Orlando’s only real outdoor ice skating rink is open for business at SeaWorld

Gabrielle Russon

Kyle Smith knows something about ice.

SeaWorld Orlando’s ice rink won’t melt, he assures a reporter on an unseasonably warm mid-November day. And he worries more about the wind, anyway, than the heat.

“To be honest with you, the way that we figured out the special sauce, it’s really not that challenging,” said Smith, manager of SeaWorld’s creative show operations. “It’s pretty amazing what we can accomplish here. …  It is the only outdoor ice rink that’s real ice in all of Central Florida.”

Earlier, a Zamboni smoothed the surface for the public to free skate. Then, as part of SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration, professional skaters wowed during the Winter Wonderland on Ice outdoor show at Bayside Stadium.

The professional skaters – who come from Canada, New York and even Central Florida – hail from Team USA or Team Canada, traveling for shows.

“We’re very fortunate to be able to have them,” Smith said.

Smith himself was a professional ice skater growing up.

After he graduated high school, he spent three years touring around the world with Disney on Ice. He played Prince Phillip from “Sleeping Beauty.”

The experience was a positive one, Smith said, and made him realize what he wanted to do with his life. He hung up his skates and went to college, majoring in entertainment management at the University of Central Florida.

“It was the most amazing thing that really honed in on my love for entertainment and what do I want to do with my life and career? And I found a love for the show business and creating and producing,” Smith said at the recent media event for the park’s holiday festivities. “And that’s what led me here today.”

SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration runs on select days through Jan. 5 and is included in regular park admission. The public can rent ice skates, with prices starting $15 per person, usually from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Christmas event days. Guests are encouraged to bring their own socks and gloves.

SeaWorld is decorated with more than 3 million lights and expanded decorations this year, including in Antarctica. The Christmas Celebration includes special entertainment, including a nighttime show, and festive foods and drinks.