Disney comes to Newcastle

It's that time of year again, when Disney on Ice rolls into town.  Before Eva was born, I always looked longingly at my friends taking their children along, wondering when I would get my chance to take my babies.  I am not ashamed to admit that I am a complete Disney nut.  I adore everything about it but most of all, since having babies, I adore the magic they bring to my children's lives.  Say what you like about this massive company, they know how to make children happy.  Eva's first Disney on Ice was when she was about 2 and a half and she loved it.  There started a family tradition, we have been every year since

Disney on Ice 2013

This year was 100 Years of Disney Magic and as we are going to Disneyland Paris in December and because he is at an age where he will sit nicely, we decided to make this year Luca's first.

I was late getting the tickets (usually am!).  I went to the box office on Wednesday and the lovely lady helped me out with my seat selection.  I actually ended up buying the cheapest seats at £18 and by going to the box office I saved a further £10 by paying cash.

On Sunday evening we went along, the kids were very excited.  We always park in the car park at the rear of the arena, it was £4 to park the car but you are safe in the knowledge that your car is safe and it is about a 2 minute walk directly through to the arena.  

The only thing I object to at this event is the price of the merchandise, I personally think it is far too expensive, most of the toys available you can buy cheaper in the Disney Store and £9 for a plastic cup, albeit a lovely one, with slush in it, is just extortionate, especially with two children to buy for. We give our kids £10 each and they choose a toy from the Disney Store in the Metro Centre instead of us paying a fortune out here.

Onto the show, our seats were actually really good, we had a fabulous view in Block 102 and I was more than happy, we actually had better seats this year than last when we paid more. 

Showtime! The stars of the show are of course Mickey and Minnie Mouse, the children were so happy to see these characters it was wonderful to watch.  What followed was 90 minutes (thereabouts with a 20 minute interval) of sheer Disney magic.  This show catered for everyone, there was a lot of princess action with my personal favourite Snow White making an appearance and a lovely Beauty and the Beast performance.  There was a great Toy Story performance with Buzz, Woody and Jessie, perfect!  Also featuring in the show was Pinocchio complete with Monstro the whale. I am not ashamed to admit that I had a little tear in my eye when Jiminy Cricket performed When You Wish Upon A Star complete with Blue Angel.  Also appearing were Mulan and Luca's favourite, the Incredibles.  I love the way they brought in a few of the lesser known characters as my kids like them all and it gives them a chance to see their heroes.  A gorgeous section featured Disney's anthem It's a Small World and was full of costumes and music from around the world.

The finale was wonderful with all the characters and culminated with fireworks from Cinderella's castle.  All the characters did a skate around the rink and hi-fived the children in the ringside seats. a lovely touch I felt.  There was an announcement during the performance that tickets for April 2015 will be on sale shortly and there is rumours that it is a Frozen Ice show so watch this space! ....

Photos courtesy of my friend Janet Scott