Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique: An Ageless Experience

I remember when I had our babies anatomy scan done, the first words out of my mouth to my husband weren't "It's a girl" or "Sugar and spice and all things nice...". No, none of that. The first words out of my mouth announcing that we were expecting a baby girl were: "SO MANY princess dresses!" This is ultimately where my priorities lie. Don't you people judge me.

So with all that being said I'm sure fellow Mouseketeers can imagine how I feel about the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. I am quite literally counting down the days until Roo turns 3 and can experience the joy and magic that only the BBB can bring.

At any given time, in any given park, you can see girls from as young as 3 walking around in full princess regalia proudly displaying their pink princess sashes and glittery hair and makeup. 3 years old is the minimum age at which your little princess can receive the royal treatment at either of the two BBB locations (Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom, or The World of Disney at Downtown Disney), but what they don't tell you is that there is no maximum age! So being as I'm a free spirit with very little shame, I decided to make myself an appointment for our October 2011 trip.

The BBB at Downtown Disney, from wdwinfo.com

At first I had planned on and initially made reservations at the Pirates League, because yes I wanted my makeup done and my face painted but I was going to be mature about it, you guys. The Pirates League had a much stronger ring of sophistication to it than the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, so when people asked me where I got my super awesome eye patch and dazzling makeup from I could tell them "Yep, I went to the Pirates League...not the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique..psshhh...that place is for kids." The debate on whether to go to the BBB or the Pirates League went on for about a week (much to the chagrin of my fellow dental school students) before I called back and changed the reservation to a Coach Package at the BBB at Downtown Disney. Originally the plan was to have it done at the Magic Kingdom, but we were only about 90 days out from our trip at this point and all the reservations there were full which was not surprising in the least. If you're familiar with booking popular Disney experiences you'll know that they aren't joking when they say to make reservations 180 days in advance.

So the day finally came and I left my husband at Animal Kingdom and ventured off to Downtown Disney on my own. Buses from the parks generally do not run to Downtown and you will have to hop on a bus to a resort. The best one to catch at any park is the one for Old Key West because of it's close proximity to Downtown Disney. With that being said, even though you can see Downtown Disney from Old Key West it still took about half an hour for the bus to show up and I'm not sure if it was a fluke but I seemed to be amongst the angriest mob of park goers I'd ever seen. There is nothing more off putting to me than to watch people yell at Cast Members who are only doing what they're told and trying to make your experience a good one, and this group of people (about 40 in all) yelled at every bus driver that arrived. Between that and thinking I was going to be late for my appointment, I was a ball of nerves by the time my bus showed up.

I had decided months in advance that I was going to do the Pop Princess hairstyle, which included colorful Disney clips and rainbow hair extensions. I thought long and hard about doing the Disney Diva style that included a big poof and long ponytail that matched my own hair color but I'm no stranger to wearing extensions and this was my one chance to get crazy with the colors!

All done!

The Fairy Godmothers in training were wonderful to me. I told them the occasion was my 26th birthday and they said it wasn't uncommon for whole groups of adult women to come in for birthday and bachelorette parties. This made me feel slightly better about the awkward looks I was getting, but I was still the only adult there. I also told them that we were celebrating being pregnant with our very first baby, and they gave me a special pin to commemorate it. Somewhere at Downtown Disney in Orlando, Florida there is a Fairy Godmother In Training that knew we were having a baby before our closest family and friends did!

I chose the Coach Package for $49.95 (now $54.95) which included shimmering makeup, hair, princess sash, and sticky jewels. Since I was already wearing makeup I told them it was no big deal and they put the unopened color palette in the goodie bag you receive when you leave. (Note: it should be mentioned that the makeup includes lip gloss and eyeshadow.) It took her quite some time to finish my hair. I have a ton of it all the way down my back, but she didn't cut corners or make it quick just because I was an adult. She truly made me feel like I was getting the special experience that every little girl got regardless of my age. When all was said and done I was in love with the hair do and can’t wait to do it again when my sweet little Roo turns 3.In my opinion you get a pretty good experience with the Coach package that I would be happy to pay and may even refer to as a steal, but packages can go all the way up to $239.00 and include princess costumes and imaging packages.

