Club 33 Disney: Disney's Mysterious and Exclusive Club

You must have heard about the mysterious Club 33 Disney.

Or else, he passed through New Orleans Square and perhaps noticed a discreet blue door there.

Well, this is the secret club founded by Walt Disney himself.

To know everything about the place, what it is like inside, what to do to enter this exclusive and mysterious environment, keep following the article until the end.

Undoubtedly, some facts will surprise you, check them out.

Club 33 Disney: New Orleans' most secret spot

Disney's Club 33 is a private space located in the square of New Orleans, in the Disneyland section. 

The entrance is close to the Blue Bayou Restaurant, located at 33 Royal Street.

In this way, it is possible to recognize it, as it has a large and ornate number 33 right on the door.

the members of Club 33 Disney and their companions have access to the on-site restaurant and other facilities.

There, it is the only area in the park that sells alcoholic beverages and, however, it is not open to the general public. 

Learn more about Disney exclusive club drinks

A curiosity is that in Club 33 Disney a wine can cost up to U$1000, but it must be reserved in advance with the managers or owners of the park.

In addition to this drink and beer, there is a full and well-stocked bar there, with various types of drinks from all over the world. 

Members have free passes at the theme parks, in fact, on certain days, there are special attractions just for them.

They also have a valet parking space for the Disneyland Resort, plus access to Lilly Belle and the presidency area on the Disney. 

Every year, the members of Club 33 Disney earned 6 Fastpasses a day, while fastPass still worked.

That is, it was a super advantage, as they do not have to face any queue to enjoy the park's attractions.

The origin of the name Clube 33

Like every good mystery, this one also has several stories in different versions, but here the two main ones will be told. 

The first one is that the choice of this name is because of the address that is at “33 Royal Street”. 

In fact, this is the official version of the story, as told by any manager or owner of the parks.

On the other hand, the second idea about the origin of the name Club 33 Disney it's already quite different.

The secret version of a secret club

Just before its inception, Disneyland needed a lot of investment to be a success.

In this way, Walt disney, its inventor, asked several investors to take part in this idea. 

In return, he would give her the chance to advertise her companies in the parks.

So, he decided to found a place where he could offer meals and entertainment to the members of that space.

Away from the hustle of parks and family. In this way, he created the most discreet, elegant and mysterious club of all time, right next to his apartment.

It is noteworthy, however, that Walt died about six months before the Club 33 Disney be ready, that is, it was left without a name. 

On the opening day, 33 sponsors appeared, so it became Disney's Club 33.

The beginning of Club 33 Disney

Still under construction, Walt asked artist Dorothea Redmond to paint some parts of the place. In addition, he also called on Emil Kuri to decorate the spaces of each environment. 

On May 30, 1967, the opening of the Club 33 Disney.

So, as was said, in the beginning the place would only be for the sponsors of the parks, as well as some members VIPs of the industry.

However, it was later considered to offer a pass to whoever was most interested.

In 2010, a 14-year waiting list was found for someone to become a member of the exclusive Disney club.  

See what the maximum number of Club 33 members is

The same, in fact, can only have 487 participants. In fact, everyone has to pay a fee to join the Club.

In the case of some company, it is worth U$27,500. On the other hand, for anyone, U$10.500.

There is also an amount to be paid every year, in the first case it is U$6.100, in the second case it is U$3.275.

Discover the interior of Club 33 Disney

At the Club 33 Disney, the person must press a hidden bell on the door, just behind a panel.

A receptionist will come to ask for your details over an intercom.

So, if you are free, entry is allowed, there will be a hall all decorated.

Once inside, you can go to level 2 via a glass elevator filled with ancient ornaments.

In fact, the inspiration for it came from a hotel in Paris that Walt Disney himself loved.

So much so that he sent an engineer to the site in order to take all the dimensions of the elevator to make an exact copy in the Club 33 Disney.

On this floor, there are two rooms: a trophy room, with darkened wood paneling, as well as a dining room, in a more formal style, but in a lighter space, learn more details below.

See what Level 2 of Club 33 Disney looks like

When you get there, you can see several old furniture, collected by Lillian Disney.

Much of the decor there has a Walt touch, from the walls with butterflies behind glass, to the hand-painted animations taken from the movie ?Fantasia? gives Disnhey.

Of course, objects from the cinematographic works themselves could not be missing. For example, there is a telephone booth that was used in ?When the heart does not grow old?.

In addition, a marble-topped table was in the “Mary Poppins” sets.

At the Club 33 Disney it also has a very old piano, in fact, one of the most famous items in the place, as it was built by Lilian Disney.

Many artists came to play the instrument, in fact, some very famous like Elton John and Paul McCartney.

However, nowadays it is not working anymore.

The Club's Trophy and Dining Room

The first was a space decorated with several animal trophies, but Walt Disney's family members removed them all over time.

However, there are several photos scattered around the environment, showing what it was like before.

The Dining Room has a door that gives access to a balcony that has a view of New Orleans Square. 

Disneyland guests who take a tour of the park where it was built, pass through the entrance hall of the Club 33 Disney and you even have the chance to get into the glass elevator, but nothing more.

The Disney Club Team

It is known that the entrance is marked with a discreet blue door, no doubt to go unnoticed by many. 

Then there's a very classic lobby and then access to the Lounge Alley Bar, where members sample drinks.

The Trophy Room, on the other hand, is a kind of room for the memories of the Club 33 Disney, with several pictures of Walt, items and a huge dining table.

In the main dining room, there aren't many tables and the decor has a very vintage feel, it's as if you were transported to a different century.

The staff is very old and very well trained, but the highlight among them is Dr. Lee.

The famous Dr. Lee

Many have already worked in Club 33 Disney, but the most unforgettable of all, without a doubt, was Lee Williams, called by his clients Dr. Lee. 

He started his story in Disney in 1981, being a Disneyland tour operator. Sometime later, however, he was transferred to the exclusive club as a dishwasher and waiter. 

Much praised by the members of the place, he ended up being promoted to bartender.

So he started a bartending course and learned to mix different drinks, what made him most famous was his combination of Manhattans and Lemon Drops.

Dr.Lee retired in 2007, but nowadays he has a blog where he reports various experiences of his during the nearly three decades working on the Club 33 Disney. 

The Tokyo 33 Club

There is another secret club at Tokyo Disneyland. But, it is not in a square like the one in New Orleans, but in the street called “Center Street off World Bazaar”.

It is worth noting that the privileges that US members have are not the same as those of Japan and vice versa.

Learn how to enter Disney's secret bar

The existence of the site was a secret for many years. In fact, many saw the large number 33 and thought it was just a detail.

But, some rumors began to emerge, as well as the curiosity to know what the interior of the Club 33 Disney.

It is known that the simplest plan to be an exclusive member of it has an initial fee of US$ 25,000 and an annual fee of US$ 10,000. 

In order to be a Platinum-level participant, entitled to mysterious and unknown advantages to the public, it is necessary to pay US$ 100 thousand plus US$ 30 thousand per year. 

There are also options for companies with access to the club's secret bar for their employees.

But, all this requires patience, as the waiting list is quite long to say the least.

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