Disney News Blog

Miles of Magic, Tons of Treats

Novebmer 17,2006

How many miles of garland are needed to decorate the entire Walt Disney World® Resort during the holidays? How much time does it take to create a life-size gingerbread house? We’ve asked the experts these questions, plus more!

Here are some of our holiday fun facts from the Walt Disney World Resort:

Disney’s Beach Club Resort features a detailed, life-sized gingerbread carousel in its lobby. It contains seven hidden Mickey’s – one for each year the resort creates this masterpiece.
The gingerbread carousel requires 100 pounds of icing, 50 pounds of dark chocolate and 100 pounds of confectioner’s sugar to make it.
The 16-foot gingerbread house at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa uses 600 pounds of sugar and 1,050 pounds of honey to create its decadent doorways, walls and roof.
Chefs spend 400 hours (almost 17 days) baking the gingerbread house and 160 hours (almost seven days) decorating it.
The Walt Disney World Resort is adorned in more than 11.3 miles of garland and 300,000 yards of ribbon.
There are 7 million lights hung throughout Walt Disney World Resort property.
The 45-foot tree at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa features 60,000 miniature LED lights.
There are more than 1,300 decorated trees located throughout the Walt Disney World Resort.
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort is decorated with a lobby tree, a 50-foot traditional style Christmas tree, which has an authentic African décor. The tree is decorated with handmade African baskets, reproductions of traditional African masks and authentic African fabrics.
The holiday tree located near the entrance to Once Upon A Toy at the Downtown Disney® Marketplace is decorated with a toy theme featuring items from the shop.
Disney’s Pop Century Resort features a 20-foot lobby tree decorated in nostalgic ornaments.
The largest holiday wreath is 25 feet in diameter, located on the Cirque du Soleil building at Downtown Disney® West Side.

Walt Disney World revealed more details about new attractions- Guests waiting in line for “Monster, Inc. Laugh Floor Comedy Club,” opening at the Magic Kingdom in January, can text –message jokes that may be incorporated into the show by the cast.

“ Finding Nemo – The Musical” soon to premier at the Animal Kingdom, will showcase live performers operating Michael Curry – designed puppets, similar to those he created for the Broadway show “ The Lion King.”

Magical Makeover Transforms Cinderella Castle For ‘Suite Dreams’ Begins Late January 2007

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- 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 guests will begin their dream-come-true night that evening at Cinderella's Royal Table, the popular restaurant located in Cinderella Castle. (Because the Castle stay requires same-day use, mail-in winners will be awarded a prize of comparable value.)

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 salon, bedchamber 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 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 a vaulted ceiling of the salon ... 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. There are also wheelchair accessible bathroom and bedroom facilities and elevator access to the suite. As for a 17th-century-style painting above a regal 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.

Beginning December 1, the Disneyland® Hotel at the Disneyland® Resort will boast one of the most unique, and certainly one of the most “Disney,” VIP lodging experiences in the world - the all-new Mickey Mouse Penthouse.

Designed for “Big Cheeses” of all ages, the penthouse offers spectacular views of the Disneyland® Park, Disney’s California Adventure® Park and the Downtown Disney® District via floor-to-ceiling windows in addition to a happy mixture of luxury, technology and whimsy featuring one-of-a-kind décor, artwork and magical touches that bring to life all the fun that Mickey represents.

An overnight stay in the over-the-top penthouse is one of the dream surprises awarded most days beginning December 1 to a Disneyland guest at a Theme Park or at the Downtown Disney District randomly selected by early in the afternoon .

Eligible guests will be selected randomly as part of the unique Disney Dreams Giveaway* promotion during The Year of a Million Dreams Celebration at the Disneyland Resort.

The swanky penthouse, featuring an interior design of bold “Mickey” colors of black, white, red and yellow, occupies an expansive 1600 square feet and includes an open living room, dining and kitchen area, 2.5 baths and two bedrooms. Classic Mickey Mouse imagery and three-dimensional artwork dominate the design scheme throughout the penthouse.

As guests enter, Mickey will magically appear inside a foyer Magic Mirror, personally welcoming them to his one-of-a-kind penthouse. Upon entering the living room guests will encounter very stylized contemporary décor featuring eclectic furnishings and motifs of Mickey with a primary color palette of red, black and yellow. Hardwood floors and colorful area rugs accent the living room while the formal dining area seats eight guests. A built-in media wall is the focal point of the living room and features multiple flat screen TVs and a state-of-the-art home theater system worthy of Mickey’s status as one of Hollywood’s brightest stars.

The master bedroom features a number of luxury amenities including a king size bed, lounge chairs, a “37 flat panel TV, a DVD player and is decorated with animation maquettes of Mickey Mouse in many of his most famous film roles. (Maquettes are three-dimensional models used by Disney animators to effectively render a character in two dimensions and are highly sought-after collectibles.) The master bath includes a steam shower, Jacuzzi tub and a double vanity with a built-in TV in the mirror.

The second bedroom has a more playful feel and is the perfect setting for little ones who wish to have the locale double as a playroom. The main “conversation piece” in the room is a vintage animator’s desk that will add to the Mickey Mouse and animation inspired storyline for the penthouse. The bedroom also features a stylized built-in armoire with a flat panel TV, DVD player and video games.

Consumers can can begin making reservations for the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot at Florida's Walt Disney World Resort as early as 7 a.m. on July 31. The 11th annual Epcot International Food and Wine Festival kicks off Sept. 29 for a six-week run, and will once again feature special events including the Party for the Senses, Food and Wine Pairings, wine schools and multi-course dinners with wine pairings and other ticketed events.

Also at the Walt Disney World Resort, Disney-MGM Studios is set to add characters from "Little Einsteins," a Disney Channel program. The show, geared for preschoolers, is an interactive program that encourages young viewers to develop a love of music, art and discovery. The "Little Einsteins" characters sign autographs and pose for photographs with guests on Mickey Avenue inside the showbiz-themed park.

The stars of Disney/Pixar's newest computer-animated feature film, "Cars," made their theme park debut recently. Two of the stars, Lighting McQueen and Mater, lead the theme park's "Disney Stars and Motor Cars" parade.

Other developments at Walt Disney World include the return of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex for their 2006 NFL training camp July 28 to Aug. 16. The Buccaneers, who have trained at Disney's 220-acre sports complex for the past four years, are the first NFL team to conduct a pre-season training camp at Walt Disney World Resort. Training camp practices are free and open to the public.

In California, New Orleans Square at Disneyland, home to the newly enhanced Pirates of Caribbean attraction, has updated the menus and décor of three of its most popular eateries -- Blue Bayou, Café Orleans and the French Market. Hong Kong Disneyland will unveil three new attractions, beginning July 13, in Tomorrowland -- Autopia, Stitch Encounter and UFO Zone.