Last week we were honored to be guests of Gaylord Palms for their media preview of Christmas at Gaylord Palms. It has been many years since we have visited the Gaylord Palms at Christmas time and back then the only attraction was ICE! Now there is so much to see and do it has become a destination in and of itself. The best way to really enjoy it all is to stay at the resort for a night or two and enjoy all that Christmas at Gaylord Palms has to offer.
During our brief visit we started by strolling the Gaylord Palms Christmas Tree Trail. This trail includes 9 different trees decorated to represent the holiday traditions from 9 different countries around the globe. Then it was time to take our seats for the Joyful! Atrium light show. Both the Christmas Tree Trail and the light show are free. Next was the Cirque Dreams Unwrapped show. I have to be honest, I can never figure out if there is a story line for a cirque show or what it has to do with Christmas. Tickets to this show are $14.99 adults $10.99 children for the matinee and $17.99 for adults and $12.99 for children for the evening shows. There are also free seats available on a first-come-first-served basis. After the show Mrs Claus, Snowflake the Elf, Jack and Jackie Frost and friends came out to tell us about what other activities were available at Christmas at Gaylord Palms.
We followed Mrs Claus and friends down to the Alpine Village where our first stop was to write our letters to Santa and then send them to him in the post office. We entered the Alpine Village and Jordan immediately headed for the Snow Tubing area. The Snow Tubing does have height requirements so make sure you check the website before heading out. Prices for Snow Tubing is $18.99 for children and $19.99 for adults. Jordan had a lot of fun tubing and racing against others. Then we all went over to Santa’s Snow Throw where for $9.99 each person gets a bucket of snowballs to throw at targets. We Floridians never get to throw snowballs, so this was a lot of fun! We peeked in on Mrs Claus’ Christmas Traditions Show, tickets are $9.99, and we looked around the Build-a-Bear Workshop pop-up shop but we didn’t do the Build-a-Bear Scavenger Hunt, tickets $9.99.
Now it was time to head into ICE! Featuring Christmas Around the World. It is 9° F inside ICE! so you are provided a parka to wear while inside. Closed toed shoes are recommended and I suggest wearing gloves, scarf, and hat as well. ICE! is always a cold but beautiful holiday treat. Jordan tried an ice slide, but no one was sliding very well! We spent about 15 minutes inside ICE! and then it was time to go warm up! Our last stop was the gift show where they have a lot of ICE! and Christmas themed items on sale.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Christmas at Gaylord Palms and we hope to make it an annual family tradition going forward. It is a great event for the entire family. The most economical way to participate in the most activities is to buy the Platinum Play & Save pass which is 30% off of the total cost for ICE! featuring Christmas Around the World with priority front-of-the-line access (Chill Pass), Snow Tubing, Build-A-Bear Workshop® Scavenger Hunt, Santa’s Snow Throw (One Bucket of Snow Balls), Mrs. Claus Christmas Traditions show, and a Gingerbread Decorating Kit all for $83.99 for adults and $78.99 for children. I highly recommend buying your tickets and planning your visit <strong>online before you travel to the Gaylord Palms, some events sell out and you don’t want to be disappointed. There are other events that are also a part of Christmas at Gaylord Palms that we didn’t get to experience like the Sounds of the Season Concert Series, Breakfast with Charlie Brown and Friends, and Photos with Santa, all of which cost extra. If you find yourself in Central Florida during the Christmas season, plan to visit Christmas at Gaylord Palms, you won’t be disappointed.
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