A trip to Club 33 with guest author Brent Dodge

Originally published August 27, 2013

Brent's Disney bucket list:

- Visit every Disney park
- Eat at Club 33
- Ride a Disney attraction with a character
- Convince a Disney princess to leave their Prince for me
- etc.

I grew up going to the Disney parks on a regular basis. As I grew up, I learned more about the stories, history, and fantasy that goes into these amazingly detailed areas and naturally, I began to form a bucket list of things I must do before my 112th birthday. After hearing about the mysterious Club 33 in Disneyland I became fascinated  with the legendary place and naturally, it made it high on my list of things I must do!

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to dine inside Club 33 during my Adventures by Disney trip and it did not disappoint one bit! While I could sit here and tell you my review of the food, I realize that I really am not a big food guy and some people may feel short changed by my full review: it was yummy in my tummy. So instead, I would like to focus on the history of this magnificent gem hidden within Disneyland!

As we have discussed several times on this site in the past, the Disney company was highly involved in the 1964 World's Fair with attractions like Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, Carousel of Progress, and of course, It's a Small World. While at the Fair, Walt had the chance to go to executive lounges for the different pavilions at the Fair. Walt became fascinated with the idea of building a lounge to entertain VIPs at Disneyland and the idea of Club 33 was born.

Walt even came up with the idea for an audio-animatronic show that would give guests a chance to participate in an interactive show. While the show never came into being, a few details still remain within Club 33's Trophy Room. Just after entering the room, guests can look directly above them to find the turkey vulture which was an audio-animatronic built for the show.

In addition to the turkey vulture, if you take a look at the different lanterns hanging from the ceilings, you may notice microphones hiding to allow for the interactive portion of the show!

Unfortunately, the idea never took off, but Club 33 still stands above New Orleans Square allowing guests below to wonder at the marvel that sits on the second floor of them. I know this is just a small snippet of what lies within this secret haven, so expect more articles in the future on the wonder that is Club 33!