Thursday, November 12, 2015

A Walk in the Park: Disneyland Edition - Club 33

By Daisy Sparks




Tucked away in New Orleans Square in Disneyland is a simple door. It blends in well, barely noticeable, except for the large plaque brandishing the number 33 marking its address, 33 Royal Street. Yet behind that simple door lies the most exclusive club in America, housing priceless Disney artifacts and an experience that does have a price…and it is hefty. Let's take a look around this beautiful Disneyland treasure in this week's Walk in the Park article...

Most Disneyland visitors and Cast Members, too, are unaware that there is a secret dining area inside the Park. Diehard Disneyland fans dream of getting a chance to enter these secret doors. Located in New Orleans Square, Club 33 is simply named for the address it is located at.








There is a new grand entrance to Club 33. The old door remains in its location. It remains a hidden (or not so hidden) treasure. The new door is bigger and doorbell is more fancy. It features their new logo.








Upon entering, we were shown to a waiting area referred to as the Court of Angels. This area used to be accessible to all Guests. The area always provided a great photo opportunity and was never too crowded either.








One of the reasons that the Club took this area over is that there was never a waiting area for Club Guests. The area makes sense for this elusive club. A new faux stain glass gate was erected to close the area to the general public. The space is now an intimate patio area used to create a unique environment only for Club Guests. A new elevator was also installed in order to be compliant with ADA guidelines. It was nice to see this area again and take some of these photos.













Club 33 is located on the 2nd floor. My party had a choice to either walk up using the beautiful staircase or check out the new elevator. Fancy Elevator, please!










When we arrived on the 2nd floor, the doors opened into a beautiful foyer. The first thing we noticed was the beautiful wood floors and the merchandise display.










The Club decor is definitely lighter as opposed to dark, like a traditional men’s club. Some would describe it as a mixture of Victorian, Rococo and “Salon Nouveau.” Look at this chandelier. Gotta love the Club 33 detail.











There are many items that were iconic in the Club before the renovation. It's good to see that they remain. Probably a couple of the most well-known Club 33 pieces of furniture is this phone booth and table.









The phone booth was used in the Disney movie, The Happiest Millionaire.





Walt and the cast of The Happiest Millionaire.
The phone booth can be seen on the right.
 



The table was seen in many scenes in Mary Poppins as it was used in the Banks home (located in their foyer). Here is a a photo of one of my kids in front of this very same table before the Club 33 renovation. The photo on the table is from a scene in Mary Poppins where the table is featured.










As a Cast Member led us to the main dining area, she pointed out these hand painted murals.




 



Apparently, they had discovered these paintings that had been intended for the Club but we’re too large to fit into the old design. They had an artist recreate the paintings and now they are these beautifully themed murals located in this grand hallway.









We were one of the first parties that day to enter the Club. It was great to take some of these photos with very few guests inside this main dining area.












Now we were ready to begin our dining experience.








You can get more detailed photos and descriptions of the Club 33 menu items in here. Here is a preview of the menu.









During our lunch adventure, we had an opportunity to go out onto the balcony. You can get an interesting view of New Orleans Square from this vantage point. Hardly anyone looks up so it was fun to people watch.










After our fabulous meal, we had an opportunity to visit an even more exclusive Disneyland secret area known as “Le Salon Nouveau.” Only actual Club 33 Members and their guests are allowed in here.








If you are lucky enough to get an invitation to visit Club 33 and the actual Club 33 Member is not with you, you won’t be allowed into “Le Salon Nouveau”. The Club 33 member who invited my group was present and he was kind enough to accompany us to this area. More detailed photos and information are available over on my blog post located here.








Sadly, our exciting Club 33 adventure had to end. Between our meal, visiting Le Salon Nouveau, and exploring all there was, we spent almost 4–1/2 hours making some fabulous new Disney memories.








For me, visiting Club 33 is definitely a once in a lifetime experience. Thanks for letting me share my Club 33 memories with you. See ya in the Parks...

- Daisy





*****






Daisy Sparks grew up in Southern California and Disneyland was a regular part of her life. While in college, she started working at Disneyland as a Main Street Merchandise Host. Her "college job" led to 12 adventurous years working with Mickey Mouse. She was a trained Magic Demonstrator, Hat Writer and was even signed off as a Disneyland Monorail Ride Operator. Daisy loved every minute of it while she held various management positions in Merchandise, Business Operations and Attractions. 

Daisy is married to her college sweetheart, David (a former Jungle Cruise Skipper). David solicited Daisy's Duck's help in memorable engagement proposal that took place at Disneyland's Club 33. Daisy left Disneyland in May 2001 to raise her two daughters. She continues to visit the Disneyland Resort multiple times a week as a Guest. Daisy particularly loves the Disneyland heritage because of all of the little details and stories that make it "the happiest place on earth."

You can read more about Daisy's Disneyland adventures over on her personal blog at DisneyDaze .

You can find all of Daisy's articles here.

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