We arrived in Kissimmee about 5 p.m. to check into our room at the Gaylord Palms Resort. Gracie got excited as soon as we saw the many Christmas lights decorating the entrances to the Gaylord and the outside of the resort’s convention center, where ICE! is housed.
Gaylord Palms has more than 1,400 rooms, half a million square feet of convention space and nearly five acres under a glass atrium. It’s huge. But it’s also warm and inviting. As we walked into the lobby, we were immediately greeted by an employee (they call them “stars” here) who directed us to the front desk. Where we were immediately greeted by another employee who directed us to an available front-desk clerk, who checked us in and directed us toward the atrium. Where we were immediately greeted by a fourth employee, who directed us to the elevators to our room. All of that human interaction is a nice touch in a place that might otherwise leave you feeling overwhelmed because of its size.
We headed up the elevator to our room on the top floor – No. 9. We opened the door to our room and were surprised to find … a suite! There’s a living room that includes a pull-out couch, wet bar and roomy eating area. Down the hall are a large bathroom with a walk-in shower and a huge master bedroom with a king-size bed. Gracie ran up and down the hall, trying to check out everything at once.
We relaxed in the room and studied the schedule of events the front desk had given us. I was shocked at the sheer number of holiday activities being offered this weekend. Now we Florida residents don’t like to admit this, but we do sometimes see clouds in our Sunshine State. This Friday and Saturday are overcast and very rainy, which actually makes it a great time to visit the Gaylord Palms, because there is so much to do under this one roof!
We went down to check out the amazing decorations in the atrium. There must be thousands of poinsettias, accented with miles of red holiday ribbon. I cannot wait to come back and check out everything during the daytime when I can get better pictures to share.
At 9:30 p.m., we made our way to the Emerald Plaza Stage in the atrium to watch “Luminescence: A Deeper Meaning,” one of the three free stage shows performed at the Gaylord Palms Resort this weekend. Four very talented vocalists sang Christmas favorites such as “Carol of the Bells” and “O, Holy Night” in front a huge Christmas tree. Gracie was mesmerized when an aerialist came out and performed during one of the songs, and we were all surprised when the drummer flew up to play huge drum set floating in the air.
I made a short video to show you some of the neat lighting effects and aerial choreography in the holiday show. The band really had Gracie singing along!
After strolling around more of the 63 acres here, we decided it was time to turn in for the night. We have big plans for Saturday, including making a gingerbread house here at the Gaylord Palms, hunting for some of the 20 gnomes hidden throughout the resort for the Hidden Holiday Gnome Hunt and riding some rides at Kissimmee’s Old Town when the weather clears Saturday evening.
Click here to check out pictures of our room at the Gaylord Palms Resort and the “Luminescence” show.
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