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Cinderella Castle Suite
For decades, Walt Disney World guests have dreamed of
spending the night in Cinderella Castle -- a night when, as the clock
strikes midnight, the magic doesn't end. The dream finally comes true for
lucky guests during "The Year of a Million Dreams" celebration in 2007.
Unused space within the Magic Kingdom landmark originally envisioned as
in-park accommodations for the Disney family has been magically transformed
into Cinderella Castle Suite -- a place where lucky Walt Disney World guests
can spend a dream-come-true night amid surroundings that hark back to the
17th century fairytale and the French chateaus that inspired the design of
Cinderella Castle.
Eligible Walt Disney World guests will be selected randomly at a park or
Downtown Disney by early afternoon most days now through the end of 2007 as
part of the unique Disney Dreams Giveaway. (Because the Castle stay requires
same-day use, mail-in winners will be awarded a prize of comparable value.)
The guest and up to five members of their party begin their dream-come-true
night that evening at Cinderella's Royal Table, the popular restaurant
located in Cinderella Castle. After the rest of the Magic Kingdom guests
have headed home, these lucky guests can keep the castle lights burning
brightly well into the night, wrapping themselves in the cozy comforts of
their dream suite some four stories above the surrounding Magic Kingdom -- a
salon, bedchamber and bathroom off of a private marble-floored foyer, all
replete with rich details:
Fluffy feather comforters beneath the regal canopy draping of two queen beds
... A cut-stone bedchamber floor inspired by the mosaic art masterpiece that
adorns the castle's breezeway entrance to Fantasyland ... A parlor sofa that
invites kicking off the shoes and curling up to read a chapter beneath the
richly detailed vaulted ceiling of the salon ... Familiar castle-gray stone
walls, rich hardwood paneling and ornate stained-glass windows.
While the idea of having living quarters inside Cinderella Castle dates to
the time when Walt Disney World Resort was being planned, until now the
space had been a backstage area -- essentially a blank canvas for a creative
team from Walt Disney Imagineering. In the fashion of a Disney attraction,
Cinderella Castle Suite emerged regally from their meticulous research and
design skills.
"The architecture of the castle, the Cinderella story and the suite are all
interwoven," said Stephen Silvestri, the Walt Disney Imagineering show
producer/director who led a team of designers and craftsmen in the dream
makeover. "We want our guests to feel as though they are inside our castle
but also immersed within the fantasy realm of the Cinderella story."
In the foyer of the suite, guests will discover a design of the fairytale
pumpkin coach in the marble floor inlay. A memorable artifact from the
story, the famous glass slipper, adorns a cove. And through the doorway, the
bedchamber and salon are appointed with furnishings in the style of the era
of "the Louies," as Silvestri refers to the French rulers of the period
inspiring the castle and Cinderella story. Nooks showcase clocks, porcelain
and accessories befitting the period. Doors are richly detailed; the walls
are covered with wood panels and wall coverings. In the bathroom,
hand-decorated copper basins sit atop the vanity, recalling a time when
fresh water was carried to the bedchamber.
Despite all the careful attention to centuries-old details, the amenities of
the Cinderella Castle Suite are definitely 21st century. There's a lavish
garden tub plus a shower. There are also wheelchair accessible bathroom and
bedroom facilities and elevator access to the suite. As for an ornately
framed, 17th-century-style portrait of Cinderella above a regal fireplace in
the bedchamber: it magically changes into a modern, 21st-century flat-screen
television.
"We want to balance the practical realities within the fantasy place to make
the experience truly a dream-come-true for our guests," Silvestri said.
Cinderella Castle Suite Tour
A Day (and a Night) in the Life
of the Suite
Each morning, a magical time and place is randomly selected from anywhere on
Walt Disney World property to find a winner of a night in the Cinderella
Castle Suite.
A Disney Dream Squad of cast members is advised of the selection, heads to
the location and identifies the winning guest from the selection criteria.
The Disney Dream Squad informs the guest of their prize, explains the
details of the prize and asks if they want to accept it.
If they accept, after a short verification process, the fanfare begins. (If
the guest does not accept the prize, the computer randomly selects another
lucky guest. The computer will select up to three guests each day.)
The winner and up to five guests head back to their hotel to pack an
overnight bag. Then it's on to their day of royalty.
First event is a photo session on Main Street, U.S.A. in Magic Kingdom. They
are proclaimed royalty for the day and led down Main Street to their suite.
The Royal Concierge checks them into the suite and gives them a formal tour,
regaling them with the history and spectacle of the suite's royal heritage.
After a bit of free time to explore their imperial quarters, the winning
family is awarded one of the highest honors bestowed on guests of Magic
Kingdom as they become Grand Marshals of the "Disney Dreams Come True"
parade.
Following more luxurious relaxation time in the suite, the winner's magical
evening begins with dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table, a feast fit for a
monarch, with a meet-and-greet with Cinderella.
Dinner is capped with VIP viewing of the "SpectroMagic" nighttime
parade and "Wishes" fireworks spectacular.
For up to two hours after the scheduled close of the park, the family will
have access to Magic Kingdom with a VIP Guest Relations cast member. This
will allow them to enjoy the atmosphere of the park before they retire for
the evening. Suggested after-hours tours will be available which include
modified versions of "Art of the Theme Show" and "Keys to the Kingdom,"
which are tours that explore the history and creativity behind Magic
Kingdom. This special "after hours" opportunity gives these guests an
amazing opportunity to see Magic Kingdom in a way that few guests have
experienced.
Then it's back to the suite for a night of "suite dreams." At the suite,
they discover their beds turned down with royal sweets, and their room
stocked with a variety of snacks and drinks. (The Royal Concierge is just a
stone's throw away should the family require anything during the night.)
After a glorious night's sleep in the royal chamber, the winning family is
awakened by a personalized wake-up call from Cinderella.
Then, as with every fairytale, the clock strikes and the family returns to
their magical vacation, checking out of the Cinderella Castle Suite, which
is then readied for the next day's royal visitors.
Cinderella Castle Suite Tour
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