Celebrate Your Birthday At Disney

Today is my daughter's third birthday. Sadly, we were not in Disney World. We did have a fantastic day, though. Everywhere we went, people seemed to go out of their way to do something special for her. Our waitress gave her a milkshake at lunch and organized the restaurant in singing my daughter, "Happy Birthday;" the Cast Members at the Disney store gave her a special birthday pin (similar to those they have in the parks); and at dinner, the manager of the restaurant helped her make a special birthday pizza to take home. Birthdays are so fun as a kid because everyone goes out of their way to make your day special. That got me thinking about how celebrating your birthday at Disney as an adult is like being a kid again. 

When celebrating at Disney, they give you a special birthday pin to wear everywhere you go (if you are a resort guest, they will give it to you at check-in; otherwise, just head to any of the park Guest Service areas and ask for one). When you wear your pin, every Cast Member you walk by will wish you a Happy Birthday. Not only that, but other guests will notice and offer birthday greetings as well - Which is awesome! All day long, someone you don't even know is wishing you a Happy Birthday, as if the entire Resort is full of your closest friends. 

When you go to a restaurant with your pin on (or mention your birthday, if you aren't wearing it or just want to be extra sure) your waiter or waitress will bring you a cupcake and birthday card signed by some special Disney friends. And that's not just for kids - They even did this for my husband at breakfast the year we celebrated his birthday at the parks. So cool!! 

Throughout the day, Cast Members may even go out of their way to do extra nice things for you. I've heard people say that they received resort room upgrades when checking in on their birthday; others have been sent straight to the FastPass line when a Cast Member noticed their button and the Stand By line was particularly long; and, one year, my daughter was given a small Donald Duck plush. Cast Members will do whatever they can to make your day special - Probably because we are all kids at Disney. :)

As adults, it can be hard to recapture that birthday awesomeness of childhood. We go to work on our birthdays (and rarely does someone bring cupcakes for an afternoon snack), we do laundry, we run errands. Personally, I have spent a quite a few birthdays in the car, driving long distances home from my son's hockey tournaments. As adults, we just don't get the same special treatment that children do. So, treat yourself! And head to Disney for your next birthday. 

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Tips For Taking Your Infant To Disney World!

My daughter was 10-weeks-old the first time she went to Disney World. The trip had been booked since before we knew she was coming, and my other two children (ages 3 and 6 at the time) had been looking forward to it. Plus, we had a really good deal, so there was no chance we would cancel or postpone and give it up (those Bounceback offers are pretty cool). Many times throughout our trip, someone would say to me, "Wow! You are really brave to bring an infant." I usually just smiled or laughed, but what I generally thought to myself was, "No, I'm brave to bring the big kids. They have opinions on what we do. The baby doesn't care - as long as she is with me, she is happy."

It was a very fun trip. Having a tiny baby with us did not take anything away from our experience and, in fact, all of the characters gave us a little extra attention. Terrance (a fairy - technically, sparrow man - from Tinkerbell's Pixie Hollow) was so sweet and wanted to know if she had created her fairy yet (fairys, of course, are created when a baby laughs for the first time). Bambi's friends, Thumper and Miss Bunny, were so enthralled with my daughter and kept cooing over and playing with her so much that her handler had to ask us to leave, because they simply weren't going to stop anytime soon on their own! Talk about memories that will last a lifetime!

Now, Disney has fully staffed Baby Care Centers at each of its Walt Disney World Resort and

Disneyland Resort Parks, and I have heard wonderful things about them. They each have a changing room with tables and a unisex bathroom, a feeding area with highchairs, a kitchen with a microwave, an oven, and a sink, a main room with a television, table, chairs, and sofa, and an on-site shop offering formula, baby food, juice, diapers, wipes, sunscreen, over-the-counter medications, and clothing for purchase - so, really, everything that you could ask for in a pinch! There are also toys available for older siblings and, of course, Disney movies to play on the tv. If you want a quiet, private, out of the way (and sun) place to sit while your baby sleeps, this could be a good spot for that. Personally, I'm way more "on the go," while at Disney. I put my baby in a carrier and I keep on moving (I liked a wrap-style carrier for my infant and an Ergo when she was a little older). I like the freedom that the carriers allow me - if she falls asleep, I can still go on rides or see shows with the rest of my family. With a stroller, I wind up stuck in one location or even outside pushing a stroller around - but not able to get into the attractions without taking the baby out of the stroller and possibly waking her up. I highly recommend getting a good carrier for your baby (or even toddler).

