Prices on Princess Dresses in Parks vs Disney Store?

[addiedisney]

When we have gone in the past I have shipped a new dress for DD from the disney store, however this time she has "earned" her dress as a reward, and would like to go to the store and pick it out.

What is the price difference buying directly from the Disney Store vs in the parks?

Thanks!

 

[graceesmom]

Disney Store dresses are generally $39.50 (regular price)
Disney Parks dresses are $59. They are not the same dress. We have some of each. The park dresses generally have a better shape and are a bit more ornate.

 

[dissybroad]

I know this isn't the budget board, but I got a lot of 11 Disney princess dresses/outfits on ebay for $141. They were in great shape, just had to sponge a little chocolate off the hem of one dress. These were the $60 styles, lots of detail on the princess dresses.

 

[Sgt Mickey]

I think if you go online to the disney store you can order the park dress at the disney store and I think the one I bought my dd was $60. It was Belle and I think it was the same in the park

 

[mandas08]

We just got home yesterday and most the dresses were 69.95 at the parks

 

[addiedisney]

Thanks for the info. One more question...Where would you take a 4 yr old that wants to choose her own dress? Where is a good selection? Somewhere in MK would be best for us.

Thanks!

 

[Angie_T]

We just got back. We went to Downtown Disney and looked at dresses. I checked with BBB there and they informed me that Rapunzel was the most popular dress and that sizes M, L, XL were sold out on all Disney property. They had one Small left so we bought it there and took it with us to BBB in the castle. They had other dresses at the store at DD but no Minnie dresses.

 

[cinderellamom123]

I would try to bring a backup dress.
I felt that the dresses in the disney store at home were much nicer and less expenive. The problem with the disney dresses (besides the higher price) is that the styles and sizes were limited when we were there. We had people calling all the stores for us to find a medium ariel. I felt like we spend half the day trying to find a dress. It was a big hassle.

 

[nannye]

I would say the BBB at Magic Kingdom would be the best shot,or Castle Couture, They are the ones stocked before other stores.

You can bring a back up dress or pre-order for piece of mind. According to the BBB thread it does happen that they run out of a dress, but it is pretty uncommon. Shoes are a different story!

If BBB at MK doesn't have it, than likely no one does.

I have both dresses and I prefer the Park dresses. They do cost more, but they have held up better than the non park ones. I also got it dry cleaned after a chocolate milk spill and I don't know about getting the non park ones dry cleaned.

 

[TomorrowlandFamily]

Question, are the dresses "scratchy"? How's the material? I was thinking of buying a couple of dresses from etsy since they say they use softer.smoother material.

 

[nannye]

Question, are the dresses "scratchy"? How's the material? I was thinking of buying a couple of dresses from etsy since they say they use softer.smoother material.

I brought sleeveless undershirts to go on under V's cinderella dress, but it kept peeking out so we took it off for pictures and she wasn't at all bothered by being itchy

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

Does anyone remember the deluxe "limited edition dresses" they made a few years ago? They were a bit pricey like 150 i think but they looked really good and the fabrics seemed to be of a much better quality than the ones they make now.

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

Does anyone remember the deluxe "limited edition dresses" they made a few years ago? They were a bit pricey like 150 i think but they looked really good and the fabrics seemed to be of a much better quality than the ones they make now.

 

[capeseal]

I have found that the park dresses are slightly nicer than the Disney Store dresses though both are nice. DD tried on a Disney Store dress from last season and found it very itchy and uncomfortable. However, going to the store recently, I thought that the textures of the latest dresses were slightly softer and, if worn with a slip or undershirt should be fine. Another alternative that would give you a good price combined with comfort would be the princess nightgowns at the Disney Store. (25% off this weekend!)

DD wore park dresses bought used and new on eBay during our latest trip and, even when not wearing an undershirt, was completely comfortable. The quality of the park dresses is good, but not $70 good, in my opinion. As I said, DD's were three separate eBay finds that combined came to the same total as one in the park dress. DD wears them all of the time at home and they wash pretty well in a mesh bag on gentle cycle and hang dry. The older park dresses are the most durable of the bunch and look new with the exception of some lost glitter after over a dozen washes.

We also have a dress from an Etsy seller. It is the most beautiful and the most expensive. If I could afford it, I'd purchase all of DD's princess dresses through Etsy as they are both beautiful and original and I feel good about supporting talented crafters with small businesses.

Another option for a gorgeous quality princess dress is a company called Bijan Kids. The dresses run around $100 but they come up on a deal site called Zulily every few months for around $50. My mom bought one for DD and it's really stunning and slightly different from the park dresses. They just sold last week on Zulily, so you may want to ask when they'll be presented again.

Phew! It seems like I typed quite a bit there. I think I am a little too familiar with the ins and outs of princess dress purchase due to my daughter's princess obsession.

 

[nannye]

We just got back. We went to Downtown Disney and looked at dresses. I checked with BBB there and they informed me that Rapunzel was the most popular dress and that sizes M, L, XL were sold out on all Disney property. They had one Small left so we bought it there and took it with us to BBB in the castle. They had other dresses at the store at DD but no Minnie dresses.

Minnie isn't available at bbb but is in other gift shops like the emporium in magic kingdom