Club 33 Coming to Disney World
Club 33 has announced to its members at Disneyland that a separate Club 33 will be coming to Walt Disney World later this year. Actually, make that four Club 33 locations, one in Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Each of these locations will be themed to the travels of Lillian and Walt Disney.
This news broke last week, and while Disney has not made an official announcement to the general public nor has Walt Disney World opened up memberships for purchase, those interested can email [email protected]. You probably shouldn’t expect an official announcement on this, actually. Club 33 at Disneyland has proven wildly successful at Disneyland by being (mostly) discreet, and the wait list for membership there has often been measured in decades.
The rumor of Club 33 at Walt Disney World has floated around for a few years, with some even expecting that the location now housing Skipper Canteen would be the club prior to that restaurant’s announcement. Now that we finally know for sure that Club 33 is coming to Walt Disney World, we’ll take a look at what this likely means, and my thoughts on whether Club 33 is ‘worth it’…
Since the news of Club 33 coming to Walt Disney World broke, there has been a lot of chatter about whether this is sustainable in central Florida. After giving it a lot of thought, my take is yes. Despite Florida lacking the level of affluence found in Los Angeles or Orange County, California, I think there’s a huge market for Club 33 at Walt Disney World.
It’s the same market that drives Disney Vacation Club sales and Golden Oak mansion purchases: wealthy, out-of-state purchasers. While some Club 33 members will no doubt be Florida locals, I doubt this will constitute a majority–and I’d also doubt this is even the target demographic Disney will cater. (To the contrary, I’d expect Walt Disney World will actively avoid locals when pitching Club 33.)
Several years ago during its period of largest expansion, Disney Vacation Club operated two “Doorway to Dreams” stores in affluent suburbs of Chicago and New York City. These stores have since closed (we visited the one in Schaumburg regularly–it was really cool), but they demonstrated just how huge of drivers these areas are for Disney Vacation Club.
Likewise, Golden Oak has proven quite successful since its opening, to the point that the new Four Seasons Private Residences expansion will have starting pricing even higher, at $5 million. About half of the current residents at Golden Oak do not list the home as their primary residence for tax purposes, meaning there is ample demand to spend over $1 million plus annual dues on a home inside Walt Disney World.
Given that, it’s easy to envision there being demand from vacationers for a club with an initiation fee of (let’s say) $25,000 plus $5,000 in annual dues. It might be naive of me to assume Walt Disney World will offer a lower buy-in price than Disneyland, but I think the potential frequency with which Club 33 members will be using the locations at Walt Disney World as compared to Disneyland helps justify the numbers.
Additionally, it’s always easier to raise prices later if demand proves high than to lower them. Club 33 is not a temporary cabana that Disney can remove if sales do not meet expectations. Once opened, this is a long-term commitment for Walt Disney World.
I could see Disney starting sales for Club 33 by quietly soliciting Golden Oak members and Disney Vacation Club members with the highest point-holdings. This could be done by offering each an “introductory offer” with the prices listed above (or somewhere in those ballparks) in an effort to secure an initial slew of members sufficient to make Club 33 viable and appear successful. (Photos on social media of empty Club 33 locations would certainly not be good for future sales.)
As for my thoughts on this, it holds little interest to me. If you read our New-Look Club 33 at Disneyland Review last year, you know I was not exactly full of praise for the experience. While I can admit to myself that (like everyone else) I’m drawn to exclusive experiences, I’m too frugal to be interested in them for their own sake unless there’s something substantively meritorious to them.
At Disneyland, Club 33 used to have the Walt Disney history as its meritorious draw. It no longer has that. To me, it’s now just a fancy restaurant, with no meaningful substantive distinction between it and Napa Rose. Likewise, I have a hard time envisioning what these Club 33 locations at Walt Disney World will be able to offer on a substantive level to make them “worth it.”
Being located inside Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom would be the obvious answer, but it seems doubtful Disney would convert Cinderella’s Royal Table (itself lucrative) and the Cinderella Castle Suite is too small. Although the locations are all themed to Walt and Lillian’s travels, I think it’s likely “cool” in-park spots will be chosen for the Club 33s, rather than thematically-appropriate ones.
