never would have occurred to me to get a button for her. My birthday is in July so I, unfortunately, will never be able to celebrate my birthday in Disney (too hot and crowded!). My daughter's is the first week of March and we will be there for her birthday this upcoming year. I have now learned that wearing the button isn't good enough thanks to people wanting the"free extras".and i will have to write the date for her to "really" celebrate her birthday there. Sigh....... Don't ruin the fun for everyone (and yes if people stop believing its your birthday enough to not say happy birthday then its ruining the fun). Make sure your birthday is at least close..... People celebrate anniversaries the whole year so that is moot

 

[Srbright]

For our September trip we are taking one day to celebrate our son's birthday which is in August, our daughter gets one day and we are taking one day to celebrate our 15th anniversary which is in October.

Stacy

 

[Yellowstonetim]

Your copy is outdated, you need to download "Life's Book of Rules" v 2.0 which includes an updated section on "Celebrations: A Modern Users Guide to Verbal Greetings and Free Cupcakes".

Haha! I'll have to download the new version. But then, I make pencil changes anyway!

I have now learned that wearing the button isn't good enough thanks to people wanting the"free extras".and i will have to write the date for her to "really" celebrate her birthday there. Sigh....... Don't ruin the fun for everyone (and yes if people stop believing its your birthday enough to not say happy birthday then its ruining the fun). Make sure your birthday is at least close..... People celebrate anniversaries the whole year so that is moot

While people in this thread have noted that lots of people wear buttons (at Disney's encouragement, by the way) most report receiving lots of "Happy Birthday's!" everywhere they go! And as far as free cupcakes... You've spent all that money to go to Disney, don't worry about the magic of a free cupcake?! You can arrange to buy a cupcake or small birthday cake at most restaurants to suprise her. Your daughter won't know the difference as far as magic and pixie dust goes.

Also, other than a few extreme cases, how do we all know if it is a legitimate birthday or how far from the actual date the birthday is being celebrated by all those other people? Did anyone survey people? It would be an interesting survey.

There are legitimate reasons to celebrate birthdays other than the date for health, financial, and other things. Why ask others to withhold their celebration to ensure you get more pixie dust? And remember, the increase in celebratory buttons is because DISNEY PROMOTES the IDEA!

Relax, don't expect free anything, and enjoy the "happy birthdays!" you will receive by the bucket load. I do, agree, that putting the date on your daughter's button (or making your own button) is a good idea. Maybe it will get a little more response. That is partly why we are going to put the date on our anniversary buttons to show it isn't the actual date.

I hope she has a magical time!

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

I don't think I would wear one unless it was my actual birthday month. I'm thinking the increase in people wearing buttons whenever, instead of for their actual birthday, is why people are getting less and less magical extras.

I would never wear one 3 moths after the fact.

I wore the birthday button for the entire week of my 40th birthday and it was magical. Yes, I did get free cupcakes (that I didn't need) but more importantly I did get many cheerful happy birthday's from CMs and guests. A couple of years later we set up that we were celebrating my earning my PhD. It turns out that I didn't graduate for another 8 months. I felt funny wearing the button and took it off. I had a CM in DHS ask what I was celebrating. When I told her I had become a doctor...she said...are you freakin kidding me? Well...at that moment...I kinda was.

I will be there on my 40th with my 3 boys. I have no intent of telling anyone its my birthday, since I never celebrate it anyway. But, I overheard one of my boys asking his brothers if they should put some money together And try to find a place to buy a surprise cake for me. I thought it wAs cute.

Absolutely wear the button!! That was my best birthday ever! I didn't have a lot of friends around at that moment in my life and neither of my older sisters made a big deal out of their big 4-0, and we were dealing with infertility...so no kiddos either. It just made sense for me and hubby to go to our happy place. My 40th birthday trip is posted on my bottom screen thingy that you can see right below here.

 

[winkytink]

Just a few things I wanted to say...

1. PP mentioned that one celebrates certain days on the date which they actually occur/occurred - i.e. wedding anniversaries, birthdays, and Christmas. However, WDW and DL is famous for celebrating holidays months at a time or even a whole season. For example, Halloween is celebrated from late September until early November, where people can trick-or-treat in the Magic Kingdom, and most of the characters and decorations around the parks are Halloween-themed. Halloween only happens one day a year but this doesn't stop anyone from enjoying it.

2. We are planning one, and only one, trip to WDW. Upon the date of our arrival, DD will turn 9 and it will be her golden birthday - 9 on the 9th. She will wear her birthday pin that day. However, DS celebrates his 8th birthday four days prior to our arrival date. We are going to WDW to celebrate both of their birthdays. We will offer DS the option of also wearing a pin on a different date than his sister, although his birthday will have passed before we arrive. This is not to score freebies or upgrades, but to give our children fair and equal treatment since the trip is to celebrate both of their birthdays. Although DD's golden birthday is on this trip and she may receive a little extra from us (not necessarily the CMs unless they so choose) because of that, the trip is for both of our kids. I see nothing wrong with celebrating a special date if that is what the trip is meant for, especially if it is so close to the date even if it's not on the actual date.

