Kids Nite Out–at Walt Disney World –and Parent’s Nite Out too….

October 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Ever since our Disney Cruise, Princess A has been begging to go to another Kids Club.  I had heard of the Kids Clubs at Walt Disney World Resort but on our previous trip Princess A wasn’t old enough (or potty trained).  Kids must be 3 years of age – and potty trained to stay at any of Disney’s 5 Kids Clubs. 

Scot and I decided we would take the opportunity to celebrate a belated Anniversary at the California Grill while Princess A was entertained at The NeverLand Club at Disney’s Polynesian Resort.  

The NeverLand Club

I went over before the club opened around 3:45 p.m. to meet the staff for a quick tour.  If children are in the Kids Club, adults are not allowed past the front desk for security reasons. 

The entire club was spotless!  The toys were clean and organized.  The Cast Member explained that I would be able to order dinner from a menu for Princess A when I dropped her off.  Dinner is included in the price which was $11.50 an hour – a two hour minimum is required. 

The Cast Member also explained that kids could participate in group games, dress-up, arts and crafts, watch a G-rated movie, or play independently.  Cast Members would be present throughout the club to entertain and supervise children. 

There are several different sections to The Neverland Club – which has a Peter Pan Theme. 

The Check-In Desk at The NeverLand Club is in Wendy’s bedroom.  Her bed is the front desk. 

How cute is this???

 

 

Kids enter the club through Wendy’s bedroom window….

 

 

Princess and Pirate Dress-up Area….

Arts and Crafts Area and the London Skyline

 

 

Video Games and Computer Room

 

Stadium Seating in the Movie Room

Free Play Area and Toys

Final Thoughts….

Princess A had a fantastic time at The NeverLand Club at Disney’s Polynesian Resort.  Scot and I stayed close by at for dinner at the Contemporary and then a few rides at Magic Kingdom.  On most of our trips we haven’t been able to ride the “adult” rides together since Princess A has been below the height limit.  It was nice to hop over to Magic Kingdom and ride a couple of rides together. 

We called to check on Princess A once and a Cast Member let us talk to her on the phone.  She reported she was having fun!

When we went to pick her up, our bill was 55.00.  I felt this was a very good price for babysitting at Walt Disney World.  This included just under 5 hours (billed in 15 minute increments) for Princess A at NeverLand Club and her dinner – which the Cast Member reported that she ate – which is a huge accomplishment.  I had selected grilled cheese, grapes and a cookie off the menu before we left. 

When you return, you must have your receipt or a photo id to pick up your child.

There are Kids Clubs at most of the Disney Deluxe Hotels. And, you do NOT have to be staying at a deluxe hotel to utilize Disney Kids Club.  You don’t even have to be staying in a Disney Resort Hotel.  You can make a reservation by calling (407) WDW-DINE – a credit card number is required to hold your spot. 

Kids Clubs are located at:

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge – Cubs Den

Disney’s Beach Club – Sandcastle Club

Disney’s Grand Floridian – Mousketeer Club

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge – Simba’s Cubhouse

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Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique–Final Thoughts

October 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Before we left Cinderella’s Castle, we noticed it had rained – not a light shower but a down pour.  Unfortunately, we had left our stroller uncovered.  Note to other parents, if it EVEN looks like rain – COVER YOUR STROLLER!  We know better but we had just been caught up in the Princess Make-Over experience! 

I had high hopes of pictures in front of the castle but it was pouring down rain – and as with all things at Disney – sometimes you just have to roll with the punches.  We made our way down to Exposition Hall to Mickey and Minnie’s and the Princess Meet and Greet area.  First up, the Princesses —

And, of course….

Last but not least, we headed over to see The Big Cheese….

Final thoughts…Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique was a great experience!  Princess A enjoyed it throughly and still talks about her Princess Make-Over at least several times a week.  The price ended up being 54.95 plus tax and tip.  We were sent home with a goodie bag that contained her make-up, a brand new comb that they give every child, and a couple of nail polishes.  She also got a crown, a Mickey barrette, and a sash as part of the make-over. 

How long did it last?  Well, I’ve heard stories of the up-do lasting for several days.  However, Princess A decided she wanted her hair down in about 4-5 hours.  I think the up-do is very tight!  I didn’t object to her request because we met another couple in the park who told us that they left their daughter’s up-do  in for 12 hours and it created a bald spot on her head. 

When we arrived back at our resort, we decided to wash Princess A’s hair before bed.  It was filled with glitter and dried gel.  Our Fairy Godmother-In-Training had told us to put conditioner in first, rinse, shampoo and re-condition.  This got out most of the gel…the glitter, however, is another story.  Four weeks post-trip, Princess A still has glitter on her head.  We wash her hair every night and we are making progress – However, there are still some signs of glitter!  The price you pay for a make-over….

