Two of my babies have birthdays during this week in May. It really is bittersweet how quickly they are growing up. We were very blessed this past year to be able to budget for annual passes to Disneyland. With our passes we were able to celebrate each child’s birthday at the happiest place on earth! I love celebrating special occasions at Disneyland, it makes everything more magical. There are definitely some must-dos if you’re spending your birthday at Disneyland or California Adventure!
celebrating your birthday at Disneyland
get a free button
You probably know that anyone can get a free birthday pin. Just in case you didn’t know though, Disneyland has fun pins for just about every occasion. Be sure to pick up your free pin at City Hall at the start of Main Street in Disneyland, or at Guest Services inside the entrance of California Adventure. Sometimes you can also find cast members manning a small pin station between the Harbor Boulevard entrance and the Security checkpoints.
have characters sign a card
I am not a big fan of autograph books. Obviously that’s totally fine if you are, and I’ve seen some really neat ones that people have made themselves. However, I just know an autograph book would get lost or ruined in our household. Instead, if I know we’ll be celebrating a birthday in the park I pick up an inexpensive card beforehand. Then that’s what all the characters signed. Now the cards are in their scrapbooks and it’s a fun memory that we have! It also takes up a lot less room than an autograph book when you’re lugging it around all day.
| What to do at Disney without Going to the Parks |
get a birthday cupcake
We are pretty frugal people, so we are picky about the meals we buy in the parks. However, we do like to celebrate at special restaurants to celebrate special occasions! If you happen to go to a sit-down restaurant while in the parks, be sure to mention while you’re checking in that you’re celebrating someone’s birthday. The birthday boy or girl will get a free cupcake at the end of their meal, and they’re pretty tasty! Even if you’re not eating at a restaurant, you can still splurge on a little birthday treat for yourself (or a loved one). Both Pooh Corner and Jolly Holiday Bakery Café have delicious and beautiful baked goods of all kinds.
| What is the best character dining at Disneyland? |
take some fun pictures
I always like to take special birthday pictures of my kids with a chalkboard or letterboard. So you can believe that I bring one with me to Disneyland for each of their birthdays to get some pictures at the park! Of course you don’t have to drag a prop with you, but be sure to document your big day! You can showcase wearing your birthday button, eating your birthday cupcake, wearing a fancy crown (or Mickey ears), or something special. After all, it’s the happiest place on earth!
| Doing Disney with a Toddler the Right Way |
Have you ever celebrated your birthday at one of the Disney parks?
40 Responses to must-dos for a birthday at Disneyland
How fun! We are heading to Disneyland this summer, no birthday's but it wil be all three of my kid's first time going. They are giddy with excitement already and we have a few months to go.
Omgosh I love love love it!!! The pin idea is so good, I'm sure the babes felt super special with everyone wishing them happy birthday.
And the card idea – pure genius!! I'm always thinking autograph books really??! Don't you just lose them or they become a nice dust collector?! But the card idea is perfect, beat of both worlds!
And the chalk board don't even get me started. That's something I would do in a heart beat Lololol as my husband loads it in the car, eye rolling the whole time. 🙂
Happy birthday to your kiddies!! xx
How fun you get to celebrate two birthdays this week!! And what better place than Disneyland. We took Mason for his first birthday as well and got him a button. Then last year we were cheap and didn't want to pay to get in so we went to downtown disney and walked around and the nice lady in the world of disney store gave him a button too. Of course he refused to wear it, go figure, but I loved it and kept it anyway!
My son's birthday is Wednesday! He went to Dland the Friday and Sunday before. Great tips. I wish I'd brought a birthday card for the characters to sign, that's such a cute idea 🙂
I am excited for you guys! Disneyland is the best! 🙂
Haha Holly, it's a pretty small chalkboard. And surprisingly he said to me, "you remembered to pack that, right?" like, 5 times. 🙂
So nice they gave him one at World of Disney! There are some really awesome people that work at the Disneyland resort for sure. 🙂
Thanks so much Nina, I was really pleased I thought of it. 🙂
I just celebrated my daughter's 4th birthday at DL! It was fantastic and we had a blast! We got our pins at the ticket booth since we don't have passes. I never thought to get a birthday card signed though. That's a great idea!
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Love celebrating at Disneyland! Both my husband and I have done birthdays there but have yet to celebrate our daughters. My oldest's bday is February 4th 🙂
Lovely trip. I've never been to Disneyland but maybe someday:)
Happy Birthday to both of your kiddos. These are such great ideas. I love that you brought the chalk board with you. That's totally something I would do.
Happy birthday to your little ones! Getting to go to Disney for a birthday is awesome! I'll be 28 this year and it's still a dream of mine haha. Thanks for sharing these tips. Maybe someday we'll make it there for a birthday, my husband's birthday is the day before mine so we would have to go for both of our birthdays of course.
Such a cute idea! We are on the east coast and planning a trip to Disbey World for next year just after my big girl's birthday. Will definitely revisit this post when planning!
I didn't know about, well pretty much all of it, but particularly the buttons. So fun! I hope to take our girls someday, thanks for the great tips!
I am dying to take my kids to Disney! How wonderful that you were able to spend both of their birthdays there!
So Fun!! Really great tips..my oldest daughter is determined to celebrate her birthday at Disney and I really want to make it happen for her so thanks so much for sharing…
It's so much fun to celebrate there! And a birthday only one day apart from my youngest's, small world. 🙂
That would be a perfect way to celebrate you special days together. 🙂
Thanks Natalie!
We feel so blessed that it worked out for us to go. 🙂
Love love love the birthday card idea! Not an autograph book person either, but I love birthday cards and that’s such a fun way to celebrate a Disney birthday. My daughters’ birthdays are 1 day apart as well. Thanks for the ideas!
Oh… how fun! What a great way to celebrate.
How fun! The birthday card would make my kids’ day! These are all such great ways to celebrate!
How fun to celebrate your birthday at Disneyland! Love the idea of having a character sign your birthday card, what a great keepsake.
Can anything be more fun than a Disney birthday party!?
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