Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in Magic Kingdom WDW
- It's A North World
- Mar 23, 2023
- 10 min read
Hello!
Join me today as I talk you through how we booked Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique (BBB), and my experience of taking Estella, our then 3 1/2 year old, along to this unique makeover inside Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom.
So first some perspective. This was our first and currently only experience of BBB. Ours was held in Magic Kingdom, there are two other venues at WDW that you can book for BBB. One in Disney Springs and one at the Grand Floridian, but these were still closed from the pandemic. Everything here is from our own point of view and everyone will have there own thoughts on price and if it's worth it. Also, you know your own child. All children are different, so whether you think yours will enjoy it would be parents' discretion.
How did we book?
First, your child has to be between 3 years old and 12 years old to be able to enjoy the experience.
You will need a Parks Pass Reservation (please check up to date information on park passes), and a valid ticket to book BBB in Magic Kingdom. Do keep checking if the other venues are open.
If you are from the UK, you will need to either use a VPN on your device or Call up to book.
You can book 60 days out from your arrival date, and these go onto the website at 12am EST.
You need MDE set up, with tickets linked, and a VPN if you are booking online.
When we booked we had ticked all of the top 3, but at our 60 days we hadn't even considered booking this, so we actually booked about 4 weeks before we travelled. I would recommend though, if this is something you and your child really want to do DONT wait, and get it booked ASAP. When i had decided that I would try and book this experience, I simply searched on My Disney Experience (MDE) for Bibbity Bobbity Boutique. At this point you will need your VPN turned on to view what's available. We were incredibly lucky, that only looking for a week a time, a date came up that fitted in with our schedule. Incredibly lucky!! These reservations can be very difficult to bag, so don't set your expectations too high. Cancellations do happen and you can check at BBB on the day for any walk ups. It's worth getting an appointment even if you're unsure of the time/date, or if your child would enjoy it, as you can always cancel.
You can cancel your reservation via MDE up to 3 days before your appointment, but after that you have to call up.
What packages and how much will it cost?
The current packages and prices (March 2023) can be found on MDE but as of today they are as follows...
What package did we choose?
We chose 'The Carriage Package'
You don't need to decide on a package until you get to your appointment. You are given a folder to look through, and you tell your Fairy Godmother when she announces you. But having an idea and discussing with your child before hand is something I would recommend. We also watched some YouTube vlogs before we went.
So I liked the idea of Estella wearing her Aurora Princess dress that her late Grandma bought her for Christmas, but I was also aware that when we got there she may want to choose a dress from BBB. So I went with the mind set and budget for 'The Deluxe Castle Package', and adding on shoes as I knew she would want matching shoes. So i would say be prepared and prepare your child, especially if you have a budget you have to stick to, and also remember you have to add tax to the prices.
How did we prepare for our appointment?
So our main concern was her hair! She hates(!!!) having her hair brushed. Because of this, and the fact that she was only three at the time, we didn't keep it a secret. We watch lots of vlogs and I explained to her that the fairy godmother would need to comb her hair to give her a princess hair style, which she agreed with and said she would be ok with, but I was always prepared for her not letting them do her hair, and was ok with the idea that she would just have it down with some sparkles at the least. I had seen on a Facebook group that in the afternoon there can be quite long waits as appointments have backed up from people turning up late, and also because they are children at the end of the day, and things don't always go to plan. So I was prepared for this, and made sure we had water and snacks and something to watch on my phone for her.
We talked about what dress she might want to wear, and who her favourite princess was, and this changed on a daily basis and changed at least twice on the day, so as above you need to either be prepared for them to change their minds, or set a boundary and make sure they understand, which can be easier said than done I realise, But we try don't we?
Make sure your child's hair is clean and free of any dry skin or head lice. They do check the hair and scalp thoroughly when you get into the changing room, so prepare your child for this. It's all done in a gentle and fun way, nothing like the 'Nit Nurse', if you remember her from school!
There will be lots of other children about and it can get a bit noisy, especially when waiting, so if you need to bring headphones or ear defenders/plugs if noise bothers them. And prepare them and your Fairy Godmother if they have any additional needs, that way everyone is aware of the whole situation. We also washed Estella's hair the night before, and platted it on the day to keep it as tidy as possible. We took a hair brush with us, and gave it a good brush before we went in to try and avoid any hair dramas when we got there.
Read all the information before you arrive. and make sure you have your booking confirmation and any clothes and accessories you want with you.
Our Experience of Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
We arrived on time for our 3.30pm appointment. BBB is located round the back of Cinderella Castle, next to Sir Mickey's. We checked in and Estella was asked how she would like to be addressed. Princess, Mermaid, Queen or anything else she would like, and in true Estella style, she wanted to be Princess Estella. The fairy Godmother at the desk informed us there was a 40min wait (as i was prepared for this I wasn't phased). She said we could go and use the toilet or get a snack, but just to let them know we had left, and tell them when we returned. Estella had a snack and a drink, we went for a walk to the toilets and back, and it didn't actually feel that long. If you asked where you were in line they were more than happy to tell you. I was actually very impressed and surprised with how Estella waited. We weren't given a book to look though with the packages in as they had all been handed out, but I was prepared and already knew what we wanted. but asked for one anyway, just for us to take a look at and in case anything had changed.
'PRINCESS ESTELLA' was called and her Fairy Godmother came to collect her.
