Gotta disagree about the MK Barbershop substituting for BBB

[TXYankee]

I honestly have no problem with adults doing kid things - look at my siggie - only got one day at the MK in my entire childhood, every other Disney exprerience has been as an adult. And I have no plans to grow up - EVER!! However, I do have issues with grownups coming to the MK alone and using the Barbershop there as their local Great Clips store?!? It was just plain weird! And especially when it is 95 degrees out and there are small children having meltdown temper tantrums kicking and screaming on the floor because they have run out of energy and patience at the parks. (Not my DD, by the way - some of the other ones )

Oh, and I'll send in my $5 to buy Disney a number sign - anybody want to volunteer to head up the committee? Kronkman?

Back in the Good 'ol days, The Main Street Barbershop was in fact, just a Barbershop. No "pixie dust" doo's. My Dad took my little brother there to get haircut there in 1971 and now it is a "must do" on every trip for him. I guess it is no different the me riding the Carosal. So, that 'just plain wierd" guy that looks like he should have gone to Great Clips, might just be my brother enjoying a 35 year old memory.

 

[marivaid]

I honestly have no problem with adults doing kid things - look at my siggie - only got one day at the MK in my entire childhood, every other Disney exprerience has been as an adult. And I have no plans to grow up - EVER!! However, I do have issues with grownups coming to the MK alone and using the Barbershop there as their local Great Clips store?!? It was just plain weird! And especially when it is 95 degrees out and there are small children having meltdown temper tantrums kicking and screaming on the floor because they have run out of energy and patience at the parks.

You say you have no problem with adults doing kids things but then you think it's weird that an adult would decide to get his hair cut at the Barber Shop. I'm confused.

 

[mouseaddicts]

I'm sorry, but I have to chime in here ....... VERY RARELY will I ever post my disagreement with a comment on these boards ..... I am all about the Disney love!!! However ..... this is too much.

My DH is 43 yrs old and ALWAYS gets his hair cut at the MAIN STREET BARBER SHOP when we go to WDW. This is, in fact, a working BARBER SHOP. They have added the option of hair style/temporary color/pixie dust as an *addition* to their services. While we are there, my DH(43), my DS(8) and my DD(11) will ALL hop into a chair for their various services ...... I even did it when we attended the MNSSHP last year! We have talked to a LOT of other families - moms, dads, kids, grandparents - in the BARBER SHOP over the years, many of whom also get their HAIR CUT on every trip! I don't think my family is alone.

I understand you are frustrated with your experience, and I would absolutely agree that a "number system" of some sort would be quite helpful - and I'm sure the barbers would appreciate the assistance - however, I am saddened, and confused, by your attitude toward the adults who wish to pay for a HAIR CUT during their trip to WDW.

I would also add that we have a REAL LIVE GENUINE OLD FASHIONED Barber Shop in our home town - DH & DS both go there for hair cuts - and they too have the "honor system" for serving the next customer. It was confusing to me the first time I went .... but I eventually figured it out.

 

[JenEeyore]

I have to chime in since we are Harmony Barber fans. My DS got his first haircut there on his first trip, and it has become a trip tradition ever since. And Dad gets his hair cut right along side for most trips too, so I don't think it is just for the young ones. I will agree that they could really use a line control system since you basically have to inventory the crowd when you arrive to figure out who is in line and who is a spectator to figure out if it is worth the wait or not. It is a deal of a price, and they do great service there. Occasionally the Barbershop Quartette comes in to entertain, and that makes for a very magical experience. If it is swamped when you arrive, and you don't have time to wait then try again later in the day. We've had good success around traditional meal times when others are heading off for food.

I agree with posters defending the adult clients - we actually had friends that lived in Celebration, and Harmony Barbers was the place they went to get their haircut - it was their family thing, so I don't think it is overly weird that a guy would be in there solo to get a cut. Maybe that is his time to what he wants during the day when the kids and the rest are experiencing somthing they want to do? Anyway, not chiming in to flame anyone, but we do like it there, and think it is worth the wait for a traditional experience (we are frequent returning guests though, so if this was your one and only trip and didn't want to wait in a haircut line, I would understand that, but you would have to weigh the importance of the experience to you. We've run in to all sorts of families that have discovered that HB does a great "princess hair" for a fraction of the BBB price (granted it is a TOTALLY different experience as well), for their little girls, and everyone leaves happy with what they got that we've seen.

