BBB questions!

[mrsgoose8]

Hi all! My nearly 5 year old has an appt coming up at BBB. She is totally sold out on all things Disney. She would LOVE the experience of picking the dress shoes etc (not what i have *currently* reserved but my understanding is that you can change that upon arrival?).

I've been reading some of the threads on here and people aren't loving the quality of those dresses any more. Speaking from "just" a disney store dress up dress, i didn't find it to last any longer than her target brand ones... that being said, i think i could swallow the price since you do get all the shoes etc. What do you think... Worth it or a waste? we do have plenty of dress up dresses we could bring.

if they had anna or elsa i could definitely change my mind! But i'm not holding my breath.

My other question is, can they even walk around the park in those shoes that they get? or should I save those for dress up at home? Her appt is 8 in the morning, and we were planning to spend much of that day in the parks.

TIA for any help!!

 

[River Country]

Well..... yes and no.

MY DD now almost 8 has been to BBB 3 times. The first 2 times she was done up from head to toe with the dress and shoes and sceptor.

once she was Jasmine and that costume is great becasue its sleeveless and pants which is great in Florida weather/

second time she was cinderella with all the trimmings and both of these dresses were a much better quality than you will get at Target

Third time we were over the whole dress thing and she chose tinkerbell we made special green flip flops with the little pom pom on them we got wings from BBB i think she got her hair and make up done and that was it.

I think that if you never have done BBB before and you can afford it go the whole nine yards, but only do it once

 

[mickeygirl78]

My niece has been a few times and we typically buy her dress at Disney a day or two ahead. Then the morning of her appointment she can get dressed in the room then go to BBB to get hair, makeup and nails. It comes out a little cheaper then the full package. My sister buys her the dresses in park because the quality is better. She always wears her own sandals though, the ones they sell do not look comfy for kids.

I'm sure she'll have fun!

 

[princessekrus]

I would agree with PP, it's worth doing the whole 9 yards --- once.

I did the whole deal once with DD8 when she was 3. She was my princess-y girl, and loved the whole experience. Ever since then, and with DD4, we have brought our own dress (still done BBB at least once a year). DD8, when she was smaller, would suck it up to wear her princess dresses in the parks - all day, every day. Did not matter how hot/itchy etc... DD4 is another story. She will put up with it for an hour, and then wants to be comfortable. I always put them in bike shorts and a tank top under the dress. This helps both make the dress more comfortable, and also if we need to take it off, I can just pull it off without having to do a whole clothes change.

I would also consider letting her do the whole castle package, but maybe bringing a different, more comfortable, cooler dress with you. We have done that on occasion when one of my DD's picked a dress I knew was going to bother them, I had a "back-up" along so that when they started complaining, we could swap.

It's a fun day, and your DD will get lots of attention and "hello princess!" from the CM's.

 

[ktlm]

My DD has done it the last 4 years because she absolutely loves it, and I figure she will outgrow it soon enough and I will be sad, so I might as well splurge on it now. The quality of the dresses used to be fantastic and worth the price, but I do think that the quality went way down in this year's versions of the dresses. It is about the experience though. As a parent, you practically don't exist there- it is all about the girls and they go out of their way to make them feel special. You don't have to get the dress there, but if you do, they make a big production of it- they get it all ready in the dressing room and the Fairy Godmother in Training takes the girl and does a little reveal, and then once your DD is dressed the FGIT will make a big fuss over her when she comes out of he dressing room. When you say the shoes and everything come with it- technically you are paying for all of it- they pretty much add the prices of each item together for the package price. If you want to bring your own dress, they will happily sell you the shoes, wand, crown, etc to go with it. The BBB dresses are the exact same ones you find throughout the parks, but different than the ones from the local Disney Stores. If you are going to buy one in the parks, I would just do it at the BBB appointment and let her have the experience.

