View Full Version : Disney on birthday


bluedudeman
07-30-2009, 10:01 PM
My family and I are going down to WDW for my birthday and I was planning on getting the gift card that is equal to one park ticket price.. however... a website informed me...


"A birthday Fun Card is an option worth the value of a one-day, one-park pass, not including tax. It is valid that day only and for merchandise only. It is only valid in stores owned and operated by Disney; it cannot be used in any operating participant locations.

It can be used for PhotoPass on-site services and for tours that accept payment on the date of the tour (such as Behind the Seeds).

It cannot be applied to a hotel bill, to any food or beverages, cigarettes, or personal services. Most of the stores in Downtown Disney and on The Boardwalk are operating participant locations and cannot be used. Also it is specifically not valid in the Epcot stores at the China, Japan and Morocco pavilions.

It will not be replaced if lost, stolen or damaged. It cannot be used for the purchase of Disney Dollars or Gift Certificates.

Any unused value on the card will expire at Midnight of the day of issue."

Is that serious? They expect me to shop on my whole birthday? What happened to enjoying the park >_<, I was going to go to Downtown Disney or HS to shop later in the trip, I wanted to spend my birthday at MK... gah.

What to do, what to do.

Sly cooper
07-30-2009, 11:00 PM
I really think that's unfair. Do whatever you want with you're birthday.

bluedudeman
07-31-2009, 12:06 AM
Wait.. does it also say in there that I can't shop at Downtown Disney?

confused...

Sly cooper
07-31-2009, 12:48 AM
I think it does. That really stinks!

bluedudeman
07-31-2009, 12:52 AM
What's up with thattt

there's only so much you can buy in the Test Track gift shoppp ha

this is annoying :p

Pisces
07-31-2009, 12:55 AM
>.> We were at WDW for my dad's birthday, and he didnt use his card at ALL on his birthday... We spent it all two days later at Hollywood Studios...
Although it wouldn't be very good to waste the money if it did expire for you... Well, the card didn't really cost you any money sooo...

Sly cooper
07-31-2009, 12:57 AM
Disney might be *giggles* having *chuckles* money issues. *ROFLs* I can't even say it with a straight face!

bluedudeman
07-31-2009, 12:57 AM
Really? Yay! I hope it's that way for everyone, I don't feel like park hopping 3 times in a day.

Thank you :)

Pinkglitter
07-31-2009, 12:58 AM
I got that for my birthday.
It works in downtown Disney owned store ( mostly Marketside ) like The big Disney store, Team Mickey, TrenD, and I thing once upon a toy.
In Epcot they work also in the Mouse Ears ( I Think is the name? ) stores and the stores by the country. ( Its works in more but thats just some )
It actual doesn't take that long to spend. LOL.

Pisces
07-31-2009, 12:59 AM
I'm not really sure though, since that said it expires >.>

bluedudeman
07-31-2009, 01:02 AM
I got that for my birthday.
It works in downtown Disney owned store ( mostly Marketside ) like The big Disney store, Team Mickey, TrenD, and I thing once upon a toy.
In Epcot they work also in the Mouse Ears ( I Think is the name? ) stores and the stores by the country. ( Its works in more but thats just some )
It actual doesn't take that long to spend. LOL.

Okay, I wanted to make sure it worked in the World of Disney :D
And yes, I can imagine it goes quickly with me as well :Taking:


I'm not really sure though, since that said it expires >.>

Yeah, but if it worked for one person it can work for more :D

Pisces
07-31-2009, 01:05 AM
Well hopefully it will, and have fun when you go!

Pinkglitter
07-31-2009, 01:10 AM
It does expire the next day, I had like five dollars left on mine and they wouldn't let me use it the next day.

bluedudeman
07-31-2009, 01:13 AM
:Question: ha, see, I don't know what will happen to me, one said it expired the next day, another says it doesn't expire the next day. Hmm. Gah hahaha

StitchMad
07-31-2009, 08:54 PM
:Question: ha, see, I don't know what will happen to me, one said it expired the next day, another says it doesn't expire the next day. Hmm. Gah hahaha

Hi bluedude,
I can 100% assure you that the gift card you recieve on your birthday has no expiration date.

