Kissimmee, FL — ICE! at Gaylord Palms is The Polar Express this year, with 11 scenes carved from 2 million pounds of ice, from dancing hot-chocolate waiters to an 11-foot Santa at the North Pole, plus five ice slides. It runs Nov. 13 to Jan. 3, and adult tickets were $31.22 to $46.22 with fees on Nov. 11, depending on the date and time slot.
What Is ICE! Featuring The Polar Express?
ICE! is Gaylord Hotels’ walk-through Christmas attraction: rooms of sculptures hand-carved from colorful ice, kept at 9 degrees, with guests in loaner parkas. Gaylord Palms’ 2026 edition follows The Polar Express to the North Pole in 11 scenes, with the conductor, Steamer and Smokey, and Santa Claus carved in ice.
- Hot Chocolate: ice waiters juggle cups of hot chocolate, and you can take a seat inside the frozen passenger car for a photo while the movie’s “Hot Chocolate” song plays.
- Glacier Gulch: five ice slides, including a kid-sized slide, run beneath a towering sculpture of the train, with lighting and fog effects. The slides are 10 feet high.
- The North Pole: Santa’s elves watch who’s naughty or nice, and an 11-foot Santa presents the first gift of Christmas, a silver bell from his sleigh.
The 19,000-square-foot attraction took 40 artisans from Harbin, China, six weeks to carve, and a few of them stay through the season to keep the sculptures in shape and to carve live for guests. A chemist mixes the colors to match each character.
Tickets and Prices
ICE! tickets are timed and sold online only, at GaylordPalmsTickets.com, with no box office at the resort. On Nov. 11, during Gaylord Palms’ Merry Deal Days sale, which takes up to 30% off tickets booked by Nov. 16, the ticket page showed these prices with fees included:
- Adults (12 and up): $31.22 to $46.22, depending on the date and time slot.
- Children 4 to 11: $22.22 to $36.22.
- Children 3 and under: free.
Opening day, Friday, Nov. 13, started at $33.22 for adults. Guests under 18 need a paid adult with them, and Gaylord Palms asks guests to arrive 15 minutes before their time slot, since entry isn’t guaranteed for anyone more than five minutes late.
Gaylord Palms also sells two activity passes that bundle ICE! with ice tubing, a scavenger hunt, gingerbread decorating, ice skating and more, at up to 40% off, plus overnight ICE! packages.
What to Know Before You Go
- Time inside: there’s no time limit, and the attraction is self-guided.
- What to wear: Gaylord hands out parkas, and warm clothing is recommended.
- Parking: $38 a day to self-park or $55 for valet, plus tax.
- More Christmas at the resort: more than 3 million lights, ice tubing and the POMP, SNOW & CIRQUEumstance show, from Nov. 13 to Jan. 3.
ICE! at Seven Other Resorts
ICE! started at Gaylord Opryland in Nashville in 2001, and for 2026 it’s at eight Gaylord and JW Marriott resorts, each carving a different holiday movie. Gaylord Texan near Dallas carves Harry Potter, in my Gaylord Texan Harry Potter guide, and Gaylord Rockies outside Denver carves The Nightmare Before Christmas. I’ve been to ICE! at Gaylord Palms, and my guide to all eight resorts has every theme, date and price.
Tickets and passes are on Gaylord Palms’ ICE! page.
