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Realityland's David Koenig

New Orleans Square Plunging into Darkness?

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The expansion of Club 33 won’t just cost regular park visitors access to the Court of Angels. The changes are also expected to impact New Orleans Square’s evocative Orleans Street.

Orleans is the street that cuts between Cafe Orleans (which the main Club 33 dining room sits on top of) and the French Market (on top of which the Club’s new lounge will be built). To provide access between the dining room and lounge, a new second story “bridge” is expected to be built crossing Orleans Street above the crystal shop and the perfume shop.

Installation is supposed to happen when Club 33 goes down for construction after the Christmas season. During construction, the two shops will remain open, but their doors that face Orleans Street will be closed to traffic, and merchandise removed from that side of the stores (presumably due to the vibration from construction).

The new bridge, according to one employee, “has New Orleans Square cast members in a tizzy. This bridge will be a disaster to the Square, as it will block sunlight to the shops and spoil the area’s design. It will obstruct the view of Orleans Street.”

I haven’t heard if this will be a closed or an open bridge. Each has their pluses and minuses. Any elaborate, enclosed bridge (like the one that crosses over Royal Street to connect the Club’s current entrance to the main dining room) would box the street in, plunging the back half into darkness.

Another possibility is an open-air bridge. There are currently French doors in the Club’s current Lounge Alley that open to wrought iron balconies. The easiest fix would be to retain the doors and replace the balcony with a wrought iron bridge. Although such a walkway would have far less impact on the Square’s architecture, the sight of booze-toting diners parading across it would be even more conspicuous. Then again, throw some beads around their necks and maybe Disneyland’s facsimile French Quarter starts looking even more like the original.

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Comments

  1. olegc's Avatar
    you can't have an open air bridge and expect to have servers bring food, drinks, etc. across it to the other dining area -or I guess the "jazz club" which is what is expected on top of the French Market. due to weather conditions (who wants rain water on their entree) they will have to use an enclosed bridge.

    Bummer - but I guess you can just point to that waiting list of members and all the folks who want a shot at dining there (me included). Demand will entice management to do whatever it takes to get that dollar.

    BTW - if they put a jazz club on top of french market, what will that do to the entertainment in the french market stage? Its so blue-sky right now you can't tell what they plan on doing - but it would be another public-guest disaster to lose performing acts for us for the sake of the Disneyland 1%ers (and I point the finger at management here, folks).
  2. David Koenig's Avatar
    Oleg, the bridge would be a second entrance to the jazz club, designed to direct-connect the lounge to the dining room. I'd expect servers to use the other entrance, from the club entrance hallway and, I would assume, a little closer to the kitchen.
  3. olegc's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by David Koenig
    Oleg, the bridge would be a second entrance to the jazz club, designed to direct-connect the lounge to the dining room. I'd expect servers to use the other entrance, from the club entrance hallway and, I would assume, a little closer to the kitchen.
    ah - thank you.
    [edit] Well, on second thought, I went and looked at a photo of the model shown to members concerning the expansion. And, if indeed the entrance is now the Court's staircase, then the only way to get into the club that way will have servers trying to move past folks entering the club and either funneling to the dining room or into the lounge. This is without any knowledge of where the kitchen is in relation to the entrance, etc However, if the kitchen is back on the left side of the image (closer to the dining room and the old trophy room) then it would make more sense from a service point of view to not bring large trays of entrees, etc, past guests who are just entering the club and instead route it to a more internal path. And, if the only one is a bridge between the two buildings, then I think that it would be enclosed. As with anything at Disneyland you won't be able to tell until they finally build it. The image I looked at is here - http://www.imagineeringdisney.com/bl...expansion.html
    Updated 12-09-2013 at 11:52 AM by olegc
  4. David Koenig's Avatar
    Yes, kitchen will be in current Trophy Room. Not sure if there will be roasted vulture on the new menu.
  5. Drince88's Avatar
    Sorry, but
    throw some beads around their necks and maybe Disneyland’s facsimile French Quarter starts looking even more like the original.
    doesn't cut it.
    There are balconies and galleries in the 'real' French Quarter - but no walkways/bridges over streets.
  6. DisneyGator's Avatar
    I guess anything goes when Disney wants to sell more booze - no doubt the reason Club 33 is getting it's upgrade.