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Andrew
10-01-2007, 08:40 AM
Walt Disney Company press release

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.



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*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY to enter or win in the Disney Dreams Giveaway. A purchase will not increase your chances of winning. Open only to legal residents of 50 U.S., D.C., Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Japan & U.K. Void elsewhere and where prohibited. Giveaway runs January 1, 2008 – December 31, 2008 (Mail-in entries must be postmarked on or between December 19, 2007 & December 31, 2008 & received by January 14, 2009 on a piece of paper or postcard with complete name, address, daytime phone#, birth date and proper postage sent to PO Box 8650, Elmhurst, IL 60126 USA). U.K. residents only mail to 2008 Disney Dreams Giveaway, 483 Green Lanes, Suite 200, London N13 4BS, England. Disneyland Dream Suite stay will be awarded most days starting January 31, 2008, will likely be awarded early in the day and will be for a stay that night. Mail-in winners of prizes that require use on day awarded, such as the Disneyland Dream Suite, will receive a prize of comparable value. Approximate retail value of Disneyland Dream Suite stay US $594. Prizes range in value from US $4.76 to US $87,361. All prize awards are subject to verification. Odds of winning on a given day depend on the number of eligible participants at a selected location or within the mail-in entry pool for the time or date (as applicable) selected. Subject to official rules/complete terms and conditions (available in English and Spanish) at www.DisneyParks.com/2008rules. Sponsor: Magic Kingdom Productions, Inc., PO Box 10000, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830.

For residents of Canada, a mathematical skill-testing question must be correctly answered to win any prize.

olegc
10-01-2007, 09:38 AM
Ok, OK, - so I got my dig in early... :~D

bloodnswash
10-01-2007, 09:56 AM
I'm glad we got to do The Balcony several times and have lunch on the patio. We will definitely miss the Disney Gallery.

Very cool for the lucky winners.

DizneyMommy
10-01-2007, 09:59 AM
I am so going to the park every morning in February to stalk the dream squad!

cstephens
10-01-2007, 10:30 AM
OK, the only part of this that sounds weird to me is that you have to spend the night on the day the prize is awarded. If you're staying at a local hotel, then moving your stuff probably isn't going to be a problem, but for anyone who lives locally, no one is going to be prepared for an impromptu overnight stay. I wonder how that works.

yohomama212
10-01-2007, 10:31 AM
Someone has been stalking my Disney dreams! A suite... in the park... above POTC... and I could be there ALL NIGHT!!! I got all giddy and excited just reading it!!! I am sooooo there! I have to win this!!!!!

Elizabeth

tinker3
10-01-2007, 10:43 AM
This does sound dreamy :D! The decor sounds interesting, I can't wait till a mp reader wins this and posts the pictures :)!

DizneyMommy
10-01-2007, 10:50 AM
OK, the only part of this that sounds weird to me is that you have to spend the night on the day the prize is awarded. If you're staying at a local hotel, then moving your stuff probably isn't going to be a problem, but for anyone who lives locally, no one is going to be prepared for an impromptu overnight stay. I wonder how that works.

It is the same way now with the Mickey Mouse Penthouse, only good that night. Hey, I'd be on the phone with my mom, sister, husband, or anyone else who would answer telling them to grab some clothes from my house and theirs and get down to the park! They don't lock you in the room the minute you win, and they give the room away early in the day, so just like someone who has to go to their hotel to grab stuff, a local would go home and grab stuff. I suppose if the drive was way too far you could just deal with it, buy some pj's in WOD and grab a toothbrush from one of the hotel gift shops and have the most fun slumber party ever!

Klutch
10-01-2007, 10:56 AM
I'm glad I got a chance to tour the suite before it was closed to visitors.

For children or the casual Disney guest, the castle suite at Magic Kingdom would probably be more thrilling. For true Disney-Heads, this is WAY better! Personally, I've always wanted to stay in the apartment above the Main Street Fire Station. Hmm, a stay in the NOS suite? That'll do!

ladodgerjon
10-01-2007, 11:45 AM
I think I'm gonna make a shirt -- and then shadow the dream squads -- that reads:

"Will Work As Parade Grand Marshall
For Stay In Dream Suite"

MrsPooh
10-01-2007, 01:52 PM
Oh man, I'd so love to win this!

One question: how will they keep the guests from wandering the park after hours?

VickiC
10-01-2007, 02:05 PM
At WDW I believe you are assigned a staff person (butler?) who will accompany you if you wish to roam. I would imagine it will be similiar at DL. They won't have peopel staying in the park without someone to watch over them, get them anything they need, etc.

Disneymademoiselle
10-01-2007, 02:22 PM
Walt Disney Company press release

WALT DISNEY’S OWN DISNEYLAND DREAM SUITE WILL OPEN ITS DOORS TO LUCKY GUESTS FOR AN OVERNIGHT STAY INSIDE DISNEYLAND PARK

Speak of the devil, Andrew. I just saw a new "Year of a Million Dreams" commercial on tv that mentioned the suite. It said the suite would be available for the winning in January. Sweet...no pun intended ;)



I think I'm gonna make a shirt -- and then shadow the dream squads -- that reads:

"Will Work As Parade Grand Marshall
For Stay In Dream Suite"

Hilarious, ladodgerjon!!! :D:D:D

cstephens
10-01-2007, 02:53 PM
One question: how will they keep the guests from wandering the park after hours?

They chain you to the balcony railing near the "W" and "R" letters. ;)

dizy4disney1
10-01-2007, 03:05 PM
Oh dare to dream. Unfortunately, I'm going in Dec. so guess I'm not going to win. Boo Hoo:crying:

MrsPooh
10-01-2007, 03:29 PM
They chain you to the balcony railing near the "W" and "R" letters. ;)

:D:D:D

lofosho
10-01-2007, 06:03 PM
Wow. Now I have something else to daydream about and not do my homework...


ahhhhhhh it would be so incredible!

evrythngwmn
10-01-2007, 07:22 PM
Oh man, I'd so love to win this!

One question: how will they keep the guests from wandering the park after hours?

I wonder how they will sleep with all the work that goes on at night.

Gone2Disneyland
10-01-2007, 08:20 PM
I wonder how they will sleep with all the work that goes on at night.

That's what I thought too, Jo. And if they decide that on the night guests stay there, no overnight work will be done, I'm thinking a very dark and lonely NOS might be a little too eerie, no? :p

VickiC
10-01-2007, 08:29 PM
That's what I thought too, Jo. And if they decide that on the night guests stay there, no overnight work will be done, I'm thinking a very dark and lonely NOS might be a little too eerie, no? :p

They can't do that, I believe a guest will win this every singel day, just like the Penthouse. A blackout curtaina nd a little soundproffing should make for a comfortable night.

But really, how much sleep would you want to get?

cstephens
10-01-2007, 09:14 PM
If I won that prize, I'm not sure how much sleep I'd be getting anyway. Not sure how many friends you can bring with you, but if it's any more than just the husband and me, we'd probably be up all night because we'd just be too excited. Oh, and we'd be bothering people all night with phone calls and texts! :~D

Walt'sbirthdaygirl
10-02-2007, 08:35 AM
There would be no sleep, I would grab my Disney Escort and wander wherever I could and then maybe must maybe try and take a little rest so I could enjoy the park in the morning. I wonder what time you are required to vacate the suite.

gtpinoy
10-02-2007, 08:57 PM
I know it's pretty early (okay...way early), but any ideas what will happen to the place after the Year of a Million Dreams give away ends in 2008 (maybe another extension)?