3. One more thing - DD and DS are less than one year apart by four days. We always combine birthday parties for them when we choose to have a party, and sometimes the date of the party falls on one of their birthdays and sometimes it doesn't. Does that make us dishonest? Does it make our friends who celebrate their children's respective birthdays on a Saturday when it was really on a Thursday dishonest?

Bottom line is I don't think WDW really cares as long as you're paying them. Would it really make everyone happy if they went all gestapo and said "Papers please" to prove that it is actually your birthday? No, it would take away from the happy atmosphere and sense of being transported to a utopia that WDW inspires.

I think there are a lot worse things that people can and do do at WDW and DL that should get them kicked out of the park with no refund. A few posters are behaving as though a little pin worn on the "wrong" day is high treason and it's a little over-the-top IMO.

I will say I agree with the one PP who mentioned the mom who infuriated her husband and mortified her daughters all for the sake of getting three free cupcakes. If the kids don't care and you're causing an argument, are you truly caring about your family's experience or is it just to prove a point? And what point would you be attempting to make? That you should be able to lie just like everyone else? That is not a good lesson to teach your children. Aside from isolated incidents such as these, however, I think the pins are harmless fun, no matter when your birthday might be.

 

[Mom2StitchLuv]

I've been planning to go to WDW for my 50th birthday for years. Years, and years, and years. My kids know it. My dh knows it. This year I actually looked ahead and - what? My 50th birthday falls on a Major Christian Holiday. As in A MAJOR CHRISTIAN HOLIDAY. So, I probably won't be at the Mouse House on my actual 50th. But I will be there sometime that week and I plan on wearing a birthday pin. I don't care a fig about a free cupcake - I just want all the happy birthdays yelled at me the way I've been calling them out to people when I see them wearing a birthday pin!

 

[swebb0310]

I've been planning to go to WDW for my 50th birthday for years. Years, and years, and years. My kids know it. My dh knows it. This year I actually looked ahead and - what? My 50th birthday falls on a Major Christian Holiday. As in A MAJOR CHRISTIAN HOLIDAY. So, I probably won't be at the Mouse House on my actual 50th. But I will be there sometime that week and I plan on wearing a birthday pin. I don't care a fig about a free cupcake - I just want all the happy birthdays yelled at me the way I've been calling them out to people when I see them wearing a birthday pin!

I wish there was a like button!
Wear your pin! Enjoy it! Don't worry about anyone else!! I always tell people happy birthday and anniversary. Disney makes a point of encouraging wearing the button if you are celebrating your birthday with your time. They say as long as it is 6 months before or after your big day, and you are celebrating it, you are good to go.

 

[jdanjou]

This past January was the first time we ever were in WDW on an actual birthday. My DH, normally a quiet kind of guy, really enjoyed wearing his pin. We stood at the entrance of HS for two hours, cheering on the marathon runners and so many called out "Happy Birthday Bob!" as they ran by or "Go Blue!", because he was wearing his University of Michigan Mickey shirt!

Someone at Main Street Bakery gave him a cookie, but other than that, it was just birthday wishes. But for a quiet unassuming guy, he really got a kick out of all the CMs wishing him a cheery HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Where did you get the UofM Mickey shirt?!?!? I'd love to have one!

 

[melanell]

We're planning a trip for the year of a milestone birthday for me, but we're going about 5 months later....during the week of a milestone wedding anniversary!

So while I will tell people that it is our anniversary, I won't mention my birthday, even though the trip started off as a belated birthday gift to me.

We just decided we'd rather go in Sept. than in May.



I will say, though, that my entire family have our birthdays all within a 30 day period! So we could actually plan a trip that celebrated all of our birthdays and we'd all be there pretty darn close to the right day.


My 2 sons have bday 2 weeks apart and DH & I have birthdays 3 days apart, only 2 weeks after the boys.


I would never ask for special treats for all 4 of us, but I might tell a few people that we were celebrating our birthday month.

 

[texasroni75]

We are celebrating DS's 2nd birthday and will have him wear his birthday button on our first day in MK. Technically, his birthday is 2 days after we check out from our WDW trip. Also, DH and I are celebrating our 20th anniversary - which was actually in February - but this trip is 4 years in the making and we couldn't be there for the big day. If they have anniversary buttons and DH will agree to wear it, we will be wearing them the duration of our trip. I see no harm in it.

 

[Hootch]

they asked if we were celebrating a birthday or anniversary. I made an offhand remark that both our kids have birthdays in July so we go in June. Fitting in a couple of parties and a Disney trip is tough. The phone CM noted the birthdays and the kids had treats at a couple of our meals.

It seems Disney has that broad definition of a definition. We shouldn't the public?

 

[jwmoss]

When I made our daughter's BBB appt, she asked if we were celebrating anything special. I asked her, "Would it make me a bad person if we celebrated my daughter's 10th birthday one day while we are there? Her real birthday is in Feb, but we can't go then. But she really wants a birthday party at BOG."

The CM laughed! She said, "We do birthday celebrations in July for December birthdays, we do December celebrations for July birthdays and it's just what we do. Disney knows budgets and "life" only allow people to visit when they can, so we want our guests to celebrate with us for whatever, whenever. Heck - I have entered celebration events for kids that are at Disney World because they are celebrating potty training!!!"

