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List Price: $49.99
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Sometimes reviews for kids toys such as this are difficult.
As an adult you look at issues like cost, quality, durability, ease of use, whether a toy will be valued and treasured long enough to justify what you paid for it, etc. Kids, however, generally either like or dislike a toy--and that's that :>)
So, this toy arrives via the amazon vine program. I am to provide a fair and impartial review. Here goes:
1st impression: wow, that's a big box, I bet this is going to be a great toy!
2nd impressio:, box opened and for $50 you get a lot of little pieces of plastic to put together. For $50 there should be an Ariel and Eric doll included.
3rd impression: the instructions aren't very good and a couple of pieces do not stay affixed like they should--anticipate trouble down the road with durability once in play
4th impression: she's going to love this!
Now that the toy is "in play" I can say that my biggest issue is the price. This is a $20 toy, period. I took off 2 stars for that. My 5yr old granddaughter enjoys it, but it isn't on her favorite toy list. I bought her a mermaid Barbie from a discount store to use in the ship, so cost would be at $62 to play this set within it's "theme". It would have cost closer to $70 with an Ariel doll.
Like most little girls, mine loved all the little pieces to play with--arranging and rearranging them and making up stories. She liked that the ship opened to become Ariel's bedroom. However, had I not bought the added mermaid doll she would not have played with it as much...and she is still asking for an Eric doll like "in the picture"...sigh. That would put this playset at $100 and that is just crazy for a bunch of cheap plastic. I took off 1 star because this isn't well made or durable.
Nutshell, granddaughter likes it, but I would never have paid $50 for this.
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I recently reviewed Disney's Sofia Talking Castle, which I thought had issues when put into the hands of a young child, particularly in the area of durability. I also thought that set was expensive for what you got. While Ariel's 2-in-1 Royal Ship is marginally better than Disney's Sofia Talking Castle, the difference is not that much, and Ariel's 2-in-1 Royal Ship has another feature in common with Disney's Sofia Talking Castle: it is relatively expensive for what you get.
Because I recently reviewed Disney's Sofia Talking Castle, I am going to refer to that toy for comparison with this toy. To make things easier, I am going to refer to Disney's Sofia Talking Castle as the Castle, and this toy as Ariel's Ship.
As with all toys of this type, the first step is opening the box. I thought opening the Castle box was a challenge, even with a box cutter. The Ariel's Ship box was relatively easy to open in comparison. As I learned after assembling both toys, neither is intended to come apart ever, and Mattel clearly made the boxes with the thought that they would receive damage during opening and would then be discarded.
Once the box is open, the parts slide out easily. The larger parts are put into the box loosely. Smaller parts come in bags that are taped shut, which is a positive because sealed bags require scissors and scissors can be a danger during parties or on Christmas day. Chalk up a plus for Mattel on this feature. The bags for the Castle were sealed, which means they either need ripped open, which can be a challenge for people with arthritis or other issues, or a sharp instrument such as scissors or a knife.
The next step is assembly. Instructions in this era of "symbols" and assuming that people are illiterate can be more of a challenge than reading. Fundamentally, you are supposed to look at the pictures and divine how to assemble this toy. Frankly, I prefer written instructions. However, given that this toy needs assembled by people who are unfamiliar with English or who are unable to read, Mattel attempted to meet the challenge with pictures. Simply put, Mattel needs to do better on their instructions. In spite of some vagueness with respect to the instructions for Ariel's Ship, the instructions for the Ship were much better than the instructions for the Castle, which were awful.
I was surprised at how easily this toy went together, particularly after struggling to assemble the Castle. Pieces seemed to slide together relatively easily and the set was together in minutes. Note that once the toy is together, certain pieces are nearly impossible to separate from each other unless you damage or break something, so be sure you plan on having the toy together permanently, or until it becomes so damaged it becomes part of a landfill; more on this subject later.
This toy contains contrasts. Parts of the toy are relatively heavy plastic and seem rather durable. In contrast, the slide barely hangs on to the ship, and is a bit of a challenge to keep in place. I see the slide being one of those items that eventually gets tossed to the side as being relatively useless. Ariel's Ship opens to form a sort of house, and this set comes with a table with built-in platter, a bed, a table with a lamp, and a Dressing table with a mirror that rotates 180 degrees to reveal a picture of Ariel and the Prince. The built-in platter has a lid and a post to support Sebastian the crab. As you open the lid of the platter, Sebastian bobbles a little bit intentionally.
I usually criticize toys for having small parts that are easily lost, and this set does have several small parts. However, this set also includes a treasure chest suitable for holding small pieces, including for storage. The treasure chest is a plus for this set and a similar piece should be included for storage with all sets having smaller parts.
