INSIDE LOOK: ICE! at the Gaylord Palms featuring Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Christmas in Orlando is as cool as ICE!
One of our favorite holiday events in Florida is returning in 2025, and it's literally one of the coolest things you'll experience this year in the Sunshine State as ICE! at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando turns down the thermostat and brings the favorite holiday film Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer ™ to life through… ice… from November 14, 2025, through January 7, 2026.
What to expect at ICE! in 2025
This year's event retells the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and his misfit friends as “they set off for an adventure filled with friendship, courage, acceptance, and belonging.”
Rudolph and Hermey the Elf will also be joined by favorite characters, including Yukon Cornelius, Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster, Clarice, and of course, Santa Claus.
This is the first time this classic holiday movie has been showcased at the Gaylord Palms, and it's a completely redesigned show. It will be different if you've seen it already at other Gaylord locations.
Tickets and Parking for ICE! at Gaylord Palms
Tickets for ICE! start at $33. Children ages three and younger get in for free.
We recommend going for the discounted bundled ticket packages to take advantage of the awesome additional activities. This is the best way to make the most out of your day, and it's perfect if you are making a day trip from Tampa, which we have done.
If you plan to stay overnight, you might be able to take advantage of extra perks like early entry and front-of-line access.
Visit ChristmasAtGaylordPalms.com for more.
Parking is $40.
NEW Experiences at ICE! in 2025
- Crawl-Through Ice Tunnel: For the first time ever, kids can crawl through a small ice tunnel and pop up right inside a scene from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Hermey the elf is featured in this charming new scene that’s full of color, whimsy, and holiday cheer.
- Interactive Floor: This year, kids can play and stroll on an interactive floor covering specific spaces, adding a playful layer of discovery to the experience.
- Bumble’s Hidden Slide: Kids will love finding Bumble the snow monster’s surprise slide tucked within the icy landscape. It’s a frosty thrill just for them!
What to wear to ICE!
Parkas are provided in all sizes, including infants. However, you must wear closed-toed shoes. It’s recommended to dress warmly, so bring warm hats and gloves.
There’s Snow Much More to Do at ICE!
As we mentioned, there are so many awesome things to do after you explore the ICE! exhibit whether you want to toss some real snowballs, meet Santa, or decorate a gingerbread house. We do recommend that you book these extras ahead of time too since spots fill up quickly, especially as we get closer the holidays.
Ticket bundles are also highly recommended since you can save as much as 40%.
The Activities:
- Visit the Snow Factory: Climb Snow Flow Mountain and speed down on real ice in an inner tube. Then head over to Snowball Build & Blast, where you can toss real snowballs at targets!
- Naughty or Nice Escape Room: Jack Frost has added new names to Santa’s Naughty List. See if you can sneak into Santa’s office and solve a series of puzzles so Jack will remove their names from the Naughty List.
- Gingerbread Decorating Corner: Decorate your own gingerbread house or cookies and then snap a photo with Nutmeg the Gingerbread Cookie!
- Jack Frost Chocolate Factory: This is an all-new experience where you and the kids can make your own pair of chocolate snowflakes and decorate with edible glitter and colorful sprinkles.
- Elf Training Academy: One of Santa’s top toymakers helps you create your own special keepsake to take home!
- A Very Beary Christmas: Visit the Build-A-Bear Workshop and make your own furry friend.
- Reindeer Games Scavenger Hunt: Look for the clues hidden in Gaylord Palms. If you complete the quest, you’ll receive a special holiday prize.
The Entertainment:
- NEW! “POMP, SNOW & CIRQUEumstance”: This new cirque spectacle is based on the book series and TV show of the same name. It follows three best friends to their whimsical world at a secret university, and they’ll leave you in awe with their gravity-defying circus feats, all set to an original musical score.
- Here We Glow A-Caroling Light Show: Gaylord Palms’ atrium comes to life with a giant LEG light curtains and a 60-foot-tall Christmas tree.
- Mrs. Claus’ Christmas Traditions: Join the jolliest hostess in the Alpine Village for a sing-a-long and storytelling of the Christmas tale while you enjoy Santa’s favorite treat…milk and cookies!
- Meet Santa: Santa will be meeting with the kids in Alpine Village through Christmas Eve—since it’s a big night and he has a big job to do!
- Wintertime Animal Encounters: Eligible overnight guests can get up close to Florida’s famous animals and learn how they adapt to the colder temperatures during the winter months.
What You Need to Know Before You Go:
- While you can purchase tickets at the door, you will want to purchase tickets in advance to secure your spot. You can change your timeslot (based on availability) if something comes up.
- Calf-length, hooded blue parkas are provided in a wide range of sizes, including sizes for infants.
- Close-toed shoes are required.
- We recommend bringing your own mittens and warm hats, just in case.
- Stollers and wheelchairs are permitted.
- There is no time limit, but the average time spent in the exhibit space is about 20-40 minutes.
- While you’re there, you can slide down a two-story ice slide and snap the coolest family photos!
- Some extra activities in the Alpine Village require separately purchased tickets. You can buy ticket bundles and save up to 40%.
Let's break the ice…How'd they do that???
Only in Florida can you be sliding down a waterslide in one moment (the Gaylord Palms has an epic water park, btw) and then donning a heavy-duty parka in the next as you walk through a 9-degree display of ice!
It’s pretty incredible when you sit back and think about it, which got us wondering…how do they do it?
We’re “breaking the ice” to learn how the Gaylord Palms creates its stunning annual ICE! event and how they bring to life the whimsical world of the holiday classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer through magical, larger-than-life ice displays that are being hand-carved on-site right now, and we got a sneak peek!
ICE! by the numbers
To create the immersive scenes that make up the 20,000-square-foot frozen attraction, it will take 40 world-renowned artisans 12,000+ hours to hand-carve 6,700 blocks of ice that weigh in at about 2 million pounds total!
All About the Artisans
A team of 40 ice artisans from Harbin, China, spent a whopping six weeks hand-carving the 6,700 blocks of ice this year, using a 300-page guide of notes, handmade tools, and a chainsaw when needed.
Harbin, China, is known as the “Ice City” and hosts the world's largest annual ice and snow sculpting festival, so it’s safe to say the local artisans know what they’re doing. They are pretty used to the cold, too, as the city stays below freezing for nearly half the year.
You might even spot them carving in the Carver’s Showcase during your visit.
The Big Chill
While many places here in Florida claim to be a “winter wonderland” this time of year, ICE! is probably the closest you’ll get to an actual winter wonderland. A state-of-the-art chilling system keeps the 20,000 square-foot space at only 9 degrees! Incredible, right?
In fact, regardless of where the Gaylord Resort is located, each resort has seven air handlers to keep the temperature at the precise 9 degrees because there's a science to it.
“There is a science to it! It keeps the ice in pristine condition. It helps keep it from condensating and forming drip lines, so the ice stays beautiful throughout the season,” Meghan Hash, Director of Special Events and Entertainment at the Gaylord Palms, told us.
The color of the ice is also part science! Hash tells us they work with chemists throughout the country to come up with the perfect mix to keep the ice bold and bright all season long.
And here's something pretty cool. While you were sweating it here in Florida in July, Gaylord Hotels began coloring and freezing ice to get ready for the holidays!
Did you know that ICE! is presented in six cities nationwide, including Orlando?
If your travels take you to one of these cities, be sure to check out the other ICE! themes this year:
- Washington, DC: The Polar Express
- Dallas: Elf
- Nashville: A Charlie Brown Christmas
- Denver: Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas
- San Antonio: Frosty the Snowman