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For decades, Walt Disney World guests have dreamed of spending the night in Cinderella Castle -- a night when, as the clock strikes 12, the magic doesn't end. And during "The Year of a Million Dreams," a 15-month celebration, the dream will finally come true for lucky guests following a magical transformation within the Magic Kingdom landmark.
Unused space originally envisioned as in-park accommodations for the Disney family is being transformed into Cinderella Castle Suite -- a place where lucky Walt Disney World guests will spend a dream-come-true night beginning in late January 2007.
Eligible guests will be selected as part of the unique Disney Dreams Giveaway, which began Oct. 1, 2006. For the castle stay, a Walt Disney World guest at a park or Downtown Disney will be selected randomly by early in the afternoon most days beginning in late January. The guest and up to five members of their party will 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 -- a parlor, bedroom and bathroom off of a private marble-floored lobby some four stories above the surrounding Magic Kingdom, replete with rich details befitting the 17th century fairytale and the French chateaus that inspired the design of Cinderella Castle:
Fluffy feather comforters beneath the regal canopy draping of two queen beds ... A cut-stone bedroom floor inspired by the mosaic art masterpiece that adorns the castle's breezeway entrance to Fantasyland ... A bedroom ceiling that twinkles with stars and fills wondering eyes with illusions of pixie dust ... A magical fireplace capable of treating guests to a private fireworks show ... A parlor sofa that invites kicking off the shoes and curling up to read a chapter beneath a vaulted ceiling ... Rich, wood-paneled walls, stained-glass windows, and glimpses of the familiar gray castle stone.
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 has 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 is emerging 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 is leading 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 lobby of the suite, guests will discover a design of the fairytale pumpkin coach in the marble floor inlay. A memorable artifact from the story -- perhaps the famous glass slipper -- will adorn 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 sculpted pieces, clocks and porcelain all 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. The elevator, the bathroom and everything in between are wheelchair accessible. As for a 17th-century-style painting above the fireplace: it frames 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.
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