Celebrating a Milestone Birthday at the Happiest Place on Earth! By Guest Blogger Sarah Cooley

What does a Disney fan with a leap year milestone birthday do to make it even more special?

Plan a trip to Walt Disney World to celebrate of course!

When I realized that my special double-digit “10th” birthday was happening in 2020 and it was on a Saturday, I knew it was my chance!

Since I was a little girl, my family has owned a motorhome. This allowed us to take many trips to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground over the years, making many magical memories along the way.

Fast forward to 2020 and my parent’s winter in Florida from Minnesota. I decided to fly down and meet them to celebrate my special Leap Day birthday at the happiest place on Earth!

Some of the pre-planning I did include:

  • Making special shirts.
  • Making myself special ears to wear.
  • Making our Fastpass+ choices.
  • Making a few dining reservations. This time we decided we wanted to attend the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Review and a breakfast buffet at Trail’s End restaurant, both at Fort Wilderness.

The dates were chosen: February 27th-March 3rd. I got the time off from my teaching job and the excitement was building! I spent months planning my outfits for each park. If you’re planning a trip in February, I would definitely recommend bringing layers. We had everything from nice warm afternoons to chilly evenings watching fireworks.

On the big day, I boarded my plane and was off! Disney’s Magical Express made it super easy to get right to property! My parents didn’t need to worry about me at all! I met them at Fort Wilderness and we hit the parks!

On the day of my actual birthday, I knew Magic Kingdom was where I wanted to be. It was a beautiful yet busy day. I got my buttons right as we walked in and met a Citizen of Main Street, who happened to be the music teacher!


Many cast members thought it was awesome that I was celebrating such a special day! Gaston told me that meeting him was “Such a wonderful birthday present for me.”

We were in the park from open to close and had the best day ever, ending with fireworks and cupcakes from the Main Street Confectionary.

I continued to wear my buttons for the rest of my trip and received hundreds of “Happy Birthdays!” (or “Happy Unboxing Day!” in Toy Story Land.) I heard the song “Happy Birthday” several times during my trip too! One of the best renditions was from the security guards at Hollywood Studios.

That made my music teacher heart happy. One special Tomorrowland cast member even remembered me from my 1st Magic Kingdom day to the next! So special!

All in all, I think Walt Disney World is a magical place to celebrate a birthday, especially if it’s a milestone! I enjoyed every minute and would love to do it again sometime!

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