1 It’s not a secret that Disney parks are ridiculously expensive. Even if you just want to spend a single day at one park, you’re goin...
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It’s not a secret that Disney parks are ridiculously expensive. Even if you just want to spend a single day at one park, you’re going to rack up a hell of a bill. With that in mind, imagine what the words “exclusive places inside of Disney parks” actually means in context. They are some of the most exclusive locations on the planet, with one of those locations being a literal “members only club.” Here’s a brief primer on a few of those locations.
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Walt Disney’s Apartment
This one mostly has historical value, and while it’s not super easy to get into, there is a tour called “Walk in Walt’s Disneyland Footsteps” that will take you inside. It’s pretty easy to miss, seeing that it’s above the Disneyland Fire Department of all places (specifically the window above the sign), but Walt Disney actually had an apartment inside of Disneyland. He apparently had it built towards the entrance so he could watch the park’s building progress.
Again, if you’re into Disney history, check it out I guess? Even if you can’t get inside, do look at the windows, because one of them has a lamp that’s always on as a tribute to Walt Disney.
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The Lilly Belle
This is a weird one, because in theory, if you happened to be one of the first guests in the park and decided to go for the Disneyland Railroad, you could accidentally stumble into The Lilly Belle. For anyone else, you can take a look inside of The Lilly Belle as part of the Grand Circle Tour (it costs $85, which is the lowest dollar value I’ve typed so far and that’s probably going to stay that way).
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What’s the deal with The Lilly Belle? It’s the last of the original train cars from the opening of Disneyland. It’s been heavily remodeled into its current state, and it’s a tribute to Walt Disney’s wife, Lillian Disney.
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Castle Suite
It’s the first thing anyone does when they go to the Magic Kingdom in Disney World. They get a picture in front of Cinderella Castle. So, what’s exclusive about it?
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Being able to spend the night there in the “Castle Suite.” I’m going to let these pictures speak for themselves.
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You can book a tour of the suite, but to actually stay overnight is a whole other can of worms. You can only stay by invitation or by winning a contest. It’s arguably the most exclusive location inside any of the Disney parks as a result.
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Golden Oak
All right, if you don’t get the invite to the Castle Suite, maybe you have a couple million laying around instead? Because four miles outside of the Magic Kingdom is a gated community by the name of Golden Oak. It totals eight neighborhoods with a total of 300 homes, and it probably won’t surprise you that these homes are nice as hell.
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All right, after the tantalizing pictures, I have to pop in and mention that when I talked about “a couple million,” that wasn’t a joke. As of the writing of this gallery, the least expensive home currently available in Golden Oak is $2,349,000.
Again: Least expensive.
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Victoria & Albert’s
Time for a true story. When I was about four years old, my parents took my brother and I to Victoria & Albert’s at the Grand Floridian Hotel. But I was a shitty little picky eater back then (and a literal toddler), so I had zero appreciation for the fact that we were in one of Disney’s most famous restaurants. So, enjoy these pictures more than my ungrateful four-year-old self.
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Unlike the previous two places, you could feasibly get into Victoria & Albert’s. It’s not going to be a cheap meal and it won’t be a breeze to get it, but it’s not “millions of dollars” impossible to pull off.
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Club 33
Okay, time for the borderline Illuminati side of Disneyland.
Club 33 has an almost mythical presence in Disneyland. Walt Disney intended it to be a club where he would personally entertain the most prestigious guests at the park. Unfortunately for him, he died five months before it was completed. Fortunately, it still opened anyway. But unfortunately for most of us, there’s not a chance in hell you’ll get in.
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It’s an “invite only” club, and we actually don’t know much about it. The most we know about it is that the memberships are fucking insanely expensive. Initiation can cost anywhere between $25,000 to $100,000, and the annual fee can range between $12,500 to $30,000 a year, depending on the tier of membership. And we don’t know what those tiers are, we just know that they exist.
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Oh, and you also get exclusive access to another lounge in Disney California Adventure, the 1901 Lounge. It’s the only place in Disney California Adventure that serves alcohol, so maybe if you’re super rich, have the connections, and are obsessed with Disney, then Club 33 is for you.
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Well, besides Victoria & Albert’s, I’m probably never getting into a single one of these places as long as I live. Hopefully, someone out there actually does and can report back to the rest of us?
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