Today is our daughter’s 6th birthday, and we have a special day planned at Magic Kingdom. We have a lot of surprises planned including a princess makeover and dining reservations in 2 castles! We’re looking forward to a magical birthday with our little princess!
Planning a Magical Birthday
When Disney changed their annual passholder plans last year, there were significant changes. Besides the name changes and price increases, the blackout dates also changed for some plans. And when we renewed this year, we switched to the Pirate Pass. This pass allowed us to go in the summer which was previously blacked out in the old silver passes. Which meant, we can now take our daughter to Disney World on her birthday! So, we booked our favorite timeshare resort near Disney for an extended weekend in June.
There have been so many other changes the last few years, you have to have a general plan. For us, it’s about making our princess’s birthday even more special. Unfortunately the 2 things we want to do are not easy to do. The first is we want to take our daughter to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for a princess makeover. Unfortunately all of these boutique locations have not reopened since Disney closed during the pandemic. However, Becky was able to find a former cast member who still does these makeovers. And she will come to our resort in the morning!
The other thing we want to do is to eat in Cinderella’s Castle which is so hard to reserve. But we were able to book the Be Our Guest restaurant for dinner after searching for weeks. For us this is the best alternative, but we didn’t give up. The morning before, we scored lunch reservations for Cinderella’s Royal Table! So our plan is to surprise our daughter with a princess makeover in the morning before we hit the park. And once in Magic Kingdom, we will make our way to the castle for lunch, and ride some rides before dinner. Sounds like a magical princess birthday!
Princess Makeover with Princess Glam
So what is a princess makeover? It’s getting transformed into a princess of course. Basically, it’s getting hair and makeup done like a Disney princess in this case, and the perfect start for a magical birthday. It used to be offered in Magic Kingdom and other places like Disney Springs. But Disney is not currently offering these services. So, we set-up the appointment with Nil from Princess Glam to come to our resort room at 8:30AM. Nil is a fully licensed cosmetologist that used to work for Disney, but is now working on her own. And she shows up on time with all of her stuff in tow ready to go.
Our daughter wasn’t expecting the princess makeover and is totally surprised. She is a little bashful at first, but Nil does a great job putting her at ease while working on her hair. Our daughter’s hair can be difficult, but she lets her pick out accessories and colors. Her hair is effortlessly braided with butterflies, flowers and ribbons. A tiara is also included to complete the princess look.
After her hair she gets some makeup to complete the makeover. She would have done her nails too, but we already got hers done before our trip. And in about 40 minutes she is done. For more information about Princess Glam, check out her page at: Princess Glam | Facebook
Two Princesses?
Nil did such a great job that Becky asks to get her hair braided too. This is too much fun for just 1 person, and she said of course! So Becky sits in the chair to join in on the fun.
Nil does another great job on Becky’s hair. She does a big braid right down the middle adding clips to hold it all together. This was done at no additional cost, though we made sure to tip her well.
Finished Product from Princess Glam
After our daughter got her makeover, she just needed one thing, a dress. We surprised her with a dress of her favorite princess, Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. After she gets the dress on, the look is complete, so it’s time to take some pictures!
It took less than an hour and a half to do both makeovers. The birthday princess is ready to go, and after 10:15, we are ready to hit Magic Kingdom!
Magical Birthday Button, Photos and a Balloon for the Princess
Since we’re getting into the park late morning, we pay for the preferred parking. Since we are annual passholders, the preferred parking is the standard $25 for normal guests and sometimes it’s worth it. It gets us a little bit closer and we are on Main Street about an hour later with about 30 minutes until our lunch reservation at 11:50AM. First thing we need is a birthday button! We find out any store can give us the button at check-out. So, we head into the Emporium, the big store on Main Street. And at counter, we ask the lady for a birthday button. Without hesitation, she pulls one out and writes our daughter’s name on it. She even gives us parents 2 buttons showing we’re celebrating her birthday. The buttons are free and highly recommended if you are celebrating an event. But now it is time for pictures.
The other great perk of being a passholder is the PhotoPass pictures. Though with the new annual passes, it’s an add-on for $99. However, that’s for unlimited professional photos anywhere at Disney World for a year. So, we have to stop in front of the castle for some photos of the birthday girl. And after a few photos, our daughter asks if she can get a balloon.
You can really get beat-up by a balloon on a windy day, but today is mild and it’s her birthday. Their balloons are a balloon inside a balloon and are actually very sturdy. They also have weights attached so they don’t blow away. With balloon it tow, we head toward the castle. As we get really close, a couple offers to take more photos of us in exchange for taking some of them. OK!
Meeting Cinderella
We walk to the back of Cinderella’s castle to a hostess stand to check in. We are actually about 15 minutes earlier, but we are able to check in. And only after about 5 minutes, we are headed into the castle. Last time we were here, we got to see Cinderella walk by, but they weren’t doing character greetings. But this time, as soon as we round the corner, we are greeted by Cinderella.
