Denise's Corner

The Christmassy DreamWorks Package at Gaylord Palms Offers Unlimited ICE! and a Shreakfast Character Meal! Photos, Video

Denise

Hi everyone!

We were invited back to the Gaylord Palms Resort this year to check out ICE! and the resort itself for the holidays. Gaylord Palms has 2 MILLION lights throughout the resort, which is always incredible to see. And ICE! is better than ever this year, with the theme of Frosty the Snowman (and new Artisans in Action!) While you can see ICE! without staying at the resort, there are some great benefits to purchasing a Chrristmassy DreamWorks Package.

We always enjoy taking photos near the fountain in front of the Gaylord Palms. This area looks especially beautiful at night!

“Frosty the Snowman” is part of my childhood. While I have enjoyed every ICE! exhibit I’ve been to, my favorites are ones from my own youth. And the Christmassy DreamWorks Package includes unlimited admission to ICE! during your stay, along with priority access. ICE! gets to a chilly 9 degrees, so bring gloves and a hat – parkas are provided to use. The lines can get long for ICE!, so priority admission really helps! We have 100 photos of Frosty the Snowman in ICE!.

Jeff poses with an artisan. “Artisans in Action” began this year to showcase the work of the artisans from Harbin, China.

Here is our video walk-through of Frosty the Snowman in ICE!

Many guests of ICE! don’t realize there are holiday shows to enjoy. Luminescence is especially incredible, with an aerial act and a drummer in the air! It’s really something to see. You don’t have to be on the package to enjoy the shows – but it’s easier to walk back and forth from a room for all the different activities.

Another component of the Christmassy Dreamworks Package is Shrekfeast! We have dined here many times, both as media and as paying guests. Shrek and Fiona are always a lot of fun, and the food is great. My favorite character is Puss in Boots.

We hadn’t realized before that an attendant holds a stamp with the character autographs. We asked about it, and now have Christmas autographs of all the characters!

There is even a green chocolate fountain during Shrekfeast.

Here is a video we posted of Shrekfeast from last year.

Not only are there 2 million lights at the Gaylord Palms hotel, but a beautiful Christmas tree and decorations everywhere! The atrium is gorgeous, both during the day and at night. There are alligators to see, along with other exhibits year-round.

Christmas trees circle in the door at the front of the Gaylord Palms Resort.

There is a lot of fun merchandise at ICE!, including a lot of unusual treats! Bacon jerky and “Eat Yellow Snow” cotton candy seemed to be popular.

Frosty and Hocus Pocus are treats on a stick.

I brought this home! We actually purchased a number of items, including Frosty shirts and this hat with gloves attached.

We also enjoyed Gingy’s Gingerbread Decorating. This event costs extra – it was $29.99 for a gingerbread house, and I believe around $15 for ornaments. We spent about an hour here decorating a pre-built house and hanging out with Gingy! Jeff holds up the autograph we received from him.

This is the decorated gingerbread house we took home.

And one of the benefits of staying at the Gaylord Palms on the weekends is meeting DreamWorks characters including Po and Alex the Lion.

We enjoy exploring the resort – there is so much to see during the holiday season! Information on the Christmassy Dreamworks Package can be found here. The package is available on weekends only, and I consider it a very good value (even adding on the $20.00 resort fee and $18.00 parking fee). We were provided with the room, ICE!, Shrekfeast and Gingy’s Decorating during our 2 night stay. And honestly, we would have paid for at least a night on our own. It isn’t Christmas for us until we’ve stayed at the Gaylord Palms Resort! There is so much to do here during the holidays, we didn’t find time to do everything we planned. It was warm enough for us to enjoy the adult pool, and kids will love all the slides at the Cypress Springs Water Park.

We talked about our Gaylord Palms stay in Mousesteps Weekly #79.