The Gaylord Palms resort in Orlando once again did not disappoint with its annual holiday celebration of ICE!

December 31st, 2022

by Kevin Willse

The family-friendly event transformed the gorgeous convention center into a winter wonderland with below freezing temperatures and ice sculptures galore. This year’s theme featured Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas and had you feeling like you walked right into Whoville in December.

Before entering the ICE display, you are given a heavy parka. This is very necessary as the average temperature of the show is 9-degrees Fahrenheit.

Although, there is no time limit to enjoy the scenery, the tour typically lasts around 20-40 minutes as there are approximately 20,000 square feet of displays. With this time and temperature, it is important to dress appropriately. Each room shows off different scenes from Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas displayed in world class ice sculptures. The enormous sculptures transform the rooms and make you feel like you stepped into another world. The colorful creations are so vivid and illustrious, which really make for great photo opportunities. In the middle of the tour there is even an ice slide for guests of all ages to interact with the ice landscape. This incredible display of artistry is a one-of-a-kind experience.

However, the preparation and coordination for these ice sculptures are a marvel within itself. It takes 35 ice artisans nearly 12,000-man hours to create the winter wonderland. They spend 33 days carving and creating their masterpieces in the freezing cold 9-degree rooms. 6,000 ice blocks are used, which weigh 300 pounds each.

To create these massive blocks of ice they use 210,000 gallons of water. It takes seven air handlers to pump in the air cold enough to keep the 2 million pounds of ice at the proper temperature for the sculptures, which last 52 days. This is an amazing feat that transforms the convention center of the Gaylord Palms resort each and every year.

Outside of the ICE exhibit are even more attractions. A giant ice slide even bigger than the one in the exhibit is available to ride at a separate cost.

A gingerbread housing making exhibit is also available and seemed to be a bit hit for the younger guests. The winter theme is felt throughout the entire area as snack shops and a bar are available with winter themed eats and drinks.

The Gaylord Palms resort did an excellent job taking you to Whoville for this year’s installment of ICE. The ice sculptures did an amazing job of bringing The Grinch Who Stole Christmas to life. ICE is a must see for this year’s holiday season, and we will be looking forward to seeing just what they have in store next year.