First Visit to "New" Club 33 Pt. 1

Sorry to split the Club 33 visit into multiple posts, but there is just too much to cover in one entry. Note the antique speakeasy door on the new entrance; strangely enough, I bought one of these years ago at a San Diego antique salvage store. It must have been a popular design. It's a small thing, but I like having this somewhat rusty little door here. Overall, New Orleans Square looks too squeaky clean. It has little of the antique charm and decadence that its namesake is known for.

The new lobby has a cabinet with Club 33 merchandise for sale.



This is a view of the backside of the faux stained glass that separates the regular guests from the Club 33 guests when it comes to the Court of Angels. This still smarts a bit when I think about what a beautiful place of rest, quiet, and photographic opportunity this area once was for all who discovered it.



The irony is that now that it has been closed off and "jazzed up," it has lost its appeal for me. Like so much of the semi-recent Disneyland Park design, the Court of Angels suffers from the mantra of "It ain't done til it's overdone."



The wooden balustrade looks odd with the addition of the brass one. The woman holding the light fixture is nice enough, but she seems out of place. JUST TOO MUCH.



I like the idea of Tinker Bell in the lantern but it would have been more effective if she had been created in a smaller scale.



Here's the new elevator that takes you up to the Club. Note how it has been sandwiched into the existing space; why keep the window on the upper-right? It just makes everything look crammed in. Makes me think of sardines.



The upstairs hallway features murals that look like they had been freshly minted from a large format color printer.



Every ounce of this space has been jam-packed with mass-manufactured ornamentations and scrollwork.



The harpsichord survived the transition, but the accompanying seat did not. In other words...just look, don't touch. The parquet floor is beautiful, but with all of the other details my eyes were exploding from the sensory overload.



With the Trophy Room demolished to make room for a new kitchen, the vulture was homeless.



He found a new landing spot on top of this grandfather clock. In a trophy room with dark paneled walls, a stuffed vulture makes sense. In a brightly lit entry way where Art Nouveau meets Home Depot styling, a vulture just makes you go, "Huh?"



These poor girls in the ill-fitting bright blue dresses must be dying a thousand deaths. Frumpy is bad. Bright and frumpy is even worse.



Don't ask me why, but I LOVE these two light fixtures:





On the way to the men's restroom you'll find this phone booth that was modeled after the one used in the 1967 Disney movie "The Happiest Millionaire."



I actually liked the men's room. Go figure. It had the same warm inviting feeling that the old Trophy Room had.



Another survivor from the previous Club 33.



Check out this old fashioned toilet.



Finally, a sense of humor and light-heartedness is displayed.



But you have to go to the crapper to find it.



Tomorrow: The Jazz Club!

More vintage and current Club 33 photos at my main website.

Kool Aid at Club 33, Pt. 1

First, many thanks to Andy Castro for generously allowing me to use his photos in today's post.

Up until the last few years, Club 33 has sailed through Disneyland history as a hidden part of the New Orleans Square landscape. It was that elusive place that some were aware of but weren't quite sure exactly where or what it was. Many have been fortunate enough to visit, thanks to the generosity of a friend of a friend, but only a select few who patiently suffered through the years-long wait list were actually members. They enjoyed the camaraderie of other long-time members and the ability to experience Walt's park in a private setting that he had helped conceive and design. Rich with history, there were a number of personal artifacts that he and Lillian had hand-picked for the decor. Its dark and richly adorned interior just positively oozed Walt Disney.

The once understated entry door (shown above), which was probably not even noticed by 80% of the people who walked by it, has given way to a more lavish (but not necessarily better designed) and ostentatious entrance. If you're not a member and can't afford the dues, that fact is now shoved in your face.



As if that wasn't bad enough, the lovely Court of Angels has also been taken away from the regular paying Joe Schmoe guest. What you once saw was this:



and this:



Now, you get two sets of colored acrylic doors:





Faux candles adorn the new addition above. Really?



Once unable to see inside the Club, brand-spanking new windows allow the guests who only pay $125 or so (and that's just to get into the Park) to see exactly what they're missing.



The worst offense was what was done to the portion of the Club above Cafe Orleans. Here is how it was originally designed:



And the hideous off-center window that replaced its tasteful predecessor:



For Club members though, the view is lovely. The Disney Corporation is sending a very clear message to the public.



If you think only the regular paying guests are getting the shaft, come back tomorrow for an inside look at the "new" Club 33 and hear what many of the members are grumbling about.

See more Daveland Disneyland Club 33 photos at my main website.

