Hiya Michelle! Thanks for stopping by planDisney with your question!
Walt Disney World Resort is the perfect place to celebrate anything (or nothing at all!) but I personally love to be there for birthdays! When I was younger my family and I would always travel to The Most Magical Place on Earth during Spring Break, which usually landed around my birthday. I have such amazing memories of
character dinners and special treats surrounding me during my birthday celebration. I hope while you're visiting that your son also feels this birthday magic!
As soon as you arrive at your
Disney Resorts Collection hotel, make sure to stop by the Front Desk and ask for a "Happy Birthday" button for your son! He'll be able to proudly wear it throughout your trip and hear birthday shout-outs every day! The rest of your party can even ask for "I'm Celebrating" buttons and write his name on them, making his birthday a real party.
I think your plan for his birthday sounds practically perfect in every way! Getting up early is one of the best ways to maximize your time in the Parks before they get busy, and
Disney's Animal Kingdom is even better in the morning because the animals on
Kilimanjaro Safaris tend to be more active during the cooler, morning hours! Pool time at
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort is sure to be a blast with two waterslides and spray cannons!
Michelle, while there is no absolute guarantee that Park Hopping will be available to
Magic Kingdom on the day you're hoping to dine at
Be Our Guest Restaurant, but the chances are very, very good that there will not be an issue. Because of your date not falling on a major holiday or other special reason to be at Magic Kingdom, and because there is no need to make a
Park Pass Reservation for Parks that you're hopping to throughout the day, you should have no trouble getting through the turnstiles for dinner!
On the day of your big birthday dinner, I would suggest calling (407) 560-5000, which is an automated phone line that lets you know if Park Hopping is available that day. Giving this number a quick call should ease your worries about waiting until you get to the gate! The Walt Disney World Website also states "In the event that the Park Hopper option is unavailable at a theme park, Guests will be notified in real time via a push notification from the
My Disney Experience app." Please check out the
Park Hopper Option page for any more information you may be looking for!
Hopefully, with all of these plans in place, you'll be able to enter Magic Kingdom and enjoy your birthday dinner! Check out the
Enchanting Extras Collection Specialty Cakes if you want to add a birthday cake to your celebration!
Ashley M