Skip to main content

Say the magic words - Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique!!





Abracadabra!  Hocus Pocus!  Shazam!  These are special words we all know which are bound to elicit some magic.  But to a young Princess visiting Walt Disney World, perhaps the most magical words of all are “Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique”.  This enchanting place transforms already beautiful little princesses into stunningly beautiful little princesses.  It also turns parents into mush.  Magic!




The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique first opened in Downtown Disney in 2006, inside the World of Disney Store.  In 2007, a second location opened up in none other than Cinderella’s Castle in the Magic Kingdom.  Since then tons of pixie dust have been sprinkled on the hair of little girls (I’m pretty sure they are in cahoots with Tinker Bell).  As with dining reservations, your reservation can be made at the Boutique up to 180 days in advance.  The Castle location is without a doubt the more desirable of the two (location, location, location), and books up incredibly fast.  I made my reservation on my 180 day mark and got my desired location and time - phew!  Nail biting (oh, right, that’s not very princess like, gotta stop that).  I got a quick rundown of the guidelines - hair should be clean (and “irritation” free for 30 days), nails should be clean, and BYOB (that’s Bring Your Own Brush, people).  The Boutique offers three packages: the Coach (hair and makeup), the Crown (hair, makeup, and nails) and the Castle (the above, plus your costume and accessories of choice, and a photo package).  You do not need to purchase the costume at the Boutique; there is a dressing area in the back where the girls can change into a dress they bring from home prior to their makeover.


So finally, after many, many trips to Walt Disney World, we were taking our daughters (we’ll call them Princess C and Princess A) for their first visit to the Boutique!.  We had an early afternoon appointment on our first full day of that particular trip at the coveted Castle location. I wanted the appointment to be a surprise, but I also know that sometimes my children can clam up a bit at surprises.  I found a happy median:  prior to the trip I crafted a perfectly glittery invitation to the girls from Cinderella herself, inviting them to her Castle for a makeover, and placed it in the room for them to find when they awoke that morning.  (I tried to get some mice or some birds to come deliver it, but there was something about a union, I couldn’t quite understand with all the chattering and tweeting).  This turned out to be the perfect plan!  Since we brought our own princess dresses from home (we had an arsenal with us, but Princess C chose one extra fancy Rapunzel wedding gown, and Princess A chose one one-of-a-kind pink Cinderella gown), it was going to be a wee bit tricky for me to carry around a huge bag all morning and say “nothing at all is in here girls....”, so win for mommy!



After a perfect morning, we headed over to the Castle 15 minutes prior to our appointment time as suggested.  As our Prince (that’s Daddy) checked the girls in, I snapped some photos of the waiting area of the Boutique.  It is just perfect.















The girls were handed their personalized Royal Invitations and were asked to look at the three hairstyles offered and then choose one.  The options were the Disney Diva (the hair gets pulled back, and some teasing, extensions, and accessories bring it all together), the Pop Princess (a super colorful and fun hairpiece with little braids bring out the rockstar in you), and the Fairytale Princess (hair pulled back to a neat bun, complete with tiara).








It took no time for them to both choose the Fairytale Princess, and off we went to the changing area.  Let the transformation begin.  Prince Daddy had a seat on one of the plush royal couches in the middle of the salon - take a look at the adorable crown display on top of this oval seating area!
I'll take one of each, please!!
After a quick change, the girls and I headed back out and met up with each of their respective Fairy Godmothers-in-Training at their Royal stations.   Luckily they were seated next to each other so their crazy paparazzi mother could take pictures.  Let the makeover begin!  There must be some really good ventilation going on in there because my word, is there ever A LOT of hairspray!  We had two very lovely Fairy Godmothers-in-Training, and my two sometimes shy Princesses had smiles from the moment they sat down.  There was a quick visit from a friendly PhotoPass cast member, who swoops in a few times during your makeover to grab some great shots and loads them right up on your PhotoPass card for you - super!




Ok so now we’ve got nails painted and dry?  Check.  Makeup spotless?  Check.  (Double check no gloss on the teeth).  Hair sprayed down enough to ensure it will last through the murkiest thunderstorm Florida could dish up?  Check!!!  Oh, and tissue for Prince Daddy who’s silently watching, most likely envisioning things like proms, graduations, weddings, and getting all choked up?  Check and check.  Time to bring on the Pixie Dust!!



