floor is built to scale , while the higher floors are built smaller . The effect is designed to draw your eyes upward and make you think the castle is taller than it really is . Pretty cool , huh ?
It ’ s worth noting that , while Cinderella Castle is not the tallest structure at Walt Disney World , it ’ s taller than Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Park in California , which was built in 1955 when Disneyland opened . It ’ s also not the only Cinderella Castle in the world ; there ’ s a smaller version at Tokyo Disneyland !
HIDDEN MAGIC There ’ s no question that even standing outside Cinderella Castle is magical . Glancing up at the turrets , you feel like you ’ re in the middle of a Disney movie . But when you step inside , you ’ ll learn that the magical feeling only grows the more you explore .
The details within the castle are enchanting . Hand-crafted glass mosaics depict Cinderella ’ s story . In total , there are more than 300,000 pieces of Italian glass within the five mosaics , and the series took a whopping 22 months to create .
There ’ s also a secret guest room within the castle originally intended for Walt Disney and his guests . Unfortunately , since Walt died before the park opened , the guest room idea was scrapped , and the space was instead used as a dressing room and a telephone call center . But eventually , Imaingeers finished the room as a suite per Walt ’ s wishes . It ’ s pretty unlikely you ’ ll ever stay there though , as it ’ s reserved for special guests , celebrities , and contest winners only .
The guest room features two queen-size beds , mosaic floors , a grandfather clock , and , of course , a glass slipper . Fun fact : The grandfather clock is permanently set to 11:59 to ensure that the magic never ends for its guests . The bathroom features a jacuzzi soaking tub with fiberoptic stars on the ceiling for a magical soaking experience after a long day trawling around the park .
If you ’ re visiting at night , keep an eye out for Tinker Bell , who has taken flight from Cinderella Castle almost every night since 1985 . Her 15-mph flight lasts a total of 34 seconds and requires a hefty shove from a Cast Member to get her going . It ’ s an impressive spectacle that ’ ll solidify your belief that magic is real ( no clapping required , but it helps ).
You can walk through the story of Cinderella inside the castle . PHOTO BY CLIFF WANG
LEFT & RIGHT : A closer look at the hand-laid mosaic tiles . PHOTOS BY CLIFF WANG
Unlock the mystery of the Cinderella Castle Suite in our special
Fairy Tale Issue ( Issue 95 ).
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Yes , that is a real-life ( and real brave ) Cast Member riding the zip line . PHOTO BY DANNY SHUSTER