Bibbiti Bobbiti Boutique Tips

[Gorjus]

The Bibbiti Bobbiti Boutique is a magical place when done correctly. Sadly, I see it reduce many families to weeping puddles of frustration. So here are some tips:

1. There is a reason for the age limit. Don't lie that your 2 year old is 3. It is usually the 2 year olds that have melt downs.

2. If you have a very strong willed child, or a very shy child, you may wish to skip the Boutique. A shy child will have a melt down when asked to communicate with strangers. And a strong willed child usually picks that time to have a hissy fit and get real stubborn.

3. Make sure the child wants to do it and not just mom or dad.

4. Do NOT bring a stroller into the boutique. Also bring as few people in there as possible. It is very close quarters in there.

5. Do NOT make Dad or brothers sit through this process. It is torture for them. Unless they really want to watch or brother wants to get the cool dude look, please don't torture the poor men. Make this a mother daughter thing if possible and let Dad and brothers go off and ride rides or watch sports or drink beer.

6. A BRILLIANT idea: Mom and daughter(s) spend the time in the boutique...girl time. Dad plays hookey or is with the boys. Later, Mom plays hookey or is with the boys and Dad takes the girl(s) out on a date to a nice restaurant. You can even play it up. Dad comes to pick the girls up for their date, etc.

7. Be sure your child is WELL rested and WELL fed before your Boutique experience.

8. The Boutique is often an all day affair. This is what throws people the most. Sometimes they are running late. Some hair takes longer than others. After the boutique you need to set aside time to have portraits done at Expo Hall (MK) or the Guest Relations building (DtD). Sometimes there is a line there, sometimes not. Then you need to set aside time to choose the photos (if you paid for a castle package). Sometimes there is a line, sometimes there isn't. Then of course you want to find time to go visit the princesses since your princess now looks like them. That is more time in line. Then of course people have dinner reservations.

9. Make sure your reservations are a long time after your boutique appointment.

10. Girls do not keep these Disney princess dresses on very long. They are scratchy and uncomfortable. Save yourself the hassle and the money. Go to a store at home. Let your child choose a REALLY nice dress that is comfortable. Then make sure she doesn't wear it until you get to the boutique...no matter how much she begs. That way it will be a special dress.

Those are my 10 tips for the BBB. It can be a magical experience, but it can also stress people out till they melt, adults and children alike.

 

[mousefan1972]

Great post. Thanks for the tips.

*decides to keep very strong willed 4 year old daughter FAR away from the BBB*

:lookaroun

 

[Gorjus]

On behalf of the BBB cast, THANK YOU.:sohappy::sohappy:

 

[Master Yoda]

I am sleep depriving my 6 year old and filling her full of coffee and Red Bull before taking her to BBB just to mess with Gorjus.:drevil:





:lol:

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I'm curious what prompted the tips.... frustrating BBB trip???

I don't have girls but I wish I could do the BBB without looking like a fool. I think I'd be the only 33 year old in the chair getting all teary-eyed and giggly.

 

[shari71]

This 30 something would also like to do it sometime, but feel foolish asking. And unfortunately and fortunately, I have only daughters so my hubby decides on his own to stay. He loves photography and this is his gift to the girls: capturing their experience. While I don't make him go, it is his choice and I am glad he goes to support his daughters...that just proves what a great father he is to our children. While I agree with a lot of the comments, they are not always a global rule.

And while the room is small, it is hard when they place your children on opposite ends of the room - there is a big round couch like seating in the middle that you have to skirt around going back and forth. I missed the big reveal on one of my girls because I was over at the other one watching her big reveal. Luckily, with the both of us there we are able to be with one or the other during this experience.

And yes...leave the strollers outside...there is no room in the DTD one for them.

 

[Gorjus]

**backs Yoda up into a wall and cuts him with his lightsaber **:ROFLOL:

The tips were prompted by the fact that I am in the BBB almost daily and get tired of people coming away from the experience in tears or anger and frustration.

And LOTS of adult women go to the BBB and have the make over...LOTS.

As for adjoining chairs, it is difficult, but if you ask, they will wait to reveal one till you see the other reveal.

