Fantasy On Ice

We decided to check out Fantasy on Ice during the holidays with a group of friends at this new Liberty Station location. We went on a Sunday afternoon at 11am and we timed it perfectly. There weren’t a lot of folks out there but as the day went on, the rink began to fill up. I imagine people preferred to skate when it gets darker but for the kids in our group who were under 8, daytime was perfect.
My husband brought his own skates so we thought it would be quick to get him out there but the lines took almost 15 – 20 min to get through. There weren’t long lines or anything but just took a long time for the one person working to get people through. At least they were nice. The cost was $ 14 for adults and $ 12 for children. There wasn’t a different cost for skate rental vs. bringing your own so it’s just a preference if you have your own.
The rink is a pretty decent size for an outdoor rink and is very intimate. It’s not huge so you won’t see kids speed skating and making it dangerous for little ones. Don’t expect the ice to be NHL quality but it’s what you’ll expect with an outdoor rink… in San Diego! ;)
We’ll be back for sure in the future with our little peanut. We had a blast!

It’s too tiny and kid/​teenager-​infested. I guess that’s expected with any outdoor ice skating rink around the holidays but yeah, not worth the $ 14 admission fee. The parents pretty much let their kids roam free in the rink but the kids have no idea what they are doing and are literally all over the place and in one’s way. I’m not a skating champion but I do like to move at more than a ½ per hour pace on the ice, this place is just not the place to do it. I left within 20 minutes, I couldn’t take bumping into one more unsupervised child or teenager taking a selfie every two seconds. Stick to the indoor rinks during non-​holiday weeks. And one more thing, the ice? Too bumpy.

The ice is super bumpy, even after they «zambonied» it, and the skates are hard to tighten, so they’re wobbly. I’m usually good at ice skating, but I just could not do it. It’s the Saturday before they close, so I understand that it’s super packed. I skated for about two minutes then stayed on the bench the rest of the time. Only reason I’m not asking for a refund is because it’s for a good cause. Only positive thing is that the worker is a real cutie!

Ugh, I really wanted this experience to be awesome and totally ramped it up to be and then the big let down ensued.
The Pros:
–Cute little rink in the middle of liberty station
–Décor is cute
–Food truck nearby with snack/​drinks = awesome
–Set-​up to get skates/​on the ice with a quickness = fantastic
–Your skate fees are a donation to Rady’s Children hospital so you are purchasing a ticket towards a very worthy casuse
The Cons:
–The skates are older donated skates and hurt worse than those regular ice skates from your hometown rink. Not comfortable and bent
–There is a water pit in front of the ice entrance and exit due to the outdoor conditions so be careful of the splash zone
–Patches of ice were awesome, others = not so much
Overall, this would be an amazing experience if the skates were better. I skated for 15 minutes, adjusted my skates and then just left. I would give money to Rady’s any day of the week.

So fun and pretty! The setting is intimate, it’s romantic everyone is friendly and we had lots of fun. It’s in Point Loma well Liberty Station parking is really easy, just park and walk over to the rink. Honestly can’t say anything negative, there’s staff on the ice to help with falls and stuff, we had a blast!

Nice location and maybe good at night but worst ice skating experience ever. Took my kids today and although all three of us skate well we could barely get around the bumpy puddle filled surface and super small. We saw several people come and go like us within 15 minutes. I didn’t want to ask for my money back as the proceeds benefit Rady’s but we will never go again. Be warned and avoid day time skating at least (to avoid puddles) but overall the surface was so bumpy. Next time we are back to Kroc center or UTC.

We are so glad they moved to Liberty Station! We have been ice skating five times already! The setting is beautiful and the parking is great!

Very pretty at sunset and at night, with the palm trees lit up. The ice conditions were surprisingly good for an outdoor rink in a warm climate! We went in the evening. You can get a season pass if you buy before the season starts; opening day was also discounted, and there was an 45 minute ice show, with live music to skate to!!! The skate guards are really good and will help you up if you fall.

Was fun for the first 10 minutes when we got there but had to leave due to ice melting. Got a free pass to come back and was told to Coke back 5 hours later. We came back 7 hours later and found out they’re still freezing the ice at 8:00pm. Was told it was closed for tonight. Huge disappointment since we drove long distance twice to skate. Will try to come back next Friday, if it’s open.

Went there and they shut it down 5 – 10 mins afterwards. Went at night and they weren’t even open. Waste of time.

I’ve bought season’s passes for myself and the girls to go skating at Fantasy on Ice every year for the past 5 – 6 years, and it is now one of their favorite holiday tradition. This year, it’s moved from Horton Plaza downtown to beautiful Liberty Station!
What’s not to love about ice skating? Outside? In San Diego! Because it’s San Diego, yes, it’s going to be warm. Yes, the ice may melt, and there might be puddles. Not all the time. Sometimes, the ice is very solid. In any event, my kids think this is part of the appeal.
All the proceeds go to Rady Children’s Hospital, which is great. And generally when I bring a bunch of kids, many of which have barely or never skated before, the staff on the ice are so nice and encouraging in trying to teach them how to skate.
The details: Open daily Nov. 18 — Jan. 3, 2016, 10am-​10 pm. Cost: $ 14/​adults, $ 12 kids 12 and under; includes skate rental (and these are nice skates). Or, you can skate unlimited times for $ 40 (good deal if you plan to skate more than twice). Or, if you’re really proactive, Circle Buzz (like Groupon for kids’ stuff) has a ½ off season pass deal every year for just $ 20. You have until 11÷18÷15 to get in on that this year. See you on the ice!