I’m here with my family for a media introduction to the exhibit. I’ve been trying to describe to my three-year-old exactly what we’re going to see because, while he’s seen the movie, he’s not as familiar with Alex the lion as he is with some of the other DreamWorks characters.
It doesn’t take much to jog his memory. Soon, he’s wide-eyed with awe at the sight of the characters. I try to get him to pose by the larger than life ice Santa but he’s too busy staring up at him to look at me and smile.
We weave our way through to the star attraction – the giant slide! It’s a multi-lane slide made of – you guessed it – ice. My husband takes our son for what I’m sure is going to be many trips down the slide. He reports back that our blue coats have a dual purpose – the smooth material adds a little speed to the ride down while denim slows the trip.
After two goes at the slide, we move on. While I want to enjoy ICE!, I’m getting anxious about how my four-month-old is faring in this cold. She’s tucked snuggly in her stroller with one of the big blue parkas draped over her like a tent, keeping her warm. And even though I checked ahead of time to make sure ICE! was stroller and little people friendly, I’m still nervous.
(Side note: she was fine under the coat and ICE! is indeed stroller-friendly. I was expecting a baby-sized parka to put her in, though, based on the online information. Even my son had to wear an oversized coat because the 4T parka didn’t fit over his winter jacket.)
Quicker than expected, we reach the end to see a beautiful ice nativity scene. We exit to more fun things to do – ice skating, a train, DreamWorks characters to meet and greet, and a shop where we can pick up the family photo we posed for prior to entering ICE!
After saying hi to Alex, Shrek and Po, and a ride on the train, we decide to leave, much to the chagrin of our toddler. He pitches a fit all the way back to the car, crying for Alex at the top of his lungs. We forgo the family photo and I make a mental note to wait until the kids are older before we visit ICE! again.
ICE! featuring DreamWorks’ Merry Madagascar is part of the fourth annual Christmas on the Potomac celebration at Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor happening now through January 8, 2012. ICE! is open daily with varying hours. Tickets range from $20-35 depending on age and peak days; children ages 3 and under are free. Discounts for military, seniors and groups of 20 or more are available. For more information, visit www.christmasonthepotomac.com or call 301-965-4000.
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