Worth it

It should also be noted that during this vacation we were attending more than one Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. I didn’t have a costume or any good ideas so my hair sort of substituted as a cool way of being part of the fun. The hairstyle lasted for three whole days and looked as fresh on the last day as it did on the day I got it done. All I had to do was remove the larger clips so I could sleep at night, and add a little bit of gel to it in the mornings. It survived rain, several showers, and all the roller coasters!

One of the things I ran in to while planning my trip to the BBB were the very negative opinions from some adults that let it be known in no uncertain terms they didn’t think that activity was appropriate for adults. Their reasons ranged from “You’re taking that spot away from a child” to “I think that looks tacky on an adult”. I’m usually a pretty understanding individual that can see several different points of view but even I have to admit that I don’t see where they’re coming from. I can maybe understand the view that I am occupying a spot that a little girl could have used, but the fact remains that the spot was open when I called to reserve it and there were many other openings. Also, I had worked hard that year and felt that I had just as much a right to do something for myself that I thought was fun and that I could afford to do. I believe Walt Disney himself created the parks so that the inner child in all of us could come out and play, and my inner child wanted some rock star hair extensions!

Overall, I loved the experience and I’m so glad that I got to do it. It would be perfect for a Disney girls trip or bachelorette weekend. It didn’t come without its share of funny looks from other guests but those were easy enough to shrug off when I considered that at least a few of them were thinking “I wish I could get away with that.” It’s too unfortunate that someone would be held back from doing something they thought was fun just based on the opinions of a bunch of random strangers in Florida. So I say if you want to do it, just do it, it’s a really awesome experience.

If you're headed to Disney World in the near future remember to consult with Kelly over at Disney Guru and she'll be happy to help you plan your trip and book your very own Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique experience!

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

The time of year has finally come when gigantic bags of candy go on sale for ridiculously low prices and pumpkin flavoring gets thrown in every food you will consume between now and December (I'm looking at you, Starbucks). Or as I like to call it: the best time of the year! It's also the time of year where Disney World puts on a Halloween extravaganza known as Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. The dates are:

• September 13, 16, 20, 23, 27, 30

• October 2, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 16, 18, 20, 21, 23, 25, 27, 28, 30, and 31

• November 1

My husband and decided to go during Halloween this year because I have a short fall break from a pretty stressful dental hygiene program and I needed somewhere that offered endless entertainment, great food, pools, and free candy....voila...Disney World in the fall. We'll be hitting up the NSSHP in the second week of October so I thought I'd share a run down of what's going on so you can add it to the itinerary that I just know you are making, because I give the best advice ever.

