Every little girl going to Disney World dreams of being a princess. The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is filled with fairy godmothers, beautiful costumes, perfect hair accessories that transform your little girl into a princess. But it isn’t all magic and glitter for overwhelmed little ladies. Here’s what you need to know before booking Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for your princess.
{This is a guest post from my friend, Marie, based on her experience at Bibbidi Bobbiti Boutique with her daughter. We’ll be sharing our experience with the Mermaid Make-over at the Pirate League next.}
I’m so excited to be on Sugar, Spice & Glitter to share an experience I thought I would never have at Walt Disney World! My little Avalyn just turned 4 and becoming a princess was her birthday present from her wonderful grandparents. But with all the excitement she was so overwhelmed.
There are two Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique locations at Walt Disney World to give your little lady her princess makeover. We chose the Disney Spring location and loved the entire feel, but there were several factors that made this experience a little less magical at the most magical place on earth.
First, we drove 11 hours to get to Avalyn’s appointment on time at 5pm. We left in the middle of the night and the kids slept most of the way, but a long drive is a long drive for anyone.
We talked with Avalyn along the way about what was going to happen and how she was going to be able to dress up like Elsa! She was so excited for the whole trip and her grandparents and I did our best to prepare her for her very first makeover.
It was clear to me as she sat in the makeover chair with her fairy godmother (who was completly amazing!) she had not clue what to think about it all. There were 15 other little girls having their own makeovers, 2-3 family members for each girl, a fairy godmother for each girl, and extra staff to assist with the processes of transforming little girls into new little princesses. It was a machine with so many moving pieces that most of the time I couldn’t tell what was going on.
As you can imagine, it takes a lot of hairspray to keep Elsa’s hair so perfect, but Avalyn wasn’t really prepared for the shield she was given to be sure the spray didn’t get in her eyes. Again, the fairy godmother was really AMAZING! She took things slow and explained as much as she could about what was going to happen, but Avalyn was in a daze. As her mother, I could see her anxiety. She looked to me for approval that everything that was happening was in her best interest.
Then there was nailpolish! I’m not sure what the fairy godmother whispered to Avalyn, but she wouldn’t put her hands down for several hours. She was so worried she would bump or mess up her nails even after I assured her they were dry.
What You Need to Know Before Booking Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
After my experience with my little 4 year old, I thought it would be helpful to share some helpful hint with other parents excited about booking a makeover at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique during your next trip to Walt Disney World.
- Plan your trip to accommodate for tired children! We were at Disney World for just a short amount of time so we tried to pack in as much as we could. That really affected how rested Avalyn was.
- Make reservations early! If we thought about it sooner, we booked about a month in advance, we could have had our choice of appointments and not left with “all they had”.
- Make early appointments! 5pm was to late for our little lady. Not only did we drive for 11 hours, she didn’t take a nap and wasn’t as cheerful as she could have been. If we had an earlier in the day appointment she would have had a good night’s rest and enjoyed the process much more.
- Prepare your girls for all the commotion. I’m not sure how Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is at any other time of day, but I’m assuming since it is Disney World it is pretty hectic. Be sure to prepare your child, especially those with sensory considerations. Let them know about some of the materials that will be used for their makeover like hairspray shield, special chairs, capes, bobby pins, and a lot of hairspray!
- Plan for someone else to take pictures. There were several Disney photographers around the boutique and they took amazing pictures. A photo pass card is free and you can view everything online. These photographers have the right cameras for lighting, can get the attention of the fairy godmothers for amazing shots, and don’t have any issues asking people to move for the perfect picture.
By the time the makeover was over, about an hour later, Avalyn was in a complete trance. She was stiff and had to force a smile for me.
Day two of the makeover was awesome. Avalyn strutted like she was Elsa right into the Magic Kingdom and enjoyed every bit of her dress, glitter, nail polish, and of course her beautiful hair!
About Marie
Marie is a work at home mother of two. She runs a full time small business for small business owners and bloggers called First Cup To Close while homeschooling full time. She is the owner of two blogs; Child Led Life and Montessori Bloggers Network. Marie has a true passion for supporting those who have big dreams! She is a lover of all things outdoors, a former Blackhawk helicopter pilot, and is a perpetual state of happiness when there is a cup of hot tea in her hand. You can follow Marie on Facebook, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
Don’t forget to check out our Princess Aurora Cupcakes or DIY Princess Jasmine Bangles:
Mo says
December 15, 2018 at 10:29 pmJust curious which hairstyle is the Elsa braid?
Jennifer Tammy says
June 7, 2019 at 11:09 amIt was available through the main menu, but we just returned from a Disney visit and I popped in the BBB salon to ask; many of the fairy godmother’s will still attach a braid or braid a child’s hair if requested, but you will have to buy the Elsa braid at one of the World of Disney shops before going to the Boutique if you want that specific look.
Natalie says
January 23, 2019 at 3:50 pmPlease can I ask how to get the Elsa hairstyle? Taking my twins soon and they really don’t suit the scalped and pulled back hair that several of the styles require, I think they’d love this though 🙂 thanks!
Jennifer Tammy says
June 7, 2019 at 11:12 amWe just returned from a Disney visit and I popped in the BBB salon to ask; many of the fairy godmother’s will still attach a braid or braid a child’s hair if requested, but you will have to buy the Elsa braid at one of the World of Disney shops before going to the Boutique if you want that specific look.
(They had this on the menu at the time of Marie’s visit.)
Brittany Sexton says
February 23, 2019 at 8:57 pmWe are going next january, and taking my (soon to be) 4 year old daughter. She’s dying to be rapunzel, and I know she’ll be upset if she doesn’t get a braid. How did you swing getting the Elsa braid since that style isn’t on the “menu”???
Jennifer Tammy says
June 7, 2019 at 11:13 amIt used to be on the menu, but I just stopped by the Boutique and asked for you.
Many of the fairy godmother’s will still attach a braid or braid a child’s hair if requested, but you will have to buy the Elsa braid at one of the World of Disney shops before going to the Boutique if you want that specific look.
Meagan Ross says
March 3, 2019 at 4:20 pmIm curious about the braid as well. To the best of my knowledge, it was an exclusive style they did back when the movie came out. They also did a rapunzel exclusive when that movie came out. But I think normally they just offer the bun, the pop and the color star (2 versions, one for short hair, one for long)
However, the braid is adorable. So if you did score it in 2019, please, share!
Jennifer Tammy says
June 7, 2019 at 11:15 amThese pictures were taken back in 2017, but since this was a popular question I stopped by the Boutique on our recent trip to find out.
Many of the fairy godmother’s will still attach a braid or braid a child’s hair if requested, but you will have to buy the Elsa braid at one of the World of Disney shops before going to the Boutique if you want that specific look.
I think they are able to guarantee the longevity of the bun more so than the braid style, so that may be why they don’t offer it regularly – but I agree, I think it looks great!
Elizabeth McConnaughey says
June 30, 2019 at 3:10 pmI just got off the phone with Disney about the BBB and they have a Frozen package now that will include the braid if your little one choose Elsa.
Jennifer Tammy says
June 30, 2019 at 3:17 pmYay! Thank you – I was wondering if with Frozen 2 coming out they would change that 🙂
I’ll update my responses to the above questions when we get back home 🙂