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Hot off the heels of a record breaking year for Dark Harbor, The Queen Mary’s full holiday event season continues as the coolest winter wonderland in Southern California, CHILL, prepares to open on November 21. New in 2014, all CHILL guests can enjoy unlimited access to The Ice Kingdom, ice tubing, ice skating with skate rentals and a visit on the Queen Mary ship with the purchase of general admission tickets.
This season The Ice Kingdom at CHILL will showcase holidays in the Golden State with the magic of a California Christmas theme meticulously hand sculpted by a team of international artists, and made entirely out of 2 million pounds of ice. The California Christmas theme begins with a traditional poinsettia entrance lined with toy soldiers standing over seven-feet tall. Next comes the candy cane forest with ten-foot candy canes that unveil a surfing Santa shredding through twenty-foot tall waves. Guests can gaze at the giant ice Christmas tree with tons of gifts for boys and girls and Jolly Old St. Nicholas on the rooftops with his team of reindeer. Venture onto the ice replica of the Queen Mary ship with four new lanes of ice slides for all to enjoy. A nativity scene, forest of penguins and the fairytale kingdom with the almighty ice queen round out the California Christmas theme in The Ice Kingdom.
The Ice Kingdom is kept at a chilling 9-degrees Fahrenheit to preserve the glistening ice sculptures. Public parkas are available, and guests are encouraged to bring their own jackets, hats and gloves to stay warm while inside the giant igloolike exhibit.
The Glacier Glide at CHILL offers guests unlimited ice tubing down six-lanes made entirely out of ice that stand more than two stories tall and 100-feet long. Guests can enjoy a perfect Southern California evening on a yuletide glide on the CHILL Ice Rink presented by the Port of Long Beach. The world-class 6,500 square foot outdoor ice skating rink gives skaters an awe inspiring view of the majestic Queen Mary, complete with twinkling lights installed just for the holidays, on her world famous stacks. This year ice skate rentals are included with each ticket or guests are welcome to bring their own skates.
CHILL also invites visitors to explore the festive holiday village complete with a gingerbread house, holiday carolers, the decoration adorned Candy Lane and a visit with Santa Claus. CHILL features live festive entertainment, food and beverages nightly.
A holiday experience like no other, CHILL tickets start at $39.99 for adults and $29.99 for kids (ages 4-11). Tickets include entrance to The Ice Kingdom, ice skating and skate rental, ice tubing and access to the Queen Mary ship. Lodging packages are also available. CHILL will be open Nov. 21-30, Dec. 2-7, Dec. 9-Jan. 4 and Jan. 8-11. CHILL sponsors include The Port of Long Beach, Hawaiian Host, YP, Coca-Cola, Heineken and Finlandia. For more information, including hours or to purchase tickets online, visit http://www.queenmary.com/events/chill/.
