How to Go Beyond Dreams by Staying in Disney World's Cinderella Castle Suite

The Gist:

• Disney fans can discover the magical opportunity to spend a night in Cinderella's Castle Suite at Disney World, creating a dream experience.
• There are exclusive pathways to securing a coveted stay in the castle, which we can figure out from historical events and past opportunities.
• Despite the inability to purchase a night, Disney occasionally extends this enchanting experience for charitable causes, exemplified by Make-A-Wish's 150,000th Disney-inspired wish.

What could be more magical than staying overnight in Cinderella’s Castle? Nothing! (Maybe staying overnight in Hogwarts…) Even still, anyone who can stay in the coveted Cinderella’s Castle suite is the luckiest person in the world. And while the only way to see the suite in person is to stay there or get invited in for a tour, Disney has shared a video peek into what it’s like on various social media platforms.

In the video, the suite looks as beautiful as one would expect. There’s a giant gorgeous bathroom (with a throne, of course), the comfiest-looking beds in the world, and the ideal view of Disney World, looking over the peasants who don’t have access to the castle. So how can one stay in the magical Disney Cinderella’s castle suite?

Unfortunately, there are only two ways to stay in Cinderella’s Castle, and neither of those ways has to do with the amount of money one has. Isn’t there something special about the fact that no matter how much money you have, you can’t buy a night in the castle? Money can’t buy magic. Although it can help you get there.

The suite was first offered as an overnight stay during Disney’s Year of a Million Dreams, which lasted from 2006–2008. A select few lucky guests and their friends/family were awarded a night in the royal suite, which can hold up to six people. Since then, Disney has run various sweepstakes and auctions with a night in the suite as a prize, but it’s impossible to buy a night.

In a 2022 auction by ESPN, which was fundraising for the V Foundation, a major prize valued at over $10,000 went for $75,600. The prize included more than a night in the castle, however. It also included four round-trip airfare tickets, two nights in a standard Disney hotel, four 4-day theme park hopper tickets, a $2,000 Disney gift card, a Disney VIP Tour Guide for one day, and of course, one night in the Cinderella Castle Suite.

Even while Disney will offer a night in the suite as an incentive for charity fundraising, rumors suggest that they’ve turned down large sums of money for a night in the castle. Disney Tourist Blog wrote that they’ve turned down over $40,000 just for one night. And knowing how many wealthy people there are in the world with endless sums of money, we wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve been offered even more.

But there is one other way to stay in Cinderella’s Castle Suite. In Aug. 2023, Disney invited 16-year-old Mikayla from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. to stay in the suite three years into her battle with cancer. This was Make-A-Wish’s 150,000th Disney-inspired wish.

“This is an incredible milestone moment in our more than 40-year relationship with Disney,” Make-A-Wish America President and CEO Leslie Motter told the Disney Parks Blog. “We know that wishes have the transformative power to renew hope, uplift spirits and unite families. When you pair that with Disney stories, characters and experiences, lives are forever changed thanks to the unmatched joy that’s delivered when it’s needed most.”

It seems like the suite is reserved for magical moments, which is more than fitting!