Gaylord Palms has opened up their hotel to Shrek and his friends! This year, the Gaylord Palms’ annual ICE! ice-slide-and-sculpture attraction is sponsored by DreamWorks, and Shrek and all of his fairytale friends from Shrek The Halls can be found throughout.
On a recent visit, after taking a family picture and getting our coats, we hurried into the main area where the story commenced. Shrek’s hut was the main entrance into the experience, and it was spot-on from the movies!
To give Shrek and his friends life, a team of 40 artists actually came all the way from China. Upon arrival, they spent a month in the Kissimmee area sculpting and crafting these giant works of art made from 2 million pounds of ice. After the attraction was completed, 10 of the artists remained behind to continue freshening up the ice during its’ holiday run.
The colors of the characters and the stories they tell are magnificent–the artists really captured the colors and the look of the movie. Most important: the massive ice slides are definitely a huge hit with young and old! Here’s a little slider’s tip: Make sure your parka is under your tail before you slide, or you’ll risk getting stuck.
Of all the sculptures I saw, my personal favorite was Dragon. Her look was spot-on, and brilliantly done. Don’t let my picture fool you. She was too big to get into one shot. I took about 5 pictures in sequence just to capture her entire body.
The really nice thing about this attraction was that while you saw Shrek in 99% of the exhibit, it didn’t mean that the original Christmas story couldn’t still be found. Take a look for yourself.
This is the first year that the ICE! exhibit centered around a major film character, and in my opinion, they did it very well. I could tell that everyone around me was just as amazed as I was, too. Overall, this was a great family experience!
If you would like to experience ICE! for yourself, here are some helpful tips:
- ICE! is stroller and wheelchair friendly. All walkways are carpeted and are fairly wide in size.
- Wear closed-toed shoes.
- Don’t underestimate the comfort of a good scarf, hat, and gloves!
- Make sure your camera or phone can handle temperatures as low as 9 degrees Fahrenheit. My Canon Rebel froze up on several occasions during the experience.
- Note: Gaylord Palms provides parkas for each guest (at no extra charge).
- Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.
Tickets to ICE! were provided to me at no charge.