• Trick or Treating:  When Toontown existed (Walt rest it's soul), there was a trick or treating trail that ran from Toontown fair in to Tomorrowland. That portion of Toontown is now under construction for the new Fantasyland expansion due to open in 2012 (*squee*). There were various spots in Liberty Square and Adventureland that had large balloons denoting trick or treating locations, so I can only imagine that this year the candy trail will be concentrated to that half of the park. This is an important thing to take note of when you are planning what rides you want to experience that evening, fighting your way through a crowded private event and getting past the parade may take some extra skill and planning. Here is a map of the 2010 Not So Scary Halloween Party. Candy's included Snickers bars, tootsie roll pops, candy corn, and various treats from Goofy's Candy Company. Might I add this is an excellent way to save money on snacks! You can visit the candy stations as many times as you want so keep dumping those full bags in your backpack and go back for more!
• Disney Villains Mix & Mingle: billed as a chance for Disney villains to go trick or treating in the sky and hosted by Maleficent, this spectacular stage show takes place in front of Cinderella Castle. Afterward your favorite villains like the Queen of Hearts, Captain Hook, Shmee, and my personal  fave Cruella DeVille (I love the stereotype of the once glamorous old lady that has been eating cigarettes for the better half of three decades) are available for a meet and greet with autograph and photo opportunities. I find this particular event makes for the coolest pictures, because anyone can have a photo of themselves and Pluto lying around (seriously he's everywhere), but it's really awesome to have a picture of a character that only makes an appearance once or twice a year!
• Mickey's Boo To You Halloween Parade: This is the parade that I talked about in my second ever blog post. It opens with the Headless Horseman and ends with Goofy's candy making machine showering the crowd in bubbles and candy. I mean, that's the stuff people dream about right there! As long as you don't get nailed in the face with a light saber (see: prior MNSSHP post) it's completely worth hanging around on the curb for an hour or so. It happens nightly at 8:15 and 10:30 and my advice is if your kids can stay up, go to the later parade and use the distraction of the first parade to get on the rides with the short lines. That way you get to power through all the rides you want and end the night with one of the most fabulous spectacles you will ever witness. The area around Cinderella Castle is usually quite crowded (as it is for everything!) so I would set up shop somewhere on the parade route that is a little less populated. You'll still see everything and you won't have to be rubbernecking over people all the time. Here are a couple of the cool things I saw at the parade when I went:
• live action versions of the hitchhiking ghosts
• Mickey, Donald, and Minnie on a float in masquerade outfits
• Winnie the Pooh and friends in costume
• A pirate ship with Jack Sparrow (DREAMY MUCH!?), Captain Hook, and about a dozen pirates
• The Magic Mirror and a skeleton band
• The Evil Queen
• Jafar and Maleficent
• The Haunted Mansion caretaker and his dog (he walks an actual bloodhound, so cool!), and a group of dancing "skeletons" with shovels that spark as they hit the ground.

• Happy HalloWishes: This takes the place of the regular nightly fireworks show and I'm going to be honest with you guys, I've never actually seen it. Here in Louisville we have a Kentucky Derby kick off event called "Thunder Over Louisville" which is the largest fireworks display in North America and once you've seen it nothing really compares, not even Disney and it's gigantic fireworks budget (which is about $10,000 a day for Magic Kingdom alone!) so my husband and I use this time to "follow the Code", which as you may remember from early posts is a list of rides we stick to when all other rides are taken. (Pal Mickey Note: once we got on Pirates of the Caribbean during a fireworks show and had a whole boat to ourselves!)

The Not So Scary Halloween Party is a super duper private special event, you guys. So you have to purchase extra tickets on top of regular admission, and if you don't get a wristband by 7PM they start giving you the big pirate boot straight out the door. You can purchase the tickets on the day of the party, but they do sell out so you should buy them in advance because doing things day of at Disney is a an absolutely terrible idea the level of which I can't even put in to words. Seriously.

To all who come to this happy place, welcome.

Hi there :) I'm Stacey. Just your average girl with a passion for Disney World. I'm glad you've decided to visit my blog and I promise you won't leave disappointed, well at least not if you're looking for an awesome blog dedicated to sharing Disney World adventures and secrets!

I first experienced the magic of WDW at the age of 22 when I chose it as the destination for my honeymoon, and it's been love ever since (with both my husband and the happiest place on Earth!). Now I want to share my extensive knowledge about Disney World with the real world.

My husband and I have had the unique opportunity over the last few years to experience Disney to it's fullest. From sipping champagne while listening to "A Whole New World" played beautifully on the harp at Victoria & Albert's to chowing down on Tye-Dye cheesecake at the Pop Century Resort, we've seen it all, done it all, and LOVED it all!

It's my personal opinion that every family can have a perfect and magical Disney vacation with the proper knowledge and planning, and that's why I decided to start this blog. Too many times I've seen people exasperated by wait times, restaurant lines, and experiences that were booked solid, and thought to myself that if they only knew what I know that maybe their experience would be a little more magical and a lot less stressful. So in this blog I'll go through a couple of my more noteworthy adventures while dishing out some of the secrets that my husband and I have learned along the way in the hopes that you will take my advice and your next Disney vacation will be a truly magic experience that will keep you coming back every year.