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Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique: The Big Reveal

October 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Finally, Princess A was seated in her make-over chair.   Her Fairy Godmother–in-Training, Stephanie asked her which princess look she wanted.  She happily pointed to the classic princess look… Yay!  That’s my Girl!   The make-over began with hair first.  I’ve always wondered how they get hair as fine has my daughter’s to stay in place.  The secret is a thick coat of gel. 

 

Next the hair is carefully combed up into a high ponytail.  Did I mention it’s coated in gel???  More on how to get this out of your child’s hair later….

 

 

The Crown is put in place.  Princess A was able to select her own crown which was included in the price.  We had bought one because I didn’t know it was included – so we just returned the one we bought. 

Then each piece of the ponytail is tucked under to make a bun — After it is coated in gel. 

 

Then, the sides of the bun are pulled down to hold the hair in place. 

Next up, nails….  Princess A was able to select her own color of polish – she picked the one with sparkles.  All of the selections seemed to be fairly neutral colors. Nails are part of the Crown package.

 

Then, it was time for make-up.  Each princess gets her own mini-palette of make-up – that she is also allowed to take home.  It includes a couple of eye shadows, blushes and lip glosses.  Princess A picked the eye shadow, blush and lip gloss that she would wear that day.  Fairy Godmother-In-Training, Stephanie is holding the make-up palette in her hand in this picture. 

Then a set of sparkly jewels were applied to her cheek–Followed by lots and lots of hairspray. 

 

Then, with a wave of her magic wand (filled with glitter), Princess A was declared a Princess –with a Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo. 

The children are turned away from the mirror during the entire appointment so that they are surprised when they are turned around in their chair – this was my favorite moment of the entire experience.  Here are the photos – there are a couple of seconds between each photo….

Right before she opens her eyes….

She doesn’t recognize that is her in the mirror….

She still doesn’t recognize that it’s her….

“Oh, My Gosh!”

Loving her new look…

Getting a view of her Mickey hair clip in the mirror – also included with the package…

After the appointment was over, you can go next door and have pictures taken in a studio – prints are included with the Castle package.  However, we had bought the Photopass CD – and you can have your pictures added to the Photopass CD which you can print at home or through a local photo printing service such as Walgreen’s.  All of the pictures in this blog were from our Photopass CD. 

The Two Princesses….

Check back tomorrow – where I’ll show you some more pictures of our Character Meet and Greets – And, scoop on how we got out all the glitter and hair gel from Princess A’s hair….

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Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique – Part Two

October 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Our Experience

We checked in for our 3:00 appointment around 2:45 and the lobby was packed.  I had brought a Cinderella dress that we bought at the Disney Store for $19.00 with us.  I packed the dress in a gallon-size zip lock bag along with her petticoat and shoes. The boutique also sells dresses starting at $64.95 along with the accessories and shoes.  The dresses are hanging up in the waiting room but they are not prominently displayed so Princess A didn’t even notice the merchandise – and she notices everything! 

I discreetly asked a Cast Member if she would take the dress back and hang it up in the dressing room.  She happily obliged. 

The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique isn’t just a make-over – it’s supposed to be an experience.  So, the Cast Members caters to the child’s request.  What does that mean?  That means Mom and Dad don’t get any say in what the child choses to do with their hair or make-up.  Honestly, I wasn’t 100% on-board with this – after all, Princess A  is 3. I felt like the fake hair should wait until at least 5.  I didn’t know about this going into the appointment so I had to relinquish control and hoped that she picked the Fairy-tale Princess make-over. 

We waited and waited and waited…. We waited close to an hour before they called her back to get dressed.  The waiting room was packed but they did have a lovely cast member there to entertain the children.  She sat in the floor and read to the girls, asked them questions and got everyone excited about their make-overs.  She was fantastic and Princess A was entertained the entire time.

 

The main reason why I focus on the wait is that Disney Reservations will tell you the appointment takes about 30-45 minutes and it does – after your child is seated. If we would have had dining reservations, I would have panicked – and we probably would have been late unless I had allowed 2.5 hours for the appointment. 

Finally, Princess A  was called back to get dressed.  By the way, when you make the appointment, a Disney Reservationist will ask the name of the adult that will bring the child.  This is the only person that is allowed to bring the child and the only person who is allowed to accompany the child to the dressing room – I love that! 