At Epcot, an obvious choice seems like converting one of the former sponsor lounges. (I just hope they don’t take the Imagination Lounge from DVC members!) At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, reviving the once-rumored Tower of Terror bar seems like a winning idea. Pandora makes sense at Animal Kingdom, particularly since an area could’ve been set aside during construction.
In three of these locations, the space will need to be retrofit or carved out of an existing spot. Even if my guesses at locations are wrong, this is almost necessarily the case irrespective of actual locations since the supposed opening for Club 33 is Fall 2017–a relatively short timeframe.
To me, that suggests that what’s coming is not a slew of large restaurants, but rather, four lounges. This also makes sense given the demographics of buyers, and the ability to drop in for drinks and light refreshments probably makes a lot more sense than a 3-hour fine dining experience.
Even if these restaurants/lounges are in the coolest spots in each park at Walt Disney World, it’s pretty difficult to say this will be “worth it” beyond exclusivity. Like I wrote in our new-look Club 33 review (while comparing a desire to get into Club 33 to my cat’s desire to get into a room with a shut door), I get the allure of exclusive experiences. It’s human nature. We all want to feel special, and having access to a thing other people do not is one way that makes people attain that feeling.
It sounds almost silly writing about in the abstract, but this is the main appeal of membership clubs like this, whether or not people want to admit it. The difficulty is in recognizing this desire and admitting it if you don’t have the level of wealth at which money is no issue.
On the other hand, this is one ‘stratification’ or upcharge that really does not bother me, so long as it’s integrated into the parks tastefully and not blatant to normal guests. There’s a surplus of unused facilities at Walt Disney World that could easily be converted, and there’s the potential for this to enhance some guests’ experiences without impacting others in a negative way. Moreover, it’s a way for Disney to chase a new revenue stream (something they’ll do regardless) without impacting existing guests.
For Club 33 at Walt Disney World to succeed, Disney needs two types of people to buy into it: the uber-wealthy who can purchase without thought for the sake of status (think Golden Oak owners) and mass-affluent Disney fans who visit multiple times per year, but who must still give thought to discretionary purchases (think DVC members).
If you’re a multi-millionaire who already owns a house in Golden Oak, it’s likely you have the amount of income or net worth that allows joining Club 33 without giving the financials a second thought. The actual amount of the Club 33 initiation fee and dues are no concern, because you’ve already decided you want to join, and that’s all that matter.
On the other hand, if you’re a hardcore Disney fan who wants to be a part of something special and are awaiting final numbers to determine whether membership makes financial sense for you, give serious thought to the real value of exclusivity. Even at a conservative $25,000 initiation fee and $5,000 annual dues, you could purchase a 162-point Grand Floridian Villas DVC contract via resale, pay all annual dues on that every year, and still have enough money left over to do 16 meals at Victoria & Albert’s–with wine pairings–per year. I’m not saying that’s a good use of that same money, but from my perspective it’s an unquestionably better substantive use of those funds than buying into Club 33 at Walt Disney World.
Your Thoughts
What do you think about the addition of Club 33 to Walt Disney World? Does a membership interest you, or do you view this as more stratification of the guest experience in the parks? Would you have more or less interest if this were a restaurant, or a lounge? Any potential locations for the dining experiences that you think make sense? Let’s hear some of your thoughts about this news in the comments below!
I can see maybe ONE Club 33 at ONE of the parks here in WDW, but to have one in each is a bit much. Also, even if I did have the money, I would rather utilize my time with my family enjoying the parks and the resort that we visit. I can’t imagine slipping into a “club/bar” to hang out when I am there with my family to enjoy the rides and a wonderful resort experience. I think it’s a waste of money to put them in all the parks, and I think over time it will fold, JMO. Also, if people have that much money to invest in this, why don’t they choose to reach out to those less fortunate and give them a vacation of a lifetime. This is really an unnecessary venture, and only the rich can afford if they so choose. Good luck to those that do desire this Club atmosphere at WDW, I’d rather give my time to family over this, I could see my grands upset that I took them into there to chill out, they’d be furious and want to be riding rides or going down slides at the resort pools…again JMO!
