Our Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Review

We recently took our first family trip to Disney World with our four-year-old daughter. In anticipation of the trip, I researched all kinds of suggestions and tips for visiting Disney World with a four-year-old. One thing that came up repeatedly was the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Magic Kingdom.

I showed my daughter a YouTube vlog of a family who went to the boutique, and she told me she wasn’t interested in getting her hair done, but wanted the dress. I didn’t look into it further and assumed finding a princess dress at Disney World would be easy. I was wrong.

Since the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique experience is so unique, the dresses sold there are for guests with reservations. So, you can only shop at the boutique with an appointment, and very few dresses are available at other stores throughout the park.

The more my daughter saw other little girls walking around Magic Kingdom in full princess wear and hair, the more she was determined to go herself. The whole experience was beyond impressive and one we will never forget.

There are a few steps to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique experience. First, when you arrive at your reservation time, you will be greeted by a Fairy Godmother in Training, who will check you in and get you settled in the waiting area.

You’ll then be handed a binder of the different dresses and packages available that you can review before being called in, but you don’t need to make any decisions until you choose a dress. A ‘dressmaker’ Fairy Godmother Apprentice will come and get you when it’s your turn to enter the boutique.

Depending on how busy it is, this wait can take a little longer, which is very hard on an excited princess.

Your dressmaker will call and escort you through the boutique to choose a dress. My daughter had been asking for a Cinderella dress, but had a last-minute change to her favourite character, Elsa. The cast member working with us was fantastic, and told her to bring both into the changing room; there was no need to decide immediately.

When the dress(es) are selected, they grab the right size and set you up in a private, luxurious dressing room with a magic mirror. My daughter tried all the dresses and landed on Elsa. Our dressmaker returned, showed her all the different hairstyles she could choose, and then left us to ‘chat’ with the real Fairy Godmother.

The mirror transforms, and the Fairy Godmother appears to sprinkle extra magic on your little one before they sit and wait for their hairstylist. At this point, you pay for the selected package, primarily based on the dress choice.

Next, your hair stylist will escort you into Cinderella’s Castle. At the time, I didn’t realize where the salon was, but it was pretty cool.

My daughter was a little nervous about this part of the experience, and we were so impressed how quickly Ines (our hair stylist cast member) recognized this and matched her energy. It was apparent how skilled this team was at working with kids and making them feel comfortable.

Ines took our daughter to her chair, showed her the chosen crown, and explained how she would do her hair. It’s recommended that your child come with freshly washed and brushed hair before their appointment at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, but since we got in at the last minute, her hair was definitely not crown-ready.

If you are in the same boat, don’t worry. It didn’t end up being an issue; it just took a little longer to get all the tangles out.

Once Ines did her hair and put the crown in place, she moved onto her nails and makeup. Our daughter has never had her nails done, so this was a total treat for her. Although she was a little nervous throughout the process, she warmed up at this part.

At the end of the princess transformation, Ines presented our daughter with a sash, a Cinderella necklace, and a bag with all her goodies to take home, including the makeup, nail polish, and extra bobby pins for her hair.

Finally, before we left, Ines announced our daughter to the whole salon as ‘Princess Elsa!’ We took our princess outside and snapped a few photos with the castle in the background.

The price at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique varies depending on which package you choose, based mainly on the dress. You can review different packages ahead of time on the WDW website to get an idea of what to expect.

Prices range from $99 to $229+ tax, but there are a few exclusive dresses you can choose from and pay for in addition to the package price. These dresses are displayed in the waiting area and are made of the same quality as a wedding dress. We skipped over those; the packages include so many great dresses.

Our package included the entire hair and makeup experience, the blue Elsa dress and accessories (snowflake purse and snowflake headband), the crown for her hair, and all the extras they let her take home (makeup, nail polish, bag, sash).

There is also a Photopass photographer in the salon taking photos the whole time. These get uploaded to your Memory Maker account — one of our top Disney World tips — so you don’t have to worry about capturing everything yourself. Let’s be honest, though…I had the camera out the whole time.

The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique can be booked on the My Disney Experience App up to 60 days in advance. Since we didn’t book this beforehand, we had to keep checking back for cancellations.

In case you are also like my husband, negotiating with the Fairy Godmother apprentices at the boutique’s door does not work to get you in. The only way is to keep checking the app; chances are you can grab a spot.

You can find the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique located just behind Cinderella’s Castle in Magic Kingdom. You will need a valid park ticket to Magic Kingdom on the day of your reservation.

The Boutique is open to children ages 3-12 and there must be at least one (or up to two) adults accompanying for the duration. Similarly to other rides and experiences at Disney World, you’ll need to park your stroller in a designated stroller parking area rather than bringing it into the boutique.

Similarly to my answer on whether a trip to Disney is worth it, the short answer is yes. Long answer, if your child loves princesses, getting dressed up, and can sit for the time it takes to get their hair done, then I recommend this over and over again.

While it is expensive, the cost of the dress and accessories alone make up a good portion of that. The whole experience can take up to 90 minutes, with many dedicated cast members with you during that time. We were blown away and believe there is a lot of value for what you get.

Plus, you likely don’t need to pack extra clothes for your little one because they will only want to wear the dress for the rest of the trip. We speak from experience.

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