Don’t Get Left In the Cold | Tips to Watch Frozen at the Hyperion

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I’ll be the very first to admit that I was a huge naysayer when I saw that Frozen was replacing my beloved Aladdin. I didn’t want to watch the sisters from Frozen at the Hyperion; I wanted to watch the Genie.

I’m pretty sure I threw a Twitter hissy fit as I tend to do.

Sorry, Tweeps.

I’m here now to officially say: it’s going to be ok. Frozen is good. Sure, it has it’s moments that were eye-roll worthy (*cough*?every single troll that appeared onstage *cough*) and it’s about 10 minutes too long in my opinion. But overall, I enjoyed the show.

So don’t let it go just yet! If you are heading to Disneyland this summer or for the Disneyland Half, you need to read this for tips to ensure?your family gets to see a free Broadway-style show at Disneyland.

It’s really only one tip. Sorry.

It comes down to this: GET A FASTPASS.

I may repeat that a dozen times just in case you forget. But that’s the bottom line. You need a FastPass for this show, or you may not make it through the gates of Arendelle.

On our recent ?try something new trip? trip, Tania and knew we wanted to check it out.

While waiting in life for Spiderman (okay, that’s a lie- we were only there for Captain America), I wandered over and pulled a couple of FastPasses for the 4 pm show. The FastPass machines are right across from the meet and greet just to the left of the theater.

So we were all set, right?

Wrong. We blew off the Frozen show that day and ended up eating an early dinner.

We, unknowingly, became part of the Frozen problem.

We’d both seen Aladdin a few times we were familiar with how the pre-show line-up went. Or so we thought. We thought the FastPasses were just nice to have, but not necessary.

The joke was on us.

The addition of Frozen changed the way shows are seen at the Hyperion. We thought nothing of bailing on the FastPass and planned to get in line for the show on Sunday afternoon instead.

We got in line for the 1:35 showing at 1 pm. We ended up being toward the end of the line and wondered when they would cut the line off. We assumed that if they let you get in line, they knew what seats were available, and we’d at least make it into the theater.

Because: math.

This is definitely not the case, y’all.

We stood in the hot sun for 30 minutes and made it close to the front of the line. Alas, with about 25 people in front of us and at least 150 people behind us, the announcement was made that the theater was at capacity.

Um, what?

That’s not how math works, right? I mean, why would they let you stand in line if they knew there would not be enough seats to accommodate you?

Tania and I had questions and turned to an unlucky Cast Member for answers.

Poor Luis. He had to deal with two bloggers who wanted to dig deep for an explanation. To his credit, he was amazingly kind and patient. His friend, Andi, joined in the conversation and helped us understand exactly how this works. (And we left a glowing review for them at the Chamber of Commerce on our way out.)

This is where we learned that when the Frozen sisters moved in, the show loading procedures changed as well. I’m sure this has been covered on blogs or press releases in a million different sites, but we are both pretty Disney savvy and totally missed the announcement on this one.

FastPasses are not just convenient. They are the ONLY way to ensure you have a seat inside the theater. Period.?

The standby line is just like at the airport: you may get in, you may not. Who knows- until all the FastPass folks ?(like ticketed passengers) are admitted. Remember when I said we blew off our FastPasses the day before? They account for people like us to not show up which is why the standby line exists. The problem is: there’s no way to predict how many folks will not show for the FastPass line.

Remember when I said we blew off our FastPasses the day before? They account for people like us to not show up which is why the standby line exists. The problem is: there’s no way to predict how many folks will not show for the FastPass line.

Sometimes they fill from the standby line with only ten people needed; sometimes they are flagging people down in the streets trying to get them to fill seats in the theater 5 minutes before the show starts. They have no way to predict the FastPass return.

So, what does this mean?

It means that you need a FastPass to enjoy the show! I’d also suggest returning early to the line if sitting together is important to you. This theater loads fast, and the later folks entering were scrambling to find seats together.

Because they were so awesome, Andi and Luis offered to help us get into the next show. We gratefully took them up on their offer as the FastPasses were gone for the day (another tip- oh hey, there are two!- grab them early!) and made the 4 pm show.

Once you are in the show loading area, you can leave, but you’ll need to acquire a special pass to have in and out priveledges.

Y’all. I die. I was an official special snowflake. I have the pass to prove it!

As I mentioned before, the show is good! The?Let it Go stage?effects will blow you away. Here’s the video. I didn’t want to add it directly in case it spoiled it for folks!

Our Anna was also a standout in this production, and I wish I had videoed her Coronation Day.

Oh- and I about peed my pants from laughing at both Olaf and Sven when they came onstage. Their costumes are freakin’ awesome. I was much amused. I won’t post a picture because I think you need to see them for yourself!

Hat tip to Disney for the diverse casting. It was cool to see African Americans and Asian actors inhabiting the traditionally white roles in the kingdom of Arendale.

It’s no Aladdin, but it’s still worth the time and effort to see it. I found the live characterizations delightful, but I’m a live theater nerd like that.

You can also skip all this FastPass drama by purchasing a special event package on sale now.

Have you seen Frozen Live at the Hyperion yet? What did you think?

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