Disney on Ice: Dare to Dream came to Denver for the first time and it is playing through this weekend.  If you have a little prince or princess in your midst, now is the time to get your tickets and don’t miss this spectacular event.  Check out this original post for all the details and a discount code.

The Show: We went last night and a few things about the show:  It is exactly 2 hours long from start to finish with a 20-minute intermission (which I felt was too long).  The show is divided into three segments with each one being introduced by our Disney friends: Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald.  The show starts with Tiana and the Princess and the Frog story, and then leads into the classic tale of Cinderella which is cut abruptly by intermission and then picked up after intermission.  After that, the story we have all waited for takes the stage and it is phenomenally done in my opinion:  Rapunzel and the Tangled story with Flynn Rider, Rapunzel, Mother Gothel and the whole gang.  There are some pictures here from the 8th row in Section 104 so you can determine seating.  I loved the acrobatics in Tangled and the skaters were equally animated and lively.  They flew threw the air!

The stories are all altered for brevity and the winner of my giveaway gave me some feedback.  He wished they had done more with her hair.  That story was not built up much.  He is right.  Also, Pascal, the chameleon was not really part of the show which is sad because he is a supporting actor in the movie.  But my giveaway winner loved the horse, Maximus, and what they did with him on ice.  At times, you honestly felt like Maximus was a real horse! I have to agree with him on that point.  The one suggestion I have for FELD is that the show be 90 minutes without an intermission and only does Princess and the Frog and the Tangled stories with more depth put in them.  The Disney characters can still introduce the story and conclude it with all the princesses but doing Cinderella again seemed to drag the show on longer than it needed to be.  But I have to say, the carriage was beautifully done and the dance number with the prince and Cinderella was great.

This show seemed more geared towards younger girls than boys in my opinion despite the Flynn Rider acrobatics.  And for me, two hours is a bit long for the target audience for this show.  The show ended with all the princesses and a song with everyone.  It was beautiful and well done as Disney always manages to do and their attention to the stage and set detail is just amazing!

Venue:  As you can tell from previous posts, the Pepsi Center is not my favorite venue.  My favorite venue is the Denver Coliseum.  But, on a positive note, last night went well – we got there early and made it into the Tundra lot, off of Speer.  If you use the regular entrance, you want to be in the back lots which you enter off of Auraria Pkwy or off of Speer and then go all the way around the building to the back.  It was easy to get in and out this time without much walking but as always, there is no traffic control after the show like there is before, so be mindful of the parking lots being a bit tough to get out of.  Park accordingly and be safe!  The parking was $10 at the Pepsi Center.  The seats are not as spacious as they are at the Coliseum, and it is tough to navigate around people if you are crammed in the middle and with winter coats, gloves, hats, snacks, and all that jazz, there is really no place for your feet.  Be mindful of this when you select seats as well.

All in all, it is among the top Disney on ice shows but I really thought for my kiddos, the Princesses on Ice fared better from last year at the Denver Coliseum.  The venue is better, and the stories did not seem to drag on.  But I would recommend this in the top 5 shows for princesses and Disney and you get it all.  If you can, pick a time this weekend when your kids are not tired and head out and catch this 120-minute show.  It is wonderful for the little princesses and princes in your life.