ICE! is a daily attraction running November 14, 2009 – January 3, 2010, including holidays, at Gaylord Palms Resort (6000 W Osceola Parkway, Kissimmee, FL 34746). Inside nine degree cold environment where visitors are given oversized parkas and hats and gloves are recommended, guests see larger-than-life, three-dimensional hand-carved ice monuments, scenes, speed slides and a nativity. Buy tickets online for the best prices: Adults Mon-Thur: $18.99; Fri- Sun: $23.99. If you wait to buy them in person, they are more expensive. Also, I have heard parking is round $12-$14.
This year, ICE! will take guests on a trip to the North Pole. And, tag along on Santa’s journey, beginning with an encounter with Old Man Winter, through an arctic forest, and into the middle of a Christmas Carnival, complete with a life-size carousel! Next, chill-seekers will be able to explore Santa’s ornament room, climb onto his oversized knee (an unusual photo op!), and watch as he and reindeer take flight.It takes 40 Chinese artisans more than a month to make this giant thing. They're from a city called Harbin, known for its annual International Ice and Snow Festival, where more than 2,000 sculptors annually carve a 100-acre walk-through ice park, using ice from the nearby Songhua River.
The attraction’s signature scene—a life-size Nativity carved completely of crystal-clear ice—has been described as one of the most breathtaking depictions of the birth of Christ. Dramatic lighting and a stirring narrative track give guests an opportunity to pause and reflect on the story behind the season.