Club 33 requested more info from me. Should I be excited?

[ashley0139]

4 Premier annual passes, 50 1-day park hoppers to be used for friends and family, use of lounges in both parks, 5- 8 hour VIP tours, concierge service, access to VIP areas for night time shows, fastpasses, access to special events through out the year (examples - tours of Walt's Apartment, dream suite, the Circle D ranch, helping with Disney Rose Bowl float, wine dinners with Gogi wine makers, Silverado winery, imagineers, parties after hours with rides open, etc....)

Sounds pretty awesome to me. Hopefully one day in the future, I'll be lucky enough to be a member.

 

[sherilaine]

Meh...I mean if it had more value I'd think about ponying up but I ant find anything of value in that.

I guess to say I'm a club 33 member would be cool but no value found for me

They listed over $30K of value: 4 Premier passes is $7500, 50 1 day park hoppers are $7500 and since VIP tours are like $400 per hour, so 5 of those for 8 hours each is another $16K.

I hope the OP gets their wish - people can spend their $ as they wish!!

 

[Malcon10t]

Meh...I mean if it had more value I'd think about ponying up but I ant find anything of value in that.

I guess to say I'm a club 33 member would be cool but no value found for me

I can understand if you are looking at it from strictly a $$ view. As my daughter puts it, only real Disney nerds understand. We are lucky enough to be friends with several members and have been to a lot of the events. We all love Candlelight. It's an annual event. My daughter loves rubbing it in to her friends that her voice mail message was recorded for her by the real Mickey Mouse (Bret Iwan.) Her back up message is Goofy. She spent 20 mins at a Fantasmic! event discussing dogs with Bill Farmer. She loves telling how she has ridden Pirates in her own boat (I was in the boat behind her with friends) and we used flash all thru the ride since we were the only ones on it. How she rode Indy alone as the driver. My granddaughter doesn't even realize that the "nice man" who colored with her at lunch when she was 3 was Tony Baxter. Dining at the club isn't even the biggest draw of the membership these days. Last Thursday, members got to have dinner in the Haunted Mansion after hours. Dinner was served in the portrait hall, after getting pictures taken in front of the Castle with props from the Mansion.

Discussion with the Disney grandchildren where we learned they called Lillian "Granny"

Sounds pretty awesome to me. Hopefully one day in the future, I'll be lucky enough to be a member.

For now, I'm just hoping for an invite to eat at Club 33 someday.

I think it is pretty awesome also.

They listed over $30K of value: 4 Premier passes is $7500, 50 1 day park hoppers are $7500 and since VIP tours are like $400 per hour, so 5 of those for 8 hours each is another $16K.

I hope the OP gets their wish - people can spend their $ as they wish!!

I hope the OP hears back soon!

 

[CampbellzSoup]

Oh I know it's worth it to some, and I hope you all get in and invite us to diner

 

[Malcon10t]

Oh I know it's worth it to some, and I hope you all get in and invite us to diner

You said "if it had more value I'd think about ponying up but I ant find anything of value in that." What value would you want to see added?

 

[CampbellzSoup]

You said maybe if it had more value. What value would you want to see added?

Personally to me I'd like to have like a Club 33 panel where the club can partake in events where their voices can have some input into perhaps what they want to see in the parks.

Also an exclusive floor in the Disney land hotel that's only for members to stay and luxuriate in.

One paid three day visit to any another Disney park (no meals or hotel accomidations just flight).

An exclusive deck on Disney cruise ships just for club 33 members.

Exclusive screening and invitation to movie premiers.

Just to me up the level of execlusivness.

Just some ideas again what can make it a bit more prestigious and exclusive of value to me

 

[Malcon10t]

Personally to me I'd like to have like a Club 33 panel where the club can partake in events where their voices can have some input into perhaps what they want to see in the parks.

I know members do voice their concerns and wishes.

Also an exclusive floor in the Disney land hotel that's only for members to stay and luxuriate in.

Since there are less than 800 members worldwide, I don't think this is feasible. I doubt there are more than 10 members in the parks on any given day (higher during Christmas.)

One paid three day visit to any another Disney park (no meals or hotel accomidations just flight).

The premier pass does allow admittance to WDW, but why should Disney pay airfare?

An exclusive deck on Disney cruise ships just for club 33 members.

Again, not feasible to block an entire deck on several ships for a limited number of people.

Exclusive screening and invitation to movie premiers.

This does happen. While we didn't attend the POTC, we did attend the Lone Ranger in the Hyperion, and my friends attended the premier of Tomorrowland.

 

[MrDisneyFan]

I do love these first world problems

To the OP - good luck to you! How's it coming along? I'm curious, I thought the initiation fee was 'only' $25k but people are throwing out $50k as the number - has this changed?