Missey (our Fairy Godmother) asked what package we would like, and I said we had brought our own Aurora dress and we would like 'The Carriage Package' if Estella was happy to wear her dress, which she was. I asked if we could also add on a tiara, wand, and shoes, which wasn't a problem at all, and we went off to find these. Missey was great, she took Estella's hand and went straight to the section with the Aurora accessories (so she didn't have chance really to look at anything else, you could tell they knew what they were doing). Missey picked us the tiara, wand, and shoes that would match with the dress, and then we went off to the changing room. This process was no different to any of the other packages and we weren't treated any differently.
The changing room was lovely. There was plenty of room and, if need be, enough space for a stroller/ wheelchair. Missey hung up Estella's dress and then asked if she could play with her hair, which Estella agreed too. She took lots of time 'playing' with her hair and talking to her and made us both feel at ease. Once she was done, she took out the folder with all the hairstyles in. Estella chose the bun with the mini tiara and Mickey clip, but I knew she liked her hair down, so I asked if they could do half up in the bun and the rest down, which wasn't a problem, and I just needed to make sure the next Fairy Godmother knew when we went across to the castle. So we had our dress, accessories, and hair style picked. Now it was time for a bit of magic. In each room there is a magic mirror, and when its time the real Fairy godmother from Cinderella comes on and performs some Bibbity Boppity Boo magic. It's so sweet, and Estella thought it was amazing! Missey then left while I got Estella changed into her dress, and then we were escorted back into the main shop to wait for our next Fairy Godmother to collect us to complete the makeover.
We didn't wait too long, maybe 15-20 mins, and Estella spent most of her time looking at herself in the huge mirror! She was called and her Fairy Godmother took her by the hand and escorted her across to Cinderella Castle. She was loving every second of this experience so far, and coped really well with it all. We had one wobble in the shop when she saw an Ariel dress, but i manged to distract her and she was fine. In the main makeover room there are salon chairs around the edges, and an oval bench seat in the middle of the children, plus one or two to sit on. I did just let her know about Estella's hair choice but she was already aware as if by magic.
The care that was taken over her was lovely, they had so much time and patience with her, and she sat there like a pro and didn't flinch or complain once about her hair (if only she was like this at home!).
When you first go in there are two photo pass photographers there, and they scan your magic band and take photos at key moments of the makeover: arriving, being pixie dusted, and at the end of the reveal, but you can take as many videos and photos as you like.
First is hair, and while that's taking place another faIry godmother come to paint their nails, and then makeup. The child gets to pick what colours they would like from their own pallet, and they then keep that along with the bottle of nail varnish and the comb used on their hair. Nothing is used on any other child, and is brand new for yours.
While Estella was having her makeover we were incredibly lucky to have Rapunzel and Cinderella come and visit the children, and I might have taken the opportunity to have a chat with Rapunzel, as she is my favourite princess! It is not a given that princesses will be there, and it's not advertised as included in the experience. It's simply a matter of luck, so probably best to not mention it to your child to avoid possible disappointment.
Also note, if any characters do come to visit, the photo pass photographers are not there to do a mini photoshoot, and the characters are not there to sign autograph books. They just come to visit, it's fine for you to snap a photo while they are with your child, but if you want to meet the princesses properly, you can do this in the Princess Pavilion after your makeover.
While we were there, there was one family who was very persistent in having an actual meet and greet and autograph signing in BBB. The cast members and fairy godmothers did try to explain the 'rules' and suggested a meet after, but they wouldn't let it drop, and it created a bit of a tense atmosphere. In the end they got what they wanted, but this meant the princesses left straight after, which meant other children missed out on seeing them. So please, if you are lucky enough to see any characters while at BBB, be respectful of all the other children and families there.
Honestly, I'm not sure how long we were in there as I wasnt clock watching, and we didn't have any other reservations to get too. It didn't feel rushed or dragged out for us, and the whole experience was beautiful. Just seeing her little face when they turned her round to look in the mirror was priceless!!
When she was all done 'Princess Estella' was announced to the whole room, and she was escorted outside by her fairy godmother. I could tell that Estella had enjoyed every second, and honestly, I did as well. It was such a lovely thing to do, and i loved watching her soak it all up. It truly was so magical.
Tip - After your makeover go over to Sir Mickey's for a little photo shoot. It's free, you just need to use your memory maker if you have one. Also, go and see the princesses. There are two in each queue, and they rotate between princesses, but if you ask a cast member they will tell you who is there.
We did meets with the princesses after, which was adorable, and we went to Sir Mickey's for a little photo shoot. We asked Estella if she wanted to, and she did, but when it came down to it she just wasn't up for it, but she has some photos with me instead.
Was it worth the money?
From my point of view YES!!
I feel that the way we ended up doing it, the package worked really well for us as we saved on the dress, but were then able to use the rest of our budget to get the accessories Estella wanted; and to be honest some of the accessories in the higher packages weren't my cup of tea, and Estella was none the wiser. We got to take with us the sash she wore, a little BBB bag, which had her BBB t-shirt in, along with her nail polish, make up pallet, and comb in. We were also given some shampoo to wash her hair with. She also had the hair accessories that went with the hairstyle she picked, along with her tiara, wand, and shoes.
Is it expensive? Of course, but the costs are all there before you book and arrive, so make sure you know your budget. I feel that the experience we had was so worth it, and I wouldn't hesitate to book again. And I think if you asked Estella if she would like to do BBB again you would get the same response.
I hope this has given you a bit more of an idea of what BBB is like, and helped answer any questions you may have had. If you want to know anything else or share your experience, then please leave a comment below. Also, pop over to our YouTube and take a look at our Walt Disney World October / November 2022 Day 8 Video for more Photos and video from our day which is just below.
But for now, Bibbiti Bobbidi Bye!
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