By Keith Mahne

Who hasn't wanted to spend the night inside of Cinderella Castle? Join us today as we let the Imagineers take us on a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the Cinderella Castle Suite in today's new article...

Inside the upper levels of Cinderella Castle, there is a suite that was intended to be an apartment for Walt Disney and his family when they were in Florida. After Walt died in 1966, the space was repurposed for use by the telephone operators. It must have been so surreal going into work as a WDW phone operator back in the 1970s and having Cinderella Castle be your office space, right?! That had to be the best telephone operator job ever! This space is not large, and can be compared to the size of a master bedroom and bathroom in an average house. The location of the suite can be identified from the outside by locating the stained glass windows with pictures in the center on the north and west sides of the castle, about 2/3 of the way up...

The suite's stained glass windows as seen from the exterior

On June 7, 2005, Disney announced that the suite would be completely decorated and upholstered as a 'royal bedchamber', which can sleep up to six people. It was available as a prize during the Year of a Million Dreams (2007) celebration taking place at all eleven Disney theme parks, and an overnight stay in the apartment was a prize randomly awarded to a guest at the four Walt Disney World parks and Downtown Disney.

Cinderella Castle Suite interior

Now let's join the late Imagineering legend Marty Sklar,  and other past and present Imagineers like Tom Fitzgerald, Eric Jacobson and others for a look at the making of the Cinderella Castle Suite...

(For your viewing pleasure, be sure to pause the Disney Avenue Music Player located above prior to starting the video below if you are on a desktop computer.)















Keith Michael Mahne is the owner and editor of Disney Avenue and the host of the Disney Avenue Podcast. He has made countless trips to the Walt Disney World resort since his first trip in 1989 at the age of four. Keith has a strong passion and respect for Walt Disney, the parks and resorts, and the men and women who help create them. He started Disney Avenue as a way to inform and entertain readers and to repay all those who make dreams come true every day.

You can find all of Keith's articles here.