Being married without children for over ten years, my husband tolerated my Disney addiction, allowing occasional trips and watching whatever animated features I fancied. But, when we became parents it all changed. I longed for the day that my boys would be old enough to properly introduce them to Disneyland, and ever since that day the game has been on! I did hours and hours of research to find out the best way to immerse them in magic in a way that we could all enjoy. Along the way I found out that I wasn’t a lone geek, and that there are many others out there who are just like me. In my quest to make my children’s Disney experience all that it could be I became obsessed with Disney history and trivia. It was during this time that I really caught the Club 33 itch. I mean, I knew about it before but thought it was totally out of the realm of possibilities for me.

The exclusivity of Club 33 intrigued me to the point of obsession. I couldn’t get enough. I was reading blogs and message board posts about other people’s experience with the club. I wanted in. I really, really wanted in. I didn’t know anyone with a membership and I certainly didn’t have the patience to wait over a decade for my own. At the same time, I knew that even if I did find someone with access my chances would be slim that they would let me use their membership to get a reservation. You see, a member can offer up their membership privileges to others as their guests. If and when an actual member of Club 33 extends their membership to a non-member they take responsibility for that guests presence in their stead. This means if that the appearance and behavior of the guests is a reflection on the member. So why would someone who barely knows someone offer up access to club 33? That is precisely what I asked myself when I received my invitation, then I quickly got over it. I was going to Club 33! It was an unexpected offer from someone I had only recently been acquainted with. I had no idea that she had access to membership privileges until literally minutes before she offered to make a reservation for me. Imagine my complete and utter surprise!

Our reservation was set for 6 people. I carefully selected friends that I knew would not only enjoy and appreciate the experience, but ones that I could also count on to act responsibly and respectfully. With only four weeks to plan our visit I immediately went to work on one of the most important aspects of our trip. What to wear? Why, you ask, is my attire so important? Well, as a guest of Disneyland’s Club 33 you are gifted a complimentary park hopper ticket for the day of your reservation, which means that we were going to be spending the day in the parks prior to our dinner reservation.

Club 33 has a very stringent dress code so I wanted to be certain that I would be comfortable in the park all day, but still dressed accordingly for dinner. There are no shorts or short pants allowed for men or women during dinner and men must wear a collard shirt. Jeans, tank tops and sandals are also not permissible. The dress code for lunch is slightly more lenient with unfaded, non-distressed, nice looking jeans being allowed as are walking length shorts.

When our big day arrived we headed to the park for a day of fun without the children. We went straight to guest relations to check in and at that time I was given all six tickets. They served as our park hoppers and our entrance to dinner. We spent the afternoon in anticipation of dinner. We did our best to eat a light lunch since we had seen copies of previous menus and anticipated some serious culinary indulgence. We arrived to Club 33 about 10 minutes prior to our reservation so we had plenty of time to pose for photo opportunities prior to actually pressing the elusive buzzer. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the location of Disneyland’s Club 33, it’s entrance is right next to The Blue Bayou restaurant. You’ll notice a green door with a beautiful 33 placard on the wall next to the door. At precisely 6:15 I pressed the intercom button, but just when I expected a voice to welcome me the door to Club 33 swung open. For a moment I thought that it was some impeccable service, then I realized that a couple who had gone in minutes before were leaving. I assumed that they were being turned away based on their attire, but I can’t be certain. As we entered the door to the lobby we were met by a cast member, and I must say that I had imagined a much more cheerful greeting that the one we received. It didn’t matter too much to me though, we were in! The cast member verified our reservation time and party size all the while giving our group an inconspicuous once over to make sure we were dressed to her approval.

Once we were checked in the cast member announced our party by making a phone call upstairs. We were then offered the stairs or the French lift, of course we chose the lift which was chosen for Club 33 by Walt Disney himself. Only three people are permitted in the lift at a time so our group took two trips. Once we were all gathered at the top of the lift we were whisked away to our table with little wait. We were seated at a beautiful round table in the main dining room that was set elegantly for six. Every detail was kept in mind, right down to the chargers that were embellished with the Club 33 logo. The window, had it not been covered in scaffolding from the ongoing refurbishment would have lent itself to a beautiful view of the Rivers of America.

Our server introduced himself, asked if we had any questions, and then, just as quickly left us to look at the wine list and make some beverage decisions. Since 33 Royal Street is the only address inside of Disneyland park that serves alcoholic beverages, we all chose to embrace that and order a glass of wine each. For dinner, you can choose from the a la carte menu or you can choose the Vintner’s menu. The Vintner’s menu is a five course menu that changes seasonally with fresh food availability. It’s a pre fixe menu carefully created by the chef and for an additional charge, you can add a wine pairing to your five courses. For our party, one person chose the Vintner’s menu and the remaining five of us chose a la carte. The Vintner’s menu is $85 and the a la carte menu ranges from $12-$32 for appetizer selections and $37-$45 for main dishes. I might add, that no matter what you order while at Club 33 there is a minimum charge of $72 per person (before tax and tip), which is equivalent to the price of a one day one park admission.

Everyone in our party ordered appetizers. It was nice to be with a group of adventurous eaters as we all shared tastes of each others food. The shrimp cakes and diver scallop appetizers were among the favorites of the group. Main courses were shared around the table as well so that all of our curious palettes were satisfied. I personally recommend the Filet of Chateaubraind and the John Dory, both were excellent.

Although we were stuffed, we couldn’t turn down dessert, that would be culinary blasphemy! Once desserts were ordered the ladies excused themselves to the restrooms, not only to use the facilities, but to take time for photo opportunities. Yes, the restrooms in Club 33 are a place for photos! There you will find the most unique and fancy toilets you have ever seen, no kidding!

Dessert was amazing and though we were all stuffed, we were thankful that we didn’t skip it. From Apple Charlotte, to the Chocolate Trio, to the Black Tea Infused Creme Brulee, there wasn’t a disappointed guest at our table.

The restaurant does offer a children’s menu, though we didn’t ask to see it. Because of the length of the meal and the quiet atmosphere I wouldn’t recommend bringing little ones. In the three hours we spent at Club 33 we managed to forget we were in Disneyland.

Over all we were all very impressed by the ambiance of the club, the superb service and the quality of t he food served. Club 33 is elegantly decorated and adorned with some of the most unique decor I have ever seen. It’s impossible not to find yourself wandering around, taking photos and imagining the people who have passed through the club before you. In fact, we were encouraged by others to take our time after dinner to look around and take photographs, and we did just that.

They offer a selection of Club 33 exclusive merchandise that is tastefully displayed in a china hutch. Being the geek that I am, I couldn’t leave without a set of Club 33 Mickey ears and a Club 33 trader pin, that I’m sure I will never trade. They also offer hats, shirts, handbags, latte mugs and robes just to mention a few items.

I can’t say enough about our experience! We were on cloud nine all night long. I feel so incredibly blessed to have had this opportunity. I’d like to say that I will visit Club 33 again, but I realize that is not guaranteed. I feel honored that my friend thought enough of me to offer me a reservation, and I also realize that most people will never, in their lifetime, step inside of Club 33. I know that I’m part of that lucky few and I’m ever so thankful for the opportunity. Hopefully, one day, I will return. If you are ever given the opportunity to visit Club 33, do whatever you can to make it happen, you won’t be disappointed!