Friends, I have a newfound respect for the Pixie Dust fairies in Pixie Hollow - I can’t see how they ever sleep to keep up with the pixie dust demand!  Princess A’s Fairy Godmother-in-Training got a kick out of how much I was enjoying it - and she gave me a sprinkling of Pixie Dust too!
The entire time the girls are having their makeover, their backs are facing the mirror.  This keeps them in suspense and leads up to the moment of the grand reveal - as the Fairy Godmother-in-Training slowly turns the chair around, Mom fights for camera space with the PhotoPass cast member, and Dad tries to remember to inhale.  That is when the money shot arrives at last:






































And, that was it.  As if I did not know from the moment we entered the Boutique, we were hooked.  The smiles on the faces of Princess C and Princess A were priceless.  They could have given us a bill of astronomical proportions, and we would have paid double still - this was one of the top 3 experiences we’ve had as a family in Walt Disney World.  The entire experience, from beginning to end, was truly fantastic.  Excellent cast members, a superbly clean salon, and smiles that stayed on these little Princesses’ faces until they drifted off to sleep - yeah that’s definitely a win in my book!




They walked out, no, wait, they floated out of the Boutique on Cloud 9.  With their perfectly pink bag of goodies dangling just so from the elbow, they continued their day through the Magic Kingdom like they owned it.  And for that moment in time, I think they did.






In a word, this experience truly was Magical.  The value of this experience far outweighed the cost.  I know this is a day our Princess will always remember, as will we. And you may ask, will we go back and do it again on a future trip?  You bet your Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique we will!!




Heather

Comments

  1. Wonderful post! It is such a treat for the girls. Keep these great posts coming!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love the polka dot sunglasses!!! Great pictures and good information for parents that want to take their little prince or princess in for a makeover.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I can not wait to have my own little girl and take her here! Awesome job Heather!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chronos Club Review at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort

I recently stayed at the Chronos Club at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort. I've been a fan of Disney's Coronado Springs Resort since my first visit as it reminds me of my hometown, San Antonio. I've stayed in rooms ranging from preferred, Casita Suite, Tower King, and now Club Level access. The Chronos Club is located on the 15th floor of the Gran Destino Tower and can only be accessed with a key card or MagicBand to a corresponding Club Level reservation. I've previously stayed Club Level at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort, Disney's BoardWalk Inn, and Disney's Grand Californian Resort. These are all considered Deluxe Resorts. Something that makes the Chronos Club stand out is that it is located in what Disney considers a Moderate Resort. I was really excited to check out the difference in experience, since there can be a notable difference in price tag for Moderate vs. Deluxe Res

Universal's Volcano Bay Private Cabana Review

On a recent training in Universal Orlando Resort, agents Maci, Ashley, Aubrey and Yaritza and I rented a private cabana for the day at Universal's Volcano Bay. There are multiple locations around the park along with the option to have an upper or lower level, all of which reflect in various pricing. Agent Ashley received an email the day before informing her of where to check-in the next morning. While we were personally escorted to the cabana shortly after check in, the line at the check in location is the same as those getting towels, meaning it was not short. As expressed by an additional guest checking into a different cabana, we would have greatly appreciated a separate line, since this caused our group about a half hour wait. We're all adults and made great use of our time getting some fun pictures before the park was filled with guests, but this is important to be aware of if you are traveling with children.  We had an upper level Cabana which came with a splendid view!

Black Tap Craft Burgers & Shakes

Black Tap Burgers & Shakes is located at the Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort.  It is a fast-casual restaurant, meaning you order your items at the counter, but then they bring it to the table for you.  They have a selection of burgers, wings, salads and chicken and a fun milkshake menu.  If you just want a shake, there's also a walkup window outside, but some special creations can only be ordered for dine-in. We placed our order at the counter and noticed all the tables inside were full. We found a table outside and hung out while we waited for our food to come. They have a full bar and craft beers on tap, but I was surprised to get wine in a can. Strawberry Shortcake Shake We had hoped to have this Crazy Shake for dessert, but it actually came before any of our food. The Strawberry Shortcake is described as a vanilla frosted rim with crumbled cake topped with a strawberry shortcake ice cream bar, pink & white twisty pop, whipped cream, strawberry drizzle