Frozen Pre-Show Package

[Mommy to Kayla]

Today was the first official day of the frozen pre show package. And I have very mixed results. I do realize that since today was the first day there are a lot of kinks to work out.

I decided to not do the lunch, we did the pre show only, and I'm glad. If I remember correctly it was around $90 po for lunch?? Definitely not worth that much to me. I'm debating if it was worth what I paid ($40 po I think).

The good:
Don't have to worry about getting a fast pass for it.
It's super hot out, it was nice to have a refuge from the heat at noon.
Cool ice "treats" (really creative snow cone type of treats)
Bar
Popcorn
Cool backgrounds to take pictures
Got to choose our seats in the theater
The show is amazing!!

The Bad:
They tell you to check in at 11:30. But the doors didn't open until 12:00. Then you get in and you're there until 1:05.

It was a little boring. I actually left and rode Tower of Terror while DD and my mom waited.

They lined us up in rows of 5 to head out. We took 3 steps and couldn't get that many people in the hallway so we got in single file line. Again, first day hiccups.

They took us to the back of the theater and had us stand there and wait for 10 minutes. In the beaming sun with no cover, on pavement. Definitely did not fee like VIP. They did thank us for waiting.

I can't give it a score because I know it will get better after they get some of the hiccups fixed.

The show was incredible. I mean, the special effects were outstanding. And the actors were all great! They had amazing voices too.

I'm going to attempt to attach some pictures. (Fingers crossed!)

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Thank you for your review. I was wondering how it would shake out.

 

[Astylla]

Thanks for the overview. Due to circumstances we changed our plans and won't be doing the lunch package now so I appreciate the insight.

 

[figment_jii]

You mentioned getting to choose your seats in the theater; were you able to pick from any location (e.g., orchestra, mezzanine or balcony) or were you limited to just a single level and/or area?

 

[Mommy to Kayla]

We were only allowed to choose from the first level. Is that orchestra? But we could choose from any of them as we were the first ones let in.

 

[mlnbabies]

Thanks for the info. Might do this in Feb. if it's still available

 

[Kirbie]

We were only allowed to choose from the first level. Is that orchestra? But we could choose from any of them as we were the first ones let in.

That's pretty awesome! I'm on the fence about getting the pre show package, but this could make it worth it to me since I'm likely only to see the show once.

 

[my*gracie*girl]

Thanks for the feedback. We have just the pre-show package booked for 7/17, and I was hoping to hear some reviews before then.

 

[Disney Lvr of Old]

thanks for the review- I might do this just so I don't have to worry about the fast pass line. How many people were in your group?

 

[Disneybridewifemama]

Were there characters there to take photos with? Or just back drops?

 

[Musthavecoffee]

Is this the same stage 17 setup that had the Olaf meet and greet and snow sledding?

 

[Mommy to Kayla]

thanks for the review- I might do this just so I don't have to worry about the fast pass line. How many people were in your group?

There were 3 in my group but if you mean the larger group, maybe 50?

 

[Mommy to Kayla]

Were there characters there to take photos with? Or just back drops?

Olaf is right outside for anyone to take pictures and the inside just had backdrops.

 

[Mommy to Kayla]

Is this the same stage 17 setup that had the Olaf meet and greet and snow sledding?

I'm not sure. We hadn't been to DL since 2014 and I had never been in that space before.

 

[Disneybridewifemama]

Thank you for your input. It's my daughters birthday and I'm trying to decide if this is something we should do. She loves frozen and wants to see the show so bad but every time we go, it's already sold out.

I wonder if we get an AP discount for this?

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I wonder if we get an AP discount for this?

Nope.

 

[lulubelle]

Thank you for the review. A group of us booked it for August 20. Can you tell me about the food and wine/beer? Did you think your seats were good?

 

[Keels]

I have this booked for Half Marathon weekend (just the pre-show package, not the meal) and I'm also curious about the bar. Is it just one drink? A couple? Trying to determine if it's worth it or if it's just cheaper for me to get a FP and pay $8 for a beer to wait in line for a seat.

