Cinderella Castle was completed in July 1971, after about
18 months of construction, and reaches to a height of 189 feet (57.6 m) tall --
nearly twice the size of Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland in Anaheim,
California. An optical trick known as forced perspective makes Cinderella Castle
appear even larger than it actually is. As it becomes taller, its proportions
get smaller. For example, using this method, the top spire of the Castle is
actually close to half of the size it "appears." Major elements of the Castle
were scaled and angled to give the illusion of distance and height, a method
frequently used in Disney theme parks around the world.
Cinderella Castle appears to be made of white and grey stone with royal blue
roofs on their turrets; the tops of several towers and two of the tallest spires
are made with real gold and gold leaf. Despite appearances, no bricks were used
in its construction; the inner structure is constructed of six-hundred tons of
steel braced frame construction, and a ten inch thick reinforced concrete wall
encircles the structure to the full height of the outermost "stone" walls. All
of the steel and concrete works are supported on a concrete drilled caisson
foundation. In spite of the fact that this is not a genuine fortress, it is the
next best thing structurally speaking. Much less fiberglass is used than is
popularly supposed. Rather, most of the exterior is a thick, very hard
fiber-reinforced gypsum plaster that is supported by light gauge metal studs.
Most fiberglass work is reserved for the exterior walls of more ornate upper
towers. The roofs are not fiberglass, either. They are shingled in the same type
of plastic that computer monitor shells are made from, attached to a cone of
light gauge steel sheeting over the steel sub-frame. These towers were lifted by
crane, then welded and bolted permanently to the main structure. Contrary to a
popular legend, the Castle cannot be taken apart in the event of a hurricane. It
would take months to disassemble, it would be too dangerous to operate the 300
foot (91.4 m) crane required in windy conditions, and there would have to be a
safer building to keep it in; it was simpler to design it to handle a hurricane.
It can easily withstand the 110 mph (177 k/h) design wind speeds in Central
Florida with a great deal of strength in reserve.
Cinderella Castle is also surrounded by a moat, which contains approximately
3.37 million gallons (12.76 megaliters) of water; however, unlike the drawbridge
at Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland, Cinderella Castle can not raise its
drawbridge. There are a total of 27 towers on the castle, each numbered 1-29--
tower numbers 13 and 17 were deleted before construction when it was realized
that they could not really be seen from anywhere in the park, due mainly to the
other Fantasyland buildings. The tower with the clock in front is 10, the
tallest is 20. 23 is the other golden-roofed tower.
Originally, a suite was built for Walt Disney and his family, but since Disney
died before the park opened, it was turned into an office. There are three
elevators inside the castle. One is for guest use and goes between the lobby of
Cinderella's Royal table, and the second floor where the restaurant is. The
second is for restaurant staff use, and is located in tower 2 to the left of the
drawbridge. It has landings in the Utilidors, the mezzanine level in a break
room, and on the second floor in the kitchen. The third elevator is in tower 20,
and services the Utilidors, the breezeway, the kitchen of Cinderella's Royal
Table, and the Cinderella Castle Suite. The suite is about 30 feet below the
level where the cable is attached to tower 20. Access to the cable is by ladder.
Since January 2007 the suite has been used as a prize for the Disney Dreams
Giveaway at the Walt Disney World Resort during the Year Of A Million Dreams
Celebration.
Guests have an opportunity to spend a night in the castle if they win the
Giveaway. Guests could be approached by a Disney cast member at any time in one
of the four theme parks and informed that they have won a prize. The chance to
stay in the Cinderella Castle Suite is just one of the many prizes.
Cinderella Castle was designed so that it was tall enough that it could be seen
from the Seven Seas Lagoon in front of the Magic Kingdom, where many guests took
ferries from the parking lot to the gates of the park. In theme park jargon,
Cinderella Castle was conceived as the primary visual magnet (known in Disney
parlance as a 'weenie') that draws new entering guests through Main Street,
U.S.A. towards the central hub, from where all other areas can be reached.
