Dreams Do Come True – A Night in the Castle – Part 5

All Ears reader Kim Howe had the “dream of a lifetime” in December, when the Walt Disney World Dream Team awarded her a night’s stay in Cinderella’s Castle.

Part 1 – Steppin Off Soarin’

Part 2 – Who Will Join Me?

Part 3 – Logistics, Epcot, Dream Squads, and MouseFest, oh my!

Part 4 – Grand Marshalls in the Magic Kingdom Parade

This is part 5 – The Cinderella Castle Suite


Our next destination was THE castle.
We walked through Tomorrowland past Cosmic Rays and up the side path. Marge took a picture of us from the back with the castle in it and I really like it. To me, we look like a bunch of anxious children. I still had on my Mickey ears. Inside the back of the castle David asked us to wait for him. We walked into the new Bibbity Bobbity Boutique shop and it smelled heavily of hair spray. David came back and escorted us behind a curtain that was erected so guests would not walk through the castle. CM Alexis met us at “our” door. She was also wearing the Magic Kingdom Guest Services costume.

The door opened up to a small reception area with a desk, phone, and large flower arrangement on it. The walls were stone block (looking, but not really stone). There were tapestries hanging high up on the walls and the ceiling was very high. There was a fake grandfather clock that never quite strikes twelve and a mirror with a large gold frame.

David presented each “family” with a certificate in a nice folder which he’d been carrying around with him since he met us at the Suburban. They read:

Walt Disney World
Where dreams come true
Across the miles and over the years, you’ll always remember this.

Certificable Magic Moment form the Walt Disney World Resort.

The Howe Family
Castle Suite Guests-December 8, 2007 Your Pal Mickey Mouse
& the Walt Disney World Dream Squad

The “Your Pal Mickey Mouse” was not typed but signed in Mickey’s handwriting. I didn’t actually read it thoroughly until I typed it just now. What a nice keepsake. Lisa got one, Paula and Dylan got one and Marge and Paul got one each with their “family” names on them.

We said goodbye to David and Alexis escorted us into the elevator. It was decorated with wood in a warm tone and mirrors. It was quite beautiful. When we reached the third floor and the door opened we saw a beautiful vestibule. On the floor was a tile mosaic of Cinderella’s coach.

On the ceiling was a beautiful glass chandelier. The walls were the same warm wood with framed original artwork from the Cinderella movie. There also was a lighted display case built into the wall with her glass slipper on the top shelf, crown and wand in the middle and three glass pumpkins on the bottom shelf.

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There were also two doors. One was built to be inconspicuous while the other was quite nice with large key for the pull to open it.

Alexis had given us all our suite keys. Mine came in an envelope with the Cinderella Castle Suite logo on it plus my name and date just like any other resort room key except this one said: CINDERELLA CASTLE Suite with the suite logo. It was the master key and until I activated it in the door, the others would not work. I slipped it in the door, Marge took my picture, of course, and I pushed the heavy solid wood door open.

We all started checking out the suite and taking pictures. Alexis got our attention, before we got too out of control, to give us the safety instructions and showed us were the two fire exits were. The fire exits were a door between the entrance and the bathroom doors. The two stained glass windows in the main sleeping area were also fire exits. She told us not to open them because an alarm would sound. She also explained how to control the light switch on the wall and what the remote worked.

To tell you the truth, I was only half listening and so were the others because then it came time to use the remote, nobody seemed to remember. Too funny! We were all awe struck at the beauty of the suite, especially the bathroom.

Let me give a shot at describing the suite. It is just so beautiful that words just cannot begin to do it justice. When you open the door and walk in from the vestibule, you are in the main sleeping area. There is also a sitting area and the bathroom off this main room.

The main room is the largest and holds two queen sized beds; a fire place, desk and chair, two chairs and a set of stacked TV tables with a fresh bowl of fruit, purple cloth napkins and silverware; a small stand with an ice bucket and six blue long stemmed glasses.

