Frozen Ice Palace at the Short Hills Mall in NJ
Lately the cold weather has left G and I feeling a bit Frozen, and being couped up in the house has left us looking for a way to get out and just “Let It Go”… so off we went to the Frozen Ice Palace at the Short Hills Mall in New Jersey!
In case you haven’t heard, the new Frozen Sing Along Edition DVD is now on sale and in honor of it’s debut, the Mall at Short Hills has opened it’s doors to a beautiful, interactive Frozen themed Ice Palace (open from 11/6-12/24). What better way to warm up to the holiday season?!
I don’t know about you but “Let It Go” has become somewhat of a mantra for me since I’ve gone back to work after maternity leave and G just loves Elsa, “H”anna and “Laf” (What kid doesn’t?) so the interactive palace was a perfect little getaway for a rainy Monday afternoon.
Although there were several families there, there was only a small line that moved quickly. I think we got lucky because from what I have read, the Ice Palace has been a popular holiday stop. I can imagine the weekends will bring large crowds, especially as we get deeper into the holiday season.
When we entered, we were greeted by decorative snow globes showcasing Olaf, Elsa, Anna, and friends. G’s eyes were wide with wonder as she exclaimed, “Woh!” and “How Pretty!” She loved the spinning Olaf snow globe and enjoyed the music and movie playing on the screen below the globe. There was also a large background picture where kids can compare their heights to the height of Sven and Olaf.
We spent about 15 minutes or so in the front area roaming around, then moved on to the Ice Throne for a picture. I snapped this picture while the pros were taking a break. As you can see, G is not impressed by “sitting” and mommy telling her to say cheese for the 100th time. I love this face she is making. I can almost hear her inner teenager saying, “Moooooooommmmm, you’re embarrassing me!” When the pros came back to the Ice Throne, they took a few other pictures, that we had the option to purchase with one of the photo packages at the exit to the palace. Photo packages started at $22 (2-4×6 prints and free $10 Shutterfly gift card) and went up from there. The photographers were patient and I loved watching the other kids hugging the stuffed Olaf snowmen with their big holiday grins.
Then we were on to the best part-the Ice Palace! It was a 30 foot tall, small, circular room with large TV screens playing the beloved Frozen movie and soundtrack. Light falling snow was trickling down from the ceiling, bright lit snowflake lights were projecting and rotating on the floor, and kids were spinning, dancing, and singing to the music with reckless abandon! What a magical, happy place!
G enjoyed picking up the snow and tossing it in the air while other kids were down on the ground making snow angels. Some kids even came in dressed as Elsa and Anna-a perfect place to play pretend. This place was a Frozen lover’s dream come true!
We brought our magical visit to the Ice Palace to a close with a visit to Santa. G has been talking about Santa since the holiday magazines started arriving. Last year, she was afraid and only sat long enough on his lap for us to snap a quick, I’m-about-to-melt-down-in-3-2-1 picture of her with Santa. This year I was more hopeful, especially since she strung together the words Santa, lap, and cheeeese in reference to our visit…
Don’t let this photo fool you! She screamed her head off! Getting a picture with her and Santa alone was not going to be a 2014 Christmas miracle. Luckily, persuasive and kind Santa got her to hold Rudolph’s bells and gave her a complimentary Frozen Look-and-Find book to pacify her. John and I were then suckered into the picture. Turns out, despite G not looking, I’m the one that ended up looking like an Awkward Family Photo winner. I repeated my mantra- “Let It Go” and told John to break out his wallet. How could we pass up this lovely family memory!
What a great little way to start the 2014 holiday season. I hope it’s the first of many memorable holiday experiences and traditions. What do you have planned for the holiday season?
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