Tom while you are right about central Florida not having a multitude of wealthy and hour to two way you have the beaches and homes that are very expensive and are rarely used. There are also the stars of sports, and other famous who need a place to get away from the fans while they take their kids to Disney. Many of those people would gladly pay for some type of privacy. Seems with recent visits I have had, it might be mostley overseas customers anyway.
Strange days indeed but we saw it coming. For the last 10 years, the questionnaires I have received are basically around would you pay a premium for a,b,c and any combination of them. That is would you pay more money. Makes me laugh, because I got it into one year with management about the more you spend the more you get. I was told that “we treat everyone the same”/ LMFAO. I then said so I can stay in the castle tonight? Ah no sir it is not available to sleep in. My response, then why is Katy Perry staying in there right now and showed him her instagram account. What a joke.
Anyone know if any potential perks of membership extend to immediate family (children) or just the membership card holder and spouse?
I think the concept of “getting your $$ worth” and “Disney” does not really exist anymore and hasn’t for some time. I also think many people have come to expect that since Disney and the many people that visit year after year consider the experiences and memories they share as “priceless”. In regards to the Club 33 “value”, I think we also need to consider the other perks that Disney may throw in to Club 33 members to help justify or offset some of the cost of membership other than just exclusivity . The perks could include VIP annual passes, park hopper tickets for friends and family, premium VIP tours (currently $400-$600/hr), additional fast passes, etc. These last two alone can be considered “priceless” at some of the park’s busiest times. I remain cautiously optimistic regarding the number of potential perks however since it seems Disney has been offering ” less ” for “more ” lately as witnessed by the past cut in benefits for DL Club 33 members while at the same time raising fees. I guess only time will tell regarding all of these issues.
There’s only one club 33
As for the MK location, they already have some pretty plush rooms in the old bank if they wanted to make a lounge out of it. Or at least they did back when my wife and I got engaged on Splash Mountain back in ’00 (long story).
Tom, when we’re at WDW (and kid free) we like to
pop in to some of the smaller lounges for drinks and small plates. We love the one in Italy especially. So, even if we had the $$$ and the desire to be exclusive (which we don’t) I would still want to be sure I was getting my $$$ worth. We go to WDW several times a year but I can’t imagine, that we would spend our time at the parks held up inside some club long enough to make the $$$ we spent to join, worth it. The Wave at the Contemprary is a great place to grab drinks and small plates. The California Grill is opening a drink/small plate lounge that will allow you to catch the FW on the catwalk. There are plenty of places Disney makes you feel special no matter who you are or how much $$$ you have and that’s why we go. As long as my AP tickets don’t go up because if it, all the best to Club 33 members.
In the words of Groucho Marx “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.” Would I like to have a look inside? Of course. Would I pay ££££ to join? No way, I’d rather say at the top hotels in a world tour of every Disney park (or something equally grandiose that gives me more bang for my buck.)
+1 for the Marx quote.
The idea of four lounges make more sense to me, more along the lines of 1901 in DCA. Either way, my “serious” money is being saved for more Adventures by Disney. But to each his own and the clubs don’t diminish my enjoyment of the parks.
For those who value exclusivity, as you mentioned, the lure and “social club” aspect will attract plenty of people willing to pay these high costs. (Not us, though.) It’s not about the dollar per dollar value of a meal for those who value social contacts above all else. Theirs is a currency of perception and exclusion and “special-ness.” Not the best of character traits. But many trust funders and high level business execs have them. Not to mention the foreign wealth holders. They will love this opportunity, I imagine!
I think my main thought is, while Club 33 has been in Disneyland since shortly after the park opened, it has never existed in Walt Disney World. So, why now? (A rhetorical question, but happy to hear answers 😉 ).
Personally, I’ve never had the slightest temptation to join a members’ club in my own city, so it’s not clear to me why I’d be tempted just because it’s in WDW. And yet, of course, I can’t deny there’s a certain allure. But let’s be honest – I’d happily look around the sewage tanks at WDW if I were told it was an “exclusive experience”.
