Mark Twain Pilot House!

For those who have never enjoyed a ride aboard the Mark Twain in the Pilot House, I cannot express what an enjoyable time you are about to experience! Wow. Such a different perspective of the park at the slightly higher altitude. Our Captain, Ricky, was so polite and quite informative on the operation of the ride, the history, the duties of the crew, he even explained some details regarding Fantasmic and how the Mark Twain is converted to assist in the massive production.
Thanks so much Captain Rick, your enthusiasm and charisma is appreciated and Disney is very fortunate to have a cast member who truly represents the philosophies as set forward by Walt.

Cafe Orleans!

Being a three day weekend, we stopped by the park tonight and for the first time in quite a few years, enjoyed dinner at Cafe Orleans. Last time we visited there, it was relatively simple cuisine, nothing overly fancy, just a comfortable place to take the family.
Now however, reservations are requested, immediate seating is sometimes available, and the dinning is full service via a very well trained crew. Pretty big change, but all that said, it was quite enjoyable!
My wife enjoyed the Ratatouille with French Onion Soup and I had the Creole Style Chicken Caesar Salad with Gumbo.
Approx. cost was $23.00 per person with soup, drink, and entree.
Service was efficient, our waitress took the time to make sure everything was prepared correctly. It was a beautiful night, so dinning on the patio was splendid. Formal dinners at the club are exceptionally enjoyable, but for a nice rather low stress evening out, I would highly recommend Cafe Orleans.
A huge number of guests were ordering the Monte Cristo and I heard a number of them commenting on how tasty it proved to be. OK, maybe next time we'll try that!
Honestly, the brains behind Disneyland Food Services appear to be putting a great deal of effort on improving park food. While yes, the prices are a bit higher than similar restaurants outside the park, one does not mind paying a slightly higher price for the park's unchallenged ambiance. Enjoy!

Storytellers Cafe

For those who know me, they'll all agree I don't get out much! Pretty boring life, just work, work, work and the occasional visit to Disneyland (living next door to the park is very convenient!).

For the first time since the opening of the Grand Californian Hotel, my family and I finally enjoyed dinner at the Storyteller Cafe. Hard to believe we had never set foot in this unique restaurant, but we're old school Disney and do not venture out of the original park very often. A dear friend who is a Disneyland Cast Member told us to give it try, that she and her friends frequented quite often and now I can see why!

We met the manager, James, who was extremely polite and actually gave us a tour of the restaurant, explaining the dinner buffet with great attention to detail and familiarity with his management position. After seeing this first hand, we were sold!

For approx. $28.00 per person, the buffet is an experience which cannot be missed. New York strip, roast turkey, butternut squash, roast beef, wonderful bread pudding, garlic mashed potatoes, wonderful corn chowder and also home made corn muffins! We had a lovely meal and although the restaurant was very busy the staff was truly at their peak.

James visited our table to make sure everything was satisfactory, we just could say enough great things!

If you're visiting Disneyland please don't miss the Storytellers Cafe. James said the breakfast buffet was exceptionally popular and always draws a hungry crowd, I can certainly see why! We'll be there next Sunday morning!

Wishing you a healthy and prosperous New Year!

To all of our friends and visitors, I wish you all a wonderful 2009!

Living approx. 1/4 mile from Disneyland, its wonderful to hear the Mark Twain and steam locomotives as they carry guests throughout the park, not to mention the nightly fireworks viewed from our own backyard. When the cloud cover is just right, we can even hear the Yeti roaring within the Matterhorn. This past Wed morning at approx. 3:00 AM I was awaken by the sounds of Auld Ang Syne. I had to stop and think a moment, 'Had I missed a day? Was it New Years and somehow I'd missed it?' No, it was Disneyland preparing for the New Years celebration and they must have been calibrating their speaker system, preparing the big event. While I prefer not to be awoke from a cozy nights sleep, this was certainly a unique and acceptable cause. Living in Anaheim, one never knows what to expect from the Magic Kingdom!

Lovely at Christmas

I haven't visited the club in some time, so I was quite pleased to have enjoyed a wonderful Club 33 lunch this past week. The decor as Christmas is quite lovely, subtle, not over powering as in most malls and dept. stores. Tasteful and festive keeping in the holiday tradition of Disneyland.
The halibut was delicious, flaky and white, wrapped in a lightly seasoned crust. Also provided was a lovely Creole style soup, spicy to be sure, but quite enjoyable. The soup was almost of a bisque consistency, I would highly recommend!
In keeping with the holiday traditions, home made gingerbread men were added to the dessert bar along with a sumptuous selection of tarts, cakes, and holiday creations such as the lemon filled eclair snowmen!
The holidays are simply not complete without a visit to Club 33!

December 5th, a very special day!

According to a recent e-mail, December 5th not only marks Walt's birthday, but its the day (at least for 2009 memberships) that Club 33 has mailed out membership invitations! For those lucky few who finally received your letter, congratulations! What a special day it must be for the Disney fan who has patiently waited almost 9 years to one day open the mail box and find a letter with the famous '33' in the upper corner. How many were sent remains a mystery but rest assured somewhere in the world, a Disney fan is smiling ear to ear.

