Club 33 : Disneyland's Best Kept Secret

Hidden away between the Blue Bayou Restaurant and Le Gourmet Specialty Shop in New Orleans Square lies Disneyland's most exclusive attraction. Behind an ordinary green door, always locked, it is identified only by a single ornate oval plaque bearing the number "33." Don't bother looking for it on any park maps, they don't want you to know about it. It's so secret, in fact, that many employees dont even know it exists.

While the outside reveals nothing that might attract attention, inside you will find the colorful and exquisite - and did we mention exclusive? - members-only Club 33, tucked away from public view and the crowds outside.

It was Walt Disney who conceived of a place where he could entertain friends and dignitaries inside the park amid an elegant setting with fine cuisine, showcased by rare antiques, paintings, and early nineteenth century French architecture. Unfortunately, Walt passed on five months before the club was to open.

Today, membership is open to anyone who has enough coin to cover the hefty fee. The Gold level, which runs $7,500 with annual dues of $2,500, allows individules to make reservations up to three months in advance for any day of the week, free parking and admission to Disneyland for themselves and up to nine guests, and a newsletter listing special events. If that's too much for your bank account to let you run with the big dogs, a Silver level membership, with fewer perks, will cost you $4,500 with a $1,500 dues. Individual memberships, said to include Dustin Hoffman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Kevin Costner, are kept to about fifteen thousand and there is a three- to five-year waiting list to get in. Corporate membership is also available, which counts AT&T, Bank of America, General Electric, Monsanto, and Rockwell among the ranks.These high roller organizations shell out a fee of $20,000 and $3,750 for each associate member per year.

To enter Club 33, members must first announce themselves via intercom. After being buzzed in, guests enter a red carpeted lobby where the staff await to escort you upstairs, either by staircase or by elevator. Once there, you make your way to the Main Dining Room where, after being seated, a tuxedo-clad waiter presents your menu. Expect to fork out some healthy cash for your meal. This is, after all, not your local Sizzler steak house - a lunch salad runs about $15 while dinner entrees are around $25. Club 33 is also the only place in Disneyland where alchol is served.

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