Journey to Club 33: Part 2

             
               Part Two: My wife and I were so stoked to go to Club 33. We wanted to dress up for this special occasion. I bought a new tie specifically to wear to the club and my wife bought a  new dress. We were looking pretty suave I must say.

I clean up pretty well. Check out my mickey tie!

My wife in her new dress. This was taken outside our old house in Huntington Beach. What a hotty!

                 Once we were dressed it was off to the park! We arrived at the park and walked to New Orleans Square. We turned down Royal Street and got to the Club 33 entrance... we were pants peeing excited at this point. We stopped to pose for a photo in front of the entrance. The 33 logo plaque is behind my arm.

                   To get into the club you have to press a secret button next to the door and announce your arrival to the hostess. If you have a reservation they will push a button inside that allows the door to open. My wife pushed the intercom button and waited. After what seemed like an eternity we heard a voice asking if we had a reservation. My wife said yes and announced her name and that our reservation was for two. After a momentary pause we heard the magical buzz and opened the door. Once the door closed behind us the noise of Disneyland was silenced and we entered the magical realm of Club 33.

                    Upon first entering the club you find yourself in the lobby. Everything about the club is ornate and beautiful. The carpet, wallpaper, and artwork on the walls was personally picked out by Lillian Disney when she and Walt went antiquing in New Orleans. But the centerpiece of the lobby is a gorgeous antique french lift which takes you up to the main floor of the club. Before we took the lift upstairs we stopped for a photo op.

                     Once we got upstairs we were escorted to our table in the main dining room. Continuing with us taking photos of EVERYTHING we posed for photos with the menus.

I look WAY EXCITED!

My wife is adorable

 

                 On to the food! For lunch, you choose a main entree and there are buffet style appetizers and desserts. When I say "appetizers" I am not talking about potato skins, mozzarella sticks, or nachos. The appetizer buffet included crab legs, shrimp, lobster tails, California artisan cheeses, and fruit. Sadly, we did not get photos of any appetizers... sorry folks. The menu had a couple different choices but my wife and I ordered the same entree, a Chateaubriand fillet Mignon with Yukon gold mashed potatoes, baby heirloom tomatoes, and blanched green and yellow beans with a Cabernet Sauvignon reduction sauce. It was so delicious!

Even the plates have the 33 logo!

               That is part two of our trip to Club 33. In the next installment I will show you all the desserts we tried and take you on a photo tour of the club. Have any questions about Club 33? Leave them in the comments of this blog or send them to me on Twitter @ReelBigDork. Have a great day!

Journey to Club 33: Part 1

A few years ago my now wife, then girlfriend, and myself were able to experience something very magical. We were able to dine at Club 33. For those of you not in the know Club 33 is a secret and ultra exclusive restaurant inside of Disneyland Park. The idea for the club came about during the 1964-65 World's Fair in New York City. Walt was hired to put together some attractions for a few of the pavilions and noticed that many of the companies had exclusive VIP lounges set up in their pavilions. Walt decided he wanted to build a VIP lounge in Disneyland to entertain executives and visiting dignitaries. Thus Club 33 was born. Walt and his wife Lillian Disney went to New Orleans to go shopping for antiques for the club. But sadly, Walt died before the club was able to open. Instead of the club becoming a lounge for VIPs, it became an ultra exclusive club with membership open to the general public ( If you have $12,000-$15,000 a year and can wait for 10-20 years to become a member). The club is located in New Orleans Square at 33 Royal Street.

This small plaque adorns the door to get into the club.

My wife and I had been yearning to visit and dine here for years before we were finally able to. Only members of the club can let you in or make reservations to eat there. There are only 457 members of the club so finding a member is like finding a needle in a stack of other needles. For us, getting into the club was nothing more than a pipe dream. Every time we would pass by the door we would dream about what was inside. Then one fateful day, something incredibly magical happened that would allow us to realize our dream beyond our wildest imagination.
At this point in time my wife was working at a restaurant. She didn't normally work on Friday's at that point in time, but for some reason was working that day. She also was not cashiering that day but was hostessing instead. A customer came in wearing a shirt with a small Club 33 insignia embroidered on it. My wife sat him at a table and unlike what she would normally do, small talk with the customers, she engaged the gentleman in a conversation about his shirt. She told him she liked his shirt and his response was one of surprise, he was shocked that she knew what that was. She informed him that she did know what Club 33 was, due to the fact that she and her boyfriend were HUGE DISNEY NERDS!!! She told him that we had always dreamed of being able to go. He then told my wife that she was in luck as he enjoys making dreams come true.  He asked her to sit down at his table and slid a piece of paper across the table to her and asked her to write down her name. He then took out his cellphone and made the call. He gave the receptionist his member number and asked my wife to write down her phone number. He then asked what day would work best? My wife couldn't believe what was happening and just said "whenever is fine." He hung up the phone and told her he had just called and made a reservation for us at Club 33 for lunch. But there were two conditions; the first being that we pay our bill and please not charge it to his tab (He had done this before and the people had charged it to his account, what kind of a-hole does that!?) The second was that she not tell me and make it a surprise. My wifes excitement level skyrocketed. This was unbelievable, so many things had to happen to make this possible. She worked on a day that she normally didn't, at a station that she normally didn't, and engaged a customer more than she usally did. In the end she couldn't keep it a secret from me, the whole situation was so crazy that she had to tell me.

Part II Coming Soon! Here is a picture to tantalize you: