ICE! at Gaylord Palms Resort

I’ve been coming to this event at least once a year. Sadly I didn’t leave my Unilocal review for this place in the past. This Unilocal review will be on my last recent visit on January 1^st, 2016.
In the past, this place was amazing, mesmerizing, talented, fun, exciting, and seemed longer. This year seemed like it was slacking from the previous adventures to it. The cost goes up, but the quality experience goes down. Maybe the ICE! experience is smaller because they are offering other attractions to experience? Just a thought I have.
Thankfully I didn’t have to wait at all to get in the attraction. You get parkas to keep you warm. I highly recommend putting on other layers yourself to stay warm. It is a chilly 9 degrees Fahrenheit in there. This year or last year’s theme was, «The Night before Christmas.» It was cute, fun, and neat to live the story in the ICE! experience.
I felt the experience was lacking more items or statues or more length compared to previous years. We were only inside the tent for about 10 minutes. I felt like I missed something, but we saw everything twice in this time frame. The ice slides are fun and chilly. I think the experience is great for kids and new comers, but not so much for the past fans. I feel the attraction is trying to become a bigger attraction to make families stay longer and spend more money.
They offered tube sliding this year along with other fun activities for families to enjoy. Each attraction is additional cost. Parking is now $ 20 for this experience. I recommend having lunch or dinner at one of the restaurants to get parking validated. You can put $ 20 towards the meal and get free parking. This is what I do.
Overall I like this attraction, but hope it goes back to its original fun roots. I still say this is a great adventure to check out in the Orlando area.

I recently stay at the Gaylord Palms resort during the holidays. My family and I were excited to check out the ICE exhibit because we had little ones with us. The ICE exhibit runs from November 24, 2015 — January 3, 2016. The ICE exhibit is hosted inside the convention center and is a 5 – 10 min walk from the resort. Adult tickets are $ 28 and kids are 15.
There is a long line to get into the exhibit, so be prepared to wait. They do offer wrist bands, similar to a fast pass at Disney, for a fee of course. While waiting In line, you can already start feeling the cold. There are ice jackets that are provided for you to use, and you must wear them to ride the ice slide. Inside, it’s a full blown winter wonderland. The kids were amazed and also freezing their tails off! The highlights include 9 degree weather, larger than life ice sculptures and a beautiful ice sculpture of a Christmas nativity.
Once you make it through the exhibit, you exit through a big gift shop. You drop off your jacket, and are able to buy the picture they take of you when you first enter. There is a build a bear and build a gingerbread house area that is not included with the ticket. If you want to do that, scratch that, if your kids want to do that, it’s more money. It really stunk telling our little one she couldn’t build a ginger bread house because it wasn’t included. They were charging $ 30.
Giving four stars because it was a great holiday experience inside a gorgeous resort. It would have been nice to include all activities for kids and not charge extra for it. Also, if you are just there for the event, parking is $ 20.

My husband and I went with a group of friends this past year, and we picked a 5:30 PM reservation time, hoping to give us enough time to make it through the exhibit before going to a holiday party. Well, we arrived to a mess at 5:15 PM. Parking was a mess, and it was quite expensive. You’re already spending so much money for tickets.
We got into the room with 15 minutes until our reservation time. Well, they didn’t enforce the reservation times. People were in line for all times during the day — including later than 5:30 PM. The line was so long, they had to split the line by the entrance to allow people to walk in and out of the convention center. Well, we spotted some people cutting the line. So much for holiday spirit… The line probably takes two hours from the time you get into the start through until you get your coats. We ended up leaving and coming back right at closing time.
The exhibit itself is truly breathtaking. It’s VERY cold, so do not wear flip flops, shorts, etc. Bring a hat, gloves, and whatever will keep you warm in cold weather. They do give you a coat, but with just that, you’ll be cold. The coats also don’t close very well. They have slides made out of ice.
I’d go again, but I’d probably go before the Christmas/​holiday rush. I’m giving this rating because of the disorganization. ICE has been going on for some time now, and you’d think they would have gotten their system down better.

To start with, the ice sculptures were beautiful and extremely impressive. But it was nowhere near worth the price of admission. They should have charged 10 $ a person tops. The wait to get in was abysmal, there was a line to pay for tickets, a line to get your parka, and then a line to get in the actual event. In all about an hour and a half wait for 15 minutes of looking at ice.
The tubing wasn’t any better, we only got to go on once because the line was so long, the slide itself was only about 15 ft high, and the entire area smelled like mildew. All in all not a very fun experience.

The concept of ICE is fantastic! Colored ice blocks shaped into the retelling of a story all set in 7 degree rooms. Each year the Gaylord Palms hosts this event with a different theme. If you’ve never gone before, I recommend it because it is an incredible sight but beware it’s pretty expensive! And as usual it ends in a gift shop. Don’t worry about the cold either, complimentary parkas are given out to each guest to wear through the exhibit.
If you have gone to this event before, you’ve already seen everything there is to see. The only difference is the theme but if you went five years ago when it was ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ then you have definitely seen this exhibit before. The exhibit quickly becomes mediocre once you’ve seen it before. My other complaint is for the amount of money you’re paying, the exhibit is a lot shorter than you would expect it to be. It’s a walk through so you can make your own pace but you’ll still be out of there quicker than expected.
So if you’ve never been before, you’ll be very impressed with the sculptures! They are elaborate and full of color. The ice slide is fun for all ages and a nice break in the middle of the exhibit. But if you’ve been before, you’re used to the ice slide and the nativity scene at the end is always the same regardless of theme.

Pros:
The ice show was cool at 9 degrees in temperature, luckily they provided each individual a jacket from the Gaylord to wear during your walk through. I would suggest to bring some snow gloves too (pretty cold)
The end of the ice show is the ice slide that has excessively long line (this is by far the coldest room of all the rooms and has a nice Christmas tree in between the slide.
**to maximize your time, dress extra warm so you can stay longer and takes lots of pictures**
Snack options inside the Gaylord: if you venture on to the main level after the ice show, there are sports bar, coffee house ($ 4 for a cup of coffee), frozen yogurt (.71 cents an ounce) and a couple of shops. Worth checking out.
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Cons:
the entire ice show takes at max, if you leisurely stroll through (20 minutes-​which you will freeze your bums off if you are not wearing gloves or close ties shoes) or if you do a brisk tour (10 minutes) however, definitely not the worth the price that they were charging $ 28.99+tax+convenient fee (if you buy online)=$ 8 dollars
In addition to the hefty $ 28.99 then convenient fee of $ 8 + tax then $ 22 with tax for parking in the Gaylord parking. so for a family of 4 (you are looking to spend over $ 100 for 2 adults and 2 kids) this does not include tubing which is $ 18.95 + tax + convenient fee and snacks or dinner or build a bear or decorate a gingerbread man.
So if you are planning to make a night here, dress warmly, take advantage of touring the Gaylord itself and come prepared to drop some $$.

There are pros to ICE! at Gaylord Palms. It’s a family event evoking winter fun, a hard trick to pull off here in Orlando. Kids also seem to really enjoy it, and there are plenty of them. In fact, the only other time I’ve seen this attraction was its opening year, and seeing it again this year is a little like growing up in 1880 New York and waking up to 2015 overnight. It’s a monstrous event now, but oddly still only occupies a tent right next to the hotel, approximately 67,570 steps and two hours away.
That’s what it will take to get there. After $ 20 parking (I’ve lived in L.A., where parking there isn’t even that much) and $ 40 a ticket, of course. And throngs of people. Throngs. You’ll get to know them because you’ll shuffle from room to room to room with them, winding back and forth along tight switchbacks thinking, then hoping, then praying, then demanding the entrance come into view. And then it does.
I understand the crowds. Who wouldn’t want to see stunning and seemingly impossible works of art? But that’s the sad thing. The event is so crowded it’s nearly impossible to stand, wander and appreciate things. It’s more of a Quarter Pounder experience than a steak salad lunch. And if people are willing to spend two hours in line, let them, but inform them of the (somewhat inept) set-​up and what to expect. Never make the entrance to an event a surprise.
And as others have said, this is cold. Not Orlando-​baby cold, not Carolina cold, this event is 9 degrees and they are not kidding. That doesn’t take into account the blowers set up in each room. You will leave this event nearly unable to work your frozen face into a smile. I left it promising God anything He wanted for as long as I lived. Cold is a subjective thing, but 9 degrees is cold by any standard. If you can layer and work undergarment magic, do it. The rest of us are relegated to disproportionately heavy coats that really should be warmer than they are. Then, I haven’t seen the coat that would keep me warm in 9 degrees.
ICE! is fun and everyone should do it once, particularly people not familiar with colder climates. If you prepare for and accept crowds, cold, waiting and some confusion that all comes with a lofty price tag, it can be a good way to spend the day.

Had a wonderful time at ICE at Gaylord Palms. The ice sculptures were amazing! The theme this year was ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. There were ice slides built into the event. It was beautiful. I had a great time. My few complaints are there was no re-​entry. If you had an emergency or had to use the restroom while viewing ICE they would not let you back in. It was also very short for the amount of money charged for the event. It could have been longer.
They had a separate section for ice tubing You could get unlimited rides with the purchase of a combo tubing and ICE ticket. The tubing was fun!
Advisory: When viewing ice make sure you wear very warm clothes. They give guests a heavy jacket to wear but that is not enough. Wear layers. It is degrees in the exhibit.

This is a must-​do for anyone in the Orlando area. You must check it out at least once! A great attractions for families during the Christmas season.
My family and I took my mother last year for her birthday. The theme was The Nutcracker. My mother and I are lovers of the ballet, and The Nutcracker happens to be one of our favorites, so it was perfect.
Living in Orlando my entire life, I had heard a lot about ICE! — was told by so many people that I HAD to go. Going in I wasn’t really sure what to expect. But I must say I was impressed and awed by what I saw.
First of all, it’s cold. Like, really cold. Really really cold. I found myself wondering what Gaylord’s power bill must be to keep that area of their resort at such a low temperature. Luckily you are provided with a toasty parka before entering the arctic.
I was seriously amazed at these ice sculptures. The attention to detail. The beautiful craftsmanship. All with ice! Beyond amazing. These artists are incredible. And their creations were some of the most beautiful pieces of art I’ve ever seen.
The whole attraction takes about 30 minutes to get through, depending on how long you linger on each piece. At the end there is an ice slide that you can actually slide down! It’d more for the kids. But I indulged in a little fun and took a ride down the ice. :)
Pro tip: Wear warm clothes and bring gloves and a hat or something to keep your ears warm. You will have the parka but you’ll be glad you have these extras as well.
Enjoy this amazing Central Florida holiday tradition! It’s truly special!

It is true, the $ 21.40 for parking is a complete bunch of non sense. add the pricing of the tickets and whatever else you consume inside and you got yourself a $ 200 night for a family of 5. certainly not worth it in my humble opinion and this is coming from a guy that really enjoys art. if you are in it for the beautiful ice sculptures in 9 degree weather, you got yourself a paradise but the experience does not really deliver the amount of money and time you will spend there. be prepared to spend a lot of time in line if you go on the weekends and approximately 20 minutes inside the actual attraction. I really think this was my last time at ICE and I can’t say that I will miss it very much. take your money and go watch the Magic play or go to a spring training baseball game with the family. you’ll enjoy that a lot more!

Ridiculous. They wouldn’t tell us how long the line was, and now I know why. I’ve been in line for 2.5 hours, and I still can’t see the entrance to the attraction. They shuffle you into 5 different rooms, each of which has at least a 20 minute wait, none of which you are warned about. When I complained, they said there are no refunds and offered me a coupon for a hot chocolate. Seriously?! A voucher for hot chocolate, even at their ridiculous prices, can’t be more than $ 5. And their cost can’t be more than $ 1. So you’re basically offering me $ 0.40 per hour? These people should be charged with robbery, or at the least false advertising.

