PixieintheCity
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 4, 2005
Edited - figured out how to add the photos! Sorry that they are so large, but I don't have the time to figure out resizing right now.
So, we returned from our our mother/daughter trip to WDW late last night and I've got the info and some photos on the Courtyard Package. I will use the abbreviation CYP for Courtyard Package in this post. Sorry for the length (and perhaps a little awkward grammar in places) but I wanted to include as much detail as I could while I can still remember it and before I have to get back to work.
We arrived for DD's 10:10am appointment on 6/8/12 @ the BBB inside the World of Disney Store in Downtown Disney right on time. We had no problem upgrading to the CYP but were told that DD could only have the special hairstyle especially for this package and I should be advised that some girls did not like the slight tugging of the hairstyle because it involved twisting the hair (was not a problem for my tender headed daughter). My daughter has alot of long, wavy hair and the attendant did say that she thought the CYP hairstyle was perfect for her hair. I was shown the pink BBB tshirt and tutu that goes with the package.
I really liked the look of the hairstyle and the tshirt was fine except where noted below (pink and basic BBB logo). I have to admit that I did not love the "trendy" tutu. The shape of it and black trim and bow reminded me of a poodle skirt without the poodle (also, it was not a "skort" tutu, meaning that DD would have to wear shorts underneath) . I asked about changing or upgrading the skirt to some tutus that were available in the main store (themed for each of the princesses - yellow for Belle, blue and green for Ariel, etc... - very cute and they were the ones that showed up on the Disneystore website for like a day about a month ago - but they are not on there anymore). However, I was told that we couldn't include a tutu change if we wanted the CYP - only one shirt option, one tutu option for now.
So, I left it up to DD to decide between sticking with the CYP and the pink/black BBB tutu (and the hairstyle we both liked) or staying with the Crown package that we originally booked and buying a different tutu and just the BBB tshirt (the BBB tshirt was for sale separately for like $15/$16 dollars). My DD, of course, loved the black on the CYP tutu and wanted to go with it and so we did. I guess I could have purchased the other tutu I liked better from the store separately and just changed her into it, but we're already drowning in tutus at home so I passed and we pressed on with the CYP. DD was given a printed invitation with her name on it and we were taken to the dressing room.
I was told that the tshirts run small and was first given the equivalent of a size 6 (small) for DD to try on (seemed like the sizes were similar to the Disneystore tshirt sizes). However, the BBB logo on the tshirt is so big on the shirt that if the shirt is even a little long and loose, the logo gets obscured and you can't even tell it says BBB. And so, we went with one size smaller (XS) which was fine fitwise. Unless your DD has a long torso, you can't really tuck the shirt into the tutu because then you can't see the whole logo. Untucked the shirt just sort of bunches over the big black bow of the tutu and the logo still gets a little obscured. I wished the logo would have been smaller on the shirt. We got the size 6 (small) tutu because no extra-smalls were available, but that was fine because that made the tutu more "flowy" (and a little more "princessy"). I was told they could have cinched it if it didn't fit her waist, but she was fine.
After she was dressed, the attendant then lightly untangled DD's hair with a brand new comb they provided in the dressing room (the didn't even ask about the one I was told to bring when I booked) and put a pink princess cape on her. As we walked out of the dressing room, the attendant told me that DD would be having her princess makeover in the World of Disney display window and then asked folks to "make way for Princess Olivia" as she held DD's hand and led her from the BBB to a makeover station set up in left WOD display window in the princess section of the store. Same chair, mirror, cart, and chandeliers as the BBB, but facing the outside where passersby could see the makeover happening. There we met Brook, DD's fairy godmother in training (FGIT). Nails were done first - DD chose blue polish over the pink polish and FGIT was glad because she said she doesn't get to do blue very often. Both the pink and blue polishes were DD's to keep at the end.
