We did it! We survived Disney on Ice! We went to Disney on Ice, the Frozen version, a few years ago and I got it in my head that it was time to go again. And I was right! Yay me!
So I loaded up Chicken, who refuses to look anything like a princess, and Nugget, who insisted on wearing a pilgrim hat (I mean, it’s Disney on Ice. So clearly you go with the pilgrim hat), and off to the Moda Center we went. Having not been there in ages, I was paranoid about parking. That meant we arrived so early, we were literally the second car there and had our pick of spots. Oops. We sang in the car for a while and then made our way to get in line to actually be let in. All the other children, who were wearing all kids of Disney costumes and had their hair styled to perfection, looked absolutely adorable and I loved seeing them all. I’m sure people thought there was something wrong with my ragamuffins. Oh well.
We wandered around and looked at the overpriced merchandise and bought overpriced popcorn and water. Seriously. It’s like highway robbery. And then we went to our seats. On time. Early, even. Take note people! On time! Fair warning- I am about to rant. Please feel free to skip the remainder of this paragraph. I would estimate that two thirds of the people arrived late. Two thirds! I clearly have young children. I get that stuff happens. But people- you can do better! We were in the 7th row and it was so frustrating that we missed a good portion of the first quarter of the show because we couldn’t see due to people coming in late, standing in the aisles, making people get up to let them find their seats- how did they all have mid-row seats?!? After having some sort of moment of whatever the equivalent to road rage is related to venue seating, I engaged in some radical acceptance and moved on. And the show was great. But seriously. Show up on time.
The show quality was even better than I remembered from last time. The sets and costumes were beautiful. The level of detail is exactly what you expect from Disney. They sound quality was high- everything was crisp and clear. The choreography was fun, everything was colorful and well paced. The “host” was a bit annoying, but aren’t all Disney hosts? They had skaters fly through the air on fabric ropes, they literally made fire on ice. It was magical. The kids were on the edge of their seats, and Nugget’s mouth was honestly hanging open at some points. Of course he will never admit to that.
The families who were sitting in the front row, basically on this landing on the ice, got a really cool added perk. Several of the kids got brought onto the ice to ride on props, sit next to princesses, talk to the host, things like that. The kids that got selected looked over the moon and will probably remember those moments for years to come.
Chicken’s review: “That was fantastic! I definitely want to go again!”
Nugget’s review: “But they didn’t do Hamilton.” After clarifying that this was Disney on Ice so they only do, well, Disney things, he said “but I thought everything was Disney.” So if your kid goes to Disney on Ice expecting to see Hamilton, they will likely be disappointed. Nugget does not feel the need to go again, and that’s ok.
What it is: full of Disney magic, scenes from your favorite Disney movies acted out on ice, well paced, gorgeous, colorful, musical, engaging, empowering, focused on strong female characters, family friendly, a wee bit cheesy, something you should show up on time to.
What it is not: Hamilton, cheap once you walk in the door
Do we recommend it? Yep! Absolutely! Unless you are looking to see Hamilton. Then you should probably sit this one out.
You can find the schedule and ticket information at: https://www.disneyonice.com/tickets
Adventures with Chicken and Nugget 