Denise's Corner

Gaylord Palms Christmas Experience Includes Much More Than ICE!

Denise

Hi everyone!

We spent two nights at Gaylord Palms Resort for not only ICE!, but the new Alpine Rush Snow Tubing and other Christmas activities. While ICE! is the original holiday event here, there is so much festive fun now that you won’t want to leave the resort! Gaylord Palms Christmas with everything that goes with it has become a holiday tradition for us, and we always make it a point to visit for a few hours toward the end of the season to see it off as well.

Nearly 2 million lights at the Gaylord Palms Resort are just the beginning of the holiday merriment. Here is a look at what you can find for 2014!

ICE! Featuring The Nutcracker – We have over 60 photos with information about this “cool” event, now in its 12th year (my first year was 2004). I’m always in awe of these frozen works of art that only are available for about 6 weeks of the year. Artisans from Harbin, China are on hand in the Frostbite Factory to show off their talents! Don’t forget a hat, gloves and scarf – parkas are provided for use. And don’t miss the slides! Pricing (with any discounts available listed) is on the Gaylord Palms website.

Here is our full video walk-through of ICE!

Alpine Rush Snow Tubing – “Rush” is the operative word here. Unlike other attempts at snow in the past, Gaylord Palms nailed it this year with slides. Guests carry a tube up the stairs, and race down the slides with snow. It is very fast! A combo ticket with ICE! is available.

This is our POV view for the Alpine Rush Snow Tubing.

Gingy’s Gingerbread Decorating – Part gingerbread decorating, part meet & greet, I think this is one of the best bargains at Gaylord Palms for the holiday season! Starting at $15.00 for 3 gingerbread cookies to decorate, guests can enjoy spending time with Gingy and then take home their creations. This is the last year for Gingy’s Gingerbread Decorating as the contract with DreamWorks is ending.

Here is our video with Gingy, we had a lot of fun with him.

Shrekfeast – Not a holiday event, but it has always been a great time. Shrek, Fiona and Puss in Boots join the Town Crier in meeting guests during a delicious buffet breakfast. This is the last chance for guests to enjoy it, as it also ends in 2014.

Here is a look at Shrekfeast from 2012 in our video.

Majestic Christmas Tree Lighting – Every day at 6:15 p.m., the magnificent 54-foot Christmas tree is lit with a performance that shouldn’t be missed.

Stage Shows – Luminescence is our favorite show, combining rock beats with aerial acts, drumming in the air, and holiday songs. Enjoy the tree lighting and stay for the holiday shows. There are a few days that shows aren’t available, so check the schedule while making your plans.

Milk & Cookies With Mrs. Claus – New for this year and costing $18.95 per person, this is really more for families than for just adults like us. Not that it wasn’t fun, all the kids went a bit rogue by telling Mrs. Claus how naughty their parents were this year and we had some big laughs over that. Everyone really seemed to love it, but the cookies, milk and balloon animal making (Mrs. Claus knows her way around making balloon animals!) are geared more for kids.

Reindeer Roundup Scavenger Hunt – This scaventer hunt in the atrium is always enjoyable. While looking for reindeer, you will be able to see so much – including alligators, grunts (baby alligators), stingrays, and holiday decorations.

If you are looking to spend a night or two at Gaylord Palms, room rates with ICE! priority access begin at $225.00 per night, not including parking and resort fee (they add on another $38.00 per night). The resort itself is gorgeous, with the Cypress Springs Family Fun Water Park and the adult pool as well. Gaylord Palms is a deluxe experience, and it is really nice having the access to ICE! – we like to go near the end of the night. For more information on events and staying at Gaylord Palms for the holidays, go to the official website. We highly recommend it!

The Gaylord Palms Resort provided the room and experiences for us to write about. We covered some meals and incidentals during our stay. All views are ours.