Taking care of a baby at Disney is the same as anywhere else. Pack your diaper bag with all the usual items. I've heard people suggest bringing a shirt for yourself, because you never know when your baby might spit up or have a blowout diaper but, on the other hand, Disney is a good place to have to buy a new shirt! Remember to keep your baby hydrated, especially in the heat of the summer. If you're nursing, this means that your little one will likely nurse more, so take extra care to keep yourself hydrated. Be sure to bring extra formula, if your baby takes a bottle. My baby slept a lot during the day on that first trip and would make up for it at night, nursing well more than usual for that time of day. She wasn't sick or dehydrated, she was just sleepy during the day. It worked really well for us. Most days, the baby would wake up for about an hour while we got dressed. Then, I would put her in my wrap and head out to the bus (another place where I would have had to take her out of the stroller, if I wasn't using the carrier). She was usually asleep again by the time we got to the park. She would sleep until around lunch time, when she would wake up for a few hours, and then sleep, more or less, until we went back to the room for the night. She did wake up to nurse a bit during the day, here and here, but she mostly slept. Then, she would nurse A LOT overnight. It was perfect - we were happy, we did everything that we wanted to do, and everyone in our family had a fabulous trip!

So, my point is that taking your baby to Disney is easy and incredibly fun! You will make lifelong memories; You will have extra sweet pictures; The Cast Members will, "Ooh," and "Ah," over your sweet little bundle of joy; Your older children will enjoy introducing their new sibling to their favorite character. Plus, you will be praised by lots of people who think you are Super Mom (which is always a nice feeling)!

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Tons Of Disney Wallpapers!

As I type this, I'm enjoying a super fun desktop picture of the Main Street Electrical Parade on my computer screen. Wait... it just changed. Now I'm looking at 3 pirates, trapped in a dungeon cell, calling to a dog who is holding a set of keys - of course, from Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. I recently downloaded a whole bunch of fantastic and fun desktop backgrounds, straight from Disney, and I would love to share them with you! It's a great way to keep your Disney spirit alive in between visits. Just head to the Disney Parks Wallpapers page, brought to you by the always fabulous Disney Parks Blog. You'll be able to find all of your favorites for your desktop computer, phone, and tablet!

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How To Have Even More Fun With Characters!

One of the most enjoyed aspects (for both children and grown-ups) at Disney is often the character Meet & Greets - those times that you have an opportunity to walk up to a favorite Disney character, take pictures with them, ask them to sign your autograph book, and get some good furry or royal hugs. But one thing that guests often forget is that you can actually chat it up a little bit with these characters. After all, you've waited patiently in line for your turn - take advantage of the moment! Imagine this were a "real life" situation. Would you simply walk up any other celebrity that you might have waited to see, give them a hug or a handshake, take a picture, and walk away, or would you take the opportunity to say, "Hello," ask how their day is going, and gush, just a little bit, about some reasons why you love them so much? The Disney characters are no different and it will often provoke way more fun and enjoyment out of the characters right back at you!

When my family was chatting with Aladdin and Jasmine in Moroco in Epcot's World Showcase, Aladdin, flipping through our autograph book to find a spot to sign, noticed that Merida had previously signed the book. He launched into this whole little story about how Merida had tried to teach Abu (Aladdin's monkey) how to use a bow and arrow. He pointed out an empty spot, that was clearly missing some sort of decoration, on the storefront behind him - what was once there having fallen victim to a monkey shooting an arrow! The next time we saw Merida at the Magic Kingdom, we mentioned that Aladdin had told us all about Abu and the arrow, and she was quick to point out an arrow that had gone astray and was stuck into the scenery of her own Meet & Greet location - another product of Abu's archery training! The story was hilarious, and the way that the two characters, in different parks, had this joint story about Abu was just incredible and added so much fun to our day - enough that I'm still talking about it now! And we would never have known, if we were just interested in grabbing a quick picture and moving on.

The furry characters know when they are meeting with a family who is open to a little fun, too. The

last time that we met with Chip & Dale over and Camp Minnie-Mickey at Disney's Animal Kingdom (the two chimpunks now meet outside of Rafiki's Planet Watch at that park), Chip began dancing with my daughter, when her hair tie suddenly popped off of one of her pig tails! Chip went ahead and picked up the hair tie (way more dexterity than I would have believed him to have, in the fist place) and then began to put it back in her hair. He worked really hard at doing her hair properly, too! Unfortunately, hair ties were not his strong suit, due to his oversized chipmunk hands. Again, that interaction, which lasted quite some time, was a highlight of our trip, and wouldn't have happened if we were just looking for an autograph and a picture and, then, to move right along.

And this is all true whether you're meeting characters at Disney World, like in my examples, or at Disneyland, on a Disney Cruise, or even at Aulani! Just some things to think about when you're about to meet with a Disney friend. Be open to a little bit of extra fun, and they will do their best to throw some your way!

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