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DreamWorks characters

Gaylord Palms Orlando Opens Cypress Springs Water Park and Renovated Rooms

5 June 2012 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

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Gaylord Palms St. Augustine Atrium Gaylord Palms Resort is just a short drive from the Walt Disney World Resort area, yet is like another world altogether when you step inside. Each time I walk in the front doors, I’m overwhelmed with the tropical beauty and vast spaces which are unrivaled in area resorts. For those who haven’t been, the atrium within the hotel is divided into several sections themed to different parts of Florida. You can wander through Key West with its laid back, island feel, stroll through a fort you might find in St. Augustine, or explore cypress trees and old Florida in the Everglades section (my personal favorite, it’s so realistic – minus the fear of gator attacks of course). Add to that impeccable gourmet food and gorgeous rooms and you won’t want to leave.

Gaylord Palms offers many special deals and events for families throughout the year as they partner with Dreamworks and feature characters like Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and more at character meals and holiday parties. Now they appeal even more to families with the recent grand opening of their Cypress Springs family water park area for resort guests. I was able to visit with a friend recently, and it’s a wonderful place for families to relax and rejuvenate, while the kids have a blast.

Here’s more from Gaylord Palms Resort about their recent updates: (all images courtesy Gaylord Palms Resort)

We’ve got fun new indoor and outdoor play spaces, including the expansive Coquina Lawn. Indoors, our four-and-a-half acres of lush climate-controlled gardens and waterways beautifully recreate three unique Florida-themed environments. Don’t forget to visit our baby alligator and stingray feeding areas while you’re there!

Gaylord Palms Cypress Springs Waterpark

For a real splash of WOW, kids will absolutely flip over the thrilling new Everglades-inspired Cypress Springs Family Fun Water Park! This fabulous water play area features a zero-entry swimming pool with four waterslides, a multi-level water playground tree house, an active lagoon, a plunge pool, “Splash ‘N’ Screen” movies, “Crack-A-Lackin’ pool parties” and a huge array of exciting adventures (some with a DreamWorks twist!). Conveniently located just steps from our pools, SandBar lets you grab a bite without having to leave the fun in the sun! Indulge in All-American favorites and refreshing beverages to quench your thirst.

Gaylord Palms Cypress Springs Waterpark

And for your tranquil escape, the new South Beach Pool offers a chic, adult-only tropical oasis with covered restaurant and bar. Or visit our refreshing Relâche Spa & Salon for an invigorating body wrap, rejuvenating facial or exotic Ayurveda treatment. If you’d rather get your pulse racing, schedule a personal workout session at our 4,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Relâche Fitness Center.

Gaylord Palms Cypress Springs Waterpark

For sports fans, we’ve tackled the extraordinary and won with Wreckers Sports Bar, a neighborhood-style watering hole featuring more than 50 HDTV’s, a two-story, 37-foot-high sports screen; floor; and two scenic terraces overlooking the posh palm-lined waters of the South Beach pool.

And to punctuate our grand renovation with the ultimate blend of comfort and style, we’ve updated each of our Guest Rooms with luxurious furnishings, quality linens, and flat screen TVs, all in a relaxing yet refined Florida décor.

Gaylord Palms Renovated RoomsGaylord Palms Cypress Springs Waterpark
I've seen these new rooms in person, they are stunning!

 

Gaylord Palms Renovated Room
A king bed or two queens (above) are available as well as suites.

Sounds (and looks) amazing, right? You can find out more at the Gaylord Palms Resort site, including specials and even Florida resident deals as well. It’s definitely on the top of my list for favorite places to escape, even though I live just down the street!

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Filed Under: Central Florida Family Entertainment Tagged With: Cypress Springs water park, DreamWorks characters, family resorts, Gaylord hotels, Gaylord Palms, Gaylord Palms Orlando, Gaylord Palms renovations, gaylord palms resort, hotels, Orlando resort hotels, renovated rooms, renovations, resorts, Wreckers Sports Bar

Experience Cold and Snow in Florida at Gaylord Palms ICE-Shrek the Halls!