She can change to any dress they have in her size once you get there, she doesn't have to stick to the one you told them when you booked the appointment. We've never had them not have one of the standards in DD's size (back in the Rapunzel era you couldn't get that one, and now it is Anna and Elsa you can't get, but other than whichever one is new the rest are pretty available). You can also change packages too- last fall my DD switched from the full out Princess package to the special Halloween Minnie dress and package because she fell in love with that dress when she walked in. Great for me because it was cheaper! My DD thinks it is fun to make it a secret from either her Dad or I what dress she is going to pick. She and the Fairy Godmother in training go off and conspire on their own in whispers as to what she will be. Actually, that is one of the reasons I like buying the dress there- I think it is fun to see what she suddenly chooses once there-- she has surprised me. She has also totally changed her mind as to who she wanted to be once she got there so knowing my DD if I bought one at home and brought it, when we got there, she would suddenly really really want to be someone else and start begging for a new dress. Considering I turn into a total pushover at Disney, it is cheaper for me just to let her pick it there to begin with!


We do BBB in the morning, and my DD will wear the dress the rest of the day until park closing. When she was little, she then wanted to wear it every day until we left WDW, so we just let her. I think part of this is because many of the the CMs will make a fuss over girls in Princess dresses. They know how to make kids feel special. DD isn't shy and she liked the extra attention she got when she was wearing a princess dress. There are kids who want them off after an hour or so, so I would bring her in something that she can put back on and be happy in for the rest of the day if she gets uncomfortable in the dress and wants it off.

As far as the shoes, I would absolutely not let her run around the parks in the shoes. Even if her feet hold up to the brand new shoes and don't get blisters, the shoes won't hold up to all that walking. You will find yourself having to buy a new pair of shoes before you leave WDW. We've had to do that with a cute pair of sparkly BBB flats that DD wore for a few hours walking around in the parks. DD wears her BBB shoes for the BBB photos, then we let her change into them for CRT, and then at character meets she can change into them in line if she really wants them on in the photos.

 

[mom2rtk]

Bring sneakers, flip flops, ballerina flats, whatever she finds comfortable for a day of walking in the parks. (I have NO idea how my daughter tolerates flip flops and ballet flats, but those are her choice).

Do get the shoes for some photos before changing though, then bring them home for dress-up.

My daughter did BBB 6 times and has now outgrown it. Such wonderful memories.

 

[mrsgoose8]

thanks all for the help! I can't remember because i booked it so long ago- did I prepay for a package already?

I think i will let her do the whole shebang unless i happen to find an Elsa dress before we go.

She wore glitter TOMS when we went when she was 3 and got compliments all the time on her princess shoes. Bonus- she was comfortable! A win win! but thanks for the tips on wearing the shoes for the photo shoot- not sure i wouldve thought of that!

 

[mom2rtk]

thanks all for the help! I can't remember because i booked it so long ago- did I prepay for a package already?

I think i will let her do the whole shebang unless i happen to find an Elsa dress before we go.

She wore glitter TOMS when we went when she was 3 and got compliments all the time on her princess shoes. Bonus- she was comfortable! A win win! but thanks for the tips on wearing the shoes for the photo shoot- not sure i wouldve thought of that!

You don't prepay at BBB. You guarantee it with a CC.

 

[ktlm]

One other thing I thought of about the shoes, they will let her pick a different shoe than the dress if the ones for her Princess are not comfortable or she does not like them. You just have to ask. DD got pink sparkly Aurora flats with her Snow White dress because the Snow White shoes they had at that time hurt her feet. She wore those shoes as regular shoes once we got home and I'm pretty sure the next year she got another pair of those same Aurora shoes with her Ariel dress because she loved them and wanted them in her size again. Actually we've bought another pair of those shoes because those are the ones she wrecked walking around the park, and I had to replace them before leaving WDW the first time she got them. (FYI- DD pretty much wrecks whatever pair of shoes she wears in the parks. I often wind up throwing her nasty shoes out after a WDW trip!).

