ICE at Gaylord Palms 2026: guests in blue parkas beside an ice-carved Polar Express train and ice slides

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ICE! at Gaylord Palms 2026: The Polar Express in Ice, Slides and Tickets

November 8, 2026November 4, 2026 by onthegoinmco No Comments

Central Florida’s coldest holiday tradition is back at Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee. ICE! featuring The Polar Express runs November 13, 2026, through January 3, 2027, as the centerpiece of Christmas at Gaylord Palms, bringing the story to life in more than 2 million pounds of hand-carved ice.

Now in its 24th year, the self-guided walk-through is kept at 9°F and includes 11 carved scenes, five ice slides and live carving demonstrations. Here’s what’s inside, how the artisans create it, what to wear and how tickets, timing and parking work.

What’s Inside ICE! at Gaylord Palms 2026

Guests explore at their own pace, with no time limit inside; most spend 20 to 40 minutes. Highlights include:

The Polar Express scenes: 11 scenes carved from about 6,700 blocks of ice.
Glacier Gulch: five ice slides, including a kid-sized slide.
Hot Chocolate scene: a seat inside a frozen passenger car.
North Pole: an 11-foot ice Santa.
Carver’s Showcase: live ice carving daily.

Colorful ice-carved waiters juggling cups in the Hot Chocolate scene at ice! featuring The Polar Express at Gaylord Palms

Mother and child in blue parkas riding down an ice slide at ice! at Gaylord Palms

How ICE! Is Made

About 40 artisans travel more than 6,000 miles from Harbin, China, known as “Ice City,” to carve ICE! over six weeks. They work roughly 12,000 hours from a 300-page design book, and a chemist mixes a special formula so each character’s colors stay bright all season.

Ice-carved North Pole square with a lit Christmas tree, elves and arches at ice! featuring The Polar Express

Colorful ice-carved reindeer pulling a sleigh at ice! at Gaylord Palms

What to Wear to ICE! at Gaylord Palms

A free calf-length hooded parka is provided for every guest, in sizes from infant to adult 4XL. Also recommended:

Closed-toe shoes (required for the slides) and long pants
Hats and gloves, which are also sold on site
A phone for photos; tripods and extra lighting aren’t allowed, and lenses may fog on the way out

The slides require guests to climb steps on their own and meet height requirements, while many other areas are fully accessible.

Hand-carved clear ice Nativity scene with glowing columns at ice! at Gaylord Palms Resort

ICE! Tickets, Arrival Times and Parking

Tickets: timed, single-entry tickets are sold online in advance only, at GaylordPalmsTickets.com; there’s no on-site box office. Day guests don’t need to stay at the resort.
Arrival: plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before your time slot; entry isn’t guaranteed for guests more than five minutes late.
Parking: $38 self-parking or $55 valet, plus tax. The resort is cashless.
Hotel guests: overnight guests get a free Chill Pass for front-of-line access, though ICE! tickets are still required.
Location: Gaylord Palms Resort, 6000 W. Osceola Parkway, Kissimmee; (407) 586-0000.

Full event details and FAQs are at Christmas at Gaylord Palms.

Related reading: Christmas at the Gaylord Palms 2021

Photos courtesy of Marriott International and Gaylord Palms Resort.

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