Over the past six years Chris and I have celebrated a lot at Disney: Chris’ acceptance into the masters program at GW, our engagement & wedding, anniversaries, and most recently a baby.  It just seems that every good thing that has come our way has happened while at the Disney parks.  People always ask us if we are ever going to travel anywhere else and eventually we will, but Disney has always been so good to us and we’ve always had such magical vacations there that it’s hard to give up.

We tend to treat every Disney vacation like a celebration, and while there have been times when we’re not technically celebrating anything we still try to make the trip special and memorable in some way.  After all, we are at the happiest place on Earth!  And really, is there a better way to celebrate something special than walking down Main Street USA with a churro in one hand and a camera in the other?

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I wouldn’t call myself an expert on all the ways to celebrate at Disney because I’m sure people have done things that I haven’t even thought of yet.  But there are a few tried and true ways to celebrate that every Disney fan knows about, and I think you should too!  I’ve also thrown in one or two that aren’t as widely known, just to mix things up a bit.

What to do

Celebration button – One of my favorite ways to celebrate special occasions at Disney is to ask for a celebration button at check-in.  They honestly have a button for everything. Birthday’s, honeymoon’s, just engaged, and so many more.  I can honestly say I have a hoarding problem when it comes to Disney celebration buttons.  It’s a bit shameful.

If you forget to ask for a button upon check-in, there are still plenty of other places to grab one: City Hall at the Magic Kingdom, restaurants, guest relations, and so many other places. If you’re celebrating one person’s special event, make sure the rest of your party asks for the generic “I’m Celebrating” buttons.  Just remember though, if you’re shy these buttons may not be the best idea for you.  As an example, a few years ago a Cast Member took us into the American Pavilion and announced to everyone (there were a ton of people) that we were on our honeymoon.  I was pretty embarrassed…and I don’t get that way easily!

To be honest, Chris and I have received attention from both Cast Member’s and other guests due to wearing our buttons around the parks.  But, there have also been times where people are constantly saying things to us and then other times where we hear crickets.  When wearing your buttons, you shouldn’t expect to receive special attention or freebies. If you do, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

Decorate  – If you’ve ever been to Disney and stayed on-property you’ve probably seen people go all out and decorate their doors and windows for special events.  Chris and I have never done this (I really want to!) but we love looking at all the doors when walking back to our room after the parks close.  This is another fun way to celebrate while at the parks!

Drink around the world – One thing Chris and I love to do at Epcot is sample food and drinks from around the world.  There truly is no better time to do this than during Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival, but it really is a treat any time of the year.  And if you’re not a fan of drinking, you can snack around the world instead!  Both are yummy options.

Signature Dining – What better way to celebrate a special occasion at Disney than to have a date night at the parks?  Chris and I celebrated our engagement and wedding dinner at Portobello’s at Downtown Disney (we love Italian food!), and it was a fantastic meal on both occasions.  Another option would be to book a reservation on the monorail loop so that you can watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks while dinning.  California Grill (located at the Contemporary Resort) is a great option for this, but you have to book your reservation in advance!  You can also book a reservation at certain restaurants at Epcot to watch their Fireworks show!

Floral & Gift Shop – Chris and I have used this service twice, once when getting engaged and then again for our gender reveal, and have been so pleased with them both times!  There are so many options you can choose from to make whatever occasion you’re celebrating special and there are options that’ll fit every budget too!  It’s definitely something fun to look forward to once you get back to your room after a long day at the parks.

Special Park Day –  Chris and I have never been to Disney for our birthday’s (this is a lifetime goal of mine!) but when we do I think we’ll both have to have a day of doing whatever the other person wants.  It’s an inexpensive way to make the person feel special and to make the day all about them!  I’ve always thought it would be fun to get a tiara and a bright pink birthday sash and walk around the park all day like that.  Any excuse to wear a tiara, right?

I have to say that writing this post makes me want to go back to Disney World, I don’t care that it’s 100 degrees down there right now!  Scratch that.  Yes I do.  That’s too hot, and a little miserable.  But I am looking forward to heading down there sometime in the Fall (hopefully) to celebrate something new: being a family of three!  I’ll have to think of a really fun way to do that too…

So tell me what you think!  Do you have a favorite way to celebrate a Disney vacation? 

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