🧊Visiting ICE! featuring Elf? Here’s what you need to know

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – With Christmas right around the corner, there’s an experience that will get you in the holiday spirit.

ICE! featuring “Elf” is underway at Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, but if you plan to visit, here are five things you need to know.

1. Stay Warm

Gaylord Palms provides a free blue parka for rental for each visitor, but you’ll want to wear comfortable shoes and bring gloves to keep your warm through the experience.

2. ICE! stays at 9 degrees

ICE! Stays at a frigid nine degrees to maintain the integrity of the sculptures. There are seven different air handlers to make sure the space stays cold.

Dozens of expert sculptors from Harbin, China spent about a month carving life-sized pieces out of two million pounds of ice.

3. This is the first time ICE! features Elf

While ICE! Is a more than 20-year tradition for Gaylord Resorts, this is the first time the attraction is featuring the holiday movie,” Elf.”

You’ll be transported straight into the movie with scenes like the Candy Cane Forest all made of ice. Then you’ll venture to New York through the ice tunnel, following Buddy as he finds his dad and campaigns to save the Christmas spirit.

4. Have your cameras ready

There are quite a few photo opportunities at ICE! You can sit next to Buddy while he’s getting his shoes shined, be a part of the iconic revolving door scene and even watch Buddy gobble down his breakfast spaghetti.

5. There’s a secret slide

If you’re looking for a thrill, there are five ice slides with different heights and intensities for kids and adults. There’s also a secret slide in the mail room.

ICE! Featuring “Elf” runs now through Jan. 4 at Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee.

Tickets to ICE! start at $29.99 for adults and $17.99 for children. Guests staying at Gaylord Palms during the holidays receive special perks including front-of-line access, early entry, and the ability to book special dining experiences.

Snow Much More!

In addition to the ICE! attraction, a sleigh-full of events and activities will be featured across the 65-acre resort. Christmas shows and activities are presented in the 4.5-acre garden atrium, while areas of the convention center transform into Alpine Village, a bustling, holiday hamlet with Bavarian-style storefronts, immersive activities and one of Florida’s largest annual Christmas shops.

Here’s a rundown of the sleigh-full of events and activities planned for the celebration:

Live Shows & Entertainment Highlight the Holidays

•Yule Be Amazed

“Cirque: Spirit of Christmas” features high-flying stunts, acrobatic feats, and an original musical score. The show features Noel, a child trying to rediscover holiday cheer. Noel is visited in dreamlike chapters by acrobats, aerial performers and others who help rekindle the Christmas spirit.

•Storytelling Celebration, Set to Song

Guests can experience a retelling of the birth of Jesus Christ through the eyes of six storytellers in “The Greatest Story,” a musical stage show and celebration of faith and everlasting love.

•Dreaming of a Bright Christmas

The skies above Gaylord Palms’ atrium come alive in the “Here We Glow A-Caroling Light Show.” Suspended light curtains and the 60-foot-tall atrium Christmas tree come to life in this animated show, accompanied by a soundtrack of favorite Christmas carols.

•St. Nick Takes ‘Santa’ Stage

Guests can chat with the jolly old elf himself, Santa Claus, to make sure they’ve secured a spot on his prestigious Nice List. Santa will meet guests inside Alpine Village from Nov. 15 through Dec. 24, before he heads back to the North Pole for his annual, gift-giving journey.

•A Round of Applause for Mrs. Claus

The jolliest hostess of all stars in Mrs. Claus’ Christmas Traditions. Mrs. Claus entertains guests in Alpine Village with a sing-along and storytelling of the Christmas tale, “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” She also shares Santa’s favorite snack – milk and cookies – with guests.

•Mistletoe Melody Makers

Guests can enjoy the sounds of the season with the Dickens Carolers, who will be strolling and singing Christmas classics at various times and locations throughout the celebration.

•Wintertime Animal Wonders

Guests can get up-close to some of Florida’s famous animals in Wintertime Animal Encounters and learn how wildlife in the Sunshine State adapts to the colder temperatures and contributes to the ecosystem during the winter months.

Tons of Fun at Interactive Attractions

•Snow Much Fun

A snowy play space awaits guests in the Snow Factory. After climbing Snow Flow Mountain, guests hop in inner-tubes and speed down atop real ice. (Admission allows unlimited ice tubing rides on the date on the ticket.) Guests can also head over to Snowball Build & Blast, where conveyor belts deliver tubs of real snow for guests to make snowballs and toss them at targets.

