[Chat] Club 33 Membership Changes, Part 2

[MickeyMaxx]

Welcome to the continuation of the discussion of changes to Club 33 memberships.

This thread has been rebooted here in the hopes all who participate will do so with respect
for both the other members in this thread, and for this site's rules. Those who continue to
craft their postings outside of those rules will be removed from this conversation.
Please do not create any additional similar threads.

Thanks for your understanding and your follow through.

[Nonsuch]

Re: Club 33 Membership Changes, Part 2

Welcome all to the continued discussion of Club 33 changes. Although the original thread contained some very "heated" discussions outside the norm for MiceChat, it contains some very valuable information. I'm glad that thread was closed (as is) and not edited by moderators after the fact, and might serve as a partial record this transitional period for Club 33.

...This thread has been rebooted...

I described the changes in 2012 as a reboot of Club 33, so it is ironic that the discussion of the reboot has required a reboot.

[sediment]

Re: Club 33 Membership Changes, Part 2

Meh.

[bummerkit]

Re: Club 33 Membership Changes, Part 2

So, bottom line, if I want to be a member of club 33, what is the process? What will it cost, how long will I have to wait, and what perks will I receive for the cost and wait?

[Malcon10t]

Re: Club 33 Membership Changes, Part 2

So, bottom line, if I want to be a member of club 33, what is the process? What will it cost, how long will I have to wait, and what perks will I receive for the cost and wait?

CURRENTLY - Initiation fee is around $25K, first years dues are $11K. How long? It is unknown. I have friends who were put on the list in May, and are still waiting.

What it includes - 4 Premier Annual passes (Disneyland and WDW.) Includes the standard AP discounts. 5 VIP tours a year. 50 comp tickets. Club reservations. Valet parking at the Grand. Access to 1901. VIP services (they will make your reservations from rooms to meals to seating for parades/fireworks/Aladdin/Fantasmic!/WoC to any other planning needs...) 6 immediate use Fast Passes each day. And various Club Events (such as Candlelight.) If you are staying at one of the 3 resort hotels, you are upgraded to Concierge level rooms (you have to make the ressie through the club services.) I think that is a basic recap.

[David A]

Re: Club 33 Membership Changes, Part 2

Take the tour first and really evaluate your decision carefully. If you know a member, utilize their membership for a few visits (or while you wait upon the list, if any) and perform your due diligence to see if the benefits and costs are justifiable.
Prior to 2012 I would be have encouraged you to join without hesitation, but with current TDA management showing a more aggressive stance re the micromanagement of the club, personally, I would wait to see if any damage control is initiated to help correct many of the issues discussed so intensely in the other Club 33 threads.
Since 1967 the club has been relatively left alone by TDA and those were golden years indeed. Simply fabulous years! Members were happy to pay their annual dues, they loved to dine at the club and attend the events, it was really a magical experience. There was no animosity within the membership ranks, and even the club staff had a much lower turn over.
I would never dictate to anyone how to spend their money but if asked, I would most certainly offer sound advise based upon extensive, first hand experience.

[MickeyDogMom]

Re: Club 33 Membership Changes, Part 2

So, bottom line, if I want to be a member of club 33, what is the process? What will it cost, how long will I have to wait, and what perks will I receive for the cost and wait?

Ditto what Malcon10t said.

And to add, it's worth it.

[sediment]

Re: Club 33 Membership Changes, Part 2

I don't think it's worth it.

[txdisney]

Re: Club 33 Membership Changes, Part 2

CURRENTLY - Initiation fee is around $25K, first years dues are $11K. How long? It is unknown. I have friends who were put on the list in May, and are still waiting.

What it includes - 4 Premier Annual passes (Disneyland and WDW.) Includes the standard AP discounts. 5 VIP tours a year. 50 comp tickets. Club reservations. Valet parking at the Grand. Access to 1901. VIP services (they will make your reservations from rooms to meals to seating for parades/fireworks/Aladdin/Fantasmic!/WoC to any other planning needs...) 6 immediate use Fast Passes each day. And various Club Events (such as Candlelight.) If you are staying at one of the 3 resort hotels, you are upgraded to Concierge level rooms (you have to make the ressie through the club services.) I think that is a basic recap.

were they notified that they are on the list? I cant get any response.

