The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (89 page)

Another exclusive area in
New Orleans Square
is the
Disneyland Dream Suite
.  Only Guests or
Disney
employees who have won the opportunity to stay there may enter the
Dream Suite
.  Located atop the
Pirates of the Caribbean
entrance building, this gracious suite was originally slated to be the newer, more spacious home-within-the-park for
Walt
and his family, who had outgrown the apartment above the
Disneyland Fire Station
.

Walt
died before this could become a reality, and after languishing as storage space for decades, it was finally put to use as the
Disney Gallery
, a special place high above
Pirates
to display
Disney
art and sculpture.  In 2007 the space was converted into a beautiful suite based on the original designs of art director
Dorothea Redmond
, who also designed the interiors of
Club 33
, the
Plaza Inn
, and the enchanting
Blue Bayou
restaurant.

Redmond
, an artist who had worked on film masterpieces like
Gone with the Wind
(1939),
The Best Years of Our Lives
(1946),
Sabrina
(1954),
To Catch a Thief
(1955), and
The Ten Commandments
(1956) joined the
Imagineering
team in 1964 and went on to become a
Disney Legend
.  She passed away in February of 2009.

The bottom
line about
New Orleans Square
is this:  If you ever feel like you’re being watched while you’re in
New Orleans Square
, chances are you probably are, whether by
Dream Suite
occupants,
Club 33
diners, or behind-the-scenes Cast Members.  Or, if one believes in such things, by skeletal pirates or “happy haunts” spectrally peering from their caves and “creepy crypts”!

But n
ever mind all those watching eyes.  Just enjoy the decadent jewel of
New Orleans Square
.  Enjoy lavish cuisine or simple bread bowls of gumbo in settings so lovely and authentic you’ll think you’re in Louisiana.  Window shop for delicately cut crystal and fine perfumes.  Buy a pastel parasol, and have your caricature drawn or your portrait painted.  See if you can find the courtyard with the sky blue stairway to nowhere before it’s sealed from Guests in January 2014, or try to find the hidden
Mint Julep Bar
.

But even while
you enjoy your time here, you probably won’t be able to avoid that slight
frisson
along your spine from time to time, particularly if you visit
Pirates of the Caribbean
or the
Haunted Mansion
, the darkly beating hearts of this district. 
Did You Know?
  One of the most unsettling amusement parks on the planet is in New Orleans–unsettling because it’s deserted.  Opening as Jazzland in 2000, and rechristened Six Flags New Orleans in 2003, this bayou-flavored thrill park, with its Zydeco Scream boomerang ride and Zydeco Zinger swing ride, never reopened after Hurricane Katrina slammed through the region in 2005, flooding the park.  Now a haunt of urban explorers who risk trespassing charges, Six Flags New Orleans is a moldering, graffiti-tagged graveyard of decaying buildings and attractions (check out the photos by Melissa Golden at
www.time.com
).  As of 2012, the City of New Orleans, which owns the property, planned to convert it into an outlet mall.  First, the rusted and corroded remains of the park must be razed.

New Orleans Square Attractions

Club 33
(Private)

[
FastView:
 
Elegant, charming, and off-limits to Guests.  Membership is pricey and waiting lists are rumored to be a decade long.  Club 33 will undergo an extensive refurbishment in 2014.
]

Walt
always understood the value of the companies that sponsored attractions within the park, and he treated them well.  During the 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair,
Walt
noticed how much World’s Fair sponsors enjoyed the private pavilions where they could get a drink and a meal and unwind in comfort.

Walt
decided that the new
Disneyland
district
New Orleans Square
would provide an attractive, comfortable space where
Disneyland
’s sponsors could dine and relax.  Providing this club would be a way to thank partners for their patronage, and keep their interest in the park alive.  It would also be a warm but formal venue where
Walt
could entertain a variety of business associates and V.I.P. Guests such as politicians and celebrities.

Like the new family apartment
Walt
was having built over
Pirates of the Caribbean
,
Club 33
was intended to be a private space built along
Royal Street
over shops and the
Blue Bayou Restaurant
. 
Club 33
diners would delight in views of
New Orleans Square
and the
Rivers of America
from the club’s second-story windows, while enjoying the seclusion of being sequestered up above the general mass of Guests.

Dorothea Redmond
provided ravishing water color illustrations to guide the style and palette of this exclusive club. 
Walt
and wife
Lillian
, who had an excellent eye, personally chose many of the works of art and antique furniture that were to decorate the rooms.  In this they were assisted by expert
Emile Kuri
, a set decorator who’d worked on films such as Hitchcock’s “Spellbound,” Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Wyler’s “The Heiress,” and Stevens’ “A Place in the Sun” before beginning a long career as set decorator for
Disney
films and television programs.

In addition to sketches and art work specifically related to
Disneyland
and
Disney
productions, many of the pieces chosen by
Walt
,
Lillian
, and
Kuri
hailed from New Orleans and its famed French Quarter, the primary inspiration for
New Orleans Square
.

Walt
was a down-to-earth person whose favorite lunch was canned chili and beans, but the sponsors’ cuisine at
Club 33
would be gourmet and the wines high-quality; this would be the only place in the park where alcohol would be served. 
Walt
reputedly didn’t approve of drinking during the day, but like most businessmen in the 1950’s and 1960’s he enjoyed his evening Scotch.

