Atop Cinderella Castle
Mitch ;)
A few years back I would occasionally be asked to go to the top of Cinderella Castle to check on and/or photograph something. As you can imagine, the views are amazing. I felt like that guy in old videos on top of a tower during park construction taking time-lapse and still photography. How cool of a job that would have been.
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A vew to the north from just above Cinderella's Royal Table.
I had assumed in earlier years that there was a nice little elevator to the top of the tallest spire with a room for Tinkerbell to relax in until the fireworks. Of course the spire is far too narrow for any such thing. There is however an elevator that goes to what is now the Castle Suite, which was then a small office and small storage space. From there a door leads to one level of rooftop on the east side of the castle facing Tomorrowland. Metal ladders bolted to the ground and walls lead you from one level of rooftop to the next.
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A small wooden door at the base of the tallest spire opens to a tall narrow shaft with another metal ladder leading to the top of the spire. Harnesses are required if you wish to ascend to the highest point of the castle. At the top of the very tall ladder is a wooden door which opens to a small wooden platform hardly large enough for two people to sit on.
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It's great to sit up there and take in the views. You can see for miles. It was a joy to see the Magic Kingdom and distant Epcot all at the same time.
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Reader Comments (21)
I couldn't help but notice in the first picture, just above the midpoint, there appears to be a pair human legs clad in green tights protruding from the main spire. Would this be Peter Pan? I'm no expert, but I can't recall ever seeing him on the castle. Just curious.
Yes. You are correct. This particular photo was taken during Disneyland's 50th anniversary celebration in 2005 in which Magic Kingdom had put gold character all over the pursue of the castle. Those are Peter Pan's legs.
Very nice. I'd like to see similar photos taken in the park's early years from that same spot. These might be the first I've ever seen from this spot.
those pictures are great, you're so lucky to have that experience!
Great pics. Thanks for sharing.
Way cool! Just wondering, do you know if it is the same/similar to get to the top of sleeping beauty's castle in disneyland? With all of the ladders and such? Or the newer castles in europe and Japan? (Europe and japan's castles are newer in comparison to magic kingdom's, right?)
I don't think there are permanent ladders on Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle. It's pretty small and has no platform for Tinkerbell. This would be the case for Hong Kong's Sleeping Beauty Castle. Paris' Sleeping Beauty Castle is larger but I have know idea how these kinds of things are set ip there. As for Magic Kingdom and Tokyo's Cinderella Castles, I can only imagine they are almost exactly the same. Maybe the elevator/ladder system is different..?
Great article & pictures. Thank you.
Hi mi name is Sergio ...... really so much thanks by this pics are really amazing . I thought just like you I thought the castle had a beautiful staircase and a small room to see the beautiful view but not ...... lol. I just wanted to know if you have more photos. I am a super fan of Cinderella Castle and I am creating a map of the castle on the inside ... Please if you can contact me my e-mail nene-ccd@hotmail.com . No matter the quality of the photos. need photos of the towers on the outside and windows if you please not publish this .. Thank you very much for the photos.
hello do you have any more castle photos? like of the small room on the top of the tower?
i always wanted to know what the room itself looks
hello do you have any more castle photos? like of the small room on the top of the tower?
i always wanted to know what the room itself looks
to Disney obsessor ... I don't know about tokyo and paris but the castles in california and gong kong do actually have a spiral stare case going up the tallest towers that I saw once before.
Hong Kong*
Eric So much thanks!!! where can I saw that pic??? Thanks!
Wow! That must've been breath taking
i heard you talking about the art stuff like this on the wdw fan boys podcast and was wondering if you had more information on the work you did something like this would be my dream job
Am I the only one who noticed the fire in picture two off in the distance?
What a fabulous insider's look into Cinderella's Castle! Thank you so much for sharing these. Very special to get this glimpse inside the castle.
Zabadoo - the “fire” is likely pyro burn off or train steam.
Eric - the little room that Tink launches from?
theres room for Tink + 2 launch techs after the trap door floor is locked in place and someone’s gotten up on her stool. this is really all there is to see:
http://www.bigfloridacountry.com/castle/castletop/Cinderella%20Castle%20Top%20View%20(3).jpg
http://www.bigfloridacountry.com/castle/castletop/Cinderella%20Castle%20Top%20View%20(4).jpg
disney obsessor - Tink does not launch from DLR’s castle, if that’s what you meant.
Of all the Disney posts I've read over the last 10 years, I've never seen anything like this. Thanks for sharing!
The "fire" is most likely steam rising from the chiller plant north of Magic Kingdom that makes cool water for air conditioning. It is illuminated by sodium street lights thus appearing orange in the picture.