This is a special contributor post from Jeff & Jesseca, Beltway Bargain Mom readers whom had entered my ticket giveaway, but were not randomly selected as the winners. However, after I read through all the contest entries, something about theirs really stood out to me, and I ended up giving my own tickets to their family. I am so thrilled to have them share their experience (and fantastic pictures) below. Thanks for being a special contributor Jeff & Jesseca!
Jeff & Jesseca are Germantown, MD residents, and parents to two little girls, a 3.5 year old and a 16 month old. They are lifelong Disney fans, love finding fun throughout the DMV and are always on the lookout for ways to save.
Disney on Ice Celebrates 100 Years of Magic – Opening Night, February 12, 2014 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC
What a more perfect setting to go to the Disney on Ice 100 Years of Magic show at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC, a weather forecast for snow to start during the show. The magic of Disney truly was in the air, setting the stage for this incredible event on the ice.
From the moment the elevator doors from the parking garage opened into the Verizon Center, the energy and atmosphere changed…this was no longer Washington DC and the Verizon Center, this was Disney. The glow of the toys at the concession stands, the Disney memorabilia throughout the building and the staff who had that radiant glow and energy of Disney cast members provided you with a true feeling of being at Disney World.
Upon entering the arena, the first thing that you notice is the gigantic castle wall at the one end of the ice. Closer observation revealed the film strip accents that adorned the edges of the ice with the corners being the film reels. The bonds of families could be seen when you looked anywhere throughout the arena with many of the children dressed in their favorite characters’ costumes and outfits. The anticipation for the start of the show was mounting as no one wanted to leave their seats; my daughter was sitting on the edge of her seat in her Minnie Mouse costume and could not take her eyes off the ice waiting to see her favorite Disney characters.
I ran out to get some food for our family for during the show and while food at an arena is generally not the most affordable, the price and portions were very reasonable. Additionally, the food was actually quite good too which made it nice as well. One tip is if you are going to be drinking a lot of pop, you can get a souvenir cup, which is unfortunately not a Disney one, for $3 more than the standard size. The great thing about this is that it has unlimited free refills. So for $5 you can have one drink or for $8 you can have as many as you would like and a cup to take home. Another thing that made the food and snacks nice is that there were so many “Disney” snacks. Now when I say “Disney” snacks, these are things like popcorn in a souvenir Disney on Ice bag, lemonade in a Disney plastic reusable bottle, and snow cones in a reusable Disney mug as well. This makes it nice because even though you may have to pay a little extra for food inside the arena, the Verizon Center and Disney made it worthwhile by giving you something to take home as well as to enjoy during the show.
The show started and the arena erupted with cheer. Mickey and Minnie came out and began to host the evening and set the stage for what was to be a truly magical evening. The show truly brought 100 years of Disney to the ice in so many ways. The show ranged from bringing new Disney movies and characters to the ice like those from Toy Story, Lilo & Stitch all the way back to Pinocchio and even Jiminy Cricket. They were even able to bring “It’s a Small World” to the ice and truly feel that you were at Disney World…if you hadn’t already. I won’t reveal all that the show has to offer but will say that the surprises, the thrills of the performers and the excitement was non-stop. There were a few things that made this show so wonderful:
- The performances appealed to all ages and provided entertainment to the youngest of children to the oldest of adults in the arena;
- Each of the performances taught you something about life, being a good person and providing positive messages throughout;
- The performers were not only incredible athletes but they also made sure to truly recognize and engage the crowd, giving the children such a thrill that their favorite characters saw them, waived at them or even shook their hands!
For our family, the experience was beyond magical; it was one that filled my entire family with so much emotion. My daughter was on the edge of her seat most of the night and kept cheering, singing, waiving and truly feeling as a part of the show with the characters. Our younger daughter was enamored with the costumes, lights and action of the skaters, the props and the environment as a whole. As parents, it nearly brought us to tears to us to see how happy the magic of Disney brought to our daughters throughout the entire show from beginning to end. When we were leaving we took our time walking around the arena and bought a couple toys for the girls. My oldest daughter was even dancing and singing to the music that was playing throughout the arena as we made our way out. Our youngest daughter was bopping around in her stroller as well. Overall, I would go see this show again and truly thank Disney for putting together such an incredible show and bringing the magic and world of Disney to us.
Where: Verizon Center, 601 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
When: Wednesday, February 12 – Monday, February 17, 2014
Show Times:
Wednesday, February 12th at 7:30 pm
Thursday, February 13th at 10:30 am & 7:30 pm (Cancelled due to the snow storm)
Friday, February 14th at 7:30 pm
Saturday, February 15th at 10:30 am, 2:30 pm and 6:30 pm
Sunday, February 16th at 12:30 pm and 4:30 pm
Monday, February 17th (President’s Day) at 12:30 pm
You can purchase Disney One Ice tickets at all Ticketmaster outlets via charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000; via Ticketmaster online; and at the Verizon Center box office.
To find out more about Disney On Ice visit their website, or visit them on Facebook and YouTube.
Disclosure: I am a Feld Family Ambassador, and in exchange for my time and efforts in attending show and reporting my opinion within this blog, as well as keeping you advised of the latest discount offers, Feld Entertainment has provided me with complimentary tickets to Feld shows and opportunities to attend Feld events.
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