Only the most gracious, high-quality wait staff would be assigned to
Club 33
, and in a park known for its excellent customer service, that was saying something! 
Club 33
’s
Main Dining Room
would be the most formal space.  A second dining room, the
Trophy Room
, would be airier, brighter, more relaxed in tone and would contain talking animal effects achieved via hidden mics–
Walt
could never resist a good gag.

Walt
and
Lillian
’s deep involvement in the design of
Club 33
ensured that it bore their stamp when it opened in 1967. 
Walt
’s presence was keenly felt, even though he had passed away in December of 1966, not living long enough to see the club open.

The entrance to
Club 33
hides in plain sight along
Royal Street
. 
Disneyland
’s decorators are brilliant at painting things like safety railings and
backstage
entrances so that they unobtrusively blend into the background.  It’s possible for Guests to wander past
Club 33
’s entrance without giving it much thought; it just seems to blend into the streetscape as you pass the
Blue Bayou
entrance.

The
go-away green
door is deeply recessed.  An enigmatic silver plaque on the right doorpost bears the club’s simple name and street address:  “33”.  Some
Disney
fans have speculated for years about the possible significance of the number 33.
Why
was it chosen as the club name and club address?  Some have suggested that the number 33 was selected because it looks like two m’s,
Mickey Mouse
’s initials, turned on their side.  The park insists that 33 just happened to be the
Royal Street
address designated for that site, and that the numeral holds no special meaning.

Club m
embers gain entrance by speaking into an unobtrusive intercom next to the door.  If the receptionist at the other end finds your name on a list and deems you quite-quite, the door opens and admits you to the small foyer.  Climb the carpeted stairs immediately to your right, or ride the lovely Parisian-style elevator up to the club.

Those who’ve had the privilege of dining at
Club 33
–alas, the author is not one of them–share stories of warmly lit chambers on an intimate scale, walls graced by
Marc Davis
and
Herb Ryman
art, gracious service, china emblazoned with
Club 33
’s “33” logo, linen napkins, and entrées that include
chateaubriand
, chicken, lamb chops, monk fish, pasta and salmon, for about the price of a one-day park ticket–great value for dining at the park’s most exclusive venue!

If you want to dine here, you need to be a celebrity, dignitary
, or politician, or a staffer at one of the companies that has a corporate membership at
Club 33
, or a guest of one of the above. 
Disneyland
offers individual “Gold” memberships, but the fee is about $10,500, with annual dues close to $3,300.  And, oh yes … the waiting list is apparently over 14 years long!  “Platinum” memberships for an additional $10,000 were added in recent years.

For
most Guests, the best way to glean a glimpse of
Club 33
’s lobby is to take the
A Walk in Walt’s Footsteps
Guided Tour
.  As of this writing, the tour is about $64 per Guest, with a 20 percent discount for
Premium
and
Deluxe Annual Passholders
, AAA members and
Disney Visa
cardholders.  Call (714) 781-TOUR to arrange your tour and receive the most up-to-date information.

Disney
fans who live far from the park can view the DVD
Disneyland Resorts:  Imagineering the Magic
for a discussion of the club’s history and glimpses of the interior.

Although (or perhaps because) most Guests will never tread the premises of
Club 33
, just knowing it’s up there, one of the many private areas honeycombing mysterious
New Orleans Square
, enriches the experience of strolling this secretive district.

Guests might never
visit
Club 33
, but can appreciate it as a testament to
Walt
’s fondness for fine but not ostentatious living, and his devotion to the sponsors that have always helped to make
Disneyland
a successful enterprise.

Disneyland
recently decided to plus venerable
Club 33
by absorbing the beautiful
Court des Anges
around which the club wraps.  Long open to the public, the
Court of Angels
and its sky-blue stairway to nowhere will be sealed off this autumn and
Club 33
refurbishments begin on January 6, 2014.  The charming courtyard will become a feature of
Club 33
, available to
Club 33
members and their guests only (see the “Photos” chapter at the end of this book for a picture of
Court des Anges
).

While Guests are likely to rue the loss of the courtyard,
Club 33
members should rejoice at the addition of this architectural treasure to their private digs. 
Club 33
members are much less likely to be excited about another aspect of the enhancements: 
Walt
’s classic
Trophy Room
is slated to be removed to accommodate a kitchen expansion. 
Did You Know?
  There’s a
Club 33
at
Tokyo Disneyland
, too.  Its entrance is more obvious than that of the
New Orleans Square
original; although deeply recessed, the double-paned glass doors are hard to miss.  Each bears a large gold “33”, and the entrance is on a high-traffic location at a corner of
Center Street
in the
World Bazaar
district. 
Did You Also Know?
  The recently introduced “Platinum”
Club 33
membership, which runs an extra $10,000, allows members and their guests to visit the
1901 Lounge
at
DCA
’s
Carthay Circle Theatre
.  Lounge-goers enjoy a private entrance hidden in plain sight, signature cocktails, sumptuous surroundings, and a chance to view rare
Disney
artifacts up close.  Ghostly images of
Walt
even appear, perhaps the most
magical
effect at this
magical
place.