The birthday princess listening to Cinderella
A cast member directs us to meet her and offers to take photos with our phone. This isn’t as good as a professional photographer, but it works. We are really impressed with Cinderella who talks to our daughter completely in character. She tells her “Happy Birthday Princess” and notices she is wearing an Aurora dress. She talks to her about Aurora and our daughter is loving it.
Royal Drinks
After our meet and greet with Cinderella, we take the spiral staircase to the dining room. We are seated right away at a table in the middle. We ask for ice waters as it’s already hot today, but we order more drinks. Our daughter gets a 50th Anniversary lemonade. It basically comes with what looks like a Mickey bath bomb that you put in your drink and stir. And as you stir it magically turns your lemonade pink. She loves it.
And Becky decides to get the Royal 50th Celebration Champagne Flight. It’s Disney’s special Enchantee Champagne which is a blend of wines only sold at Disney. And it is served 3 ways. The 3 glasses come out and one has strawberry puree garnished with a strawberry. The second has passionfruit boba pearls and Blue Curacao in it. And the last one has gold flakes. Our server then pours the champagne into each glass one at a time. The first turns gold and pink while the second turns blue. And the last one just sparkles with the gold flakes. It’s a magical way to celebrate, but we are ready for lunch.
Magical Birthday Lunch at Cinderella’s Royal Table
Lunch and dinner at Cinderella’s Royal Table is the same menu. Both have a Prix Fixe cost where you choose an appetizer, entree and dessert. And for appetizers we choose to not to get a soup or salad. Becky’s gets charcuterie with a selection of cured meats, pickles and more. And Paul gets the steamed mussels in a broth with garlic toast. And our daughter chooses cheddar cheese and grapes from the kids menu. Each is perfect for each of us. The mussels were excellent and surprisingly came with over a dozen. Our daughters cheese cubes and grapes were also a large portion, but the charcuterie was smaller and not very special.
For entrees Becky orders the beef tenderloin which is a standard dish here. Paul goes with the grouper en papillote and our daughter really wants the mac and cheese. She also gets to pick 2 sides and chooses green beans and buttered corn. The beef tenderloin is excellent and always a good choice. Our daughter’s mac and cheese comes out in a bowl with plenty of green beans and a small corn on the cob. It is a lot of food and she enjoys it. The grouper comes out in a folded bag you have to open. And inside is some potatoes and vegetables with some sauce. “En papillote” just means “in paper” in French, but the flavors weren’t great. Though filing, this wasn’t a great dish. Becky wins this round.
For dessert, Paul chooses The Clock Strikes Twelve which a special chocolate mousse dessert only made here. Becky chooses the Coffee Pots de Creme which is a custard and our daughter chooses the build-your-own-cupcake. Becky’s was underwhelming but Paul’s was good. However, building your own cupcake is a true winner.
Carousel and the Birthday Princess’s Favorite Ride
After a filling meal, it is after 1:00PM and we are ready for some rides. And after we leave the castle, the first ride we see is the Prince Charming Regal Carousel. Of course our daughter says she wants to ride the carousel. And looking at the wait times, it says 5 minutes. It is basically a walk on which is surprising. We’ve waited for this ride over 30 minutes before, but today we are on in a few minutes.
After the carousel, our daughter wants to do her favorite, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride. This ride typically has the longest wait times and currently shows 80 minutes. But it’s our daughter’s birthday, so we’re going to ride it. You can buy Individual Lightning Lane passes for this ride usually, but they are sold out for the day. These passes just let you pay to go in the shorter “Lightning Lane” line, but they sell out by the afternoon. But that’s ok because we don’t mind waiting for 1 ride.
We’ll see after this one, but this line already changes to a 70 minute wait when we enter. We’ve seen the line much longer so we’re optimistic. And we get on the ride in exactly 1 hour and 10 minutes. Lesson is wait times can be inflated. If the line seems shorter than usual, you’re probably right. And we’ve already done our daughter’s favorite ride at MK.
The Magical Birthday Continues
After 2 rides, the magical birthday continues. We can tell the crowds are not too bad today, so we decide to head to another favorite. The wait time for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad says 40 minutes when we enter, but again the line seems shorter. And we are right again. This time we get on the ride in 13 minutes!
After exiting we walk past Splash Mountain. However, it is still an hour wait and looks like it. So, we decide to head to Pirates of the Caribbean instead with a 30 minute posted wait time. Amazing we are on in only 9 minutes. Afterwards our daughter decides she wants to get out of her dress into something more comfortable. We can’t blame her, it’s pretty hot and she wore it longer than we thought.
After changing we stop at the popular Aloha Island Refreshments for some ice cream. This is where they have the popular Dole Whips and Becky gets an ice cream drink. And after we slurp down our melting ice cream, we jump on The Magic Carpets of Aladdin in only 5 minutes. After the ride, we leave Adventureland for Tomorrowland. As we are approaching Tomorrowland, our daughter points and says I want to ride that!
