With little kids, Disney entertainment is big in our house. Check out these tips for getting the most out of your Disney on Ice experience.
After we used the last of our 4 day Disney passes, I had to wrestle with the reality that it may be a while before we return. To be honest, the first month was pretty easy, but the longer we’ve been away, the more I’ve missed it.
When our Girl Scout Troop began talking about going to see Disney on Ice, I got excited. Then, they decided it was too expensive. And I was bummed.
I knew I needed my Disney fix! Thankfully I have kids, so I could pretend my daughter really needed to see Mickey. I secured our passes for the first night Disney on Ice started in our city.
Initially, I’d planned to take the whole family, but my toddler son isn’t ready for late night events. Then, we decided hubby would stay home with the toddler. Instead, I’d take my Aunt and his Mom as a thank you gift for watching the kids when we take off for our shared Autocross hobby.
*Disclaimer: This post was created in partnership with Feld Entertainment. I was provided passes to view Disney on Ice in exchange for this post.
So, we had an early dinner and planned to leave 30 minutes before the time I wanted to arrive. Essentially, I planned to give myself an hour to park, grab our tickets, and treat my daughter to a snack and souvenir.
Unfortunately, our trip started out pretty frustratingly. My 30 minute drive (which was supposed to account for some traffic), turned into about 45 minutes. One thing we didn’t account for was traffic heading to the same area for a baseball game in an adjacent venue. Traffic and parking was terrible and significantly cut into the time I planned to spend enjoying the venue before finding our seats.
When we arrived, we headed toward the security check. Security will check bags before allowing you to enter the building.
After security, we entered the building where they were taking tickets. I let them know I had tickets waiting at Will Call and I was directed to exit the building and head toward the side for Will Call. When I arrived at the side, I was instructed to enter the building where I’d just come from and tell them I needed to go to the Will Call table. I explained that I had already been there and that I was instructed to come to her.
Seeing that I was obviously bothered with the confusion, the employee ushered me in through a side door and walked me to the Will Call table herself. I was utterly grateful for the assistance at that point.
We rushed through the vendor area, selected a souvenir cup filled with red ice, and headed to the arena to find our seats. Barely settled in our seats, the pre-show with Mickey began.
My daughter was immediately drawn in. Her smile and enthusiasm washed away all the frustrations I’d experienced to get us there in time.
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How to Prepare for a Great Disney on Ice Experience
Choose an appropriate time
Do your research on how long your chosen show runs for. Additionally, take into account your child’s age. Aside from finding out the Disney on Ice ticket age requirement, you need to determine if your child is capable of handling the show. Children 2 and under are free if they sit in an adult’s lap. However, they may not be ready to sit still and quiet through a long show.
How Long is Disney on Ice Worlds of Enchantment?
Disney on Ice: Worlds of Enchantment is a 2 hour show. A 7:30 show start time was too late for our almost 6 year old. Getting out shortly after 9:30, we sat in the parking garage for 30 minutes, and we weren’t home until 10:30 p.m. In the future, I’d be careful to see how long a show is and likely choose an earlier start time.
Check for other events in the area
In order to determine your travel time to the event, ensure you plan ahead. If your venue is close to other venues, be sure to check on events happening in similar time frames. Adjust travel time accordingly.
Build in time for entering the building
Build in at least 15 extra minutes to get through lines for purchasing or picking up tickets and getting through the bag security checks. Once in the building, the crowds tend to move pretty quickly to get through souvenir and snack lines as everyone is trying to get to their seats in time.
Decide what’s important
Although the Mickey pre-show started right on time, I don’t know if it was worth the hype to rushing to our seats. My daughter enjoyed it and it helped to get her pumped for the show. Still, we could have missed it if we needed the time.
Know your prices
A Disney on Ice experience isn’t complete without throwing around a lot of money. You know, it’s Disney, so souvenirs aren’t cheap.
The cheapest shaved ice souvenir cup was $12 that I saw and we splurged for a $15 cup. Other souvenir prices started at $8, though they were few and far between. Generally, you can plan to spend $12 or more on each souvenir at the event.
Our Disney on Ice Experience
Our show was Disney on Ice: Worlds of Enchantment. As I said earlier, it was a 2 hour show. The length of the show wasn’t as much concerning as the time we chose. Lesson learned.
This show was packed with 4 skits featuring Toy Story, Little Mermaid, Cars, and Frozen. The first and last skits were the longest, while the 2 middle were significantly shorter. Basically, each skit was a highly shortened version of the movies.
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S was completely enthralled with the show. The smile on her face said it all.
I, however, was really disappointed with how little time the cars were given on the ice. I loved this part of the show the most.
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Still, bringing the characters to life was an amazing experience for us. Of course, Frozen was the absolute perfect act for the ice.
S fell asleep on the ride home, which is completely abnormal for either of my kids. When we arrived and opened her door, she cried about wanting to be in bed. Thankfully, she wasn’t difficult to get back to sleep right away!!
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Regardless of your plans, you’ll have a great Disney on Ice experience.
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2 comments
These tips are really helpful.It seems this is an exciting experience.Preparing with other activities and plan the right time can be helpful for kids to enjoy!
Yes, planning will make it easier for the whole family to make the most of the experience together. 🙂
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