My only hope is that the new clubs don’t take away from space that was formerly accessible to all.
I don’t mind paying for premium experiences that offer a lot of value for truly cool experiences I would not otherwise get to have. However, the ability to walk into an exclusive bar or restaurant and purchase food is not a particularly cool experience. I would not purchase a Club 33 membership even if I had unlimited money. I would use the money to go on awesome Adventures by Disney trips! When the original Club 33 was still around, having a meal there was on my bucket list (it never happened), but I don’t have a burning desire to go to it now that it has been redone. I mean, I would go as a guest if someone invited me for a meal, but I would not pay for the experience and it does not have a high level of importance for me.
I think this takes away from the exclusivity and mystery of the original Club 33 in DL. That one, as you mentioned, had a purpose when Walt was around, and although it’s no longer used for that purpose, it was still the original. Adding 4 to WDW just cheapens the effect. It’s no longer exclusive but a tacky imitation.
But Disney obviously researched the market for this, and I’m sure it will be a success.
So, my understanding has always been that the majority of Club 33 memberships were corporate, not individual. Originally, the point was for there to be a place to take executives, especially ones the Disney company was trying to make deals with. It’s exclusivity and diminutive size were all about impressing potential investors and partners.
I would imagine the primary purpose of adding club 33 locations at Disney World would be a combination of providing a premium corporate experience and catering to a high-end East Coast clientele that likes this kind of special perk, but doesn’t really want to fly to California.
Club 33 isn’t who I am, but I don’t resent it either. My main concern is that it not be readily visible in any of the parks. At Disneyland, you really have to already know its there to notice it. As long as that is the same at Disney World, I think this is an entirely reasonable move, and possibly something they should have done long ago.
From what I understand, Club 33 at Disneyland now has more individual members than corporate ones. Disney doesn’t release info on this, but I’ve been told this is the case from people who would know.
I cannot imagine Club 33 at Walt Disney World having a mix of businesses and individuals. Central Florida is not Los Angeles. The only way I could see corporate accounts making up more than 10% of memberships is if there were a liberal guest pass policy that would allow companies to invite employees and clients–and if Disney Corporate Alliances were aggressive in pushing this perk to companies based in NYC and Chicago.
Club 33 kind of had a rationale and a history to its exclusivity, but I’m not so sure that really applies to these new locations. Why don’t they make new small land in one of the parks that can have an exclusive premium membership to get into? It can have decadent gold-plated roller coasters and exclusive merch. It can also have a climate-controlled balcony where they can look out over the existing areas of the park and observe the common-folk sweating in the heat like swine and fighting the crowds. Maybe there will be a vending machine where they can buy food and pins that the members can throw down to the people and watch them scramble and fight for them.
“Club 33 kind of had a rationale and a history to its exclusivity…”
Emphasis added.
You obviously put some thought into this; thanks for taking the time to share.
On one hand, I’d rather see Disney put time and effort towards things that benefit “regular” guests. On the other hand, this should not be costing regular guests anything as the fees should more than offset the construction/operation costs.
So, I suppose I don’t care that much. I can’t see why someone would spend that kind of money (I’ll take the 16 meals at V&A, thank you). But people spend tens of thousands of dollars to join private golf clubs all over the country.
I feel similarly about country clubs at golf courses, but there’s arguably substantive value there if you spend a lot of time golfing. Or, if you like to entertain.
When I worked in Indianapolis, our office had a membership to a place called the Columbia Club, which was used primarily for the purpose of wooing clients. There’s a lot of business appeal for clubs like that (they serve their role in attracting clients and maintaining existing relationships), but outside of a business context, I have a difficult time seeing how these places are “worth it.”
OMG. I wanted to read the article mostly to find out the cost of Club 33 (I had no clue). That is a lot of money to spend on the ability to walk into a lounge and purchase drinks and appetizers. This is coming from someone who (IMO) spends a lot at WDW on behind the scenes tours and the like. Thank you for writing such a great piece! It was fascinating to read!