Astro-Orbiter
The ride she is pointing to is the Astro-Orbiter. Surprisingly, it’s the one ride we haven’t done in Magic Kingdom. So, let’s do it! The line doesn’t look to bad here either, but this ride typically does have longer waits. The sign in front of the ride says 20 minutes, though the wait times on the app say 40 minutes. The lines starts on the ground, but after 20 minutes we enter the elevator to go to the top. Unfortunately there’s another line at top, but it is much shorter. And in just under 10 minutes we are on the ride. Splitting the difference at 30 minutes isn’t bad for this ride.
The ride itself is very similar to the magic carpets or Dumbo where you go around in a circle. But this time we’re above the PeopleMover with a view around Tomorrowland. Maybe it’s just being a new ride for us, or being so high up, but we really enjoy it. Once the ride ends, we head down the elevator back to Tomorrowland. At this point it is less than an hour until our dinner reservation, but we think we could try another ride. We jump in the line for the Tomorrowland Speedway racing cars, which has a posted time of 25 minutes. But after about 10 minutes, the line isn’t moving so we decide to exit the line. We don’t want to be late for dinner, so we head toward the Be Our Guest Restaurant.
Appetizer at Be Our Guest Restaurant
The Be Our Guest Restaurant also known as the ‘Beauty and the Beast Castle’ is in Fantasyland. We arrive at the restaurant 15 minutes early and check-in. Unfortunately the lobby is much more crowded so we wait in a side room. It’s about 20 minutes before they call us to our table in the main dining area, The Grand Ballroom. The menu here is similar to lunch as it’s also a Prix Fixe price which includes an appetizer, entree and dessert.
We see another table get the assorted meats and cheese appetizer which looks exactly like the charcuterie at lunch. So, Becky decides to get their French Onion Soup while Paul orders the Captain Nemo Octopus. Our daughter orders the peach applesauce. The soup is always good here and the peach applesauce is ok. But the octopus platter is something else. The random chunks of cold octopus are accompanied by some random stuff like pickled beets and seaweed salad. If you’re adventurous you might like to try it, but probably the best option is the soup.
While we were eating our appetizers, an announcement that the master of the castle is happy we are here. Then the Beast walks through The Grand Ballroom waving and stopping at some tables. We wouldn’t consider this character dining as the Beast doesn’t go to every table and mostly just walks through the dining area. Though it still adds to the experience.
Magical Birthday Dinner at Be Our Guest Restaurant
For dinner, Becky very wisely chooses the center-cut filet mignon, and Paul goes for the fish again. They say it is a striped sea-bass tonight which we’ve never heard of. But sea-bass is usually very good. And we don’t let the birthday princess choose mac and cheese this time. So we order her the grilled beef tenderloin medium well with some zucchini and sweet potatoes. Though the fish was much better than lunch, it still wasn’t as good as Becky’s filet mignon. But our daughter’s beef tenderloin was over-done and they re-ordered it medium which was much better. Still very good meals and at least we didn’t have to choose dessert.
For dessert each of us got our own trio with a macaron, tart and truffle. The 3 little desserts put together are plenty to finish the meal. And each of them are delicious, especially the chocolate tart with Grey Stuff. The Grey Stuff is a Be our Guest special treat we’ve only found at this restaurant, and it’s yum.
After 8:00PM, we leave the restaurant debating whether to go on Splash Mountain or not. However, the wait is still over an hour, so the birthday princess decides she’d rather go back to our resort pool.
Summary of the Magical Birthday
Today truly was a magical birthday for our princess. After getting surprised with a princess makeover from Princess Glam, Becky joins in the fun. And after our daughter puts on her new dress we head to Magic Kingdom. After getting some photos and a birthday balloon, we head to Cinderella’s castle for lunch. After lunch, we go on many rides including a new one for us, the Astro Orbiter. And we finish our day at dinner at the Be Our Guest Restaurant before heading back to our resort.
First off, Princess Glam was the perfect start of our princess’s birthday. We highly recommend Princess Glam to anyone, and she does more than just princess makeovers. Check her out at: Princess Glam | Facebook. In addition, eating lunch and dinner at the 2 castles in one day is a 1st for us. It was quite a splurge, but we enjoyed them. The Cinderella meet-and-greet is so much better than The Beast walk-by though. Not sure why they couldn’t do a meet-and-greet with The Beast. Or even better with Belle? Though, Cinderella’s castle will always be our favorite at Magic Kingdom. We were also pleasantly surprised the crowds were not bad today and the heat was manageable. We got to ride many of the rides we wanted. And we really enjoyed the Astro Orbiter for the 1st time. Overall it was a magical birthday our princess will never forget!
Check out more of our adventures at Disney World at: Disney World Archives – Working Family Travels