SponsoredLast night I took my mom and my kiddos to see Disney On Ice presents Passport to Adventure. The Feld Entertainment Sacramento PR team gifted Inspired Imperfection free tickets for us to see the opening night show AND free tickets to give away! I couldn’t wait to go. Not only have I never been to a Disney On Ice show, but this would be my first event at the brand new Golden 1 Center in downtown Sacramento — and I was dying to check it out.
The Disney On Ice production is playing from November 3-6, so if you’re free this weekend, you should definitely check it out and read my honest review of the Sacramento opening night below.
The Golden 1 Center
Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center is impressive to say the least and it’s gorgeous from the outside. I paid for and reserved parking online in advance for the closest parking garage I could find, so getting to the arena and parking was a breeze.
We then picked up our tickets, blew through the security lines, and were immediately greeted with booths selling all sorts of souvenirs. From hats, shirts, and stuffed animals, to light up and blinking toys, there are options for everyone, if you want to drop a small fortune. There were also photo stations set up in the Golden 1 Center concourse, and because the Elsa one was so awesome, we debated getting a photo done — but taking a photo was $15, so we skipped it (because that’s crazy) and went to check out the food options.
The Golden 1 Center’s food game is on point.
I had heard A LOT about the locally-sourced food and the restaurants inside the concourse — Cafe Bernardo, Selland’s, Centro, Block Butcher Bar, Paragary’s, Star Ginger, Big Cheese Dog House, Tandoori Palace, Porchetta, El Jefe, Petra Greek, Mulvaney’s B & L, and Lowbrau, as well as a variety of food and beverage carts — so needless to say we were excited to get there early and sample some items from several vendors.
But that wasn’t exactly our experience. Don’t get me wrong, we had a great time and ate some great food… but we didn’t find some of the food we really wanted!
Here’s what you need to know about dining at the Golden 1 Center concession stands:
- Half of the concessions are on the main concourse and half are on the second level, so if you want to really explore the different options, you need to walk both floors of the stadium.
- The menus change based on the event and the audience. So while I heard about the awesome pizza options, all that was available for Disney On Ice was cheese and pepperoni. And that bacon habanero burger I wanted to try at Cafe Bernardo was available either, as they just had hamburgers and cheeseburgers and regular fries. It looks like they make the menu offerings a bit more everyday for kid events.
- None of the food carts or drink carts were operating and the Raley’s stall was closed, so we didn’t get to try anything from them.
- There were several men shouting constantly throughout the concourse, hawking churros and ice cream, even to those in restaurant lines, which was a little irritating.
After our walk around the concourse, we opted for a hamburger and cheeseburger with at Cafe Bernardo, tacos from Centro, a hot pretzel, and a hot dog from Big Cheese Dog House. The hot pretzel was a bust, as it was dry and none had salt, the hot dog was okay, but the bun wasn’t great, and the burgers were cold and underwhelming with very thin patties. The delicious tacos from Centro (photo below pre-toppings) with the salsa/cojita cheese toppings bar, and the hot, scrumptious fries from Cafe Bernardo were the clear winners of the night.
Next time, I’m ordering only the tacos and the fries.
Passport to Adventure
Disney On Ice presents Passport to Adventure takes you to the worlds of Disney’s The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan and the number one animated feature film of all time, Frozen! The fun-filled ice production features an international team of award-winning figure skaters, high-energy choreography and a colorful set that captures all four unique worlds. Upbeat music, lovable characters and unforgettable moments make this an experience you will cherish forever!
The show kicked off with the classic Disney song “It’s A Small World” and skaters dressed in blue and white costumes that represent countries all around the world. At the end of the song, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Daisy Duck, and Goofy came on stage in explorer/safari costumes and became our tour guides for a magical globetrotting getaway! Throughout the whole show, these beloved Disney characters took the stage to entertain us as the sets and performers transitioned to the next act.
The show had only just started as we were already hooked!
The Lion King
The first stop on our adventure was the African Pride Lands, where we met Rafiki, Simba, and Nala who sang “I just Can’t Wait to Be King.” Then Timon and Pumbaa joined in the fun for an energetic rendition of “Hakuna Matata” and during the song, Simba and Nala grew into adults and then sang “Can You Feel The Love Tonight.” Our exploration in the African pridelands ended with Rafiki, Simba, Nala, Timon, and Pumbaa all singing “Circle of Life.”
My mom loves ice skating, so we’ve watched a lot of skating on television over the years, but this was the first time I have seen ice skaters perform to choreography in person, and I loved it. While my son is more into the special effects and sets, my mom, my daughter, and I were captivated by the movement of the skaters across the ice, the amazing lifts (in masks), and and the classic Disney music we love.
I’m not ashamed to admit that we were all singing along.
Tour London and Visit Neverland
Next, we were immersed in the city of London and the world of Disney’s Peter Pan, with Peter Pan, Wendy, John, and Michael flying high above London and off to Neverland to meet Tinkerbell, the Lost Boys, Captain Hook, Mr. Smee, and their pirate crew!
Our time in London began with Big Ben, London residents in gorgeous red costumes, and a jolly constable who all performed to “Jolly Holiday” from Mary Poppins, with the lyrics adapted from “it’s a jolly holiday with Mary” to “it’s a jolly holiday in London.” We then transitioned to the Darling house, where we met the family and their dog and housemaid Nana.
