On Saturday March 1st Disney Vacation Club hosted its first member event at the Disneyland Resort. As part of a Year of a Million Dreams celebration, DVC members were invited to take part in an exclusive member tour of the Disneyland Dream Suite.
Located in Disneyland’s New Orleans Square above the Pirate’s of the Caribbean, This two bedroom, two bath suite was originally designed to be a private apartment for the Disney family. Construction was well under way when Walt was alive, however due to his untimely death, the space was never completed. Soon after Walt’s death, company focus was placed on the building of Walt Disney World. Over the years the suite was occupied by company offices, and in 1987 was converted into The Disney Gallery, a retail space highlighting Disney collectibles.
In fall of 2007 the Gallery was closed. Imagineers dusted off the original plans for the suite to be created for Walt by famed Imagineer Dorthia Redmond. The suite was modified to allow for handicapped access and significantly remodeled while still using the original plans as a guide. The result was a spectacular suite to be used as a grand prize during the Year of a Million Dreams promotion.
The Tour
On Saturday March 1st my family arrived at the entrance to Pirates of the Caribbean. We were greeted by several DVC executives and were shown to the private elevator leading to the side entrance to the suite. Once we were upstairs we were greeted by a member of the Dream Suite concierge team. She welcomed us to the tour and explained how lucky we were to get a tour, since most of the general public will ever get a chance like this. The entrance door contained a stained glass image of the famous Disneyland “D”. The hallway was filled with several Dorthia Redmond images of the original suite plans. There was a door to the left that led to the concierge office. She explained that guests staying in the suite have 24 hour access to their own private maid and butler. The Awards package also includes waterside dining at the Blue Bayou, as well as private fireworks viewing, and an after hours tour of the park. After hours room service food will be provided by the kitchens at the Grand Californian.
The entrance hallway leads into a small windowed gallery with a view into the central courtyard. Several French doors open into this area that contains two tables and chairs as well as a fountain chosen for this area by Lillian Disney. Our tour guide explained that this courtyard is often visited at night by “magical fireflies”. To the right of the gallery there is a large door that leads to the master suite. This suite has two French doors with balconies that overlook the Jungle Cruise. The room contains a muted blue, brown and green color scheme; this room was designed for Walt and Lillian.
There are several electrical outlets on each wall that was requested specifically by Lillian because she had a penchant for moving furniture and redecorating often. Above the bed there is a wonderful painting of a mermaid lagoon. After dark, mermaids have been known to magically appear in this painting. The bed and other furniture are in the Queen Anne Style. The neighboring master bathroom is very large containing a double vanity, large walk in shower, a walk in closet with a window, and the showpiece of the bath a large enclosed whirlpool bathtub with Tiffany stained glass window entitled “Woman at the well”.
We were soon ushered into the drawing room. This room is the main gathering place for guests of this suite. The main entrance to the suite is also located here. This room is very elegant with attention to every detail. The focal point of the space is a marble fireplace. This fireplace is always “burning” And occasionally will contain a fireworks burst. There is a very special clock here that adds a magical touch to the space. When we were there our guide pressed a button and tiki birds appeared in the face of the clock. Across the room an antique bird in a gilded cage came to life. We were told that this bird and cage are an exact replica of the one Walt found in his travels that gave him the inspiration for the Tiki Room, and ultimately lead to the creation of audio animatronics.
We were finally ushered into the second bedroom which contained two queen beds designed in a frontier style. Adjacent to the room was another master bathroom with similar decor. This room contained a train that ran around the upper parameter of the space, as well as several interesting collectibles including a model of the Mark Twain river boat. This train is activated by pressing the “Good night kiss” button. This room has a great view of the Rivers of America.
The tour was rapidly coming to a close. From the frontier bedroom we were escorted to the New Orleans balcony. This balcony overlooks the Riverfront and contains views of Frontierland, New Orleans Square, Haunted Mansion and a hint of Splash Mountain.
It is also a prime viewing location for Fantasmic. This area is fairly large and contained several tables and chairs. It is surrounded in the original decorative iron railings that have graced this balcony since 1966. The original WD and RD monograms signifying Walt Disney & Roy Disney, and have now been gilded in 24k gold.
It was here that our tour guide bid farewell, and showed us to the special events room that contained several tables manned by DVC guides. There were free DVC hats and pins for everyone on the tour. Guides were available to speak with, and were offering a special 48 hour incentive. Anyone who bought at least 110 points at Saratoga Springs or Animal Kingdom Lodge would be eligible for the “Founding Members” program for the Grand Californian Villas. This was offered to all members in attendance including a member family who I later found out were from South Carolina, and had purchased in Florida.
We found this event to be the highlight of our Disneyland trip. As previously reported on DVCNews.com, we were told that there are several additional member events in the works for the Disneyland Resort. Please “Stay tuned” to DVCNews.com for information on theses upcoming events as it becomes available.
