Tonights performance of the world-famous, Disney On Ice presents Magical Ice Festival truly transported us into a winter wonderland as Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse brought to life some the most magical moments from my childhood Disney storybooks.
We were fortunate enough to be hosted by Showtime Management at tonight’s opening performance and it was nothing short of amazing!
The most talented ice-skaters dressed in the most beautiful costumes, truly bought each story and character to life with action, adventure and magic. We journeyed the show stopping on-ice stories of a few of the well-loved fairy tales scenes with princesses Ariel, Rapunzel, Belle and the most popular for the night – Anna and Elsa!
The enchanting mix of Disney’s royalty and most beloved heroines with energetic choreography had us singing, dancing and cheering with favourite Disney characters as they each embark on their own epic journeys.
Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse were the evening ‘hosts’ who introduced each scenes which included My Little Mermaid, Tangled, Beauty and the Beast and Frozen. This being our third year at the show, I felt that this year’s show didn’t have as much variety in the performance segments as I can remember from last year such as other Disney favourites for the boy Disney fans too. The show was also a little show at the start but once the first segment started we were captivated!
The show runs until Sunday, the 7th of July and having attended the opening performance I thought I would share a helpful guide to the show, what to expect and some tips – from parking to the merchandise…
TICKETS:
There are still a few tickets left for the Durban shows. In terms of best seating – I would suggest either left or right of the ice rink rather than in front of the ice. But honestly it is such a great venue that you can easily see the show from anywhere you sit. Tickets can be purchased via Computicket. The cheapest tickets range from around R120 to over R400.
PARKING:
Parking at Durban’s ICC Arena is limited so arrive early. We arrived an hour and a half before the show and got a very close parking underground. There is a flat rate parking fee of R40 cash only. You should pay for this at the parking ticket machine as soon as you have parked – there were a lot of people queuing to pay afterwards so paying before hand will save you a lot of time! Don’t park on paved areas around the ICC and the Durban Exhibition Centre, your vehicles could be towed away by the city’s Traffic Department. Below is an image from last year but it will still apply for this year (dates will be incorrect).
HOW EARLY SHOULD YOU ARRIVE:
Doors only open one hour prior to show time, unless you are worried about finding a close parking I wouldn’t suggest arriving any earlier. An hour is more than enough time, especially when you have a toddler nagging at your leg while you are waiting for the gates to open.
REFRESHMENTS:
The ICC Arena have a food set up selling both adult and kiddie meals which are affordable along with drinks. Disney on Ice have several refreshment stations where you can purchase popcorn (in various sizes – a small cereal like box for R40 odd and a larger box for R70 odd – both are Disney branded or a family sized packet which comes with a bag for R110.
They also sell candy floss with comes with a Disney princess crown or an Olaf hat for R120. Then there are various sizes of themed cups and jugs of snow cones which is basically ice with some flavoured coloured syrup with a character straw/spoon. These range from R160 to R170 for the light up one. The snacks aren’t cheap but it is a special occasion and everything is worth the money (in my opinion). They take cards and cash.
MERCHANDISE:
The merchandise stands were honestly beautiful and the stock was really varied which I loved. Everything from t-shirts to rag dolls, plastic dolls and light up wands. The merchandise ranged from R70 to over R400 for some larger items.
What makes the merchandise super special is that none of the items are available in South Africa. We bought Maddie an Elsa rag doll which cost us R320 as well as a light up Frozen wand which was also R320 and the quality, in my opinion is great. It comes with a two year warranty card too. They take card machines and cash.
GENERAL INFO:
– I wouldn’t suggest bringing prams into the venue. Car seats, carry cots and prams aren’t allowed into the auditorium but a a pram park is provided if you want to take a pram.
– It can get cold inside the auditorium as it is a real ice rink so you may want to bring a blanket to keep the chill away.
– Kiddies are allowed to bring small cushions to place on the seat.
– No outside purchased beverages or food may not be brought into the venue so don’t bother sneaking in food.
– The show is a manageable two hours with a 20 minute interval in-between. Even though we attended the 6pm show, Maddie sat and watched the entire show without hassle so it is just the right duration for the little ones.
– Don’t be that person who arrives as the show starts. We had a family in front of us who had a problem with their seats as the usher had given the wrong seats to a family prior to that family arriving and it was quite disruptive to people around them.
– Check you have the right seats – the usher also seated us at the wrong seats and we ended up having to move after making ourselves very comfortable – luckily it was before the show started.
– If you book seats along the top bleachers just please be careful climbing the stairs and watch your kids – it is very steep and a long drop down. An elderly man fell last night and it was very scary to witness.
Tag @DisneyonIce in your pics and tag #DisneyOnIce so I can follow your experience on Instagram over the next couple of days…
If you are in Cape Town Disney On Ice presents Magical Ice Festival will be at the Grand Arena from 10 to 14 July. Tickets can be booked via Computicket.
Until next time…
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Being Maddie & Charlie's Mom 
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