Cinderella's Castle Suite

The beds were covered with blue and gold bedspreads that were very rich looking. Above the heads of the beds were wooden valance type things that heavy draperies hung from. At the ends of each bed were elaborately carved trunks that had two drawers in them, instead of opening from the top. Inside the drawers were extra pillows and super, super soft maroon colored robes with a “C” embroidered on them.

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Then there were the two stained glass windows (fire escape) to the left of the beds on the outside wall. The floor was colorful large tiles that sparkled, especially at night. The walls were stone, wood or mirrors.

There was the fireplace with fireplace tools and ash bucket. The fireplace glowed and sparks twinkled and also made crackling noises as if it were really burning. The picture of the mantle was of Cinderella. The remote changed the picture to a mirror or to a TV.

Cinderella's Castle Suite

There was an arrangement of fresh flowers on the mantle. I think I counted six fresh flower arrangements throughout the suite. Two of the walls were mirrored which helped make the room look bigger than it was.

The sitting room had two walls with stained glass windows, each picturing something from Cinderella, i.e. castle, slipper, mice with key, slipper, ball invitation. There were heavy draperies that could be closed to cover them and they were pulled back with large gold cording and tassels. The third wall was wood and mirrors which hid two closets and the refrigerator stocked with water, soda and juice. One of the mirrors turned into a TV. The fourth wall was the large doorway that had draperies to pull closed for privacy. The sofa was a burgundy and gold color accented with wood trip and opened to a bed.

Cinderella's Castle Suite

Behind the sofa was a deep shelf with many things on it. I remember opening a long box. First of all, I was surprised that it was not locked shut and second, that it held a brass telescope that I took out and looked through. There were also classic story books which could also be removed to read. There was also another fresh flower arrangement with the main flower being orange tiger lilies.

On the floor was a round area rug, thick and plush in an oriental design of burgundy and blue. On a stand next to the sofa was a decorative globe and a fancy box which, when opened, held drink coasters with needlepoint roses on them. All the accent pieces were very classy and better (and not bolted down) than you would find in a hotel room. All the furniture throughout the suite looked like or was an antique – like you would expect a castle to have. It reminded me of how you find bed and breakfasts decorated like someone’s home. Well, then again, this IS Cinderella’s Castle, isn’t it?

The bathroom brought the most WOWs. The sinks were copper basins raised up off the granite counter. The mirrors in front of each one were set in the wall deep enough to hold a box of tissues, SPA toiletries and small arrangement of fresh rose buds. There was a stained glass window between the sink area and the shower. From the shower side it was set in the wall to create a shelf which held the SPA shower gel, shampoo and conditioner.

Cinderella's Castle Suite

The shower stall itself was off white and gold tiles arranged in swirls. The same tiles and patters was also on the bathroom floor. The water pipes in the shower were exposed and were copper as well. The waterfall shower head was high enough for tall people like me and provided an abundance of water. There was a heavy plastic shower curtain and also a cloth one that was pulled back on each side of the shower door. Between the shower and the room with the toilet, was a vanity with a large mirror behind it. It had a nice stood with a tapestry seat. There was a huge fresh flower arrangement on it with a make-up mirror.

The “throne” room was large and had a wooden pocket door. The toilet itself was square and above it was a smaller version of the “things” that were also above the beds with draperies too. There was also a three tiered stand in the corner.

The tub was a whirlpool tub but wasn’t all that big. Only one adult would have been comfortable in it. It was surrounded by three tile mosaic scenes from Cinderella and the ceiling was a deep blue with little white lights to resemble the night sky with twinkling stars. The control panel turned on/off colored lights and jets in the tub and also lit the mosaics and stars in the ceiling.

Cinderella's Castle Suite

There were super, super soft large white bath towels, hand towels and wash clothes for six people. The bath towels had a burgundy “C” embroidered on them.

The fresh fruit didn’t last long, by the time I was done taking pictures and went to get a piece there were only two bananas and oranges left with a few grapes. I ate the grapes and was grateful for it as were the others.

It was close to 5 p.m. and we were all hungry. Matt was coming back to get us to watch the 5:45 p.m. castle lighting show called “Cinderella’s Holiday Wish”.

To Be Continued….

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