For Christmas we brought Madison a ticket to see Disney On Ice, Princesses & Heroes at Wembley Arena. It was the first On Ice Show that Madison has seen, but I am an old veteran as I had already taken Ella to see 3 different DOI tours over the years.
Madison went dressed as Rapunzel and was overflowing with excitement. Because I had to get home to collect Ella and Madison I decided to drive. This is the first time I have driven to Wembley and I have to say was pleasantly surprised how quick and straight forward it was. The venue and car park signage on route was excellent, but watch out for the speed cameras there seemed to be dozens of them. I had decided to pre-book my parking as I had no idea how busy it was going to be and also if it would cost more if I tried to find parking on the day. I booked with CSP Limited who are one of the official Wembley car park owners. It cost me £20, which I thought was a bit steep, but paid it as I wanted to know where I was heading and that I would get a space when I got there. As it turns out on the drive up to the Arena there are a large number of industrial units who were all offering event parking for around £10 cash. It would have been a bit further to walk and I am not certain I would have been totally happy leaving my car there and walking on my own with a 4-year-old when I don’t know the area. However, if we were to go again as a family it is something I would consider. Parking was very straight forward, we went in the red car park (they have two, red or green) and just pulled up, showed my booking confirmation and went straight in. Got parked right next to the exit on the ground floor, the car park was virtually empty.
We only had a 5 minute walk to the Arena and then we were inside. It was such a pretty site hundreds of little girls all dressed up as Princesses. I think I must have seen a costume for every Disney Princess you can think of. We had arrived about 30 minutes before the performance was due to start so it wasn’t too busy and the queues were minimal for toilets, refreshments and merchandise. This is the only part of the day that let it down for me. The merchandise! It really infuriates me that they charge the earth for souvenirs and refreshments at these shows. We passed a couple of sobbing children with the parents saying, “No you can’t have a slushy, it’s a waste of money!” And who can blame them at £8 for a souvenir cup filled with chipped ice and covered in 3 fruit flavourings! Despite feeling this, I went knowing that you are charged the earth for things at these events so Simon had given Madison £20 to spend. Therefore I let her choose what she wanted. When she handed the money over for her Tinkerbell Slushy and Micky Mouse Candy Floss complete with plastic crown and only got £4 change I felt physically sick, but took a deep breath and smiled. It was her treat after all.
After getting over my sick feeling we took our seats, which I have to say were brilliant. I had paid a little more than I normally would so we were rink side. We had an aisle seat 3 rows back and the view was excellent. The stage setting was very impressive, better than I had seen at previous shows. It wasn’t long before the lights dimmed and the music started. Madison was mesmerised for the whole show. She sat still, didn’t ask when it was going to finish and didn’t need the toilet through the whole performance. The show flowed really well with Micky and Minnie acting as presenters and then snippets from all the Disney Princess films being reenacted on Ice. I too really enjoyed it and couldn’t believe how quickly it went. The first half was 45 minutes followed by a 15 minute interval. They did walk round during the interval trying to sell you programs, flashing wands and refreshments which again I find frustrating. You’ve battled through the barrage of various stalls to get in and the children have forgotten about what they weren’t allowed to have, only to have someone with a great big smile start waving said items in their face and reminding them of what they wanted! Fortunately for me Madison was perfectly content with her purchases and didn’t bat an eye lid. The Dad sat behind me was the organisers dream. He was alone with this daughter who I would have said was about 3. When she sat down she was already carrying a light up wand which would set you back £10. Before the show started he had purchased two ice-creams at £3 a pot. Then during the interval the little girl kept saying to him that she wanted what ‘that little girls got’ referring to Madison. With that he said “you stay here and Daddy will go and get you some”. I was horrified that he then stood up and left the arena area, leaving his young daughter sitting on her own! Obviously, I had overheard him so I had an eye firmly on her, but I have to say if that had been my husband I would have had a lot to say about him leaving her. Thankfully the little girl was really good. She only got out of her seat when she dropped something. I turned round and asked if she was ok, and she asked if I could get the thing she had dropped before her Dad came back. It had come down to our level and she couldn’t reach it. I handed it to her and she got straight back on her seat. Her Dad then appeared with an £8 slushly which he handed her, she took one mouthful of the ice and told him she didn’t like it! With that he left her a second time and then reappeared a few minutes later with a bottle of water and a programme. As I said organisers dream customer!
The second half was about 40 minutes and was equally as good and fast-moving as the first. I was starting to get a bit worried as I knew it could only be minutes from the end and there had been no sign of Rapunzel. Madison would have been heart-broken if her favourite character had not been included. Thankfully my prayers were answered and Rapunzel took the ice as the last story. The finale was spectacular with all the Princess and Heroes along with Micky, Minnie, Tinkerbell and Goofy all performing at once.
I really rate this show and would give it a 5 out of 5 for suitability for 3-7 year olds. I think it would appeal to the boys as much as it does the girls. Disney know what they are doing and they do it so well. There was no cost spared on the set, costumes, special effects or ability of the skaters. Put that altogether with the timeless classic Disney stories and you have a show well worth the ticket price in my opinion! If you are going to one of these shows you need to keep in mind the wall of souvenirs that you can’t avoid. My advice would be set yourself a budget and stick to it. You know it is going to be totally over priced, but it is all part of the experience. Madison loved her day and said she felt like a princess when we were walking back to the car which not only made my heart melt, but was proof enough for me that it was money well spent!
I have just received information about the Disney On Ice Passport to Adventure show which starts touring at the end of the year! Knowing how much Madison loved this one, we have booked her a ticket for 30th December. That’s one Christmas present sorted already!
Mum Juggling Life! 