Price/Availability of Princess Costume at Epcot?

[GusGush]

We have our Princess Dinner at the Norway Pavilion in mid-November, and I have told DD4, that she may wear a princess dress this time.

(Three previous times we got away with a comfortable church dress....I have put this off because I find those costumes to be itchy and non-breathable, not to mention hard to tour around in prior to character meal.)

Anyway, there is no getting around it this time, and I'm trying to decide if I should buy one before we go or wait and buy one at Epcot right before the dinner that night.

Pros of buying one now are the sales....She wants Sleeping Beauty, and it's on nearly half-off at Disney.com right now.

Con of buying it in advance is: we'd have to pack it and then drag it around with us all day before the dinner....Also, price. Can anyone tell me what we are looking at in terms of price for a princess costume inside Epcot? The one I see on Disney.com is not the "Deluxe," although Deluxe versions of different princess' gowns are on sale there for $49.00, down from (gulp) $79.00.

Bippity Boppity Boutique is not right for us (just not my scene), but where in Epcot is it? Is this the only place to buy princess dresses? Wherever they are, will the dresses be higher inside the gates of Epcot? Would you say they are BETTER (selection, poofiness, embellishment, razzle dazzle, whatever) than I can buy online or at the Disney Store at our mall?

Thanks for any advice....

 

[melancholywings]

If you buy before hand you won't have the temptation of buying all the accessories that can go with the dresses while in the park. Also you can let her romp around the house and see if she finds the dress itchy (if you put her in a tank and shorts it might not be so bad).
DD wears her princess dresses all day (for three different trips) and wouldn't have it any other way. She loves the interaction with the cast, when she's Snow White she'll get asked where the dwarfs are, when she's Cinderella she was asked if she found her glass slipper, Minnie she was asked how the boss was doing, and the best of all is once a tiny little girl came up and asked for her autograph in her autograph book. It can really change the experience, and enhance the 'magic' of your visit.
In the park I think the dresses range from $65+ and up. A crown is another $20 or so. Outside of 1, all of ours were purchased on ebay or resell shops. They are official park ones, and have held up (multiple kids, 3 years and 3+ trips) - except sad to say the Sleeping Beauty one. It was the most problematic as far as fit and quality and won't last a fourth trip.

 

[daleswife]

My DD went as sleeping beauty last year when she turned 4. My Mother found the dress at walmart on sale for $5!!!!!!!!! They are $20 regular at walmart. You can also check KB toys. I think they are $20 there too. Check Ebay. They have a lot on there. Let her wear it all day long. I did with my lil girl. IF she says its itchy, pin a tee shirt in it. Thats what I did. My DD wore it all day and night. She didnt wanna take it off. Good Luck!!!

 

[Stasieki]

My DD has the current Princess Aurora dress from Disney Store (not the Deluxe) and I find it to be not itchy at all. I got it one week before it went on sale, though

 

[stopher1]

Last year we went to see Cindy and her step-sisters at 1900 Park Faire at the Grand Floridian, and DD4 wore her Cinderella dress that we brought with us. We got a nearly identical dress to the one they had at the Disney store at Target for less than half the cost. DW simply laid it out flat on the bed, then folded it gently and put it into a gallon-size ziploc bag. After the air was taken out, it was nice and flat in the suitcase. It came out nicely and really didn't look worse for the wear. She was thrilled to bring it, and we were thrilled to not have to pay WDW prices for a dress that she wore once or twice the entire trip. Back in the ziploc it went for the trip home...

 

[stitchineeyore]

do you sew, or know someone who does? there are terrific patterns out there, and you can be sure that it won't itch 'cause you choose the material.

 

[vcr]

For the price, it's definitely better to buy it ahead. After Halloween the Disney Store will have sales. Even better, if you have a Goodwill near you, now is the time to look. I just got my 3 year old 4 outfits for her dress-up box there. Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, Little Mermaid, and Tinker Belle for $7 each and they were all Disney Store dresses. Last year I got her a Cinderella one with the Disney Store price tags still on it. One had a "stain" that washed right out and the other 3 were in perfect condition.

 

[NY_MOM]

Better to purchase before hand as the prices in Disney can be "ALOT". You can try Walmart, Target, the Disney Stores or outlets or disney shopping which now have sales on their costumes. You can also purchase accessories at these places at a lower price. The key is to put something light on the child clothing wise and put the costume on right before the dinner..so they won't be so hot.

 

[Julylady]

To pack the dresses, I roll them as tightly as I can and put them in gallon size Ziplock bags. They really flatten down and don't take up that much room. As soon as I get to the hotel, I put it on a hanger and fluff it out a little. The wrinkles seem to fall out and they are ready to wear!

 

[justwinnie]

I agree with the PPs-- buy ahead! The Sleeping Beauty dress from disneyshopping.com is really nice and has satin sleeves, which should be less itchy than the sheer fabric that has been used on the older versions. The WDW version of the dress has the sheer sleeves and is in the $60 range. You can buy the dress, shoes (this year's lights up!), crown, and light up wand from Disney Shopping for less than the dress in Disney World.

If you definitely want the Sleeping Beauty dress, I would just oder it online. The Disney Store near me often runs out of sizes close to Halloween and there's very little left after Halloween.

In Epcot, there are princess dresses for sale in Mousegears. And in some of the countries. There's one or two kiosks in front of Norway with princess gear, but I'm not sure if they have actual dresses for sale there. It might just be accessories. Bibbidy Bobbity Boutique is only in Downtown Disney or in the Magic Kingdom, not Epcot.

I always pack the princess gowns in ziplock bags. It helps contain the glitter and it compacts them. I pack 4 or 5 gowns each trip and it doesn't take much room. They're really lightweight overall too. If you had to bring it to Epcot, you can just throw the ziplock into your bag and pull it out when needed. The dresses poof right up!

 

[tassma]

I could be wrong but it was my impression that the official Disney princess dresses are a lot nicer than even the Disney store version. I am not sure your princess will care and the prices are quite a bit lower, but that was my observation.

They do run about 65 dollars.

 

[Darcy03231]

I just got back and most of the dresses were $65 and up. I would definitely get it ahead of time. I bought Cinderella (for $20) and Snow White ($25) ahead of time and brought them with us.