Katherine's 10th Birthday Trip for Dapper Day and Club 33!!

[whoever]

Back inside, I noticed this stairway... I wonder if it's ever been pictured before and if anybody knows where it goes (I do).

This shot was not coincidence. I had accidentally taken a picture of Amy on our last trip to the club together in this exact spot, so we replicated it for this trip.

The Display case... all I'm able to confirm I bought were the two ornaments and the Walt Locket pin. I have most of the rest of the items which I wanted, so it was a light splurge this trip. REALLY wish the Dooney wasn't member's only.

Katherine was keying the harpsicord.. till I told her they'll kick you out for doing it.. sometimes you just have to mess with your kids...

The look on her face was great.

Amy signed the guest book for us.

I LOVED the clock face..

The old waiting area was right where that waiter is walking and those columns didn't used to be there. They widened it I think when they did the remodel.

 

[Aladora]

Oh, those ornaments! We have bought a new ornament on each of our Disney trips ever since our first trip in 1999 for our honeymoon. Those two from C33 would be the top of my list of things to buy if I could!

 

[whoever]

They are cool ornaments for sure. I don't think we've bought the ornaments before, but I could be wrong. I've got a mix of the old and the new. Amy just saw the new club-member only Dooney and REALLY wants one. I've bought her one of the first styles (plain blue) way back when, but all the new releases were member-only offerings so no luck on those and I'm not paying Ebay highway robbery.

 

[whoever]

As we lingered, it was starting to get a little uncomfortable. I know that C33 staff would never tell you to get out, but you don't want to cross that awkward time where you feel like you are overstaying...

As we migrated out, stopped by the phone booth. I never took a picture of this from my first trip to the club pre-renovation, so I'm not sure if it was the original or not. Katherine tried the phone out.. it won't be long before kids don't know what corded phones (much less rotary phones) are.

The sign said "Please ask a Host or Hostess for assistance if you wish to place a call", so I'm not sure if you needed to dial a code, operator, or what as I didn't listen, but Katherine had a grand old time.

The Court from the West Balcony which leads to the new bathrooms. One thing I noticed when looking at these pics is that the elevator addition seems like it comes very close to, but does not touch the existing Southern structure. Very odd for servicing, water management, etc...

You find the oddest things when looking through pictures. You can see Katherine's reflection in the glass of her looking down into the courtyard. Additionally, you can see the jewelry case which I failed to picture. I know we bought Katherine a Club 33 compact too... now where did we put it is the question.

A few more of the court..

But we weren't done quite yet..

 

[707MickeyGirl]

I'm loving this trip report... such a beautiful venue. I'm not that good about taking pictures when we're at the parks - I'm usually trying to be 'in the moment' - but I think I'm going to try to change that up a bit after seeing these photos. Looking back at pictures, you can enjoy all of the details you might have missed while you were there. I'm strictly a point-and-shoot girl myself, never having mastered the art of manual settings, but I do appreciate well-executed photography. I'm in the group of those who wish the Court of Angels was still accessible to everyone. It's a shame that I'll likely never lay eyes on it again, so I really appreciate seeing others' recent pictures of it.

I can't wait to see what you all got up to next. Following along!

 

[whoever]

Back inside for a few more pics..

Love that they kept the vulture and I LOVE this grandfather clock

We haven't ridden a Club 33 elevator since our first trip at the old club, so we figured we'd take the new one down.

Love the carpet.

Here is where it sunk in for Katherine that we were leaving and it might possibly be her last time ever to experience the club.

THe ladies soaking in the atmosphere before we were to step back through the doors and back into the real world at 16:06.

As we watched the door close behind us, it all sunk in. I hadn't made it 10 steps when I reached in my pocket and pulled this out...

I guess I would be returning to the club sooner than I thought. They let me back in and up the staircase I ascended.

I gave the hostess my hat check tag and snapped a few pics while I waited. I just LOVE the Art Noveau style of this fixture.

And a close up of Mr. Vulture..

And finally... one last trip down the stairs...and that was that..

I found the ladies perched on a bench not but a few steps from that hallowed door. Katherine had gotten herself a Zero Plush during my foray back into The Club..

All told, we had spent about three hours total in the club. Pretty good for a lunch. Loved every second of it.

Stuffed with food and drink and ready for some downtime, we headed back to the Grand, but not before stopping to top off our AP popcorn bucket.

We left the park at 16:30 and hit our room a few minutes after five with an excursion into world of Disney taking up some time... where... we ran into Sean and Kelly. We gave them a special surprise we had picked up for them and bid adieu..