Oh, and it CAN be spent at the Disney stores at Downtown Disney. Stores like the Aribbas Brothers, Lego, etc are not Disney owned, and you can therefore not spend the card there. However stores such as the World of Disney and the Pin Traders are Disney owned, and you can therefore use your card at those locations.

We went there for my Mom's birthday last May. Was amazing just to buy whatever you wanted for no reason! :-p

When you collect the gift card on your birthday, if you have any questions just ask the Cast Member. They will have information which is sure to be quoteable.

Have a great birthday,
Stitch.

bluedudeman
07-31-2009, 09:15 PM
Thank you :) I'm so glad it doesn't expire because I didn't really plan on spending any of it on my birthday.

I was (and now still am) planning to shop at the villian store in Hollywood Studios, the Art of Disney I think is in Epcot... maybe it's in Downtown Disney as well, and the rest of Downtown Disney :):)

SoraStarChan
07-31-2009, 09:23 PM
I hope you have a great birthday! The villan store is my favorite store :D they have all the Nightmare Before Christmas stuff there

Stitchco
07-31-2009, 09:32 PM
Hi bluedude,
I can 100% assure you that the gift card you recieve on your birthday has no expiration date.

Oh, and it CAN be spent at the Disney stores at Downtown Disney. Stores like the Aribbas Brothers, Lego, etc are not Disney owned, and you can therefore not spend the card there. However stores such as the World of Disney and the Pin Traders are Disney owned, and you can therefore use your card at those locations.

We went there for my Mom's birthday last May. Was amazing just to buy whatever you wanted for no reason! :-p

When you collect the gift card on your birthday, if you have any questions just ask the Cast Member. They will have information which is sure to be quoteable.

Have a great birthday,
Stitch.

Aloha bluedude and StitchMad and others,

Sigh....hate to point this out, but..... - Incorrect buzzer buzzes -

Sorry Stitch, my pal, but you're wrong in a way. Normal gift cards at Diwney World don't expire - that is true. i still have 1 my mom got for me with a gift basket that has usage left on it. however, I'm gonna take a guess and say you're a passholder bluedude. If you are a passholder It Does Expire Midnight of your Birthday. Needless to say, I am a passholder, otherwise I wouldn't be talking about this subject. The 1 day magic your way 1 park ticket (non-park hopper) does not expire for about a year until your next birthday. If you are a passholder I suggest you use the Fastpass badges that you and up to 6 other party members can use in 1 of the parks (Personal bias but - I'd use it in Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, or DHS since they have more fastpass abilities than AK).

Hope this helps.

-Stitchco :1stitch:

P.S. to Stitchmad - You are right, unless he's talking about the gift cards passholders get, which is what he meant I believe. Then again I could be wrong, so my apologies for saying this post.

P.S. to bluedude - Happy Soon to be Birthday!

bluedudeman
07-31-2009, 09:53 PM
Sorry I don't have all the answers to your ?s, but...

The rules have changed... You can indeed use the fun card for the duration of your trip. It does NOT expire. You can even take it home to use at your local Disney store!

And I don't have a list for the DTD stores, but I think that it's referring to stores that aren't owned and operated by Disney.

If you do a search, you should be able to a find a list of the stores!

Hope that helps!

This is a response I got from another site... I don't know ha :Question2::Question2:

I trust everyone, but it's hard to trust everyone when stories are different :)

Stitchco
07-31-2009, 09:57 PM
This is a response I got from another site... I don't know ha :Question2::Question2:

I trust everyone, but it's hard to trust everyone when stories are different :)

I only know cause I'm a pssholder who went to Disney on his birthday. And I go consistently....Plus I'm looking on the passholder website...LOL.

