Disneyland's Club 33 Review

The Wonder that is Club 33…. By:  Tori FowlerIf you aren’t familiar with Club 33, here is a little history…Club 33 is located at 33 Royal Street, New Orleans Square, Disneyland.  Yes, it has an actual address.  It is named after the street it is located on.  Walt Disney had envisioned a place that was special and worthy of entertaining dignitaries and special guests that served fine cuisine with a décor to match.  Sadly, Walt passed away before it came to fruition.  On June 15, 1967, the Club opened with Walt’s touches everywhere.Our family has made an annual pilgrimage to Disneyland since 1993 and always pass “the door”; you know, the grayish green door with the stunning stained glass right next to “Blue Bayou” and the mirrored plaque with “33” on it.  The one when someone opens the door, you strain your head to peek inside.  Today is the day I got to ring the doorbell.  I was thrilled.  My hand was shaking so hard I could hardly open the little brass flap to the left of the door and ring the doorbell.  As soon as I rang the bell, a voice from beyond asked for our names.  The hostess opened the door and we were in!We had to wait a few minutes while another family was being taken upstairs to the dining room.  We made sure to take advantage of this time to snap a few million pictures.  The décor is stunning and we are only in the waiting area.  There is a large gilt mirror behind us with the reflection of the world renowned French lift that was replicated for Walt and Lillian after a visit to the French Quarter of New Orleans where Walt had first seen one.  There are stairs to the left of the lift carpeted in a rich, deep, plush red that accents the mahogany wood work that is found through out the Club.Every guest has the option of taking the stairs or the lift…of course we chose to take the lift!At the top of the stairs, the trophy room is straight ahead of you.  This is the dining room that is generally used for larger parties.  This room initially was to incorporate the use of microphones hidden in the chandeliers and a vulture that speaks.  Walt had envisioned the vulture interacting with guests as they dined.  The microphones are now disconnected and the vulture is a great conversational piece.Here is the hallway going from the lift, past the Trophy Room to the section that the buffet is served at lunch.After many, many pictures we are heading to our table in the main dining room.  But first we pass the display case tempting us with all the lovely souvenir gifts.Now we pass the food….oh the food.  Let me tell you – if you ever have the opportunity to visit the Club, do not eat first.  And leave lots of time for perusing through food, taking pictures and soaking in the atmosphere.Then we enter the stunningly beautiful main dining room.  This is located above Café Orleans. It’s everything you thought it would be.  Just the right size to dine and visit with your tablemates yet you are not sitting right next to the other table.  Everything is china and crystal.  You have your main server as well as the assistant that is right there to refill your glass if you take a sip of water or even refold your napkin if you get up to go to the buffet.  That got to be a game to see how quickly they could refold!We are seated and I could hardly contain myself…am I really here?!?!I’m sure you are wondering why I have a menu if it’s a buffet.  This is the beauty of lunch.  Not only can you dress in “park casual” but you choose from the items off the bread, soup, salad, and dessert buffet and you order one main course from the menu.And when I say salad bar, it’s not your typical salad bar – crab claws, huge shrimp, spinach salad, mix-n-match items, the list goes on…We all tried to pick something different off the menu.  I decided on the famous chateaubriand and my husband selected the lamb chops. Delicious!After a lovely lunch and fabulous dessert, we decided to go out on one of the two balconies.  One wraps around and gives you a view of Royal Street and the exit to “Pirates of the Caribbean”, the entrance to the “Blue Bayou” and “THE DOOR”.  The other side faces the Rivers of America on Esplanade Street.  The other balcony faces Orleans Street where Cristal d’Orleans is located.We really lingered…watching all the people going by looking up at us with looks on their faces of “How did they get up there?!”  The same looks we have had for years…it was a surreal experience.  We really didn’t want to leave not knowing if we would ever be back.So, it’s time to leave…we all walk downstairs very slowly so as to soak in anything me missed on the way up.  We thank the hostess for a lovely afternoon and walk out the door only to see faces on the other side, wondering who we all are and craning their necks to see inside, just like we used to do…To have Tori assist you with your Disneyland vacation, please email her or call her at 707-718-4156.