When thinking about the Magic Kingdom, I’d bet most people immediately think about the iconic Cinderella Castle. This beautiful architectural center of the park stands at 189 feet and is the tallest structure in Magic Kingdom Park!
DIStracted Trivia: The height of the castle is important- if it was any taller, then by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, it would require aircraft warning lights at the top.
One of my favorite things about Cinderella Castle is that at night, it transforms before your eyes! Walt Disney World takes their current promotional theme or holiday season and projects it onto the Castle.
Of course, the very name tells us this castle is brought to life from the 1950’s classic feature film, “Cinderella.” The castle has a French palace feel with Romanesque medieval fortress base. It also has stately Gothic forms along the upper portion of the castle. Construction took about 18 months and ended shortly before the October 1, 1971 opening of Magic Kingdom Park.
Many families consider a picture in front of Cinderella Castle to be THE best photographic souvenir from their Walt Disney World Resort vacation. From just about any angle, I would say it’s hard to disagree!
On my family’s first trip to Walt Disney World, planning the trip made me very excited. First, my husband would be experiencing the parks for the first time. Secondly, my young daughter would see her favorite movies come to life. I remember running ahead of them to Main Street, U.S.A. so that I could catch their reaction to seeing Cinderella Castle for the first time. I am so glad I did! I will cherish this photo forever!
Inside Cinderella Castle
Guests are able to enter the body of the castle and see for themselves the beautiful story of Cinderella along 5 unique mosaic murals. My girls love to tell their version of the story as we walk through and they have quite the backstory for all the different characters on the wall! Each ornate panel is 15 feet high and 10 feet wide. The murals were created by a team of 6 people, who worked for over two years to create the works of art.
DIStracted Trivia: Look very carefully at the step sisters while Cinderella is trying on the glass slipper; Notice they are quite literally “green with envy” and “red with rage.”
The castle is not just ornamental though. Housed within the castle on the first floor is the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, the second floor is the popular Cinderella’s Royal Table, and the highly coveted Castle Suite is located 4 stories above the Magic Kingdom. And each night Tinker Bell takes flight from a window high above to begin the beautiful Wishes Nighttime Spectacular.
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