No. Bruns. family wins fairy tale vacation
10-year-old chosen to stay at Cinderella's Castle in Walt Disney World in Nov.
BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer

Sara Perlowitz, 10, stands in front of Cinderella's glass slipper, which she got to personally see as a guest in Cinderella's Castle after she was the winner of the "Year of a Million Dreams" sweepstakes at Walt Disney World in early November.

NORTH BRUNSWICK - For all of the dreams and wishes their hearts made and for all of the times they wished upon stars, the Perlowitz family finally had their dreams come true by winning the Year of a Million Dreams sweepstakes at Walt Disney World in Florida.

With the odds being greater of being struck by lightning or winning the lottery, the North Brunswick family was randomly selected to spend a night in Cinderella's Castle during their vacation in November.

"Dreams come true sometimes, it's that simple," dad Marc said. "It makes you believe that anything you enter that has odds so incredibly small, if it's got to be somebody, why not you?"

Because the family stayed on Disney property at the Caribbean Beach Resort, they had exclusive park access before and after normal operating hours. After visiting the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT on Sunday and Monday, they went to MGM Studios on Tuesday between 8 and 9 a.m. and went to Aerosmith's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster because "we're all roller coaster people," Marc said.

There was no line there, so the family rode again, taking up some more time before they moved on to the Power Rangers and "High School Musical" characters the children wanted to meet. Afterward, they continued on to the MGM Studios Backlot Tour, which is a behind-the-scenes showcase of famous movie and television sets and stunt shows, which Marc was interested in.

It was at the end of this ride that 10- year-old Sara, who was the last person on and the first person off, was greeted by Disney personnel. When the rest of the family joined her, including mom Pam and 7-year-old brother Joshua, they were shown a DVD of the Year of a Million Dreams contest.

"We thought we were winning the DVD player," Sara said.

According to the contest rules, a specific seat on an attraction is randomly generated by a computer for a designated time. Sara happened to be sitting in the last spot of the MGM Studios Backlot Tour around 11:30 a.m. on Tues., Nov. 6, which caused her to be the selected recipient of the grand prize.

"They showed us the suite that we'd seen on TV and I was just like, 'Ahh,'" Pam said. "What if we hadn't gone on [the roller coaster] a second time? Our day wouldn't have progressed the way it did."

"We were at a certain place at a certain time. If we had changed one thing, we wouldn't have been at the right place at the right time," Marc added.

After a background check and the completion of numerous legal forms, the Perlowitzes were sent back to their hotel to pack an overnight bag. They ate a very fast lunch and reported back to the Magic Kingdom by 2 p.m. to be grand marshals of the 3 p.m. Dreams Come True Parade.

The four were given special Mickey Mouse ears and buttons and rode on the Cinderella Castle Suite Winner float, the first one in the procession. With Daisy Duck and the driver also aboard, they cruised down Main Street for 15 minutes, waving to the onlookers and shouting out "New Jersey!"

After the parade, the family, still in disbelief, was escorted through the back door of Cinderella's Castle to the concierge desk. They were taken up to the suite and got settled into the room. Outside of the elevator there was a showcase with Cinderella's glass slipper and her tiara and a gold design etched into the tiles of the floor. Inside, there were two queen beds, a bathroom with a Jacuzzi that had a twinkling sky ceiling, a light-up mosaic, a living room with a couch and two flat-screen televisions.

After settling in, their personal escort, Jason, took the family through the park, giving them exclusive access to any rides they wanted, especially Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Space Mountain and the Mad Tea Party teacups.

"Jason was like a human FASTPASS. Any ride we wanted to go on, we shot right to the front," Marc said.

After the excitement, they were brought back to Cinderella's Royal Table for dinner, where they met the princess herself and watched her Fairy Godmother and two mice dance. After dinner, the kids went to Mickey's Toontown Fair to take photographs and get autographs of Donald, Goofy and Pluto, without the interruption of other park guests.

"It wasn't the rush-rush of all the typical signings," Marc said.

They toured the rest of the park again, watching the fireworks in the middle of Main Street. As the rest of the park visitors left for the night, the Perlowitz family stood in the middle of the street watching everyone leave. Preparing for an 8:45 breakfast time the next day, they returned to their room where some surprises awaited them: a white chocolate sculpture of Cinderella's coach, a fully stocked refrigerator, a bowl of fresh fruit, a collection of Disney DVDs and monogrammed robes saying king, queen, prince and princess.

Although the children went straight to bed, Pam and Marc said they stayed up most of the night in awe of their surroundings. Allowed to call anywhere in the world for free, the adults let their friends and family know just what luck had been bestowed upon them.

"Guess where I'm calling from?" Pam repeated several times that night.

At 1:30 a.m., Pam and Marc heard music from outside their room, and later found out that practice for the Christmas show occurs in the middle of the night because that is the only time to park is empty.

In the morning, the family packed their bags, had breakfast with Winnie the Pooh and his friends at The Crystal Palace, and then were escorted to the Animal Kingdom. With their special buttons and ears, they were easily recognizable and received special treatment for the rest of their stay.

"With Cinderella's Suite, just because you work there doesn't mean you've been there. It's just as much a mystery to 95 percent of the employees as it was to us," Marc said, noting that random workers would inquire about their stay.

Although they were told they could not get onto the Kilimanjaro Safari ride because of an extended wait time just before closing, an employee saw their buttons and got them a FASTPASS so they could see the exhibit.

"We thought we wouldn't get to see it, but we walked to the front of a 90-minute line," Pam said.

The Perlowitzes spent the rest of their vacation in the parks and finally boarded their flight home. They said what made the vacation even more special was the fact that this was the first time the children were on an airplane, and thus the first time they had visited Disney World. They also were happy to experience this as a family.

"You are aware of the Year of the Million Dreams, but it's not something you think about, that they're going to pick you. You're just going about your business," Marc said.

"There is nothing everyday about it. It really is magical," Pam added.