Matt's Fall, 2019 adventure with Club 33 and 21 Royal

[StormyCA]

This report is really getting my Disney juices going. My husband would never do this (and would probably kill me if I told him I was even thinking of it) but my mom would do it in a heartbeat. She loves Disney and Disney history as much as me. Gonna have to add this to the bucket list for us I think!

I just told nDH (nonDisney Husband) about it and (as usual) he looked at me as if I was crazy. But then he shrugged and said "Well, it's your money, that's what it's there for. We worked hard all our lives to be able to do those things we dreamed about but couldn't do when we young and raising a family".

 

[franandaj]

Did it look like mine? Maybe I got it wrong. Like I said, I lost all my notes I took on my phone.

You know I got it wrong, it wasn't the Lillian, that was a different drink. I went back and looked at my pictures, and they were two different drinks, but I know that it was something besides champagne. I'll see if I can find out what it's called.

I don't know why, but I love hearing there are fellow DL fanatics here in AZ. Sometimes I feel like all the DL fans are all in CA.

I have some DL fanatic friends on their way from Arizona right now. Unfortunately I'm in DL so we can't meet up.

I feel like an anomaly. I'm ALWAYS looking up/back and checking out all the details that makes Disneyland so special and not just "another theme park".

Every time we walk through NO Square I look up at that balcony and think, "sometime, I'll be back!"

Your pictures are spectacular! Do you have some sort of wide angle lens? What sort of camera and lens are you using?

 

[whoever]

You know I got it wrong, it wasn't the Lillian, that was a different drink. I went back and looked at my pictures, and they were two different drinks, but I know that it was something besides champagne. I'll see if I can find out what it's called.

Do you recall the name of the signature drink they make? Royal street something or other. I had the recipe in my phone and lost it.

I have some DL fanatic friends on their way from Arizona right now. Unfortunately I'm in DL so we can't meet up.



Every time we walk through NO Square I look up at that balcony and think, "sometime, I'll be back!"

Your pictures are spectacular! Do you have some sort of wide angle lens? What sort of camera and lens are you using?

I have a full-frame Nikon (D750) and was shooting a 14-24 f/2.8 lens at 14mm. It makes it look way larger than it actually is as you’ll see between shots in the next installment. It’s one of the widest non-distorting (as far as curving straight lines) lens you can get.

 

[whoever]

This report is really getting my Disney juices going. My husband would never do this (and would probably kill me if I told him I was even thinking of it) but my mom would do it in a heartbeat. She loves Disney and Disney history as much as me. Gonna have to add this to the bucket list for us I think!

Writing this has really helped me through some hard times I’ve been going through lately. Disney always brings me back and makes me happy

 

[whoever]

I just told nDH (nonDisney Husband) about it and (as usual) he looked at me as if I was crazy. But then he shrugged and said "Well, it's your money, that's what it's there for. We worked hard all our lives to be able to do those things we dreamed about but couldn't do when we young and raising a family".

I’ve loved your reports over the past decade. I’m more of a maximize your time kind of guy because you never know when your number is up.

 

[crystal1313]

Writing this has really helped me through some hard times I’ve been going through lately. Disney always brings me back and makes me happy

I am really enjoying following along with this trip report. Thank you for sharing. I hope the hard times pass quickly. Your report is giving me lots of smiles and reaffirming how much I love Disney. So thank you!

Do you have plans to also write an Aulani TR?

 

[whoever]

I am really enjoying following along with this trip report. Thank you for sharing. I hope the hard times pass quickly. Your report is giving me lots of smiles and reaffirming how much I love Disney. So thank you!

Do you have plans to also write an Aulani TR?

Appreciated. I will, but you can imagine my horror when I got home and realized the entire trip was shot in .jpg instead of RAW. Hopefully the camera settings were spot on but the pics won’t be nearly the same quality.

 

[franandaj]

Do you recall the name of the signature drink they make? Royal street something or other. I had the recipe in my phone and lost it.

I remember two, one with Gin and one with Scotch, but that's all I remember.