 

[maggiegrace1]

*Brings my crazy hates to stay seated..hates to have her hair touched 2..I mean 3 year old daughter to BBB just for cuteness sake*

 

[frazierle]

Bbb

:ROFLOL:Master Yoda too funny!! I just say bring your credit card, it never ends where you plan to start. I took my daughter this past May and we went in doing one thing and left with the works.....LoL
:wave: I'm a Disney addict and am getting my fix in 15 days:wave:

 

[DisneyDadof4]

About how much time should you put aside if you are planning on bring in 2 DD age 8 and 5 ? What is the best time to come in? What would you recommend for the DD? Thanks Gorjus:wave:

 

[figmentmom]

The tip about the scratchy dresses is right on the money! The most miserable little girls in the park last July were the ones whose parents had spent big bucks for the princess outfits (complete with ill-fitting and blister-producing shoes), and then had nothing else for their hot, itchy, miserable little girls to change into later.

If your little princess insists on the whole outfit, and promises she'll stay in it all day, be smart and pack a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, and sneakers. You'll be glad you did.

 

[Gorjus]

DD 8 & 5: For DtD and MK, it is the same process. The walk to the Portrait Studio from the Boutique is shorter and easier to do at DtD.

Are your children best in the morning or afternoon? Is it the first day of your trip or the last or somewhere in the middle? When making reservations, ask when they have the most amount of openings. Occaisionally they aren't sold out. So when it is less crowded is best.

Just set aside at least 1/2 day for it minimum. It should only take 30 minutes from the time their bum hits the chair till it leaves, but that doesn't always happen.

If you want to see the princesses after, at least at MK you are there. At DtD you must leave time to get to the park. If you can do the boutique in the morning you might still get to see Jasmine, Ariel, and Snow White, our outdoor/leave at dark princesses. Cinderella, Belle, And Aurora are generally in Toon Town all day till park close.

Again, I'm a HUGE advocate of buying fancy comfortable dresses for the girls and comfortable nice looking shoes and bringing them in. Make it another special excursion right before the trip. You can even buy comfortable princess dresses at the Disney Stores and they are prettier that the ones WDW sells.

Like Figmentmom said, in the summer they are peeling the WDW dresses off and in the winter, the dresses aren't warm enough.

If you bring your own dress, then your decision is whether to add on the expense of nails. If your child chooses the fake nails, they aren't going to stay on past an hour. If your child chooses nail polish, they get to take 2 bottles home with them. Is that worth the extra $10? Maybe.

As for hairstyles, let them pick out what they like even if it makes them look weird. Blonde haired girls sometimes pick black extensions and vice versa. Some girls like the Pop Diva look:hurl:. But so what, let them make choices.

And have portraits done. Have your photopass card ready. Hopefully you get a good photographer. Just in case, teach your child not to fake smile. The best way to get a natural smile is to keep your teeth together and just giggle a little as if someone told a joke but you were in church and couldn't laugh outloud.

And above all, have fun with it, don't stress over it.

 

[kybred72]

Great tips! We cherished our BBB experience in the Castle!

 

[unknownname]

Whats a good time to do it so you can see the princess afterwards? And where can you find the princess at?

 

[santa's surpriz]

Great advice!
Forewarning: The Snow White dress is not itchy and may take days to get off!
Bonus: Most girls have Cinderella and Belle. Snow White is sooo easy to find in a crowd.

 

[diddy_mouse]

I had no idea how popular the BBB was until we were down there. Every two feet there was a little girl (and sometimes her mom too) decked out in princess attire. Some of the little girls looked amazing! There was one who was in Belle's red winter gown and she looked fabulous with the hair, and the accessories, and all the trimmings.

I have a feeing if I have a daughter we'll be making a stop there sometime. :lookaroun

 

[emmersandjack]

I will admit that I always feel bad for the little girls who's parents decide for them to get the big package and have to walk around in the parks with a heavy, itchy dress on. Don't get me wrong. They are definitely beautiful, and sometimes it's the little one's idea to wear the dress all day, but there are days down there that a tank top and shorts feels like too much clothes.

