If your kids aren't princess obssessed would you..

[saavyplanner]

THANKS EVERYONE! I stepped away for a few hours and came back to such great tips and advice. Such great information and feedback to help us make some good decisions.

 

[juliekzp]

I second the suggestion of dinner at Grand Floridian 1900 Park Fare -- it's Cinderella, Prince Charming, Stepmother, and both Stepsisters, and they are hilarious. So you get a bit of princess but also a lot more fun for those who aren't all that into princesses. I'd also skip BBB. With two princess-crazy daughters, we've still never done it because the hairstyles are so ugly!

 

[G719]

The Ivy Trellis at the grand floridian is another option for a princess makeover. We had this done and my girls got 2 completely different gorgeous hair styles. We did the complete package and I'd do it again but just get the hairstyle. I didn't think the makeup and nails were worth the $40 difference. You can paint their nails yourself. The hair is worth $50. It may be more now since the article is from a year and a half ago. In november, it was still $90 for the whole package plus added tip. The ladies at the salon were some of the best CMs that we met on the trip too. You can even get a haircut there too. We saw a young man come and get his done while we were there.

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...with-new-perfectly-prepared-princess-package/

 

[karasmom]

The way that you seacribed your family - I really would not do CRT! It is too expensive (for the same money you can eat elsewhere - twice!!). If your daughter doesn't care that much about princesses... The castle "wow" factor won't do much to her either. As for Akershus... I find that even more princess centered... I would skip it as well. Maybe look at the Garden Grill. Food is yummy and ther restaurant rotates and GREAT character interaction (midget. Pluto, chip and dale) (And this is from a mom of two girls who are obsessed with princesses).

Rather go eat somewhere that has better food

As for BBB - I would probably let her do that. If she is a girly girl she will enjoy getting her hair done and the big deal they make about the whole experience. It will not take up too much of the day.

 

[ttintagel]

The Princesses were never the draw at CRT for me; It was the experience of walking through those doors and actually eating *inside the big castle* that thrillef me. However, if that's not something your kids have expressed interest in, combined with the ambivalence about princesses, then you're probably not missing anything.

We got the barber shop pixie dust as adults because one member of our party was getting her hair cut there and had a birthday button on. We also got some really great henna tattoos on the porch outside a souvenir shop in Africa in the AK. That could potentially be fun for boys and girls.

 

[DavidNYC]

If they weren't into princesses I would definitely skip the castle dinner mostly due to the cost (but if cost isn't the issue - it's always exciting to eat in the castle). Akershus is also pretty expensive but I also really like the meal and atmosphere. Id say if you want some princesses but not spend a whole lot of time and effort that's a great choice. As for BBB -also would probably skip. Get her face painted at one of the Disney Springs booths for far less (can't remember if there's anything in the park for more traditional face painting). The BBB results are absolutely adorable but I see just as many girls want to take out the hair after a short time! One of those things I will never suggested to my daughter but would have probably given in if she asked for it after seeing the other girls (she never did!)

 

[ttintagel]

Just another thought I had: Even if she's not into princesses at home, your daughter is likely to see hundreds of girls her own age walking around the park in princess dresses. As kids sometimes do, she may start feeling the need to have one herself. And them suckers don't run cheap at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. If you're able to get hold of a cheaper one at home I'm and tuck it away in your suitcase for such an exigency, it might be a good idea.

 

[Keyser]

I'll just chime in - you know your kids better than any of us. I have two daughters. One had only minimal interest in princesses, and almost no interest (to this day...) in makeup/hair, while the other is almost the exact opposite. While we did do a princess dinner with the first one once, and she liked it "fine", it would have been fine had we skipped it. And, BBB would have been a waste.

Meanwhile, the other one has 1 main memory (though she does remember more) of our Disneyland trip, and that was BBB - she still talks about how much she loved it, and at the time, she did not want to let us mess up her hair - ever. Just about her only memory of Disney World (we didn't expect her to remember much that trip) was meeting Sleeping Beauty (the other one was some pool we swam in!).

Your daughter is probably somewhere in between mine. I'll just say that if you decide to do a princess dinner, I think CRT is a really good choice (would choose it over any other character meal we've been to) - the castle location for one, and the fact that the characters really seemed to spend more time with us - the only time I haven't felt "rushed" when we met characters (though they still probably weren't there that much longer).

