Our trip to see Disney On Ice

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I had the chance the day after Christmas to revel in my Disney Princess- lovin’ self and take my family to go see Disney on Ice Rockin’ Ever After.

I was excited to check it out with my son, who had never seen ice skating except on TV once.

The set design was incredible for being set up for only a couple days in the arena- check out this clip of the first storyline, The Little Mermaid. (I think the ticket money was worth it in the first half alone!) The cast also made some of the effects, including stormy waves on the ocean.

 

Another spectacular moment was when Rapunzel’s lanterns hovered over the ice (which I saw from the back after escaping the seats with a very fussy Wonder Boy). There was also sets such as a castle, town and a pub which transformed the ice into the movies flawlessly (and also helped with a couple special effects).

The show moves quick and even little boys have a lot to enjoy- especially the variety of swords and Mickey merchandise available.

My son was treated to a spinning light thing (whatever the appropriate name is, but there was a princess one and a Mickey one) which was $22. I didn’t let him spin it during the actual show, which most parents also must have enforced since they disappeared once the show started up.

There were photo ops available, dolls, shirts… come prepared if you want a souvenir. The cheapest one I saw (but didn’t get) was a coloring book for I think $5.

It was also great for entertaining the overtired Lil’ Wonder as we waited our turn in the parking lot.

My son had only just finished seeing the movies associated with the acts – Brave, Tangled, Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid.
He loved seeing Maximus behave for Rapunzel, cheered on Belle and the Beast, wiggled along with ‘Under the Sea’ and loved seeing the bow and arrows ‘fly’ in the Brave segment, except when Merida’s had a flare attached that spooked him the first time. (for those other kids who are easily spooked, the end of the show also has some fireworks.)

We ate before we went (though snacks were available) and had a treat of cotton candy during the show.

At the beginning Lil’ Wonder adored the lights and music and hopped along for a good third of the show. Then he got hungry and overtired and had to take breaks in the hallways.

Note: the Ontario Citizen’s Bank Arena, even though I was told there was a seat available, had nothing in the family room but a toilet and a changing table. I had a very kind usher lend me a chair so I could hang out and feed him somewhere a little quieter. (Thanks Kenneth!)

The audience had a low hum of children’s commentary at a respectable level, and even when Lil’ Wonder had a loud enough fit that I thought he was bothering everyone (the little girls behind me commenting prompted my escape) several people had not even heard him. So  little kids who don’t quite have theatre or movie manners quite down fit in great- it really is a great show for little ones to experience.

By the end of the show, Wonder Boy was a bit wiggly, so I highly recommend at least walking up and down the stairs to let off some steam. However, it held his attention the whole time and he told other people about it for days.

Moments you cannot miss-

-Ariel’s transformation and arial performance (that’s all I’m divulging)
-”Be Our Guest”
-Color guard flag work in Rapunzel (hey, I spun flags for nine years!)

Remember, Disney on Ice is coming to Long Beach the 2nd through the 5th for five shows! Check out this post for a code that gives a discount on a family four-pack of tickets.

Note: We took Lil’ Wonder and he enjoyed what he did, but we had to climb over other people twice during the show because it was late. I recommend leaving a baby at home or be well prepared (I had problems nursing him since he was so into the show and got dramatic). However, there were many babies there and some enjoyed most of the show, and some parents did a lot of watching from the doorways.