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Behind-The-Scenes, Best of Florida Christmas, Christmas, Event Update, Gaylord Palms |
6 November, 2009
… a lot like Christmas at Gaylord Palms Resort! The special events crew has just finished installing the Majestic Christmas Tree inside the hotel atrium.

The tree, which towers above Emerald Plaza, has been decked with new LED lights, providing a brighter shine and greater energy efficiency.
This picture was taken shortly after the crew began testing the lights.
For more information about November and December events in Orlando, including Christmas events at Orlando theme parks, visit ChristmasInOrlando.com.
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Behind-The-Scenes, Best of Florida Christmas, Carving, Christmas, ChristmasInOrlando.com, Cool Stuff, Event Update, Gaylord Palms, ICE! at Gaylord Palms, Orlando News |
4 November, 2009
Although Orlando's ICE! attraction won't open for several weeks, Gaylord Palms is giving a "sneak peek" of this cool holiday spectacle, thanks to two cool web cams that are already feeding live images to fans.
Web Cam One: The Crystal Carousel
The Crystal Carousel is currently under construction inside the ICE! attraction at Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando. This show-stopping scene will feature a full-sized "Christmas Carousel" made completely from ice. When complete, ICE! visitors will be able to step onto the carousel, and take advantage of several photo opportunities.
Artisans from China are currently at work inside the 9-degree attraction. To see the progress, click on the web cam link at ChristmasinOrlando.com, found on the left-hand column of the page.
Web Cam Two: Santa's Magic Flight

Santa's Magic Flight is also under construction inside the ICE! attraction. This newly-engineered scene is created from nearly 1 million pounds of ice, and features ice slides for children and adults.
When it opens on Nov. 14, the web cam will catch visitors to the attraction as they slide down the scene's four slides.
To see the progress, click on the web cam link at ChristmasinOrlando.com, found on the right-hand column of the page.
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Best of Florida Christmas, Christmas, Disney news, Gaylord Palms, ICE! at Gaylord Palms, Media, Orlando News |
2 November, 2009

Last year, Orlando Sentinel posted a gallery of photos from Orlando's theme parks, including the shot above of The Osbourne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney's Hollywood Studios. It includes images that have run in the print editions throughout the years. You can find the gallery here.
They also posted a second gallery that includes photos of ICE!, taken by Orlando Sentinel photographers over the past six years. It even includes some shots of last year's Orlando Polar Bear Club trek through the 9-degree attraction! You can find the gallery here.
For more information about November and December events in Orlando, including Christmas events at Orlando theme parks, visit ChristmasInOrlando.com.
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Behind-The-Scenes, Carving, Christmas, Cool Stuff, Event Update, Gaylord Palms, ICE! at Gaylord Palms, Orlando News |
19 October, 2009
A team of 38 artisans have arrived in Sunny Florida, after a trip half-way around the world, from Harbin, China!

The artisans are in town to dazzle Floridians again with their amazing artistry, as showcased at ICE!, a you-gotta-see-it-to-believe-it holiday attraction, just five minutes from Disney.

The attraction opens on Nov. 14, and it will take the artisans about 30 days to complete the elaborate walk-through "ice village."
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Christmas, Event Update, Orlando News, Universal Studios |
18 October, 2009
Universal Studios is filling their new Music Plaza with a brand-new Christmas concert series featuring the sensational Mannheim Steamroller and chart-topping artists Natalie Cole and Chris Isaak.
The concerts are the latest addition to Universal Orlando's holiday line-up, which also includes Grinchmas at Universal’s Islands of Adventure and the Macy’s Holiday Parade at Universal Studios.
The holiday at Universal Orlando begin Dec. 5 and run through Jan. 1. As for the concerts:
* Mannheim Steamroller, the iconic holiday music masters who have sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, will perform at Universal Studios on Dec. 5.
* Chris Isaak, who will sing a mix of holiday classics along side his most popular hits, will perform on Dec. 12
* Natalie Cole, a nine-time Grammy Award winner whose hits include "This Will Be" and "Unforgettable," will also perform a mix of holiday classics and popular hits on Dec. 19.
Each concert begins after the scheduled Macy’s Holiday Parade, which is held nightly, Dec. 5 and run through Jan. 1.
The performances will take place at the new Music Plaza, the park's new state-of-the-art, permanent outdoor concert venue, located in the heart of the Universal Studios theme park.
For more information about November and December events in Orlando, including Christmas events at Orlando theme parks, visit ChristmasInOrlando.com.
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Christmas, Disney news, Event Update, Orlando News |
12 August, 2009
One of Orlando's most beloved holiday traditions is the Candlelight Processional at Epcot. This traditional telling of the Christmas story features a celebrity narrator, a 200-voice choir, and a 50-piece live orchestra. This extremely popular show runs nightly, from Nov. 27 through Dec. 30. There are three shows nightly: 5:00, 6:45 and 8:00 p.m.
Take a look at this year's list of celebrity narrators:
Nov. 27-29: Isabella Rossellini (Model and star of films "Blue Velvet" and "Death Becomes Her")
Nov. 30-Dec. 2: John O'Hurley (best known for portraying J. Peterman of "Seinfeld")
Dec. 3-5: Steven Curtis Chapman (Christian music's most decorated star)
Dec. 6-8: – Anika Noni Rose, (Voice of Princess Tiana in "Disney's The Princess and the Frog")
Dec. 9-11: Andy Garcia (star of films "The Godfather III," "The Untouchables" and "When a Man Loves a Woman")
Dec. 12-14: Vanessa Williams (of ABC-TV's "Ugly Betty")
Dec. 15-17: Abigail Breslin (star of film "Little Miss Sunshine")
Dec. 18-20: Whoopi Goldberg (of ABC-TV's "The View")
Dec. 21-23: Brian Dennehy (star of film "First Blood" and "Presumed Innocent")
Dec. 24-26: Edward James Olmos (starred in TV's "Miami Vice" and "Stand and Deliver")
Dec. 27-30: Angela Bassett ("How Stella Got Her Groove Back" and "What's Love Got to Do With It") and Courtney Vance (TV's "Law & Order: Criminal Intent")
For more information about November and December events in Orlando, including Christmas events at Orlando theme parks, visit ChristmasInOrlando.com.
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Christmas, Disney news, Orlando News |
17 December, 2008