16 November 2011 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

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Shrek the Halls My family first visited the Gaylord Palms and its ICE! event back in 2007. We loved it back then and I’ve been lucky enough to attend the last two ICE openings at a media sneak peek. This year was the first time I brought my littlest guy, now 3, to experience the fun. I wondered what he’d think of the extreme cold temperatures, but despite his initial resistance to wearing the puffy blue parkas the hotel provides for ICE visitors, he was excited to see everything!

As you enter the Gaylord Palms convention center, you are greeted by the “Holiday Halls” where ICE!, Snow, Gingy’s Gingerbread Decorating, and the DreamWorks Experience are held. In addition to the free elements of the Gaylord Palms holidays, the special ticketed events include ICE! with over 16,000 square feet of 9-degree weather – quite the contrast to the 80 degree temperatures we are experiencing.

This year, ICE! is Shrek-themed with perfect representations of your favorite characters including Shrek, Fiona, Puss in Boots, Donkey and more. It is amazing how much the huge blocks of colored ice look like their animated counterparts. Also within the experience are the slides made entirely of ice, which my big kids (and my friend and I) loved sliding down! It’s such a fun way to experience winter in central Florida!

Puss in Boots
I will admit to having a soft spot for Puss in Boots, love him, even in ice!

 

Shrek in Ice
Donkey, Puss in Boots and more in ICE!

 

Shrek characters in ICE
An overview of some of the characters from Shrek

 

ICE slide
This slide in ICE is so much fun (and cold!) to do!

Kung Fu Panda Awesome SNOW is another play area with a separate admission. Inside there are more slides and playground equipment and 130 tons of freshly made snow. No parkas are needed in here, it’s around 50 degrees, but snowball fights abound as you play in a courtyard themed to the Valley of Peace from Kung Fu Panda. The whole family loved making snowballs and playing in the snow – without the shoveling and scraping ice off your cars!

Kung Fu Panda Awesome Snow
Walking through the SNOW!

New this year is Gingy’s Gingerbread Decorating. This area was not open last night but will be now. There guests can purchase and decorated gingerbread houses, cookies or a tree ornament cookie and meet with Gingy himself!

The DreamWorks Animation 3D Theater Experience is also now open, where guests can walk the red carpet with Puss in Boots and enjoy gourmet theater food and beverages with Shrek and Princess Fiona before enjoying Puss In Boots on the big screen, in 3D!

Ticket prices vary by date and you can also look into a one or two-night DreamWorks Experience package to stay at the Gaylord Palms and get some amazing amenities, including interactive Character Meals, Meet & Greets and more. Check out pricing and more info at ChristmasAtGaylordPalms.com Be sure to check in on foursquare for a special treat too – free hot chocolate! Those on twitter can follow the action using the #GPICE hashtag and you can upload your photos to the group flickr account too. Speaking of flickr, for more photos from me check out my Gaylord Palms ICE set on flickr. As you can see below, photographers are on hand to capture your family’s experiences and allow you to bring home memories to last a lifetime.

ICE photo
Group shot of the family and Amanda Tinney's family too in our ICE! parkas!

Some of the free events within the hotel include Luminescence, a musical journey into the spirit of Christmas, Christmas Wonders and Majestic Christmas Tree Lighting and Visits with Santa. I can’t wait to bring the family back again and check out all of these beautiful events in person.

This Saturday, 11/19, Gaylord Palms is teaming up with the amazing local kids charity Give Kids the World, for 50% off admission to ICE! Be sure to use promo code: SEGKW when purchasing tickets! 

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Filed Under: Florida Theme Parks & Attractions, Orlando Area Attractions Tagged With: Alex the Lion, Christmas at Gaylord Palms, DreamWorks, DreamWorks 3D Experience, DreamWorks characters, Gaylord hotels, Gaylord Palms, Gingy, Gingy's Gingerbread Decorating, Holidays at Gaylord Palms, ICE!, King Julien, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, Po, Princess Fiona, Puss in Boots, Shrek, SNOW!

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