Photos/Video: All Aboard for a First Look at ice! featuring "The Polar Express" at Gaylord Palms Resort
One day ahead of the opening of this year's ice! display at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, we were invited out to get a tour of the display, which this year features The Polar Express.
As guests enter ice! featuring The Polar Express, they follow the magical adventure of a doubting child, known in the film’s credits as Hero Boy, who takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. Along the way, he learns about friendship, bravery and the true spirit of Christmas.
Of course, it wouldn't be a true celebration of The Polar Express without seeing the iconic locomotive recreated in ice form.
In fact, the train pops up multiple times throughout the display, including in the ice! slide room, featuring five two-story-tall slides made of solid ice. This year, the slides will send guests zipping across the film’s Glacier Gulch.
A team of expert ice carvers from Harbin, China, worked inside the 9-degree environment for more than a month to create the walk-through experience. You might even be able to spot ice carvers during your visit, creating toys or touching up some of the incredible sculptures.
The Polar Express was last featured in ice! at Gaylord Palms in 2019, and its popularity among guests is a key reason for its return engagement for the 2026 holiday season.
In addition to ice!, Gaylord Palms is host to a wide array of holiday offerings, including Christmas shows and activities the atrium, while another area of the resort transforms into Alpine Village, a bustling holiday hamlet with Bavarian-style storefronts, immersive activities and one of Florida's largest Christmas shops. Snow Factory, adjacent to Alpine Village, features chilly thrills with snowball throwing, ice tubing, the Snow Bar, a Christmas Carousel and more.
Following the end of The Polar Express portion of ice!, the display ends as it always does with a recreation of the Nativity Scene.
Check out a complete tour of ice! featuring The Polar Express in the video below.
ice! featuring The Polar Express opens at Gaylord Palms Resort tomorrow, November 13, and runs through January 3, 2027.