
Each trip to Walt Disney World Resort is a magical and memorable one. Disney Cast Members work very hard to make each and every Guest feel special and do things to help them remember their trip. Things can become even more special when you visit Walt Disney World while celebrating a special event. Disney gives out complimentary buttons to acknowledge things like engagements, weddings, anniversaries, first visits, and birthdays. They also have “I’m Celebrating” buttons for any and all special occasions.
While most Guests have a great time celebrating their special event at Disney World, one Guest is claiming that her experience was the exact opposite. TikToker Teddy Moutinho (@itsteddybearosito) recently uploaded a video as she and her family dined at Tutto Italia in EPCOT. Tutto Italia is located in the Italy Pavilion in the World Showcase. According to Teddy, she and her family saw the waitstaff sing “Happy Birthday” to more than one patron in the restaurant. She then claims that she informed the staff that it was her father’s birthday, and she would like them to sing.
@itsteddybearosito Replying to @JpMc so sad they ruined his birthday at tutto italia epcot #fyp #foryoupage #foryou #epcot #disneyworld #tuttoitalia
40 minutes later, Teddy said that no singing had happened, and the restaurant was about to close. She filmed an interaction she had with the waitstaff, who informed her that the servers don’t sing to everyone. Teddy and her family admitted that they got a free dessert, but that wasn’t what they wanted — they wanted the singing. She then asked the Cast Member if the staff was discriminating against her family. The Cast Member said that she would speak to the staff and “standardize” the singing of “Happy Birthday”.
Teddy and her family left the restaurant and told Guests not to eat there because the staff ruined her father’s birthday.
Some commenters felt for her dad and said that the staff should have sung to him as a nice gesture. One said that he worked in the service industry and that is part of the experience. Others, however, felt that the woman was completely exaggerating the severity of the situation. One woman claimed that she was not sung to on her birthday, so she “put on her big girl panties” and moved on. Another user asked if the woman was talking about her father or a young child.
It is important to remember that thousands of people visit Disney World every single day. Many of them are celebrating special events. While Disney Cast Members do what they can to make everyone feel seen, it is not guaranteed that you will be celebrated.