I personally think it is worth it. I consider that it is 15-16K/year for 5 years. We will visit probably 12 days a year and will send some small # of clients, friends and family. I wish more fast passes were included (6 per visit seems low unless it is 6 per person), more perks to magic kingdom, international disneys and cruise perks.

My wifes family lives in orange county so we visit maybe 4 weeks a year (spread over 4 visits). I personally would like to add orlando to the mix.

[pinksand]

Re: Club 33 Membership Changes, Part 2

I wish more fast passes were included (6 per visit seems low unless it is 6 per person)

It is 6 per person for all the people with a Club 33 card. After that, it's regular Fastpasses.

[sediment]

Re: Club 33 Membership Changes, Part 2

I personally think it is worth it. I consider that it is 15-16K/year for 5 years. We will visit probably 12 days a year and will send some small # of clients, friends and family. I wish more fast passes were included (6 per visit seems low unless it is 6 per person), more perks to magic kingdom, international disneys and cruise perks.

My wifes family lives in orange county so we visit maybe 4 weeks a year (spread over 4 visits). I personally would like to add orlando to the mix.

Well, the clients would make it worth it. I don't have any clients.

[David A]

Re: Club 33 Membership Changes, Part 2

Well, I met another Legacy Member who didn't renew.
He was simply furious about the comp reduction and exclusion from specific member events.
Nice fellow too, super Disney fan until now.
Well, I know how he feels.
Since profanity isn't allowed on this forum, I can't tell what he said about the 1901 Lounge. LOL!
Looks like Disney is making friends all over!

[Malcon10t]

Re: Club 33 Membership Changes, Part 2

That is odd, since you had to renew prior to Jan 29th, and the event wasn't announced til Feb. 1st. So, he didn't know about the separation prior to quitting.

[David A]

Re: Club 33 Membership Changes, Part 2

That is odd, since you had to renew prior to Jan 29th, and the event wasn't announced til Feb. 1st. So, he didn't know about the separation prior to quitting.

LOL! I have no idea regarding the date he resigned, all I can do is type what he said.
Yes, he was really upset, pretty much along the same lines as myself and the others who declined to renew. Loved your comment though!

[Malcon10t]

Re: Club 33 Membership Changes, Part 2

were they notified that they are on the list? I cant get any response.

It took some phone calls, but yes, they were able to verify they were on the list.

I personally think it is worth it. I consider that it is 15-16K/year for 5 years. We will visit probably 12 days a year and will send some small # of clients, friends and family. I wish more fast passes were included (6 per visit seems low unless it is 6 per person), more perks to magic kingdom, international disneys and cruise perks.

To clarify, the 6 is for the member and members cards. (Platinum gets 4 cards, so can pull a total of 24 FPs. )

My wifes family lives in orange county so we visit maybe 4 weeks a year (spread over 4 visits). I personally would like to add orlando to the mix.

That is the one part for me that wouldn't be worth it. I have no desire to go to Orlando, but it is automatically included.

[techskip]

Re: Club 33 Membership Changes, Part 2

This can be taken any way you wish to take it but I do remember a time when 33 Members didn't need a Fastpass!

[David A]

Re: Club 33 Membership Changes, Part 2

This can be taken any way you wish to take it but I do remember a time when 33 Members didn't need a Fastpass!

Howdy Skip,
Yes, you are very much correct.
While it wasn't a written policy, most of the terrific cast members inside the park always bent over backwards to help out the club members. They were so kind and exceptionally polite, it was very common and still is that many members would make reservations for them and really develop some terrific relationships.
While I don't visit the park much any more or eat at the resort due the issues as discussed in this forum, I truly miss the old days.
Back then, it was really rare to see another actual member in the club or the park, there weren't that many of us. Yet the club sure stayed busy and everything was simply wonderful.

[Rachane]

Re: Club 33 Membership Changes, Part 2

If as the former CM (?) detailed on the earlier thread, abuse of the unlimited-com privilege [including for Internet resale] had become rampant, then the annual limit of 50/member is simply necessary. Those who complain about it can thank those who abused it [assuming the loudest complainers are not the abusers themselves].

