Florida: Part II....Part I

"Cinderella believed in dreams all right, but she also believed in doing something about them.  When Prince Charming didn't come along, she went over to the palace and got him."

-Walt Disney

Princess for a Day

I've been driving myself crazy trying to figure out how to start writing about our trip to Disney World.  But I have to start somewhere, so I thought I'd kick it off with The Princess Experience. 

We decided early on in our vacation planning that our princess-loving diva had to be treated to two things: a full princess makeover (for Ava; unfortunately I was too old) at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, and breakfast in Cinderella's castle.  I have to admit that I may have been more excited about this than anyone.  I booked Ava's royal transformation 6 months in advance, only because they wouldn't let me do it any sooner.  And it was totally worth it. 

Our appointment was at the same time the park opened, so we had to get moving pretty early.  The girls did a little dancing with Dad on the boat over to the Magic Kingdom to pass the time.

And then it was time to enter The Castle.  It was beautiful inside.  A small sea of little girls hung out in a charming little waiting area, before being assigned their own personal "Fairy Godmother in Training".  We struck gold with ours.  She was a grandmother and retired hairdresser that spends her days at Cinderella's castle just because she loves doing it.  She calmly offered up all of Ava's hair and makeup choices, then waited patiently for her to make up her mind.  And as always, my girl knew exactly what she wanted. 

She was adamant that since she was dressed as Belle, she should look like Belle.  This meant a long, curly ponytail.  But the package with the hair extensions didn't include a crown, so she insisted that we add that on. 

Mirror Mirror on the wall, who's the cutest of them all?

The children are kept facing away from the mirror until the transformation is complete.  Then, the big reveal...

"Yup. I was meant to look like this all along."

Lila was absolutely enchanted with Ava's new look.  She couldn't stop hugging the new, more regal version of her big sister.

 



Then it was time to break a little bread with the one, the only........Cinderella.  The experience begins with a photo op.

After which we were formally invited to join a bevy of Disney princesses in the upstairs dining room for some surprisingly good food. 

The entire dining room was treated to their own personal magic wand, then invited to join in on a chorus of  "Bibbity Bobbity Boo!" Lila used this little catchphrase about a thousand times over the next few days.

 Aurora (Sleeping Beauty, for those not quite as "in the know" as we are) was the first to make it to our table.

 

To my girls' delight, we next got up close and personal with Snow White.  She was so lovely, and the little extra effort she put in to make them feel special was the icing on an already pretty perfect cake.

 

Jasmine was an absolute must-see for Ava.  I think she was actually a little nervous here.

 

And last, but most certainly not least, was The Little Mermaid herself (minus the tail, of course).

 

The whole experiene was truly magical, and one I abloutely cannot wait to have with both girls together in a few years.  Cuz yeah, we're totally doing this again.