What better way to spend Valentine’s Day than at the Verizon Center for the Disney on Ice Treasure Trove show? Well, maybe I was a bit jealous of all the couples strolling around downtown D.C., but the squeals and looks of wonder on my little loves’ faces made it 100 percent worth it!
This was our second trip to a Disney on Ice show, and I was amazed at how different the two shows were. I was expecting the same show with little twists, but I was very wrong. The same high quality of performance, sets and costumes were in place, but the majority of the Treasure Trove show was surprisingly not the core Disney princesses. If you have Disney fans in your house who isn’t necessarily into the princesses, this one is a great choice.
Before I launch into the show details, a few words of praise for the venue: While I prefer the smaller, more intimate Eagle Bank Arena for family shows, the Verizon Center did a great job. It was very clean, the staff was kind and patient, and they had a multitude of options for food and beverages. The size of the arena and the large crowds were a bit overwhelming for my kids, but once we were in our seats they didn’t seem to notice. One negative is that some of the seating (400 level) puts you quite far away from the ice and it’s hard to see the smaller details.
After Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy made their introductions, the show launched into a 20-minute Alice in Wonderland skit. The costumes in this were incredible! The army of card soldiers was red on one side and black on the other, head to toe, and even had faces on both sides which made for a neat effect. Peter Pan was next and it did not disappoint. My kids loved that both Peter and Tinker Bell were flying high over the ice, and my son adored the huge crocodile that swallowed up Captain Hook at the end.
Intermission came next, at about the 40-minute mark, which seemed a bit early. Here is the part where you should either stay in your seats or be prepared to hemorrhage money. The vestibules of the Verizon Center were jam packed with any Disney souvenir, doll or food item you could imagine. Dolls were about $30 and cotton candy and snow cones were $12. Mom Tip: Stay in your seating section to avoid the crush while you watch the zamboni smooth the ice; a great show within itself for the children.
The second half was jam packed with Disney stories, perhaps a bit too much, honestly. It opened with a long rendition of the Lion King, which had amazing animal costumes of zebras, giraffes, wildebeests and of course lions.(I love the songs from this one, so my kids and husband were treated to a sing-a-long which they weren’t so happy about.)
Snow White was next, which started the princess portion of the show. We really enjoyed seeing the Seven Dwarfs sing “Hi, ho!” After this 15-minute story came one song each for the Little Mermaid (great costumes and set), Aladdin complete with a flying carpet ride, Rapunzel and her lanterns and a really short song with Tiana. All of the princesses and their princes joined together on the ice for the finale song “One Day My Prince Will Come.”
While I was happy to watch the deeper dive into these Disney classics, my kiddos are mainly familiar with the princess stories at this point and were a little disappointed with their shorter features. Elsa and Anna from Frozen did not make an appearance, which was also extremely disappointing to them.
The length of the show (just about two hours), was nice from a ticket price standpoint, but I find keeping things around the 90-minute mark for the target age group of these shows works out best. Putting this all together, my overall opinion is that this specific show is better for children who are 5 and up, since they will likely know more Disney stories, appreciate all the special effects and be able to sit still longer. That said, any Disney fan will find something to love, and Feld Entertainment certainly provides a quality production.
Disney on Ice Treasure Trove by Feld Entertainment
http://www.disneyonice.com/treasure-trove
Ticket prices start at $20. Look for coupon codes and discounts at local merchants and through children’s discount websites.
Kept my Children’s Interest: 4
Appealed to Advertised Age Range: 4
I Would Recommend to Others: 5
I Would Return: 5
Overall rating: 5
All ratings on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being highest.
Meet the Reviewer!
Christy Petrak is a systems engineer currently taking a leave of absence to raise her two children, Thomas (4.5) and Eliza (1.5). She enjoys spending time with her family, swimming and baking/decorating cupcakes.
