Hello Kiara!
I’m so glad you’ve stopped by planDisney for help planning your trip. Birthdays are even more special when celebrated at the Walt Disney World Resort! I’d love to help you plan your special day, and I have some tips and tricks for you! Make sure to pick up your complimentary Happy Birthday Button on arrival, and you'll get lots of birthday wishes from Cast Members and even other Guests!
But Kiara, if you are planning to visit at the end of July of
this year, you need to book something
now. Before the pandemic, it would have been easy to just show up at the park on the day you wanted to visit, but right now that is not the case. You asked how to make a great first-time experience, and my best advice for that is to book now, and do not wait. You will need to purchase a
Disney Theme Park Ticket and then make a complimentary
Park Pass Reservation as soon as possible. Park Pass Reservations are designed to limit the number of Guests in the theme parks, and they are
already partially booked up at the end of July. Some parks may or may not be available for the days you want them, and if you wait longer, you may be blocked out entirely.
While there aren’t discounts specifically for birthdays, you’ll find
special offers available to the public to help you save on rooms and packages! You’ll need to check your specific dates to see if one of the offers will work for you, but if you’d like to stay at a
Disney Resort Collection Hotel, I do see some availability at the end of July. Check out Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort or Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort for fun and budget-friendly resorts where you can stay in the magic!
Make an
Advance Dining Reservation for your special birthday meal! Depending on what park you wish to spend your special day in, you may have a few options. Also, consider locations at nearby resort hotels. If you want to spend your birthday at Magic Kingdom, consider Be Our Guest, Tony’s Town Square Restaurant, or Liberty Tree Tavern inside the park, or The Wave…of American Flavors or Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Since it is your birthday, how about a special cake? Visit the restaurant podium earlier in the day to request a
special Mickey Mouse Celebration Cake for your meal! Cakes are limited and first-come, first-served, but it would be a magical ending to your special meal.
To make the most of your day, plan to arrive early, at least 30 to 60 minutes before park opening, to leave extra time for travel and security.
Check out the park map before arrival and hit your top two attractions first thing in the morning to hopefully experience shorter queues. Then slow down and experience attractions with shorter waits and all the sights and sounds of the parks! Enjoy your birthday meal, and then try to sneak in a few more popular rides just before closing, and it will be a birthday to remember!
- Kate