BBB Plan and Questions

[ameliahyde]

Hi Dis Friends,

I am trying to determine the best plan for our November 2015 trip. Our booking window opens in about 2 weeks. We will be at WDW the week before Thanksgiving and crowd projections are pretty low. My mom will be with us the first part of the trip. After that, it will be me, DH, and my two daughters 4 & 6.

We are planning to attend MVMCP on November 17th. My tenative plan for the 18th is: rest in the morning, BBB about 2:30, 4pm CRT, and 8pm fireworks at the Wishes dessert party. This isn't our first trip and won't likely be our last, but I think both of my girls are the prime ages for BBB. We have never done BBB before and I don't expect to do it on a future trip.

I want the timing to be right on. Is there any benefit to doing it before MVMCP? I don't want to spend party time eating, and it is my Mom's last day with us. I'm not sure she is ready or interested in the time commitment of a BBB day. I also feel like MVMCP is something special all by itself. However, if there is any advantage to doing it that day, I could change course.

As for BBB itself, I am leaning towards the most expensive package. I heard that the dresses you buy at MK are much nicer and the extras are really worthwhile. Any opinions on the value of the upgrade are appreciated.

Lastly, are there any special things you can do after BBB and CRT to enhance the princess experience. I really want to do the dessert party but my girls will love it too. Any other special things you do or recommend to get the most out of it?

Thanks!!

 

[ErinsMommy]

We did the full package for DD twice and if she was into dressing up still we would be doing it again - totally worth it IMO. Be sure to go across and have pics taken in the couture shop and see one of the princesses in Fairytale Hall with FP if Anna and Elsa as well -- then the carousel

 

[ErinsMommy]

And just a suggestion since your doing MVMCP - bring comfortable shoes for her to change into just in case and depending on her dress choice call a week or two in advance as last time we went they were short on dresses and accessories

 

[ameliahyde]

We did the full package for DD twice and if she was into dressing up still we would be doing it again - totally worth it IMO. Be sure to go across and have pics taken in the couture shop and see one of the princesses in Fairytale Hall with FP if Anna and Elsa as well -- then the carousel

Are the pics in the couture shop the ones included or something different?

 

[ErinsMommy]

We had memory maker and they were all included

 

[ameliahyde]

And just a suggestion since your doing MVMCP - bring comfortable shoes for her to change into just in case and depending on her dress choice call a week or two in advance as last time we went they were short on dresses and accessories

If we call in advance, can you reserve a dress? Or, is it just to see what the options are?

 

[luvmy2babies]

When I have BBB and CRT together I generally try to get a fast pass for a princess in Fairy Tale Hall that isn't present at the meal.

I haven't done the large package as my daughter was a bit older plus never could choose a dress; so I brought her a formal gown and brought Disney themed accessories I purchased ahead of time. I got one package with 4 necklaces and 3 bracelets and a page of sticker earrings so she could choose in the dressing room and she loved that.

I wanted to say that even if you do the big package memory maker will get you all of the photos. There just a few prints included with the big package. They take 10 plus photos when I take my daughter; so with two children, you could have way more photos once you do individuals of each child and then some together.

 

[ErinsMommy]

If we call in advance, can you reserve a dress? Or, is it just to see what the options are?

Just to see what options are so you can order dress online send bring with you if you need to - although what they have one day doesn't necessarily mean they'll have when you go but it'll give you a good idea

 

[robndani]

We just did BBB in Feb with my 5 yo. She LOVED it! We had gotten the "better" Anna dress at the Disney outlet for $50 (instead of $98). She decided to wear that to BBB. If there's definitely a princess she just HAS to be, I would buy it in advance. You never know what they will have there.

We had the MM so all photos were included, which was great!

We did the basic package (hair, makeup, nails) and got so much more that expected. She got a mickey hair clip, tiara, sash, a drawstring backpack, and the makeup, nail polish (x2) and comb that they used on her. Also the remaining face jewels that weren't stuck to her.

It was awesome! I don't think you have to do much else to make a day at BBB special. Just walking around all dressed up was plenty! We did eat at BOG that night and she loved being in a castle with her hair and makeup all done!

HAVE FUN!

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

We never opt for the castle package (with the dress and accessories), we always do the crown (hair, nails, makeup, sash, tiara, Mickey hair clip, plus it includes the extra nail polish and face gems).

The castle package is $194.95, whereas the crown is $59.95. That $135 extra is getting you a cheapy-made princess dress (and we've always found that DD only wears her gown for a couple hours, especially since it's usually hot out and not practical for rides).

