Ice Castles — Attraction in Four Corners States

I would have liked to have said this was a great experience but it was HORRIBLE!!! I took my brother here yesterday 1/15/24 and I believe it was the first day they opened. I didn’t expect it to be so pricey for 1 adult 1 child it was $74.84 for a place that wasn’t even finished!! On top of that they have employees(kids) with nasty attitudes and who DON’T know how to manage a simple line. My brother and I ordered hot coco and a few other items from one of the stands and the kid who took our order was getting very snappy. I don’t even understand why they were using 1 window to order and pick up at when it had 2 windows… that was part of the problem. The 2 groups of people who ordered before me got their drinks and then we received ours… I was still waiting around for a small chili and then kid who took my order comes out from the door and see me with my drink in my hand and starts yelling at me saying those weren’t mine and that the other ones on the counter were mine. I told him no they were not they are the lady behind me. She ordered plan coco and that’s exactly what it said on the label… when I tried giving it to her he yelled again saying those are mine and they are not hers. I told her I have mine and that these are hers look at the label. He continues to argue insisting that he was right. The lady just tells the kid she’ll wait because he wasn’t allowing me to hand her, HER drinks. Another workers pops out from the door and I said I’m still waiting on the chili. She gets it but when the door opens it’s the kid again and he starts saying I didn’t order it. At that point I was freezing and extremely angry with the whole situation and told him forget about it and I left. We get inside and we see quite a few sections roped off… this experience was not worth the $74.84. I just wanted to take my little brother somewhere cool before he went back to Texas. Oh another thing is that they will have you wait in line to step up. Once you’re at the front they will ask if you purchased a ticket online if so to go ahead but if not to step aside. I don’t know why they don’t ask people throughout the line or when they first enter to purchase the ticket online before reaching the front…. Very...

We decided to go on opening weekend which may have been a mistake due to how busy it was. I appreciated that even though some of our party was late and we were not walking in at our scheduled time, they still allowed us in. I was expecting them to regulate though, how long parties were there but it kind of seemed like a free for all once we got in. They recommended the sleigh ride first which we could have done without. The horses and handler were great, however we were put onto a carriage of sorts with quite a few different people and it wasn't very fun for adults. It was also an upcharge we paid for and I don't think we would do this again if we went back. We decided to get hot chocolate and coffee before going into the ice castles after we did the sleigh ride and we waited in line as well as for our drinks/food for a total of about 30-40 minutes. Once we got into the ice castles, it was very pretty, however it was so crowded. It was hard to get pictures of anything let alone of your group. A few of the photo op sections had very long lines and there were no employees throughout the ice castles whether to help with photos, control traffic, etc. The only employees in the ice castles were the ones at the slides. While we didn't have children in our group, I don't think I would take my children here. Even trying to stay with out group was difficult with the amount of people and how dark it was. My husband and I were getting separated from our group the whole night. I think overall, we will probably not be coming back. I feel after you see it once, there isn't much else to see and for how much we spent, ($100 total for my husband and I for the ice castles and the sleight ride) it...

Went on a Friday- 4:30-5:00 arrival time slot; 2nd to last week before closing.

Pros: Beautiful- makes great backdrop for photos Fun- Kids have a blast exploring and going down the slides. Unique- haven't ever seen anything like it.

Cons: Busy/Crowded There will always be that one rude/oblivious person who walks right in front of everyone else trying to record their child going down the slide; ruining the video. It's definitely pricey (a little cheaper Mon-Thurs). Worth the money? I'll leave that up to you.

Note: Only 2 slides. 1 small and 1 a little larger. Other people said that the "larger" one wasn't as big as previous years. The "larger" had a longer line (15 min wait vs a few minutes) and you go down on plastic mats. No lap riders on the "larger" one.

Tips: Wear waterproof everything- snow pants, snow boots, snow jacket & snow gloves. The ground is ankle deep icy slush. NOT stroller or wheelchair friendly. If you have a young baby like we do, wear them. Much easier. We saw some parents pulling kids in small sleds- seemed relatively more difficult but still another option. The lights come on after when it starts to get dark. If you have young kids and want to see the lights, choose a slot later than 4:30-5:00. Our kids didn't make it. If you're traveling from further away like us, eat snacks and such along the car ride. No food or drinks inside. Use bathrooms somewhere else or beforehand. They had only porta-potties at the entrance. Your 30 min booking slot is your arrival window. You can stay at the castles as long as you want, but they don't allow re-entry. If you have to use the restroom while there, tell an employee so they can let...