Club 33

[MK]

I have a cool opportunity that some of you Disney fans should find interesting. In a week or so I am taking my seven year old daughter to Disneyland. She has been once before when she was three. Now that she is a bit older, it will be a whole different experience. She can handle the more intense rides now.

One treat that is more for her mother and I, is that we will be having lunch at Disneyland's exclusive members only club. It is hidden behind a very unassuming door in New Orleans square. Unless you know what to look for, you would never even notice it. It is called Club 33. There are various stories and rumors about it, but the one thing that is known for sure is that Walt built it to entertain VIPs.

Only members and their guests are permitted. One of my writers is a major Disney nut. About 10 years ago he took me to lunch there through another Disney friend of his who was a member. I remember the food being good and I really enjoyed the whole hidden club thing. After being on the waiting list for eight years.....AND paying the $10k initiation fee...my writer is now a member. I guess it works for him. I will just be glad to be able to have a nice meal and get a break from the park. One other distinction Club 33 has is that it is the only place in the park where you can get a real drink. Of course I won't indulge.

I imagine after a nice break I will be ready for a few more rides on Pirates of the Caribbean and the Indiana Jones Adventure.

 

[KittyT]

Very interesting! You'll have to try to sneak some photos for us

 

[Nashoba]

Ooh I'm jealous! I have friends who have been there. I have one friend who was able to get one of the staff members who works in the club to take a picture of him getting 'kicked out'. One of his favorite photos. [huh] I also have a few friends of mine who are actors/actresses and have 'performed' there for some of the theme parties that they've done. Very cool stuff.What a thrill, Have a blast!

 

[Foofoogal]

Wow. Congratulations. Couldn't happen to a more deserving hard working person.
Hope you all have a fabulous time as a family and hope your little sweetheart makes memories she will tell you about when she is grown.
A special room for the adults and a blast for the child. What more could you want. lol Life is good.............

 

[Chanfan]

Wow, that's the deal of a lifetime. I used to frequent the alt.disney.disneyland newsgroup, and we'd often get reports from folks lucky enough to get an invite there. If I recall, a reservation includes admittance to the park. Plus, it's the only place in Disneyland to get a tipple, how could one not indulge?

I'm crazy jealous, but well deserved, MK. I know if I ever got in, it would be tempting to break the bank on the memorabilia they sell. I did get a snap of my wife and I in front of the door, on one of our last trips.

There's some webpages out there collecting photos of the club - many are linked of the Wikipedia article on it.

 

[rumblefish]

After being on the waiting list for eight years.....AND paying the $10k initiation fee...my writer is now a member.

.

Can I be one of your writers?



My brother works for Sikorsky Helicopters, a part of United Technologies Corporations. UTC built The Living Seas exhibit at Epcot. We get a Coke and the head of the line if we go Biiiiiiiig deal!

Enjoy your Vacation!

 

[Foofoogal]

A harpsichord which was rumored to have been an antique was in fact custom-built for Lillian Disney specifically for use in Club 33. The underside of the lid features a Renaissance-style painting that was actually done by Disney artists. Elton John has played this harpsichord, Bracco told Bloomberg News, and it can be played by anyone who sits at it.

Well gee. Just to be able to play the harpsichord would make me not sleep nights till I would get to go.
You better come back and splash all the details on us.

 

[rikrdo]

Oh Yeah !!
well, I can get beer and wine at California Adventure :rage:


lol
I am SOOOOOooooooo jealous.




Have a great time.....we'll be there on Fathers Day but my invite to the Club hasn't arrived yet.

 

[BakingInPearls]

I memeber going when I was five years old or so, now I pass it by in the park thinking how wonderful it would be to go back and see it again. The door is painted in the color I call No Seeum Green, it's the color Disney paints anything they don't want noticed. Hope you have a wonderful time and enjoy the nice atmosphere and most of all drinks!

 

[MrNewportCustom]

That ranks right up there with when Jay Leno gave my brother and me a personal tour of his garage and collection!

Enjoy, MK! As was said before, give us details!


Lee

 

[Lincsong]

Now that is just awesome.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Congrats... I think you'll have a lot fun. There isn't anything like it.

 

[Quigley Brown]

I'm trying to figure out how to make Mickey Mouse ears out of the number 33. That must be the reason it's called that, isn't it?

 

[Tomasso]

Club 33 came up in conversation with freinds a few years ago pertaining to the myriad of small esoteric private clubs secreted across America and Europe. Somebody should devote a website to the subject.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Someone told me that it was named for the 33 people who backed Disney in the Disneyland venture. According to the employees that's not true.

 

[Chanfan]

Wikipedia says:

"There are various origins that have been claimed for the name "Club 33." One says that Club 33 was named for Disneyland's 33 sponsors at the time, one of which was Chevron. Another explanation is that Walt Disney chose the name simply because he liked the way "33" looked. Another, given by a Club 33 employee, says that since Walt wanted to serve liquor in the Club he had to obtain a liquor license - which requires a full street address. Walt, wanting to protect Disneyland's alcohol-free status, didn't want to use the park's Harbor Boulevard address, so he ordered that all the buildings in New Orleans Square (then under construction) be given addresses. According to the employee, "33" was chosen because Walt's lucky number was 3. One explanation, arguably the most common, is that "33" when turned on its side bears similarity to two letter "M"s, as would stand for "Mickey Mouse." In actuality, it was the address assigned to the door by chance -- all of the buildings in the square have addresses, but they are internally-designated numbers. According to Snopes.com, the address listed on Disney's liquor license is their general-delivery location."

 

[rikrdo]

This is as close as we got !