 

[mm1971]

Hi all! My nearly 5 year old has an appt coming up at BBB. She is totally sold out on all things Disney. She would LOVE the experience of picking the dress shoes etc (not what i have *currently* reserved but my understanding is that you can change that upon arrival?).

I've been reading some of the threads on here and people aren't loving the quality of those dresses any more. Speaking from "just" a disney store dress up dress, i didn't find it to last any longer than her target brand ones... that being said, i think i could swallow the price since you do get all the shoes etc. What do you think... Worth it or a waste? we do have plenty of dress up dresses we could bring.

if they had anna or elsa i could definitely change my mind! But i'm not holding my breath.

My other question is, can they even walk around the park in those shoes that they get? or should I save those for dress up at home? Her appt is 8 in the morning, and we were planning to spend much of that day in the parks.

TIA for any help!!

We went with the whole experience. Dress, shoes, the whole thing and DD LOVED it. The dress lasted well and she grew out of it before it was worn. I say for a first time, go for it and enjoy the full experience.

Yes, you can change your mind when you are there. I will caution that they will sometimes run low on certain sizes and making the appointment and letting them know the dress and size ahead of time gives you a better chance of no being disappointed. The shoes were fine. DD wore them all day without any issues.

 

[mrsgoose8]

Thanks for the replies. Maybe I'll call and update my request.

Another question- BBB for boys- same age requirement, right? My 2.5 yr old will likely be jealous of my daughter -- he likes princesses too (for now, he basically likes whatever she likes ) -- and I'm afraid he will feel left out.

Anyone know if he would have to be 3 also?

 

[ElizabethG]

My DD has been 4 times and we never bought a dress there. I always brought one. I've just always found one shopping around that I like better. She has gotten hair, makeup, and nails. She never even asked to buy anything while we were there. She was so enamored with the whole experience.

My DS always went with here. He loved the attention he got from everyone afterwards. I'm not sure on the age limit, since DS is older than DD. But you can call and ask. If he is too young, you can always bring him to Harmony Barbershop.

DS and DD after BBB:

 

[kittyab]

On our next trip I plan to hit the disney store before I fly out . Much cheaper!

 

[estephenson]

You don't prepay at BBB. You guarantee it with a CC.

is that like a hotel where the keep a hold of the amount on your card until it's actually paid? Or are you just giving them a card number?

 

[mom2rtk]

is that like a hotel where the keep a hold of the amount on your card until it's actually paid? Or are you just giving them a card number?

It's just a guarantee in case you don't show. You pay after the make-over.

 

[Winnowill]

thanks all for the help! I can't remember because i booked it so long ago- did I prepay for a package already?

I think i will let her do the whole shebang unless i happen to find an Elsa dress before we go.

She wore glitter TOMS when we went when she was 3 and got compliments all the time on her princess shoes. Bonus- she was comfortable! A win win! but thanks for the tips on wearing the shoes for the photo shoot- not sure i wouldve thought of that!

If you call Disney stores close to you in the mornings, they'll tell you whether they got Elsa dresses (and any other Frozen merchandise) in. I saw them last week IN STOCK in two different stores.

 

[AngiTN]

I guess I'm an odd one. I love dressing DGD up in a fancy dress for BBB but I opt for a custom I bring with me vs. a dress you see on every other little girl in WDW. We go for unique instead. So that's where our money goes. DGD hasn't cared one bit that she didn't get a costume dress. She loves being oohed and awed over having something different

 

[AngiTN]

Thanks for the replies. Maybe I'll call and update my request.

Another question- BBB for boys- same age requirement, right? My 2.5 yr old will likely be jealous of my daughter -- he likes princesses too (for now, he basically likes whatever she likes ) -- and I'm afraid he will feel left out.

Anyone know if he would have to be 3 also?

Pretty sure 3 is the minimum age for anyone at BBB

I'd take him to the Barber Shop instead