For the hairstyle, the FGIT first parts the hair on the crown of the head into an upper section and lower section horizontally. Then, the lower section is swept up and secured into a high ponytail with a clear rubber hair tie. The upper section is then parted into rows and the FGIT covers each section in styling gel before twisting them up vertically and securing each with a clear rubber band up near the crown. When all of the rows are done, they are secured to the pony and crown with hair pins. My DD chose to add a small BBB crown to the style and it took the FGIT a few tries to center it. Because the rows are not centered on he head to be sure they are equally spaced from left to right, the crown did lay a little high and just slightly to the side because the twists were thick. It was fine for us but some might be bothered if it doesn't lie exactly flat and centered. The crown ended up being straighter than what is seen in the photo below because FGIT readjusted it right before DD was done. The CYP hairstyle includes the choice of two color hair extensions and my DD chose pink and purple (which you can't really see in my photos, but you could easily see from the back when she stood). These were clipped to the lower portion of hair right under the high ponytail. I asked the FGIT to add some gel and setting spray to the ponytail so that it could remain wavy and resist frizz on the humid, rainy day. A sprinkling of pixie dust completed the CYP hairstyle.
Makeup (eye shadow, blush, and gloss) and face gems were next, with one gem on each upper cheek. The rest of the body gems were DD's to keep. The look was completed with a "Disney Princess" sash secured up top with a Happy Birthday button onto which they added a label with DD's printed name. I did purchase for additional charge the other sash that says Bibbiddi Bobbiddi Boutique on it to decorate DD's room. Finally it was time for the big reveal and the FGIT did her chant and turned my DD around in the chair to look in the mirror. Oohs and ahhs were offered by some WOD castmembers on-looking and shoppers in the store that could see into the display from the side.
Then we were escorted back to the BBB from the window with similar fanfare and proclamations for DD to sign the princess book and collect DD's purchases (and for me to pay). Her pink BBB gift bag was filled with the blue and pink polishes in a gift box, the remaining face gems, the makeup palette used, the comb, a pink BBB backpack (small step up from a drawstring backpack), and the extra BBB sash that I purchased. We were also given a map with directions to walk over to the photopass studio next to the Team Mickey store for a photo session.
A word on photopass - from the moment DD walked out of the dressing room and was paraded to the window and for about 90% of the time that she was in the window the photopass photographer was with us. I told her we had pre-ordered the CD and she took tons of photos and really engaged and chatted up my daughter. The photopass photographer at the photopass studio was also very patient and took her time to work with my very distracted daughter. I won't have any of the photopass photos to post here yet because I've got over 250 from the vacation on the account and I still have to add my borders and art to them before redeeming my CD voucher (I can't just download them from the site directly).
And so the photos that you see here are the limited ones that I took because since the photopass photog was there almost the whole time, I was mainly taking video of DD's experience. Also, I thought I took photos of the other princess specific tutus out in the WOD store (not part of the CYP), but turns out I was videotaping as well - so, sorry I can't post a sampling of those here.
.
Final verdict:
Pros - I LOVED the CYP hairstyle and so did my DD. She slept on it (without the crown, of course) and I removed the pins the following day and the twists have still lasted! She still has it in school today (3 days later) with the addition of a a decorative Disney hair decoration tie around the pony to hide the clear bands holding the twists and the back pony braided into three braids and it still looks pretty fresh. She might be able to keep it for another day or two. Mind you, everyday except our last day at WDW was overcast and raining - sometimes torrentially - and my daughter was often under a poncho hood and the style still lasted. I liked the option of not having DD walk around with a big princess dress all day (especially in the rain) but have her still feel comfortable but girly with the sparkly shirt and tutu. She got many compliments from Cinderella at our dinner later that day at CRT. Many folks also commented on the hair throughout the day, including cast members who didn't recognize it as a usual BBB hairstyle.
Cons - As mentioned above, the logo on the shirt could have been smaller to prevent obscuring the logo and wording when worn. As also aforementioned, I was not a huge fan of the "trendy" tutu because of the black trim and bow. I wish that the WOD tutus were offered as an option instead. Also, when it got a little damp from rain, the slip underneath stuck a little to DD's legs. She did not complain about the tutu part of it being scratchy so that was good. Also, I wish that it had been a skort so that she didn't have to wear her shorts underneath. I do have to mention though that despite my issues with the tutu, my DD liked it and that was all that mattered.
I think I covered everything I can remember in this post, but feel free to ask any questions about the CYP that I didn't cover and I'll be happy to try and answer it for you.
I can post more of the photopass photos once my CD arrives if folks want to see full standing photos. BTW, the FGIT didn't seem to be smiling in the photos posted here, but that is not an indication of her mood at all. She was chatty, wise, and made my daughter feel happy and at ease. More of the smiley moments are on photopass.
Happy Monday!