We've always bought the Disney Baby dresses at Babies R Us (note: there are different types of costumes available at Babies R Us - some very cheaply made, others much higher quality). They come in sizes up to 48 months (but still fit my 7yo). They have no medallion (the one with the princess's likeness) on the chest like the regular Disney store costumes do. They're good quality (DD has had them for years, through many machine washings, and never had any issues at all). Whenever she wears them to the parks, we get numerous questions on where to find the dresses. (I've also seen some nice looking princess dresses in Etsy, but don't have experience with any.)

DD also wears Stride Rite Disney sandals. I can't imagine that the regular costume dress-up shoes would be at all comfortable to walk around the parks in.

Note: The only photo difference between the packages that I'm aware of is the castle comes a with a print out (maybe someone else knows for sure). We get Memory Maker, and the BBB pictures have always shown up on it without any issues.

 

[ameliahyde]

thank you, everyone! All of this is very helpful. One other question. For some reason, I was under the impression that the full package included more than just the extra dress for $135. I thought and it included a special photo package, and some other perks. Is this not the case? For those of you who have done the full package, why did you choose it as opposed to one of the cheaper options? Thanks again!

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

thank you, everyone! All of this is very helpful. One other question. For some reason, I was under the impression that the full package included more than just the extra dress for $135. I thought and it included a special photo package, and some other perks. Is this not the case? For those of you who have done the full package, why did you choose it as opposed to one of the cheaper options? Thanks again!

It does include a print package, but if your purchasing Memory Maker, you really don't need it. I think also includes a bunch of accessories like shoes, crowns, and maybe wands. We buy a dress from the Disney Store. It's half the price and I know my DD will have the dress she wants. I don't use Disney shoes because the usually hurt her feet and I don't want to keep up with extra accessories. I feel like the crown package is a good value though.

 

[tzeitel]

I booked BBB, then lunch at CRT and right after we have Anna and Elsa FP. I figured if the girls are going to be dressed up we should cram as many Princesses as we can on that day Then we have ETwB and the LM ride. We are doing the basic package and bringing dresses from home. I got the MM so we could get all the BBB photos.

I agree that the MVMCP is special on its own. It might be too much for one day.

 

[austinsmommie]

We too did the crown package. We had bought the dress from ebay before we went on vacation. I got a really nice Belle dress for less than $20. It was a Disney parks dress. We had memory maker and got her picture taken. They load them onto our magic band, but we didn't get prints. I just printed them once I was home. We went to BOG for dinner later in the night. My daughter danced with the Beast. We just brought some nice sparkle Stride Rite shoes, cute and comfortable for walking.

 

[DisMommyTX]

We have done the crown package many times. The one time we tried to buy a dress at the store, they had nothing in DD's size. Selection can be very limited. I find much better quality and prices on ebay, bring them with us to disney, and surprise DD on the day of BBB. The photo shoot is free and all pictures are included on MM. One word of warning if your daughters love princesses half as much as mine, this may not be your last time visiting BBB!

 

[ameliahyde]

Thank you! I am a little confused about the dresses. I am surprised to hear that BBB may have a more limited selection but that is good to know in advance. Are the dresses at the Disney Store Disney Parks dresses, or do you have to go to ebay for those? I am a suing disneystore.com is not Disbey Parks either?

 

[lilmissdisney216]

If you go to your local Disney Store (if you have one in your area), I personally have always liked their dresses better than the park ones. They "look" better in my honest opinion. I even think the accessories look more unique from the Disney Stores. Also you can go on Etsy and see what some people have there. Can be some amazing stuff on there and for not too bad of a price.

I was a former Fairy Godmother at the boutique and I liked seeing the Disney World BBB dresses but I LOVED getting the different dresses that people had brought with them either homemade or from the Disney Store. Made them stand out a more.

Hope that answered what you needed!

Former FGiT Meredith

 

[ruthies12]

Only thing I would suggest would be to maybe do CRT earlier if you can and change your BBB time a little earlier too. I did an early dinner at BOG once then the dessert party that same night and we definitely did not get our monies worth out of the dessert party. If you are doing it only for the fireworks uncrowded view that is fine, but if you are wanting to enjoy some desserts then I would re-think your timing.

We are doing the same thing on our trip which is shortly after yours and I am planning noon BBB, 2:30 lunch CRT, then FP+ for A&E hopefully, ETWB, LM and then dessert party for our dinner, especially since they have cheese and stuff now, it really can be it's own meal.