Frozen Pre-Show Package - Is it worth it?

[cakebaker]

We checked in early - around 2:00 and there was no one in line. We watched the Pete's Dragon preview and visited with Nick and Judy from Zootopia after check in to kill some time until we could actually go in at 2:45.

As I said in my post, we checked with them around 2:20. There was no one in line because they weren't allowing it. Would've been great if we could've checked in and come back later but that wasn't possible.

 

[Ktuck2112]

Is the shaved ice and popcorn included? Are adult beverages included as well? Is it unlimited?

 

[amalone1013]

Each adult gets one beverage ticket for a beer or glass of wine. They also had water and sparkling cider which I think was unlimited?

Popcorn and shaved ice was unlimited (DF had 4 shaved ice )

 

[DisneyAngel05]

Can you take the popcorn/drinks into the theatre with you? Or just finish before you head over?
Anyone have any photos of the pre-show area and things you can do?

 

[AussieCaribou]

Has anyone heard anything about the packages continueing past 5 Sept? My emails have gone unanswered...

 

[kaylasmom07]

Has anyone heard anything about the packages continueing past 5 Sept? My emails have gone unanswered...

I spoke to a CM last week who told me the packages are not continuing past Sept 5th.

 

[AussieCaribou]

That's so sad! Oh well, one less expense and one more line...

 

[arichau]

I saw Frozen a few weeks ago and am so glad we DIDN'T do this package. It was so easy to get a fastpass in the morning and we were in line maybe 25 minutes (in the shade of trees on a hot day) and sat in the front row of the second section of the orchestra section. One of the easiest things on our to-do list.

If you were super excited about being in the front row or couldn't get to the parks until the afternoon when FPs would be out - then I would get it. But otherwise I think there are much better ways to spend money. Having said this I am glad so many people who have done it have been pleased of course!

 

[cinder-ellah]

My experience, sorry this is a little lengthy :

Our family group attended the Frozen Pre-Show last week, Aug 17th for the 1:30pm Frozen Show.
The Pre-show area was nice. A few photo ops with Photopass Photographers, popcorn, shaved ice, beverages, air conditioning, benches, coloring area.

At the end of the Pre-Show time, it was announced to line up to be escorted to the theater. A cute game of "Olaf Says' and then a cast member announced....... "The Frozen Show has been canceled"
What ?
Ugh.... I felt bad for the CM's and of course for all the kids / adults. We were stunned. Yes, I understand that shows can get canceled "technical difficulties, cast injuries, etc".
We were told that we could sign up for another show. We were told we would have "VIP select seating" for another show. No shows for that day but we could pick from the ones for Thursday and Friday that week. If we didn't know which show we wanted to sign up for we were assured we could come to Guest Services / Chamber of Commerce later and see what shows were available to pick from. They had a notebook that they had signed people in to start with and was writing down times and dates for returns if people knew what would work for a return. Some people were very upset as this was there last day in the park and could not sign up for another show. Absolutely "NO REFUNDS"...... even though it was canceled due to technical difficulties. I understand things being canceled and appreciated being offered another show to attend with "select seating".

My experience : later that day I called Guest Services to inquire about signing up for another show, as we then knew what times would work for us. They knew nothing about being able to signup for select seating for another show. They said they never did that. I tried 4 separate times within an hour, hoping to connect with a CM that would know something about this. Same response each call. "Nothing they could do". If the show was cancelled that was the end of your experience. No refunds.

Next day Aug 18th, 9am : I went to the Chamber of Commerce in DCA. The CM said they never give returns for shows that are canceled for their paid packages. Suggested I go to a FP machine and get a FP. I stated that the FP machines only give general seating and I had paid for "Select Seating". I told them about the CM's after the Pre-show that said we could go to another show with "VIP select seating" and that they had a notebook to sign people up for other show times on Thursday or Friday. Again, I was told "they never do that". The CM asked if I wanted a refund, that she could do that....... I said "Yes" ! She took my credit card and then came back stating "We don't do refunds". Yes, my patience was growing thin..... but I stayed calm. I am not a confrontational person. Yes, I was feeling defeated, as I was hot, tired and disappointed. After a time of my not giving up, the CM's supervisor called the CM into the another room. I waited patiently for her return. On her return ...... I was issued a "VIP Select Seating" for an upcoming show for our group for 5:30pm. An hour later the CM called me back and said the 5:30 show was canceled, but she could book us for the 1:30 show. Yay ! That show did not get canceled although part way through the stage went dark and it was announced the show was delayed for technical difficulties. You could hear a pin drop when the announcement was made. Less than 5 minutes later the show resumed and continued to the end. A good show. The effects were great ! We sat in the front row of the section behind the Orchestra.

I don't know what happened to anyone else that was at our canceled show on the 17th. I'm glad I had the patience and time to pursue this. This was not an easy or fast fix. Hopefully if anyone else had problems with this that things will go smoother for you. My suggestion... at the end of the Pre-Show if its announced that the show is cancelled and they are signing you up for another show get a written paper stating information about the sign up. My mistake I thought this was normal since they had a notebook and figured Guest Services at the Chamber of Commerce at DCA would know about it since that was where we were directed to go if we didn't know what day / time would work for us at the moment. I had my confirmation # when I talked to GS and they knew nothing about it and said they never offered another show to guests. Frustrating. Be patient if this happens to you.

I would highly recommend going to the Chamber of Commerce in DCA instead of talking to Guest Services on the phone.