Here are a couple of shots of the March 08 "do" (couldn't find any of Dad's hair, but he occasionally will let them do a mickey head just to appease DS).

 

[jellybeans0607]

i also love love love the barber shop!! and will defend the adults using it.
i was there one afternoon and there was a short line. we were maybe the 5th people in line. the woman ahead of us had a small child and in front of her there were two grown men waiting(dont rememeber what was infront of them). the woman actually says to the 2 men " im sure since you are adults and this is a childs barbershop you wont mind my child going ahead of you". i couldnt believe the nerve!! had she never seen a line before. and i was so happy to see both men say they were sorry but they had tee times to get to and couldnt let her go. geesh...if you come after someone, you wait till they are done!

im actually not impressed at all with BBB. ive always thought the barber shops hair "dos" were much cuter, the girls seem to come out of BBB looking quite painful, jmo.

 

[MrsJackSparrow]

I have a question: Has the Barber Shop gone back to doing things like French braids on little girls? We had been having DD's hair done there for a couple years and then, in 2006, Michel very uncerimoniously recommended we go to one of the hotel salons to have her hair done, as they "don't do that here." I was really confused, and DD was very, very sad as she was looking forward to having her hair done again (she was 8 at the time).

DD has no interest in the BBB, but she'd love to get French braids again this year.

Anyone know? TIA!

 

[Chrissie-riel]

I guess this is why I don't post very often - I am a much better lurker than poster. Or maybe I am just not very good at writing or expressing myself?!? Most of you who have defended the adults seemed to overlook the comments that I made about being an adult myself and enjoying all that Disney has to offer as an adult/kid at heart. It really isn't an issue if you want to have a haircut when your child does - I get that you find it cute and a great family memory. But it is something that I would personally never do. I just can't imagine finding it enjoyable to have someone cut my hair while there are hot, tired & cranky kids whining in the (unorganized/non-existent) line in 90+ degree heat. If I had gone to the MK with my DD that day intending to get a haircut along with her, I would have stayed with her for the Pixie Dust, kept my ponytail up and passed on getting my own haircut to help move things along for the other less patient & tired young guests. So, please stop at me for wanting to pass along the pixie dust to the little people....who just don't understand why "that cranky weird guy" all by himself in the corner had to get his hair cut at Disney World. I'll go back to lurking and not posting now.......

 

[JenEeyore]

I guess this is why I don't post very often - I am a much better lurker than poster. ... I'll go back to lurking and not posting now.......

Awww, don't do that - don't let posters scare you off from sharing an opinion.

 

[GalDisney]

Nobody has to "defend" adults using the barbershop, anyone can use it, kids and adults. I had my hair cut and 'pixie dusted" there for the very first time three weeks ago and I am 45 years of age. The magic Kindgom is for everyone, not just kids.

 

[nurse.darcy]

Okay, never been there or the one at DLR in California. . .but I would definitely choose this experience over BBB. I have seen the work of BBB and think that it is laughable at best. At least the barbershop employs real working stylists. . .so, that said I dont care if your son, daughter, mother, inlaw, outlaw or whatever is in line after me. . .if I am in line before them for ANYTHING, I will go first. . .sorry, but I waited in line till my turn. . .so what if I am a solo adult traveler. . .

 

[marivaid]

I guess this is why I don't post very often - I am a much better lurker than poster. Or maybe I am just not very good at writing or expressing myself?!? Most of you who have defended the adults seemed to overlook the comments that I made about being an adult myself and enjoying all that Disney has to offer as an adult/kid at heart. It really isn't an issue if you want to have a haircut when your child does - I get that you find it cute and a great family memory. But it is something that I would personally never do. I just can't imagine finding it enjoyable to have someone cut my hair while there are hot, tired & cranky kids whining in the (unorganized/non-existent) line in 90+ degree heat. If I had gone to the MK with my DD that day intending to get a haircut along with her, I would have stayed with her for the Pixie Dust, kept my ponytail up and passed on getting my own haircut to help move things along for the other less patient & tired young guests. So, please stop at me for wanting to pass along the pixie dust to the little people....who just don't understand why "that cranky weird guy" all by himself in the corner had to get his hair cut at Disney World. I'll go back to lurking and not posting now.......

