Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique - on the Cheap

Okay, that title was misleading. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is expensive by most people's measure.The cold, hard fact is that the cheapest you are going to get out of it is $55 plus tip.

For $55 you get the "Coach Package" which includes hairstyling, glittery makeup and a Princess sash. The nearly $200 "Castle Package" includes these things plus a fancy princess costume and 5 photos.  You can bring your own dress and only buy the basic package if you'd like. That's the only true tip for actually doing Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique on the cheap.

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is pink, poufy heaven designed for girls between ages 3 and 12. The "princess transformation" takes between 30-60 minutes, depending on the package you chose. To see what it's like just enter Bibbiddi Bobbidi Boutique on YouTube.


You get to keep the makeup used on your daughter as well as any accessories that you purchase. If you make an advanced reservation you also get a nice, customized "Princess Your Child's Name" welcome brochure as a souvenir. Pretty expensive souvenirs....As you might know I'm a bargain Disney souvenir shopper.

I know that many parents avoid the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique on principal. They don't want their little girls that heavily made up. I really don't either. If you feel like me, we aren't alone.

Now if your little girls is a die hard Princess fanatic or this is a once in a life time experience - stop worrying about the expense and just go for it.

We have two additional problems with the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique:

1)  We may live in the South, but we're not true Southern girls. Neither of us can accept the "beauty means pain" philosophy. My daughter doesn't like to have her hair pulled back tight. The primary service at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is giving little girls up dos. They whisk your daughter's hair back, pull it up and tease it into a big bun. Then they hold a plastic shield over her face and spray, spray, spray. One Mom wrote,"they enjoyed it for the most part...except for the whole hair pulling, tight and glued to your head thing."

If your daughter is accustomed to having her hair styled for dance recitals or cheering then she'll be fine, However, if your daughter doesn't want her hair pulled back hard and heavily coated with hair spray - don't waste your money here.

2) My daughter, despite being 6, still doesn't like costumed characters. She probably wouldn't have a problem with the "Fairy Godmother in Training" that performs her services, but she would lose it when the actual costumed Fairy Godmother came around to visit her.

 

Don't get me wrong! My daughter loves to be pampered as much as the next little girl. She has already had a spa mani/pedi. I would happily pay $200 for an experience she would enjoy. This just isn't it.

 

However, I don't want her to envy all of the other little girls running around in their makeup and sashes.

Here's my solution: I simulate the princess transformation experience.

A) Buy glittery makeup, lip gloss and nail polish in advance. If you want you can buy washable, glitter hair spray for about $2 at Walmart or a beauty supply store.  Also buy a Princess Sash . You can get these through Amazon.com for about $5. If you are near a Hobby Lobby a princess sash is only $3. The sash is my secret weapon...

B) If your daughter loves, loves, loves princesses buy her a Princess dress before you go. You can find these at your local Disney store or online for about $45. Or pick up a pretty princess tiara for $15.  If you are lucky you'll hit a sale. I found 25% off costumes in early March.


You don't have to buy the dress through Disney. Party City has Disney princess costumes for about $20. Wands and crowns run about $4-6 each. They may not be the same style or quality, I'm not sure. Or, bring a costume that you already own. My daughter still enjoys dress up so we have a fairly extensive collection of dresses and crowns to chose from.

Now you have all of the pieces of the princess puzzle. Your daughter hasn't had the experience yet. So-- make a little note for your daughter then

I made this in about a minute using Microsoft Word

C) Do your daughter's nails the night before you go to the Magic Kingdom. When you wake up in the morning, put on a little sparkly makeup and let her wear a special outfit. You can finish it all off with hairspray and the sash - or you can save them for the next step.

glitter makeup, nail polish and glitter hair spray $4

D) Go straight to the Harmony Barber Shop when you enter Magic Kingdom. It is not a poufy, pink wonderland. It is basically Victorian themed with glitter “Pixie dust,” bubbles, and Mickey Mouse stickers. For about $5 the barbers will put colored gel and/or glitter in your child's hair. For $15 you can get an actual hair cut from a licensed cosmetologist. They will do this in about 10-30 minutes.

Once your daughter's hair has been decorated with colored gel and metallic confetti- surprise her with the princess sash (and a tiara!) then set off for your day.


You can do this all for as little as $20  with your own dress, makeup and nail polish. If you splurged for a new dress and tiara you have probably spent $55-75 at this point, but you've gotten hair, makeup and a new outfit - the deluxe $200 package. All you need now are the photos.

E) Last, but not least, find a Photopass photographer to capture your little princess. Allears.net has a very up to date table of all of the Photopass photographer locations. Find a photographer on Main street or in the Rose Gardens so you can get a photo with Cinderella's castle in the background. I have a lovely one that was taken of me and my daughter at night with the lighted Castle.  

Photopass photographers are free. They will take pictures with your camera if you ask nicely. Go ahead and let them use theirs as well. They are trained and get some great shots. Just make sure that you save the card you are given with the number on it so you can check out the pictures online.

You have no obligation to buy anything just because they took the pictures. While the Photopass CD is $120-150, you can buy just the downloadable version of the photo for less than $15.

What I like best about this compromise is that my daughter still looks like a little girl. She doesn't look like a cast off from Toddlers and Tiaras with shellacked hair and heavy makeup.

And, I like saving time and money for other things. The rest of my family doesn't really want to hang out for an hour while little one gets "transformed." Bringing my own makeup and accessories saves money. Also, if my daughter wants we can do this every day of our trip - without paying a fortune - worst case I invest another few dollars at the Barber Shop.

What my daughter likes best is that she is comfortable. She looks glittery and fancy, but her hair doesn't hurt. She's not stuck wearing a polyester dress all day in 90 degree heat or a tiara with combs that stick into her scalp. 

