Photo By: Jason HortonFamily fun
My kids, despite being disappointed it wasn’t a Blazers game we were going to, had a great time at Disney on Ice last Sunday.
There are times when this job has its perks. One of those happened a few weeks back when I received an e-mail from some PR intern who was doing promotional work for Disney on Ice. This person, Alison, offered me free tickets for me and my family — with no obligation to do anything whatsoever on the event. I mean, come on, it’s Disney on Ice. It speaks for itself, doesn’t it?
Needless to say, I took her up on the offer and after going back-and-forth on different time frames, we settled on a Sunday afternoon. Now, my kids are 9 and nearly 7.
My daughter, Lexy, is the oldest and she is pretty much out of the whole Disney princess stage. My son, Max, is getting rid of his “Cars” and “Toy Story” stuff rapidly, but we figured, what the heck.
Max has been absolutely infatuated with the “MAX” transit system in Portland ever since he started reading several years ago. My wife and I thought this was the perfect time to let him ride “his” train. We parked near the Lloyd Center station and rode the MAX to the Rose Garden. You would have thought he was in Disneyland. While the ride lasted less than five minutes, to him it was the culmination of a life-long dream. No joke.
Once we got to the Rose Garden, the kids still didn’t know what we were doing there.
I actually think they were a little disappointed when they found out it wasn’t a Blazers game. But then they started noticing all the little girls dressed in Ariel, Snow White and Belle dresses … and Lexy read the reader board announcing what was taking place.
The first thing she said to me was, “Dad, I’m over the Disney princesses.” My son retorted, “I never liked the Disney princesses. Can’t we just go to a Blazers game?”
My wife and I tried to explain it wasn’t just about the princesses, in fact, there weren’t any princesses on the ice, at least two-legged ones.
Once we got inside, the masses were hunkered down in front of the … you guessed it … Disney princesses. It was pandemonium … and you couldn’t move.
Now, I’m no small man, so when I move, I take several bodies with me when we’re packed in shoulder-to-shoulder. Finally, when people realized we had absolutely no desire to take Cinderella’s picture, nor pose with her, we cut through the line and moved onward to our seats.
I couldn’t believe the seats they gave us. Half of the Rose Garden was curtained off, leaving what amounted to a half-court sized ice rink. Our seats were head on, about 11 rows up. Perfect for seeing everything.
Despite their reservations, as soon as the show started, my kids were mesmerized. It opened with Mickey and Minnie Mouse, followed by a “Cars” production and then “The Little Mermaid” and “The Lion King.” After a brief intermission, the show concluded with an elaborate Tinkerbell show.
What amazed me was the skaters. I know they are professionals and they aren’t suppose to fall and whatnot, but they were practically perfect.
I was watching with a critical eye and those darned skaters didn’t miss a beat, at least to my untrained eye. They were lifting, gliding, sliding and throwing each other around like bed pillows and looked flawless.
I came away impressed, not necessarily with the show itself, but with the level of talent it takes to pull off a show of this magnitude. My kids had a fantastic time, my wife and I had a great time and the next time Disney on Ice makes an appearance in Portland, those with young children should definitely give it a shot. It will be well worth it.
