Button, Button, Who's Got the Button?

Eric Hoffman has been helping out behind the scenes of the Main Street Gazette since the beginning. He is the reason that this site looks as good as it does, and has the amazing ability to take the jumbled descriptions I give him and turn them into magic.

A while back I offer Eric the chance to write an article, or two, or however many he wished for the Gazette. This is his first article, I hope you enjoy it. And if you do, please leave him a comment letting him know that you'd love to hear from him again!


Button, Button, Who's Got the Button?
by Eric Hoffman

Often times when planning a trip to Disney World, visitors are careful to take care of the big things. Booking rooms, making advanced dining reservations and now with Disney Parks Celebrations promotion in full swing, you may even be planning a special celebration day in the parks. However, celebrating special occasions at Disney parks is certainly not a new concept.

In the past, savvy visitors to Disney World could take advantage of a host of special perks simply for the effort of alerting the reservation department of the date and nature of the celebration. If you happened to book your trip to coincide with an anniversary, for example, you might expect to find a balloon bouquet and a personalized card and picture from the Mouse himself.

One very simple yet special bonus item that Disney will provide for free is a themed celebration button. Stop in and inquire at Guest Relations in any park for these special event-related buttons. You can receive buttons for your Birthday, Anniversary, Honeymoon (just married) and 1st Visit celebrations.

You often read about how the truly magical moments at Disney World are the small, personalized moments that individual cast members create for the guests. With one of these buttons you really open yourself up to all sorts of personal interaction with not only cast members, but even other guests as well. Guests inevitably notice these buttons and “congratulate” or wish “happy birthday” to complete strangers adding a great sense of community to a trip. The memories created are priceless.

On a recent trip to Disney World my family was traveling on a Friendship from Disney's Hollywood Studios to the Swan and Dolphin resorts. A couple celebrating their honeymoon were onboard. They were wearing their “Just Married” buttons along with top hat/wedding veil Mickey ears. The captain of the Friendship noticed and announced the couple over the intercom to cheers and applause. They were also presented with a certificate making them honorary Friendship captains for the day. What a great memento!

My family was on the receiving end of this attention when the birthday of my middle daughter fell during a trip to WDW. We were given a birthday button with her name written on it at check-in at our resort. We had mentioned her birthday while making reservations. The cast members did not disappoint providing her with lots of attention, frequently greeting her by name. The characters she met would also point out her button which really made her smile. She was also singled out on the Jungle Cruise to be the skipper for that trip.

The current Celebrations promotion has really upped the celebration ante with a myriad of ways to help your family celebrate a special day at the parks. However, the simple celebration buttons that the parks pass out are always a simple and personal way to make a special trip to WDW just that much more special!