Be Our Guest | The Memorable Journey ~ The Affordable Mouse

Be Our Guest: How to Become a Disney Princess

Nancy Be Our Guest, Disney Community March 18, 2011March 17, 2011bibbidi bobbidi boutique, disney world princesses, plannning a disney vacation 2 Comments

Today’s post is courtesy of Disney Guru! Recently Theresa wrote a wonderful review of the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique on Disney Guru and not only shared how the experience works, but also provided some tips for saving money too!

Princess For A Day

Most little girls dream of being a princess. The dresses, the hair, the castle, and of course the title of “Princess”. At Walt Disney World, that dream becomes a reality for children ages 3 and up.

Your child’s transformation takes place at the Bippidi Boppidi Boutique inside Cinderella Castle or at the World of Disney store in Downtown Disney.

Once you arrive, your daughter is given her invitation to “The Ball” which comes straight from Cinderella herself. When it’s her turn, she is addressed as “Princess (enter child’s name)” and then escorted to her awaiting throne. Princesses get pampered by their own stylist. . .er, Fairy Godmother In-Training who will give them a royal manicure, hairstyle, and makeup all while a Photopass Photographer captures the memories.

Read the rest of the article……

Be Our Guest: The Disney Chick

Nancy Be Our Guest August 14, 2010August 5, 2010disney blogs, the disney chick, walt disney world 0 Comment

The Affordable Mouse is on vacation this week, at Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort. While I’m gone, I am featuring some of my favorite Disney bloggers, for your reading pleasure. We’ll be back next week with the usual schedule….along with a trip report, pictures, and a few surprises. 🙂 Until then, enjoy today’s Guest Blog!

We’re wrapping up our Guest Blogs this week with a visit from The Disney Chick. I love Amanda’s blog, as she always has a fresh, humorous take on things at Disney, and frequently has me literally laughing out loud at how funny….and true….the situation is. Today’s post is a perfect example: The Five People You Meet in Line at WDW. While she wrote this a couple of months ago, I still think of it regularly, as it describes perfectly, those folks you meet when you visit Walt Disney World. If you have been, then you know. If you haven’t, you will find out…… 🙂

Walt Disney World: it’s a jungle out there. To help you cope, I’ve compiled a short field guide of people you will likely encounter while waiting for your favorite ride.

The Inchers – These people thrive in attractions like the American Idol Experience, Mickey’s Philharmagic, or Muppet Vision 3-D, where an entire group enters at once versus a traditional line. When presented with such organized chaos, the Inchers will drift toward the periphery of the crowd and proceed to – you guessed it – inch their way towards the front, positioning themselves directly in front of the auditorium doors….

You can read the rest here: The Five People You Meet in Line at WDW

Be Our Guest: The Disney Driven Life

Nancy Be Our Guest August 13, 2010August 5, 2010disney blogs, the disney driven life, walt disney world 0 Comment

Today’s guest blog is The Disney Driven Life, a special favorite of mine, and probably everyone else with a Disney obsession. Something about Disney seems to create a special, oh I don’t know, maybe “obsession” is too strong a word…..but we do tend to get a little fixated. 🙂 J.L. (NDM1) has created a wonderful community of like-minded, “Disney-driven” folks….or as she likes to call them, “Neurotic Disney Individuals”…. who live, eat, sleep, and breathe Disney stuff. It’s awesome, and it is my fondest goal in life to one day be counted as a Neurotic Disney Mom. 🙂

Today, Stuart, aka NDD (Neurotic Disney Dad) #102, discusses how to save by staying off-site, OUT OF THE WORLD SAVINGS:

One of the biggest expenses in a trip to Walt Disney World is your resort room. Fortunately, it’s also the area where you have the most control over how much you pay. This makes it especially important to try to save as much as you can here.

Undoubtedly, the way to save the most on your vacation room is to stay off-site. There are a plethora of hotels, motels, condos, and vacation homes available in the Orlando area. Because Disney seems to gear its rooms mostly to families of four or smaller, staying off-site can be particularly beneficial for families of five or more. Staying off-site is also good if you’re planning on seeing some of the other attractions in the Orlando area. (But who would want to do that?)

You can read the rest here: OUT OF THE WORLD SAVINGS

Be Our Guest: Meltdown Free Disney

Nancy Be Our Guest August 12, 2010August 6, 2010disney blogs, meltdown free disney, walt disney world 1 Comment

One of my favorite Disney bloggers is Shannon from Meltdown Free Disney. Shannon, as a special educator, brings a fresh…and much-needed….viewpoint to visiting Disney World. In her words: ” Some families don’t find a week away from home as a “break” at all. In fact, a new setting, challenges in finding medical care, and a change in routine can throw families of children with special needs back because of the meltdowns, financial considerations, and overall stress.” Shannon’s perspective is always, how to make a Disney vacation stress-free, and well, magical.

I loved today’s post, From Terrible Twos To Terrific Time To Go for reminding us how great age Two can actually be, in more ways than one:

In my area, you have to get on a waiting list for preschool long before your first sonogram. I made the mistake of waiting until my second trimester to apply for a space, so I had a lovely wait list letter to start off my baby book. Kept it, and made a note of how he had managed his first hurdle before he was born.

When people say their kids are not ready for Disney, my perspective is skewed. I want to ask why they are waiting for the baby to be born, or something, because I can think of any reason to bring a little one-a very little one! We had a “babymoon” vacation in Italy, and being able to indulge in naps and desserts without apologizing was pretty amazing.

What people really mean is that they would rather not deal with diapers, tantrums, strollers, and short term memories on a vacation for which they may pay, well, a lot of money.

Here are a few reasons to reconsider, assuming you will be planning a few months in advance. The child before you with the baby bottle and teething ring could, in six months, be speaking in simpler sentences, and managing pull ups by the time you enter The Magic Kingdom.

You can read the rest here: From Terrible Twos To Terrific Time To Go

Be Our Guest: Disney Author/Blogger Lisa from Chip and Co.

Nancy Be Our Guest, Chip and Co. Posts August 10, 2010August 5, 2010chip and co., disney blogs, disney world for preschoolers, walt disney world 1 Comment

Today’s Guest is Lisa Battista, author of Beyond the Attractions: A Guide to Walt Disney World with Preschoolers, and writer for Chip and Co. Lisa shares the perspective of visiting Disney World with little ones, and offers some excellent suggestions for things to keep in mind when touring the Disney theme parks with preschoolers. In today’s post, Shhh…Naptime in the Disney World Parks, Lisa provides some ideas for that most unique challenge: trying to get naptime in while at the Disney parks:

The best laid plans… We took a family trip to Walt Disney World this spring and brought our then fifteen-month old son. He still naps (thankfully) and he’s not the type of kid who can skip some shut-eye during the day unless we want to deal with some cranky meltdowns. And we don’t. Before our trip, I tried to prepare him for sleeping in the Pack N Play and although it worked at night, he would have none of it during the day. So, with a hope and a prayer, sleeping in the stroller while we toured became our Plan B. He was so comfortable in our stroller from Orlando Stroller Rentals that many days it worked – but not all. Sometimes the heat, sunshine (even with a great canopy), and sensory stimulation was a bit too much for him to drift off. I needed to improvise and find some attractions that would lull him to sleep. I could then put him in his stroller and he would continue to nap while we toured. It wasn’t my ideal plan but I needed to find a way to get my son the sleep he needed and help the rest of the family enjoy the theme parks.….

You can read the rest here: Shhh…Naptime in the Disney World Parks