Two Disney superfans have paid $400,000 in legal fees to be readmitted to Disneyland's elite Club 33, which charges $31,000 per year for admission, after being banned from the venue on indecent exposure charges.
Scott and Diana Anderson, both 60, lost their lawsuit against the House of Mouse last week after an Orange County, California, judge ruled that Disney has the right to decide who can stay in its little world at the resort.
Club 33 membership gives you access to VIP lounges at Disney resorts around the world, special events, celebrity interactions and more.
The Andersons spent 20 years saving up the money to join, then spent another 10 on the club's waiting list. During their five years as members, they traveled from their Arizona home to Disney's two Anaheim, California, theme parks 60 to 80 times a year, paying an estimated $125,000.
Scott Anderson told The Post that they developed close friendships with the other band members and hung out with celebrities like Kurt Russell and Dick Van Dyke.
Golf course owner Scott Anderson said losing the legal battle delayed his retirement by five years but he had no regrets.
His wife, Diana, vowed to keep fighting. Speaking to the LA Times She was planning to “sell a kidney” to raise funds for another legal challenge.
The controversy began over allegations that Scott was drunk at Disneyland.
Disney's lawyer, Jonathan E. Phillips, said in court that Scott Anderson's actions “destroyed his wife of 40 years' lifelong dream of joining Club 33,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
Anderson claims he wasn't drunk, but acknowledges having “a couple of beers” and a glass or two of wine during a day of fun at Disney's California Adventure Park.
He attributes the unsteadiness to vestibular migraines, which he has suffered from for decades.
The next day, Anderson and his wife were shocked to learn that their memberships had been revoked.
Club 33 is as exclusive as it is secretive: The original clubhouse in Anaheim, where the Andersons vacationed, still bears only a small plaque reading “33.”
The entrances to other Disney parks, such as those in Tokyo, Shanghai and Walt Disney World in Orlando, are hidden in inconspicuous corners within the parks.
These clubs are renowned for their elite members, whose identities are kept closely guarded secret, who socialize in luxurious reception and dining rooms and enjoy meals prepared by world-class chefs.
The couple asked the court for $10,500 for their unused memberships and $231,000 in compensation for the seven years they were blacklisted from Club 33.
Anderson said he and his wife are still considering their options for forcing Disney to return to the Happiest Place on Earth.
“All the relationships we had built over the years were built around Disneyland,” Scott told The Post. “Everyone I knew across the country, we met there. We did everything together. And then we lost that. We lost everything.”