 

[Bullseye]

It was nice to do CRT once for the experience. I did take the video camera with me to the bathroom so I could do a remote "This is Rich live from Cinderellas bathroom" so that was fun but overall I wouldn't do it again. Another option might be BOG. You get a picture with Beast, eat in a castle, but no princess interaction

 

[Nancyg56]

If you want to try a princess meal, go with Akershus. It's easier to get, it's not a pre-pay and it's cheaper. I actually like the food and atmosphere better. I took DS to CRT when he was 5 and he enjoyed it, but we really went because I wanted to! If no one in your family is interested, I wouldn't spend the money.

There are GREAT face painting places in each of the 4 parks. It costs about $16 for the face painting, there is usually no line and you can simply walk up without a reservation. If DD isn't interested in BBB or Pirate's League, there is no reasons to invest all of that time and money in those experiences!

I agree with this and with the poster who suggest that you not fall into the trap of believing you must do all of these things to have a Disney trip.

I would book Akershus and get the kids faces painted in DHS or AK. I took two little girls, both PRINCESS FANATICS, in August. Booked every Princess meal there was, packed a ton of Princess Dresses, and had their hair done at the Ivy Trellis in the Grand. Never again. I will pack their sun dresses, book Akershus and any other character meal that they like the food at, and skip the hair, CRT and the costumes. For some kids, the "Extras" are not only not necessary, they are not wanted. These two little Princesses fell into this category, and while we (I) loved every minute of taking them in their dresses, they were tolerating much f it.

 

[kayteekt]

Our favorite princess meal was at the grand Floridian... I forget what the restaurant is called but they have Cinderella, evil step sisters, step mother, and prince. The sisters are awsome... Dd was dressed as Cinderella and evil step sister comes and says omg you look just like my dishwasher and then begs ds to give her kiss and marry her... And he said yes (he was 3) and kissed her cheek and omg did she make a deal about that and got her "mom" to come meet her new husband..... It was awesome ... I have done the other 2 princess dinners and was 100% not impressed. The one in the grand Floridian is blew the other two away.

Yes, 1900 Park Fare is a great alternative! That set of characters is only there for dinner.

 

[kayteekt]

Hello! Taking our kids (6yo DD, 4yo DS) on their first WDW trip. We are pretty close to our 180 window opening so I am trying to figure out our "must dos."

Our kids are excited. That said, our daughter only has a modest interest in princesses. It was never huge for her and it's only getting smaller each month. I am also not sure she's even aware that eating at Cinderella's Castle is a big deal. Our son could care less. So, I'm trying to figure out if we still want to (try) and book it. I've heard that Akershus is a good (less pricey, easier to get) alternative.

What about the Bibbidi Bobbidi experience? She likes getting her face painted and probably would like her hair done but I'm not sure how much it matters and/or if it is worth the price and/all of us waiting for (or planning part of a day around). Are there other less involved face-painting or other experiences on site or at the hotels?

My gut is that we don't have to do these "must dos" but my only fear in not acting is realizing that we "should have" in a few months.

Thanks in advance!

Our daughter has been to Disney 6 times and only on our last trip did we do the BBB...and our daughter has always been very in to the princesses We've done CRT twice, Akershus all of the other times. Personally, we like the food and less rushed pace at akershus better. We had a pretty non magical experience last time at CRT (but our first time was really great but that was prob 5 yrs ago). They rushed us in and out, food was blah, they have a special wish ceremony thing at the end which they didn't do. Asked the waiter, he said their PA system was down...while I understand, I was disappointed with that since we had my niece and it was her 1st trip. Had dining, seems like a waste of 2 credits. Just our experience though.
But, if your kids really aren't that interested...i would most def skip! There are so many restaurants, character meals, dinner shows I would just go after something they do love.
As for the BBB, you can always book it and then cancel if you change your mind. Again though, if there's no interest...no harm in that. There's so much to do in the MK, you won't miss it! Oh and like others have posted, there are the pirate/mermaid makeovers if they like that sort of thing.

 

[Disneylover99]

Just another thought I had: Even if she's not into princesses at home, your daughter is likely to see hundreds of girls her own age walking around the park in princess dresses. As kids sometimes do, she may start feeling the need to have one herself. And them suckers don't run cheap at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. If you're able to get hold of a cheaper one at home I'm and tuck it away in your suitcase for such an exigency, it might be a good idea.

This.

My daughter was never into princesses, but when she saw the girls coming out of the bbb, I could tell that she wanted the experience. She never mentioned wanting it the whole trip, but she always stopped and stared at the little princesses walking around the park. The next trip, I booked it, brought a Tinkerbell outfit with me and she went to bbb followed by lunch at CRT. She loved it!

