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Principe Valiente
07-24-2006, 10:27 AM
Hello everyone!
I'll go to Disney in California in September, and I have read that there's some kind of secret club, called "Club 33". Could anyone tell me what the hell is this??? Where is located?? Who can go into the club?? Is there a secret door to access in the club?
I've been in Disney in Florida and in Paris, and there was not a "Club 33"!!!

Opus1guy
07-24-2006, 10:40 AM
It's a private membership club located on the 2nd floor of much of New Orleans Square. It's entrance is next door to the Blue Bayou restaurant. Memberships are many thousands of dollars and the waitlist for memberships is many years long.

The only way to dine there is to become a Member or get a Member to make a reservation for you.

The only other Magic Kingdom that has a Club 33 is Tokyo Disneyland.

There's this recent article:

http://disney.go.com/inside/issues/stories/v050308.html

...and also see my signature just below for a link to my Club 33 web site.

Vegitabeta
07-24-2006, 10:45 AM
Basically, there's a door in New Orleans Square, and a plaque on the wall saying '33'. It's a members only club, and the waiting list to become a member is like years long, and quite expensive:eek:

So for the average person, there's not much chance of getting in:( And yes, it's the only Club 33, because Walt wanted to use it to entertain high up people in his park.

Opus1guy
07-24-2006, 10:53 AM
And yes, it's the only Club 33, because Walt wanted to use it to entertain high up people in his park.

Cough!...

http://members.aol.com/opus1guy/page9.html

;)

Vegitabeta
07-24-2006, 02:01 PM
Cough!...

http://members.aol.com/opus1guy/page9.html

;)
:eek: I was lied to! :eek:

Osky
07-24-2006, 02:07 PM
As further proof, there is a nice set of teacups from Tokyo Disneyland Club 33 on ebay right now. (Note: I am not connected to the auction in any way. I just hapened to stumble across it.)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=001&item=110012237815&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Vegitabeta
07-25-2006, 02:29 AM
Oooh, those are nice:)

MrsPooh
07-25-2006, 10:04 AM
Now that we are talking about the Tokyo Club 33, if you have a membership in DL C33, would it be honored in Tokyo too?

Just curious.

Frogberto
07-25-2006, 10:35 AM
^^I would say almost certainly not.

Osky
07-25-2006, 11:36 AM
Now that we are talking about the Tokyo Club 33, if you have a membership in DL C33, would it be honored in Tokyo too?

From an old thread discussing Club 33 perks:
http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showpost.php?p=489777&postcount=22


- Very Unofficially (meaning you can be told no) and at Manager's and Tokyo Disneyland's discretion, reservations at Tokyo Disneyland's Club 33.

-and-

http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showpost.php?p=660764&postcount=56

Your Club 33, Royal Street membership is specific to Anaheim Disneyland's Club 33 only. There are no official reciprocal agreements or benefits with Tokyo Disneyland's Club 33.

That said...upon request from some respected Members...various Club Managers over the years have occasionally gone to bat for some Members that have desired to visit Tokyo Disneyland's Club 33...and through a series of communications, has arranged for a few Anaheim Members to visit and dine there.

But nothing you can count on and very often Members are told, "Sorry, no."

MrsPooh
07-25-2006, 11:51 AM
Thanks for going to the trouble of posting the links for me, grundler. I guess I could have taken the time to look for it. Sorry! ;)

IMHO, I would think if you payed as much as you do for a Club 33 membership, it should allow you into Tokyo's Club 33 as well.

But my opinion doesn't count! :p ;)

mad4mky
07-25-2006, 12:26 PM
Thanks for going to the trouble of posting the links for me, grundler. I guess I could have taken the time to look for it. Sorry! ;)

IMHO, I would think if you payed as much as you do for a Club 33 membership, it should allow you into Tokyo's Club 33 as well.

But my opinion doesn't count! :p ;)

I agree with you Mrs. Pooh :)

Your opinion counts with me!! ;) :D

MrsPooh
07-25-2006, 12:59 PM
I agree with you Mrs. Pooh :)

Your opinion counts with me!! ;) :D

Aw, thanks M4M! :D

Principe Valiente
07-25-2006, 02:04 PM
Thank you very much for the help!
So, I guess that you must be a Hollywood Star to get into the club, no?