 

[whoever]

I'm loving this trip report... such a beautiful venue. I'm not that good about taking pictures when we're at the parks - I'm usually trying to be 'in the moment' - but I think I'm going to try to change that up a bit after seeing these photos. Looking back at pictures, you can enjoy all of the details you might have missed while you were there. I'm strictly a point-and-shoot girl myself, never having mastered the art of manual settings, but I do appreciate well-executed photography. I'm in the group of those who wish the Court of Angels was still accessible to everyone. It's a shame that I'll likely never lay eyes on it again, so I really appreciate seeing others' recent pictures of it.

I can't wait to see what you all got up to next. Following along!

It's really not that hard. I think I've got the balance of getting some pics and being in the moment down pat. I don't let the photography get in the way of anything.

 

[dismiss]

I wasn't angling for an invite from any C33 member who might be reading this, I was just commenting on how lucky your daughter is! Yikes, I hope I did not come off as shady in my comments!

I would definitely beg, borrow or barter an invite. Someone once said "if you never ask, the answer will always be no" So if anyone is giving out invites I will be there in July celebrating my daughters 21st Birthday and the end of her 10 month deployment with AmeriCorps.

 

[ADLFAN]

Love those bright, giant, and specific to Club 33 shopping bags! It's like advertising, Look where I got to go!!

Club 33 is beautiful! And I love that you got to explore both balconies!

Where does the staircase lead? A secret Club 33 back door?

 

[dismiss]

Amy I love your dress & your Mickey corsage pin!!

 

[whoever]

Love those bright, giant, and specific to Club 33 shopping bags! It's like advertising, Look where I got to go!!

So interesting point on that. I'll have to dig it up, but I think it's at the tail end of one of my C33 TRs. I compared everything old to everything new, side by side. The new stuff is pretty "flashy" where as the original stuff is much more conservative. I did a comparison here:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/m...ed-the-club-tour.3318660/page-2#post-52142695

Club 33 is beautiful! And I love that you got to explore both balconies!

I agree. I REALLY, REALLY love it and feel so blessed I've had two members allow me to go in through that door on four separate occasions now. So thankful. I had been kicking myself for not checking out the East balcony. Honestly..I think it's my favorite (but I would always want to sit in "my table") vs. being right next to the East side.

Where does the staircase lead? A secret Club 33 back door?

To the bat cave!!!

It's an emergency exit, and I didn't get a picture of the outside door, but I never realized that is where that door lead to.

 

[whoever]

Amy I love your dress & your Mickey corsage pin!!

That mickey is actually one of my cufflinks. I lost the other one somehow (I've actually lost a lot of my Mickey cufflinks oddly). Amy repurposed it for her corsage she's worn on a few dapper days.

 

[ashley0139]

All the Club 33 stuff is gorgeous. Random question, but can you use an AP discount on that stuff? I would need to buy it all!

Looks like you guys had a great time at the Club!

 

[whoever]

All the Club 33 stuff is gorgeous. Random question, but can you use an AP discount on that stuff? I would need to buy it all!

Looks like you guys had a great time at the Club!

No AP discount on the meal or club merch.

 

[ashley0139]

No AP discount on the meal or club merch.

Good to know. If I ever go, I will not make a faux pas by asking. *sticks up pinkie*

Looking forward to the rest of your report.

 

[whoever]

Good to know. If I ever go, I will not make a faux pas by asking. *sticks up pinkie*

You mean like I did my first time I went with an AP?

 

[minnieralyks]

I think I know what staircase you're talking about in the photo. While I've never had the privilege of going to the Club, I once saw a video on Youtube about someone being able to sneak into one of the exits. IIRC, they got all the way into the club but were eventually stopped in the hallway by a CM asking if they were guests. Pretty sneaky, and I'm sure very ban-worthy.

By the way, great trip report! Been following along and love the attention to detail. The picture of your wife and daughter in the reflection is simply precious!

 

[Frozen2014]

Wow...what an amazing review. Thank you for sharing with us. Looks like your daughter (and mom and dad) had an amazing birthday celebration. I don't know what Club 33 is, but at a high level, I've heard it's hard to get into and obviously a pretty big deal. Happy birthday to your daughter. That's so special that you do that with your kids...and some alone time.

 

[ashley0139]

You mean like I did my first time I went with an AP?

See, we learn from your mistakes.

 

[whoever]

I think I know what staircase you're talking about in the photo. While I've never had the privilege of going to the Club, I once saw a video on Youtube about someone being able to sneak into one of the exits. IIRC, they got all the way into the club but were eventually stopped in the hallway by a CM asking if they were guests. Pretty sneaky, and I'm sure very ban-worthy.

I'm sure the doors out of the Grand Salon and Salon Noveau are both alarmed, so I doubt somebody could bypass those.

By the way, great trip report! Been following along and love the attention to detail. The picture of your wife and daughter in the reflection is simply precious!

Thanks!!! More coming, just been a crazy busy week/weekend and this week/weekend is more of the same.