The Cast Member led us back to the dressing rooms, she asked Princess A what the Fairy Godmother’s Magic Words were – Princess A said Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo and the Cast Member opened the curtain where Princess A found her dress hanging up on a beautiful hanger in a spotlight.  It looked fabulous – the dress looked so good that Princess A didn’t even realize that this was the dress that she had worn for dress-up many, many times before – Did I mention she notices EVERYTHING? 

Then, it was back to the waiting room – to wait. 

Another 20 minutes and we were introduced to Princess A’s Fairy Godmother in Training.  She took us to her chair and asked Princess A which package she would like…. I held my breath and secretly hoped she would pick the Fairy-Tale Princess….

Tomorrow is the big reveal…..  

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Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique on a Budget

October 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

On each trip that we take to Walt Disney World, I try to pick one or two things that we haven’t done before so that our trip is a little different each time.  Princess A was finally old enough for Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique (children should be 3 years of age) but I had heard of the outrageous price tag associated with a princess make-over at Disney.   Surely, there had to be a way to shave some money off the cost.  I knew prices could climb to $200.00+ and this just wasn’t in our budget.  I wanted Princess A to have her princess experience before she got much older but it had to fit into our trip budget.

For those who aren’t familiar with Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, let me give you some background information. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is a make-over experience for girls or boys with two locations at Walt Disney World.  One location is inside Cinderella’s Castle at Magic Kingdom and the other location is inside World of Disney at Downtown Disney. 

Girls can select from three different make-overs 1) Fairy-tale Princess, 2) Disney Diva or  3) Pop Princess.  Fairy-tale Princess is a classic princess look, Disney Diva includes Faux Hair (partial up-do with faux hair hanging down)  and Pop Princess which also includes faux hair – but has a more trendy Rocker look.  I would describe it as a toned-down Punk Rock – I think this look is actually really cute for older girls in the 8-9 year old range especially if they wear an everyday dress instead of a princess gown.   

Package choices include:

The Castle Package which starts at $189.95 plus tax (this price goes up depending upon the dress and accessories selected) and includes hairstyle, nails, make-up, photo package (one 6×8 photos and four 4×8 photographs and a themed photo-holder) and a princess gown of their choice, crown, wand, shoes and a princess sash.

The Crown Package which is $54.95 plus tax and includes hairstyle, nails, shimmering, make-up, crown and a princess sash. 

The Coach Package which is $49.95 plus tax and includes hairstyle, shimmering make-up, crown and princess sash – no nails. 

The Knight Package is for boys and includes hairstyling, a might sword and shield for 14.95 plus tax.

When you call Disney to make a reservation for the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, you do not have to select the package.You can select your package when you arrive at the Boutique.  However, you are required to give a credit card number to reserve your spot and there is a $10.00 penalty if cancelled within 24 hours of your appointment time.

I was certain going into the reservation that we were going to get either the Crown or Coach Package – which we did. And, I am happy to report that we never received any pressure to upgrade our package from any of the Cast Members.

We made our reservation for the Magic Kingdom location for 3:00p.m.  We didn’t have dinner or any special events scheduled afterwards.  Although, many guests like to plan a character dinner following their appointment.  We chose to let the appointment be the special event and Princess A isn’t a big eater so we didn’t want to waste money on a sit-down meal.  We chose to take her to a couple of character Meet and Greets in the park to take some pictures and let her walk around the park to experience being dressed-up as princess.  This worked really well for us and we didn’t feel pressured to rush to dinner. 

Check back tomorrow to find out how our experience (with pictures) at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique went….

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A Mom and a Mouse….

October 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Welcome to Eat, Sleep, Disney!   I’m Krista –Wife, Mom and Self-Professed Disney Fanatic!  My first visit to Walt Disney World was many, many, many years ago at the age of 5 – before Epcot – really before anything other than Magic Kingdom, the Contemporary Hotel and the Polynesian.  My parents took me on summer vacation and I was enchanted.

I didn’t visit Walt Disney World again until many, many years later when my husband and I took our daughter for her first birthday.    This time, returning to Disney World as a Mom was a completely different experience – one which I was admittedly unprepared for – now 10 family trips later, I decided to start a blog to help other Moms, Dads and basically any Disney Fan get more out of their vacation. 

Through our experiences, we have had the opportunity to attend and participate numerous Disney Special Events such as Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, and a Disney Cruise.  Our family enjoys being active so we have also been able to participate in many numerous Disney Races such as 5K’s,  Princess Half-Marathon, Donald Half-Marathon, Mickey’s Marathon, and Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge. 

I truly believe that there is nothing better than experiencing Disney through the eyes of your child and I hope this blog will serve to assist others in preparing for a magical vacation!  I would love to have you follow my blog!   Please join me by clicking on the icons on the right side of the page and if there is a topic you are interested in learning more about – please let me know! 

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