In my opinion, having a birthday at the “happiest place on Earth” cannot be beat. Which is why J and I chose to have M’s 4th birthday week at Disney World.
When you first check into your resort (and even before that when you book your vacation) you are asked if anyone in your party is celebrating an event. If you’re celebrating a birthday, anniversary, just married, just engaged or family reunion, you are given for FREE a button that can be personalized. If you get one of these buttons, a cast member will write your name on it with a sharpie. When they do, request that they cover the name with a piece of scotch tape. This will save you a whole-lotta headache when the rain storms come, ’cause even with a sharpie the name will run. The tape works wonders!
This is a huge ticket to getting recognized by cast members, and can sometimes score you some other freebies. In my experience, it’s also gotten us (when we were married) immediate fast passes to certain rides that you’d otherwise have to come back later on to.
At the GF 1900 Park Faire dinner, M was given small toys and large stickers by the manager, and even our waitress brought her some foil Tinker Bell stickers.

And at every. single. meal, M was given a MASSIVE cupcake. Every meal. Even breakfast. so that makes hmmmm, at least 15 cupcakes in a 5 day period. As a parent, you just have to relax and remember that the sugar will get your child through the busy day.

My only suggestion for this is to ask your server to bring he cupcake out AFTER your meal is completed. We ran into a couple of restaurants that brought it out before our meal was even served. Now, you tell me what a preschooler is going to want to eat- the cupcake in front of them, or the meal that will be out in 10 minutes?

My point exactly.

Now when I took the following pictures of our resort, it was during a FFRS (Florida Freak Rain Shower for short), and for some reason, I never took pictures during the normal weather we had the majority of the time. Sorry ’bout that!

Now, choosing our resort was pretty easy. I came into AAA with a budget in mind, as well as some back-up research from the Passporter.com message boards. Always check there before booking your vacation. There are some real experts on all of the Disney resorts, and you can get some great information from their threads!
Like I had mentioned before, I was spoiled during my first trip to Disney, staying at the Grand Floridian. I wanted the feel of that deluxe resort, without the price tag.
I loved the POFQ resort because not only was it affordable, it was small. There are only about 1000 rooms at the French Quarter, and it’s the first stop for buses from the parks (your ride time is only 10-15 minutes to the parks).
It does have a ’sister resort’, Port Orleans Riverside, which is bigger, and from what I hear is much noisier.

The theme of this resort is incredible. The roads were cobblestone, and the railings were wrought iron. You had the option to ride in a horse-drawn carriage to view the resort (those set you back $35 a tour) which is amazing in the evenings when the oil street lamps are lit.

Anytime we visited concierge, or the front desk, we were always showered with beads (and no, you don’t have to -ahem- show anything to earn them)! Everyone was friendly, with the exception of mouse keeping, which is another story for later on. This resort really takes the party to another level!

1. Disney is affordable, and fits in every budget. Talk to a travel agent, they know and will get you the best deals for your travel time frame. I used AAA, and loved them. They keep things in order for you, and keep on the lookout for any changes with your reservation or airline information.

2. Disney is for everyone. From the infant who hangs out in the Baby Bjorn, to the elderly. We saw so many babies go nuts for Pooh, Tigger and Piglet. It really warms your heart.

3. Disney resorts are not always as they seem. You can stay at a moderate, but it feels like a deluxe. J and I have stayed at the Grand Floridian in the past (we paid about $700 a night) and this trip we stayed at Port Orleans, French Quarter and paid about $170 a night. While the service wasn’t as great, the grounds were prettier (in my opinion) than the Grand Floridian. The pool was also a million times better because the continuation of theming.

4. Disney provides transportation if you’re staying on site, at a Disney Resort. Take a few hours to familiarize yourself with the system and utilize the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC on the bus scrolls). It will get you anywhere in a jiffy.

5. Sign your family up for the Disney Deluxe Dining plan in advance. Get it paid off when you pay off your trip, and you will spend NO money on food what-so-ever. Our bottled water was covered under this plan, as well as the chocolate covered strawberries in Hollywood Studios. It was well worth the price. This also includes the refillable resort mugs. Alone, these things are EXPENSIVE, however, they save you a ton of money while at your hotel.

6. Character meals are a must-do and are worth their weight in gold. Not only are they entertaining, but you kill two birds with one stone. You have to eat, right? So why not see the characters then, instead of hunting them down in the park? The only one I felt rushed at was the Cinderella’s Royal Table breakfast in the castle. The food was terrible, the waiter was rude (I know this was probably just our experience, but I felt it was worth mentioning) and I felt like the princesses rushed through the room. All in all, it took about 40 minutes for that particular meal.
The rest of them though, the characters interacted with my child well, signed autographs and posed for pictures, so the rest of the day we got to spend time on the rides, and fit in some shows. Make sure to have your reservations at least 90 days out (they are switching back to the 180 day reservation system soon, I just don’t have a date for it yet). Call with your reservation number and credit card in hand. Many meals still require a credit card to reserve, however it will not be charged UNLESS you cancel within 48 hours. Trust me, they DO. They did it to me.

7. You can’t do the Magic Kingdom in one day. Don’t even try it. I don’t think you can do it in 2. You might be able to squeeze it into 3.

8. Most dinner theater shows include unlimited beer and wine for those over 21. Hoop De Doo review includes bottom-less sangria. A big thank-you from the parents!

9. The spray fans being sold in the parks for $17 are worth it, if it’s hot. I cringed when I handed over my money, but thanked them later when the temps hit the hundreds (or seemed to). You can also take them to any station selling them, and they will refill them with ICE water for free.

10. Have a plan. And a back up plan. Know where your reservations are, and make a map. Get the most out of your time by checking the schedule boards first thing when you walk in.

11. Little ones (under 6) need a stroller. No ifs, ands or buts. Bring one, or buy the Kolcraft one in the parks. You can also rent them. We bought the Kolcraft one, and LOVED it. M really needed it, even though she hadn’t been in a stroller since she was 18 months. This also helped keep her rested, so no naps were needed.

12. The monorail is your BFF. Get used to it.

13. Bring ponchos from home and keep them with you. You can buy clear ones from Wal-Mart in the camping section for 88 cents a piece. We forgot ours in our hotel room, and had to buy the Disney ones, and paid $22.50 for 3 of them. Florida can rain without warning. I kid you not.

14. Utilize the photopass system. Recognize the photographers and pull your 1st card out immediately to hand to them. This will keep your number of cards you have to enter later on down quite a bit. It gets monotonous. Trust me.

15. If you have a princess, the Bippity Boppity Boutique is worth the money. Really. I know, it seems expensive, but it’s not for what you get. Again, trust me on this one. Plus, your little princess gets recognized throughout the whole day. People go NUTSO for little girls dressed up. I’ve seen it first hand.

16. As a parent, you might be overwhelmed with emotion the first time your child steps into the Magic of it all. It’s OK to cry. Really it is. I did it. I think J even might have shed a tear.

17. Take a Disney vacation. Just do it.

(Photo courtesy of daytonphilharmonic.com)