 

[GoldeneyezCA]

My family of 4 did the 12:05pm pre-show only package ($49 pp) on Sat July 2, due to a desire to see the 1:35 pm show without spending ridiculous amounts of time in line. (We are SoCal AP's and have never seen it due to the wait times/early arrival required.)

- Crowd: We lucked into a pre-show group with only about 30 people, so it was actually overstaffed for a group that size. A lot of very friendly and helpful cast members were just standing around, and after taking photos, the photographers actually had a great time jumping around on the projected snowflakes on the ground with our kids. However, I heard that the next group had 90-100, and I can imagine that there would have been waits for everything. They will need to impose a limit on that.

- Food: Free and unlimited popcorn, icees (blue raspberry, orange, root beer - you can try them all!), water. You get one alcoholic beverage with your complimentary drink coupon, so we each had a glass of wine and didn't try the paid beverages. We would have liked to see more healthy/filling snacks offered given the preshow + show duration is 2.5 hrs.

- Activities for kids: 3 lovely photo backdrops, coloring pictures of Elsa, Anna, and Olaf, and there was a small photo display about the making of the show which no one was looking at. No characters. About 5 min before you leave (1:12 at our pre-show, but ask your CM), there is a special effect involving the fountain that the kids enjoyed.

- Bathrooms : Pre-show + show = 2.5 hrs, and there are NO bathrooms in the preshow area or the theater, so plan accordingly! The nearest bathroom is by the Red Fire truck near the old Mad Tea Party area (about a 1-2 min walk), and when I took my kids near the end of the pre-show to maximize bladder time, there was a HUGE line, so I ran to the bathrooms nearest to Disney Jr and we almost missed the pre-show surprise (the 15 min I had planned for potty break wasn't enough due to unexpected bathroom lines!).

- Transition/Seating: We were lined up and walked outside, then waited for about 5 min outside the theater before being let in. However - and this was my big complaint when we had an opportunity to talk to a Guest Experience Research CM after the show - there is NO priority seating reserved for pre-show package. I was 1st in line, and we were just let in from stage left and told to choose a seat... but when we arrived to the orchestra seating, the special needs group (at least 150 people) had already been seated! The first several rows of the center Orchestra were already full! So, we walked in and immediately had to race for seats as people were coming in from the other side. We managed to snag great seats on the left end of the Rear Orchestra center front row - right behind the aisle, so no view obstruction for my 3 and 7 yo's- but the center of that row was already full when I arrived. Not what I was expecting for $200!

- The Show: Wonderful. Not as funny as Aladdin, but beautifully done, and the effects were amazing. The are still working out some kinks - we had some serious mic issues in the beginning of the show and once, the curtain came up before the sets had moved into place. Yes, it's longer than Aladdin, but my kids have been to Broadway shows and sit through movies without problems, and they were riveted! It exceeded this Aladdin-lover's expectations, and we will go again.

We rated the experience about a 6/10, and though we really enjoyed the show, I'm not sure that it was a great value for the money in comparison to the World of Color or Paint the Night Packages ($65 per adult, $30 per kid), where you pay about the same and at least get a full meal in addition to priority show access. I think the prices of the meal+preshow packages are just insane. When asked if any of us would recommend the pre-show package in its current state, of the 3 families present during for the Research group, only 1 (a mother and daughter) said they would do it again, if some changes were made - namely, healthier food, character experiences, and actual priority/first access to the theater. Hope that helps!

 

[Nonsuch]

We were only allowed to choose from the first level. Is that orchestra? But we could choose from any of them as we were the first ones let in.

...Transition/Seating: We were lined up and walked outside, then waited for about 5 min outside the theater before being let in. However - and this was my big complaint when we had an opportunity to talk to a Guest Experience Research CM after the show - there is NO priority seating reserved for pre-show package. I was 1st in line, and we were just let in and told to choose a seat, which would have been fine, but when we arrived to the orchestra seating, the special needs group (at least 150 people) had already been seated! The first several rows of the center Orchestra were already full! So, we walked in and immediately had to race for seats as people were coming in from the other side. We managed to snag great seats on the left end of the Rear Orchestra front row - right behind the aisle, so no view obstruction for my 3 and 7 yo's- but the rest of that row was already full when I arrived...

There is a huge difference between being "the first ones let in" and seating after "the special needs group".