It is still hard to believe .... like it was all a dream.
We actually won our stay through a photo contest with Disney, and so we knew ahead of time our trip was coming.
The Year of a Million Dreams - and boy, did they make our dream come true!
We were treated like royalty from the minute we set foot on Disney property.
We met our concierge at the Grand Floridian, then we were driven to an employee entrance where we were met by a member of the Dream Team. He escorted us to the castle, stopping first to let us ride Its a Small World. Of course, being royalty, we bypassed all the lines and went straight on the ride. Everyone wondered who we were!
Then to the castle. Our personal concierge showed us to our room. They had printed key cards for each of us that said "Cinderella Castle Suite" and had our full names printed on them. I thought my five year old daughter would die from excitement. I asked our concierge if any adults had ever cried at this part. She said politely, "lots."
We first stepped into a small office with a desk, a grandfather clock (set to one minute until midnight, that was Cinderella never gets older), and a gold elevator. The elevator leads to a small, round foyer with a mosaic on the floor, depicting Cinderella's carriage, inlayed with 14 K gold.
As my daughter used her key to open the door, our hearts just stopped as we looked upon Cinderella's royal chamber.
The bedroom has 2 double beds with luxurious linens. At the foot of each bed was a trunk with robes for all of us - 2 adult, 2 girl robes. It was obvious that they had tailored the suite to fit our specific family. There is a fireplace in the room that crackles without heat, and in the background fireworks light up then fade away. As beautiful as the room is, there was no sweeter sight than seeing my own 2 princesses in those big beds.
The parlor is the room with the six stained glass windows - 3 on one wall, 3 on the other. (See photos) They depict the story of Cinderella. In this room, there was a wall that opened up into cabinets and a closet. In the middle was an ornate mirror. The concierge showed Karissa how it is a magic mirror - it turned into a TV! Karissa was blown away. There were 2 DVD players, one for each room, with lots of Disney movies to choose from.
The last room is exquisite - the bathroom. 17th century fixtures, marble surfaces, ornate arches - it was spectacular. The square bathtub was huge and was surrounded by 3 beautiful mosaics on the walls. The ceiling above had starry lights, and you had the option of turning on just those, or ambient lights above the mosaics, or a combination of the two. There were even lights in the tub. Press once for blue, again for pink, then green, and so on, until you get to random disco setting.
They brought in bubble bath for my two little princesses, and when they were done playing, they dried off on their Cinderella monogrammed towels.
All three rooms are remote controlled - lighting, TVs, DVDs, fireplace.
Dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table was included. The Fairy Godmother came over and said, "Hello Nikolopoulos Family" and we were all so surprised. Then, during her little show about dreams coming true, they introduced us, and told the room that we were staying in Cinderella's Suite! The entire room cheered, the lights sparkled around the room, and I heard the Fairy Godmother saying, "See, dreams really do come true." It was a magical moment.
After dinner, we found a little magic in our room. The beds were turned down, and Minnie Mouse dolls, dressed as Cinderella, were waiting for my girls. There was a large mirrored tray, and on it was a horse and carriage, surrounded by chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate truffles. Inside the carriage were more strawberries. And then I realized - the entire carriage was made of white chocolate. It was either that or soap. Since Zoe, my little one, had already broken the legs off of one of the poor horses, we went ahead and tried him, just to be sure. As they ate the first bite, I thought 'oh, it must be chocolate.' Then they both spit it out. So I had to conduct the chemistry taste test myself.
Our concierge for the evening was Johnny. He was the best. Whatever we needed, he got it. He took us on a VIP tour of the park, escorting us to a special place to watch the parade. Even the parade knew who we were, and all the characters bowed or tipped their hats to us. It was so special.
Later, after everyone was asleep, I walked to the stained glass window, noticing the tiles as they sparkled in the soft lighting. Out the window I could see the icicle lights hanging on the castle - my castle - at least for the night.
I almost didn't enter the contest. What are the odds of winning? But it was a prize that could not be purchased for any price, and it was an experience to treasure the rest of our lives.
Only a few hundred people around the world have stayed there. The Nikolopoulos Family is now one of them!
I will post photos (hopefully) later today.