So, we returned from our our mother/daughter trip to WDW late last night and I've got the info and some photos on the Courtyard Package. I will use the abbreviation CYP for Courtyard Package in this post. Sorry for the length (and perhaps a little awkward grammar in places) but I wanted to include as much detail as I could while I can still remember it and before I have to get back to work.
We arrived for DD's 10:10am appointment on 6/8/12 @ the BBB inside the World of Disney Store in Downtown Disney right on time. We had no problem upgrading to the CYP but were told that DD could only have the special hairstyle especially for this package and I should be advised that some girls did not like the slight tugging of the hairstyle because it involved twisting the hair (was not a problem for my tender headed daughter). My daughter has alot of long, wavy hair and the attendant did say that she thought the CYP hairstyle was perfect for her hair. I was shown the pink BBB tshirt and tutu that goes with the package.
I really liked the look of the hairstyle and the tshirt was fine except where noted below (pink and basic BBB logo). I have to admit that I did not love the "trendy" tutu. The shape of it and black trim and bow reminded me of a poodle skirt without the poodle (also, it was not a "skort" tutu, meaning that DD would have to wear shorts underneath) . I asked about changing or upgrading the skirt to some tutus that were available in the main store (themed for each of the princesses - yellow for Belle, blue and green for Ariel, etc... - very cute and they were the ones that showed up on the Disneystore website for like a day about a month ago - but they are not on there anymore). However, I was told that we couldn't include a tutu change if we wanted the CYP - only one shirt option, one tutu option for now.
So, I left it up to DD to decide between sticking with the CYP and the pink/black BBB tutu (and the hairstyle we both liked) or staying with the Crown package that we originally booked and buying a different tutu and just the BBB tshirt (the BBB tshirt was for sale separately for like $15/$16 dollars). My DD, of course, loved the black on the CYP tutu and wanted to go with it and so we did. I guess I could have purchased the other tutu I liked better from the store separately and just changed her into it, but we're already drowning in tutus at home so I passed and we pressed on with the CYP. DD was given a printed invitation with her name on it and we were taken to the dressing room.
I was told that the tshirts run small and was first given the equivalent of a size 6 (small) for DD to try on (seemed like the sizes were similar to the Disneystore tshirt sizes). However, the BBB logo on the tshirt is so big on the shirt that if the shirt is even a little long and loose, the logo gets obscured and you can't even tell it says BBB. And so, we went with one size smaller (XS) which was fine fitwise. Unless your DD has a long torso, you can't really tuck the shirt into the tutu because then you can't see the whole logo. Untucked the shirt just sort of bunches over the big black bow of the tutu and the logo still gets a little obscured. I wished the logo would have been smaller on the shirt. We got the size 6 (small) tutu because no extra-smalls were available, but that was fine because that made the tutu more "flowy" (and a little more "princessy"). I was told they could have cinched it if it didn't fit her waist, but she was fine.
After she was dressed, the attendant then lightly untangled DD's hair with a brand new comb they provided in the dressing room (the didn't even ask about the one I was told to bring when I booked) and put a pink princess cape on her. As we walked out of the dressing room, the attendant told me that DD would be having her princess makeover in the World of Disney display window and then asked folks to "make way for Princess Olivia" as she held DD's hand and led her from the BBB to a makeover station set up in left WOD display window in the princess section of the store. Same chair, mirror, cart, and chandeliers as the BBB, but facing the outside where passersby could see the makeover happening. There we met Brook, DD's fairy godmother in training (FGIT). Nails were done first - DD chose blue polish over the pink polish and FGIT was glad because she said she doesn't get to do blue very often. Both the pink and blue polishes were DD's to keep at the end.
For the hairstyle, the FGIT first parts the hair on the crown of the head into an upper section and lower section horizontally. Then, the lower section is swept up and secured into a high ponytail with a clear rubber hair tie. The upper section is then parted into rows and the FGIT covers each section in styling gel before twisting them up vertically and securing each with a clear rubber band up near the crown. When all of the rows are done, they are secured to the pony and crown with hair pins. My DD chose to add a small BBB crown to the style and it took the FGIT a few tries to center it. Because the rows are not centered on he head to be sure they are equally spaced from left to right, the crown did lay a little high and just slightly to the side because the twists were thick. It was fine for us but some might be bothered if it doesn't lie exactly flat and centered. The crown ended up being straighter than what is seen in the photo below because FGIT readjusted it right before DD was done. The CYP hairstyle includes the choice of two color hair extensions and my DD chose pink and purple (which you can't really see in my photos, but you could easily see from the back when she stood). These were clipped to the lower portion of hair right under the high ponytail. I asked the FGIT to add some gel and setting spray to the ponytail so that it could remain wavy and resist frizz on the humid, rainy day. A sprinkling of pixie dust completed the CYP hairstyle.