•A Holiday Escape

Guests test their wintry wits in the Naughty or Nice Escape Room. Trickster Jack Frost has added new names to Santa’s Naughty List. However, if guests can sneak into Santa’s office and solve a series of puzzles, Jack will remove their names from the Naughty List, allowing them to escape.

Hands-On Holiday Fun

•Dough-licious Decorating

In the Gingerbread Decorating Corner, guests let their Christmas creativity run wild while they adorn gingerbread treats. After they’ve reached confection perfection, they can enjoy a meet-and- greet and photograph a sweet character, Nutmeg the Gingerbread Cookie.

•Have Your Elf a Merry Little Christmas

Guests can get crafty in Elf Training Academy. One of Santa’s toymakers leads the fun as guests put their creativity to work and make a special keepsake gift to take home.

•A Very Beary Christmas!

Build-A-Bear Workshop has been adding a little more heart to life for more than 25 years! Visit Build-A-Bear to experience the fun of personalizing furry friends and taking part in our one-of-a-kind Heart Ceremony. Add adorable outfits, sweet scents and fun sounds to make any furry friend the perfect gift or a cuddly Christmas keepsake.

•Seasonal Scavenger Hunt Fun

Families can work together to find all the clues hidden in the Gaylord Palms atrium in the TwElf Days of Christmas Scavenger Hunt. With a little elf magic, guests can find all the hidden surprises and solve the puzzles in their booklet.

Overnight Stays Sweeten the Holidays

•Rooms with a Yuletide View

There’s never a better time of year for guests to book a room with an upgraded atrium view. With balconies that overlook acres of Christmas décor, guests can immerse themselves in the festive surroundings. Select rooms even provide prime balcony viewing for atrium shows.

•Ready, Set, Glow!

The night will light up at Gaylord Palms with more than 3 million sparkling, holiday lights. In total, more than 100 decorated Christmas trees will be on display, including the 60-foot-tall tree in the main atrium, and elaborately themed trees along the atrium’s Christmas Tree Trail.

•Early ICE! and Alpine Village Access for Overnight Guests

Gaylord Palms offers perks and special access to overnight resort guests, so they can wait in line less and enjoy more. These perks include:

o “Chill Pass” privileges to the ICE! attraction, offering front-of-line access and shorter wait times. “Chill Pass” is free for eligible overnight guests. Attraction tickets are required and sold separately, in advance.

o An invitation to “Extra Cool Hour,” which provides early entry into ICE!, the Snow Factory and select Alpine Village shows and activities one hour before they open to day guests. “Extra Cool Hour” is free for eligible guests. Attraction tickets are required and sold separately, in advance.

Holiday Dining for Resort Guests: Eat, Drink and Be Cranberry

Overnight guests at Gaylord Palms also have exclusive opportunities to enjoy holiday dining experiences:

• Breakfast with Charlie Brown and Friends is a holiday-themed character dining experience, exclusive to overnight guests, featuring pals from the Peanuts gang including Charlie Brown, Lucy and Snoopy.

• Thanksgiving Dinner, scheduled for Thanksgiving Day, is a plentiful buffet at Villa de Flora, located in the heart of the garden atrium. Traditional Thanksgiving favorites will be featured for overnight resort guests, along with dishes inspired by cuisine from Spain, France, and Italy.

• Resort guests can enjoy Christmas Dinner on Dec. 25 with a dazzling holiday feast at Villa de Flora restaurant featuring chef stations, holiday traditions and modern Mediterranean cuisine.

• Overnight resort guests can ring in the New Year in style on Dec. 31 at Villa de Flora with the New Year’s Eve Buffet, with a bountiful buffet featuring fresh and seasonal dishes.

One-Stop Christmas Shop

• In Alpine Village, one of the largest holiday shops in the Sunshine State opens each year just for the “Christmas at Gaylord Palms” celebration. Market Square features wall-to-wall holiday gifts, collectibles, toys, plush, home décor, apparel, ornaments, ICE!-branded souvenirs, and more.

Year-Round Fun

In addition to the fun of the Christmas celebration, guests can enjoy many year-round amenities.

In addition to the 4.5-acre indoor atrium, the resort features Relâche Spa and also Cypress Springs Water Park – a 3-acre water wonderland open exclusively to overnight resort guests