We actually won our stay through a photo contest with Disney, and so we knew ahead of time our trip was coming.
The Year of a Million Dreams - and boy, did they make our dream come true!
We were treated like royalty from the minute we set foot on Disney property.
We met our concierge at the Grand Floridian, then we were driven to an employee entrance where we were met by a member of the Dream Team. He escorted us to the castle, stopping first to let us ride Its a Small World. Of course, being royalty, we bypassed all the lines and went straight on the ride. Everyone wondered who we were!
Then to the castle. Our personal concierge showed us to our room. They had printed key cards for each of us that said "Cinderella Castle Suite" and had our full names printed on them. I thought my five year old daughter would die from excitement. I asked our concierge if any adults had ever cried at this part. She said politely, "lots."
We first stepped into a small office with a desk, a grandfather clock (set to one minute until midnight, that was Cinderella never gets older), and a gold elevator. The elevator leads to a small, round foyer with a mosaic on the floor, depicting Cinderella's carriage, inlayed with 14 K gold.
As my daughter used her key to open the door, our hearts just stopped as we looked upon Cinderella's royal chamber.
The bedroom has 2 double beds with luxurious linens. At the foot of each bed was a trunk with robes for all of us - 2 adult, 2 girl robes. It was obvious that they had tailored the suite to fit our specific family. There is a fireplace in the room that crackles without heat, and in the background fireworks light up then fade away. As beautiful as the room is, there was no sweeter sight than seeing my own 2 princesses in those big beds.
The parlor is the room with the six stained glass windows - 3 on one wall, 3 on the other. (See photos) They depict the story of Cinderella. In this room, there was a wall that opened up into cabinets and a closet. In the middle was an ornate mirror. The concierge showed Karissa how it is a magic mirror - it turned into a TV! Karissa was blown away. There were 2 DVD players, one for each room, with lots of Disney movies to choose from.
The last room is exquisite - the bathroom. 17th century fixtures, marble surfaces, ornate arches - it was spectacular. The square bathtub was huge and was surrounded by 3 beautiful mosaics on the walls. The ceiling above had starry lights, and you had the option of turning on just those, or ambient lights above the mosaics, or a combination of the two. There were even lights in the tub. Press once for blue, again for pink, then green, and so on, until you get to random disco setting.
They brought in bubble bath for my two little princesses, and when they were done playing, they dried off on their Cinderella monogrammed towels. All three rooms are remote controlled - lighting, TVs, DVDs, fireplace.
Dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table was included. The Fairy Godmother came over and said, "Hello Nikolopoulos Family" and we were all so surprised. Then, during her little show about dreams coming true, they introduced us, and told the room that we were staying in Cinderella's Suite! The entire room cheered, the lights sparkled around the room, and I heard the Fairy Godmother saying, "See, dreams really do come true." It was a magical moment.
After dinner, we found a little magic in our room. The beds were turned down, and Minnie Mouse dolls, dressed as Cinderella, were waiting for my girls. There was a large mirrored tray, and on it was a horse and carriage, surrounded by chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate truffles. Inside the carriage were more strawberries. And then I realized - the entire carriage was made of white chocolate. It was either that or soap. Since Zoe, my little one, had already broken the legs off of one of the poor horses, we went ahead and tried him, just to be sure. As they ate the first bite, I thought 'oh, it must be chocolate.' Then they both spit it out.
So I had to conduct the chemistry taste test myself. Our concierge for the evening was Johnny. He was the best. Whatever we needed, he got it. He took us on a VIP tour of the park, escorting us to a special place to watch the parade. Even the parade knew who we were, and all the characters bowed or tipped their hats to us. It was so special.
Later, after everyone was asleep, I walked to the stained glass window, noticing the tiles as they sparkled in the soft lighting. Out the window I could see the icicle lights hanging on the castle - my castle - at least for the night.
I almost didn't enter the contest. What are the odds of winning? But it was a prize that could not be purchased for any price, and it was an experience to treasure the rest of our lives.
Only a few hundred people around the world have stayed there. The Nikolopoulos Family is now one of them!
I will post photos (hopefully) later today.
I know that meant so much to them. Thanks so much for sharing your story! 
