You may have seen people around Walt Disney World wearing special pins saying things like, “It’s My Birthday”, “My First Trip”, “I’m Celebrating”, or “Happily Ever After”, but did you know… They’re FREE? It’s true!
Pins are easy to get and you can get them for any occasion! You can ask a Cast Member for an “I’m Celebrating” pin and ask them to write in “getting a great parking spot”! Seriously, this is a free souvenir that anyone can have. You don’t have to lie and say it’s your birthday like those free brownies at a restaurant…Don’t judge.
Why Wear a Disney Birthday Pin
Why wear a Disney birthday pin or celebration pin? Two words: Pixie Dust. This is a reminder that the magic of Pixie Dust is the randomness of it, so it is not guaranteed that you will receive some from a Cast Member, but more likely than not having the pin. And who wouldn’t like a little Pixie Dust in their lives?!
Side Note: Wondering what the heck is Pixie Dust? Are we about to fly? Hey, Disney Imagineers are pretty amazing, but they haven’t quite worked out the kinks to that yet. No, in Disney World, Pixie Dust is the term for random acts of kindness from Cast Members. It can be absolutely anything from a free coffee, an extra cookie, or being sent to the front of the line, all the way to free room upgrades, or being made Grand Marshall of the Parade!
While Pixie Dust is most certainly not guaranteed, it is guaranteed that if you are wearing a birthday pin you will be told “Happy Birthday” more times than you ever have in your life. If you are celebrating an anniversary, be sure to put how many years on your pin because marriage is sweet and special, we’re all nosy and want to know. If you have a celebration pin, be ready to talk about it. You will be asked all about it. Cast Members use these pins as conversation starters and talking points to interact with the guests.
Where to Get a Disney Birthday Button
So the idea of a free souvenir that comes with possible perks amuses you, huh? But where to get it…? If you are a hotel guest, you can pick up a pin at check-in. They will have all of the pins there, not just the birthday pin. In the parks you can pick Once you are at the parks, you can pick up a pin at any of the ticketing counters or guest relations kiosks, and they can personalize with a sharpie.
Customize Your Custom Pin
Are you a little extra? Pins come customized by a Cast Member with a sharpie to say whatever you wish them to say, but you can ask for it blank. If you are heading to Magic Kingdom or Disney Springs, you can get your pin personalized with gorgeous calligraphy at the Olde Christmas Shoppe in Liberty Square or Disney’s Days of Christmas in Disney Springs. Of course this takes your free souvenir to a not free souvenir, but is still one of the least expensive souvenirs you can buy in Disney World. At only $3 a word, you will be hard pressed to find a souvenir that cheap that is also a memory.
What to do with your Disney pins?
You just wore that pin through your whole Disney vacation and when you look back at all of your photos you see them, so now when you look at the pin, it’s more than a pin. It’s a memory.
My oldest son is 13 now and has gotten a special pin on every vacation and I keep them all because it’s like a timeline of his childhood. He always chose an “I’m Celebrating” pin and picked what he was celebrating himself. One year it was tying his shoes, one it was going to kindergarten, and another that school was finally over.
Fun ideas to celebrate!
So you didn’t just get married, have a birthday, or get a new job but you still want a pin. Here are some ideas to “celebrate”!
I’m Celebrating…
- Getting a great parking spot (Seriously, that is cause to celebrate. Do a fancy little jig for that one)
- Waking up early to rope drop
- Saving up my sick days for vacation
- Not missing my flight to Disney
- Summer vacation
- My Unbirthday
- My –th visit (Make a legit timeline by keeping track of the number of visits!)
Other Ways to Celebrate your Birthday in Disney
Do you want to make someone’s birthday really special? Or maybe a special moment? Disney can help, for a fee, of course.
Birthday Cakes at Disney World
You can call any table service in advance to prepare a special cake for someone’s birthday. The standard Disney birthday cake is a Mickey dome cake available in milk or white chocolate and they will write out a message of your choice on the plate. This will cost you, though. The Disney birthday cake will cost $38.
A cheaper option: You can buy a simple Mickey dome cake at Amorette’s Patisserie in Disney Springs for $9. Buy it in advance and keep it in your hotel room fridge to pull out at some point for a surprise. You can’t bring it into a restaurant, but it can save you close to $30. That’s a new pair of Minnie ears!
Capture Your Moment
Do you have a moment on your next Disney vacation that you want to treasure forever? An engagement, perhaps? Family pictures for your next Christmas card? You can hire Disney photographers for a private session with Capture Your Moment. This service is more affordable than you might think. A 20-minute private session is only $50. The photo downloads do cost extra, however, if you have already purchased PhotoPass, you can download your private session photos at no additional charge!
This service is available in all parks, but you will need a valid park ticket for you and your party in order to enter.
What will you be celebrating on your next vacation?
I am a mother of three that has refused to grow up. Adulting is for the birds, so I go to Disney World every chance I get for that magical escape from reality. I believe that Haunted Mansion is the best ride in all of the Disney Parks, and I am fervently in team Happily Ever After for fireworks spectaculars, (sorry, not sorry, Enchanted). Finally, I hope I never grow tired of skipping down Main Street, USA, and my dream come true would be “friends with” the Fairy Godmother in my old age.