We've done it one time so far, and DD was a little difficult at first, but got into it after a while and can't wait to go back. This time though we are going to do it later in the afternoon, before the P&P party. This way, the day will be a little cooler and she can wear her dress and not be too miserable. BTW: the idea of buying a dress at home is much more cost efficient too. We bought DD's dress at the Disney Store during the Halloween clearance and got it for $20. So if anyone will be at the P&P on Feb. 5th, look for the pretty little Mulan. She should stand out, I don't see too many Mulan's when we are down there!:wave:

 

[minnie2000]

BBB is great! We took our 2 DDs there in Oct 06 for DD's 6th birthday, and of course big sister aged 9 had to have it done too!

They had a wonderful time! Our fairy godmothers were great. I agree about the dresses, they are very itchy, but in the end we chose Alice dresses and they were not scratchy at all. We didn't do the most expensive package, we just bought the dresses beforehand.

My opinion would be to do it first thing in the morning if possible. That way I would think it would be less likely for everyone to be running late, and also, the princesses get to have a full day dressed up, instead of just an afternoon or an evening.

The girls loved the make-up and nails, but our only criticism was that we did not really like the hairstyles. None of us liked the hair extensions or colours, so they decided on the hairstyle where it is all pulled back into a bun, but when it was done, the hair was pulled back a bit too tightly and gave them a funny look! I wonder if they will bring out any other hairstyle choices? Maybe a French plait or something a bit more flattering! Gorjus - do you know anything about this?

 

[Gorjus]

Whats a good time to do it so you can see the princess afterwards? And where can you find the princess at?

As I mentioned, Jasmine and Snow White are done for the night at 6:30. Ariel is done at 7:30. These times are approximate and none of this applies if you are having dinner at Norway. Cinderella, Belle, and Aurora are done 1/2 hour before park close.

Jasmine is in Adventureland, in Agrabah near the Aladdin ride. Snow White is usually on the porch at Expo Hall. Ariel is in her Grotto behind the castle (warning: long line for that one princess). The other three are in Toon Town in the hall of fame, the tent in between Mickey and Minnie's homes.

Forewarning: The Snow White dress is not itchy and may take days to get off!
Bonus: Most girls have Cinderella and Belle. Snow White is sooo easy to find in a crowd.

And it is one of the prettiest.

There was one who was in Belle's red winter gown

LOVE that dress, especially the real one that Belle wears.

So if anyone will be at the P&P on Feb. 5th, look for the pretty little Mulan. She should stand out, I don't see too many Mulan's when we are down there!:wave:

No, and of late Mulan and Elizabeth Swan keep getting mixed up with each other. People often say "hi Mulan" when the child is dressed as Elizabeth the King.

we chose Alice dresses and they were not scratchy at all.....................we did not really like the hairstyles. None of us liked the hair extensions or colours, so they decided on the hairstyle where it is all pulled back into a bun, but when it was done, the hair was pulled back a bit too tightly and gave them a funny look! I wonder if they will bring out any other hairstyle choices? Maybe a French plait or something a bit more flattering! Gorjus - do you know anything about this?

The Alice dress is great as well.

The hair is pulled back VERY tight. That is part of the reason it stays for days. No additional hairstyles that I've heard of on their way. When I go to have it done, I'm going to ask if they could make it somewhat looser and further back on my head. And I LOVE the extensions. The hairstyles look great on little girls, but older girls and teens and adults, well it doesn't always compliment the skull shape. Plus, we just aren't as cute anymore.

 

[shari71]

I love all the hairstyles except for POP, but I did allow them to choose and that one got picked last year...it did go well with her Kim Possible outfit though. Bring extra clothes!!! Or wear something comfortable. The first time we went I bought Disney sundresses that they could wear later (see avatar). The second time, they wore their halloween costumes (Ariel and Kim Possible, but they changed in the afternoon and then back for MNSSHP). This last time, I got some adorable Ariel dress/pants outfits off E-Bay that were hand sewned. We got a lot of compliments on these. Later that night they hopped into their Halloween costumes for the party, but we stay away from the inchy ones. I have adorable pictures of them in the costumes with characters, but I also have pictures shortly after that of them in shorts and t-shirts. I generally go for sundresses that look dressy, but are so comfortable in the heat.