I understand that you had most of your "Disney career" as an adult but the things you say, or maybe just the way you say them, still make it seem as if you can't comprehend the fact that adults go to Disney WITHOUT kids and enjoy kiddie things. And that it doesn't make them "weird".

Look I don't have any interest in the Barber Shop either. It's cute, but I have enough professional hair salons around. However, like most everything in Disney, it's for adults and kids which means sometimes, a kid will have to wait for an adult to finish having fun before he gets to.

So, should adults pass on riding "kiddie" rides like Dumbo, Tricera Tops, Peter Pan... because it means kids will have to wait a few more minutes for their turns ? How about character meals ? Are adults allowed to go there and enjoy the characters, or should they just sit, eat and pay, because the kid at the next table may not understand that these "cranky weird adults" like to talk to Eeyore? Where does it stop ???

 

[jellybeans0607]

“You're dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway.” walt disney

there is nothing in disney that is just for kids, and theres no reason we cant all enjoy them.

 

[RutgersAlum]

I don't think the OP was specifically criticizing adults using kiddie services. I think she was lamenting the fact that in her visit, they did so when there was/were:
a) squirmy little ones who had already been waiting a long time.
b) someone who insisted on having a haircut (he was there first, I get that) in front of aforementioned beyond-their-wait-time-limit little ones, and then promptly put a cap on, covering up all the "magic" he had waited for.

My dh gets his hair cut @ HB, too, but only when there were very few or no other people waiting. He, like the OP, would pass if there were little kids who had been waiting a signficant while. Can't enjoy the experience if there are crying kiddos who've already been waiting a long time.

We are not talking bratty, impatient kids and bad parents--no WAY would I give up a spot for them! The OP is talking kids who have already held it together awhile and have been waiting a while.

But I don't see the OP's original post as criticizing the adults for availing themselves of the magic. I see it as lamenting the adults who might be travelling pretty low-maintenance (i.e., no kiddos) and could pretty easily choose to let a kid who had already waited a long while just go. As a parent, NEVER, EVER would I ASK this of somone, though (and the OP didn't say she would, either)!

I did not read the OP's post as saying adults should have to redo their plans for the benefit of others' little ones, despite getting there first. Of course adults should not have to immediately give up their magical experience in deference to any kids who enter the shop. The OP did not say that.

I've babbled enough, but one final note:
OP, I think you should bail on the in-laws! Let 'em sleep in and go do what you need to do! Win-win for everyone, right??

GL

 

[lovethecastle]

this is the reason I won't travel with my inlaws or even my own mother. Just very different interests.
But if you chose to again in the future just meet up with them later for lunch or something.
Did your in laws at least like the hairdo?

 

[PaulaSB12]

I don't think the OP was specifically criticizing adults using kiddie services. I think she was lamenting the fact that in her visit, they did so when there was/were:
a) squirmy little ones who had already been waiting a long time.
b) someone who insisted on having a haircut (he was there first, I get that) in front of aforementioned beyond-their-wait-time-limit little ones, and then promptly put a cap on, covering up all the "magic" he had waited for.

My dh gets his hair cut @ HB, too, but only when there were very few or no other people waiting. He, like the OP, would pass if there were little kids who had been waiting a signficant while. Can't enjoy the experience if there are crying kiddos who've already been waiting a long time.

We are not talking bratty, impatient kids and bad parents--no WAY would I give up a spot for them! The OP is talking kids who have already held it together awhile and have been waiting a while.

But I don't see the OP's original post as criticizing the adults for availing themselves of the magic. I see it as lamenting the adults who might be travelling pretty low-maintenance (i.e., no kiddos) and could pretty easily choose to let a kid who had already waited a long while just go. As a parent, NEVER, EVER would I ASK this of somone, though (and the OP didn't say she would, either)!

I did not read the OP's post as saying adults should have to redo their plans for the benefit of others' little ones, despite getting there first. Of course adults should not have to immediately give up their magical experience in deference to any kids who enter the shop. The OP did not say that.

I've babbled enough, but one final note:
OP, I think you should bail on the in-laws! Let 'em sleep in and go do what you need to do! Win-win for everyone, right??

GL

What you are saying is that its ok for people without children as long as children don't have to wait for anything. Thats daft does that mean adults in ride lines must give way so the little darlings don't have to wait for any length of time? There are lines every where at disney its a part of wdw and children just have to learn to live with them the same as the adults.

