Club 33 is legion among fans of Walt Disney and all things Disneyland. It’s the place that many have heard of but few have ever actually been able to experience. Naturally the mysteriousness alone was enough to whet my appetite and force me to do my best to make sure that a visit to the establishment became part of my “Dreams Come True Tour” of Southern California during my week there in October. After many years of drooling over the mental images and speculation of what could be found inside Club 33, I finally got my chance to enter its doors on October 8, 2008.
Walt Disney got the idea to develop Club 33 when he noticed the many VIP lounges at the 1964 World’s Fair. He wanted to have a place at Disneyland where visiting dignitaries and Corporate sponsors could enjoy a private dinner and drinks. A common theory as to where the name Club 33 originated was that it was in reference to the 33 original sponsors of Disneyland. There has never been a positive confirmation as to the origin of the name. Adjacent to the restaurant, a back entrance was included so that Walt and his family would have easy access to the restaurant from their Disneyland apartment.
Club 33 did not open until May of 1967, five months after Walt Disney’s death, but at least portions of idea still flourished. Nestled in New Orleans Square next to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, the restaurant is denoted by a single “33” sign outside a single door. Fans can often be found milling about outside the door waiting for it to open so that they can get a quick glimpse of the lobby. In fact, I had been one of these looky-loos in the past, and had actually made it into the lobby…but no further. This time, it was not a drill. This was for real.
Excited as a schoolboy to get in
The gang ready to enter
My friend Rick Greene had somehow gotten into Club 33 a couple of years before this visit, so I asked him what the chances were of getting our party in when I came for this October 2008 visit. How does he get in, you might ask? Well, he doesn’t even quite know the answer to that question. But in a nutshell, it’s through a friend of a friend who has a Corporate Membership to Club 33. By the way, if you are interested in a membership, the waiting list is now fourteen years. Cost of membership is over $10,000 with an annual fee of over $3,000. Good thing I know Rick, huh?
Rick was able to make the reservation 60 days before our visit to the park. Entrance to the restaurant also included free tickets into the park itself. We had our reservations set for 1:45pm, so after our morning at California Adventure, it was nearly time to head to the restaurant as we crossed over into Disneyland.
When the time came, Rick allowed me to do the honors and ‘buzz in’ and state the name of our party into the outdoor speaker. The door opened and we were greeted by a young lady who invited us in. The only catch was that we had added an additional person to our party. Originally our reservations were for eight, but Cassidy had decided to go along to Disneyland with us, and thought that it wouldn’t hurt to ask if she might be permitted to join us for lunch. Fortunately, they were kind enough to allow us to bring in an extra person so we all were permitted passage through though ever divisive doors.
Rick and I demand entry
In the lobby, we posed for our group photo and some of us went up in the antique-style glass lift. I took the stairs, but opted for the elevator on the way down. Walt Disney had seen one of these lifts in France, and unable to purchased the elevator, had an exact replica created for Club 33. Upstairs we moseyed past the food bars, the wet bar, and the numerous relics that adorned the hallway, and into the main dining room.
Okay, so far we’ve made it to the lobby
Bob and me and the lift
Club 33 is actually very small, with large dining area that only contained about a dozen tables, and a smaller more intimate dining room that contained only ten or so smaller tables. Lunch was $69 and included all-you-can-eat on the appetizer bar, an entree of your choice, and the all-you-can-eat gourmet dessert bar. For my entree I chose the Colorado lamb chop, with cherry port reduction, and apricot couscous. Cassidy got the Norwegian salmon. I mention this only because I ended up eating most of her entree. She was a little full from the pickle she had eaten at California Adventure.
Rick, Cassidy, and I peruse the menu
Ellen and Jimmy
David and Bob, obviously glad to be there
Kris and Big Jimmy
The whole gang at Club 33
Along with the meal, I got a White Russian, mainly because one of the interesting facts about Club 33 is that it is the only location in Disneyland where one can purchase mixed drinks. The food of course was all delicious, particularly the amazing dessert bar. Whether it would have been worth the hefty price tag under different conditions might be debatable, but having the opportunity to visit Club 33 made the cost for the experience a no-brainer.
My appetizer plate
The traditional White Russian, but with a Club 33 swizzle stick
Brad had a little lamb
My dessert selection
Cassidy is pleased with her choices
Bob ready to fork the desserts
After dinner, we were free to roam around the two rooms taking pictures and exploring the facility. Props from the films Mary Poppins (a table) and The Happiest Millionaire (a glass phonebooth), as well as Mrs. Walt Disney’s harpsichord were on hand. We also had a restaurant employee give us a little history of the place, pointing out some of Walt’s unrealized dreams in the small dining room. These included a wall filled with wiring where he had hoped to hook up an array of animatronic animals to carry on conversations with the guests, and microphones that were built into the light fixtures so that the operators of the animatronics could hear what the guests were saying.
With the table used in Mary Poppins
The view from Club 33…down on the common folk
The other dining room. Animatronic wiring was built into the walls by Walt Disney…but never used. The light fixture was equipped with a microphone…also never used.
Can’t take these boys anywhere
Club 33 or bust!
In all, we spent about two hours and fifteen minutes inside Club 33. It really had been a dream come true to visit this iconic Disney location. Even though the magic of a subsequent visit would certainly pale in comparison to the first, I would still like to do it again sometime.
Return to Disneyland 2008…
I hope that they hadn’t run out of apple pie before you arrived.
Dad
February 24th, 2009