Club 33

I'm still amazed that it happened but I was lucky enough to get a reservation for the illustrious Club 33 at Disneyland. For those who aren't Disney fanatics this post may not be of a huge interest to you but for those die hard Disney-ers you know that this is one of the creme dela creme things one can do which is Disney related. There were actually a lot of cool Disney happenings over the weekend but I wanted have a specific post devoted to the Club 33 experience my sons and I had since I know (unfortunately) it is something most people will not get to experience. I won't get too much into the background of the club but the truncated version is that Walt wanted a VIP area in the park and this is pretty much it. The only way to get into Club 33 is to either be a member (which the last time I looked had a very long waiting list and pretty hefty annual fee) or to get a reservation through a member. I am obviously the latter of the two / do not have a membership...yet...yet.

Even causal Disneyland goers may recognize this door in New Orleans Square:

Note that this is not the original entrance. During a tour years ago I was actually able to go into the old lobby area of the old entrance (which is right next to the Blue Bayou). The new entrance is further down the stretch on the left side.

So once our reservation was confirmed we were provided with some tips/guidelines for the club from the member. Luckily, they allowed photos in the area but only stipulated that we could not take photos of the restroom or of any celebrities who may be in the club. On a side note, the bathroom was stunningly detailed with a lot of lush wood and brass. Some other rules involved a dress code and also that we could only show up 5 minutes before the reservation. We had a 2:15 lunch reservation so the dress code is a bit more lax but it did note not to wear bathing suits, sports wear, tank tops, etc. So, essentially no riff raff in the club. Playing it safe. my sons and I wore polo shirts and dress shorts/jeans. If our reservation was for dinner (at or past 5pm), there was a noted strict dress code in which slacks and a collared shirt are required.

An interesting note about this experience was that the reservation is not handled like other park reservations in which you get an email confirmation and can access it from your Disney app and whatnot. It is essentially getting verbal confirmation from the member and that's it. If you have not figured it out yet, I like having my travel plans in complete order beforehand so having that unknown factor all the way until 5 minutes before entrance was a bit nerve-racking. I didn't take a photo of it but there is a doorbell just to the left of the door. After ringing the bell a hostess came out and confirmed my last name and the time of the reservation. Once you enter the door there is a counter with the hostesses to the left and a curio cabinet to the right with some of the merchandise items you can purchase up on the club level. Anyone who dines at the club is able to purchase the merchandise, which is a nice perquisite. We were provided warm towels to cleanse our sullied hands then were guided into the open waiting area. Those who have been to Disneyland years ago will recognize the stairwell as it use to be an open area for photos and character meet and greets.

View from the top of the stairs. The entrance is just to the left of this angle.

Since it is the 50th Anniversary of the Haunted Mansion this was the theme throughout the club, with many of the original pieces from the ride. Presumably they were able to do this since the ride is currently the Nightmare Before Christmas version. You can't really see it well in the photo but the purple streak in between the bars in two photos above is actually a specter/ghost. There were also a bunch of headstones on the ground all around the waiting area. We were provided chilled, floral infused water while we waited for our table. As once can guess, the degree of attentiveness here was exemplary. Even though there were a fair amount of people waiting for a table while we were there, the hostess came directly to me when ours was ready an advised, "Mr. Sanders your table is ready". It wasn't a "Sanders, party of three!" situation. As we made our way up the stairs and to our table we were advised of the restroom locations and were pointed out some of the Haunted Mansion items with reiteration that photos are welcome but no videos. It is interesting to note that there are actually two different dining areas of the club, one for guests and one which requires admittance with a member. So, there is essentially a special section within the special club. Looking down the hallway to the members only section it had wine cabinets on both sides with beautiful wood finishes (much like the restroom). The member area branched off from the left lobby area where there are hosts/hostesses and merchandise while the section for the guests branches off to the right.

Chandelier in the lobby area upstairs

The photos below show what the hallway leading up to the dining room had on both sides. It was pretty surreal / cool seeing the coffin from the ride up close for inspection as we (obviously) had only seen it previously afar in quick passing. In proper Disney fashion, the crow was working / moving its wings with its red glowing eyes, just like in the ride (strangely none of us took a full photo of him but you can see part of him on the left side of the third photo below).

The dining room wasn't extremely big and probably had about 12 to 15 tables of various sizes in total.

Table from Mary Poppins and Mary Poppins Returns

The menu was comprised of a four course meal in which there were multiple options (see photo below), depending on the course. Luckily there were vegetarian options for each choice. I started with a Roasted Beet Carpaccio, followed by a Waldorf Salad, a Sweet Potato Roman Gnocchi for the entree, and ended with Fried Apple Fritters. There was a huge book of cocktail/mocktail choices as well. All three of us chose the Le Raymond Fizz, which was really refreshing. Since they spaced out the courses and cleaned the table after each one the whole meal / experience lasted more than two hours. I didn't take photos of my food; however, my son did, which are posted below with a few photos of the food menu and cocktail/mocktails.

Lacquered front of the menu 

Tempting...tempting...

Smoked Trout Apple Parfait

Autumn Pumpkin Soup

Grilled Petit Filet Mignon

This photo was in the upstairs lobby area near the merchandise cabinets. The eyes of the painting were moving and blinking. Knowing that this would likely be my only Club 33 experience I had to take advantage and purchased some of the merchandise.

Tiki Mugs

Ornament

So, that's the long-short of my Club 33 experience. It definitely made for a much different trip to the park than the plethora of times we visited in the past. It will definitely be remembered forever by me and my sons. But don't worry, it hasn't changed me in the slightest...aside from my attire now consisting of a top hat, cane and a monocle...and I also only ask that you address me as "Club 33-er" moving forward.

If you are as much a Disney history buff as I am, make sure to check out my next post as well as it will have some nice photos of places which the general public are not able to visit.

Next up : Disney Studio Tour / Los Angeles / Burbank