Well. I don't know how, but I'll try to get into the club. I'll say that I am a famous singer in Spain, just like Julio Iglesias, hahaha!!!

Does anyone of you tried to get into before?:fez:

And, have you ever been in The Wilshire Grand L.A.? Perhaps I'll go to this Hotel, and I haven't got any idea about what kind of Hotel is.

Thank you to all, and sorry for my english. I always forgot the book while I was in school, hahaha... :D :D

MrsPooh
07-25-2006, 02:19 PM
Does anyone of you tried to get into before?:fez:



There are a lot of people here that have been to Club 33.

Well, everyone except me! :p

If you find the magic incantation that gets you there, could you share it with me? I don't seem to be able to find it in my Harry Potter book of spells! ;) :D

RStar
07-25-2006, 04:42 PM
That's just wrong, I don't think they should have a Club 33 anywhere else! Call it "Club Tokyo", Club 34, or something......

Malcon10t
07-25-2006, 08:17 PM
Thank you very much for the help!
So, I guess that you must be a Hollywood Star to get into the club, no?

Well. I don't know how, but I'll try to get into the club. I'll say that I am a famous singer in Spain, just like Julio Iglesias, hahaha!!!

Does anyone of you tried to get into before?:fez:
I have yet to eat there, though I have been in the lobby (Walt's Tour perk.) One day I will either 1.) hit the lottery and be able to afford the membership when my name gets to the top or 2.) know someone well enough to get invited. Until then, I will just have to keep reading Opus and Darkbeer.

awinner
07-25-2006, 09:56 PM
I have yet to eat there, though I have been in the lobby (Walt's Tour perk.) One day I will either 1.) hit the lottery and be able to afford the membership when my name gets to the top or 2.) know someone well enough to get invited. Until then, I will just have to keep reading Opus and Darkbeer.

I guess I am really fortunate... one of the presidents for my company (enterprise), has a membership with corporate perks, so we can goto the club anytime we want as long as there is availability....over the past 4 years it has been one of the best perks my company has to offer. My family and I try to go several times a year and are thankful everytime we go.

snappy
07-26-2006, 12:58 AM
I've eaten there several times with friends connected to the media.(print) I also had friends who won entrance through their employment as sales rewards for highest monthly sales. If you really want to go start hitting up friends/relatives/anyone who might have connections. It's not that hard to do. My brother was hired at a law firm that actually has a sign up sheet for club 33 entrance/dinner. He was telling me most people really have no interest in going except the nutts like us on this board. And don't worry I'll be hitting him up soon to go! Club 33 is one of those places you do once and then your appetite is full- filled. Good luck..

MrsPooh
07-26-2006, 07:21 AM
It's not that hard to do.

It is if you live in Reno and don't know anyone with corporate connections. Seriously, how many people outside of California have those kind of corporate connections?

Believe me, if they did I would work on it! :D

MammaSilva
07-26-2006, 07:42 AM
I'm with MrsPooh, now I admit I got blessed/lucky whatever you want to call it and got to go to the club for dinner last December...several things happened that lead to that for me....my niece of choice married well (not finanically just really well, her husband is a sweetheart of the 1st order!) and HE decided that he liked real estate more than his original career path so he changed jobs and thru his work he had a connection that he was able to get our ressies....he has since changed jobs but I never thought it would be more than a "once in a lifetime" opportunity even before we got to go. What I saw when we were there were members who don't 'see' how special the opportunity to dine at the club is for outsiders...I saw members (and I am assuming members cuz I can't imagine a guest of a member behaving in this manner) being rude to the young hostess because they were seating everyone about 30 minutes behind their ressies...I mean it's not like they can go upstairs and tell someone ...hey finish up already and get OUT....I saw one group with a couple of teens that were totally expressing their displeasure to be 'stuck' downstairs by sprawling out on the stairwell and floor...I don't mean sitting on the stairs waiting patiently but total teen spraw and their parents allowing it...I was just like you gotta be kidding ME...our group engaged the hostess in conversation, thanked her for her help (she helped me drop a LOT on stuff LOL)

Opus1guy
07-26-2006, 09:52 AM
IMHO, I would think if you payed as much as you do for a Club 33 membership, it should allow you into Tokyo's Club 33 as well.

There's a reason for this. Tokyo Disneyland is not owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company. It is mostly owned by the Oriental Land Company under license from Disney. For an official reciprocal policy to exist, I'm sure they'd have to set up financial arrangements and accounting systems for this to happen. Something I doubt either company wants to mess with.

