This may end up being the most difficult daily theme to post about each week, as there are so many topics to choose from. This week, I’ve chosen to write about…

The Cinderella Castle Suite in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World

The suite was created as a mega-prize for Disney’s Year of a Million Dreams promotion. Someone would be randomly chosen at Walt Disney World to spend a night inside Cinderella Castle. Unfortunately, I was never chosen. Nearing the end of the promotion, Disney decided to host a day of 15-minute tours of the Cinderella Castle Suite for annual passholders. Spots filled up quickly, but I was able to nab one and was very excited to finally be able to walk around inside.

Search Google Images and you’ll find a ton of similar pictures taken from inside the Cinderella Castle Suite. Instead of reposting more shots of their luxurious bathtub or comfortable bedding, I thought I’d share a few photos I took that I hadn’t seen elsewhere.

Upon stepping foot into the suite, I was shocked at how small it is. I knew it was just 650 square feet, but that didn’t register until I was actually inside. The wide-angle lens photos I had previously seen online made it seem so much more spacious.

When I arrived back home, I searched for a floor plan of the suite and couldn’t find one, so I decided to make my own. It’s not perfectly to scale, and I’m sure I’ve made a few small mistakes in the exact placement of the doorways, but I think it does the trick for giving you a basic idea of how everything is laid out:

As you can see, the floor plan is pretty basic. The foyer/entry way contains a couple of glass cases with decorative items including Cinderella’s glass slipper. That area isn’t really part of the suite, but rather serves as a landing area when getting off of the elevator (which holds up to 10 people, by the way).

On with the photos:

You access the suite via an unmarked brown door on the right side as you walk through Cinderella Castle. As soon as you step through that door, you’re standing in a concierge area where one of Disney’s cast members sits at a desk (pictured here) all night in case you need anything while you’re staying inside the suite. Since the Magic Kingdom is full of activity throughout the night, they can’t have you just aimlessly wandering around, getting in the way of maintenance and cleaning crews, so all requests go through this butler of sorts.

One item that caught my eye inside the suite was this desk area, labeled “DESK” in the floor plan above. There are various pieces of Cinderella artwork inside the glass case, but what I was most tempted to swipe (but didn’t) was the special stationary I spotted on the desk. I have an ever-growing collection of hotel stationary and pens and I would love to add this set to it some day:

Finally, the one view of the Cinderella Castle Suite I could never seem a good photo of online is the view out of the windows. There aren’t many windows in the suite and those that exist are stained, frosted, or otherwise obscured. Fortunately, I was able to take a few halfway-decent (though quite cloudy) shots looking outward from within the suite:

Three of the six windows in the sitting/entertainment room which tell the story of Cinderella.

 

Overlooking Fantasyland.

Overlooking Liberty Square.
 

Splash Mountain, in the distance.
 

After wandering through the Cinderella Castle Suite for a while, I found myself wanting to spend a whole lot more time in there, without 10-12 other people that I didn’t know. There are details lining every wall and I’d likely spend the entire night taking them all in. Fortunately, Disney has announced that 2009 would be filled with more contest opportunities to win a night’s stay inside and I’ll certainly be entering whenever I can.

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