01 October 2007
WALT DISNEY’S OWN DISNEYLAND DREAM SUITE WILL OPEN ITS DOORS TO LUCKY GUESTS FOR
AN OVERNIGHT STAY INSIDE DISNEYLAND PARK
ANAHEIM, Calif. – October 1, 2007 – For the first time in history, lucky guests
will have the chance to spend an unforgettable night inside Disneyland Park
during the Year of a Million Dreams most nights starting January 31, 2008 during
the 2008 Disney Dreams Giveaway. A
guest will be escorted on the same day awarded into the most extraordinary
accommodations at Disneyland Resort: the Disneyland Dream Suite, an in-park
apartment originally planned for Walt Disney himself.
The overnight stay in the Disneyland Dream Suite will be a highlight among the
more than a million “dream come true” experiences awarded through random process
to eligible Disneyland Resort guests and mail-in participants in the 2008 Disney
Dreams Giveaway. Mail-in winners of prizes that require use on day awarded, such
as the Disneyland Dream Suite, will receive a prize of comparable value.
Disney Imagineers are hard at work remodeling a suite of rooms above New Orleans
Square in the Park, conceived by Walt Disney as a private apartment for his
family and closest friends. The rooms, which most recently housed The Disney
Gallery, will be restored to Disney’s original vision of deluxe living quarters.
Vintage design illustrations, created under Disney’s personal direction, have
been recovered and are being used as inspiration for the look, furnishings and
other décor elements in the Suite. Special design touches are being incorporated
to evoke memories of Disney’s diverse interests and the rich heritage of
Disneyland.
The guests chosen through a random process to enjoy a “dream stay” in the
Disneyland Dream Suite will be following in the footsteps of Walt Disney. His
dedication to the constant growth and development of Disneyland resulted in
frequent overnight stays in a small private apartment which remains today above
the Fire House on Main Street, U.S.A. In the 1960s, as plans were developed for
the New Orleans Square area, Disney brought in illustrator and designer Dorothea
Redmond (Gone with the Wind) and set decorator Emile Kuri (Mary Poppins, It’s a
Wonderful Life) to help him create a larger, more lavish apartment where he
could entertain friends, family, VIP guests and dignitaries.
Unfortunately, Disney passed away before the Suite was completed. Over the
years, the rooms were used as offices and to entertain visiting business
associates until, in 1987, the space became The Disney Gallery, a unique venue
displaying artwork originally created during the development of various Disney
movies and theme park attractions. Only now, 40 years later, is Disney’s dream
being fulfilled. The rooms are being returned to their original intended purpose
and, as Disney wished, the Disneyland Dream Suite will be occupied by overnight
guests.
“Our plan has been to use the renderings that Walt worked on with Dorothea
Redmond and to replicate those as exactly as we can,” said Walt Disney
Imagineering Art Director Kim Irvine. “Her illustrations were very specific,
with a color and style for each room.
“But to make it special for the guests, we want it to be more than just a
beautiful suite. We want it to be
filled with things that might have inspired Walt as he dreamed of Disneyland.”
Located above Pirates of the Caribbean in the New Orleans Square section of
Disneyland, the 2,600-square-foot Disneyland Dream Suite includes a living room,
open-air patio, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. In addition to that night’s
lodging in the Disneyland Dream Suite, each selected 2008 Disney Dreams Giveaway
winner of the Disneyland Dream Suite will also be celebrated as the Honorary
Grand Marshal in that day’s Disneyland parade. The winner and their guests will
enjoy dinner, late-night snacks and beverages, and the dazzling view overlooking
New Orleans Square and the Rivers of America, where a private balcony provides
an ideal vantage point on nights when fireworks or the “Fantasmic!” spectacular
are presented.
Guests may enter the Dream Suite by climbing the grand staircase outside the
entrance to the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. An elevator will be
available to accommodate guests with disabilities. Through the doorway at the
top of the stairs is the Living Room, to be designed in a French Provincial
style reflecting the New Orleans Square setting. Unusual decorative items like a
full-size carousel horse, a mechanical songbird and original wall paintings of
European castles will conjure up memories of Walt Disney and the inspirations
that went into creating the magical world of Disneyland.
The Suite features not one, but two Master Bedrooms. In one, the spirit of early
20th century innovation and the American frontier will be summoned with an
earthy color scheme, leather furniture, a cast-iron stove, an electric train and
vintage mechanical toys. The other Master Bedroom is on the side of the
residence nearest Adventureland, and its lush décor and atmosphere will evoke
the exotic flavor of jungle adventure stories as told in the Victorian era.
The Bayou-themed Patio, central to the Disneyland Dream Suite and open to the
sky above, will be filled with tropical vegetation, furnished with comfortable
chaises and illuminated by Chinese lanterns. Using a type of Disney magic
familiar to guests on Pirates of the Caribbean, the Patio will also be visited
by fireflies.
As guests settle in for a stay in the Disneyland Dream Suite, they’ll discover
special effects surprises in each room. It could be a special tune in a striking
clock, a sunset or a starscape that appears when the lights go down, subtle
audio enhancements, or something totally unexpected.
The Disneyland Dream Suite will be the supreme addition to the catalog of
“dreams come true” at the
Disneyland Resort during the 2008 Disney Dreams Giveaway as the Disney Dream
Squad delivers dreams, large and small, to eligible guests selected through a
random process. For information on how to enter by mail without visiting the
parks, please see below.
The 2008 Disney Dreams Giveaway is part of the Year of a Million Dreams at
Disney Parks. At Disneyland, the popular immersive entertainment experiences
will continue to thrill guests at Disney Princess Fantasy Faire, Jedi Training
Academy and Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island. And at Disney’s California
Adventure, guests young and old will be dancing to the beat of the new High
School Musical 2: School’s Out! street show, inspired by the megahit Disney
Channel original movie. For information on new attractions, the Year of a
Million Dreams celebration and vacations at Disneyland Resort visit
www.disneyland.com, call (866) 60-DISNEY or contact local travel
agents.