Every holiday season Gaylord Palms explodes into a festival of lights, snow and Christmas magic. This year, from November 24 to January 3, 2016, they’ll be celebrating the holidays in the same extravagant fashion, with their ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas event. The resort will have a number of displays and activities including meet and greets with Santa, snow tubing, ice sculptures, gingerbread house decorating, breakfast with Mrs. Claus, Elf on the Shelf scavenger hunts, and a Cirque Dreams UnWrapped Live Stage Show. A 54-foot-tall Christmas tree will be on display and the entire resort will be transformed with two million twinkling lights.
This year’s Ice! ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas display comes to life with two million pounds of hand-carved ice sculptures depicting six scenes from the classic poem. Inside, four large ice slides can be found as well as a live carving area where artists bring their work to life. A life-size Nativity scene carved entirely from crystal clear ice will also be on display. Those looking to play in the snow (and not just look at it) will enjoy the atrium’s Grand Snow Fall or Alpine Rush Snow Tubing where parents and kids can all ride down a hill covered in real snow. This year the resort is adding Cosmic Snow Tubing, an evening event featuring flashing LED lights and remixed Christmas carols.
Just for the holidays, Cirque Dreams founder Neil Goldberg is bringing the popular performance to Orlando to entertain families with a Christmas-themed show. Using acrobatic and aerial theatrics, UnWrapped Stage tells the story of a whimsical Christmas dream. For more childlike delights visit Santa at his workshop for a photo op, have breakfast with Mrs. Claus or decorate some gingerbread houses! Kids can also run around the resort trying to find The Elf on the Shelf during daily Scavenger hunts.
There are also a number of activities for parents to enjoy alone. The Ice! ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas display will host, On the Blocks, a 21 and over ice bar area, and special holiday dinners will be available at the resort’s fine dining restaurants. The resort’s Relâche Spa will also offer a special-edition holiday menu inspired by the season and their award-winning Ice! displays.
Activities are available daily and are priced from $25-$30. Rooms start at $135 a night.
