Christina Jelski
In a market like Orlando, creating magical family memories is always high stakes. But during the holidays, that pressure intensifies, and the destination’s resorts don’t hold back when it comes to adding a festive touch.
Every year, Walt Disney World properties deck themselves out in over-the-top seasonal finery, while at the Caribe Royale Orlando elaborate chocolate creations take center stage. The Orlando World Center Marriott adds a festive holiday village complete with both train and horse-drawn carriage rides, and over at the Gaylord Palms Resort the annual frozen attraction is unveiled; it features oversize sculptures and a two-story slide, all carved entirely from ice.
Clearly, the Orlando hospitality scene becomes something of a holiday arms race.
This year, however, the Grande Lakes Orlando, home to JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton properties, opened what some might consider the destination’s most ambitious holiday amenity yet: a 4,500-square-foot, outdoor ice-skating rink.
When I heard about the project during a mid-October media event in New York, I initially assumed the rink would feature synthetic ice. After all, Orlando temperatures tend remain relatively balmy even in December, hovering in the 50s and 60s.
Alissa Perez, director of marketing at Grande Lakes Orlando, was quick to set me straight.
“I make it a point to say it’s a real ice,” she said. “We’ve learned that we have to be very specific in letting people know it’s a real rink, because a lot of guests have been surprised.”
The rink, which debuted in late November, joins the Grande Lakes Orlando’s annual Winter Wonderland Market installation, now in its third year. The experience is inspired by European Christmas markets and also features cottage-style stands selling local crafts, holiday treats and seasonal beverages as well as an hourly snowfall, courtesy of snow machines.
The rink is set to operate through Jan. 3, with skating sessions priced at $25 per person on weekdays and $35 per person on weekends.
“Let’s face it, we’re in Orlando, so there’s a lot of competition,” said Perez. “You want to stay relevant, and you need to be innovative.”
The rink took several years of planning and represents an investment of more than $1 million. Work on the rink began last July, though construction was far from the biggest challenge.
To tackle the operational complexities of keeping water frozen in Central Florida, the Grande Lakes Orlando tapped SnowMagic, a “wintertainment” specialist that had previously executed an ice rink for the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix.
According to SnowMagic, the primary concern is “melt control,” which requires that two to three team members work overnight to monitor ice depth. Ideally, that depth is maintained at between 3.5 and 4 inches. And if temperatures climb too high during the day, staff deploy tarp systems to cover the ice to minimize melt.
The temperature constraints also mean the rink can’t open until 5 p.m., when temps are cooler. The later operating hours, however, haven’t put a damper on guest demand, said Perez.
“To be in Florida, in open air, surrounded by palm trees and ice skating, it’s just really cool,” she said.
Perez got a chance to test out the rink with her three kids, ages 11, 9 and 3, and can personally confirm that it delivers on creating lasting family memories.
“I think this was the longest that I’d seen our kids go and not even look for their devices,” she said. “They had so much fun that night.”