Orlando Sentinel's Theme Park Rangers point us to a "sneak peek" of Disney's televised Christmas Parade, here and here. And Universal Studios' MACY'S holiday parade balloons here.
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Christmas, Event Update, General Stuff, Orlando News, Thanksgiving |
10 November, 2008
In the 1974 classic Christmas special "The Year Without a Santa Claus," Saint Nick decides to take a year off. For the characters (and those watching), it was a blue Christmas, indeed.
For many in Central Florida, the blues have returned.
According to today's Orlando Sentinel, the historic Cypress Gardens theme park will temporarily close on Nov. 17 and reopen in March as a smaller, more focused park.
This, of course, means that the park's popular "Old-Fashioned Christmas" celebration, which once boasted the world's largest Christmas tree (a whopping 116-feet tall!), will remain dark this season.
Here's hoping that Florida's oldest theme park can use the hiatus to get their finances in order, and emerge in the spring as a more profitable endeavor.
We'll be first in line next Christmas!
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Christmas, Event Update, Orlando News, Universal Studios |
6 November, 2008
The Orlando Sentinel reported today that Universal Orlando will be kicking off their holiday season with two performances by the Grammy-winning group Mannheim Steamroller on Dec. 6.
Mannheim Steamroller is known for their unique instrumental tracks that founder Chip Davis calls "18th Century classical rock."
The group, which enjoys enormous popularity during the Christmas season, collaborated on the music for last year's original stage show "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" which will once again be performed at Seuss Landing inside Islands of Adventure theme park.
The
Universal Studios concerts, held at 6pm and 8pm on Dec. 6, will include music from the IOA "Grinch" show, old favorites, and selections from the new Steamroller CD Christmasville
. It is the only scheduled holiday-season appearances by Steamroller founder Chip Davis.
According to the Sentinel report, the concerts will be included in regular theme-park admission.
For further updates about Orlando Christmas events, including ICE! at Gaylord Palms, visit www.christmasinorlando.com
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Behind-The-Scenes, Best of Florida Christmas, Carving, Christmas, Cool Stuff, Design Chatter, Event Update, Gaylord Palms, ICE! at Gaylord Palms, Orlando News |
20 October, 2008
Although Orlando's ICE! attraction won't open for several weeks, Gaylord Palms is giving a "sneak peek" of this cool holiday spectacle, thanks to two cool web cams that are already feeding live images to fans.
Web Cam One: Winter Wonderland ICE Bridge

Winter Wonderland is currently under construction inside the ICE! attraction at Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando. This romantic scene will feature a romantic winterscape, including a large bridge made completely from ice. When complete, ICE! visitors will be able to walk across the bridge, and take advantage of several photo opportunities, before moving on to the Hall of Ornaments, a colorful new ICE! scene.
Artisans from China are currently at work inside the 9-degree attraction. When the attraction opens, this scene will be home to the ICE! Proposals program, a unique place to propose marriage in Orlando.
To see the progress, click on the web cam link at ChristmasinOrlando.com, found on the right-hand column of the page.
Web Cam Two: Santa's Magic Flight

Santa's Magic Flight is also under construction inside the ICE! attraction. This newly-engineered scene is created from nearly 1 million pounds of ice, and features ice slides for children and adults.
When it opens on Nov. 17, the web cam will catch visitors to the attraction as they slide down the scene's four slides.
To see the progress, click on the web cam link at ChristmasinOrlando.com, found on the right-hand column of the page.
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