One of my favorite parts of living in Orlando are the wonderful holiday events and happenings. Gaylord Palms is an absolutely gorgeous resort and it becomes a sparkling jewel for the holidays. My family and I love making ICE! an annual tradition, where over 2 million pounds of ice are carved by skilled Chinese artisans, with a new theme for each holiday season. This year, it’s “Merry Madagascar” and all of your favorites are there; King Julien, Alex, Marty, Gloria, Melman, and of course, MORT! There are SO many amazing things to see at ICE!, I think I took over 100 photos. However, rather than show you everything, I want to share my top 5 scenes, and hopefully entice you to get over to Gaylord Palms and see the rest in person!

My Top 5 Favorite Scenes at Gaylord Palms ICE! – Merry Madagascar

5. Frozen Coconuts!

4. Sparkly Penguins!

3. Pink Eiffel Tower and pastel St. Basil’s!

 2. Super Slides!

1. Frozen Waterfall!

But there is much more to the holidays at Gaylord Palms than just ICE! Within the ICE! area, there are also special character greeting photo ops and Gingy’s Gingerbread Decorating, as well as a huge selection of holiday and themed merchandise and a cafe serving holiday treats. In addition, the main atrium lobby has breathtaking Christmas decorations and a nightly Christmas show called Luminescence – featuring The Edge Effect, and the Polar Bear Pursuit Scavenger Hunt. Below is a gallery of some more highlights from Gaylord Palms holiday happenings – click any photo to view as a slideshow:

Such a beautiful resort all the time, even more so at the holidays!

The lights and tree in the atrium lobby are just gorgeous. The holiday show is wonderful too.

Gingy with two of my little Christmas elves.

Gingy! This is Gingy’s Gingerbread decorating area, for an additional cost, you can decorate various types of gingerbread with Gingy!

More Merry Madagascar merchandise.

Lots of ICE! themed merchandise is available as well as a wonderful selection of holiday ornaments and decor.

Merry Madagascar ICE! mugs in the shop after the ice area.

Also inside the ICE! experience, you can get fun photos with some of your favorite Madagascar characters. ICE! is so much fun, even more so with a group of great friends!

As always, the ICE! presentation ends with a solemn ice nativity scene.

Bubbles detail on the frozen waterfall. So pretty!

1. This waterfall was my absolute favorite feature. SO beautifully colored and the bubble details are just great.

My frozen kids had a blast.

Santa and Christmas are saved!

More of the ice slides.

2. The famous ice slides!

3. A pink and purple Eiffel Tower in ice?! Yes, please.

Ice Kremlin in the ice slide area.

Another of my favorite parts – these little columns the penguins are on were SPARKLY and PINK in person!

MORT!

See? Coconuts! Out of ice! So adorable.

King Julien with Mort (my favorite!).

The entrance to ICE! with shopping area and a cafe for holiday treats.

Merry Madagascar in ICE!

You can see the rest of my photos on my ICE! 2012 flickr set.

The best way to see all of the wonderful holiday offerings is of course, to stay right at the Gaylord Palms. Guests seeking a complete Christmas experience can purchase special “Christmassy DreamWorks Experience” packages starting at $189.99 per room, per night (for a three night stay)! Packages include unlimited visits to ICE! and a number of other activities, including a ShrekFeast Interactive Character Meal, and more!

ICE! is open daily from Nov. 10, 2012 through Jan. 1, 2013, including holidays. Ticket prices for children start at $9.99, and adult ticket prices start at $18.99. Florida Residents — Save an extra $4 per ticket. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to www.christmasatgaylordpalms.com. ICE! is presented by Coca-Cola.

Disclosure: I was provided tickets to attend a media preview of ICE! but my thoughts and opinions are my own.