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11. The Bungalows, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Rate: Around $2,000 per night

Image © Disney

In April of 2015, The Walt Disney Company upped their game once again. In a blatant attempt to boost public awareness for the Disney Vacation Club, the company debuted its latest masterpiece. One of the two original Walt Disney World hotels, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, became a DVC property for the first time since the 1991 inception of the program. Rather than include average rooms, Disney overhauled several of their buildings to provide state-of-the-art amenities. Having stayed at one of these rooms, I can vouch for their quality.

The basic studio hotel rooms are not the most notable aspect of the property now, though. Disney also added a set of 20 bungalows on the beachfront, right beside the waters where the Electric Water Pageant ships pass nearby. Imagineers designed these bungalows to highlight not just the nightly Magic Kingdom festivities but also the proximity of the villas to surrounding Disney landmarks. Guests can enjoy a terrific perspective of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa as well as Cinderella’s Castle. They can even do it from in the water, and I don’t mean the Seven Seas Lagoon. These bungalows feature a private deck complete with plunge pool.

The 1,650 square feet bungalows provide not only an island vibe but also modern amenities. Until something better comes along, these suites provide the highest tech of any current Disney room. There’s the standard stuff you’d expect from a Disney suite such as HDTV and mood lighting, but there’s also an HDTV that pops up in your bathroom mirror. Disney even included programmable lighting and an electronic doorbell with personalized chiming options. The bungalows are a heady mix of island living and 21st century functionality. And the en-suite bathroom seems straight off the page of House Beautiful.

Perhaps the most amazing part of the bungalows is the cost. You can stay in one for roughly $2,000 a night, which isn’t that expensive compared to some of the options above. Alternately, if you are a DVC member, you can stay for as little as 115 or as much as 227 points a night, depending on the time of year you visit. If you watch this video of the bungalows, you may find yourself tempted to join DVC just to stay here.

12. Cinderella Castle Suite, Magic Kingdom. Yes, Inside Magic Kingdom.

Rate: Free

Castle salon

Castle bathroom

Castle suite fireplace

Castle beds

For the ultimate in theme park tourist memories, you’ll have to figure out a way to stay in the Cinderella Castle Suite. It won’t be easy, though. It, too, was announced in 2006 as a new addition and provided as a prize for winners of the Year of a Million Dreams contest. To this day, that’s the only way to guarantee spending a night in the suite. It’s employed as an enticement to get Disney fans to enter every contest possible, and I speak from personal experience when I say that it works.

Is the Cinderella Castle Suite worth that kind of constant effort? The answer is murkier than you might expect. At only 650 square feet, it’s the equivalent of a studio apartment, which is much smaller than the other entries on this list. You can’t bring all your friends and family with you when you stay here. It has a maximum occupancy of five people thanks to its two queen beds. And five people would be tight.

You probably won’t care about the space if win this dream stay, though. The entire presentation for the Cinderella Castle Suite is immaculate. It starts when you enter the centerpiece of the Most Magical Place on Earth, Cinderella’s Castle. From there, you’ll take a fourth floor elevator to your destination, the sleeping quarters in the building. The moment you enter the room, you’ll understand how Cinderella feels the instant she slides on her glass slipper.

Everything is regal. There’s a magnificent fireplace adorned with a picture of Cinderella so vivid you may mistake it for an HDTV. The tile flooring is so gorgeous you may feel shamed into remodeling your home once you return from your trip. 30,000 individual tiles, some of which are 24 karat gold, combine to create a giant floor mural of Cinderella’s Pumpkin. Other mementos presumably owned by the character decorate the ornate apartment. And if you’re wondering about whether there’s a glass slipper, the answer is of course! It’s on display as a centerpiece of a nook that commemorates all of Cinderella’s iconic story artifacts. You’ll feel like you’re living in a fairy tale the entire time you’re staying in the suite.

If Disney ever chose to rent out a suite this seminal to the identity of Magic Kingdom, they could charge whatever they wanted. Since it’s only available as a prize, however, the Cinderella Castle Suite is the very definition of priceless. So, all we can do is watch this 8-minute clip of room highlights and fantasize about winning the Disney lottery one day.

 
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Comments

We stayed at the GFV 3 bedroom suite and I didn't think any room was more beautiful or spacious. It had a full kitchen, panoramic windows looking at the Magic Kingdom and the lake. Media room for movie watching. TV's in the bathroom mirrors. Bathrooms as big as my kitchen at home. Was absolutely beautiful!

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