Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream – website

** Note: Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream is at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont January 25 through 29, and at the United Center in Chicago February 1 through 12. I’ve included information about both venues, but my experience and observations are based on what we experienced at the Allstate Arena.

Location:
Allstate Arena, 6920 North Mannheim Road, Rosemont
The Allstate Arena site includes links to CTA, Metra, and PACE to help you reach there using public transportation.
United Center, 1901 W. Madison Street, Chicago
The United Center can be reached by public transportation by taking the Orange, Green, Purple, or Brown line to Madison, and then taking the 20 bus west.

Phone:
Allstate Arena – 847-635-6601
United Center – 312-455-4500
Ticketmaster – 800-745-3000

Dates and hours:

January 25-29 at the Allstate Arena:
Wednesday, 1/25 – 7:00 pm
Thursday, 1/26 – 7:00 pm
Friday, 1/27 – 10:30 am, 7:00 pm
Saturday, 1/28 – 11:30 am, 3:30 pm, 7:00 pm
Sunday, 1/29 – 11:30 am, 3:30 pm, 7:00 pm

February 1-12 at the United Center:
Wednesday, 2/1 & 2/8 – 7:00 pm
Thursday, 2/2 & 2/9 – 10:30 am, 7:00 pm
Friday, 2/3 & 2/10 – 10:30 am, 7:00 pm (Scout Night)
Saturday, 2/4 & 2/11 – 11:30 am, 3:30 pm, 7:00 pm
Sunday, 2/5  – 11:30 am, 3:00 pm (Spanish performance)
Monday, 2/6 and Tuesday, 2/7 – No shows
Sunday, 2/12 – 11:30 am, 3:30 pm, 7:00 pm

Admission:
Ticket prices range from about $16 to $85 (plus fees).
Tickets can be purchased online from Ticketmaster.
Allstate Arena: Children under 2 are permitted to sit on a parent’s lap for free.
United Center: Children under 36″ are permitted to sit on a parent’s lap for free.

Use code MOMMY to receive 4 tickets for just $44 for all weekday shows (Monday-Friday, excluding Friday evenings and holidays) or to save $4 for all weekend performances (Friday evening-Sunday).

Use code FAMILY to receive a free meal package including food and beverage when you purchase four $25 tickets.

Parking:
Allstate Arena – $13, cash only
United Center – parking is free for Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream

Bathrooms:
Allstate Arena -There are public bathrooms throughout the venue. There are changing tables.
United Center – There are public bathrooms on each level. Family bathrooms are available on the 100 level in the First Aid room across from section 115/116, and at the 300 level at the top of section 303/304.

Nursing: There is no designated nursing area in either venue.

Handicapped/stroller accessibility:
Allstate Arena – The Allstate Arena is handicapped accessible. Accessible seating is available on the lower level; please indicate accessible seating is required when purchasing tickets. I would not recommend bringing a stroller.
United Center – The United Center is handicapped accessible. Strollers must be checked at any guest relations booths located at Gates 2 or 6, or the Lexus Club Level at section 221, or on the 300 level across from section 325.

Other amenities: There are vendors everywhere selling glow-in-the-dark toys, Rapunzel braids, light up wands, and other items. There are vendors at tables throughout the venue and vendors walking through the stands. T-shirts are $20 and 13″ plush dolls are $30. Photos with a backdrop and princess cutout are available for $20.

Food: Vendors sell lots of food at tables and in the stands – hots dogs, nachos, cotton candy, popcorn, ice cream, etc. $12 for cotton candy (which comes with a free plastic hat) or a sno-cone in a plastic Disney cup.

Special events:

• Friday, February 2 and February 10 are Scout Nights
• Sunday, February 5 at 3:00 pm is a Spanish performance

We paid: $13 for parking. We received complimentary tickets to see the show. If we had purchased tickets using the MOMMY code they would have cost approximately $62 ($44 for four plus approximately $18.00 in fees).

Our experience:

We arrived a bit later than we planned; we exited the expressway near the Allstate Arena at about 6:30, but there was a lot of traffic for the Arena and by the time we parked and got to our seats it was about 7:15.

The show includes three stories about Disney Princesses – Tiana, Cinderella, and Rapunzel. The costumes are amazing and the skating was very impressing. In addition to the performing the stories and the music that went with them, there were a lot of beautiful skating stunts and lifts throughout the show. I particularly liked Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder wrapping themselves in silky fabric to fly through the air.

We had four seats for the four of us, but we never used one of our seats and often only used two. Dexter sat on John’s lap and my lap throughout the show, and Cooper spent half of the show on someone’s lap. If you’re looking to save some money, and have a child under 2 (for the Allstate Arena) or under 36″ (for the United Center), you might want to have them sit on a lap instead of  purchasing a ticket for them. There was an intermission at 7:45 for about 15 minutes, and the show ended at about 9:00 pm. We brought pajamas so the kids could fall asleep in the car and be put straight into bed.

We really enjoyed ourselves; John and I were particularly impressed by the crocodile and horse (I can’t even imagine how anyone could skate in those costumes). Cooper and Dexter also talked about liking the animals in the show; they loved the mice in Cinderella and the crocodile. The boys were entranced throughout the show and I think they were the perfect age for this show.

I received complimentary tickets to Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream. All opinions expressed are my own.