Snoopy, Snow, and So Much More – Holidays at Gaylord Palms!
Even as the sun shines bright with no snowflakes in sight, Christmas at Gaylord Palms®presented by FUJIFILM INSTAX® kicks off the season on November 18. With exciting new additions and the return of favorite experiences, the Kissimmee resort becomes the ideal place to celebrate the holidays in Central Florida.
NEW FOR 2016! One of the most popular attractions is ICE!® presented by Pepsi, this year featuring A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles Schulz. Guests will join Charlie Brown while he rediscovers the true meaning of Christmas as this beloved classic story unfolds through interactive ice sculptures and displays. Two million pounds of ice are hand-carved to create iconic scenes with the Peanuts gang including their holiday play rehearsal, Snoopy’s decorated doghouse and Charlie Brown choosing the perfect Christmas tree, all inside a frosty 9-degree environment!
Other new cheerful offerings for 2016 are Mrs. Claus’ Christmas Traditions and Santa’s Snow Throw. Mrs. Claus’ Christmas Traditions is a half-hour interactive show where guests can cozy around the jolliest hostess of all time for a reading of classic holiday stories and a carol sing-along. This visit with the First Lady of the North Pole ends appropriately with cookies and a glass of cold milk. Santa’s Snow Throw is as fun as it sounds as guests are invited to show off their pitching prowess by tossing real snowballs at a variety of targets, but even those with bad aim will be rewarded this Christmas as every guest will receive a takeaway from this carnival-style game.
The resort’s stunning atrium will welcome guests to experience A Christmas Wish, a new six-minute light show where narration, classic holiday music and dazzling visual effects converge to create a spirited seasonal celebration. This free show is centered around the new, incredible 60-foot LED-lit Christmas tree towering above Emerald Plaza.
Rounding out the list of new events this holiday season is Breakfast with Charlie Brown & Friends. This interactive character breakfast includes a delicious morning buffet with Peanuts-themed dishes, such as Charlie Brown’s Build-Your-Own-French-Toast Station with Snoopy’s Maple Syrup, Pig Pen’s Dirty Hash Browns, Lucy’s Flap Jacks and Woodstock’s Granola. Plus, guests will get to hang out with the Peanuts gang including Lucy and Charlie Brown.
Along with these new holiday offerings, guests can delight in the return of Cirque Dreams Unwrapped. Back by popular demand, Broadway director and Cirque Dreams Founder Neil Goldberg brings his famed entertainment brand to Orlando for the second year in a row. In a show created exclusively for Gaylord Palms, this year’s captivating production “unwraps” an exciting new experience with breathtaking artistry from around the world. All ages will enjoy this uniquely inspired 25-minute Christmas fable presented with Cirque Dreams renowned theatricality, spectacle and imagination.
The Elf on the Shelf® Scavenger Hunt also returns to Gaylord Palms this season. By finding all the scout elves hiding in the resort and solving the puzzles in the scavenger hunt booklet, families will reveal the elves’ names so they can get their Christmas magic. Guests who help the scout elves will receive a special prize.
At the Gingerbread Decorating Corner presented by Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas, guests can choose a delectable gingerbread kit and decorate to their hearts’ content before visiting with a life-sized gingerbread man for heartwarming hugs and photo opportunities.
Christmas at Gaylord Palms wouldn’t be complete without indoor snow tubing. Alpine Rush is back this year along with Cosmic Snow Tubing and new Down with the Decades. Guests will be able to zoom down an eight-lane tubing hill that’s fun for all ages and covered in real snow. Cosmic tubing turns up the fun with flashing LED lights and high-spirited holiday music while Down with the Decades blasts popular music from past decades.
Another memory-making activity is Build-A-Bear Workshop® where guests can make their very own furry friend. Choose from an exciting array of animals and characters, including some from popular movies. Each furry friend comes to life at our signature stuffer and can be personalized with cozy winter clothing, accessories and more! Guests also can buy an exclusive light-up polar bear and a furry-friend-sized parka, designed exclusively for Gaylord Hotels.
Guests may capture a special moment with Photos with Santa inside his toy workshop. The Noerr Programs is the official Photos with Santa and ICE! photography provider for Christmas at Gaylord Hotels and is proud to partner with the resorts again this year to accept donations in support of local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals near each of the resorts.
Finally, adults 21 and older can also upgrade their ICE! experience to ‘chill out’ at On The Blocks – the exclusive bar inside ICE! – and enjoy three select beverage samplings: The Jolly Mint specialty drink featuring Jackson Morgan Southern Cream and Hangar One Vodka; a Goose Island Beer; plus a Merry Margarita featuring Milagro Tequila. Ambient lighting, music and fun photo opportunities set the mood for this unique VIP experience.
If that’s not enough, wander through the atrium’s lush gardens (over 500,000 plants) sprinkled with poinsettias, grand holiday displays and more than two million twinkling lights.
Christmas at Gaylord Palms is open daily from November 18, 2016 – January 1, 2017, including holidays. For additional information or to book packages or tickets, visit ChristmasatGaylordPalms.com.