ICE! at Gaylords Palms, in Kissimmee, Florida, has been a tradition with family for the past four years. Each year is themed to a different Christmas tale, and this year we were taken into The Nutcracker ballet. I’m not a big fan of this story, but I still enjoyed walking through the 9 degrees Fahrenheit exhibit and looking around at all the wonder that the 40 artists from Harbin, China, created for us.
This year wasn’t as extravagant with special effects as last year’s theme, Frosty the Snowman, but if you enjoy the story of The Nutcracker, I don’t think you will be disappointed. The four ice slides were a hit as always and my husband and son learned that by sitting on their parka they would go faster down the ice slides and were less likely to get stuck on their way down.
In addition to the regular ICE! exhibit, Gaylord Palms has added a new ice bar for the 21 and up crowd. For an additional $15.94 adults can make a stop inside the exclusive bar inside ICE! Included in the experience is a sampling of Johnny Appleseed gluten-free cider poured through an ice luge, and a choice of the Maker’s Mark specialty drink, Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio or Rutherford Hill Merlot, served in a souvenir glass.
In the past, Gaylord Palms has tried various “ice villages” to entertain guests after they walked through ICE! and the general consensus was that it left you feeling like they owed you $15.00 in change for your $10.00 ticket. I’m happy to say that this year, they got the formula right with the Alpine Rush Snow Tubing experience.
They can have up to eight lanes of tubing going at once and, thanks to physics and gravity, every ride down is different. I lost count how many times my son went tubing while we were there, but we had to drag him away when it was time to go. A standard ticket comes with ten runs down the slopes and there are chocolate-stands-a-plenty to warm you up when you’re done.
While looking through my pictures of previous years, I felt a warm fuzzy feeling. Maybe it’s because last year’s theme was Frosty the Snowman, my all-time favorite that they’ve done. This year however, I didn’t see as much “WOW” to the event that my family and I have enjoyed the past four years.
If you have never been to ICE!, it’s a fun experience that needs to be done at least once. If you’ve been in the past, it’s worth going through if nothing else for the ice slides and the Alpine Snow Rush (separate ticket).
ICE! tickets start at $16.99 and can be purchased online in advance (recommended) or at the door. Alpine Snow Rush starts at $18.99 per ticket. If you would like to experience both, ask about their combined ICE! and snow tubing tickets.
Strollers are welcome inside ICE! and can get through the attraction pretty easily from what I could tell. Make sure you pack some blankets for the little passenger(s) to prevent them turning into little snowballs by the end of exhibit. Closed toed shoes are required and I also recommend everyone packs a long sleeve shirt, jacket, scarf, hat, and gloves (the parka works okay, but it won’t protect you 100%). Also, cameras should be rated for cold weather to prevent risk of them freezing up on you inside the attraction (pun intended).
ICE! is only around until January 4th, 2015, so if you’re in the Orlando, Florida, area make sure you stop by Gaylord Palms and check it out.
Disclaimer: GeekMom attended a media event at Gaylord Palms Resort.