Consider too that under the new system a comped person is not required to dine at C33. Since such dining roughly equals the cost of Park admission, there was a degree of self-limitation built into the old system: Persons who balked at the dining cost might forego the DLR trip accordingly. If C33 instituted unlimited free ParkHopper comps with no dining requirement, the freebie floodgates would be opened [and the Internet resale accelerated].

Removing the comp/dining requirement also frees up C33 dining space for members, particularly at short notice. It's nice to be able to dine at one's club without having to make a reservation two months in advance!

My impression is also that the quality and behavior of C33 diners has also improved since the change, possibly since the Club is no longer dealing with compees who are just there to punch their freebie-ParkHopper ticket.

For one's friends, relatives, clients, 50 PHcomps/year is actually quite a lot. An adult PH admission is currently $125. This translates into an annually-renewing C33 membership benefit of $6,250 [in addition to the member & spouse's own unlimited PH admissions]. That's not a bad deal, considering that Gold dues are slightly over 1/2 of that.

So I am not rose-colored-glassing the new PHcomp arrangement; I think it's both a necessity and a positive enhancement of the C33 experience, not to mention a supercalietc. good $deal.

Concerning 1901, my feeling is still that it's a membership add-on option, like the tours & concierge - not something essential to core C33 membership. Club 33 is the place behind the door at 33 Royal Street, which is what all the Silvers and Golds joined and renewed over the years.

If I had my 'druthers, I would have retained Gold [and indeed Silver] as joining-options, and made up/down levels an annual option at dues-time. But, like ObamaCare, there may be reasons why this would not be budgetarily viable.

As for the C33 visiting experience itself, it remains as gracious and delightful today as when we first joined in 1996 - indeed, as above, perceptively better in terms of less crowding and more well-behaved diners. I do miss the full lunch buffet, the pasta station, etc. but that's a minor quibble. [I understand the pasta station was removed because of fire regulations concerning the open flame hotplate. Perhaps the members could chip in for a fire-extinguisher?]

On to fast-pass: Once again, I think that 6@ for member & spouse/day is plenty. Let's remember that this is a perk, not a license to run wild and preempt all of the regular Park guests who follow the regular FP rules or wait in line. Indeed my wife and I find that we rarely need or use all of our instantFPs on visits, and one of our habits is to keep an eye out for strangers who are disconsolate because of FPrejection, then surprise them with a couple of instant FPs "as pixie dust from Club 33". We consider this just another way to "share the magic", make people happy, and enhance the Club's image.

We all know the story about the optimist and pessimist boys. The pessimist, placed in a room full of toys, refuses to play with them "because they'll all break sooner or later". The optimist, placed in a room full of dung, seizes a shovel and starts to dig. "There's got to be a pony down there somewhere!" Nuff said.

[txdisney]

Re: Club 33 Membership Changes, Part 2

We all know the story about the optimist and pessimist boys. The pessimist, placed in a room full of toys, refuses to play with them "because they'll all break sooner or later". The optimist, placed in a room full of dung, seizes a shovel and starts to dig. "There's got to be a pony down there somewhere!" Nuff said.

Love your attitude

[David A]

Re: Club 33 Membership Changes, Part 2

We all know the story about the optimist and pessimist boys. The pessimist, placed in a room full of toys, refuses to play with them "because they'll all break sooner or later". The optimist, placed in a room full of dung, seizes a shovel and starts to dig. "There's got to be a pony down there somewhere!" Nuff said.

Wow, some of you fellows are really entertaining and I mean that with all sincerity. Holy Toledo, if i ever wanted to go into the doormat business and needed someone to run the company, I'd certainly know where to look! It's quite obvious you really don't mind being stepped on.
As I've stated earlier, the club has never been a more depressing and sad place as it is today, but you know, we're locals and used to visit very, very frequently. I base my observations not on four visits a year but on five to six times that amount.
Knowing a very large number of cast members as friends outside the park also gives me a very good view of what is happening behind the scene.
That being said, should my basement fill up with dung, I'll give you a call!) I believe my landscaper has a few extra shovels he can let me borrow. Oh, what the hell, I'll buy you one and have a little 33's engraved on the handle.