Family, travel, mom blog | Theme Park Mom (Leigh Caldwell)

Walt Disney World is offering 30% to 45% discounts on hotel rooms for Florida residents most nights this spring. These are some amazing deals, with prices under $60 per night for value resorts, under $100 per night for moderates and around $175 per night for some of the deluxe resorts.

Here are some examples:

• $53.30 per night for a room at All-Star Music Resort the last weekend of January
• $93.87 per night for a room at the Carribbean Beach Resort the third week of February.
• $174.00 per night for a room at Animal Kingdom Lodge the third week of April.

All of the details are available on Walt Disney World’s Web site. This is an especially great deal with the Disney Dream Pass, which offers Florida residents 4 days at the parks for just $99.

And if your family typically stays in values or moderates, here’s a chance to step up a category for about the same price (or less than) you are used to paying!

My family (which is 2 adults and 1 child) could do four nights at a value resort and the Disney Dream Pass for less than $500 (plus taxes). That is why I say these deals are truly amazing!

There are black-out dates for this discount, mainly centered around spring break. You have to book by June 10, 2010, but you will have the most availability if you book as early as possible, of  course.

My family and I had the opportunity to visit ICE! this weekend at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee. I had heard a lot about the annual holiday attraction, but this was my first time visiting.

ICE! is a walk-through exhibit of giant ice sculptures, with ice slides for the kids (and young at heart) to play on, as well as some fun photo ops.

I posted my account of our ICE! experience over at i.seekissimmee.com, where I’m guest blogging this week.

Not that I’ve been there, done that, here are my tips for moms planning to take their kids to see ICE!:

• Bring gloves or mittens. It is 9 degrees inside the ice exhibit, and while they supply parkas, your hands will get cold. A stocking cap to wear under the hood or a scarf might also be helpful.
• No need to bundle up much more than that, though. We saw families in all manner of garb, including some with long johns and several layers on top of them. You spend about 30 minutes in the exhibit, and the parka keeps you warm enough during that time, in my opinion. You are walking through, on and around ice — part of the fun is getting cold in there.
• When you walk into the exhibit, take the lens cap off your camera. Your camera will need a few minutes to acclimate to the colder temperatures so that it doesn’t fog up when you are trying to take a family portrait.
• Be sure to stop at the counter to get your hot cocoa coupon before you get in line for the exhibit. When you are finished at ICE!, follow the signs into the Gaylord Palms atrium to pick up your hot chocolate. The hot chocolate coupon also gets you $1 off your parking.
• Plan to spend a few hours at the Gaylord Palms after the exhibit. There’s much more to enjoy. Walk through the atriums to view the thousands of poinsettias and other Christmas decorations. And stop at the Emerald Plaza stage to watch one of the free holiday stage shows that are performed several times a day.
• There is a gift shop outside of ICE! with many souvenir items, as well as lots of Christmas gift items to browse through. (I found a couple of unique Christmas ornaments for gifts.) I always like to know this in advance so that I can talk to my daughter about whether we will/won’t be buying a souvenir before we get to the gift shop. Consider yourself informed!

Depending on the day you go, ICE! costs $22-$26 for adults and $10-$13 for children. There are discounts for seniors, and you will save money if you buy your tickets in advance online.

Disclosure statement: My family’s tickets to ICE! were provided by the Gaylord Palms.