Anyway, I'm only trying to help you out. The card i still good for the villians store at DHS and Art Gallery from what I see though (Which is in EPCOT now Downtown Disney)

if you want any more advice or suggestions let me know.

-Stitchco :1stitch:

bluedudeman
07-31-2009, 10:11 PM
I know you're trying to help me out and it is greatly appreciated :)

I only wish I could go consistently like you ;) This will be my.. 11th time I believe and I'm so obsessed with it haha.

If I have any more things I need help on I'll probably PM you or make a new thread about it so i can keep this one on topic. :)

StitchMad
07-31-2009, 10:27 PM
Stitchco - we are also Annual Passholders for WDW and I am 100% sure Mom's card doesn't expire.

Has this changed since May?

Stitchco
07-31-2009, 10:32 PM
Stitchco - we are also Annual Passholders for WDW and I am 100% sure Mom's card doesn't expire.

Has this changed since May?

By what they told me at Guest relations? Yes. otherwise my family would have done this for our birthdays. Hmmm....Maybe I should go soon again.

Stitchco, who's badness level is high reporting off until monday when I will work on my WDW Guide :1stitch:

EtnaGreen
08-01-2009, 02:41 AM
Honestly, since Disney changes their policies so much I would call Disney sometime soon and before you go(to make sure the rules haven't changed) to see how long you can use it and where you can use it.

DisneyDesi
08-01-2009, 02:52 AM
I had my birthday at Disneyland, and got the gift card. I got a whole bunch of stuff, I got $69.00! That is pretty good! I got a Lollipop, a jacket, and my first lanyard that comes with the 4 pins! It was so fuN!

bluedudeman
08-01-2009, 03:15 AM
Honestly, since Disney changes their policies so much I would call Disney sometime soon and before you go(to make sure the rules haven't changed) to see how long you can use it and where you can use it.

That is what we're planning on doing just so I know what I'm getting myself into :)

StitchMad
08-02-2009, 11:42 AM
If you are a passholder I suggest you use the Fastpass badges that you and up to 6 other party members can use in 1 of the parks

Just re-reading this thread and found this sentence. To be elegible for the birthday gift card, you have to hold either a multi-day ticket or an annual pass. Read this page (http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/disneyparks/en_US/WhatWillYouCelebrate/index?name=WDWCelebrationFAQsPage) in the Disney FAQ's.. you can only get gift card on a multi or annual pass.

Disney have done this because as an annual pass holder, why would you want free admission? They need to balance it up, hence giving ONLY annual pass holders the gift card option.

Quoted from another site:
If you have a multi-day ticket or are a Seasonal/Annual Passholder, you can choose from the following options:

A One Day Magic Your Way Base Ticket which can be used anytime before your next birthday
A special "Birthday FastPass" for the celebrant and up to 5 members in his/her party - NOTE: These are limited and may not be available after 11:00am
A Birthday Fun Card (see below) equal in price to a One Day Magic Your Way Base Ticket that can be used on your birthday for merchandise, activities and activities. (Adults receive the equivalent of an adult ticket, kids age 3 -9 get the equivalent of a child's ticket)

Whereas people with a single day ticket only have the option of free admission or fastpass. Probably doesn't relate to the topic of the thread, but I find it strange to advise someone who holds an AP to get the fastpasses when they can get a non-expiring gift card..

This (http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/disneyparks/en_US/birthdayFunCard/index) page tells you where you can and can't use it.

Then again, to end all this tedious googling to double check answers, your safest bet is just to ask the cast member when you are there.

Pinkglitter
08-02-2009, 05:01 PM
Stitchco - we are also Annual Passholders for WDW and I am 100% sure Mom's card doesn't expire.

Has this changed since May?
I am too and It didn't work. I bet you if you try it again it wouldn't work. We had 2 of these ( My dad and I have the same birthday ) and neither of them worked the next day.

