ICE! at Gaylord Palms

[Wendy]

ICE! at Gaylord Palms

November 17, 2008 – January 4, 2009

Open daily including holidays, hours vary.

Who says the holidays in Florida are all about sunshine and palm trees? Prepare for the coolest winter on record as Gaylord Palms presents ICE!, a walk-through attraction hand-carved from nearly TWO MILLION pounds of ice.

Explore a whimsical winter wonderland of larger-than-life, three-dimensional hand-carved ice monuments and sculptures, including fantastic frozen creations, slippery ice slides, and memorable holiday scenes. As for the chill, visitors are given oversized parkas to stay comfortable inside the attraction, which is kept at a blustery 9 degrees. In its sixth season, ICE! will reflect the theme "Santa's Arctic Blast," featuring several scenes that star "Jolly Cold Saint Nicholas" himself. One such scene is an oversized "Santa's knee" photo opportunity that's likely to be the most photographed element inside the attraction. Another guest favorite, the ICE! castle and slides, have been re-designed to celebrate Santa's Christmas Eve flight... reindeer and all.

The attraction's signature scene, a life-size Nativity carved completely of crystal-clear ice, has been described as one of the most breathtaking depictions of the birth of Christ. Dramatic lighting and a stirring narrative track give guests an opportunity to pause and reflect on the story behind the season.

The attraction is carved by a team of 40 artisans from Harbin, China. The talented artisans spend more than a month in Kissimmee creating this one-of-a-kind attraction. Harbin is best known for its annual International Ice and Snow Festival, where more than 2,000 sculptors annually carve a 100-acre walk-through Ice Park from ice taken from the Songhua River.

ICE! is open daily from November 17 through January 4, including holidays. Tickets for ICE! are on sale now. For the lowest ticket prices, purchase your tickets in advance, online here

For more information or to purchase your tickets by phone, call 407-586-4-ICE (423).

NOTE: ICE! is kept at a frigid 9 degrees Fahrenheit. Be sure to dress appropriately: closed-toe shoes and long pants are required. Hooded winter coats will be provided for your warmth and comfort inside the attraction. Hats and gloves are suggested, and can be purchased on-site at the ICE! gift shop

[Isafari]

This was one of the options we were thinking of for Xmas Eve but I'm sure Keith has been before and says its just a small room. (Of course if it wasn't Keith, then it may have been someone else!)

[Wendy]

Chris would really like to go and they have some nice things going on in the evening as well by the sounds of it, so we will probably go one afternoon/evening whilst we are there

[Keith]

This was one of the options we were thinking of for Xmas Eve but I'm sure Keith has been before and says its just a small room. (Of course if it wasn't Keith, then it may have been someone else!)

twas me but I didn't say it was a small room exactly, just that there wasn't an awful lot of it for the money

I really should repost the mini-trip report on it but basically I'll summarise

1. some rude staff The hotel was great wonderful and wowsome, but when we tried to get into the ice show, we were confronted nastily by two women who tried to tell us off for not queueing somewhere else. Well there were no directions and no queues setup, so one of them sighed angrily and put a queue rope in front of us No one else came in, just us... and we just waited there for 20minutes until I guess she decided she had to let us in.

2. it was pretty expensive for what it was although we bought tickets when we got there from a machine which was probably the most expensive way to do it. I think they may have reduced the rates this year.. I know that was my feedback to them in their surveys

3. I looooove winter/christmas, all that so this was just magical for me It's amazing to see how much work has gone into the sculptures and how intricate they are but there really were only a relatively few rooms you went into and then that's it bang, you're in the gift shop at the end. Considering we had made a special trip to go and see it, it probably wasnt worth the taxi+admission even though what there was was brilliant

I think advance tickets are $20 each or so now though and that seems worth it to me especially if you haven't seen it before

Just remember to queue up in the non-existant queue lane or the nasty jobsworth lady will come and shout at you

[Keith]

Chris would really like to go and they have some nice things going on in the evening as well by the sounds of it, so we will probably go one afternoon/evening whilst we are there

ah yes that's another thing! the atrium of the hotel is a sight to behold with gators and other animals/plants. There are also some shows going on, sometimes there is free hot chocolate etc. it's a good place to see