Ice Shows & Other Live Productions for Kids

Little Mermaid on Ice

Jan 2000

Jeanne
No, this is not a recipe. My daughter saw the commercial for this ice-skating show and expressed interest. It will be at the Oakland Arena at the end of February. I was wondering if one of you could provide some information. I have never been to this sort of family entertainment venue and I am wondering if it is worthwhile. Here are my questions:
1- Have you been to a Disney on ice show and was it worthwhile?
2- My daughter is 4 ? years old. Too young?
3- Do they bombard you with merchandise before and after the show in the lobby, etc? How do you avoid it?

Deborah
Little Mermaid on Ice 4 is the perfect age bring your own snacks/drinks no escaping the shoddy overpriced merchandise. I'm thinking of offering my kids $10 to buy whatever they want at a toy store afterwards, but I don't know if 4 yr olds get deferred gratification

Kathy
We attended Hercules last year with a group of 3 year 9 month old kids. This year we're going to go again for Little Mermaid on Ice. I'm assuming most productions are similar since most Disney stories follow the same storyline. 2 of the kids found the production too scary and had to leave the show midway (the hydra costumes were large and scary, lots of smoke on the ice, dimmed lights, scary music). The remaining 5 kids loved it and were entranced by the show. They attempt to sell things before the show and at the intermission. My child is pretty easy when it comes to purchasing things but I did prepare for it by telling her that we would pick out one item as we were leaving the show. This way she had fun thinking about what it was she was going to get by observing other kids playing with stuff. Instead of saying things like 'no, you can't have that now' I was able to say 'that is a great toy, maybe that's what you'll pick out when we leave'. Expect to drop $7 to $15 on a single item. The food is poor and the lines are long for it (they limit the open vendors) at the Coliseum so I would definitely pack your own snacks. We sat in Section 101 last year and have tickets in Section 102 this year. It seems as though all seats are 'good seats' since the show takes place all over the ice. I would recommend that you go directly to the Coliseum box office to purchase tickets. You save a lot of money on surcharges and they are very nice about working to find you the best seats for the available shows. You can drive your car in the main entrance and circle all the way up to the area near the box office if you go during the daytime.