Red alert 🦌🧊

My Christmas playlist is thawing. I couldn’t help listening to songs while traveling to and from a holiday event.

Hello, friends. It’s Haley.

We are less than a month away from the debut of ICE! featuring Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at Gaylord Palms Resort.

After attending the welcome ceremony for the 40 master carvers, I toured the frigid showroom to see the ICE! in progress.

You might recall that last year’s theme was “Elf.” That movie has numerous nods to the beloved Rudolph TV special, including North Pole elves’ wardrobes and Leon the Snowman, who resembles Sam the Snowman.

When I asked a Gaylord Palms spokesperson if “Elf” was hinting at Rudolph, I was told that wasn’t the case, but it’s still fun to think about.

Universal

Are you ready, kids? 🍍

Putting a Universal theme park at practically the halfway point between Orlando and Hollywood seems like a wise decision.

Universal’s theme park footprint will grow next year with a new location in Texas. This week, we learned all the lands that will make up Universal Kids Resort.

Looking at the map rendering this time around made me realize how this resort is much like Epic Universe in the sense that its hotel has a theme park as an amenity.

Wicked new look 🧹

With the “Wicked” sequel just weeks away from opening in theaters, it’s no surprise that Universal Orlando is going to revive Wicked: The Experience.

The immersive retail store inside Universal Studios will have props, scenes, and merchandise inspired by “Wicked: For Good.”

SeaWorld Orlando

See a sawfish 🪚

Born at SeaWorld Orlando in 2023, Axel is one of the rarest fish babies around—giving guests a front-row seat to a conservation success.

With his debut, Axel is helping scientists, while also charming visitors who might otherwise never see one of these toothy wonders in the wild.

Aquatica

A glowing water park

A nighttime outing at a Central Florida water park has become a hot ticket; now, Aquatica is introducing a new kind of nighttime experience.

Illuminate: A Nighttime Lantern Festival will transform the water park into a glowing wonderland.

Keep in mind, pools and water slides won’t be operating for this event. That’s so guests can get the full immersive effect.

Showcase of Citrus

New rodents🍊

When you ask the public for name suggestions for an animal, the comments will cometh.

The Showcase of Citrus, which is one of my favorite Central Florida attractions, by the way, announced the birth of capybaras and posted on its social media, they’d like name suggestions.

Capybaras are growing in popularity, from meet-and-greet at Gatorland, to The Capybara Cafe in St. Augustine.

Walt Disney World

Pardon the pixie dust 👷

A lot of projects are in the works at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, so I figure a photo roundup is due:

• “The Magic of Disney Animation”

• Monstropolis

• Snack Kiosk at Toy Story Land

But wait, there’s more! Or should I say a bonus?

A friend was on holiday in Disneyland Paris this week and she sent me a photo of the construction walls outside World of Frozen, which is set to open next spring.

All attraction photos are wanted for our PinIt! page. There’s an “In The Loop” channel.

As always, keep me in the loop through my email or reach out to me on X or Instagram.

- Haley