Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Review
On my recent Mother-Daughter trip with my 8 year old daughter Lyra, we made one of the most sought after reservations for a princess makeover at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique! For various reasons we hadn’t done this on previous trips so this was a first for both of us to experience. As someone who books these experiences for clients’ trips, I felt I had done a LOT of research and was pretty well prepared, but there were things even I didn’t realize until we experienced it.
The experience really starts long before you even arrive at your vacation. You’ll definitely want to make an advanced reservation for this Enchanting Extra as slots fill up fast! These reservations are available to guests ages 3-12 and they need to be accompanied by someone age 18 or older.
The reservations open at 60 days out from your trip - in the same way that dining reservations do - If you are staying on-site you can look at dates for the entirety of your trip, if you’re staying off-site you’ll need to look at each day individually as they become 60 days out. The BIG difference you want to note is that these reservations open at MIDNIGHT Eastern Time at the 60 day mark. For reference, dining reservations open at 6AM ET at the 60 day mark. Yet another reason I offer booking services to my clients - do you really want to stay up until midnight and then get up before 6am the next day to book dining?
Another thing to consider is the time you make your appointment. Since space is limited you might not have much of a choice with what’s available, but make sure you keep in mind any dining reservations or other commitments for the day as this is a long experience. You’ll want to make sure you arrive a bit early and plan to be in the experience for 2 hours - ours didn’t take that long, but they recommend 90 minutes and I’d tack on a little extra to allot for any kind of travel time. We knew Lyra wanted to take a more leisurely morning and explore the park first so we booked an afternoon slot at her request.
We arrived about 10 minutes before our reservation and got checked in. The Fairy Godmother Apprentices are so friendly and helpful and got us all set up. They will ask how you like to be addressed - for Lyra she chose Queen Lyra over Princess Lyra. We heard another girl want to just be called her name with no royal title ahead of it, so whatever you’re comfortable with is absolutely fine!
You’ll sit in the waiting area and decide which makeover package you’d like. There are a variety of price points and the ones that come with costumes will show which characters are available - so if you have a little one who is very specific on who they would like to dress as, you may be limited to the package that offers that. Have an idea ahead of time what price point you’re comfortable with so that you can steer them in the right direction for what choices they have. You can also bring attire from home and just do the rest of the makeover experience. I’m a BIG fan of the Taylor Joelle and Only Little Once dresses for Lyra as they are soft and not at all scratchy. I highly recommend those two companies if you think sensory sensitivities will be an issue. (Use my referral link above for Taylor Joelle to save $10!)
Once they were ready for us, Jorge, our Fairy Godfather Apprentice came out to get us. Lyra’s name is typically mispronounced (you say it LIE RUH not LIR AH) and Jorge got it 100% right on the first try which made her so happy. He brought us into the dress shop area and we went over what package we wanted, and which dress she wanted to choose - We went with the Deluxe Castle Package and she chose the Belle inspired dress from those options. From the Disney World website this is what this package includes:
The Deluxe Castle Package
Starting at $229.95 Plus Tax
Hairstyling
Shimmering makeup and face gem
Princess necklace, sash and cinch sack
Nail polish
Deluxe Disney Princess gown of your choice, selected from a limited number of Disney Princesses (shoes not included)
Coordinating boxed accessory set
While Jorge got our dressing room set up, we went over the different hairstyling options she could choose from. They really walk you through every single step and obviously have the process down to a science.
The experience in the dressing room is so magical! You get a visit from the Fairy Godmother herself! (she appears in the mirror) She will give you the magic you need to “make all your dreams come true!” Then you’ll have time to get changed and into your royal attire. We needed to grab a couple different sizes before we found the right fit for Lyra (the number sizing didn’t really match up for her) but Jorge was super helpful with this and had plenty of magical tricks up his sleeve to make straps fit comfortably and all that. They are there to help and do such a fabulous job making everyone feel comfortable and special. I was so impressed. We put on the jewelry finishing touches and then had a seat in the dress shop to wait for the next part of her makeover. This is also when the “Royal Payment” happens. I was so wrapped up in everything that I forgot to take a picture of Lyra with Jorge and I completely regret it.
Once it was Lyra’s turn to head over to the salon area they came in and called her “Queen Lyra?” So our Fairy Godmother Octavya took us over to the castle (right across from the dress shop) to complete the Royal Makeover! This space is so beautiful and you can’t get much more princess than a makeover in Cinderella’s Castle!
Here they did her hair, makeup, and nail polish and completed the transformation into Royal Queen. This is a well oiled machine. They all move so swiftly and know exactly what to do. It was honestly impressive to watch. Lyra barely lets me brush her hair and they got her to sit still for a full on updo! There are also PhotoPass photographers on site and they scanned my magic band before they started and linked everything into Memory Maker so I had all the photos pretty much instantly.
After that they will announce you to the room and take you outside the salon to finish the experience outside. Everything was perfect and magical and we both loved it! I’m so glad I was able to take her.
After the experience we went over to Sir Mickey’s and got some photos taken in their studio. You don’t need to do the makeover to use this space and if you have the Memory Maker option with your package (which I HIGHLY recommend) you will get all of these pictures for no additional cost! Definitely check it out on your next visit!
That was it for our Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Experience. Now is this experience right for you, or right for you your next visit? Here are some pros and cons to help make that decision.
PROS:
A MAGICAL experience. If you have a princess fan or a Knight in training this is going to be the ultimate experience in royalty!
The spaces are beautiful and really well themed.
The service is impeccable. The Cast Members here are highly trained and are very good with kids. Honestly I’d say they make this entire experience wonderful.
The photos you will get after are basically all frame worthy and the memory of this will not easily be forgotten by the kiddo or the grown ups!
CONS:
Depending on the package you choose it can be expensive to VERY expensive.
It takes up a good chunk of time.
Space is limited in the dress shop and the salon areas. Only 2 guests are allowed to accompany the child getting the makeover so if you have a larger family you’ll need to make a choice on who goes and who doesn’t.
Reservations can be difficult to get. Work with a Travel Advisor and set up alerts to make this easier.
SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER:
How much time will you have in your trip for these types of experiences?
Is this in the budget?
Are you willing to take time away from attractions and shows to spend doing this?
Will your kiddo enjoy someone doing their hair and makeup, etc.
DON’T MAKE MY MISTAKE! I didn’t realize the Cast Members here can accept tips. When I found out I felt absolutely terrible. After speaking with a friend and former Fairy Godmother, she mentioned that they can accept what they call “rose petals”, these do (or at least did in her time there) get pooled with all the other Cast Members working there. Again, these are not EXPECTED, but are APPRECIATED. Had I known I would have given about 20-25% of the total package cost, so keep that in mind.
Leave a CAST COMPLIMENT! These are the best way for wonderful Cast Members to be acknowledged. So please use the Walt Disney World app to give a little magic back to anyone that makes your visit more enjoyable, magical, or is helpful to you during your visit.
Have questions about this experience? Not sure if it’s the right fit? Let’s work together to make sure your next visit is a magical one! xo, Molly
Worth every penny! The pure joy that poured out of her for the rest of the day was amazing!
