Disney – Disney World 40th Birthday Celebration

Search

Search

Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional – Walt Disney

Annual Disney Birthday Weekend

We recently celebrated my 40th Birthday weekend at the only place I could imagine celebrating a milestone – Walt Disney World.  I’m not sure if you realize this by now, but I have a deep, unwavering love for Disney. I can look back through family albums and see that it didn’t start with me. It runs in the family and can be found in many photos and memories over the years.  From clothing, toys at Christmas, my first movie theatre experience, and our biggest family vacation, you name it, it’s scattered throughout my life.   

Don’t want to miss a single blog post from us? Sign up for our email list and be notified every time we make a new post!

How it all started

It all started with a mouse, and the same is true for my love of theme parks and characters. This photo was taken of me on June 14, 1990, when I was six years old. This is the first and only time I met Mickey Mouse in person at Walt Disney World. My mom won $1,000 from a country radio contest (so Midwest), and we planned a road trip to Florida. It’s one of my most vivid childhood memories. Disney has been a love in my life for a very long time. 

Sadly, I didn’t return to the Most Magical Place on Earth again until I was 20, and that is when my love of Epcot began. Then, another decade later, I returned at 30 when Mark and I packed up our lives and moved to Florida.  Now that we are less than 2 hours away and annual pass holders, most of our trips to Disney have been over the last nine years of living here…. I am beyond thankful that Mark loves Disney just as much as I do. (His first visit was in 2016, so he had much catching up to do!)

My Disney 40th Birthday

For my 40th Birthday weekend, I knew I wanted to do some special things we had yet to experience mixed in with some of our regular favorites. One of my top priorities was to recreate this childhood photo by getting my picture taken with Mickey for the first time since I was six. When I mentioned this to Mark, we both realized that he had NEVER met or had his photo with Mickey in all the years we have been going… well, we had to fix that! Here’s a look at our entire Disney weekend! 

Since my birthday this year fell on a Monday, we booked the weekend before so I could be home with my parents on the exact birthday. We hit the road on Thursday, and our first stop was Disney Springs for something I have always wanted to do—customized Birthday Buttons! 

Days of Christmas

In case you didn’t know, Disney offers FREE Celebration buttons for special occasions that you can obtain from Guest Relations, Disney Resort Hotels, and certain retail shops. Some cast members will offer to write in your name or occasion or even hand you a Sharpie to write your own information. You can get buttons for Birthdays, First Visits, Anniversaries, Engagements, and general I’m Celebrating buttons. They often lead to pixie dust (free or upgraded perks) around the parks and great interactions with characters and cast members (a million happy birthday wishes from strangers).  We have done this many times over the years because this is my 9th annual Disney birthday weekend. Still, for a milestone birthday, I decided I finally wanted them customized as a nice souvenir. 

There are two special locations where you can pay a few extra dollars to have them decorated – Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe at Magic Kingdom and Days of Christmas at Disney Springs.  The process was super easy and took less than an hour.  You go to the Personalization Orders desk and place your order.  They give you several color choices and lots of extra artwork for holidays or occasions.  You place your order and pay; they will text you when your order is ready.  In no time, we got a text to collect my personalized “Brittany” Birthday button, and I’m celebrating “40th Birthday” button, and I loved how they turned out.  I wore them for all three days in the parks and they held up really well.

Next, we celebrated with my favorite Margarita from Dockside Margaritas! 

The Polite Pig

After some window shopping, we stopped for lunch at one of our favorite quick-service restaurants and a rare location at Disney Springs that doesn’t require reservations – The Polite Pig.

The Polite Pig is a popular dining spot at Disney Springs that offers a modern take on Southern BBQ in a fast-casual setting. It has a quick-service counter and table or bar service for drinks and additional ordering. 

This place is known for its smoked meats, including brisket, pulled pork, smoked chicken, and ribs. These are typically served with house-made sauces and pickles. They also offer incredible sandwiches, sides, and salads, plus craft beer, cocktails, and an extensive bourbon bar with bourbon and whiskey flights. We have never been disappointed here, and it’s definitely a go-to and more affordable option at Disney Springs. 