I have a full-frame Nikon (D750) and was shooting a 14-24 f/2.8 lens at 14mm. It makes it look way larger than it actually is as you’ll see between shots in the next installment. It’s one of the widest non-distorting (as far as curving straight lines) lens you can get.

My normal lens is a Sigma 18-250, but I also have one that goes to 1.4 for Dark Rides. I've considered getting a 14-24 next.

Appreciated. I will, but you can imagine my horror when I got home and realized the entire trip was shot in .jpg instead of RAW. Hopefully the camera settings were spot on but the pics won’t be nearly the same quality.

Wow! You shoot in RAW! Definitely beyond my photography levels. Half my TRs are now shot on my cell phone just because I've gotten lazy over the years!

 

[whoever]

I remember two, one with Gin and one with Scotch, but that's all I remember.

this was definitely whisky based

My normal lens is a Sigma 18-250, but I also have one that goes to 1.4 for Dark Rides. I've considered getting a 14-24 next.

i have the 14-24/2.8, 24-70/2.8, 70-200/2.8, 24/1.4, 50/1.4, and 85/1.4 expensive hobby

Wow! You shoot in RAW! Definitely beyond my photography levels. Half my TRs are now shot on my cell phone just because I've gotten lazy over the years!

RAW corrects all manner of sins

 

[whoever]

So, a lot of inquiries on the dress. Amy says it was borrowed from a fellow Disney fan here in the valley.

And now the Patio. I would argue, this is the most magical place in the entire suite outside the balcony. This is where people will congregate. The drinks don't hurt...

As you enter off of the Salon.

Slightly wider angle. Once it got dark, the same fireflies from the Blue Bayou came out to play.

From the South Side facing North.

Remember when I mentioned we'd be seeing the Disney crest later.. This was it.

Amy having some fun!

She has a Lillian Fizz in her hand which is a spiced Sour Gin Fizz.

When can you ever see the back-side of the 30-state flag? Not often.

And Paul manning the bar. The window behind him is the window on the left side of the Frontierland Suite. Yeah, it's that compact despite how my pics make it look.

Paul was mixing up whatever we wanted, but he was mainly pouring some Royal Street Cocktails. (Recipe lost to time unless my efforts come through)

Next up, the Hors d’oeuvres, which started with Duck confit spring rolls dubbed "Duck Cigars".

After, we had tartlets........maybe roasted veggies and goat cheese or fig or.....looks like basil on top, so it makes me think roasted veggies more than fig, but I can't be sure.

Finally, we had Ahi tuna on Potato tarts. (No pictures from any of the attendees)

 

[cruisehopeful]

My husband would never do this (and would probably kill me if I told him I was even thinking of it) but my mom would do it in a heartbeat. She loves Disney and Disney history as much as me. Gonna have to add this to the bucket list for us I think!

I just told nDH (nonDisney Husband) about it and (as usual) he looked at me as if I was crazy. But then he shrugged and said "Well, it's your money, that's what it's there for. We worked hard all our lives to be able to do those things we dreamed about but couldn't do when we young and raising a family".

I told my husband about it and he asked why I didn't want to do this 5-6 years ago (when he would have wanted to attend, too). I told him they didn't have it back then and I would have thought it was nuts back then. I told him I'd probably want to pay for our older daughter to go and I'd probably need to stay at the Grand that night, so it will cost about $3K for a dinner. At first he seemed annoyed at the prospect, but then he said that he thinks I should do it. Our whole lives we've always said we'd do stuff later in life. Well, later is here for us. It does help that I won't leave my dogs for a week anymore, so sure I could spend $3K for a week of vacation somewhere else, but since I won't do that now, I may as well have a really nice vacation for a day. I just need 10 friends who feel the same.

 

[whoever]

Before we leave the patio, a few more shots...

Great shot of the Dominguez Palm!

The Royal Street Cocktails were going down way too easy.

If you look to the left of Paul in the pic on the patio with the bar in it, you'll see an arch way. If you go through there, you find a door....

Through the door, it opens up to a hallway. To your right, a cabinet for the glassware, forward, the doors to the 21 Royal Dining Room. To your left, a hallway where the sommelier workstation is.

