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PICS: Inside Disneyland's super-exclusive $10k-a-year members' club

This one ain’t targeting the kids: it’s got a licence to sell alcohol.

By Business Insider Saturday 2 Feb 2013, 6:00 PM
Feb 2nd 2013, 6:00 PM 18,206 Views 17 Comments
http://jrnl.ie/773965
The 'Mickey Mousse' finale of the tasting menu at the 33 Club.
Image: Pete Hottelet via Flickr
The 'Mickey Mousse' finale of the tasting menu at the 33 Club.
The 'Mickey Mousse' finale of the tasting menu at the 33 Club.
Image: Pete Hottelet via Flickr

ONE OF THE most exclusive dining experiences in California isn’t in a bar or nightclub — it’s Club 33 at Disneyland.

Named after its location at 33 Royal Street in Disneyland’s New Orleans Square, Club 33 serves a five-course tasting menu of French/New American food and is decorated with antiques chosen by Walt Disney and his wife. It’s also the only Disneyland restaurant to serve alcohol.

Club 33, which officially opened in May 1967, was dreamed up by Disney as a venue for entertaining visiting dignitaries, celebrities, and politicians (though he sadly passed away five months before it was complete).

There are rumoured to be only 500 members on the roster, with a staggering 800 people on the waiting list hoping to gain an invitation and the right to pay the $25,000 (€18,560) joining fee plus $10,000-a-year (€7,423) membership fees. The club gained media attention in May of last year when it sent invitations to 100 new members for the first time in over a decade.

Graphic designer Pete Hottelet visited the club last year, and shared some photos of his experience with us.

PICS: Inside Disneyland's super-exclusive $10k-a-year members' club
1 / 12

  • The 33 Club

    The private door to gain entrance on 33 Royal Street is relatively inconspicuous. (Wikimedia Commons)

  • The 33 Club

    Inside, the building is more ornate. A glass French lift takes guests to the second floor. (Pete Hottelet/Flickr)

  • The 33 Club

    The elevator doors open onto The Gallery which leads into a lounge area and buffet apart from the main dining room and Trophy Room. (Pete Hottelet/Flickr)

  • The 33 Club

    Though the famous mixologist Lee Williams no longer works here, there are a few other worthy bartenders ready to take your drink order. (Pete Hottelet/Flickr)

  • The 33 Club

    The balconies of the club look out onto Disneyland's New Orleans Square. (Pete Hottelet/Flickr)

  • The 33 Club

    There are watercolors and original works by Disney artists and sketches done of both New Orleans Square and the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. (Pete Hottelet/Flickr)

  • The 33 Club

    There are also antiques and original works of art picked out by Disney and his wife in New Orleans. (Pete Hottelet/Flickr)

  • The 33 Club

    Heading towards the dining rooms. (Pete Hottelet/Flickr)

  • The 33 Club

    The Trophy Room is the slightly more informal dining room, with sketches and masks bedecking the wood-planked walls. The Trophy Room is the slightly more informal dining room, with sketches and masks bedecking the wood-planked walls. (Pete Hottelet/Flickr)

  • The 33 Club

    But Hottelet and his family ate in the Main Dining Room. The interior in here is much more formal, and is meant to look like early-19th Century restaurants. (Pete Hottelet/Flickr)

  • The 33 Club

    Even the tableware is emblazoned with the 33 moniker. (Pete Hottelet/Flickr)

  • The 33 Club

    The finale of the tasting menu - the Mickey Mousse. (Pete Hottelet/Flickr)
  • The private door to gain entrance on 33 Royal Street is relatively inconspicuous. (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Inside, the building is more ornate. A glass French lift takes guests to the second floor. (Pete Hottelet/Flickr)
  • The elevator doors open onto The Gallery which leads into a lounge area and buffet apart from the main dining room and Trophy Room. (Pete Hottelet/Flickr)
  • Though the famous mixologist Lee Williams no longer works here, there are a few other worthy bartenders ready to take your drink order. (Pete Hottelet/Flickr)
  • The balconies of the club look out onto Disneyland's New Orleans Square. (Pete Hottelet/Flickr)
  • There are watercolors and original works by Disney artists and sketches done of both New Orleans Square and the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. (Pete Hottelet/Flickr)
  • There are also antiques and original works of art picked out by Disney and his wife in New Orleans. (Pete Hottelet/Flickr)
  • Heading towards the dining rooms. (Pete Hottelet/Flickr)
  • The Trophy Room is the slightly more informal dining room, with sketches and masks bedecking the wood-planked walls. The Trophy Room is the slightly more informal dining room, with sketches and masks bedecking the wood-planked walls. (Pete Hottelet/Flickr)
  • But Hottelet and his family ate in the Main Dining Room. The interior in here is much more formal, and is meant to look like early-19th Century restaurants. (Pete Hottelet/Flickr)
  • Even the tableware is emblazoned with the 33 moniker. (Pete Hottelet/Flickr)
  • The finale of the tasting menu - the Mickey Mousse. (Pete Hottelet/Flickr)

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