Lisa loves Pooh said:
This is incorrect.
First haircuts are more than $9...more like in the $12-$15 range (I forget exactly) and for the FIRST Hair cut you get:
My first haircut Mickey Ears
Certificate
Silly picture (you take--but they do the big scissors gag--I think they will do this for anybody, this is just our experience as well as my friend who is a former CM)
And a keepsake lock of their hair
My friend has had this for both of her children--her other friend whom they went to Disney with last December had it done for her child and I had it done for both of my child.
You defnitely keep the ears.
If you do not designate that it is their first haircut--then there is no ears.
I think the harmony barber shop had a few things that they did often for kids, so people thought it was the norm. Then they got a couple of articles written up stating they do this, this and this and now everyone has come to expect it.
We have been there twice and each time a very different experience. My son's first hair cut he had the ?spanish lady, she was very nice and did a great job! The quartet came in and sang (coincidence) and she had some stickers she handed to me to put on him while she cut. The light spinner I had seen her use while we were waiting (a good two hours) so it was on the counter if I wanted to grab it. Never once did the big scissors or cute mickey cover come out. She gave him ears (to keep) and a certificate along with keeping every piece of his hair!
The second time we had Michael, there was a former cast member in line behind us waiting for him and he entertained my son much more then Michael even once thought about it. But we didn't go there for entertainment, just the atmosphere. There was no light spinner, I think he did hand me stickers again, but not like the first time and there was a deck of cards, they had just gotten in boxes of them and the guy in line was playing 52 card pick up with my son. At the end I gathered them all and cleaned them off (they hit the floor quite often) and handed them back. He said, oh keep them and enjoy! They tried to give us mickey ears and a certificate again, of course they cut a good 9 inches off so thought it was his first haircut.
No singing, no big scissors, nothing fancy but lots of fun just in the old style barbershop. My personal opinion is that it has gotten this image that they aren't really taught to do and that magazines have written up, not necessarily disney's doing. We enjoy going but have waited well over 2 hours each time.
And don't be fooled by the people in front of you, the second time the entire time there were hardly any, then right before it was the lady in fronts turn she called her 5 kids in their walkie talkies to return! Yes, 5 of them! That threw us for a loop, but oh well!
I have always been satisfied with the cuts, although I do not think it is a salon. I think of it more like a fantastic sams, etc (cheap cut places). There are no sinks or anything to wash your hair first so in my opinion how good a job could really be done.
My son has had 3 cuts, 2 at disney and one at a kiddie place. The kiddie place was absolutely horrible, but it grew back and I didn't really care, it was right before christmas so his hair looked strange in pictures, but all kids will have a bad hair cut at some point in life!
Go and have fun, but don't go expecting this or that!