As soon as George and Mary Darling exit and the kids fall asleep, Tinker Bell and Peter Pan emerge to find his lost shadow. Peter’s lost shadow was another skater in a dark costume, so Peter and his shadow could interact and behave independently of each other, which was brilliantly done. When the children woke up to discover Peter Pan and Tinker Bell, They learned to think happy thoughts and fly to the tune of “You Can Fly,” and they flew up into the air and off to Neverland. Seeing Peter, Wendy, John, and Michael fly through the air was magical! Kids all around us were pointing and oohing and ahhing, even my older kids!
In Neverland, we met the Lost Boys, Captain Hook, and his pirates. As in the movie, the pirates broke into Hangman’s Tree, Tinkerbell saved Peter Pan from drinking poisoned milk, the audience joined in to save Tinkerbell, and finally Peter Pan dueled with Captain Hook and pushed him into a GIANT crocodile’s mouth to rescue Wendy, John, and Michael, before taking them back to their home and family in London.
The Peter Pan portion of the show was AMAZING and by far my son’s favorite part. The crocodile, both in small and giant form was awesome and very creatively done, the Jolly Rodger was quite impressive, and we all loved the pirates singing and skating to songs “A Pirate’s Life” and “Whale of a Tale.” But to be honest, when the songs shifted to non-Disney songs, it was just “meh” and I was ready for them to move on.
Voyage Under The Sea
After intermission, our Disney On Ice sightseeing adventure took us deep under the sea to Ariel’s mystical underwater kingdom, as we were mesmerized by the world of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. The set began with Sebastian entering the ice with Ariel’s sisters who performed to “Daughter’s of Triton.” Next Ariel and Flounder took to the ice to perform to “Part of Your World” while Prince Eric appeared up on the stage. Ariel and Flounder were then joined by her sisters, Sebastian, and a whole crew of dancing Starfish, Sharks, Seahorses, and Jellyfish for the fun (and silly) “Under The Sea” — and the costumes were AWESOME.
But the fun ended quickly as Ariel set out to meet the evil sea witch Ursula and her henchmen eels Flotsam and Jetsam surrounded in fog and an eeie darkness. Ariel made a deal to give the sea witch her voice and emerged from the fog with legs. She then found Prince Eric and together they skated to “Kiss The Girl,” performing lifts and beautiful choreography. Just as they were about to kiss, a GIANT inflatable Ursula entered the ice to break them up. Luckily Prince Eric defeated the sea witch and the entire Little Mermaid cast came back on the ice as we once again heard “Part of Your World” and saw Eric and Ariel together high up on the stage.
Travel to Arendelle with Queen Elsa and Princess Anna
The final stop (and finale) of our Disney journey was the incredible world of Frozen, which came to life right before our eyes. We met Anna and Elsa, rugged mountain man Kristoff, and the lovable, huggable snowman Olaf. Throughout the entire Frozen story, kids and adults alike (including us) were singing along, cheering, and clapping — clearly this was by far the most anticipated and celebrated part of the entire show!
As the stage was transformed to the village outside the Arendelle castle, our Frozen adventure began with Anna performing on the ice and Else up in the castle performing “First Time in Forever.” Then after Anna meets Hans and they perform “Love is an Open Door,” they ask Elsa for her blessing, Anna and Else argue, Elsa brings winter to Arendelle, and it actually began to snow in the arena — so cool!
True to the movie, Elsa fled Arendelle and Anna went to find her, meeting Kristoff and Olaf along the way and treating the audience to Olaf’s silly song, “In Summer.” Elsa performed the fan favorite “Let It Go” with stunningly beautiful choreography as her ice castle appeared on the ice, Anna found Elsa and after Elsa accidentally froze her heart, Kristoff rushed her back to Arendelle and Hans who turned against her.
The set ended with Anna rescuing Elsa from Hans and freezing in the snow, then being saved by the true love of her sister Elsa, who discovered that love was what she needed all along to control her powers and save Arendelle from the eternal winter.
This final story knocked it out of the park. The Arendelle set was beautiful, the special effects including snow, fireworks, fog, light up cloaks, and an ice mask for Anna really brought the story to life, and again, the performances were truly impressive.
We were blown away. We love Disney and they the brand has set very high expectations of anything labeled “Disney,” and Disney On Ice presents Passport to Adventure really delivered on the Disney promise of excellence.
Passport To Adventure Is Fantastic
What an amazing night! From the very first skaters entering the ice to the finale, we all were completely captivated by the stories and wowed by the performers, the costumes, and the special effects. Plus, any day we get to see Mickey, Minne, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy is always a great day.
A giant THANK YOU to the Feld Entertainment Sacramento PR team for gifting Inspired Imperfection tickets for us to see the opening night and tickets to give away!
We LOVED this Disney On Ice show and were totally impressed with the quality of the sets, performances, and music. If you have little kids (or big kids like me) and you’re free this weekend and haven’t yet bought tickets, do it! There are still several more shows November 3-6 at the brand new Golden 1 Center in downtown Sacramento — just don’t forget to use discount code: MOM to save 20% on select seats (valid on select shows).
Feld Entertainment
Feld Entertainment® is the worldwide leader in producing and presenting live touring family entertainment experiences that lift the human spirit and create indelible memories, with 30 million people in attendance at its shows each year.
Feld Entertainment’s productions have appeared in more than 75 countries on six continents and include Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®, Monster Jam®, Monster Energy Supercross, AMSOIL Arenacross, Marvel Universe LIVE!, Disney On Ice, and Disney Live!