Caterpillar AEIOU
08-03-2009, 08:54 AM
They are a lot more strict with these at Disneyland.:icon12m:

2 of the people in my family have used them already ( at DLR).:2dlrp:


1. To get the birthday gift card, you have to already have a park ticket of ANY multi day kind ( Annual pass, week long tickets etc.) you can't just get the card, without having a valid park ticket.

2. At DLR, the birthday card is only good until park closing, on your birthday.

3. It is only valid at stores INSIDE of either Disneyland park, or DCA.

4. It is not good for food.

5. It is in the amount of a current one day park ticket, based on your age. if you have a kid under 9, the value is less, than an adult.
:balloon:

The price of an adult ticket at DLR. went up this weekend. It is now $72.00. That is $3.00 more, than when this promotion started. So, when I go on my birthday, I will have an extra $3.00 to spend! LOL

You may as well use every penny of it, as they don't give you anything back, if you don't use it all.
My husband bought Star Wars toys with his, and got some pre bagged candy, with the few dollars that he had left, just so he could use the full card.

All of this info, is on the Disney Parks website.:2castle:

Oh, yeah, if you have an Annual pass, that is blocked out on your birthday, you will not have this option! You will be able to enter the park for free though, even though your pass is blocked out.

Stitchco
08-03-2009, 09:14 AM
Then again, to end all this tedious googling to double check answers, your safest bet is just to ask the cast member when you are there.

1). your are right about this last part Stitch.

However.... ,

2). Your quote says on your birthday for the fun card, and I'm telling you they changed it. I was there recently, and know this from what they had said. None of your sources said they can be used outside of the birthday date, and that quote from another site says On your birthday, not "never-expires fun card". No offense.

-Stitchco :1stitch:

StitchMad
08-04-2009, 06:10 PM
1). your are right about this last part Stitch.

However.... ,

2). Your quote says on your birthday for the fun card, and I'm telling you they changed it. I was there recently, and know this from what they had said. None of your sources said they can be used outside of the birthday date, and that quote from another site says On your birthday, not "never-expires fun card". No offense.

-Stitchco :1stitch:

When we got the card on my Mom's birthday, the CM specifically said it had no expiration date. We tried it the day after, and alas - it worked. We are going again to Disney -very soon-, so I will keep you posted whether we can use it or not.

At the beginning of the promotion, it was originally a card with no expiration date, but they changed it due to people complaining. I'd say you have an old card, but as you have been quite recently it's strange. Will let you know sooner or later with ours from May. :)

EDIT:
Evidence for the no-expiration, however it does mention Disney reserving the right to change the expiration date, which is what you are suggesting could have happened. :)

Q. Does the BFC ever expire?
A. When the program was first announced, the BFC had to be used on your birthday, however that announcement was amended on 12/31/08 and the BFC no longer has an expiration date. NOTE: In the official fine print of the brochure given to BFC recipients, Disney makes it clear that they reserve the right to change the program in any way at any time without notice, so at some point in the future, the BFC may indeed expire if Disney wants it to.


And the Orlando Sentinel
The best news, though, is that the card does not expire on your birthday, as was previously reported. You do still have to collect the card on your actual birthday.

StitchMad
08-11-2009, 03:01 AM
As promised, I used our birthday fun card today when buying a Minnie plush for a family member. It worked just fine, despite it being from May.

Also met up with a Cast Member friend who clarified at the beginning, there was an expiry date, however due to complaints it was changed to be non-expiring and ONLY allow merchandise.

Not sure why nobody elses isn't working.

ToBeContinued
08-11-2009, 04:21 AM
Actually...shopping sounds FUN ^_^

bluedudeman
08-14-2009, 05:46 PM
Thank you for not forgetting about this thread while I was on my cruise :D

I guess it really will just matter on what it is when I go..

But from right now it looks like it doesn't expire