Take a Look Behind the Scenes of Disney World’s Modernized Victorian Hotel
Walt Disney Imagineering just pulled back the curtain on a hidden detail tucked inside the newly reimagined lobby at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. It’s the kind of thing Disney Park guests could walk right past without ever realizing it’s “alive.”
A Lobby Transformed
The iconic Victorian lobby at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa spent much of last year under renovation as Walt Disney World Resort overhauled its fixtures, textiles, and furnishings from the ground up. The most dramatic change was the replacement of the ornate golden birdcage with The Perch, a birdcage-shaped bar that opened on November 10 — the first lobby bar of its kind at any Central Florida Disney Resort hotel.
The annual life-sized gingerbread house display was a casualty of the construction timeline, skipped last year while crews put the finishing touches on the space.
One of the lesser-known additions from the renovation is a trinket-filled curio cabinet installed in the hotel’s common area. On the surface, it reads as a charming collection of small objects referencing Aladdin (1992), Cinderella (1950), Beauty and the Beast (1991), and other Disney films. But nestled among the knick-knacks is a treasure chest brimming with golden coins and a glass bottle that is anything but ordinary.
The Secret Inside the Cabinet
Walt Disney Imagineering recently revealed on Instagram exactly what makes the bottle special. Visual media designer Shay walked through the process of using digital technology to turn a still image of a Disney Cruise Line ship at sea into a living, moving scene in which Tinker Bell illuminates the night sky above the vessel with bursts of fireworks.
See how a touch of pixie dust turns everyday props into something extraordinary, like the curio cabinet with living effects at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
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“These props are full of magic,” Shay said. “They’re alive.”
Guests can find the curio cabinet near the Disney Vacation Club consultation desk in the lobby at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
What is your favorite hidden detail at the Walt Disney World Resort theme parks or hotels? Let Disney Dining know in the comments!
