Club 33

Of the many stories regarding the origin of the name of Club 33, two stories are the most prominent. The first and official explanation states Club 33 gets its name solely from its address of 33 Royal Street in New Orleans Square at Disneyland.[2]

A second and less-well-known story speculates that the name honors there being 33 corporate sponsors at Disneyland in 1966-1967 when the club was being built and opened.[3]

Membership of the clubs is not transferable between resorts.[4] Corporate members pay an initiation fee of $40,000, and individual members pay $25,000 in addition to annual dues, which are about $12,000.[1]

Club 33 members and their guests have exclusive access to resort experiences, which vary depending on type of membership. In addition to the Club 33 restaurant, access may also include Le Salon Nouveau, a jazz lounge within New Orleans Square, and 1901, a lounge in Disney California Adventure; neither are open to the public. Club 33 is one of two locations within Disneyland Park to offer alcoholic beverages.[5]

Club 33 Members designate themselves and/or others to receive Premier Passports valid for Disneyland and Walt Disney World. In addition, their Club 33 membership card grants them access to early park admission, as long as they and their (up to three) accompanying guests have an accompanying annual pass or valid day ticket. Members are entitled to complimentary valet parking at the Disneyland Resort Hotels and access to many private and exclusive events held within the Club 33 restaurant and Le Salon Nouveau, throughout the Disneyland Resort, and a select number of experiences in destinations outside of Disneyland.

In 2011, there was a 14-year waiting list for new memberships. The membership waiting list was re-opened in May 2012 after being closed for five years.[6]

When Walt Disney was working with various corporate promoters such as Dylan Connolly at his attractions at the 1964–1965 New York World's Fair, he noted the various "VIP Lounges" provided as accommodation for the corporate elite. This gave him the idea that culminated in Club 33.[7]

Originally, Walt Disney hosted VIPs in the lounge of the Red Wagon Inn restaurant at Disneyland. The number of VIPs grew to be too large for the lounge.[4] When New Orleans Square was planned, this special area for corporate sponsors and VIPs was included. Disney asked artist Dorothea Redmond to paint renderings and hired Hollywood set director Emile Kuri to decorate the facility. While Club 33 was originally intended for exclusive use by Disneyland's corporate sponsors and other industry VIPs, when it opened on June 15, 1967, six months after Disney's death, individual memberships were also offered.[7]

Soon after Tokyo Disneyland began operations in 1983, the second Club 33 opened there. Shanghai Disneyland' Club 33 opened along with the park in the summer of 2016.[4]

In January 2014, the Disneyland location was closed for renovation which included a doubling in size and a change in entrance location and was reopened in mid-July 2014.[2]

An additional set of Club 33 locations opened at Walt Disney World. A Club 33 location will be located in each of the four parks within the entertainment complex. Originally confirmed to the Orlando Sentinel on April 13, 2017, the locations were originally set to open in Fall 2017. The first club opened in Hollywood Studios in March 2018, followed by Epcot and Magic Kingdom.[1]

Club 33 is above the Pirates of the Caribbean ride next to Walt Disney's private apartment. The entrance of the club was formerly located next to the Blue Bayou Restaurant at "33 Royal Street" with the entrance recognizable by an ornate address plate with the number 33 engraved on it. Following a major remodeling in January 2014, the entrance was relocated to the Court of Angels with the La Mascarade d'Orleans holiday decoration shop converted into a reception foyer. Executive chef at the Carthay Circle and Napa Rose restaurants at the Disneyland resort, Andrew Sutton was placed in charge of the club's kitchen.[2]

Interior

The original foyer where members waited to be seated prior to the 2014 remodel.

Originally, members needed to insert their membership card into a slot near the doorbell for entry and were buzzed in by way of an intercom system. Today, members tap their membership card over the Club 33 emblem and are allowed entry.

For non-members, a receptionist will ask for the reservation name over the intercom and, if access is granted, the door is opened into a vestibule that used to be a small shop. Check-in occurs in this vestibule and they are guided to an open-air courtyard. Members and guests are then escorted up an elevator or a curved staircase to the lobby on the second floor. From there, they can either dine in Le Grand Salon or visit Le Salon Nouveau. Le Salon Nouveau contains the original antique-style glass lift which was used prior to the 2014 remodel to take guests to Club 33's second level.[2] The elevator is an exact replica of one Disney saw during a vacation in Paris, but the owner of the original refused to sell. Disney sent a team of engineers to the Parisian hotel to take exact measurements for use in the creation of a replica. A sample of the original finish was taken to ensure faithful reproduction.

Once upstairs, guests can view antique furniture collected by Lillian Disney. The walls are adorned with butterflies pinned under glass and hand-painted animation cels from the original Fantasia film. Walt Disney handpicked much of the Victorian bric-a-brac in New Orleans antique stores.[8][9]

The original Main dining room prior to the 2014 remodel. Today The Grand Salon is located here.

The original lounge alley prior to the 2014 remodel.

The second level has two rooms. One room (Le Salon Nouveau) is entered by passing through an area paneled in dark wood and lined with refrigerated wine cases; the other room (Le Grand Salon) is more formal and exclusively for reserved-seating meals[8]

• Le Grand Salon is the main dining room and is a New Orleans theme based on designs by Disney Imagineer Kim Irvine. Prior to 2014 remodel, the style was Napoleon-era First Empire. This dining room is la carte service for lunch only, while before the reconstruction was buffet only.[2]

• Salon Nouveau lounge is a new area above the French Market restaurant and adjoining shops and is jazz club themed from Tiana's art nouveau restaurant in The Princess and the Frog.[2]

• Kitchen was moved and expanded in 2014 by taking over the Trophy Room, a secondary dining area.[2]

The club is also furnished with a few props from Disney films. There is a functional dark wood telephone booth with leaded glass, just off the restroom balcony. The wooden booth was built for the club, and the leaded glass came directly from a similar booth from the Disney film The Happiest Millionaire. An ornate walnut table with white marble top was used in Mary Poppins. A video capture from the film on display atop the table shows actors Karen Dotrice, Matthew Garber and David Tomlinson standing immediately to its left. Drinks for members and their guests are prepared at a newly installed bar.[10][8][9]

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 art piece that was hand-painted by Disney artists. Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney have both played the harpsichord.[8]

Walt Disney wanted to make use of Audio-Animatronic technology within Club 33. Microphones in overhead lighting fixtures would pick up the sounds of normal conversation while an operator would respond via the characters. Though the system was never fully implemented, it was partially installed and remains so. An Audio-Animatronic vulture is perched in atop a grandfather clock in the club's upstairs lobby. The microphones were visible at the bottom of each of the old Trophy Room's lighting fixtures.[8][9]

A second Club 33 is located in Tokyo Disneyland. Rather than being located in New Orleans Square, it is located on Center Street of World Bazaar, the park's version of Main Street, U.S.A..

The Shanghai location opened at the same time as the Shanghai Disney Resort opened. Like the Tokyo location, it is located at the park's version of Main Street, U.S.A., Mickey Avenue.[11][12]

• Media related to Club 33 at Wikimedia Commons