So a unofficial "off-the-cuff" deal sometimes exists that allows various Managers to occasionally (sometimes Members are told "Sorry, no.") take care of the very special requests of their most special Members. This is done basically on a personal level Manager-To-Manager as sort of a "do me this favor and I'll do you one someday" type goodwill gesture.


I saw members (and I am assuming members cuz I can't imagine a guest of a member behaving in this manner) being rude to the young hostess because they were seating everyone about 30 minutes behind their ressies...

Well, imagine again. ;)

While that's entirely possible...I'd say the likelihood was slim it was a Member for several reasons.

First, the vast majority of Members are extremely well-behaved, understand the Club's quirks and operational idiosyncrasies, and would likely never do something like that. They might later discuss their disappointment with the Manager in private, but not do something like you described. I'm sure there are a few bad apples, but from my experiences and the high regard the staff feels toward their Members I've gathered from personal off-property off-the-clock discussions I've had with many of the Club's staff...I doubt it was a Member making the scene.

Second, I think some might be surprised to know that on any given day, only a handful of Members actually visit the Club! It's not uncommon on an entire day of operations...to only have 3 Member Reservations the entire day. The vast majority of reservations are Guest Reservations, not Member Reservations...and the Member is not present in-person.

According to my own experience and the comments of staff...the vast...almost 100%...of the "scenes" or other less that stellar activity you might occasionally see up there...are from the Guests of Members. Many of them seem to have an excessive attitude of entitlement when they're up there...acting like "Mr. Bigshot" and bossing the staff around like their poop don't stink. Trying to show-off. What's with some people? Fortunately the really bad apples are pretty rare and the very experienced and long-tenured staff know to expect this and how to deal with it.

Personally...I think some Corporate accounts and some Individual Members don't do enough screening or educating/informing their Guest Reservations to Club 33 these days. That's why you see the occasional man wearing shorts and flip-flops at Dinner sometimes, IMHO.

It's been my experience that most of the rude ones are Guests and not Members.

I'll tell you a bit of history about Club 33 that's sort of related to this:

From the Club's opening in 1967 until 1975, the Club's philosophy was that one of the most important elements of a successful visit to Club 33 was the presence of the Member themselves...in-person. The Club felt that it was the Member's responsibility as the Member and therefore as part of and representing the Club, to be there in-person with their Guests, to act as "The Good Host" as they used to state. The ideal visit had the Member/Host dining with them and informing their Guests about the history of the Club and adding a very personal touch that made the visit special. It also allow the Member to personally oversee their group and head off any problems before they happened.

To sort of encourage this philosophy (and also make a few extra bucks)...up until 1975 a Guest Reservation (where the Member was not present) did not include Complimentary Disneyland Admissions! The Member could arrange for Admission Tickets or Ticket Books...but they were billed for the full retail price of those Admissions...even though these folks were dining at the Club. Comp tickets for all in the party were only a privilege of Member Reservations when the Member was present in-person.

With that, I'm sure you can see how this would discourage Members making Guest Reservations for just anybody...and most only used that function for those who most warranted that kind of expense. Consequently, back in those days...the Club was not always packed like it is now with Guest Reservation parties.

But times changed. There were days when I used to go to lunch there and there might only be two other tables occupied! And Disney (and the Club) wanted to make some more moolah. So that's about when they expanded the number of available memberships greatly, and also then included Complimentary Admissions for Guest Reservation parties to both increase actual Club usage and give more value to the price of membership.

So today vs. "the old days"...the Club is mostly populated with Guest Reservation parties...as the Members now do most of their entertaining by remote control. Today, many Members visit the Club during regular operations only a few times a year. Many mainly visit the Club themselves on "Members Only" event nights that occur once every month or two...that are usually themed Chef's special menus paired and in conjunction with a guest winery and speaker, or themed around some special Disney event or new attraction opening with appropriate Guest Speakers and special access to the attraction or event. These are also quite popular as it allows Members to meet other Members and do some Business-to-Business networking, as well as just general fun socializing.

For it's first decade or so, most Members used the Club only as a perk for their top executives, most important clients, or closest family or friends. Today, many Members will make reservations for just about anyone. And some Corporate Members have sign-up sheets as mentioned above...that anybody in the Company can put a pen to and get a reservation.