Is the Pre-show worth it ? It was a nice break for it being hot out. And the select seating is great, if all goes well. I would recommend eating before hand if your Pre-show is around noon. Not really much to fill up on if you are in need of a meal. Also, no bathrooms available, as I believe some mentioned earlier. Some in our group couldn't stand in the regular line for long and that why we chose this.

 

[Disney Lvr of Old]

I was in the crowd on the 17th with you Cinder- Ellah. I immediately went to the table outside and my name was hand-written for Friday at 1200. I brought my own passes back on Friday and my son and I got to do the frozen pre-show again and watched the show on Friday. Good on you for being so persistent and I'm so glad I was able to sign up at the time; I would have been very angry if they would not have allowed me to go again.

 

[cinder-ellah]

I was in the crowd on the 17th with you Cinder- Ellah. I immediately went to the table outside and my name was hand-written for Friday at 1200. I brought my own passes back on Friday and my son and I got to do the frozen pre-show again and watched the show on Friday. Good on you for being so persistent and I'm so glad I was able to sign up at the time; I would have been very angry if they would not have allowed me to go again.

Thank you for your input. The Pre-Show was lovely. Wish alittle more snacks, fruit / cheese were provided. But atleast we knew what was offered ahead of time and got some food. The PhotoPass Photographers were great. It did get frustrating after the fact with CM's telling me repeatedly we don't sign up or give "select seating" to another show. When obviously they did. Oh, well patience with CM's is my motto. I'm glad you had a good time and all went well. Glad to hear your experience.

 

[cinder-ellah]

Disney Lvr of Old
did you still get the "Select Seating" ?

 

[cinder-ellah]

I was in the crowd on the 17th with you Cinder- Ellah. I immediately went to the table outside and my name was hand-written for Friday at 1200. I brought my own passes back on Friday and my son and I got to do the frozen pre-show again and watched the show on Friday. Good on you for being so persistent and I'm so glad I was able to sign up at the time; I would have been very angry if they would not have allowed me to go again.

I just got an email survey from Disney about my "Frozen Experiance". This ought to be interesting.

 

[Disney Lvr of Old]

Disney Lvr of Old
did you still get the "Select Seating" ?

Hi- absolutely. They only thing they did not give me was another free beer. Otherwise we did everything offered again and were brought to the theater with the others to pick whatever seat we wanted.

 

[cinder-ellah]

Hi- absolutely. They only thing they did not give me was another free beer. Otherwise we did everything offered again and were brought to the theater with the others to pick whatever seat we wanted.

We did not get another Pre-show.
They had our family get in the general mass line area. Put us with about 20 others lined up inside by the second set of doors, doors leading directly into the theater. The Orchestra area was mainly already filled. But we got the seats I was hoping for, first row behind the Orchestra area. Yes, another cold beer or glass of wine would've been nice.

 

[Disney_Alli]

My husband and I did the pre-show package on Tuesday (the 23rd) we enjoyed the pre-show area and the ability to sit in the cool and a/c. We really enjoyed the shave ice and the popcorn! We took advantage of all the picture spots and then returned to the first one when Olaf made his appearance. Hubby definitely thought it was well worth the money as it allowed us to skip the fastpass rush and to stay out of the sun waiting for the show to start. I loved the show (even with a stoppage in the middle for technical difficulties that lasted about 10 minutes) if we were short on time or going back at a really hot time again I'd be willing to do the package again for sure.

 

[cinder-ellah]

My husband and I did the pre-show package on Tuesday (the 23rd) we enjoyed the pre-show area and the ability to sit in the cool and a/c. We really enjoyed the shave ice and the popcorn! We took advantage of all the picture spots and then returned to the first one when Olaf made his appearance. Hubby definitely thought it was well worth the money as it allowed us to skip the fastpass rush and to stay out of the sun waiting for the show to start. I loved the show (even with a stoppage in the middle for technical difficulties that lasted about 10 minutes) if we were short on time or going back at a really hot time again I'd be willing to do the package again for sure.

I'm glad you had a good time. Yes, getting out of the heat and the photos were great !

 

[Disney Lvr of Old]

I spoke with a CM and asked why the preshow is over 9/5 and they said the pre show package is going away because the "winter with Olaf" snow thing was coming back for the holidays. So it might be back after the holidays. Anyone else hear this rumor?

 

[mamapenguin]

I just got an email survey from Disney about my "Frozen Experiance". This ought to be interesting.

Did you do the survey yet? There's some questions at the end about another experience that you might be interested in and lists a few. Then it asks what you would expect to see in that experience. I picked a Pirate experience, it was fun thinking about what I would expect and giving them feedback.

I know that your experience had some problems so I think it's great that you are going to be able to share that with them. We were lucky everything was perfect.

 

[cinder-ellah]

Did you do the survey yet? There's some questions at the end about another experience that you might be interested in and lists a few. Then it asks what you would expect to see in that experience. I picked a Pirate experience, it was fun thinking about what I would expect and giving them feedback.

I know that your experience had some problems so I think it's great that you are going to be able to share that with them. We were lucky everything was perfect.

Glad to hear you had a good experience! I know Disney does not like to disappoint people and with anything I realize there can be complications.

Yes, I did the survey and lots of input as to our situation.

The experience I chose was between Pirates and Star Wars. I chose Star Wars. Both sound fun ! I look forward to see what they offer in the future.