Walt Disney World Resort to Offer Quinceanera Celebrations

Quinceanera parties, the traditional Latin coming-of-age celebrations, have arrived at Walt Disney World Resort. From a fully customized celebration based on a family's ideas to pre-designed, themed Quinceanera events that take away all the worry of planning, Disney is offering these tradition-steeped extravaganzas for girls turning age 15 -- a passage from flat-soled shoes and dolls to high heels, elaborate gowns and young womanhood.

For Disney, already experienced in creating lavish occasions such as weddings, offering Quinceanera celebrations to the Hispanic community is a natural. With more than a million Latinas turning 15 in an average year, many may want to combine this tradition with the family fun of Walt Disney World Resort while celebrating their Quinceaneras at the Vacation Kingdom.

Working with Disney event planners, guests can enhance any event with memorable options such as superb elegance befitting a real princess, Cinderella's enchanted crystal coach, and much more. And with a variety of magical settings and venues -- from grand ballrooms to intimate spaces in resort hotels to one-of-a-kind locations at the Disney's MGM Studios and Epcot theme parks, Walt Disney World Resort offers a wide range of possibilities.

Disney-designed Quinceaneras include everything from Disney-style entertainment and food-and-beverage menus to fairy tale linens and specially designed centerpieces, with three choices of theme:

• A Reflection of You -- Your Quinceanera in the midst of the world's most spectacular fireworks displays; "Illuminations: Reflections of Earth" at Epcot. Here the quince girl and her closest friends will enjoy decadent desserts while experiencing Disney's premier nighttime spectacular in a private setting overlooking majestic World Showcase Lagoon. Guests will be captivated by the magical merging of eleven different cultures from around the globe in this unique setting for the ultimate Quinceanera gathering, starting at $1,800.
• Dancing with a Star -- Your Quinceanera celebration dazzles at a designated Disney resort hotel or theme park with a hip, multilingual DJ spinning the latest tunes. With a variety of delicious menu options available, this Quinceanera party can be either reception-style or light buffet dinner with talented Disney chefs preparing an unforgettable meal for the group, at a starting price of $6,900.
• Belle of the Ball -- A Quinceanera dream-come-true, when she becomes princess of this majestic ball. Trees lavished with twinkle lights, floor-length linens pixie dusted with organza, chair covers with sash, artistic centerpieces at the tables, tiered cake, photography, and other elements will make the dining and dancing guests feel like they are in a true royal gathering. Available to groups of 100 or more celebrants, Belle of the Ball is priced starting at $20,000.

This traditional ceremony of the Quinceanera can be enhanced by a Cinderella Castle facade, storybook entrance, horse-drawn carriage and favorite Disney characters.

To celebrate the launch of this new offering, the resort treated a group of lucky debutantes to a memorable Quinceanera on Tuesday, May 1, 2007. A part of "The Year of a Million Dreams" celebration, A Dream Come True Quinceanera honored 15 girls selected from all over the United States and Puerto Rico through an essay contest with the help of Hispanic media partners.

For this very special occasion, Walt Disney World Resort created the most magical Quinceanera party ever planned in any Disney park. It was an unprecedented all-Spanish language-event at the Magic Kingdom Cinderella Castle stage, where dads ceremoniously changed flat shoes for high heels and waltzed with their daughters as they reached young womanhood. The memorable evening included a dinner reception in Fantasyland with mariachis, hip DJ music, a serenade by Grammy Award-winning pop sensation Fonseca and a nearly eleven-foot tiered cake. A fabulous fireworks finale lit up the skies as the Quinceaneras were whisked away in horse-drawn carriages down Main Street, U.S.A. with the rising sun.

The popular "Show de Cristina" on the Univision Spanish language network will air a special edition, A Dream Come True Quinceanera, on May 28 at 10 p.m. ET. Talk show host Cristina Saralegui had the honor of being the Madrina (Godmother) of the enchanted celebration.

David's Bridal, the nation's leading bridal retailer, was also involved, making sure each of the 15 girls was dressed in a manner befitting a princess. They provided a Quinceanera gown and tiara to each. Airfare for Quinceaneras and their families was provided courtesy of Southwest Airlines.

"We are really proud to bring to life an event as significant as A Dream Come True Quinceanera during the celebration of 'The Year of a Million Dreams' at the Disney parks," said Denise Godreau, senior vice president of Global Multicultural Marketing for Disney Parks. "This event, without precedent, combined the magic and the enchantment of Disney with the beautiful tradition that has so much significance for Hispanic families."

For more information, please visit the following websites:

http://www.disneylandespanol.com/quinceanera

http://www.disneyworld.com/quinceanera (English)