Amy sneaking a peek at our menu for the night..

Looking back from the hall.

Our glassware for the night.

These decanters needed to come home for me, but I just couldn't pull the trigger.

 

[whoever]

I told my husband about it and he asked why I didn't want to do this 5-6 years ago (when he would have wanted to attend, too). I told him they didn't have it back then and I would have thought it was nuts back then. I told him I'd probably want to pay for our older daughter to go and I'd probably need to stay at the Grand that night, so it will cost about $3K for a dinner. At first he seemed annoyed at the prospect, but then he said that he thinks I should do it. Our whole lives we've always said we'd do stuff later in life. Well, later is here for us. It does help that I won't leave my dogs for a week anymore, so sure I could spend $3K for a week of vacation somewhere else, but since I won't do that now, I may as well have a really nice vacation for a day. I just need 10 friends who feel the same.

I can think of no better way to spend $3k than for such a memory it will make. Do it!!

 

[StormyCA]

I told my husband about it and he asked why I didn't want to do this 5-6 years ago (when he would have wanted to attend, too). I told him they didn't have it back then and I would have thought it was nuts back then. I told him I'd probably want to pay for our older daughter to go and I'd probably need to stay at the Grand that night, so it will cost about $3K for a dinner. At first he seemed annoyed at the prospect, but then he said that he thinks I should do it. Our whole lives we've always said we'd do stuff later in life. Well, later is here for us. It does help that I won't leave my dogs for a week anymore, so sure I could spend $3K for a week of vacation somewhere else, but since I won't do that now, I may as well have a really nice vacation for a day. I just need 10 friends who feel the same.

This is why nDH and I retired in our mid-50s. I almost lost DH to cardiomyopathy and we decided that 'someday' was 'now'. We've been living our RV traveling dream since then, including 2 cross-country RV trips to WDW & Ft Wilderness. Now in the planning stages for trip 3 next year. For a 'non-Disney Husband', nDH does enjoy WDW. He visits DL only under protest and only if we stay at the Grand, but he really enjoys WDW. Go figure , but I'll take what I can get.

Our first trip was WDW and the Smokies. Our second was WDW, Smokies, and Yellowstone. This next trip will be WDW and then kicking back in Key West to 'recuperate'.

 

[DoraBA]

Living vicariously through your report... 'cause there's no way I would be able to spend 1K on a meal (not to mention 2K in international flights etc LOL).

But greatly enjoying every post! Sounds like an amazing experience.

 

[whoever]

And now the 21 Royal Dining Room. I'll get a bit into some of the details of the room later in the report, but here's some teasers of where we'll be having dinner!

I quickly found where Amy and I would be sitting.

Looking back from our corner of the table.

Chatting up Jackie who would be one of our servers tonight.

Love the transom.

One last trip to the patio before dinner... love this space so much.

Peeking in at my seat. We would have the doors open later for Fantasmic so we could just walk out directly onto the patio.

 

[DizMe]

Oh...my...gosh!!!! I sooooooooooo want to do this!!!!

 

[BayouQueen]

Oh...my...gosh!!!! I sooooooooooo want to do this!!!!

I know...it looks like some kind of Disney heaven -- all peaceful and beautiful and totally Disneyesque. Thanks soooooo much to Matt for documenting and sharing something that hardly anyone is going to be able to experience firsthand.

 

[whoever]

I know...it looks like some kind of Disney heaven -- all peaceful and beautiful and totally Disneyesque. Thanks soooooo much to Matt for documenting and sharing something that hardly anyone is going to be able to experience firsthand.

It's an open thing so anybody can do it. Just takes some saving.

Oh...my...gosh!!!! I sooooooooooo want to do this!!!!

Cheri, I would love to do it with you and the fam (of in this case/.price, just the hubby)

 

[Bluewild79]

I SO want to do this. I don't know if my husband would want to but I could probably pull it off for just me with plenty of advance notice. My BIL has tried for the past three years to get us into Club 33 since his friend is a member but it has never worked since my BIL travels a lot for work and would want to go with us. This would be a wonderful alternative.