As with most Disney and Mattel toys, this set is colorful and clearly intended to appeal to young children. Ariel's Ship is configured to be compatible with Barbie-sized dolls, which is another benefit since you need not purchase special dolls. If you are very lucky, your little one will not clamor for an Ariel doll to go with this set.
A couple of things bother me about this set. When the set is closed, it forms a ship, the first part of the "2-in-1." In this configuration, with one or two dolls on the upper deck, this toy is relatively tall, and thus relatively unstable. Several pieces extend above the upper deck, including supports to hold Barbie-sized dolls. I can see challenges for some children to attach dolls to the supports, and associated frustration. Once a pair of dolls is attached to the supports, Ariel's Ship becomes relatively top heavy and relatively easy to knock over.
To open up the ship to form a sort of bedroom, you lift the deck on a pivot, unlock the sides from each other, and open the ship. The problem is that once these pieces are separated, they are relatively exposed and the risk of breakage is high if someone grabs one of the pieces and tries to carry the set from one place to another. On the other hand, once the ship is open, the play area may be combined with other toys, and a Barbie convention may ensue.
While I was relatively unenthused about the Castle, I must admit that I liked this set somewhat. I think part of the reason is that the furniture seems relatively durable and is likely to outlive the ship. Several pieces of the ship are likely to fall off or be broken off, and those pieces will quickly disappear (the decorations and support on the underside of the upper deck come to mind). I can see lots of little girls wanting this set because it is colorful and associated with Ariel.
One last observation: I noticed that the Disney name is prominent on this toy, and Mattel gets little labels in the corner. Unfortunately, the Disney name seems to command a premium, regardless of the quality and value of the item. I suspect that Mattel is unable to command the premium prices that Disney can command. My guesstimate is that this entire toy, with box, probably costs $5 to $10 to produce. Throw in transportation costs and the entire toy ends up in a store for less than $20 in production and transportation costs, and I think I am being conservative, so the actual production and transportation costs could be much less. Compare the guesstimated production and transportation costs to the asking price for this set, and you realize that the Disney name is commanding a SIGNIFICANT premium.
Consider also that this toy is not designed, as toys like many of those made by Fisher-Price, as an example, to last for a lifetime, or to be passed on to another generation. This toy is a disposable toy that is likely to see a lot of wear and tear in the first weeks of use, and within two or three years, this toy is likely to be in a landfill. We seem to live in a largely disposable society.
This set has some features that I like, and certainly it will make Ariel fans happy for a while. Unfortunately, this set is not intended to be durable, and it will likely end up in the trash at some point, probably one piece at a time. Some furniture pieces are likely to survive the ship because they are durably designed. Indeed, the furniture would be nice to have independent of the ship. However, in view of the price and the relative lack of durability of the overall set, I am only able to give this set three stars.
Good Luck!
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Ok, so the Toy is pure happiness for Ariel fans like my 5 year old daughter. It folds and packs in everything in the ship it is in. My daughter is a big Ariel fan and already has various Ariel stuff.
Now I do think I needed to dock off two stars because of the price. It is more like a 29.99 toy. At the most 39.99 if they throw in a Ariel doll. I do not understand at times what people are thinking when they price!
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Without meaning this to come across as too harsh, I would present just one caveat for this product you're paying $50 for a plastic boat that doesn't include a doll of the character for whom it is apparently intended.
This toy does have some appeal for those young kids who want a ship for Ariel, and who already have Ariel or other dolls from the set. The colors are nice, but the craftsmanship is not great, and my guess it that this boat would cost about half the price were it not for the Disney name. I also wasn't impressed with having to do any assembly given the price tag.
Just a disappointing toy overall, with nothing that makes it stand out. Certainly not recommended at this price.
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I received this item as a Vine reviewer. I'm saying that upfront so that you understand that I did NOT actually pay $50 for this. But I sure would be angry if I had.
Look, it's a cute playset. For my daughter, who loves Ariel, it was a welcome addition to her toy collection. It's colorful and it opens up into a bedroom setting and it's a playset for her large-sized dolls, which she has very few of.
But looking at this, I'd say it's a $30 toy at best; you're paying the rest because it's branded Disney Princess. For $50, you don't get a doll, first of all; that right there was shocking to me. The toy itself is just a lot of plastic, and not the most sturdy plastic at that. It's big, but not as big as you'd think for a $50 set meant for Barbie-sized dolls (which it doesn't come with, which I think I mentioned).
Come Christmas, if you can get this on a good post-Thanksgiving Day sale at a cheap price, and if you have an Ariel loving child, maybe pick it up. But there's much better ways to spend $50 for Christmas.
