Club 33
Wikipedia
Disneyland History for Middle School Readers
Club 33 is a set of private lounges located in three of The Magic Kingdoms, which are parts of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts.
The first location of the private club is located in the heart of New Orleans Square within Walt Disney's original Magic Kingdom of Disneyland. The club replaced The Disney Room of the Red Wagon Inn (now Plaza Inn) at Central Plaza where Mr. Disney would often personally host U.S. Presidents, members of royalty, and other heads of state, as well as various other dignitaries and celebrities.
While Club 33 has now been publicized with abandon, The Walt Disney Company originally maintained the existence of the private lounges with a high degree of discretion, as Disneyland had always held the philosophy that every guest is a "V.I.P." The club was intended specifically to host executives of firms with which The Walt Disney Company holds strategic alliances.
The official explanation states Club 33 gets its name from the address of 33 Royal Street in New Orleans Square at Disneyland. A rumor speculates that the name refers to 33 institutional patrons at Disneyland in 1966-1967 when the club was being built and opened. Coincidentally, however, 1933 is the year in which the Constitutional prohibition of alcohol ended in the United States just as Walt Disney's posthumous founding of Club 33 in 1967 ended his previous prohibition of alcohol within The Magic Kingdom of Disneyland.
Membership of the clubs is not transferable between resorts. 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.
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.
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.
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. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The first location of the private club is located in the heart of New Orleans Square within Walt Disney's original Magic Kingdom of Disneyland. The club replaced The Disney Room of the Red Wagon Inn (now Plaza Inn) at Central Plaza where Mr. Disney would often personally host U.S. Presidents, members of royalty, and other heads of state, as well as various other dignitaries and celebrities.
While Club 33 has now been publicized with abandon, The Walt Disney Company originally maintained the existence of the private lounges with a high degree of discretion, as Disneyland had always held the philosophy that every guest is a "V.I.P." The club was intended specifically to host executives of firms with which The Walt Disney Company holds strategic alliances.
The official explanation states Club 33 gets its name from the address of 33 Royal Street in New Orleans Square at Disneyland. A rumor speculates that the name refers to 33 institutional patrons at Disneyland in 1966-1967 when the club was being built and opened. Coincidentally, however, 1933 is the year in which the Constitutional prohibition of alcohol ended in the United States just as Walt Disney's posthumous founding of Club 33 in 1967 ended his previous prohibition of alcohol within The Magic Kingdom of Disneyland.
Membership of the clubs is not transferable between resorts. 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.
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.
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.
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. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.