A holiday tradition for my family over the past five years has finally come to an end.
My husband and I met my family to go see ICE! this year and the line to get to Will Call as well as actually into the exhibit were easily an hour to two hours each. We waited in Will Call then got in the line to go in. We waited and waited and the line barely moved in an hour.
I am personally used to very long lines as I grew up in a very theme park friendly area but this was unlike anything I have ever seen. We left after realizing it would likely be another hour at the least to get into the main area and then another wait for the exhibit.
We were very disappointed because the exhibit is really unique and all its own which is the reason it got two stars verses one. However, ICE! is not huge and normally only takes us about thirty minutes to walk through. It didn’t seem worth at least five times that to get in.
I am hoping they can get their act together for the children who have never been there before and look forward to it.

After many years we finally decided to visit this attraction. We got two adults and a child admission and a child tubing ticket using the 20% Marriott discount for about $ 120 which is steep given the attraction time as others have mentioned of less than thirty minutes. The tubing had no discount and you wait in a long line to grab a tube, go down twice and then have to wait in the thirty minute line to go again. Kiddo had fun on tubes but also didn’t have to evaluate the value.
Add to that cost another $ 20 for posting and even though it was an early December visit on a Sunday, about 30 minutes to wait for will call pick up, another 45 to get into the attraction, ten for the ice slide, and thirty to sixty minutes for the tubes (sixty to go twice) it was a lot of waiting. Then just as a last kick in the butt, we waited thirty minutes to exit the lot and pay for parking because there are only two exits and you can’t prepay (hugely missed opportunity) so there’s that.
We paid too much, waited too long, had a bit of fun, but definitely wouldn’t recommend due to value, crowd wait times and value again. There wasn’t even a cup of cocoa without a four dollar price attached which would have been a cheap amenity to provide as a courtesy. Final price for a family of 3 was about $ 145 with 1 cup of cocoa, parking, attraction for 3 and tubing for 1. Total attraction time about 20 minutes, total time to from entrance to exit with two tubing runs was easily 4 hours.

This was awesome!
Great slide for kids
Really cold!
They make you wear a jacket that you have to wear in 9° weather! (Which is ok)
I would definitely recommend coming here!

If you wear shorts or go without gloves, you will be straight miserable for the duration of the exhibit. As for parking, eat at one of the restaurants and get parking validated and avoid paying $ 20. Enjoy yourself and appreciate this unique experience!

This was a great time with the family and great memories. The atmosphere was great and they had a bonus of a free cirque show and tree lightning. We ended up grabbing a pulled pork sandwich and frozen cocoa before the show and both were amazing! Highly recommend this as a great family experience and will be coming back again.

Get ready to pay $ 21.40 for parking for 1.5 hours! Rip off! Then we paid $ 20 for 2 light swords which broke within 1 hour of being home and kids playing with them. They wanted $ 25 for one picture of our family dressed in parkas entering ICE! and $ 50 for a picture with Santa! Go to mall at Millenia for real pics with Santa and they will be the best you’ve ever had!
As for the actual ICE! It was great this year. The kids thoroughly enjoyed it. The sculptors worked very hard and paid attention to details. I liked how each area had a verse from «‘Twas the Night Before Christmas» and the ice sculptures went along with each verse. But honestly I thought it was bad business to charge visitors so much for parking. It’s price gauging and bad business. They charge more than the airport and Disney! I’m no «el cheapo» by any means and have never complained about businesses overpricing on any forum or Unilocal review before. I truly feel «tricked» as a customer and want others to be aware of this when they are trying to decide whether or not to come.