While walking through Adventureland I couldn't help but notice the trunk of the second Tarzan tree, located near the East base of the POC bridge, appeared to have a face in it. Looking closely, it suddenly became apparent, it was Jabba the Hutt! Well, I asked my wife and daughter and they agreed but were amazed they never noticed it previously. The is truly the work of a Disney Master Sculptor. Rosemary from www.findingmickey.com investigated the somewhat random face and confirmed that, yes indeed, it appears to be the Hutt!

The artist who created wonderful piece has our most sincere congratulations, this is one of the best Easter Eggs I have yet to discover within the park.

Updated Lounge Alley Photos!

I apologize for the lateness, but the Lounge Alley Photos have now been updated!
I hope you all enjoy them and as we're able to visit the club, I will add more.
Thank you all so very, very much for visiting our site.

http://www.disneylandclub33.com/Lounge%20Alley%20Tour.htm

Thanksgiving Day Menu 2008

I wish to thank Kathy who was kind enough to have enjoyed Thanksgiving Day at Club 33 and she photographed the special menu and forwarded to us.
"Thank you Kathy, your help in expanding our web site and keeping it current is dearly appreciated!"


Happy Thanksgiving
From Club 33
November 27 2008

First Course
Watercress Greens, Fuyu Persimmon, Maple Syrup Vinaigrette
or
Romaine Lettuce Salad, Thompson Grape, Pancetta Apple Dressing
2007 La Crema, Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast

Second Course
Hickory Smoked Lobster, Rutabaga Bisque
or
Heirloom Bell Pepper Soup
2007 Pine Ridge, Chenin Blanc-Viognier, Clarksburg

Third Course
Wild King Salmon, Shiitake Mushroom, English Pea Couscous
or
Majestic Heritage Turkey & Nueske Cloved Ham Tasting, Traditional Garniture
or
Filet of Chateaubriand, Truffle Port Demi, Potato Leek Puree
or
Vegetarian Strudel, Grilled Asparagus, Goat Cheese Veloute
2006 Erath, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley Oregon

Fourth Course
Pumpkin and Pecan Pie, Cinnamon Ice Cream
Or
Kahlua Chocolate Bombe, Grand Marnier Anglaise
2006 Lillypilly, Noble Blend, Leeton Australia

Haunted Mansion Holidays!

Although the attraction lines are very long, it's certainly worth the wait! Don't miss out!

A Fresh New Look For Club 33

The refurbishing of Club 33 has welcomed an era of dark wood, gold accenting, and elegance felt no where else within the park.

Original Pirates of the Caribbean artwork.

While much of the Pirates of the Caribbean have been moved, we were pleased to see a few select pieces still have a home within the club.

Certified Organic Free Range Chicken, Mascarpone Orzo

This is a lovely dish for those seeking a slightly lighter fare. Notice the wonderful presentation and care in preparation and presentation.
I simply can't wait to go again!

1967 Happiest Millionare Costume Sketches

As the club was opened in 1967, the Disney motion picture 'The Happiest Millionare' was also released. To commemorate this event, the club now features actual costume design sketches for your viewing. They're really quite lovely, be sure to view them in The Lounge Alley.

Our last visit to Club 33

Well, I really must admit, we have a wonderful evening on 10-18-2008. Curt was our waiter, polite, efficient, very warm and friendly with 20 years experience inside the club. Wow!
Curt was so nice to spend some extra time with us and explain the history of the new decor which is quite lovely. If you have a chance to visit the club, don't pass it up! While I did miss much of the New Orleans pirate and Haunted Mansion artwork, the new decor was quite lovely. The Trophy room also has a nice, fresh appearance with some of the 'British men's club' style returned.
I highly recommend the baked peach pastry with homemade walnut ice cream. Apparently Chef Marcel received an ice cream maker and he's making the most of it, all to our benefit of course. My tailor would agree, he appreciates the extra work.
The Heirloom Tomato and Bell Pepper Soup was incredibly satisfying. While not quite as heavy as their traditional bisque, I would highly recommend this.
I heard from the staff that a menu change may be in the works for the on coming Winter season. Hopefully they'll bring back their famous Butternut Bisque and those wonderful Pumpkin Creme Brulee. If you've never experiened Creme Brulee baked inside a spiced miniature squash, your life is not yet complete.
The Colorado Lamb Chops was perfect, but honestly, I could have eaten at least two to three more. They were so tasty, I had to purposely control myself and eat slowly to make them last. Great job Chef!
Thanks especially to Eric Quezada, he's such a wonderful manager. Eric was very cognizant of our presence and truly went out of his way to make us feel at home. Although we're not yet members, Eric and Curt made us feel as though we were and that is what makes Disneyland 'The Happiest Place On Earth!'

Thank you to everyone at Club 33!