 

[StirlingSilver83]

I have 2 boys who aren't really into princesses and on our last trip we had an ADR for CRT and Akershus and they loved both of them. Although I wasn't really impressed with CRT...I thought it was too expensive for what you got...but you are paying for the experience of eating in the castle. All in all it was a good experience but I don't think we will be booking CRT for future trips. We will just stick with Akershus

 

[Gracie09]

What about the mermaid package at pirate makeover? She can get her hair and face painted but it's not princess.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

Hello! Taking our kids (6yo DD, 4yo DS) on their first WDW trip. We are pretty close to our 180 window opening so I am trying to figure out our "must dos."

Our kids are excited. That said, our daughter only has a modest interest in princesses. It was never huge for her and it's only getting smaller each month. I am also not sure she's even aware that eating at Cinderella's Castle is a big deal. Our son could care less. So, I'm trying to figure out if we still want to (try) and book it. I've heard that Akershus is a good (less pricey, easier to get) alternative.

What about the Bibbidi Bobbidi experience? She likes getting her face painted and probably would like her hair done but I'm not sure how much it matters and/or if it is worth the price and/all of us waiting for (or planning part of a day around). Are there other less involved face-painting or other experiences on site or at the hotels?

My gut is that we don't have to do these "must dos" but my only fear in not acting is realizing that we "should have" in a few months.

Thanks in advance!

What about the Pirates League? Both can do that, they have a Mermaid package, and they do hair and face makeup. Your DS4 will have a great time, too. Last visit our DGD4 did the Wonderland Tea Party at the Grand Floridian. Lots of fun!
Oops, I see the PP had the same idea!

 

[Mambo Junkie]

Also, check into the Jedi Training Academy at HS. Both may enjoy that as well.

 

[msk]

I have done both Askershus and CRT; with and without costumes. Askershus for breakfast is wonderful! CRT is good for both dinner and breakfast (We have done both). If I had a child who was not really into princess I would choose Askershus. I also would not do BBB (we have never done it so...) Those children look so uncomfortable all day. Usually our kids wear their costume for an early morning breakfast and then change and store it in a locker all day. I agree with several PP's don't fall into the "must do" trap. Choose things you know your family will enjoy on this trip. Who knows they may want to do the other things on the next trip!

PS - Your son might enjoy the 1900 Park Fair dinner with Cinderella and her step sisters. They are so funny and make a big deal over the boys.

 

[leebee]

As others have said, don't fall into the "must-do" trap. Remember that you are at WDW and your kids are going to be overwhelmed with the parks themselves; "extras" aren't necessary to have a wonderful, amazing time!

Princess meals... When DD was young and princess-obsessed, there were very few princess meet-and-greets, no FairyTale Hall, no princess tent in ToonTown. CRT was the only princess meal. We still didn't do it, because of the price and the ho-hum nature of the food. We have finally done all 3 princess meals (CRT, Akershus, and 1900PF) and really like 1900 best of all. The buffet food is actually good, there's a huge variety, there are characters for your son to enjoy, too, and it's just a lot of fun.

BBB... never an option for us, as it didn't exist when DD was young. However, I look at those little girls in their plastic shoes, polyester dresses, hair pulled back tightly enough to raise their eyebrows, trudging through the parks in Florida heat, and can't help wonder what their parents are thinking. Just my opinion, but there's no way we'd spend money- or park time- to do this. We have done the glitter/gel thing from the barbershop, and sometimes DD would do her own hair with glitter, etc., from home, but no BBB for us. DD never seemed to mind- and she WAS a princess-girl! (The only time we took a princess dress to WDW was the year we had dinner at 1900. At that time, the Beast was in the lobby for m&g. We had a non-park day so only dressed DD for dinner, in her Belle dress, did her hair and nails myself. The pictures of her with the Beast are adorable- and nobody realized she had her sneakers on under her dress. Worst thing you can do at Disney is sacrifice your feet!)

You can get some really cool face painting done at AK for under $20. There is also hair wrapping at AK and HS (and other places... these I know for sure), but be careful as they charge by the inch of the finished wrap, which stretched DD's hair out longer than we'd anticipated so it cost more than we thought- and the beads are extra. She loved the wrap, though, and it lasted WAY longer than a hairdo from BBB would. I think she wore that wrap for months, until it fell out on its own!

 

[kayteekt]

Don't fall into the trap that any one thing is a "must do". Just because it is popular doesn't mean it is a good fit for your family. If the kids really aren't into that type of thing, don't do it. We never have and nobody ever cared about it.

You can get face painting done in the parks.

Yes, this absolutely! Do what's best for your children/family.