Mermaid Party at Once Upon an Island

“Life is the bubbles, under the sea.”

(We were given a discount, but, as always, all opinions and photos are mine)

Once upon a time when I worked for the Happiest Place on Earth I dreamed of one day having a little girl that would love princesses as much as I do. Dreams really do come true, our sweet Rosalie Belle does indeed love princesses. So when she asked for an Ariel party for her 5th birthday I squealed with delight, since I too had an Ariel party when I was younger. I knew immediately where we had to have her party…Once Upon an Island. As soon as you get there, you can see why this would be every little girl’s dream come true.

I’ve talked about this place before, HERE, it is such a magical little gem hidden away on the island of Balboa Island in Newport Beach California. The original owner was a dear friend of mine from my Disney days. You feel like you have stepped into a whole new world inside the shop. They have an area for mermaid makeovers, which our daughter was in seventh heaven getting her hair, makeup and nails done.

Once all the girls arrived they each got to put on their own mermaid outfits, which they loved. Then they headed to a separate area for playtime, story time and photos. The kids got to play freeze dance, sing with Ariel, listen to her story and more.

Then they have the most beautiful set up for tea time. I did not have to bring any decorations, which saved me so much time!!! Every detail is so thought out and I could not have done it better myself.

They supply the pizza as part of the party package, but you are allowed to bring other goodies for the party. Most places you are forced to buy their food, I loved that I could bring just a few of Rosie’s favorite food items and a few things for the adults too. I brought in cupcakes and a small cake from Ralphs (they do a great job for very low cost). The cupcake toppers I bought from AMAZON HERE. (affiliate link).

Speaking of adults, they have an entire area reserved for the grown ups. It has a few chairs, coffee station and free wifi. Such a great idea if Dad wanted to step away to watch the football game for a few minutes.

Then my favorite part was actually going down to the sand to become an actual mermaid. The kids got so much attention just walking down the street to the water. Then the staff helped put on all the mermaid tails and the girls got to make their way down the beach. It was pretty much the cutest thing ever, I think the pictures speak for themselves.

Even our sweet Colton didn’t mind being surrounded by the girls and enjoyed playing the part of Prince. They do have fun pirate and prince dress up options for boys as well.

I did make these very simple goody bags for each little one to bring home. Just some blue chocolates with fishy crackers to make it look like they were swimming. Then I added a little mermaid tail (found at Hobby Lobby) that said “thanks for swimming by Rosalie’s 5th birthday.”

The party was a huge hit and our sweet Rosie is already asking when she can go back!;) Once Upon an Island isn’t just for parties, you can also drop in for one of their story times on a weekday, or one of their camps. Go to their website or call for more info.

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