I know I've sat with a spreadsheet trying to calculate the value of a membership (mostly so I could justify it to my wife one day ). But as you can clearly see this is mostly a futile exercise. It's like trying to justify paying 3 times the cost of a flight to sit in first class. Or as we were lucky to do once, pay for a concierge stateroom on a Disney Cruise. There isn't a 1 to 1 relation for value. Value is in the eye of the beholder. I am not a sports guy at all and while I enjoy going to a live sporting event once in a while I couldn't imagine paying for superbowl tickets or sitting courtside to the Lakers. I don't get it at all but some people love that stuff. People want the exclusivity and there are no shortage of people willing to pay for it. I hope I get to be one of those lucky people to be accepted and be able to pay for Club 33 one day! Until then I'll be happy to be very very grateful to have been once for lunch for my birthday last year and even more grateful that I'll be going back for my 40th birthday this year, for dinner this time! Le Salon Nouveau and 1901 lounge are on my wish list now but haven't had the privilege of being in the park with a member yet .

 

[Malcon10t]

I do love these first world problems

To the OP - good luck to you! How's it coming along? I'm curious, I thought the initiation fee was 'only' $25k but people are throwing out $50k as the number - has this changed?.

Yea... 2012 it was $25K. In October 2015 it was $40K. Jan 2016, my friends who are signing paperwork next month were told it is now $50K.

 

[starry_solo]

Yea... 2012 it was $25K. In October 2015 it was $40K. Jan 2016, my friends who are signing paperwork next month were told it is now $50K.

WOW!!! I suppose the next time Power Ball is $1 billion and I happen to win it, I'll put myself on the waiting list, LOL.

 

[AZMama2016]

Yea... 2012 it was $25K. In October 2015 it was $40K. Jan 2016, my friends who are signing paperwork next month were told it is now $50K.

Ahhh my $40k number was correct at one point, not long ago. I was also going to mention the HM event which I just heard about. It included special shape shifting portraits of the members who participated, I think? Those are the kinds of things that would make being a member so worth it to me. Membership is really designed for people who place a lot of value on very unique, exclusive experiences and have the discretionary money to pay for it.

 

[ashley0139]

Do members then have to pay for the special events on top of their fees? Like for the Haunted Mansion dinner?

 

[Malcon10t]

Do members then have to pay for the special events on top of their fees? Like for the Haunted Mansion dinner?

Most of them, yes. Ones like Candlelight and the Rose Parade Float are free, ones like Haunted Mansion have a fee. They involve a great meal, a great gift, plenty of alcohol, guest speakers, unique atmosphere, and sometimes a room at the Grand.

I compare it to a country club. You pay your annual dues, you pay for special events, you pay for meals, you pay for lessons, and at a country club, you have a minimum you are required to spend each month/quarter. The Club 33 country club, you don't have a monthly minimum....

My BIL belongs to the Gotham Club. Similar to Club 33, but for Giants fans. But in addition to paying your annual dues, you also have to buy a ticket to the game to get in the stadium to get to go to your club!

 

[BostonEd]

She loves telling how she has ridden Pirates in her own boat (I was in the boat behind her with friends) and we used flash all thru the ride since we were the only ones on it.

Interesting, I always thought flash photography was forbidden because it would screw up the animatronics somehow. It would also be very annoying to other people, so maybe that's just what they used to say.

The one thing I could never find out about Club 33 is ... does it also work as a "clubhouse"? I mean, could I go there and chill in a comfy chair and sip some sherry, or do you only visit for meals?

 

[AZMama2016]

The one thing I could never find out about Club 33 is ... does it also work as a "clubhouse"? I mean, could I go there and chill in a comfy chair and sip some sherry, or do you only visit for meals?

There's a lounge that only members can access (if you're a non-member, you must be accompanied by the member to visit it). So yes, members can drop in for a drink or just to get away from the crowds.

 

[MrDisneyFan]

There's a lounge that only members can access (if you're a non-member, you must be accompanied by the member to visit it). So yes, members can drop in for a drink or just to get away from the crowds.

I think I recall seeing only platinum members can drop into the lounge anytime. Gold members can enjoy the lounge before or after a dining reservation only.

 

[AZMama2016]

I think I recall seeing only platinum members can drop into the lounge anytime. Gold members can enjoy the lounge before or after a dining reservation only.

That's possible. My friend who is a member goes to DLR rarely and it's always with family to dine at the club, so I haven't seen her in a situation where she was just "hanging out" at the park and wanted to drop in.

 

[Disneyluvr2]

I think I recall seeing only platinum members can drop into the lounge anytime. Gold members can enjoy the lounge before or after a dining reservation only.

Yes, this is correct. Gold members can only enjoy the lounge before or after dining. :

 

[Malcon10t]

The one thing I could never find out about Club 33 is ... does it also work as a "clubhouse"? I mean, could I go there and chill in a comfy chair and sip some sherry, or do you only visit for meals?

Yes, 1901 and Salon Nouveau are first come first serve. Members can bring guests with them to simply unwind. They have their own menu and you can also order from the Grand Salon menu in Salon Nouveau. You can get a bottle of wine, you can have your own wine brought in, or you can order some of the nice wines by the ounce to try.

They also have some very nice liquors, and do "classes" on them. (It was where I learned I liked Jameson Vintage.)

 

[bumbershoot]

Since there are less than 800 members worldwide, I don't think this is feasible.

Are there really that few??? wow.