The property’s sheer luxury level, brilliantly widespread & consistent maintenance standards, famed size & architecture & thoughtful artistic detail across a huge floor area remain annually impressive. The exhibit itself is tremendous fun for adults & kids & grandparents alike with the provided coats for easy transition from Floridian nighttime heat to the below-​freezing fun with special ice sculptures whose colors, size, and artistry all amaze. The staff are happy & the event organization is without backup or stress. The venue offers tons of eating options for those coming near a mealtime & the famed atrium offer tons of reasons to stay & explore this beautiful property. It was obvious that guests were also so very happy. Parking is a breeze with tons of uncrowded entrances to this great event & venue both.

Who actually pays to be in 9 degrees? I guess I do I do. Ice at Gaylord Palms is a beautiful spectacle, and it should be on your must do list when the Christmas holiday rolls around.
Make sure when you go, do not wear flip flops even though it will be hot outside. Just wear some closed toed shoes, and be prepared to wear a long blue jacket with hood that you get when you stand in line.
Be prepared to FFFFFFFFFFFFRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEZZZZZZZZZZZEEEEEE­EEEEEEEE…But, when you do, instead of freezing solid, you will end up freezing with a big bright smile on your face.
You will now walk in, and see bright colored ice sculptures that reflect the theme of the year. This year’s theme was the Nutcracker. The ice sculptures are detailed, and so lovely. Ice sculptures that I saw included snowmen, ballet dancers, some nutcracker men, snow balls, an ice slide, and a gingerbread house.
Don’t forget to prepare to get back to your inner-​child, and slide down the ice slide. Don’t freak out, it’s not too fast. It’s just fun. There’s a good number of ice sculptures left to see after you go down the ice slide. By this time, you probably don’t want to see anything else because your butt will be cold from sitting on the ice slide, but hey just keep going. The ice sculptures get even better. I guarantee you will leave soon with your frozen smile, and your frozen smile will soon be thawed out by the heater that you walk through.
When you are finished, you can have fun shopping in their little Christmas store, you can get some coffee or hot chocolate, or you can get an additional ticket to go down the tobogganing slopes. That’s a blast for the whole family too.
A cool part about this ice show is that I was able to get tickets through Living social. It was like $ 10 more off per person, so that made this fun annual Christmas event even better.

One of my favorite Orlando holiday traditions! I have gone to Ice! for the last four years and enjoy it every time.
Ice! features a large collection of ice sculptures centered around a holiday theme. The first year I went it was Shrek the Halls, followed by a holiday Madagascar theme, Frost the Snowman and this year, the Nutcracker.
Tickets can be purchased online and I’ve always been lucky to find a coupon through work or online. The tickets cost about $ 25, so it a bit pricier. When you purchase tickets, you also make a reservation to start at a certain time, typically a half hour window.
Upon entering, your tickets will be scanned and you’ll get to watch a video on how the sculptures are made. Next you pick up a loaner parka and you’re ready to enter the display area! The ice sculptures are mind blowing. They do a fantastic job at emulating the characters and building impressive displays. A highlight for me is always the ice slide area! Yes, I am an adult, but I go down the slide every year! The end features a classic nativity scene sculpture each year.
For the last two years they have had an area where one of the ice sculpture makers are working. This year, he was working on a big Chinese dragon. There were also several other small decorative items displayed. It was really neat to see them work!
This year, they introduced an ice bar area, which required an additional ticket. Neat idea, but I did not purchase the upgrade.
It probably takes about 20 minutes to go through the displays. You are allowed to go in and out if you like. It is VERY cold in the exhibits. Per the staff it is 9 degress with a windchill. I definitely recommend wearing MANY layers. I was relatively comfortable, but my hands (which were gloved) were painfully frozen by the time we wrapped up.
Outside the Ice! exhibit, there is also a holiday village with different food and merchandise for sale. This year, they also had an area where you could snow tube down a hill.
One last tip– I would recommend eating somewhere at Gaylord Palms as they will validate your parking! Otherwise, parking is quire pricey.
All in all, Ice! is always a fun time and definitely an awesome central Florida holiday event!