If you’re planning a visit to ICEBAR Orlando, be prepared, it may not be the “arctic adventure” you’re expecting. The $35 cover charge - should you choose to experience the “ice” portion of ICEBAR Orlando - affords you 45 minutes and a drink in what amounts to an over-sized walk-in freezer with stacks of ice blocks for walls. The hand-carved features add some character to the room, but only so much as to provide a place for a photograph with friends.

After reading the press release and seeing some pictures on the ICEBAR Orlando website, I was expecting much more when I attended the opening night press event. Their usage of the term “expedition” gave me the impression that there would be opportunities to “explore” once inside the ice bar. Instead, I found a space that’s no more than 10 steps from end-to-end. Compared to ICE! at Gaylord Palms, there’s nearly zero interactivity.

There may be a market for ICEBAR Orlando, especially as a special event location, but the price tag is way too high for what you get in return on most nights. In comparison, $35 could buy you dinner and a movie for two at the Enzian, a ticket to “The Glass Menagerie” at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater or a weekday ticket to Halloween Horror Nights^*.

If you’re interested in seeing ICEBAR Orlando for yourself, Orlando Attractions Magazine posted an excellent review that includes pictures and video that beautifully capture the interior of ICEBAR and some of its most “interesting” features.

You can also read more on the ICEBAR Orlando website, or in one of many articles available on the web, including one posted today on CNN.com.

^* Florida resident price

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