Gaylord Christmas

Hi D.,
Well I sure don't want to pop your Gaylord Christmas bubble here : /
We went last week and took the boys ages 4 and 6. Yes the lights are pretty and it's a great place to take some pictures but the prices are a bit ridiculous for what you are paying for. If you are willing to pay, expect some heavy traffic and some large crowds as well.
We had a Christmas dinner out there last night with my husbands work and it was NUTS. Traffic inside the drive just to get the the place was pretty bad.
Not sure just how little you children are but you might want to take the stroller just to help to lug around your coats and stuff. You won't be able to take it in the ice exhibit though. And be prepared to get really cold in there.
Parking is 15 dollars for self parking but we did get a parking pass when we purchased going into the Elf Maze that they have for the kiddos. Not sure if that's the normal or if the sweet girl at the counter that we befriended just felt sorry for us. lol
The nicest part was when we managed to snag a table and let the boys eat a gingerbread cookie while we got away from the madness of the crowds and just look at the lights inside.
I wish you well and hope you enjoy it but it would be wise to prepare yourself for some "Holiday" hustle with this journey.
Merry Christmas to you :)
C.

I have not been, but have a friend that waited until after Christmas was over last year and said the crowds were not too bad. My brother and his family went a couple of weeks ago, and said it was a mad house with all the crowds.

If I had it to do over again, I would spend my $80 on something else. We had to wait in a long line and once we got in there the kids only wanted to slide about 3 times each and then they were done. It's cool to see, but definitely not worth the price or the wait. We know people who go every year, but I honestly can't figure out why.

The time of day you go really can make or break the experience. We didn't do the Snow (I personally don't think it's worth $15 for one slide!), but we went to ICE last year and this year. For ICE, get tickets for the first time slot and arrive early. (We actually go around Thanksgiving, which I'd recommend for the future!) Parking will be validated with purchase of tickets, so you don't have to worry about that. It took us about half an hour to get through the ICE display, plus an additional 30-45 minutes in the snack area and gift store. There's a huge electric train display-my boys love trains, so we spend about 30-45 minutes watching the trains. Absolute minimum, I'd say at least 2 hours. But if you don't get tickets for the first time slot for ICE, who knows how long the wait will be! And they do provide big, warm jackets to wear, so you shouldn't get too cold - I do recommend gloves and ear muffs though. And make sure to keep your camera bundled up and warm between pictures, or your camera will stop working. And then it needs time to warm up and de-fog after you come out. The other activities sound like fun, but not really worth the money, so we've not done anything else. As long as you are prepared for crowds and waiting, it can be a really fun experience!