If your family is anything like ours, it’s all about creating experiences that will turn into lasting memories and what better way to do that than with a family night at Disney On Ice? Ever since Disney On Ice Presents Frozen was announced as coming to our area last year, my grandkids have literally been counting down the days. Last week their dreams became a reality thanks to Vivid Seats. Disney on Ice combines a love of  Disney with great storytelling all in one show and whether it’s your first time attending one of their many ice extravaganzas that are currently touring,  it’s become an annual tradition.Today we’ve gathered together some of our favorite tips to help make your magical night one you will always remember for all of the right reasons.

Dress The Part

This is Disney so not only is it totally acceptable to dress the part, in this case in brand new Anna and Elsa outfits, but it makes the night that much more fun. There is nothing better than being in an arena with families just like ours, seeing everyone in their favorite Disney outfits, be it a full-fledged Princess dress or your favorite Disney tee shirt, it just makes you feel as if you are part of the show, right from the moment you enter. One thing we learned over the years is to wait to transform your children until you arrive at the venue as catsup along with other food might stain those precious princess dresses and the night is over before it even begins. Sadly as an adult, as much as they wanted me to wear my Olaf outfit, costumes, just as in the Disney Parks, are for those 12 and under but for those of us out of that age group, Disney Bounding is a perfect alternative.

It’s An Ice Show-Dress Accordingly

It’s called Disney On Ice for a reason-there’s ice involved so that means the temperatures in arena where you attend the show are going to be on the chilly side. We solved the problem by putting their costumes on over their clothes, but even with that, a lightweight jacket was needed.   Dressing in layers is the best option. Early on in the evening, the excitement of the show tends to keep the young ones warm-to quote Elsa “The cold never bothered me anyway” but trust me, by the second act, you’re going to thank me for this tip when you don’t have to be the one givingto up your jacket.

Be On Time & Choose Your Seats Wisely

This is Disney and like everything else Disney does, the show starts right on time! Be sure to check your local arena as to what is and isn’t allowed into the venue and whether or not you will be going through a security check before entering. Not taking this into account or the traffic or parking conditions may very well mean that you’re still waiting outside to come in and you miss the entire opening number. My granddaughter is a huge Buzz Lightyear fan, so while Buzz wasn’t part of the rest of the show, he along with all the rest of the Disney and Pixar gang are in the opening including everyone’s favorites, Mickey and Minnie. The look on her face when Buzz skated out was worth leaving the house and arriving at the arena with an hour to spare. Luckily for us, the doors to the show opened an hour ahead of time.

Like any other sporting event or show, traffic will be busier than normal but if you’ve left yourself time, you’ll be able to breathe a sigh of relief later. We sadly had many people who were still entering the arena up to 45 minutes after the show started making it hard on their families, and distracting for those already seated, or worse yet, making it impossible to see the performance due to them being in the aisles, blocking the views of others. Out of respect for other families as well as your own, please be on time.  

Another tip we’ve learned along the way is to pick your seats based on your own children’s needs. While seats right on the ice may seem like a wonderful place to be, if you have younger children, that first trip up many, many stairs to get to the restroom will quickly change your mind. Sitting a few rows back not only allows you to get to and from the restroom quickly, it also gives a much better vantage point for your family to be able to truly take in everything that is happening on the ice. Thanks to Vivid Seats, our view could not have been more perfect with seats in the center of the arena but also on an aisle and only a few rows away from the restroom for those quick little trips that just go hand in hand with younger kids. A little advance planning goes a long, long way.

Set Your Budget Before You Go

From food to face painting to pictures to souvenirs, from the moment you walk in there’s many different opportunities to become parted from your money and it can become a very expensive evening very quickly if you haven’t thought about it ahead of time. If you’ve ever been to a sporting event of any kind, then you already know the price of food is on the expensive side and for this, it is certainly no different.

Factor into that all the other fun that is available and you can easily find yourself unexpectedly spending much more than you anticipated. Talking to your children ahead of time will save you from having to say “No” many times once you’re there.   Disney is great about combining food and souvenirs into one which means not only do you get the snow cone or cotton candy that you want, but it comes in a wonderful collector’s cup that can be used over and over long after the night has come and gone. And who can resist an Olaf hat to take home and wear for many weeks to come. We eat before we go and then bring in our own water and snacks to help keep the cost down, but be sure to check with the arena in your area to see what is, or isn’t allowed. Most will allow water in, but only if the bottles have not been opened yet.

I also shop the Disney Store when they have their sales or even the Dollar Store and as we are walking out and are suddenly faced with lots of people selling “that one last thing” to take home, I can surprise them with one more surprise to end the night.

The one thing we do splurge on is a family photo, which as the years go by, helps give that special reminder  of when they were small. The girls love looking at the pictures of their dad and Uncle Zack as kids at Disney On Ice over the years. Again it’s about building those lasting memories and while face painting is certainly fun, a picture lasts forever.

Put Down The Camera & Enjoy The Show

In this day and age, it’s so easy for us all to be so caught up in trying to record every moment that we forget to just sit back and enjoy the show. While we do take pictures before and after and at intermission, if you’re watching the show through the lens of a camera, you’re missing some of the best parts-the look on your child’s face and their excitement as their favorite characters skate onto the ice. We all tend to forget in this day of social media, that sometimes, the best way to remember the show is to actually sit back and do just that, enjoy the show.  You are allowed to bring in your camera and to take pictures provided you do not use your flash, but video cameras and selfie sticks are not allowed.

Plan Accordingly On School Nights

As we everything else, knowing your children and their own limits and planning accordingly will help make for a much better experience and even more so, help in getting them up for school the next day with the least amount of melt downs due to exhaustion. Disney On Ice Presents Frozen is a long show-two hours in all including the 15 minute intermission which means 9:30 on a school night, plus the time it takes to drive home, in our case 2 hours, and it can make for a very long night. If you’re children are younger and you know that such a late night may not be in their best interest, Disney is wonderful about scheduling multiple matinees that are on the weekend that will help alleviate that problem. If you must go on a school night, make sure that homework is done ahead of time, and bring along their pajamas to change them into after the show so all you have to do is move them from the car straight to the bed once you arrive home. A few minutes changing in the restroom or in the parking lot in the car, can save you from tears later on.

Life is all about creating lasting memories and thanks to Disney On Ice and our good friends at Vivid Seats, I was able to do just that. For information on this show, or any of the Disney on Ice shows that are currently touring, or for any other sporting events, concerts or other family events, Vivid Seats will have exactly what you’re looking for and help you to create the memories that will last a lifetime. Now the only decision left is, what memories will you create for your family today?

Disclosure: I am a Vivid Seats Fan Ambassador and from time to time Vivid Seats provides me with tickets to shows and events in order to help facilitate in my reviews, however all thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

To get tickets to Disney On Ice Presents Frozen or any of the Disney On Ice Shows currently touring, simply follow the links to the show in your area and start creating your own memories for you and your family, 

Get Tickets to Disney On Ice “Dare To Dream” Here

To Get Tickets for Disney On Ice “Let’s Celebrate” Click Here

To Get Tickets To 100 Years Of Magic Click Here

To Get Tickets For Disney On Ice Treasure Trove Click Here

And To See Disney On Ice Presents Frozen Click Here