One of the worst kept secrets in the Disney parks is the existence of the ultra-exclusive and ultra-expensive Club 33.
Club 33 is a private “members only” lounge and five-star dining club that is located in each of the four theme parks at The Walt Disney World Resort (and other parks around the world) that offers its member extraordinary Disney theme park perks and benefits.
While there are a number of rumors about the name “Club 33”, it’s been widely indicated that it is a tribute to the 33 individual sponsors that provided investment capital to Disney for the company’s theme park development.
The individual Club 33 locations are highly unique and according to the Disney web site, ‘Each venue is uniquely themed to represent Walt and Lillian’s adventures around the world”.
Club 33 Locations at Walt Disney World
There is an individual Club 33 in all of the four theme parks at the Walt Disney World Resort. Each has a non-descript entrance “hidden in plain sight” with a medallion marked 33.
Members access the venues via an intercom / call box system which contacts a cast member. There is no reception desk visible to the general theme park guests and the inside of each club is very private.
Magic Kingdom
Club 33 at the Magic Kingdom is located at the entrance to Adventureland, on the left side of Cinderella’s Castle. Just past the entrance to Adventure, to the right of the main signage, is a rustic two-story building that blends with the surrounding area.
Also known as “Captain’s Quarters”, this location is themed after a traditional adventurers club.
EPCOT
The EPCOT location for Club 33 is located on the second floor American Adventure with a entrance just to the right of the pavilion’s main doorway. Every day thousands of theme park guests pass by a basic white door that leads to one of the most highly coveted areas of the park.
Also known as the Constellation Club, this venue is reports to be one of the largest at Walt Disney World and has directly views of the American Gardens Theatre along with the EPCOT Lagoon.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Club 33 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a little more hidden as the entrance resides in the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant. Located in the bathrooms, members will find a stairway and elevators which lead to the club which is located on the second floor. The entrance door is quite unassuming and doesn’t have a door knob.
Also known as the Spotlight Lounge, it has been reported that this venue has the look and feel of an old Hollywood club.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Also known at the Harambe House, Club 33 in Disney’s Animal Kingdom is located in the Africa section of the park, just past the Festival of the Lion King show and the Harambe Theatre. This is another unassuming building with a gated entrance marked “Private”.
Other Club 33 locations at the Disney theme parks include New Orleans Square in Disneyland (California), Center Street in Tokyo Disneyland and on Mickey Avenue in Shanghai Disneyland.
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Club 33 Benefits
Since Club 33 is an ultra-premium experience, it features some of the best features and benefits that are offered across any experience in any of the Disney parks. Some of the reported benefits include (but are not 100% confirmed):
- Access to each of the Club 33 lounges and dining venues at the four Walt Disney World theme parks
- Annual passes for immediate family members
- Five (5) VIP tours annually
- 50 single-day theme park admission tickets
- Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane access
- Access to special Club 33 merchandise
- Private Disney concierge
As indicated above, these benefits are widely reported but not confirmed to be 100% accurate at this time.
The Cost of Club 33
While the current price of a Club 33 membership is not openly published, it has been indicated that the initiation cost to join is in the range of $25,000 to $50,000, with some reports over $60,000. This of course does not include annual membership fees in the range $15,000 to $25,000 per year.
Corporate memberships are rumored to vary in price but have an initiation fee of around $50,000 and an annual fee of the same amount.
Not included in the the initiation and annual fees are the cost of food & beverage purchases. Meals typically exceed $100.00 per person with alcoholic beverage priced comparable to most fine dining restaurants.
While these fees are extraordinarily high for most Disney World visitors, this are fairly consistent with most country club prices throughout the state of Florida (members are trading golf & tennis courses for theme park access).
How to Join Club 33
While Club 33 is not extensively promoted by Disney, it does have a page on the Disney World web site that provides a limited amount of information about the club and other experiences. From what we have heard, limited memberships are offered by invitation only and there is an extensive waiting list with some member waiting more than 10 years for a response.
Email: Club33@WaltDisneyWorld.com
With Club 33 membership being ultra-exclusive, Disney is very careful to keep publicly disseminated information as limited as possible. There area number of policies to ensure privacy and exclusivity so club photos / video is extraordinarily rare (there are no photo / video rules)
Our Thoughts
Even though the Endless Summer family lives in Florida and as been annual passholders at the Walt Disney World Resort for years, we’ve only been inside the Club 33 at Disneyland in California. Our visit was sponsored for a family friend who allowed our family to partake in of the most exclusive experiences with the Disney theme parks.
Our multi-course lunch was absolutely fantastic and everyone in our party from young to old enjoyed an incredible meal. The one thing, however, was that it was about a two and one-half hour experience which consumed a large part of our afternoon in the theme park.
So with that said, make sure you have plenty of time allocated to enjoy the entire Club 33 experience. We will surely do so if given the opportunity again at Walt Disney World or in any of the other locations around the world.
