We had a great time going to the newest Disney on Ice production, Let’s Celebrate, last week at Everett’s XFinity Arena. This was Everett’s first time going (Josh’s too, come to think of it!) and he was amazed — every little piece of the show made his eyes grow wider. It’s pretty impressive in the eyes of a 4-year-old, when you think about it!

Here are a few tips that we’ve gathered from attending Disney on Ice shows for the past few years. While these tips apply specifically to the Seattle-area show at the XFinity Arena, most of them can also be applied to wherever you’re seeing Disney on Ice.

1. Get tickets along a row with a rail
When you’re ordering tickets, try to get a row that is in between two sections so that you have a railing in front of your kids, not a person, sitting in a seat, who will likely have little feet kicking them all evening. We were in row eight, which was awesome. There really isn’t a bad seat in the house, since they shrink down the arena to fit the show, but the closer you can get to the ice, the better, of course.

2. Don’t get there too early
Waiting with kids can be torture. Waiting with your kids before they’re about to see their favorite Disney characters takes things to a whole new depth. We were in our seats 20-minutes before the show started and it was about 10-minutes too long. For the kids and for us.

3. Grab street parking
There is plenty of free street parking around the arena… take advantage of it! We usually troll the side streets on the north side of the arena and have always found a spot less than two-blocks away.

4. Feed your kids first
This is obvious, right? There is food available at the arena — think typical stadium-style food… and prices — but filling your kids up with food before you go would be a good idea, especially since the moment the show comes on, there is no way they’re sitting still to eat!

5. Be prepared for the stuff
And, by “stuff,” we mean everything Disney under the sun. Shirts and stuffed animals and snow cones in commemorative cups and photo opps and ohmygoddness so much stuff. Make a plan before you go — either make it clear to your kiddos that you aren’t doing “stuff” or let them know they have a dollar limit or that they can pick one thing or whatever works for your family. Just be prepared. Because it’s in your face for the entire show (even when you’re in your seats) and it’s everywhere. Also, bring cash. Some vendors don’t take credit cards and it’s much quicker, too.

6. Pee before you sit down
Another obvious, yet not-so-obvious tip. The bathroom lines for the short intermission are LONG and each mom usually has at least two kids. That’s a lot of peeing. If you have Dad with you, send the kids to the bathroom with him. The lines are 100x shorter.

7. Find the beer
They have beer. Find your closest beer location before you get to your seats and make sure you have a parent-to-parent hand signal in place for when you need a refill.

8. Get to your seats on time
When we were there, a family of 15 (I kid you not), was trying to find their seats, directly in front of us, for the first five minutes of the show. My kids nearly rioted, as did the kids all around us. Don’t be a jerk, get to your seats when they give the warning announcement.

9. Don’t worry about your kids bugging people
If there was ever a time to let your kids jump up and down, scream, dance and talk in an outside voice, this is it. They encourage kids to get up and move to enjoy the show and you can feel free to let them. Everyone is doing it and nobody cares. It’s the best.

10. Sneak out a side door
When the show is over, getting out of that arena is killer. Instead of heading back to the front doors, where you entered, find a set of super-tall stairs that lead outside and hike out that way. They’ll likely put you further from where you parked, but it’s worth it go avoid the bottleneck in the arena hallways… with kids in tow.

To find the next performance in the Seattle area, or the area local to you, visit the Disney on Ice website. Psst! Tickets for Disney on Ice Frozen go on sale in January for the November 2015 shows… might want to mark your calendar!

photo and tickets courtesy of feld entertainment.
no additional compensation received.
all opinions are my own.