My visit to Club 33 at Disneyland Park

Today I’m going to talk about the exclusive, the secretive, the oh-so-special Club 33 at Disneyland!  My family and I had the pleasure to visit Club 33 on our recent trip to The Disneyland Resort on November 12th, 2018.  Previous to that, my husband and I visited the summer of 2015.

If you’ve never heard of Club 33 before, you’re not the only one.  There’s a reason you haven’t — it’s a secret. Ok it’s not a very well kept secret, but it’s certainly not publicized.  Back in the day, Walt Disney wanted to create an exclusive and private lounge for his corporate sponsors and VIPs — a place to dip away from the crowds of Disneyland and enjoy a little R&R.  The Club was so named as it was located at 33 Royal Street in New Orleans Square (near Pirates of the Caribbean) and opened in 1967.  In 2014, the entrance was moved to 33 Orleans Street. Walt Disney himself designed many of the original elements.

If you walk down the little street between Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion, there is a door with a small “33” etched in glass above it, and a doorbell to the left of the door also with a “33”.  I will tell you about our arrival process as guests of Club 33.

When we arrived, we rang the doorbell, and someone poked their head out the door.  She asked who the reservation was for, and after confirming our reservation, invited us in.  Inside the door is a small room with the reservation desk. Through the next door leads you into the inner courtyard.  This oasis is near enough to the hustle and bustle of the Park that you can hear the crowds beyond the gate. But that just adds to the serenity you feel inside!  In the courtyard is a fountain and some small seating of tables and chairs. Glasses and chilled water flavored with flowers is awaiting on a cart. Last time we were there, the water was cucumber.  

After just a minute, the hostess returned and asked if we were ready to go up for lunch.  First she asked if she could take our family picture on the stairs. This will probably be our Christmas card :).

Up the staircase is the bathrooms to the left (insanely beautiful and no photos allowed) and the entrance to the dining on the right.  Within the entrance is a grand piano, a Club 33 merchandise cabinet, and the entrance to the Member’s Lounge. Since we were not visiting with a member we were not allowed in that lounge.  Straight past the piano is the dining room. Before you get there is a little unassuming table off to the left. Our hostess explained that the table was used in the recent filming of the new movie Mary Poppins Returns.  What a cool item to see!

The dining room is a fairly small room with about a dozen or so tables.  We were seated at a round table and Cliffy had a high chair waiting for him.  Here is what the table setting looked like:

We were greeted and given our menus. Here is what was on the menu as well as the kids menus!  The adult lunch is four courses, and the kids lunch is three. Coming into this, I was sure my kids wouldn’t eat anything there.  They are terrrrrribe eaters. But Club 33 knows kids, and the kid offerings were both sophisticated and edible! Non-threatening! The kids LOVED them!

Here are the pictures of me and Danny’s courses.  Each one was so delicious. It is hard to describe how yummy everything was!  By the time dessert came, I was so very full.

And here is what the kids ate:

Club 33 is simply magically.  It is a decadent oasis amidst the crowds of Disneyland. After the meal, I stepped out onto the balcony overlooking the Park below. I felt like royalty. And that is what Walt Disney had wanted for his guests, to feel special.  

Thank you to my friend who made it possible for us to go.  We loved it so much. The kids were even well behaved! I think they were entranced and felt they were in a special space.  

Here is a video I made of our visit!  Check it out!

Have you been to Club 33 before?  Do you want to go?

Don’t know much about Disneyland?  Start by reading my post here!