Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<Wouldn't it be cool if someone has a Disney wedding and are given their wedding night in this suite as a present. I think if I even saw that, I would cry.>> If I was staying there on my wedding night, crying would be way down on the list of things I would be doing there.
Originally Posted By TheTexasKid From myself: "Wow! And double Wow! Wow!" I, too, would be interested in seeing what they do with the suite after the promotion is over. Probably a VIP suite, as someone else has already suggested. But, if they do decide to open up for people who will pay to stay there, I can see them charging $1000 a night. And even at those prices, itd probably be booked all year round. A outhouse. A septic pit. Those are outdoor facilities. Indoors. Most likely a chamberpot hidden in a commode or under the bed.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss Disney would be charging MUCH more than $1000/night. They already get more than that for their regular suites. That, and some castles did have indoor toilets (a flat stone with a hole in it) leading to a septic pit.
Originally Posted By imtigger2 I very seriously doubt it feasible to rent the room out. The expense, and risk, for Disney is just too great. Having a family in the Castle for an overnight stay requires staffing that includes security personel, an overnight "Host" (not of the Ghost type of course) for guest needs (they also include a food service staff, maid services and housekeeping after your stay), and a medical staff... after all, if someone gets sick, hurts themselves, or think flying pixies are trying to break in through the roof, they can't just call 911 ("... uhhh that's right... IN the Castle. Yes, you got it, right at the end of Main Street USA. Yes.. yes.. IN the park! .. just go up Main Street USA, turn right at The Hub(tm), turn left at Tomorrowland.. and you can't miss it. First bridge on your right.") I just don't think it's financially feasible to keep it going past the Dreams promotion. IF they did, I would estimate it at no less than a $6-7,000 cost. Remember, you're not just having lunch in the Haunted Mansion after business hours... you're moving IN to the Castle for the night, and you have to be escorted, and the staff has to be available.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss You don't think people would be willing to shell out $7,000+ to stay there? I do. Not a lot, but enough to keep it financially feasible.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss Besides, the room is there now. They are undoubtedly going to use it for _something_. Why not make a little money on the side, to pay for it's upkeep? Even if only a couple of people stay there, that's $15K (or whatever)... more than enough to maintain the suite.
Originally Posted By imtigger2 "You don't think people would be willing to shell out $7,000+ to stay there? I do. Not a lot, but enough to keep it financially feasible." No... not feasible. I'll have to disagree with you. It might book days in the early offering, but I seriously doubt they'd be able to keep it up with the staff needed. $15,000 for two nights? It's not gonna happen, that's WAY too much money, even for the kookiest of fans. My $7000 estimate was just that, and it was a VERY low est. in my opinion. It costs $7000 just to have a couple Disney Characters show up at your wedding for a couple of hours (or less), I seriously doubt that a fully staffed overnight stay in the castle is going to cost the same. There's no way. That's why this is part of the "Dreams", I feel it's just not reasonable to do this in "Reality". Nice thought however.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss I'll have to disagree with you again. If there are kooky fans who shell out $7,000 to have a couple of characters show up at their wedding, then there is certainly a good possibility that they can get the room occupied a couple/few times a year, at whatever the cost would be. It's not like they would have to staff the castle full time, either. I doubt they're doing that now. I would say though that the ability to stay there after the Dreams campaign is over would diminish the suite's special status... but mostly only to those that got to stay there as winners.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss Oh... Disney _did_ put a dollar value on the castle stay. It's in one of the press releases Darkbeer posted way back when. I'll see if I can find it.
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 At what price and how often would they have to rent it out to be profitable? I'm one of those crazies who always stays at the Poly so when I wake up at night I can lie in bed watching the Castle change color. Only in the room from 1-2 AM until 8AM. How wasteful is that?
Originally Posted By trekkeruss I found the official rules. Here is a description of the castle stay prize: "three hundred and seven (307) ONE-NIGHT STAYS AT CINDERELLA CASTLE SUITE are available: Each prize consists of a ONE-NIGHT STAY ON THE NIGHT PRIZE IS AWARDED for winner and up to five (5) guests at the Cinderella Castle Suite in the Magic Kingdom® Park. Prize includes: dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table, photos with Cinderella, VIP viewing for SpectroMagic and/or Wishes shows (subject to availability) and select snacks and non-alcoholic beverages in the room. Each winner may also be celebrated in the Magic Kingdom® Park daytime parade (at Sponsor's sole discretion). ARV of each prize: US$587."
Originally Posted By avromark <<Each winner may also be celebrated in the Magic Kingdom® Park daytime parade (at Sponsor's sole discretion). ARV of each prize: US$587.">> So that's the Donkey (think another name for a similar beast of burden) Clause. If the guests are good they get to be in the parade if they make a total something else out of themselves they don't.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss The only "downside" to the prize that I can see is that once you are in the suite, you're effectively a prisoner there. But really, unless you are at Pleasure Island until 2:00 am every night, where would you go anyway? I don't see many folks wandering around their resorts at all hours of the night. So the prisoner factor that some people seem to question is probably a non-issue.
Originally Posted By avromark ^^ Isn't that why you can elect out? The only thing about "random" assigning of prizes is you may get a few winners who are "less desirables". Some people just seem to go looking for trouble. I hope no one who wins is like that, since this is a privilege many would love to have, but only 307 can take. (See an LPer a night should win )
Originally Posted By avromark ^^^ A claustrophobic doofus, one that wouldn't want to be inside a suite all the time? Although Doofus on DuckTales would probably love to, even if he did end up doing something to the suite.
Originally Posted By avromark Or a Doofus that must be back to their jobs that night and it would impede on their career?
Originally Posted By trekkeruss Claustrophobia I might buy, but really, how many people are so claustrophobic that they can't stay in a locked room? Don't most people lock the door (admittedly from the inside) to their hotel room? Do we even know if a person(s) is locked in? Maybe they can wander around the hall outside and even go up and down the elevator... I don't know. The other example I can understand. A person could win, but is leaving WDW that evening and couldn't take advantahe of the prize. That makes sense.
Originally Posted By avromark <<Claustrophobia I might buy, but really, how many people are so claustrophobic that they can't stay in a locked room? Don't most people lock the door (admittedly from the inside) to their hotel room? Do we even know if a person(s) is locked in?>> There's a difference between electing to lock yourself in, and being confined to a certain area. I think the idea of being confined even if it was the entire castle, or even area around it may turn some people off. Just like some people get irritated by being in a city, not the country for example. Or maybe they abhor Minivans and will not ride in them for whatever reason. It may not make sense but we Earthlings can sometimes be a bit illogical. I'm not one but there are different strokes.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss Come to think of it, it would undoubtedly be against some law, or a fire code to lock people into the suite. So I imagine the only thing preventing anyone from leaving the castle at night would be the security host(s). Damn, I obviously have nothing to do but jabber away on a message board. LOL.