Best of all the kind Disney staff all still address her as "Princess" when they see the sash - even though it didn't come from the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique!
 

Walt Disney World -Magic Tricks 2 (Not Rocket Science)

The Pre-emptive Souvenir Strike

The count down to our biennial pilgrimage to Walt Disney World has begun. I honestly enjoy planning for trips - it's the anticipation. I like thinking about what we'll do, where we'll go, etc.  I always order the Disney planning DVD and the free customized maps from the Disney site. The maps come with your family name printed on each one. They are fun to hang on the walls and talk to the girls about what they would like to do at each park. They also make a really nice customized free souvenir.

Next I go to Dollar Tree and stock up on inexpensive Disney themed items. This year I found plastic figurines, digital Disney character watches, swim masks, beach balls & "floaties", Princess jewelry, Mickey & friends coloring books and lots of Cars items. I even found Toy Story tissue packets.I also bought glow necklaces & bracelets (2-5 per pack), battery operated personal fans (batteries included) and cooling neck scarves all for $1 each. I even got a Crayola Recoloritz Princess & the Frog book ( its $19.99 from the online Crayola Store)! Dollar Tree sells  a variety of light up toys (yo yos, etc.) as well as novelty glow sticks like swords and magic wands. Any glowing item is a hit at a nighttime parade or fireworks. I spent about $20 for everything - about the cost of one fancy glow toy at Disney. 

Some of my $1 items

Keeping cool is always a priority at Disney World. All of the parks sell misting fans for about $15-20. Picked up a misting fan at our hometown drugstore for about $7. I  also  ordered a few items from Amazon since we'll be there at a hot time of year. I ordered a Radio Flyer Umbrella Accessoryand a Dreambaby Stroller Fan, White/Blue to attach to Amanda's wheelchair. The total  cost was $33 so the order qualified for Free Super Saver Shipping. If it keeps Amanda happy and cool its worth several times that. So, I'm up to just over $50 before I even hit Florida. Doesn't sound like a money saving strategy, does it?

Next I checked the sale section of Disney Store Online. The deals are good - there is even authentic park merchandise online. Danielle wants "Duffy the Disney Bear" because she has a collection of teddy bears from various places. If we buy one at the park it will cost $30-$45 depending on the accessories. If I buy the clearance 2011 Duffy online it costs only $9.99. Amanda, who loves characters, got a $7 Disney autograph book online and will collect autographs. My souvenirs are always the same. I bought a new $5 lanyard pouch to carry our park passes, Photopass card and my credit card. No point in messing with a wallet or pocket book. This system keeps my hands free and guarantees that I always know where these key items are. No accidentally leaving them on a ride - or being pick pocketed. If you plan it right and score free shipping, you can get more items. This time I found a code for any order ships for free with the purchase of any Marvel product. Add a Spiderman Tshirt for Kevin and I get free shipping! I've spent another $26, but I've got four souvenirs!

I'm up to roughly  $75 - or the cost of 2-3 items in most Park gift stores, but I have tons of stuff. Amanda will collect autographs with her new book.  Danielle will collect pressed pennies. She already has several from Atlanta area attractions so she is excited about expanding her collection. Each pressed penny costs 51 cents - a shiny penny to press and 50 cents to operate the machine. The quest to find a penny pressing machine in each park can be fun. 

Taken by A Photopass Photographer with my camera

This is my big splurge - I immediately get a Photopass from the nearest Photopass photographer (look for anyone in a tan vest with a tripod!). Photopass photographers are all over the parks at key vantage points in front of major icons. They take great - often unique photos. One of my favorites is one of me and Danielle in front of Cinderella castle at night. My own camera never would have managed the color balance in the dark. Getting the pictures taken is free. There is no obligation to buy them - and most of the photographers will also happily take a picture with your own camera as well.

This month (April 2012) Disney offers a Photopass+ package which includes more than I can mention here - and costs more than I care to spend ($199.95). This is probably a good deal if you plan on buying photos from rides, character meals and character spots since you won't have to buy the individual prints and it will include any other photopass pictures you have taken. I think it may also include any photos your little princess gets taken at Bibbiddi Bobbidty Boutique (which cost a pretty penny on their own.) I can barely get Danielle to let me brush her hair - professional hair & makeup are definitely out for this trip! We're also not planning to go on any character meals or  riding the popular rides like Space Mountain or Tower of Terror this time around. So for my family, this would be a huge waste of money.

For about $80 you can make a custom Disney photo album incorporating any of your Photopass pictures as well as any that you upload from your own camera. In the past I've purchased the copyright to the photos to make my own prints from an online photo service like Shutterfly. It looks as if I can still order Digital Photo Downloads for $14.95 each. Sometimes there are discounts for $9.99 downloads listed on their website. Last time I skipped the album and instead purchased the rights to 4 photos that I loved and used them to make prints, holiday cards, etc. I was also able to include them with the pictures we took ourselves when making a photo album on Shutterfly. I know that $40-60 seems like a lot for 4 photos, but its less than half what the CD costs. It depends on how many photos you want.

This is an excellent description of the Photopass program from the Disney Moms Panel comparing both Photopass options.

There will always be things that you or your kids want to buy at the parks. Sometimes buying some things in advance saves you money - other times it just ends up costing you more. It all depends on your focus. Amanda won't ask for souvenirs, but I'll want to buy her some. I try to limit Danielle to one souvenir per park - not per day. That way she gets 4 souvenirs for the trip. Other families set a budget for their kids, but neither of mine have a strong grasp of money yet so this is our strategy for this trip. Maybe next time I'll do things differently.