Checking in to Pop Century

After lunch, it was close to check-in time for our resort hotel, so we headed to one of our go-to value resorts – Pop Century.  I have already dedicated an entire blog post to this resort, so definitely check it out – here! 

The only notable difference this time was that there were Disney Characters all over the lobby! We have been staying here for years and have never timed it right for this. We had impromptu meetings with Pluto, Goofy, and Donald before we even got checked in, so fun.  The magical birthday buttons started working their magic right away! 

We settled in our room, and ironically, we were placed in the 1980s section of the resort. Naturally, we had to take photos with anything that had the 1980s or 1984 displayed. The typical afternoon thunderstorm rolled in and gave us time to rest, relax, hydrate, and get fancy for our big night out. But first, we made our way to Magic Kingdom for some castle photos. 

Photos at Magic Kingdom

Just a few days prior, they had put up all of the iconic Mickey pumpkins and decorations for Halloween. Halloween is one of my favorite seasons to visit the Magic Kingdom. We took a few photos with the photo pass photographers and a few of our own in front of Cinderella’s castle.  My favorite princess when I was little <3

A Magical Dinner

The big event for the night was something I have been wanting to do for many years. We made reservations at the California Grill at the top of the iconic Disney Contemporary Hotel. Next, we took the monorail from Magic Kingdom directly into the hotel lobby and soaked up all the mid-century vibes. We visited the gift shops before going to the second floor to check in for our dining reservation.  

The lovely cast member (without saying anything) visually took note of my buttons, and soon, we were invited into the private elevator for the restaurant that takes you up to the 15th floor. Upon exiting the elevator, we were greeted and seated at one of the best tables in the entire restaurant. My view was perfect of Cinderella’s Castle and Space Mountain, while Mark could see all of the Grand Floridian and Polynesian Resorts.  It was pure magic and I tear up just thinking about it. 

California Grill

The California Grill offers a refined fine dining experience with breathtaking views and is a must-do, especially for special occasions.  A big perk when booking a reservation here is the exclusive option to watch the fireworks over Magic Kingdom from their terrace on the 15th floor.  If you dine or visit the bar anytime during the day, you can show your receipt to return for the fireworks at the end of the day. 

Dinner with a View of the Castle

California Grill offers a three-course menu that changes seasonally, allowing you to choose between several appetizers, entrees, and dessert options. They are well known for their fresh sushi and skilled chefs. They are famous for their extensive wine list, which features over 300 selections from California and worldwide. 

We enjoyed cocktails, wine, bread service, ravioli, sushi, and filet mignon and were so full they offered to box up our cherry chocolate mousse to go. But only after bringing me complimentary champagne and confetti cake for my birthday.  

Fireworks at the Contemporary Resort

We mentioned to our fantastic server that we intended to stay for the fireworks, and he added a little more pixie dust to our night by showing us a special spot to watch the fireworks that only a few other people knew about so that we didn’t have to watch the show with the whole restaurant crowd.  It was simply amazing. 

It was such a memorable experience. The restaurant piped in the music from the show while it was happening at Magic Kingdom, and it was such an incredible perspective to watch Happily Ever After from this iconic and original Walt Disney World hotel. This will forever be one of my favorite Disney memories.

Disney Birthday Day Two

On our second day at Disney, we slept in, and Mark brought me my favorite Disney quick-service breakfast in bed – the Disney Breakfast Bagel with tater tots! The plans for this day required another late night, so we were slow to get moving and took our time.  Eventually, we got on the Skyliner to Epcot for the moment we had been waiting for – meeting Mickey Mouse! 

The newest area of Epcot opened a few months ago, and they created a brand new space for meet-and-greets with Mickey and Friends. In less than 15 minutes, I was transported back in time as I approached Mickey for the first time in 34 years.

