Carrie held Dan’s hand and tried to stay calm. Married almost two years, they’d been eager to start a family, and now she was finally pregnant. Dan was over the moon when she told him. He insisted on accompanying her to her ultrasound appointments. As the technician readied the equipment for the exam, Carrie thought back to her first date with Dan at ICON Park Orlando.
Just out of school, his budget was tight — but Dan knew the parking was free at ICON Park and there was no admission fee, so he’d get a little more bang for his buck than at some other places in town. He and Carrie took a leisurely stroll, soaking up the sights and sounds on The Promenade and beyond. They were having such a good time Dan thought they might have covered the entire 20 acres before they were through.
Along the way, they stopped for a bite at Sloppy Joe’s Orlando. Carrie made a toast to Ernest Hemingway and his six-toed cats (The author frequented the joint’s original location in Key West, Florida). By the time they left Madame Tussauds — where they’d laughed themselves silly conducting mock interviews with their favorite celebrities’ wax counterparts — they were both a little bit in love.
One year later, Dan and Carrie returned to the park. Carrie didn’t know it, but Dan had booked a romantic date-night ride for two in one of The Wheel at ICON Park’s private capsules. As they crested the top of the arc soaring high above the city, Dan pulled out a ring and proposed. A moment later, The Wheel’s 64,000 LED lights erupted in a kaleidoscope of rainbow colors.
When Carrie said yes, it had been the happiest moment in her life … until now.
“There’s your baby,” the technician said. “Everything looks fine.”
Carrie and Dan were ecstatic, marveling at the tiny fingers and toes. “Should we tell our families it’s a …” Carrie started to ask but Dan shook his head.
“I’ve got a better idea,” he told her.
A few weeks later, Dan and Carrie gathered together at ICON Park with their families and closest friends. The air was filled with excitement and everyone was in a celebratory mood.
“I can’t believe you haven’t told me,” Carrie’s mom chided with mock severity. “I am the grandmother, after all.”
Carrie and Dan stood together, his arms wrapped around her waist, her head resting back against his shoulder. “You’ll know soon enough,” Carrie told her mom, pointing as The Wheel’s dancing lights came to life. “Just watch.”
Everyone on the lawn stood transfixed as the light show started up, the rioting colors shifting from blue to pink to everything in between and back again. The crowd laughed and joked as the anticipation built, but eventually, the turning lights began to decelerate, a slow tease of pink was followed by a flash of blue, then back to pink again, then blue, until the final triumphant burst of color revealed …
“It’s a girl!” Carrie’s mom shouted with delight. “It’s a girl!”
“We’re having a granddaughter!” Dan’s father crowed, hugging Dan’s mom and dancing her in a circle.
Hand in hand, Dan and Carrie made their way to The Wheel at ICON Park, where they and their party were welcomed aboard for a celebratory ride. They smiled at the photographer as she captured the happy moment, knowing by the next morning, the posts of their magical ICON Park baby gender reveal would be flooded with social media “likes” and “loves.”
The Wheel rolled skyward, lifting Dan and Carrie up in heady wonder. At the pinnacle of the flight, they kissed. “I guess our love really has come full circle,” Carrie said, smiling.
“Don’t look now,” Dan answered, laying a gentle palm across Carrie’s baby bump, “but I think it might just be going round again.”
“I think we can handle it,” Carrie said, her heart fuller than it had ever been before.
“I know we can,” Dan answered. “I know we can.”
Throw Your Best Party Ever at ICON Park Orlando
Conveniently located at the heart of the bustling Orlando Entertainment District, ICON Park is the perfect venue to host everything from the announcement of a happy arrival to a stylish corporate soiree to a no-holds-barred children’s birthday bonanza the likes of which your kiddo will never forget. Whether the focus of your celebration starts at The Wheel, The Carousel on the Promenade, The Sky Bar, or the In The Game Arcade, ICON Park has a surefire setting to make any bash you throw truly memorable. You can even book out your favorite restaurant or venue — and we mean the entire joint — and hold the festivities there!
