Are you looking to have an extra special celebration of your birthday this year? Disneyland and Walt Disney World would like to help you with that!

For 2009, the Disney theme parks in Orlando and Anaheim are celebrating your special day by offering you a free ticket to visit either theme park on your birthday.

If you live in Southern California or Central Florida, then all you need to do is mark your calendar and show up at one of the Disney parks with your proper government-issued photo i.d. in hand, such as your driver's license or passport.

Just remember -- The special free birthday admission is only good on your actual birthday. So if you'll be at Disney World on a different day, you may want to check Undercover Tourist for Ticket Prices. They usually have the best discounts & offer free shipping on tickets.

The free birthday tickets are for both kids and grown-ups, but there's one thing to keep in mind if you will be taking your child to one of the Disney theme parks to celebrate their birthday.

If the lucky birthday girl or boy still isn't old enough to have a proper photo i.d. yet, it's important that you take their original birth certificate or a certified copy to the theme park with you. Since school i.d. cards are not official government issue, Disney will not accept them as proof of age. So be safe and take the birth certificate.

If you don't live near Orlando or Anaheim, but you are planning a vacation to Walt Disney World or Disneyland for some time in 2009, you may want to consider arranging your visit around your (or a family member's) birthday.

The free birthday ticket represents about $75.00 in value and the free ticket can be upgraded at extra cost. So if you are going to be a Walt Disney World for several days, you can upgrade your ticket to a multi-day park hopper ticket and simply pay the difference in value.

Also, Disney would love you to register your birthday in advance on their website, but it isn't strictly necessarily. Though you may find it worthwhile for planning purposes as that will put you on the Disney Parks email list and you'll get announcements of any deals or special events being planned at the parks.

While you can only pick up your free Disney birthday ticket at the Disney Parks ticket booths, you may want to buy tickets for the rest of your party before you go to the theme parks. Buying in advance gets you a better price than buying at the gate.

For Walt Disney World in Florida, get your Disney tickets from Undercover Tourist to save the most money.

For Disneyland in Southern California, the Disneyland website has discounted prices for multi-day tickets bought online. If you are a Southern California resident, you'll also want to check there for special discounts available just for you.

If you are a member of AAA, it is also worth checking with them for discount Disney tickets too.

Are you or is someone in your family active duty military? Then you can get another free ticket and big discounts for admission for other members of your family. Check my hub on Discount Disney Military Tickets for information about Disney's 2009 Armed Forces Salute.

For more details about various discount options, check my Discount Disney Tickets page for all the info you need.