Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique: 4C Edition

If you’re traveling to the Kingdoms or the magical seas with littles, chances are you’ve come across Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. While many raisins (people who are raisin’ kids) can book this magical experience without a second thought (well, aside from cost), many moms and dads of Black princes and princesses, especially, are hesitant to tap that book button for fear of disappointment or, even worse, hair damage when a possibly unexperienced fairy godmother’s apprentice goes in for the style. 

Disney has heeded feedback, it seems, and has been training their BBB cast members to work with a wide variety of hair types. Keep reading to see how they did with Maui and her 4C locks.

What is Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique?

With locations in Disneyland, Walt Disney World and even aboard Disney Cruise Ships, BBB offers would be royals aged 3-12 the chance to receive a magical makeover at the hands of fairy godmother’s apprentices. 

What do you need to know?

• Reservations are highly recommended and can be made 60 days out at the parks and when your excursion window opens aboard the ships.
• Packages can range from hair, make-up, nails to complete costume transformations. Prices vary based on experience chosen.
• Up to two guests can accompany the child receiving the makeover.
• Children should arrive with clean hair. A lice check will occur, although they make it sound much nicer. 😉

@magicmemoriesmayhemActually, I just booked a pre-park opening Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique reservation, but they’ll never know the difference. 🥰 #MagicKingdom #BibbidiBobbidiBoutique #DisneyWorldTrip #DisneyTips #BlackGirlMagic #BlackBoyJoy #DisneyMom

♬ Once Upon a Dream – Invadable Harmony

The Package Options

The Deluxe Knight Package

As you can see, the dresses and accessories really affect the overall cost, so my money-saving mamas and dads, consider purchasing these prior to arrival. You can often find them on sale after Halloween, at your local kids’ consignment sale, yard sales or even on Freecycle!

Next, we were escorted into the boutique that was absolutely filled to the brim with dresses, costumes, accessories and all things royal. You know, just in case you didn’t already get guilted into the deluxe castle package by your little sweetie. Luckily Mo’ was way into the matching dresses and she already knew she had a Tiana gown for the next night back in the hotel room. Way to hold strong, princess!

This is also where they choose their hairstyle. The littles are able to choose from four styles for the main packages:

• Royal Braid: Adorned with accessories
• Enchanted: Classic bun
• Fantasy: Curly hairpiece and flower halo
• Pixie Magic: Ponytail accessory and flower halo

Mo’ opted for the Fantasy style, and as luck would have it, the halo was an exact match for her dress! I couldn’t have planned it better myself!

We were then escorted to the royal chamber where we found her t-shirt (and where she would’ve changed if we had chosen a costume package). This is also where the lice check, yes lice check, occurs. You can never be too careful, I say as a licensed barber and elementary school teacher. 😉 They don’t say it’s the lice check, but be prepared for an apprentice to sift through your child’s hair for a bit before a special visit from the boss babe herself.

Once the dressing and lice check stage is complete, your official apprentice will escort you across the way to the actual salon inside Cinderella Castle. This is where the magic happens! Your cutie will receive their hairstyle, make-up and nails once seated (based on package selection). This process takes about 20 minutes. 

PhotoPass photographers are on hand to take photos throughout this part of the experience. Have your My Disney Experience app ready, as they’ll link up a PhotoPass card for your child’s session, then they’ll continually scan that card as opposed to your QR code or bands. The flash was pretty harsh in our pictures, so I prefer the ones I caught myself. This is another area Disney might consider training for, as the pricess is not the same when photographing all skin tones, especially indoors using artificial light.

Mom’s Image

As a whole, Mo’ really enjoyed the experience, and I was satisfied as the one footing the bill and hoping for a happy princess. Maui is actually now interested in doing the Knight’s Package, but that’s going to be a hard sell since it’s pretty much just hair gel and confetti, which you can get at no cost over at Harmony Barbershop. I also have a sneaking suspicion that he was just interested because sister was the star of the moment. 😉 But you know if we do it, we’ll have all the details for ya!

What do you think?

Will you book Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for your mini royal? Or would you rather opt for a DIY approach? Let us know in the comments, and feel free to ask any questions we didn’t answer, too! Thanks for reading!