 

[jellybeans0607]

What you are saying is that its ok for people without children as long as children don't have to wait for anything. Thats daft does that mean adults in ride lines must give way so the little darlings don't have to wait for any length of time? There are lines every where at disney its a part of wdw and children just have to learn to live with them the same as the adults.

i have to agree. some how this has turned into a debate, but really whats to debate? you approach the barbershop, you can clearly see there are people waiting ahead of you, its your choice to join the line or not. its crazy to think someone should give up their space in line because a kid is cranky. its up to their parent to see that the line may be too much for the child and leave if they dont want to wait. i understand to some people it seems weird that a grown adult would want to have his hair cut there, but people have traditions. also, lets say soemone is down for a conference for 2 weeks and sees they need a hair cut, is their any other option on property?

 

[RutgersAlum]

What you are saying is that its ok for people without children as long as children don't have to wait for anything. Thats daft does that mean adults in ride lines must give way so the little darlings don't have to wait for any length of time? There are lines every where at disney its a part of wdw and children just have to learn to live with them the same as the adults.

Hi, no, I don't think that is what I said. If that is what you inferred, that was not my intent. I said

The OP is talking kids who have already held it together awhile and have been waiting a while.

I don't think that is saying "children don't have to wait for anything," because you are right, that sure would be daft. I would never give up a spot in a line just because a kid showed up. That would be silly. Kids have to learn to wait like everyone else, and I am the first one to train my kiddos to wait their turn like everyone should do. People without children have the same rights/responsiblities as people with 'em. I think I said that, too, here:

I did not read the OP's post as saying adults should have to redo their plans for the benefit of others' little ones, despite getting there first. Of course adults should not have to immediately give up their magical experience in deference to any kids who enter the shop. The OP did not say that.

Sorry I got pulled into this just trying to bring peace to the valley, lol.

I, personally, would use (and have used) jellybean's suggestion of just seeing if there are a lot of folks already in the shop, and if so, return at a better time.

We are indeed getting away from the original point of the original post, which was simply the relaying of an unfortunate experience. Wow, I hope this hasn't turned into BarberGate.

 

[kronkman]

[/quote]We are indeed getting away from the original point of the original post, which was simply the relaying of an unfortunate experience. Wow, I hope this hasn't turned into BarberGate.[/quote]

You said it. It stills seems to me that it's an easy fix for Disney, if they cared to fix it, then there is no question. If your number is up, you go next, adult, child or talking llama (which, by the way, I would love to see pixie dusted). I am the first one to admit that in the stressful situation she found herself in, I would be annoyed with the guy getting a regular old haircut and then putting on his hat, but at some level I would finally have to admit that he wasn't wrong...just annoying. Very rarely do I actually run into someone at the Disney parks that is plain old wrong, but they are quite often times annoying Just have to get over it and find another way to make things fun.
As far as heading up the "buy Disney a take a number thingie for the barbershop" committee, I'll consider it, as long as I get an undersecretary to do all the leg work...

 

[PaulaSB12]

We are indeed getting away from the original point of the original post, which was simply the relaying of an unfortunate experience. Wow, I hope this hasn't turned into BarberGate.[/quote]

You said it. It stills seems to me that it's an easy fix for Disney, if they cared to fix it, then there is no question. If your number is up, you go next, adult, child or talking llama (which, by the way, I would love to see pixie dusted). I am the first one to admit that in the stressful situation she found herself in, I would be annoyed with the guy getting a regular old haircut and then putting on his hat, but at some level I would finally have to admit that he wasn't wrong...just annoying. Very rarely do I actually run into someone at the Disney parks that is plain old wrong, but they are quite often times annoying Just have to get over it and find another way to make things fun.
As far as heading up the "buy Disney a take a number thingie for the barbershop" committee, I'll consider it, as long as I get an undersecretary to do all the leg work...[/QUOTE]

Just so but remember the thread about the dumbo ride where the op said that because little darlings shouldn't have to wait any adult without a child should forego such a ride.

 

[cocowum]

Just so but remember the thread about the dumbo ride where the op said that because little darlings shouldn't have to wait any adult without a child should forego such a ride.

That made me laugh out loud! Because this trip, riding Dumbo is at the top of our list. and we are all adults (well DD is 14 but looks like an adult).

And DH is definitely getting his usual buzz cut, but this time it will be in MK at the barbershop.


Just remember you are never too old for pixiedust.