This past Saturday I gathered three little princesses, two grown ones, and headed up to Dayton's Nutter Center to experience Disney on Ice Princess Classics.  From the second we stepped into the Nutter Center, it was obvious we had entered the world of Disney.  Everything was well-organized, well-merchandised, and well-laid out.  It even smelled like Disney in there!  (I'm still not sure how they managed that.)  From photo opportunities with Disney character scenes to plenty of Disney merchandise, the Nutter Center was hopping!  It reminded me quite a bit of the magical parades at Walt Disney World. My six year old daughter is such a little princess herself--she insisted on wearing a princess dress and crown!  Shouldn't have surprised me since she does call Cinderella's Castle "my castle." You will notice there aren't any head-on photos of her here because she even had her "no papparazi, please" moment with me.  LOL! From beginning to end, Disney on Ice is pure Disney magic.  Tinkerbelle, Mickey and Minnie, Cinderella, Goofy--the gang is all here!  Of course this show is focused on Princess Classics, so each of the major princesses are represented.  (Except for Tiana)  They retell the story of each Princess, on ice.  My daughter was in awe of Ariel, while her friend loved seeing Aurora.  I personally loved the antics of the Genie from Aladdin, one of my all-time favorite movies.  And when the Seven Dwarves appeared singing "Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's off to work we go!" I nearly jumped out of my seat and sang with them!  Suddenly I was six years old again! My daughter had the show program, and sat with the photo of Cinderella in her carriage open in her lap for most of the show, waiting to see that moment.  They did a really great job of capturing the magic of that scene--Kay gasped and sat, eyes wide in awe, as Cinderella rode past her in her magical carriage.  The entire second half of the show is the story of Cinderella.  The mice and the fairy godmother are done really well.  But the evil stepsisters really steal the show!  Wearing over-the-top makeup and costumes, they are very silly and overly dramatic bringing some real comedy to the show.  One of the stepsisters kept making faces at the audience, making the adults laugh.  I swear, she was chanelling Kathy Griffin the whole time! The skating was beautiful!  Kay has been asking for ice skating lessons for a while now--after this weekend I don't think I'll be able to hold her off any longer.  I was impressed at how they blended in the scenery, costumes and characters with skating.  There were some gorgeous lifts, spins and a few mild acrobatics.  But mostly the show focused on the story.  During the show characters often skated over to the side of the rink for the children in the VIP seats to run up and say hi.  A few came off the ice and into the audience.  One of the best moments in the whole show was when they were trying to find who fit the glass slipper: they actually got out of the rink and tried it on the feet of a few girls seated in the VIP section.  It was adorably cute and the girls were totally star-struck!  A little hint--if you find yourself seated down low near a rubber mat or the stairs off the rink?  Be ready for lots of character inter-action! I do have a couple of cautions to share:

• Dress warmly!  It is an ice show, which means the room is kept fairly chilly.  I suggest bringing a jacket and/or stadium blanket, as many of us got chilly even in long sleeves.  If your daughter insists on wearing a princess dress like mine did, I suggest leggings or jeans underneath.
• If you have children who have sensory issues or are easily startled, be aware that there are some mild pyrotechnics in the show.  There also are a few moments of darkness when the lights turn off.  Nothing terribly scary or loud.  But having a sensory sensitive son, I know that it is better to be forewarned!
• The merchandise is fantastic and, well--everywhere.  Everywhere we looked there was another item my daughter wanted.  To be honest, I don't blame her.  There were plenty of items I wanted as well!  They even sold them in our seats.  To protect your pocketbook, I suggest assigning your child a budget that you can afford, and let them choose from there.  I would even suggest giving them the money in cash, so that they can physically see that when they spend it and it is gone, there is no more.
• Because of the steep stairs, princess heels aren't very practical or safe.  If they simply must bring their glass slippers, I suggest carrying them in a special pouch to be worn once you are in your seats.  And socks!  It is too cold for open toes!

The food and snacks options were pricey but also quite large.  Large enough to share!  Especially the popcorn and the cotton candy.  The cotton candy had a lovely crown with mouse ears attached to the bag!  My daughter and her mom friends had a lot of fun splitting the cotton candy.  There was enough for all! If you want to go see Disney on Ice Princess Magic, it is here in Cincinnati starting tonight, October 6th through Sunday October 10th at the US Bank Arena!  We have an exclusive cincysavers discount code for tickets purchased online.  Use code BON11 to get kids tickets for only $12 each to select shows!  This is a great deal for a great day out with the family! Thanks to our friends at Feld Entertainment for providing my family with tickets to the show and goodies for the kids, plus the exclusive cincysavers discount code!  We had a magical time!