Christmas at Gaylord Palms Resort: Ticket Sales Now Open, Full Christmas Program Unveiled

KISSIMMEE, FL - October 7, 2020 – Gaylord Palms is pleased to announce that ticket sales for its annual Christmas at Gaylord Palms are open. With guests and locals now able to pre-purchase individual tickets in anticipation of the holiday season, the resort is excited to unveil its full lineup of Christmas programming, alongside its new, previously-announced marquee pop-up experience, “I Love Christmas Movies.” Christmas at Gaylord Palms runs November 13, 2020 through January 3, 2021.

Anchoring Christmas fun at Gaylord Palms is I Love Christmas Movies, an exclusive multi-sensory pop-up exhibition in collaboration with Warner Bros. Consumer Products allowing guests to experience beloved holiday movies, including THE POLAR EXPRESS™, A CHRISTMAS STORY™, ELF™, NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION™, and THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS™, in a completely new way. All designed with social distancing measures at the forefront, as guests young and young at heart navigate the multi-sensory exhibits, they will enjoy 15 fully immersive scenes complete with replicas of film props, audio clips and more, making participants feel as if they have stepped into part of the actual story.

Another brand-new experience this year is the Snow Factory, which will transport guests to a winter wonderland filled with icy snow fun. In this mechanized snowy play space, families will enjoy multiple attractions, including Snow Flow Mountain, where they can slide through factory conveyor belts that have frozen solid and ride on tubes down a thrilling plummet slide or hilly ice coaster. Plus, the Snowball Build and Blast will allow guests to build and toss real snowballs to boost the power of snowmaking machines.

And, just in time for the start of the resort’s Christmas activities, Villa de Flora will re-open after its extensive renovation, offering a holiday buffet for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Villa de Flora’s new unique theming is designed to make guests feel as though they are walking through modern coastal Mediterranean countries, including Italy, Spain, France and more. The venue features bright and open design elements including a new patio and trellis, a temperature-controlled wine room, a wall adorned with olive oil and an open kitchen that allows guests to see their food being made from their dining tables. Plus, an all-new pizza oven will allow guests to enjoy fresh pizzas as part of their buffet. In accordance with Marriott’s “Commitment to Clean” program, Villa de Flora is an attended buffet and will feature fresh and seasonal food stations.

With 4.5 acres of airy indoor atriums decorated with millions of twinkling holiday lights, a towering Christmas tree in the St. Augustine atrium and thousands of shimmering ornaments, visitors can look forward to even more festive experiences, including:

• Live performances on the St. Augustine Stage, including the dazzling Cirque Dreams Unwrapped featuring stunning feats of showmanship performed on stage and in the air. Plus, holiday spirits will soar during The Greatest Story, a multicultural, musical journey celebrating the story of Christ.
• A fun and festive breakfast with the mean green one himself at The Grinch Character Breakfast at Villa de Flora.
• An interactive experience that will show kids what it takes to become one of Santa’s helpers during the Elf Training Academy.
• A one-of-a-kind light show in the St. Augustine atrium sky that will bring the fun of decorating the Christmas tree to life in the #LIT Light Show.
• A fun, sticky and interactive decorating tradition that allows guests to choose from different design options to create either delectable holiday-themed gingerbread cookies or a complete gingerbread house in the Gingerbread Decorating Corner. Plus, after decorating, guests can meet Nutmeg the Gingerbread Man for a heartwarming photo opp.
• A meet and greet with the big guy himself in Photos with Santa by DEI. Guests can tell Santa what’s on their Christmas lists this year in a redesigned space to creatively capture the moment in a socially-distanced way.
• A fun-filled celebration of Christmas traditions old and new with the jolliest hostess of all. Guests can delight in the retelling of the Christmas classic, "Twas The Night Before Christmas," and sing along to their favorite holiday songs during Mrs. Claus’ Christmas Traditions.
• A holiday-themed scavenger hunt that will help grow The Grinch’s heart three sizes and show him the meaning of the season in The Grinch’s Wonderful Awful Idea Scavenger Hunt.
• A personalized and imaginative experience with Build-A-Bear Workshop®. Guests can experience the Make-Your-Own fun by adding stuffing and taking part in the one-of-a-kind Heart Ceremony. Families can personalize furry friends with outfits, accessories, sounds and scents.
• A Sugary Sweet Storytime that will immerse guests into the world of The Nutcracker led by the Sugarplum Fairy herself in this interactive, super sweet, super sugary musical spectacular.
• The Journey of Los Tres Reyes Magos live show where guests will join the Three Kings in a musical celebration as they retell the Christmas story and the celebrations surrounding it, including Las Posadas and el Día de los Reyes. Running December 27, 2020 to January 3, 2021.

Tickets and Packages

Due to limited capacity in accordance with Marriott’s “Commitment to Clean” program, advance online reservations are required for all ticketed events. Tickets for Christmas at Gaylord Palms and I Love Christmas Movies can be purchased at ChristmasatGaylordPalms.com and ILoveChristmasMoviesExperience.com.

Overnight Christmas packages including admission into the I Love Christmas Movies immersive pop-up experience are also available to book now. For more information, CLICK HERE.

For almost two decades, Gaylord Palms has become legendary for providing magical holiday events and activities for winter visitors to experience, and this year will be no different. Whether staying overnight or visiting for the day, Christmas at Gaylord Palms promises an abundance of exciting, interactive and immersive experiences and activities suitable for all ages.

As the safety of its guests and STARS (employees) is of paramount importance, Christmas at Gaylord Palms has been developed in accordance with Marriott’s “Commitment to Clean” program and with enhanced protocols and social distancing measures. Programming will also operate in consideration with the latest local, state and federal legistlation.