Terwilliger and her family -- husband Shane and 6-year-old daughter Marissa -- were randomly selected to be the first guests ever to sleep in the Disneyland Dream Suite, a luxurious apartment that sits above Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Disneyland's New Orleans Square. The Terwilligers asked vacationing friends to join them.

"I couldn't help but have a glowing, gleaming smile on the whole time," Terwilliger said of her experience, which included a night in the suite, a ride on Walt Disney's firetruck as honorary grand marshal of the Parade of Dreams ("What a rock-star moment!"), a Dream Fast Pass that allowed the families to go to the front of every line, and a special after-hours tour of the magical kingdom.

That tour through the deserted streets of Disneyland was particularly magical.

"They left on the lights and music for us," Terwilliger said. "The girls insisted on wearing the plush robes (provided as part of the turn-down service in the suite) over their clothes. We danced in the streets like princesses."

They slept like royalty as well. The design and decor of the Disneyland Dream Suite is based on drawings overseen by Walt Disney in the 1960s but never implemented. Until now.

The two-bedroom suite is filled with beautiful objects and special-effects surprises that include a fireplace with flames that spark like tiny fireworks and a grandfather clock that, when the hour strikes, sets different objects in the room moving to music.

Terwilliger is still bowled over by all she saw and experienced. "There was a lot of magic to absorb," she said.

Disneyland will award a stay in the Dream Suite to a randomly selected park visitor most days this year. The rest of us must make do with less magic and more predictable accommodations when we visit the Disneyland Resort. But that doesn't mean we can't spoil ourselves.

For die-hard Disney fans, getting spoiled means staying at a Disneyland Resort hotel. Three on-site options -- Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, the Disneyland Hotel and Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel -- each has its own character, amenities and price tag that is, not surprisingly, higher than comparable hotels in the neighborhood. But then it's not every day you get to sleep at the "Happiest Place on Earth."

Here is a comparison of your on-site accommodation options at the Disneyland Resort.