Trip Report: Brunch at Club 33

With the impending closure of Club 33 for a remodel and the swirling rumors about what would be removed, I really wanted to have one last opportunity to dine there before it was transformed into something different from what had originally been created.



Piecing together the story from a number of sources (again...keep in mind these are all unofficial), it appears that the Court of Angels will be closed off in late September, and will be converted into a new entrance for Club 33. The wrought iron gates are to be replaced by stained glass doors and will prevent Disneyland guests who are not members of the Club from entering. How they are going to manage to still call it Club 33 when the entrance is clearly changing locations has yet to be addressed. I also wanted to get into the Club again so that I could snap a few last shots of the Trophy Room, which will supposedly be removed to accommodate a new (and larger) kitchen. On with my brunch...



While eating the buffet items from the cart, we were visited by Mickey and Pluto. This is a brunch extra that doesn't normally occur during the dinner hour.







For brunch, guests order an entrée and get to partake of the appetizer buffet in the hallway. The selections are nothing out of the ordinary; a selection of fresh fruits, cheeses, a few salads, shrimp...fairly basic. The one standout was the hot onion soup, which was creamy and flavorful. I went back for seconds on that one!

My entrée was a repeat of something I had enjoyed the year before; a trio of pastas. Disappointingly, the quality had slid considerably in that time period. All three pastas were the same; two of the sauces were the same bland marinara sauce, and the third was a watery cream sauce. The meatballs seemed as if they'd been made a week before and reheated.



Compare to what was served a year ago; three different pastas and sauces topped with fresh grated parmesan and mozzarella. What a world of difference in flavor, too.



Adding insult to injury, the service was poor. Over the years that I have dined here, the service has varied greatly. I still remember my first visit here about ten years ago; one of my guests asked for a wine pairing suggestion with her entrée. The waitress said she really didn't know...and that was all she wrote. I couldn't believe that a restaurant of such an exclusive nature had waitstaff that showed so little knowledge or enthusiasm with their position.

This occasion was not much better; our waiter (who I have had in the past) exhibited little interest in our table, only checking back once for the obligatory "how is everything?" and the final presentation of the check. We had to ask a busser to get refills on our drinks, and the napkins were never refolded during our trips to the buffet. The speed with which dishes were cleared from the table ran the gamut from fast to exceedingly slow. Early in the meal, a busser stood over one of my guests while she was finishing what was on her plate. When we got our desserts at the buffet, the dishes sat, and sat, and sat...

Overall, things had seemed to be on the upswing for Club 33 during my visits the last few years, but this particular one was a fail for me. The upstairs hostess could use a few classes on masking her true feelings for the guests, too. This one has consistently shown a sour face whenever I have seen her working there. There was a manager on site, who only stopped by one table to chat with guests that he apparently knew. No visits to other tables to inquire how their brunch was; I can only deduce that he didn't care or knew the answer already and just didn't want to hear it.

The famous elevator had a tacky "Out of Order" paper sign taped to it, which didn't make sense since I saw it go up and down a few times during my visit. I have been told that the sign appears when the staff does not want to be bothered with operating it.



In light of my experience, I had little desire to take many photos, even of the Trophy Room which was scheduled to disappear.

The floor of the Club suffers from severe scuffing on the hardwood, looking as if they are in dire need of a refinishing (and cleaning). A souvenir program from the Half Marathon was stuffed underneath one of the table legs to keep it from wobbling, and the table cloths needed a good pressing.



If this once beloved Club has degraded into a place with deferred maintenance issues and employees who don't care (and aren't afraid to show it), then I find it very hard to feel sad about the impending changes. Walt is long gone, and so (it seems) are the people who care about good customer service and giving guests value for their money. The night before, I had a fantastic meal and top notch service at Napa Rose for practically the same price...without the attitude. Even at its best, Club 33 does not hold a candle to its less stuffy sister restaurant at the Grand Californian.



Even the duck looks unhappy to be here. I can't blame him.



I can't take "credit" for the Ladies' Restroom shots; my friend Bunnie shot those for me.







I thought she did a pretty darn good job, don't you?



As soon as we left The Club, we craved air conditioning. We ducked into the Main Street Cinema for a few minutes; Tilly was already in her Halloween finery.



Our next air conditioned refuge was the Main Street Opera House. Mr. Lincoln welcomed us with his Gettysburg Address.



This audio animatronic figure impresses me every time I see it.











And what a "wow" of a finish!



If you don't feel patriotic at the end of the show, you better check your pulse!



It was fairly humorous to hear guests groaning about Miley Cyrus' portrait at the exit hallway for the show.

Next up: a quick trip through DCA!

See more vintage & current Disneyland Club 33 photos on my Club 33 web page.