Of course, I instantly felt emotional, which was only made worse when I watched my husband meet Mickey for the first time.  LOL, we both walked out emotionally overwhelmed but had such good interactions with Mickey, Goofy, and Minnie.  It is truly magical to watch all the kids and adults interact with characters and share their stories, struggles, memories, and dreams with them. 

Drinks Around the World

After that, we both needed a cocktail! Mark and I always start in Mexico and enjoyed our new favorite drink—the Highland Coffee from La Cava. We slowly moved around the World Showcase, popping in and out of shops. We had lunch in Japan and mimosas in Morocco. Then we returned to the Skyliner to the hotel to prepare for the next big weekend event – our first time attending Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party on its opening night! 

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party has been on our Disney bucket list for a while now.  This special after-hours ticketed event isn’t included as pass holders, but once again, we decided it would be fun for such a milestone weekend. 

The event causes Magic Kingdom to close early on select nights from August to October. The park closes to regular guests at 6 PM, but those with party tickets can enter as early as 4 PM. The actual event runs from 7 PM to Midnight. We arrived at Magic Kingdom around 6 PM, and shortly after we entered the park, the rain stopped, and it looked like a beautiful and spooky night ahead of us. 

MNSSHP honestly blew us away, and we are now obsessed. It combined all of our favorite things—Disney, spooky season, Disney food and special treats, exclusive merchandise, rare characters, and, hands down, the best stage show and parade we have ever seen. This party is way too incredible to squeeze into this blog post, so I will save all of my stories, photos, and information for its own dedicated post coming soon! 

The only additional detail I will mention because it makes sense for this post is that there was an interesting mix-up upon entering the party that night, and due to the confusion, we ended up being given a complimentary ride pass. But I can explain more on that later! 

Disney Birthday Day Three

Our last day at Disney was full of food, fun, and more pixie dust. At this point, the late nights and the August heat were taking their toll, so we slept in, hydrated, and got a slow start to the day. 

We rode the Skyliner from Pop Century to Hollywood Studios to rope-drop Mark’s favorite cocktail, the Moonshine Sour, at the Sunshine Day Bar. Since we were in a spooky mood from the night before, we decided to ride the Tower of Terror, but when we approached, we noticed it was temporarily down. 

Instead, we checked off another item from our list of things we have never done, and for me, that was the giant pretzel and charcuterie board from Baseline Taphouse. It is easily one of the best quick-service options at Hollywood Studios. I can’t believe it took me so long to stop in!

After that, we popped into the 50’s themed Tune-In Lounge and enjoyed the air conditioning until we saw that Tower of Terror had reopened and only had a 20-minute wait.  When we walked across the park to the ride, it was now a 45-minute wait.  We got in line and made it to the elevators when they announced that the ride was down again, and we all had to exit the line.  We stopped by guest services and politely explained what happened, and they gave us a second complimentary attraction pass. 

Back to Epcot

At that point, we were ready to hop parks since the only ride we wanted to do was still down. So we popped back to the Skyliner and went to Epcot to do my favorite Disney ride in all the parks—Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind—TWICE! 

The night ended with a beautiful sunset over Japan, Morrocco, and France before taking the Skyliner back to Pop Century.  We timed it perfectly and saw the nighttime fireworks for Epcot and Hollywood Studios from the Skyliner.  

We ordered quick-service meals from the hotel and ate dinner in bed with Disney movies. I’m unsure how we will ever top this weekend, but I know we will continue trying.  

August 12, 2024

On the day of my 40th Birthday, Mark and I met my parents at Stillwater Tavern in Downtown St Pete and had a wonderful birthday lunch together. Of course, mom made me wear a sash and tiara – truly a princess for the day. It was the perfect way to end such an overwhelming and wonderful weekend. 

I’m so hopeful that I’m on the horizon of a whole new era, my best one yet. Thank you for reading about my 40th Birthday Celebration at Disney World and for all the calls, texts, emails, and posts of well wishes. 

Did you miss any of our Disney posts?

Join our Monthly email list and help us grow! We promise you will only receive beautiful photos, updates, and probably a cute cat photo or two in your inbox!