Let’s have some imaginary fun! I was daydreaming (just your usual Disney fantasizing) about what it would be like if Walt Disney World had created a small area for one family to stay on property for a sleepover. We know Cinderella Castle has that capability, only not to us regular, plain old folks, but what if…what if we could have a night in a boutique, intimate setting in one of the parks? What would that look like to you? Where would you settle in for the night?
Some people had an in-park overnight experience during 2015’s 24-Hour Celebration. Not so intimate, though. And some couples won a prize in 2018 to stay for a night in Pandora-The World of Avatar. What if we could do more of those? Let’s imagine together…
Glamping
Animal Kingdom Park would be the perfect setting for a glamping experience. There was one briefly in 2018 for a contest, but I think the African savanna would be the perfect spot to safari into and glamp for a night. Journey to the Harambe Wildlife Preserve and have a sleepover in a comfortable tent under the African sky. And an outdoor fire pit would be a must. Or how’s about setting up tent in a Jurassic Park-type of setting over in the DinoLand U.S.A. area? Sleep in the indoor Dinosaur attraction and experience a time warp back to prehistoric times.
Log Cabin
I’ve often fantasized how much fun it would be to spend the night in Magic Kingdom, but instead of Cinderella Castle, maybe a twist. A cute little log cabin experience for the night on Tom Sawyer Island would be really roughing it and adventurous. Spend the night in Mark Twain times exploring by lantern the caves and passageways and terrain of the early settlers. Maybe an old-fashioned scavenger hunt finding early frontier artifacts in the forts would be fun.
Cottage Life
A cute little cottage would await me just behind Epcot’s World Showcase in the back of the United Kingdom pavilion. Oh how fun would it be to recreate an evening in an intimate Mary Poppins-type early 1900’s English experience. I would have a late afternoon tea (best if served by penguins), stroll through the gardens, and fall asleep to elegant music on Cherry Tree Lane.
Bungalow Living
I always exit the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train attraction and look at the little bungalow cottage to the right. I often wonder if it’s only a façade or if I could actually go inside. I know the backside of it houses the attraction animatronics of Snow White dancing inside, but from the front there is a different perspective. Why doesn’t Snow White ever stand there meeting and greeting or why can’t I meet and greet the seven dwarfs there? I love the intimate setting. Wouldn’t it be fun for a night to sleep there, enjoying some soup made by Snow White? I would love to wander the grounds, dig for diamonds in a local mine, and listen to the birds overhead.
Obviously an immersive Star Wars-themed boutique experience in Disney’s Hollywood Studios can’t be left out, but clearly that’s been taken with the upcoming Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser coming in Spring of 2022.
Honorable Mention – there really needs to be Arendelle IP somewhere, whether it be a resort, cruise line experience or land itself that is closer to us than Hong Kong Disneyland (which plans on a future Frozen Land). But for now it would be amazing to set myself up in the Royal Sommerhus and retreat to the cabin for a night out in Arendelle, pretending I’m in Norway with my friends Anna and Elsa.
Where would you hunker down and have a sleepover in a Disney park if you could? Happy summer daydreaming!
