Club 33 is the name of the exclusive private club at Disneyland that was founded by Walt Disney himself with a sky-high annual membership cost. Access to this club is very limited with most members being celebrities, local Southern California business owners, and wealthy Disney fans.
The awareness of Club 33 has grown in the past years with the increase of access for content creators, often visiting as guests of a member, and the viral merchandise the club shares. It seems that Disney knows the “secret is out” as they are now openly talking about the club and club membership.
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Disneyland Openly Talks About Club 33 Membership on App
Disneyland has now added Club 33 to the Disneyland app which includes a FAQ about the club, membership, and access for guests. The app even links to the membership form which is an unusual move for Disney to include. It is not typical to see Club 33 openly talked about like this on their websites much less their theme park app. Why? Because becoming a member to Club 33 isn’t quite that simple.
You can only find this by searching “Club 33” on the Disneyland app and then it will pop up. It is not highlighted as a location on the app which is smart as this would likely confuse a lot of guests that aren’t familiar with it. This is also the first time that we are seeing the club get a dedicated page on the Disneyland website. Now, when people Google Club 33 they’ll see a dedicated Disneyland.com page.
Why Is Disneyland Advertising Club 33?
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There’s one logical explanation for Disneyland adding Club 33 to the Disneyland app and this is just to help explain what this private club is for new guests. It’s not hard to find photos of Club 33 online now especially with the increase of content creators accessing the private club. Most well-known Disneyland content creators have friends that are members or are often granted access as a favor and then these posts go viral quickly on social media.
Since Club 33 has become more widely broadcasted due to this influx of content, it’s not unusual that more guests would hear about it and wonder how they could also get in. Adding Club 33 to the Disneyland app gives cast members a break from answering questions about access and provides a quick link to request membership. Of course, it’s extremely unlikely that request for membership will go answered for most guests but they can still try which may temporarily satiate some frustrated guests that want access.
Another reason Club 33 is more well-known now than even five years ago is the increase of specific merchandise that also goes viral on social media. We just recently reported on the Indiana Jones anniversary collection that hit Club 33 ourselves as many readers are very interested in this exclusive merchandise.
Other popular collections in the past have included Haunted Mansion and Matterhorn Bobsleds Loungefly collaborations which now resell for triple their price on eBay. When these collections became available in Club 33 they were also shared on social media by content creators and other visitors often in the form of “merchandise hauls” which is only going to increase awareness of the private club.
Of course, there was also talk of a Club 33 movie in the works last summer but we haven’t heard any updates since and it is likely that this movie has joined the list of other projects that have fallen off the map like the Figment movie and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad TV show.
With this increased awareness of what Club 33 is and the desire to get in to access this special merchandise, it’s no surprise that the average guest is asking more question than ever before.
Why We Think Talking About Club 33 Is A Mistake
Since Club 33 has become more widely known, it makes sense why Disneyland felt it was logical to add to the app. However, we do feel that this is a mistake from a guest satisfaction level since it makes this luxury experience, often reserved for the wealthy, seem within reach. It makes guests feel like they are “missing out” on something that many others are experiencing when this is really not true.
It is quite rare to get a Club 33 membership and outside of that you need to know a member of the club to get access. I have been writing about Disneyland for nearly eight years and I have only been inside Club 33 once. This is not a place you can get easy access to and making it seem more attainable will just frustrate guests. I place this in a similar category as to how the Lightning Lane Premier Pass makes some guests feel, that these exclusive experiences are only reserved for the wealthy and if you can’t also have access to them then you aren’t getting the “whole experience” of Disneyland.
It would be better if Disneyland took a note from how Walt Disney World handles their Club 33 location and banned all content within the club to retain the exclusivity of the space. At this location, no photos from inside the club are allowed to be shared, and the members there have no intent on sharing it publicly. We wish Disneyland would go the other way here and just simply ban anyone from taking photos which makes it a better experience for everyone involved. This would retain the mysterious nature of Club 33 and get rid of the “FOMO” for many guests that likely won’t ever get to visit this exclusive space.
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