Disney On Ice: What You Need to Know to Choose Between Shows
I remember my very first Disney on Ice experience in 2010ish. I was working for a daycare during undergrad and we took all the little people to a midday showing. All the cast members came on the ice for the opening performance, I became teary eyed, and I realized in that moment I couldn’t wait to have my own kids and take them to Disney On Ice.
Fast forward a lot of years and I do, in fact, have a gaggle of my own to take to this show. We’ve gone almost every year since my oldest was two, and have even dragged brought friends, neighbors, and grandparents along with us. Attending a Disney on Ice show has become one of my favorite annual experiences in New England. One year, we went ahead and met Mickey and Cinderella in their pre-show meet and greet. And I still get teary eyed at the opening act (except not at “Into the Magic,” that was a weird experience).
Each year we’ve gone, we’ve seen a different show. Disney appears to purposefully rotate shows to keep things interesting. Last year, they introduced Frozen & Encanto. This seems like a great idea for diehard fans of Frozen and Encanto, right? Maybe. Maybe not. At any rate, today we’ll discuss everything you want to know about attending a Disney on Ice show, including whether you should snag seats at the new Frozen & Encanto experience.
What can you expect at a standard Disney On Ice show?
For this post, I’m going to group the Disney on Ice shows into two main categories – the Frozen & Encanto show, and everything else. At an “everything else” show, Mickey and the gang typically* open with a fun dance (this is usually* my favorite part), and then they’ll tell a story of some sort. During the story, you can expect snippets from each of your beloved Disney favorites. The more popular movies (Moana, Frozen) typically have longer acts. How they tie this all together makes zero sense to me. It’s about as clear as how Anna and Elsa determined they were Northuldra. Big leaps are made to pull it together, but I suppose that’s the magic of Disney. The show is about 90 minutes long, with an intermission at the halfway point.
*Mickey and Minnie do not host the “Into the Magic” show and I wasn’t a fan of the opening act.
What’s the difference between the Frozen & Encanto show and the other shows?
The main difference between the Frozen & Encanto show and the other shows is exactly what you’d expect. Frozen & Encanto only cover those two movies. The beginning 45 minutes is one show, there’s an intermission, followed by the other show. All the other shows follow the standard Disney on Ice experience.
What are the pros of each show format?
A very obvious pro of the snippet-type shows is that things are fast-paced. This means there isn’t a lot of time to get bored with one act because they’re onto the next thing very quickly – within minutes.
A pro of the Frozen & Encanto show is that you get to sing all your favorite songs, and you can reasonably anticipate what’s coming up. Another consideration is there’s less time for Mickey and gang to spin a convoluted web that only makes sense to a three-year-old. I’ve often said that if the CIA wanted someone to talk, they’d only need play nonsensical toddler babble on repeat. It wouldn’t take long to get the person to spill all their secrets. That’s how I feel when Goofy on the stage eight times in 90 minutes. I just… can’t.
What are the cons of each show format?
As mentioned previously, a major con (for me) of the snippet shows is how much Mickey and gang are onstage spinning a convoluted web of lies tales. It seems as if there’s too much downtime in-between acts and it loses me a bit. That being said, it gives the kids a reset, similar to cleansing the palate in between wines, and let’s be real – happy kids = happy parents. That doesn’t carry the same ring as happy wife, happy life, but it’s probably more accurate.
The pro of the Frozen & Encanto show is also a con. Because the kids have likely seen both movies eight thousand times, they know exactly what’s coming. When we saw this show in 2022, my then 1.5 / 3.5 / 5.5-year-olds seemed to get very fidgety and bored during the first set. They couldn’t stay in their seats, which hasn’t been a problem with the mish-mosh shows.
Who should see each show?
For anyone below 6-7, I’d say go to the mish-mosh show. It’s high energy and will draw them in. Because the show is moving so quickly, the kiddoes don’t get easily bored.
The experience is chilly but not freezing. We always sit in the first risers above the ice. For the most recent trip, I really wanted to test my comfort in the stands, so I wore a tank top with wool cardigan, jeans, wool socks, sherpa-lined clogs and my down coat. My upper half was comfortable, but my lower half was cold. I do recommend wearing warm boots with wool socks. Two of my kids appeared comfortable in a sherpa-lined jacket, with a wool base-layer, wool leggings, wool socks and wool-lined boots. One of my kiddos preferred to keep her down jacket on, and requested her hat later in the show (but stripped the jacket). I have an entire post dedicated to dressing kids for the cold weather, if you’re feeling unsure or looking for recommendations on quality winter gear.
Now – this next wearable isn’t going to keep you warm, but I do recommend a pair of earmuffs, especially for noise-sensitive kids and babies.
Yeppers! And you absolutely should. Disney is fantastic in this respect – even in their parks you can bring food and drink. Don’t worry, they’ll gouge you in other ways. Of the three venues we’ve been to (TD Garden, Agganis, SNHU), security didn’t even bat an eye at our snack stash. That being said, I would absolutely up your snack game for this event, because it won’t be a time well-remembered if your kids are in meltdown mode over all the fun snacks available for sale.
My last piece of advice is this…
Pre-buy a fun wand or light saber on Amazon. It will save you a lot of headache in arguing with your kids about why you don’t want to buy one for $45 at the show when everyone else has one. If you don’t want to spend the extra money for a wand, then have a few pre-show talks about not buying things at the show. I felt really bad for a kid in the bathroom absolutely losing his marbles while his mom lambasted him about being “spoiled” because he really wanted a light saber. You don’t have to indulge your kids every whim, but calling their character ruined or harmed in front of countless other people at a show that’s supposed to be a fun experience is just a step too far for me.
There’s really no need to be Disney fans to go to a show, so just do it.
I’ve often heard the rebuttal from friends that their children aren’t familiar with the Disney characters, so it wouldn’t be fun for them. I disagree. The songs, dancing, theatrics and lights are enough to keep little ones entertained for 90 minutes.
If you’re still on the fence about which show to see or whether you want to go, I recommend popping over to YouTube and looking up the show that’s coming to your area. Someone somewhere has recorded the entire show you’re looking for – because we live in a world where getting footage for social media is more important than just living your life in real time.
Whether you become an annual Disney on Ice attendee, or just go once, it’s a fun day out for kids and a great way to get the accustomed to a live show.
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