I'm not saying any of that's bad. It's just different than "how it used to be." But with the way it's done like that today...you just got to expect "anything can happen" and probably does a lot more than it used to.

:)

Osky
07-26-2006, 10:25 AM
But times changed. There were days when I used to go to lunch there and there might only be two other tables occupied!

Wow! What an experience. I can definitely see the pros and cons of both ways. The evolution of the club is fascinating. Do these changes take place purely at the direction of management, or do members have some sort of say? I could see the change you described above easily dividing the membership. I wonder how many members left as a result to a change like that.

awinner
07-26-2006, 10:29 AM
Once confirmed my company sends out a letter that states the following:
********************************************
Memorandum

Date: July 26, 2006

To: Andrew ****

From: Wendy ***, Executive Assistant
**** Administrative Office, (310) *******

Subject: Club 33 - Disneyland



Your reservation for Club 33 on ****** at 1:45pm for a party of eight (8) has been confirmed.

Park passes will be left for you and your party at the Guest Relations Complimentary Booth located just to the left of Disney’s California Adventure Main Entrance, adjacent to the Guest lockers. You will receive passes that will give you entrance into both Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure park. You will need to show some form of photo identification in order to pick up the passports. If you would like your guests to be able to arrive on their own at different times, we can arrange to have the passes under their names, however, Club 33 will need to be provided with a guest list and the number of passes needed for each name two days prior to your party. You may go into the park earlier than your meal reservation, but please report to Club 33 on time because they will not hold your reservation. If you do not show for your reservation, you will be charged the regular admission rate for the passes plus a $50.00 no-show fee.

The appropriate dress code for Club 33 is as follows: fashionable casual attire (e.g. nice shirt, polo shirt, shorts) is acceptable for lunch. Jeans are acceptable, provided they are not extremely faded or torn. Club 33 requests at least business casual attire (e.g. collared shirt and long pants) for dinner for both men and women. No tank tops, sweats, beachwear, halter tops, or flip flops at any time. Please adhere to this dress code. Club 33 understands that guests may spend the day in the Park, but lockers are available on Main Street to store your evening wear.

Your bill should be taken care of at the finish of your meal (all major credit cards are accepted).

Due to the limited seating capacity of Club 33, it is very important that Club 33 be informed of all cancellations or changes in party size at least 48 hours in advance. A $50.00 no-show fee will be charged if the reservation is not cancelled. If you are unable to reach me personally, it is imperative that you contact Club 33 directly at (714) *******.

You MUST be present with your group during the entire dining reservation at Club 33. Members in your party cannot dine at Club 33 if you are not in attendance. Valid photo identification will be requested. Please keep in mind that you are attending Club 33 under ***** membership. Appropriate behavior at all times is expected. Any and all issues that arise will be reported to **** immediately.************************************** **********

So basically be on your best behavior or it is your butt.

Opus1guy
07-26-2006, 10:37 AM
So, I guess that you must be a Hollywood Star to get into the club, no?

No. That alone won't get them a reservation in the Club. Although most Stars know someone or have a contact they can call who knows someone that can get them a Reservation.


That's just wrong, I don't think they should have a Club 33 anywhere else! Call it "Club Tokyo", Club 34, or something......

That's sort of the thought that went into naming the "Magic Kingdom" in Florida. Originally it was going to be called "Disneyland East" or "Florida Disneyland"...but there were some in the company that felt there should "only ever be one Disneyland, the original"...and so it got named the "Magic Kingdom."

They later regretted that decision...and now "Disneyland's" are around the world today! :)

The Japanese being extremely traditional and "Disneyland" being well-known and revered there...wanted their own Disneyland, no two ways about it. Take that "Magic Kingdom" name and put it up....well...I think you get the idea. :)

Same I think with the name Club 33. The Oriental Land Company knew and loved the history and tradition of the Club from their many visits there...and wanted their very own of the same name. This direct "connection" with the original Club, would help them market and sell more memberships to their Club. And Disney was more than happy to oblige. :)

Perhaps Disney was even thinking about the future at this point, and that more Disneyland's could each have their own Club 33's...and Club 33 might start becoming a well-known name/brand of it's own, in certain circles?

May not have panned out that way quite yet. But that could have been part of their thinking at the time.

:)