Makeup (eye shadow, blush, and gloss) and face gems were next, with one gem on each upper cheek. The rest of the body gems were DD's to keep. The look was completed with a "Disney Princess" sash secured up top with a Happy Birthday button onto which they added a label with DD's printed name. I did purchase for additional charge the other sash that says Bibbiddi Bobbiddi Boutique on it to decorate DD's room. Finally it was time for the big reveal and the FGIT did her chant and turned my DD around in the chair to look in the mirror. Oohs and ahhs were offered by some WOD castmembers on-looking and shoppers in the store that could see into the display from the side.
Then we were escorted back to the BBB from the window with similar fanfare and proclamations for DD to sign the princess book and collect DD's purchases (and for me to pay). Her pink BBB gift bag was filled with the blue and pink polishes in a gift box, the remaining face gems, the makeup palette used, the comb, a pink BBB backpack (small step up from a drawstring backpack), and the extra BBB sash that I purchased. We were also given a map with directions to walk over to the photopass studio next to the Team Mickey store for a photo session.
A word on photopass - from the moment DD walked out of the dressing room and was paraded to the window and for about 90% of the time that she was in the window the photopass photographer was with us. I told her we had pre-ordered the CD and she took tons of photos and really engaged and chatted up my daughter. The photopass photographer at the photopass studio was also very patient and took her time to work with my very distracted daughter. I won't have any of the photopass photos to post here yet because I've got over 250 from the vacation on the account and I still have to add my borders and art to them before redeeming my CD voucher (I can't just download them from the site directly).
And so the photos that you see here are the limited ones that I took because since the photopass photog was there almost the whole time, I was mainly taking video of DD's experience. Also, I thought I took photos of the other princess specific tutus out in the WOD store (not part of the CYP), but turns out I was videotaping as well - so, sorry I can't post a sampling of those here.
.Final verdict:
Pros - I LOVED the CYP hairstyle and so did my DD. She slept on it (without the crown, of course) and I removed the pins the following day and the twists have still lasted! She still has it in school today (3 days later) with the addition of a a decorative Disney hair decoration tie around the pony to hide the clear bands holding the twists and the back pony braided into three braids and it still looks pretty fresh. She might be able to keep it for another day or two. Mind you, everyday except our last day at WDW was overcast and raining - sometimes torrentially - and my daughter was often under a poncho hood and the style still lasted. I liked the option of not having DD walk around with a big princess dress all day (especially in the rain) but have her still feel comfortable but girly with the sparkly shirt and tutu. She got many compliments from Cinderella at our dinner later that day at CRT. Many folks also commented on the hair throughout the day, including cast members who didn't recognize it as a usual BBB hairstyle.
Cons - As mentioned above, the logo on the shirt could have been smaller to prevent obscuring the logo and wording when worn. As also aforementioned, I was not a huge fan of the "trendy" tutu because of the black trim and bow. I wish that the WOD tutus were offered as an option instead. Also, when it got a little damp from rain, the slip underneath stuck a little to DD's legs. She did not complain about the tutu part of it being scratchy so that was good. Also, I wish that it had been a skort so that she didn't have to wear her shorts underneath. I do have to mention though that despite my issues with the tutu, my DD liked it and that was all that mattered.
I think I covered everything I can remember in this post, but feel free to ask any questions about the CYP that I didn't cover and I'll be happy to try and answer it for you.
I can post more of the photopass photos once my CD arrives if folks want to see full standing photos. BTW, the FGIT didn't seem to be smiling in the photos posted here, but that is not an indication of her mood at all. She was chatty, wise, and made my daughter feel happy and at ease. More of the smiley moments are on photopass.
Happy Monday!
Thanks for sharing!
We did have a great time doing the "girly" things that we don't take the time out to do often enough. I'm sure you and your DD are going to have a great time! And the train tour for father/son bonding time is such a good idea that I will have to "borrow" it for our next full family trip.