I already had the BOG reservation, so the CM went in and said she added the celebration to it. She said, "Now with me doing that, every place you have a reservation at is going to see that you are celebrating her birthday, so be prepared for her to get a little extra magic at your meals!"

 

[Mom2six]

When we went last Sept we celebrated five of our kids birthdays. They all fell within two weeks before or after the trip. We did not have big birthday parties and celebrated at WDW instead. The kids wore pins all week. We did not do it to get attention from others and could not eat all the desserts on the dining plan anyway. But our family was celebrating and we do it for us, no one else.

A few posters here are unsurprisingly against it but they seem to be adamantly against just about everything. Ignore them. They are too judgmental to be taken seriously. Most PP make good points for and against wearing the button all week.

 

[revdisney33]

Last year we were chatting about birthdays with a CM. we have been during my DD17 and DW but not my other DD8. He said the rule is simple. As long as your birthday is within 6 months before you are there or 6 months after, you should celebrate. Just my 2 cents. Also when you make dinner reservations they ask if you are celebrating anything special while there. I told them my DD who's birthday was in April. They said they would make sure it was on every reservation. I don't ask for it to be on all reservations.....Disney is about Magic.....and magic can be having your birthday at Disney when it's impossible to be there on the actual day.

 

[Disneylover99]

I already had the BOG reservation, so the CM went in and said she added the celebration to it. She said, "Now with me doing that, every place you have a reservation at is going to see that you are celebrating her birthday, so be prepared for her to get a little extra magic at your meals!"

This last line is part of the problem.

Disney does a great job promoting the celebration part. But they don't always follow through at their restaurants because so many people have a noted celebration. A well-meaning CM tells you to be prepared for extra magic at your meals. That CM is potentially setting you up for disappointment by telling you this. Now, in the back of your mind, you are waiting...anticipating something special...even if it's just a happy birthday, card, or free cupcake.

Sometimes extra magic just does not happen at your meal, even it is your actual birthday. So please, if you have booked a special meal, don't rely on a note added to your reservation. Take matters into your own hands and plan something special on your own so you won't be disappointed.

 

[Nancyg56]

The CM laughed! She said, "We do birthday celebrations in July for December birthdays, we do December celebrations for July birthdays and it's just what we do. Disney knows budgets and "life" only allow people to visit when they can, so we want our guests to celebrate with us for whatever, whenever.

I agree. I have never been able to understand the fuss some people make about folks not celebrating on the specific day when Disney has figured out that as a company, it is possible to generate an enormous sum of money if people can celebrate any event they find important when it is convenient for them. If Disney did not encourage the practice, it would not be happening.

I think that it is ironic that people who are fans of Disney, want the company to do well, and may profit from that success are teh same people who undermine a promotion that Di
sney implemented.

This last line is part of the problem.

Disney does a great job promoting the celebration part. But they don't always follow through at their restaurants because so many people have a noted celebration. A well-meaning CM tells you to be prepared for extra magic at your meals. That CM is potentially setting you up for disappointment by telling you this. Now, in the back of your mind, you are waiting...anticipating something special...even if it's just a happy birthday, card, or free cupcake.

Sometimes extra magic just does not happen at your meal, even it is your actual birthday. So please, if you have booked a special meal, don't rely on a note added to your reservation. Take matters into your own hands and plan something special on your own so you won't be disappointed.

That is the problem. The truth is that if anyone celebrates in Disney anticipating anything, they may be disappointed. Any important milestone is worth celebrating, but you have to make sure that you make your own day or days special on your won. Anything else is

You know, I think that the CM's have as much fun as the guests. My DH refused to wear his button, but the CM at the YSH heard us talking. She surprised him with a cupcake, (we were on the DDP, so dessert was already included, so this was not something that saved us a dime). She had several other CM's singing and honestly, DH was so funny throughout the meal that I think they just joined in.

Every time we celebrate a birthday in WDW, we spend more money than when we do not, and I bet Disney knows that a lot of people are like this. Extra bottles of wine with dinner, specialty cakes, collector purchases to mark the occasion. It all adds up. And all ends up in Disney's cash register. If Disney does not care what day one celebrates, and encourages people to come spend their money, why should anyone interfere with what seems to be a very profitable marketing decision?

 

[SingingMom]

Where did you get the UofM Mickey shirt?!?!? I'd love to have one!

Downtown Disney in the Team Disney store. It was a few years ago but it is a favorite! He just wore it this week on our Adventures by Disney trip to Germany! (Where, we celebrated our DD 20th birthday a little early. our ABD guides arranged for candles in her dessert! Was that wrong, too?!? ;-). Lol. )

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[jdanjou]

Downtown Disney in the Team Disney store. It was a few years ago but it is a favorite! He just wore it this week on our Adventures by Disney trip to Germany! (Where, we celebrated our DD 0th birthday a little early ABD the guides arranged for candles in her dessert! Was that wrong, too?!? ;-). Lol. )

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Thanks! Gonna have to see if I can get one for myself