Last evening, my family and I were guests of the Disney on Ice: Princess Classics show at the XCel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, as part of my role as a Feld Family Activator.  We had never attended a Disney on Ice show before, and this was also our first visit to the XCel Energy Center.  Our entire family enjoyed the show.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect of Disney on Ice, but I suppose I should have remembered that when the Disney name is attached to something, it’s well-done.  Princess Classics was no exception.  This two-hour skating drama included snippets from a variety of Disney films, both old and new.  The first act, which lasted for a full hour, portrayed the basic storylines of the various Disney princesses–Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine, Ariel, Mulan, Snow White–up until their moments of doom.  At the end of the first act, all of their princes came to rescue them and completed the circles of the stories.  After a brief intermission, which allowed the Zamboni to do its work, the second act played out the story of Cinderella from beginning to end. Run time for the entire show was just over two hours.

The skaters, while not performing Olympic gold-medal feats, are talented and beautiful, and I was amazed at how much they looked like their Disney cartoon versions.  The costumes are lovely, and it was fun to see how an elephant and a magic carpet can even be part of a skating show.  My little girls loved watching the princesses twirl in their dresses, and I marveled at the steps some of the dancers did.  I can’t imagine that it’s easy to march in ice skates.

The scenes were right from the Disney movies, so the voices and dialogue were familiar.  Hearing Bibbidi Bobbidy Boo and Once Upon a Dream brought back memories of my own childhood.  (Yes, I’m old enough to remember watching Wide World of Disney every week.)

Perhaps most fun for me was watching my children’s reactions to the show:  my 3-year-old daughter who claims that “everything” was her favorite part, my 5-year-old daughter who gleefully gasped, “It’s Belle!” when she saw the Beauty, my 8-year-old son who was glued to the entire show, and my 6-year-old son who will only admit to liking the Zamboni, even though I had to pull him back into his seat several times, as he was so involved in the show that he didn’t notice he was sliding forward out of his chair.  My husband has always liked to watch ice skating, and thoroughly enjoyed the event as well.

Our seats were on the corner of the arena, in row 5, and they were just about perfect.  We could see expressions on the characters’ faces, but were far enough back to see the entire arena at once.  I believe seats similar to ours can be purchased for $42, and when I checked last night, there were still good seats available for the remaining performances this weekend.  While $42 isn’t a bargain price in my book, it’s not out of line with other theatrical performances or sporting events.  Discount tickets are available for as low as $11; use the details and coupon codes from this post if you’re interested in seeing Disney on Ice for less money.

Ticket price notwithstanding, I was slightly–no, more than slightly–shocked at the price of concessions.  A slushie in a souvenir cup ran $12, and a bag of cotton candy (which included a mouse-ear tiara) was $10.  I’ll admit that I’m a meanie when it comes to concessions, especially at those prices.  On the positive side for a peanut-allergy family, I did not notice any obvious peanut-containing products at the concession stands.  Popcorn, mini-donuts, slushies, and cotton candy were what I saw peddled, and many children were enjoying their concessions and souvenirs.

Another thing to note was that our girls (ages 3 and 5) were somewhat frightened by the witches and “scary” music.  The scenes were straight from the Disney princess movies, so if you’ve seen them, you’ll know what your children can handle, but if you have younger or sensitive children, you may find them burying their heads in your arms until the mood lightens.

Overall, we had a very nice time at Disney on Ice, and (I’m surprised to be saying this) I would consider buying tickets for a future performance, possibly even at the $42 level to ensure excellent seats.  If you’ve followed this blog before, you may know that I am usually very frugal and analytical about the costs of family outings, but we really did enjoy Disney on Ice and it was excellently presented from beginning to end.

For my sister and others who are considering taking toddlers to the show: I’d recommend waiting a few years.  Especially with this Princess Classics version of Disney on Ice, I think the appeal is more magical for little ones who have seen several of the Disney princess films and know the names and stories of the princesses.  The show is targeted to ages 2-8, and I think 4-6 is ideal for this particular performance.

Disney on Ice presents Princess Classics is at the XCel Energy Center through Sunday, December 13, 2009.  Additional Disney on Ice shows are touring in other cities.  Next year’s return of Disney on Ice to the Twin Cities is Mickey & Minnie’s Magical Journey in December 2010.

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